Part 2: Seth's Midseason Top 40 Prospects (21-30)

After looking at my Twins Prospects 31-40 yesterday, let’s take a quick look at my choices for Twins Prospect 21-40 today. I welcome your questions and any discussion on the players. (I have included my preseason rankings. Note that I do a Top 30 list in the Prospect Handbook, but I keep and update occasionally a ranking of all of the Twins prospects. However, for this, I will put NR if they were outside my Top 50.)

30. Engelb Vielma, SS, 22

The slick-fielder Vielma signed with the Twins in September of 2011. Last fall, he was added to the Twins 40-man roster and went to his second MLB spring training. When he was sent to minor league camp, Paul Molitor noted that he could do some things with his glove that few can. His defense, his arm, his range and his leadership are all impressive. He began the season splitting time between second base and shortstop, alternating with Nick Gordon. In the last two weeks, he was promoted to AAA where he has played shortstop exclusively (and so has Gordon). Vielma puts together quality at bats, and he will hit for a decent average, but they will mostly be singles. Nothing wrong with that, but he won’t be a guy who puts up big OBP or SLG numbers because pitchers will throw him strikes. But he has value. That kind of defense, any team will be happy with. He’s probably more of a utility guy who you don’t mind starting when needed.

Preseason Ranking: 27

Pre-2016 Ranking: 15

29. John Curtiss, RH RP, 24

Curtiss was the Twins sixth-round pick in 2014 out of the University of Texas. While in college, he had Tommy John surgery and came back as a closer. The Twins let him start for a year, but he struggled to stay healthy, so he was moved to the bullpen to start the 2016 season, and he took off. His prospect status really took off last year in the Arizona Fall League when he was pitching well and hitting 97. Last year, he was clocked at 98 mph. And, he has a starter’s mix of pitches available to him. He hasn’t been one of the big-named reliever prospects in the organization, but he has a chance to help the big league club, and maybe in 2017. He now has nine saves this year for Chattanooga. He has thrown 17.2 innings and has not yet given up a run. He has given up ten hits and ten walks, but he’s also struck out 25 batters.

Preseason Ranking: 35

28. Jose Miranda, 3B, 18

Miranda was the Twins third draft pick in 2016. He was the first of two compensatory picks between the second and third round. The 73rd overall pick was drafted as a shortstop out of the Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico. He played some at shortstop last year, but this spring, he was already moved to third base. A lot of that may have to do with the presence of Wander Javier. Miranda is 6-2 and approaching 200 pounds. He’s a good athlete and should adapt to the hot corner well. He also should hit well. In 55 games in the GCL last year, he hit .227/.308/.292 (.600) with seven doubles, a triple and a home run. Obviously he’s got a long way to go before getting to the big leagues, but he’s got the tools and the frame to find him very interesting.

Preseason Ranking: 18

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27. Akil Baddoo, 18

Baddoo was the fourth Twins draft pick in 2016, selected one pick after they took Miranda. The Georgia prep was drafted as a tremendous athlete who had become a very good baseball player. While he hit just .178/.299/.271 (.570) with two doubles and two triples in 38 games, he will advance to Elizabethton to play this season (most likely). He came to spring training this year having gained 15 pounds and it was likely all muscle. Baddoo has all the tools. He should hit. He has major power potential. He’s got great speed and can play really good defense, including center field. And, he’s got the arm to play right field.

Preseason Ranking: 20

26. Lewis Thorpe, LHP, 21

In July of 2012, the Twins signed Thorpe out of Australia for $500,000. He burst onto the scene the following year when he went 4-1 with a 2.05 ERA in 12 games. In 44 innings, he walked six and struck out 64. The following season, he moved up to Cedar Rapids in mid-May, and as an 18-year-old, he struck out 80 in 71.2 innings. Unfortunately, in his final start of the season, he hurt his elbow. The result was Tommy John surgery which cost him two seasons. He returned to the mound last week and made his second Miracle start on Thursday night. His fastball is still in the 91-93 range, and his secondary pitches are starting to work already. Thorpe will very likely move up this list quickly again.

