Klochner

BA had Walker at 4 and Hultzen at 5 midseason, BP had Walker at 6, Hultzen at 27 and Paxton at 42, Law had Walker at 6 and Hultzen at 24. It's worth noting that Hultzen, who was generally touted for his command, had the screws come off at AAA and couldn't find the zone (7.95 BB/9). Not quite an Alex Wimmers meltdown, but not that far off either. Coming into the year, most people expected him to finish the season in the Seattle rotation. Most people don't seem to think that he has the stuff you'd generally associate with the #2 overall pick, so the command struggles are a real concern. Though his ERA was excellent (1.19) at AA, he wasn't exactly Brad Radke there either, as he walked almost four batters per 9. Paxton is a lefty with a very good fastball, but is praised most for his curve. Command and the changeup seem to lag behind. Still some bullpen whispers surrounding him. Maurer really came onto the scene this year. Coming into the season, BA had him at 21 in the Mariners system, and BP had him at 18. He throws hard and supposedly has a good slider and developing change. He's had a lot of health issues, so most people figured he was heading for the bullpen before he pitched really well as starter this year. Taijuan Walker is one of the top two or three pitching prospects in baseball and would be off the table in just about any trade discussion imaginable. I'd imagine Walker will be in the top five of any Top 100 list. Hultzen could be as high as ten and as low as the 30-40 range. I could see Paxton in the top 50 and Maurer near the bottom.

Hicks repeated A ball in Beloit, he only played one year in Ft. Myers.

"Walker, Hultzen or Paxton could each be in play for Willingham, I think." That's exactly the kind of thinking that leads to the disappointment we've seen with the Liriano trade. Willingham has more value than Liriano, but Taijuan Walker isn't going anywhere, and Danny Hultzen wouldn't go in a deal unless they were getting more than Willingham. The Mariners are by far the worst team in their division (until the Astros join next year) and their window for contention is a few years off. They're not going to give a pitcher who is a big part of their future for an aging hitter, even if he has a team-friendly contract. Willingham's value is likely lower with Seattle than other teams because of how Safeco kills right-handed pull power. While Target Field is perfect for Willingham, Safeco is exactly the opposite, something the Mariners learned the hard way with Adrian Beltre.

On the bright side, he could always suck in his start against the Twins on Tuesday, thereby making him an excellent Pickpointz selection.

They converted Allie to a third-baseman. The word on him in leading up to the draft was light tower power with likely contact issues.

The Jays haven't really been in win-now mode over the last few years. Instead, they've subtly improved their ML club and built one of the two or three best farms systems in baseball. I find it hard to believe that they're going to jump into the mix in a big way when they're still a fairly flawed team stuck in the hell that is the NL East. If they were in buy-mode, Sanchez, Comer, Cardona, Norris, Musgrove and Wojiechowski and the two pitchers would all make nice targets. Just about every one of those guys has a ceiling that would rank at or near the top of the Twins' system. In the case of Sanchez, Norris, Nicolino, Syndergaard, Comer and Cardona I don't really think it's close.

When was the last time anybody traded a consensus top two prospect in all of baseball? Profar is not going anywhere. The Rangers system is loaded with high-upside talent at the lower levels that would seem far more realistic.

Well said. It's worth pointing out to all the OPS hounds that getting on base at a .400 clip is significantly more valuable than slugging .400. Mauer hasn't been top tier this season, but it's not like he hasn't been productive. To be fair, 4.5 WAR is pretty awesome. It'd almost surely place him among the top three or four catchers in baseball.

I wouldn't be surprised if Parmelee goes down when Morneau is activated.

Hear anything about that, Seth? Arcia wasn't in the Ft. Myers lineup yesterday...Routine day off? Injury? Promotion? Michael wasn't in it either.

It's worth noting that Pujols though apparently "not known for hustle" has always been very good at taking the extra base. His numbers going first to third on a single and his extra bases taken percentages have generally been well above league average. The MinnPost article just looks like a reactionary trying to stir the pot after a slow start.

You should learn who Phil Mackey is. He's really good at what he does and despite what prompted this post might indicate isn't a a close-minded cheap shot artist like Souhan. The best mix of inside information and advanced stats that you'll find as a Twins fan.