Seth's Preliminary Top 30 Twins Prospect Rankings

Work has begun in earnest on the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. It will be the 11th annual Twins Prospect Handbook for me, and Cody Christie and Tom Froemming will be involved in the writing, editing, formatting and overall development of the book. As we do every year, we will publish our official prospect rankings in the book along with our history of prospect rankings.

But today, I am posting my preliminary Top 30 Twins Prospect ranking. It is subject to change up until the handbook comes out (likely in mid-December or very early January, so get it on your Christmas wish list!) as I do much more research and chat with more people about the 162 Twins Prospects that are currently planned to be profiled in the book.

This will be a quick rundown of my Top 30 Twins prospects with minimal description of the Top 10 Twins prospects. I welcome your feedback in the comments below. What would your rankings look like? And, I’ll be happy to answer any questions that you post about any Twins minor leaguers in the comments.

With that let’s get started:

1. Royce Lewis - SS - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle

The 2017 #1 overall pick put together a really strong first full season of minor league ball. The shortstop showed range and a good arm. Offensively, he showed a good approach and added more power than most were expecting. His status nationally has risen and he should be a Top 10 overall prospect in the game this winter.

2. Alex Kirilloff - RF - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle

In about 2/3 of the organizations in baseball, Alex Kirilloff would be the easy choice for the team’s #1 prospect. After missing the entire 2017 season, the Twins 2016 top pick put up some monster numbers in 2018 in both Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He will likely be a Top 10 prospect in baseball this winter too as he is one of the best hitting prospects in the game.

3. Brusdar Graterol - RH SP - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle

Graterol returned from his Tommy John surgery in 2017 with big velocity. In 2018, he debuted in May with the Kernels and after a couple of months, he moved up to Ft. Myers. A triple digit fastball and a changeup and breaking ball that also could be plus pitches, and it’s understandable why Graterol is finally getting national recognition.

4. Wander Javier - SS - Did not play

Javier had left shoulder surgery early in the season and missed the full year. However, he is still very young and immensely talented. He’s got good speed, size and he barrels up the ball well. He should have his breakout season in 2019.

5. Trevor Larnach - OF - Oregon State/Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels

The Twins top pick in 2018, he helped lead Oregon State to a College World Series championship. He’s got big power potential and he could be a strong all-around hitter.

6. Nick Gordon - SS/2B - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings

Gordon was the Twins first-round pick in 2014 out of high school. He has quickly moved up the ladder. He certainly struggled after he was promoted to Triple A where he was very young for the level. He continues to be a strong prospect with the potential to be a long-time big leaguer.

7. Stephen Gonsalves - LH SP - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins

Gonsalves struggled in his big league debut, but he continues to be a top prospect with a big league future. He again put up strong Triple-A numbers in 2018 despite struggling with his control through most of the season.

8. Lewis Thorpe - LH SP - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings

In his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, Thorpe pitched well for Chattanooga. He regained his velocity and was able to miss a lot of bats. He pitched in the Futures Game. Late in the year, he moved up to Rochester where he continued to pitch well.

9. Brent Rooker - OF/1B - Chattanooga Lookouts

Rooker continued to be pushed aggressively and spent the full season in Chattanooga. He struggled early in the year, particularly with contact, but in June and July, he crushed Southern League pitchers. He hit 32 doubles and 22 home runs.

10. Jhoan Duran - RH SP - Kane County Cougars/Cedar Rapids Kernels

Duran came to the Twins from Arizona in the Eduardo Escobar trade. In his Kernels/Twins debut, he threw seven no-hit innings. He continued to pitch well. He has good size (6-5) and throws hard. He had 115 strikeouts in 100 2/3 innings of Low A ball in 2018.

11. Gilberto Celestino - OF - Tri City Valleycats/Corpus Christi Hooks/Elizabethton Twins

12. Akil Baddoo - OF - Cedar Rapids Kernels

13. Blayne Enlow - RH SP - Cedar Rapids Kernels

14. Jorge Alcala - RH SP - Buies Creek Astros/Corpus Christi Hooks/Chattanooga Lookouts

15. Zack Littell - RH SP - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins

16. LaMonte Wade - OF - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings

17. Ryan Jeffers - C - UNC-Wilmington/Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels

18. Tyler Wells - RH SP - Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts

19. Jose Miranda - 2B/3B - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle

20. Kohl Stewart - RH SP - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins

21. Travis Blankenhorn - 2B/3B - Ft. Myers Miracle

22. Yunior Severino - 2B - Elizabeththon Twins

23. Luis Arraez - 2B - Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts

24. Gabriel Maciel - OF - Kane County Cougars/Cedar Rapids Kernels

25. Luke Raley - OF/1B - Tulsa Drillers/Chattanooga Lookouts

26. Griffin Jax - RH SP - Ft. Myers Miracle

27. Edwar Colina - RH SP - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle

28. Jordan Balazovic - RH SP - Cedar Rapids Kernels

29. Ben Rortvedt - C - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle

30. Jacob Pearson - OF - Cedar Rapids Kernels

The Next Ten: Lewin Diaz, Charles Mack, Chase De Jong, DaShawn Keirsey, Prelander Berroa, Andrew Bechtold, Landon Leach, Luis Rijo, Zander Wiel.

There you have it... My current Top 30. Who do I have too high? Who is ranked too low? Who is missing from this list? Let's spend some time talking Twins prospects. Discuss the above, but also feel free to ask me any questions you would like.

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!