SAN FRANCISCO — There are a lot of mysteries in player evaluation, but in 2018, perhaps there was none greater than this: How did the Minnesota Twins, an organization forever in need of more talent, let Dereck Rodriguez get away?
Rodriguez was 25 at the time, with a Hall-of-Fame pedigree, a developing repertoire and solid minor league results. Even Giants people seemed surprised that Rodriguez was available, but they had done their homework and were prepared to chase him the minute he became a free agent. The end result was the best development of the 2018 season.