Article: Twins Daily Top 10 Prospects: Recap

[Nick Nelson]

The Twins truly might have the most talent-laded farm system in all of baseball, so ranking and profiling our selections for the Top 10 prospects over the past couple weeks has been a lot of fun.

 

Today, we'll take a high-level look at that list as a whole and see what it tells us about the future of the franchise, both short-term and long-term.

[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

First, here's a rundown of the TD Top 10, with links to each story:

 

10. Trevor May, RHP

9. Lewis Thorpe, LHP

8. Jorge Polanco, 2B

7. Josmil Pinto, C

6. Jose Berrios, RHP

5. Eddie Rosario, 2B

4. Kohl Stewart, RHP

3. Alex Meyer, RHP

2. Miguel Sano, 3B

1. Byron Buxton, OF

 

Arms Race

 

Download attachment: top-prospects-03-alex-meyer.jpg The biggest thing that stands out about this list is the presence of five pitchers, including two in the top four.

 

Last year's list featured four, but they were all ranked fifth or below, so there has clearly been some very positive movement on that front. As anyone who has been following the Twins over the past few years would surely agree, this is profoundly good news.

 

Brace For Impact

 

With the exceptions of Stewart, Berrios, Polanco and Thorpe, every player in our Top 10 is expected to begin the 2014 season in Double-A or above, meaning that six of these high-end prospects will be poised to jump to the majors at any time. A strong start, combined with injuries or struggles at the big-league level, could lead to the expedited arrival of several players on this list. Because of this, the '14 season has a chance to be the most exciting for fans in many years.

 

National Recognition

 

Here's where the members of our Top 10 have been ranked by three of the most respected national outlets for prospect coverage: MLB.com, ESPN.com and Baseball Prospectus.

 

Buxton 1 | 1 | 1

Sano 3 | 8 | 14

Meyer 32 | 62 | 32

Stewart 61 | 76 | 54

Rosario 63 | 49 | 60

Berrios 77 | NR | 75

Pinto NR | NR | 56

Polanco NR | NR | NR

Thorpe NR | NR | 101

May NR | NR | NR

 

Top Heavy

 

Download attachment: top-prospects-04-kohl-stewart.jpg Each of the organization's top three prospects would probably rank No. 1 for many teams around the league, offering monstrous upside that is not far from being tapped. Buxton and Sano have both been widely hailed as potential MVP contenders while Meyer has all the makings of a frontline starter as long as he can stay healthy.

 

That's not even mentioning Stewart, the top high school pick in last year's draft, whose distance from the majors is the only thing holding him back from elite status. By this time next year, we may be ranking his upside above Meyer's.

 

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