Twins Top Prospect Battles: Who Has the Best Tools?

Enjoyable read, Cody.  One comment and one observation.  
 

How can Lee and Jenkins be breakout candidates when they are ranked 1-2 on most prospect lists?  Have always been a Miller fan, but didn’t realize his D was so elite.

Loved the Noah Miller video that he not only has the skills to be a great SS but also the baseball smarts.

Great read!! I would have probably picked different players for breakout candidates.  In thinking Kala’i Rosario vs. Yasser Mercedes. 

I would struggle with Simeon Woods Richardson to be anywhere near the most underrated category.  We have had high hopes and huge OVERrating on him the past couple of years.  Based on last year, he is closer to not being in baseball in two years ......verses being underrated.....

We want him to succeed even more..... because he was part of the Berrios trade......but it might be time to get a little more realistic regarding him.   :(

David Festa intrigues me. His knuckler is a unique pitch for any arsenal. If it works for Festa, it could trigger a new trend. Can't wait to see a guy like that in the pros.

I don't think Raya is all that underrated, he's just been managed very carefully.

Walker Jenkins win a different category: most tools. Because dude seems to have them all so far.

I'm a little confused that in a discussion about tools they're not talking about categories like power, contact skills, throwing arm in the field, speed...these are things I think of as specific tools. The others are more about overall prospect profile to me.

"Martin has the potential to be a future All-Star."

Can't this be said about every minor league player? Martin will be 25 before the season starts and hasn't spent 1 day in the majors at this point it seems like a stretch to say future all star. (I hope he is, though)

IMO, the underrated Twins prospects are the prospects that are 21/22 that played in high A, AA last year and aren't in the Twins top 10-15 range.

Jenkins may be the most hyped prospect for Twins since Buck was drafted.  Lewis had some hype but not to Jenkins or Buck level.  If Jenkins can hit ground running I could see him move up to AA by season end.  Jenkins ended in low A and did better there than Rookie league. His eye at plate early on was good.  I know it is SSS, but when people saying he would have been number 1 pick in many other recent drafts that helps the hype train.

Lee has the looking of being a solid player but his ceiling is much lower, not saying he could not break out beyond what is expected, but he is thought of being just solid all around good hitter, but not great. 

Man Miller has a nice arm. All right on the money frozen ropes. The only one hopper was from very deep in the hole. 

5 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

FYI, Festa doesn't throw a knuckler, that's Cory Lewis. Festa has the more traditional fastball, slider, curve, change repertoire. 

That's why Festa's knuckler is so good. Nobody can see it!

Didn't realize Cardenas was such a good defensive catcher. He's moving up in my ratings as he's also got a decent bat.

My breakout candidate is Noah Miller.  The defense is there, the bat is slowly, slowly coming around.  

Here is his slash line for August and Sept. 

.260/.360/.430

He has been a lot like Kepler (actually worse with the bat) where he has regularly struggled for average and doing any other significant damage.  He had 7 of his 9 home runs in the last 3 months and the average, obp,  slugging and ops were all up significantly.   I think he finally is starting to adjust to the pitching and what he needs to do to be successful.   

I expect him to slot into a utility role in a few years.   Let the defense play up and anything he does with the bat is gravy.  Like Kepler I think something clicked in the 2nd half.  

Other Breakout Candidates-

1. (8) Brandon Winokur -  I expect the bat to continue to rake and his athleticism and defense will continue to play up.  I am fully expecting him to be a top 5 prospect by the end of the year. 

2. (15) Tannner Hall -  an elite pitcher with low velocity but plus off speed pitches going into the Twins pitching lab adding velocity sounds like an extreme winner.  I am curious if he starts in A+ ball or they put all the rookies from last year into A ball.  

3.  One of the other rookie pitchers.  One will breakout and be an absolute stud just don't know which one.  

4 and 5.  Canterino and Priellip.  I am expecting both to be healthy and dealing this year.  

I am very optimistic on the minors, there is a lot of talent coming up through the system and the 2023 draft has the potential to be a game changer.   

On 1/24/2024 at 6:50 AM, FlyingFinn said:

Didn't realize Cardenas was such a good defensive catcher. He's moving up in my ratings as he's also got a decent bat.

Agree!  Now the Twins will not do this.....but his defense is similar to Vasquez's defense and I would argue by the end of the season his hitting numbers would be comparable or better than Vasquez's in 2024.......for 10 million LESS!

(but it would hurt Cardenas' development....yada, yada, yada.....)