Preseason Ranking: 26

Pre-2016 Ranking: 13

Pre-2015 Ranking: 12

25. Lachlan Wells, LHP, 20

When Thorpe returned to the Miracle, he joined fellow Australian Lachlan Wells in the team’s starting rotation. Wells signed with the Twins in August of 2014 for $300,000. He’s actually followed the path of Thorpe fairly closely. He had a strong debut in the GCL in 2015 when he went 5-2 with a 2.09 ERA. In 47.1 innings, he walked 11 and struck out 49. Last year, he jumped up to Cedar Rapids midseason and made 12 starts for the Kernels. He went 6-4 with a 1.77 ERA. In 71.1 innings, he walked just 16 and struck out 63. He pitched for Australia in this spring’s WBC. He began this season with the Miracle and right now he is 2-6 with a 3.72 ERA. In 46 innings, he has walked ten and struck out 36 batters. Not great numbers, but consider he is three years younger than the average player in the Florida State League. Wells, like Thorpe, has a high baseball and high pitching IQ. He knows how to pitch. He’ll make adjustments.

Preseason Rankings: 23

24. Ben Rortvedt, C, 19

Rortvedt was the Twins second round pick in 2016 out of Verona Area High School in Wisconsin. He went to the GCL and hit .203 (.531) in 20 games before moving up to Elizabethton where he hit .250 (.598) in 13 games. I admit that I was a little surprised that he started in Cedar Rapids right away this season, and he has struggled with the bat. However, he is one of the youngest players in the Midwest League and he is tremendous defensively. While he’s hitting just under .150 and his OPS is just shy of .400, he is providing value to his pitchers and to the coaching staff. Obviously at some point he will need to hit, but I have little doubt that will happen at some point.

Preseason Ranking: 16

23. Aaron Whitefield, OF, 20

Aaron Whitefield signed with the Twins in May of 2015 after playing fast-pitch softball nearly his entire life. He was the lone GCL Twins player last year to make the league’s post-season All-Star team. He was a top player for the two-time defending Claxton Shield champion Brisbane Bandits in the ABL, and he represented Australia in the WBC this spring. He jumped up to Cedar Rapids to start the season and has played pretty well. In 42 games, he has hit .285/.327/.472 (.799) with six doubles, three triples and five home runs. He’s also stolen seven bases and become a reliable center fielder with great range. Then remember that he has only played baseball for about four years. He’s also 6-4 and 200 pounds. He’s got all of the tools. He just needs to play, and play a lot. He may be a diamond in the rough, but he’s certainly intriguing.

Preseason Ranking: 48

22. Jake Reed, RH RP, 24

Reed was the Twins fifth-round pick in 2014 out of the University of Oregon. Upon being drafted, he gave up just one earned run in 31 innings between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids before giving up one run in 12.2 innings in the Arizona Fall League. In 2015, he struggled early in Chattanooga. He went down to Ft. Myers and was good before returning to the Lookouts late. He ended strong and again pitched well in the AFL. Last year, he pitched well in Chattanooga and ended strong in Rochester .This spring, he went to his second big league spring training and clearly impressed the coaching staff. Unfortunately, in the final exhibition game (Rochester vs Twins), he pulled a muscle in his side. He has been out since. He has pitched in recent days in extended spring training and even hit 98. He should return to the Red Wings soon.

Preseason Ranking: 19

Pre-2016 Ranking: 18

Pre-2015 Ranking: 18

21. Luis Arraez, 2B, 20

The Twins signed Arraez in November of 2013 out of Venezuela. He broke out last year in Cedar Rapids. As a 19-year-old, he led the Midwest League in batting average in 2016. He went back home and played in the Venezuelan Winter League where he hit .335 against competition much older than him on average. He was starting to be talked about more and more as a bigger prospect. He began this season by going 5-13 (.385) in his first three games. However, in his final at-bat of that third game, he lunged toward first base and landed awkwardly, falling over the bag. He was carted off the field. Two days later, we learned that he had a torn ACL and would miss the entire remainder of the 2017 season.

Preseason Ranking: 17

So there you have it, my choices for Twins prospects 21-30. If you missed my choices for Twins prospects 31-40, click here. The top 20 prospects will come over four more installments of five prospects a piece until we reach #1.

Please feel free to leave comments and discuss the prospects mentioned and the order they are in.

Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!