Farmville: Midseason Top Prospect Update

Last week’s Triple-A All-Star Game marked the last of the minor league midsummer classics. The passing of the first half also meant the release of several midseason top prospect lists, and with the Twins steamrolling towards another 90-loss season, at least fans can take solace in the various updated rankings and know that better days are ahead.

Several highly respected prospect evaluators released their midseason rankings over the past month, and not surprisingly, the Twins organization was very well represented.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

Baseball America (Top 50):

• Byron Buxton (1)
  
• Miguel Sano (3)
  
• Alex Meyer (32)
  

Baseball Prospectus (Top 50):

• Byron Buxton (1)
  
• Miguel Sano (6)
  
• Alex Meyer (44)
  

FanGraphs (Top 50):

• Byron Buxton (1)
  
• Miguel Sano (10)
  
• Alex Meyer (36)
  

Keith Law (Top 50):

• Byron Buxton (1)
  
• Miguel Sano (4)
  
• Kohl Stewart (30)*
  
• Alex Meyer (38)
  
• Eddie Rosario (41)
  

John Sickels (Top 75):

• Byron Buxton (1)
  
• Miguel Sano (3)
  
• Alex Meyer (51)
  
• Eddie Rosario (56)
  

*Only list to include 2013 draft picks

Observations: Byron Buxton’s huge first half has made him the unanimous number one prospect in all baseball. Miguel Sano is a consensus top ten prospect and arguably the best power bat in the minors. Despite being sidelined the past several weeks with a shoulder injury, Alex Meyer has eased concerns about his mechanics and turned himself into an elite starting pitching prospect. Eddie Rosario has largely flown under the radar, but finds himself on the cusp of top-50 territory. Kohl Stewart is undoubtedly the top pitching prospect in the Twins organization, and will surely be a top three prospect heading into next year.

Even with the 2013 promotions of top ten prospects Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia, and Kyle Gibson, the Twins pool of minor leaguers remains full of want and wet with talent. With as many as five potential top-50 guys and a number of other candidates (Max Kepler, Trevor May, Jose Barrios) knocking on the door, the Twins are assured of being well represented in virtually every 2014 top prospect list and a legit contender for the top organization in baseball. Someday we will look back at these 90-loss seasons and laugh, but until then the promise of a brighter future will have to do. #p2c

Originally published on pitching.2.contact