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Article: Who's Number One?: Minnesota's Top Prospect
#1
Posted 30 October 2017 - 07:00 PM
Which prospect will come out on top in this year’s prospect rankings? Here are the candidates…Seth, Tom, Jeremy, and I are jumping into work on the 10th Anniversary Edition of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. In the weeks ahead, look for more stories about the team’s top prospects as we dive into researching the next crop to come off of the farm.
Nick Gordon, SS
One knock on Gordon after his 2016 season was his lack of power. He made a switch this year as his OPS increased by 28 points but his batting average dropped by 21 points. For the season, he hit .270/.341/.408 with 46 extra-base hits and 13 steals in 519 at-bats. Gordon was three years younger than the competition in the Southern League. The majority of his playing time has continued to be at shortstop but he might end up at second base in the big leagues. Some will rank Royce Lewis ahead of Gordon but it’s tough to do that when Gordon has been performing well at Double-A.
Royce Lewis, SS
Minnesota’s number one pick this past June made his mark quickly in his professional debut. He hit .279/.381/.407 with 18 steals in over 200 at-bats. He finished the year with Cedar Rapids in the Midwest League where he was over three years younger than the competition. There is still an opportunity for him to add more power as he grows into his body and that has to be a scary proposition for pitchers in the Midwest and Florida State Leagues. Many believe he will be able to stay at shortstop. Out of the hitters on this list, he has the highest ceiling.
Stephen Gonsalves, LHP
Gonsalves has dominated Double-A over the last two seasons. In 161.2 innings (28 starts), he has posted a 2.51 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP and a 185 to 60 strikeout to walk ratio. His time at Triple-A wasn’t as clean but he was limited to five appearances (four starts) at season’s end. Gonsalves did not make a start after August 25 and his final appearance came on August 30th. He missed time at the beginning of the season with a shoulder issue. There was no structural damage and he went on to pitch well. There was talk of him making a spot start at the big league level but that never happened. He will head back to Triple-A to prove he can dominate that level like he has in Double-A.
Wild Cards: Brent Rooker, Fernando Romero
Rooker dominated at the plate during his professional debut. Coming from the college ranks, Rooker started in Elizabethton to get acquainted with a wood bat and to start playing in the outfield. After less than 100 plate appearances, he moved to Fort Myers and continued to hit. For the season, he batted .281/.364/.566 with 18 home runs and 11 doubles. He’s still adjusting to the outfield so that will be a focus for him in 2018.
Romero was a legitimate candidate to be the Twins top prospect one year ago. There were flashes of greatness with Chattanooga but the consistency wasn’t always there. In 125 innings, he posted a 3.53 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP and 120 strikeouts compared to 45 walks. Like Gonsalves, he missed time with a shoulder issue which is never a good thing for a power pitcher. All things considered, he might still have the highest ceiling of any pitcher in the Twins organization.
Who would you consider the Twins top prospect? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.
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Cody Christie
@nodaktwinsfan
#2
Posted 30 October 2017 - 07:20 PM
So, no chance for Royce Lewis to take the top spot?Interesting.
#3
Posted 30 October 2017 - 09:01 PM
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#4
Posted 30 October 2017 - 09:18 PM
#5
Posted 31 October 2017 - 08:38 AM
I think Gordon will be a major leaguer but not a star, Gonsalves will be a #4 rotation arm and not a star.Rooker and Lewis could be stars - they are number one and two for me.
#6
Posted 31 October 2017 - 08:45 AM
- 70charger likes this
Scouting Report: Power: 30, Hitting: 50, Arm: 60, Defense: 45, Speed: 45. "Line drive swing and shows good contact and on-base abilities. Double's power at his peak. Strong arm from 2B or the OF, stiff hands. Not a fast runner, but above average instincts on the bases. Skinny body doesn't look the part, but will sneak up on you. ACL surgery sapped much of his athleticism." (Probably)
#7
Posted 31 October 2017 - 08:49 AM
It's Lewis to me, and that's with a bullet.
1) Lewis
2) Gordon
3) Romero
4) Gonsalves
5) The field
- Vanimal46 likes this
#8
Posted 31 October 2017 - 09:04 AM
Always tough this #1. We have had Sano and Buxton...but Rosario has been the guy who has shined and he was never considered the Top Prospect in the system.
Us armchair general managers have to take a second seat to the real guys.
