Sickels ranks Twins system #7

Up from 17 last year.
2013 Baseball Farm System Rankings - Minor League Ball
"Strengths: hitting. Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks will be ready to help the outfield sometime in 2013. Enormous upside in players like Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton, Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario. Weaknesses: lack of high upside arms although that's improved thanks to '12 draft and winter trades that brought in Alex Meyer and Trevor May. If new group of arms develops properly, this could be a top three system by end of '13."

Yay!:jump:

Great improvement. Let's hope these guys' potential blossoms into some great MLB careers down the road! Probably more excited to follow everyone down on the farm than the major leage club this year...

The Twins need to find a way to leave Hicks and Arcia in the system so that they can be top 3 next year :)

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Originally Posted by diehardtwinsfan

The Twins need to find a way to leave Hicks and Arcia in the system so that they can be top 3 next year :)

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Actually, I think Arcia loses his rookie eligiblity this year but he might not. He's awfully young so the Twins might not push him. And even though Hicks and Gibson will be gone, they'll add the #4 pick and (hopefully) strong years by some of Kepler, Berrios, May or some sleepers we aren't focusing on (Harrison, Polcanco, Santana) will keep the high ranking next year. (Or Buxton can absolutely explode and become a top 5 prospect).

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Originally Posted by diehardtwinsfan

The Twins need to find a way to leave Hicks and Arcia in the system so that they can be top 3 next year :)

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Joe Benson starts at CF and doesn't give up the position all year. Someone will still come up if Morneau or Willingham are traded.....

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Originally Posted by diehardtwinsfan

The Twins need to find a way to leave Hicks and Arcia in the system so that they can be top 3 next year :)

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If Sano and Buxton progress as they should and they make a good pick at #4 it will be a top 3 system no matter where Hicks and Arcia end up.

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Originally Posted by drjim

If Sano and Buxton progress as they should and they make a good pick at #4 it will be a top 3 system no matter where Hicks and Arcia end up.

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I disagree. They need pitching to step up to get into the top 3 (but it's still possible without Arcia and Hicks).

Drafting Manaea, Stanek or Appel along with possible improvements from the the A ball and rk ball players can take this system to the top 3 regardless of losing Hicks, Arcia and Gibson.

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Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

I disagree. They need pitching to step up to get into the top 3 (but it's still possible without Arcia and Hicks).

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Fair enough. I was still counting Meyer and May and the potential draft pick. Obviously nothing is automatic. They could drop or they could end up #1. Should be a fun year to follow the system.

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Originally Posted by drjim

Fair enough. I was still counting Meyer and May and the potential draft pick. Obviously nothing is automatic. They could drop or they could end up #1. Should be a fun year to follow the system.

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Yeah, the minors will be more interesting than the team in Minnesota, in all likelihood. It's hard not to like what Smith and Ryan did with the minor leagues over the past 3-4 years, even if most of us spend a large portion of our time complaining about their handling of the Major League squad.

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Originally Posted by kab21

Drafting Manaea, Stanek or Appel along with possible improvements from the the A ball and rk ball players can take this system to the top 3 regardless of losing Hicks, Arcia and Gibson.

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I know it is early but sure do hope that daft offers up FOUR can't miss draft picks. We keep talking about the 3 pitchers but we pick fourth. There are a couple of toolsy Georgia outfielders who are pretty good. Hopefully one of those teams in front of us picks one of them so we can get our hands on one of the top pitchers. I would really like Manaea because he is a lefty and isn't a Boras client (I don't think anyway). If Appel is there I think we have to take him and pay him over slot. He may be the best of the bunch and could be to the majors by 2015.

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Originally Posted by Twins Twerp

I know it is early but sure do hope that daft offers up FOUR can't miss draft picks. We keep talking about the 3 pitchers but we pick fourth. There are a couple of toolsy Georgia outfielders who are pretty good. Hopefully one of those teams in front of us picks one of them so we can get our hands on one of the top pitchers. I would really like Manaea because he is a lefty and isn't a Boras client (I don't think anyway). If Appel is there I think we have to take him and pay him over slot. He may be the best of the bunch and could be to the majors by 2015.

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We still have an entire prep and college season to play before the draft. Worrying that the top three pitchers will be taken before the Twins draft at #4 is premature. A lot can and will change before June.

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Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

We still have an entire prep and college season to play before the draft. Worrying that the top three pitchers will be taken before the Twins draft at #4 is premature. A lot can and will change before June.

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Exactly. There's also a good chance there's a currently-off-the-radar high school kid who was a scrawny junior throwing 86 last year that grew 5 inches and comes in touching 98 this year. (And the Twins will do everything in their power to get him back to 86, ASAP.)

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Originally Posted by FrodaddyG

Exactly. There's also a good chance there's a currently-off-the-radar high school kid who was a scrawny junior throwing 86 last year that grew 5 inches and comes in touching 98 this year. (And the Twins will do everything in their power to get him back to 86, ASAP.)

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I know you're joking. But be careful, there are some Twins fans that will actually believe this.

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Originally Posted by righty8383

I know you're joking. But be careful, there are some Twins fans that will actually believe this.

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Yeah. They'd probably be fine with it if he only got back to 89.

Encouraging news, love the make-up of some of these hitters. Smith's aggressiveness still could pay a lot of positive dividends.

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Originally Posted by FrodaddyG

Yeah. They'd probably be fine with it if he only got back to 89.

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That only depends on if he can really get some sink on that thing.

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Originally Posted by TheLeviathan

Encouraging news, love the make-up of some of these hitters. Smith's aggressiveness still could pay a lot of positive dividends.

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I've always been a fan of how Smith ran the minor league system.

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Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

I've always been a fan of how Smith ran the minor league system.

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Minus trading a first division catcher for a soft throwing closer.