Who Has the Best Tools Among the Twins' Top Position Player Prospects?

I wonder how much Lee's shoulder injury contributed to his minor slump before he went on the IL. He was very exciting to watch when he first got called up, really showing that hit tool. Some power mixed in occasionally too. He looked real good on defense. If we can get him healthy and productive again, he should definitely factor into our second base mix along with Julien. It'd be a big boost to our lineup if both these guys got hot and were competing for more starts at 2nd. Possibly auditioning for the starting gig next year.

Bummer De Andrade missed so much time this year. Would like to have seen him have a chance to improve with the bat. Is he Noah Miller or does he go much higher?

Power tool based on watching these guys goes: 1. EmRod 2. McCusker

10 hours ago, LambchoP said:

I wonder how much Lee's shoulder injury contributed to his minor slump before he went on the IL. He was very exciting to watch when he first got called up, really showing that hit tool. Some power mixed in occasionally too. He looked real good on defense. If we can get him healthy and productive again, he should definitely factor into our second base mix along with Julien. It'd be a big boost to our lineup if both these guys got hot and were competing for more starts at 2nd. Possibly auditioning for the starting gig next year.

Lee is supposed to start a rehab assignment Saturday for the Saints. 

Did not realize Gonzalez had such a good arm.  Also excited about DeAndrades ability in the field. Watching a smooth SS is a great pleasure. 

I agree Linus.  As the centerpiece of the Polanco trade I primarily focused on him being a RH bat to counter all our LH corner OF bats.  That he has a cannon for an arm is interesting.  If he develops into a .280/.350/.490 corner OF with 20-25 HR production an OF that has Wallner in RF and Gonzalez in LF would be interesting. 

With Jenkins in CF I don't know where that leaves Emm-Rod but it just goes to show how much depth we have in our farm system and that all of them will not and cannot be Twins.  As far as a timeline, by this time next year we will have a much better idea where the pieces may fall.  Emm-Rod could already be a Twin.  Jenkins and Gonzalez will probably be advancing in the system.  Kepler will be gone and we will have another season to gauge where Wallner, Larnach and Kirilloff are.   

23 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Emma has a 60 grade power on pipeline's rankings, too. Author probably could've/should've listed both guys since they're the only 2 guys in their rankings with 60 grade power.

I'm not sure I'd even put a 50 grade on Jenkins' power tbh.  Future grade could still be a 60 maybe, but I agree with @Dman, he simply hasn't shown it with wood bats and I think the grade is out of date. His 90th percentile and max exit velocities in Ft Myers were 101.6 and 108.8. Erod's 2 years ago were 106.6 and 111.6.

Some guys can get to good power without very high EVs by pulling the ball in the air frequently, but that doesn't seem to be Jenkins' style either. He seems like more of an all-fields type to me (maybe a bit like Mauer).

There could be good scouting reasons to believe he becomes a slugger in the future, but there is no data to back up the 60 grade yet.

I think MLB pipeline tends to be a little more scouting vs data centered in their prospect ratings, and I think they do have a decent track record on guys that don't necessarily show their pedigree in the stat pages immediately.  I don't know if their tool grades are that useful though.  Of the guys ranked in their top 30, Rodriguez, Rosario, and Severino should definitely have higher power grades than Jenkins, and those are just the obvious ones.

I don't want this to come off overly negative on Jenkins, I think his hit tool is top notch and he should be a really good overall hitter even with just average power.  I think highlighting him as the best power tool in the system really sells short half a dozen other prospects though.

Loved this post, Cody.  Thanks!

Also learned a few things.  I didn't realize that DeAndrade was this good defensively.  Will double down on the above comment from FlyingFinn about his missing so much time this year.  Will be fun following him next year to see if his bat improves.

Wasn't impressed when DeBarge was drafted.  Mostly because I knew nothing about him.  Didn't have a clue he had this type of speed and base running savvy.  Makes that pick look a lot more interesting.  Also didn't realize Gonzalez had an arm that was special.  Sure makes the Polo trade look better.  A lot better if his bat keeps developing.

Only thing that would have made this post even better, Cody, would have been if you had included a second or even two players who were in contention for the top spots.

Development takes time and players get better, sometimes much better, as they learn how to play baseball. So I have some hope that Gonzalez might eventually be able to use his strong arm as an outfielder. Through hard work and thousands of repetition and study, Gonzalez should improve as an outfielder and  then his arm could be a benefit. It isn't useful right now because his fielding skills are absolutely rock bottom. Like I said though, i remain hopeful for development.

Not sure how up to date these all are or whether it's referring to now or future.  Anyway, what I do know is De Andrade is good, and I think he hits enough.  I'm not sure he's the next Greg Gagne, but it does seem like a distinct comp for him, though I hate to compare any fielder with Gagne.  I've had De Andrade ranked #7 in the system and the heir to Correa.