Joel Thingvall
www.joelthingvall.com
rosterman at www.twinscards.com
#9
Posted 31 October 2017 - 09:06 AM
#10
Posted 31 October 2017 - 10:26 AM
The majority of his (Gordon's) playing time has continued to be at shortstop but he might end up at second base in the big leagues.
If this is true, I can't see how Gordon is the top prospect - and could fall out of the top 4.Modern day second basemen need to hit and hit with power.He doesn't have the bat to play MLB second base....and those strike out numbers are scary.
If you think he can't stick at SS, he should plummet down the rankings
#11
Posted 31 October 2017 - 10:39 AM
Right now I'd say Gordon. Next year at this time, I suspect he's been supplanted (even if he does well in AAA).
#12
Posted 31 October 2017 - 11:02 AM
Always tough this #1. We have had Sano and Buxton...but Rosario has been the guy who has shined and he was never considered the Top Prospect in the system.
Us armchair general managers have to take a second seat to the real guys.
Buxton had more bWAR this year alone than Rosario has in his entire career.
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#13
Posted 31 October 2017 - 11:08 AM
Brian Dozier hit16 HR for his minor league career.Nick Gordon is still younger than Brian Dozier was before he started playing professional baseball.Altuve did not show much for power until he was 25. Odor was 22 when he started hitting for power. Schoop and Jose Ramirez24,Gordon just turned 22. Not saying Gordon is similar to any of them, just HR power comes later for middle infielders.
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#14
Posted 31 October 2017 - 11:17 AM
The bad part about this discussion is that given there are not any OMG prospects on the list there are not 5-10 names son the list.As the new regime brings in new ideas we shall see if the prospects start improving.
#15
Posted 31 October 2017 - 11:52 AM
For me, Nick Gordon being a top prospect revolves obviously around how he performs defensively as a SS, but offensively will he continue to develop plate discipline. His brother only walks around 5% of the time. To be a top performer, Nick needs to maintain the 9% he discovered this year, or preferably improve it while cutting down his strikeouts. He might improve his doubles power but he'll never be a slugger so he needs to get on base with solid contact and walks.
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#16
Posted 31 October 2017 - 02:05 PM
Way too early for me to even think about this, since I do most of my prospect work in December and January when there are enough moves made, but my #1 lastseason was Wander Javier and hitting .299/.383/.471 in the Appy League as an 18 year old, did not hurt himself. Royce Lewis might be close or overtake him.Not sure yet, but these guys will likely be #1 and #2 in some order, pending transactions.
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Blogging Twins since 2007 at The Tenth Inning Stretch
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#17
Posted 31 October 2017 - 02:10 PM
If this is true, I can't see how Gordon is the top prospect - and could fall out of the top 4.Modern day second basemen need to hit and hit with power.He doesn't have the bat to play MLB second base....and those strike out numbers are scary.
If you think he can't stick at SS, he should plummet down the rankings
Gordon is going to hit, and hit well enough to play anywhere but a corner. I have no doubts about that. While there seems to be a growing idea he won't stick at SS, I'll believe it when I see it in the majors. And if you believe this about Gordon, Lewis shouldn't be #1 either, because there's far greater concern with him about sticking there right now.
Scouting Report: Power: 30, Hitting: 50, Arm: 60, Defense: 45, Speed: 45. "Line drive swing and shows good contact and on-base abilities. Double's power at his peak. Strong arm from 2B or the OF, stiff hands. Not a fast runner, but above average instincts on the bases. Skinny body doesn't look the part, but will sneak up on you. ACL surgery sapped much of his athleticism." (Probably)
#18
Posted 31 October 2017 - 02:16 PM
I don't get why Lewis Thorpe isn't even being mentioned here, but Romero had everyone drooling last offseason. Lefty starter and still just 22 next season, former nationally ranked prospect who had a great bounce back campaign after missing the previous two. And I've always heard that he has great stuff. What am I missing here?
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#19
Posted 31 October 2017 - 02:40 PM
I see arguments for and against all of these and I see arguments for others to be included on this list as well. I always have a bias towards those closer to the majors so I lean Gordon from your list. He is the most likely to make an impact at the majors based on skills demonstrated and nearness to actually making a debut. I will be disappointed if he does not get his first taste some time next summer (same with Gonsalves) I do not think he or Gonsalvesare close to the most potential though.
- 70charger likes this
#20
Posted 31 October 2017 - 03:00 PM