Seth's Preliminary Top 50 Twins Prospects: Part 7: 6-10

Previous installments of this prospect ranking:

• Part 1 (41-50)
  
• Part 2 (31-40)
  
• Part 3 (26-30)
  
• Part 4 (21-25)
  
• Part 5 (16-20)
  
• Part 6 (11-15)
  

As a quick reminder, players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2016. That is to say, hitters with less than 130 at bats and pitchers with less than 50 innings. (The list is preliminary. Following research for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2016 - which Cody Christie, Jeremy Nygaard and I are working on - I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.)

Top Prospects 6-10

#10 – Kohl Stewart - 21 – RHP – Ft. Myers Miracle

Stewart missed about three weeks of action in late April with some shoulder soreness. However, he took the mound for the rest of his starts throughout the season. He went 7-8 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.38 ERA. In 16 of his 22 starts, he gave up fewer than three runs. After striking out just 6.4 per nine innings at Cedar Rapids in 2014, he struck out just 4.9 per nine with the Miracle. He increased his workload from 87 innings to 129.1 innings. Stewart is throwing a fastball in the low 90s that touches 94. He has a good curve ball and slider and continues to work on his change-up. The strikeout rate becomes a concern. He likely will begin 2016 in Chattanooga, but I would personally like to see him spend two more months in Ft. Myers early in the season and work on that K-rate. It’s important to remember that he still hasn’t pitched lot. He was the Twins first-round pick in 2013 out of high school in Houston.

Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (5), 2014 (4)

#9 – Nick Burdi - 22 – RH RP – Chattanooga Lookouts/Ft. Myers Miracle

If you saw Burdi’s outing in the Arizona Fall League on Monday afternoon, you can better understand why he is ranked this high. It is no secret, Burdi is a flame-thrower. His fastball sat between 97 and 100 mph. He showed a slider that sat between 89 and 91 mph. He showed one slider that ‘slid’ away from a right-handed batter, but another one that dropped straight downward. What he showed on Monday was the ability to command both pitches, something he struggled with during the minor league season. He began the season in Chattanooga, but in late June, after 30.1 innings, he had a 5.93 ERA, a 1.78 WHIP and 22 walks to go with 33 strikeouts. He was sent down to Ft. Myers where he had a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings. More important, he walked three and struck out 29. It earned him a trip back to the Lookouts where he gave up runs in just one of his seven outings the rest of the regular season. He was also a key performer in the Lookouts championship run. My guess is that Burdi will receive a non-roster invite to big league camp and get a shot at an Opening Day gig. However, he could start the season back in AA with a quick promotion to AAA (or the big leagues) being very possible.

Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (10)

#8 – Adam Brett Walker - 24 – OF – Chattanooga Lookouts

Walker was the Twins third-round draft pick in 2012 out of Jacksonville University. He is arguably the most powerful hitter in the Minnesota Twins organization. With Miguel Sano and his power in the organization, it should tell you a lot. That kind of power is rare. In 2015, he led the Southern League in home runs (31), RBI (106) and extra base Hits (65). He has led his league in homers in all four of his professional seasons. However, last year he also led all of minor league baseball in strikeouts with 195. Therein lies that biggest question mark with Walker. It is the reason he isn’t a little closer to #1 than #10. However, he just turned 24 and is performing very well in the Arizona Fall League. Through eight games played, he is hitting .355/.459/.677 (1.137) with a double and three home runs. He is a lock to be added to the 40-man roster and go to spring training with the Twins. He should advance to Rochester for the 2016 season with a shot at a big league promotion in the season’s second half, if needed.

Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (14), 2014 (11), 2013 (16)

#7 – Stephen Gonsalves – 21 – LHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle

Gonsalves was the fourth-round draft pick of the Twins in 2013 out of high school in San Diego, California. That season, between GCL and Elizabethton, he posted a 0.95 ERA and in 28.1 innings he walked 11 and struck out 39. In 2014, he made 14 combined starts between E-Town (six starts) and Cedar Rapids (eight starts). He posted a 3.97 ERA, and in 65.2 innings he walked 21 and struck out 70. He began 2015 back in Cedar Rapids and in his nine starts, went 6-1 with a 1.15 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP and 77 strikeouts with 15 walks in 55 innings. He moved up to Ft. Myers for 15 more starts. There, he was 7-2 with a 2.61 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. In 79.1 innings, he walked 38 and struck out 55. Those numbers are a little deceptive as after his first three starts with the Miracle, he posted a 2.07 ERA over the final 12 starts. As he has each of those seasons, he is likely to begin the 2016 season with the team he finished the preceding year with, in this case Ft. Myers. He will likely advance to Chattanooga by mid-June. At 6-5 and about 200 pounds, Gonsalves looks the part of big league starter. He’s left-handed, has a good fastball in the low-90s with movement. He has a good change-up and an improving curve ball. He takes pride in his control, which is one thing that likely bothered him about his time in Ft. Myers.

Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (15), 2014 (13)

#6 – Jorge Polanco - 22 – SS/2B – Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins

Polanco’s major league numbers are quite impressive. He is hitting .313/.450/.500 (.950) in his two season’s worth of big league play. No need to mention that is in just 20 plate appearances. In 2014 he became the youngest player to make his MLB debut for the Twins when he came up for five games as a 20-year-old. He was called up on two occasions in 2015 as well, and these times when he came up, Paul Molitor placed him in the lineup at shortstop. Polanco was signed in July of 2009. He spent two years in the GCL before a good season in Elizabethton. He jumped up prospect rankings in 2013 when he was the #3 hitter for that powerful Cedar Rapids lineup. He split 2014 between Ft. Myers and New Britain. In 2015, he was all over the place. He started in Chattanooga, moved up to the Twins for a game, went back down to Chattanooga, was promoted to Rochester, then promoted and spent three games with the Twins, and he then was sent down to Chattanooga where he ended the season helping the Lookouts to their Southern League championship. When he was signed, he was touted as a potentially great defensive middle infielder who may learn to hit. He has become a very professional hitter. Though he continues to play shortstop, he struggled mightily at the position. With Brian Dozier at second base, it only makes sense for the Twins to keep trotting Polanco out at shortstop in hopes that it can click for him. He is ready for the big leagues offensively, but finding an everyday spot for the still-just-22-year-old will prove difficult again in 2016.

Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (7), 2014 (6), 2013 (19)

So, what do you think of Part 7, Prospects 6-10? Tomorrow, we will finish up this series by discussing the Top 5 Twins prospects. Feel free to discuss these players. Make your predictions for my Top 5. And start planning your Top 30 prospect lists.

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!