Draft Prep: Twins Outfield Depth

Have a look for yourself and let us know what you think.

Minnesota Twins: Oswaldo Arcia (LF), Aaron Hicks (CF), Torii Hunter (RF), Eddie Rosario (OF), Shane Robinson (OF), Eduardo Escobar (LF), Jordan Schafer (OF)

The current makeup of the Minnesota Twins outfield is certainly interesting. There is the veteran in Torii Hunter who, at 39, has been really good the last month. Aaron Hicks is finally back after starting the season with five strong weeks at Rochester. Eddie Rosario is another top ten prospect who is with the Twins. He hit the first pitch he saw in the big leagues out of the ballpark, but not surprisingly, he has struggled since. He’s still part of the future, but he needs time and patience. Oswaldo Arcia needs something. He’s still just 24, has 35 MLB home runs, but he has struggled and has not been able to stay healthy. Robinson and Schafer are ideally 4^th or 5^th outfielders. Escobar has been playing a lot of left field, for some reason.

Rochester Red Wings: Danny Ortiz (LF), Eric Farris (CF), Wilkin Ramirez (RF), Reynaldo Rodriguez (OF)

Ortiz is the young man in his group. He turned 25 in May. He spent half of the 2014 season in Rochester and was invited to big league camp. Eric Farris an infielder in the Brewers organization (he spent parts of two seasons in the big leagues), but when he came to the Twins a couple of years ago, he was pushed to the outfield, and he has performed well. Wilkin Ramirez and Reynaldo Rodriguez are also minor league veterans with pop in their bats. Rodriguez has played a lot of first base early this season.

Chattanooga Lookouts: Adam Brett Walker (LF), Byron Buxton (CF), Travis Harrison (RF), Max Kepler (OF)

This is a pretty talented group of outfielders, isn’t it? 23-year-old Walker leads the Southern League in home runs. He has led his league in that category each of the last two seasons. Byron Buxton is generally considered the best prospect in baseball. He has nine triples this year in less than 40 games. Though he’s struggled and been streaky this season, after missing so much of last season, his defense remains elite. Harrison leads the Southern League in doubles with 14 and has been a fixture in the middle of the lineup for the Lookouts. Kepler has been playing some first base, but can also play all three outfield spots. He has been on fire since just before the calendar turned to May.

Ft. Myers Miracle: Zach Granite (LF), Jason Kanzler (CF), Chad Christensen (RF), Marcus Knecht (OF)

Zach Granite was the Twins choice for minor league hitter of the month in April. He was promoted to the Miracle with the turn of the calendar and has continued to hit and be an on-base machine. Kanzler and Christensen are two of the most athletically-gifted players in the organization. They both have a terrific combination of power and speed. Knecht came to the Twins at the end of spring training after the Canadian spent the last few years in the Blue Jays organization.

Cedar Rapids Kernels: Max Murphy (LF), Tanner English (CF), Zack Larson (RF), Trey Vavra (LF)

This is another talented group of outfielders. Minnesota native Murphy was the team’s ninth-round pick a year ago out of Bradley. He was the Appy League player of the year last year despite being promoted to the Kernels halfway through the season. He got off to a slow start with the Kernels this year, but he has been hitting very well in May. English is another very good athlete. He’s not tall, but he can pack a punch with his bat. Defensively, he is tremendous and frequently shows great range. Larson is a very intriguing hitting prospect, though he has not yet put up numbers this year. He was with the Kernels last year, but a torn hamstring cost him most of the season. Vavra has played a lot of left field as well for the Kernels this year. Generally, one of these four has been a DH most games.

Extended Spring Training: Dubal Baez, Edgar Corcino, Tyree Davis, Austin Diemer, Frank Encarnacion, Roberto Gonzalez, Amaurys Minier, Junior Amarante, Rowan Ebersonhn, Luis Martinez

Minier is the big name in this group. He was signed as a third baseman, but one year into his pro career, he moved to the outfield. Really, he’s a DH, but he has a ton of power potential. Corcino, Davis and Gonzalez are three tremendous athletes, but yet still raw in their baseball skill. My guess is that Baez, Corcino, Diemer, Encarnacion and Minier will go to Elizabethton, though a couple of them could move up to Cedar Rapids if there is a need.

Top 6 Prospects: 1.) Byron Buxton, 2.) Eddie Rosario, 3.) Max Kepler, 4.) Adam Brett Walker, 5.) Amaurys Minier, 6.) Travis Harrison

The Draft: The Twins like their athletes. Walker was drafted in the third round after three years of college, but the others in my Top 6 prospect list were high school hitters or international signings. The Twins typically will draft some college relievers in later rounds but really like athletes. It’s a trend that has shown success in the last 25 years. Torii Hunter, Denard Span, Aaron Hicks and Ben Revere are all good examples of toolsy outfielders taken by the Twins and developed into baseball players. Revere was the most advanced offensively of the group, but each developed their athleticism into baseball skills. Byron Buxton continues that line.

There are some interesting outfielders near the top of the draft. I can see the Twins taking a couple. Though this group of prospects is talented, and Hicks and Rosario are already in the big leagues and Buxton appears to be a future building block, depth is always good. Remember five years ago when the Twins (and their fans) thought they had a ton of outfield depth in the organization. It didn’t turn out so great for a couple of years. Hopefully the current group of outfield prospects will develop into strong major league players, but adding more talent is always a good thing.