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That's if he ever discovers his power, which at this point, is a big if. Morny isn't getting younger and trading him not only has a chance of bringing something in but gives him a chance to play for a ring. At least it give Twins fans something to cheer in the playoffs after another horrid season.

Fantastic article Mr.Nelson. I hope the Twins front office would read this and use it as a blue print. If you make smart baseball moves for the future, which in turn increases the chance of losing in a lost year, it isn't tanking. Just smart business.

During the week BA does daily Prospect Notebook articles to talk about which prospect had the best day. Two Twins made prospects made the July 16th list for their performances. Trevor May for his dominating outing on Monday and Adam Walker for crushing two home runs (Walker also makes the weekly list). Here is what BA had to say: Trevor May, rhp, Twins: May’s path to the big leagues has been anything but a straight shot, requiring multiple stints all three full-season levels from low Class A to Double-A, and his 2013 season has been similarly bumpy. The 23-year-old has premium stuff when he’s on though, and he had it dialed in last night for Double-A New Britain, allowing just three hits and two runs over seven innings while fanning six. May’s ERA peaked at 4.62 after a disastrous April 29 outing in which he allowed eight earned runs in four innings, but he’s gradually been bringing it back to respectable levels, currently sitting at 3.88 after last night. May ranks among the Eastern League’s top five in both strikeouts (99) and walks (45), and while he did walk four Monday, he’s been showing better control recently, having handed out only one walk in each of his previous four starts. Adam Brett Walker, of, Twins: Power will always be Walker’s best tool, but he’s showing signs of becoming more than an all-or-nothing hitter. Walker hit .250 and struck out in nearly a third (32.8 percent) of his at-bats last year in his pro debut with Rookie-level Elizabethton, though he did homer 14 times in 58 games. He’s improved both his average (.282 after 326 at-bats) and strikeout rate (24.2 percent) without sacrificing power while moving up to low Class A Cedar Rapids for his first full year at age 21. He homered in three straight games last week and added two more on Monday against Bowling Green, a surge that’s propelled him into the Midwest League home run lead with 18. He’s also third in the minors in RBIs with 79. In this weeks BA prospect hot sheet three Twins ended up on the list. Adam Walker at 6 and Eddie Rosario at 7 while Lewis Thorpe made it on the "In the Team Photo" section. Here is what they had to say: No. 6 Adam Brett Walker, rf, Twins Team: low Class A Cedar Rapids (Midwest) Age: 21 Why He’s Here: .370/.357/.889 (10-for-27), 4 HR, 2 2B, 11 RBIs, 8 R, 0 BB, 6 SO The Scoop: Just think how much better Walker’s week could’ve been if he hadn’t taken an ugly 0-for-7 in a 12-inning game on Wednesday. Nonetheless, the Twins’ 2012 third-rounder might be hitting his way out of the Midwest League now that he’s surged to the top of its home run leaderboard with 18. No one doubts his power, but the real encouragement comes from how much he’s cut down on his strikeouts (82 in 87 games) from last year in the Appalachian League, where he whiffed 76 times in 58 games. No. 7 Eddie Rosario, 2b, Twins Team: Double-A New Britain (Florida State) Age: 21 Why He’s Here: .433/.452/.633 (13-for-30), 1 HR, 3 2B, 4 RBIs, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1-for-2 SB The Scoop: Free to develop at his own pace while Twins uber-prospects Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano draw the spotlight, Rosario has hit .322/.375/.503 in 84 games across two levels this season and just might be the stealthiest prospect in the upper minors. He won a home run title (21) in the 2011 Appalachian League, but don’t be discouraged by his relatively meager output (eight) this season. Rosario has played in a couple of tough home-run parks in New Britain and high Class A Fort Myers, though with his lefty bat, contact skills and solid power, he’s on the short list of elite second-base prospects in the game. Lewis Thorpe, lhp, Twins: The 2012 international class is shaping up to be an outstanding one for lefthanders, with Julio Urias (Dodgers), Luiz Gohara (Mariners) and Jose Castillo (Rays) leading the way. But don’t sleep on Thorpe, an Australian who signed for $500,000 shortly after July 2 last year and has been excellent in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. With a low-90s fastball, a potential plus changeup and an improving curveball, the 17-year-old Thorpe has a 3.05 ERA and has shown much better control than expected with a 31-2 K-BB mark in 20 2/3 innings. Link to full list below: Prospect Hot Sheet: No-Hitter Puts Victor Sanchez At Top - BaseballAmerica.com BA's Bed Badler hosted a chat about the list. Here is what he had to say about the Twins: Lewis Thorpe was mentioned in the list today. Is he the best /only Australian prospect worth talking about in the minors currently? Will that country be a bigger contributor in the future or has it stagnated? Ben Badler: He's exciting, although I'm not even sure he's the best Australian prospect who signed last year. He and Red Sox LHP Daniel McGrath are going to be fun to follow. Australia didn't have anyone at that level this year, but the arrows are pointing in the right direction for both of those arms. Not exactly a "prospect" by the conventional definition, but is there a chance that Chris Colabello could hit at the Major League level from what you've seen or scouts you've spoken with? He's such a good story... hard not to root for him, and looks like he'll be getting near full-time at-bats for awhile here. Ben Badler: I do think there's a chance and I'd like to see him get an opportunity. We can get hung up on age and that does matter to a point, but whether it's him, Evan Gattis or anyone else, we've got to keep context in mind of why a guy is old for his level especially when he's taken such an unconventional path. The swing works, the power is there and he's raked all the way up to Triple-A. If a team gives him consistent at-bats, I think they'll be rewarded.

Seagers is actually rated higher than Lee. Law has him ranked all the way at #16. I like Seagers but there is no way he is sticking at SS.

ESPN has us 5th. Only behind Astros, Marlins, White Sox, and Brewers. Are they wrong? 2013 MLB Regular Season Standings - Major League Baseball - ESPN

If the season ended today we would have the 5th pick. 7 games behind the Lastros.

I think I come off overly optimistic because I don't see rebuilding as a dirty word (most likely because I follow the Twins farm system, college baseball, and the draft religiously). I enjoy watching kids we draft move up through the system. Unless you are going to buy a championship, which we are not because we aren't the Yankees or Red Sox, you are going to have to rebuild at sometime. This isn't football or basketball where one good draft and a few FA signings puts you in the playoff hunt. Things that excite me: Law released his top 50 prospect list today and we were tied for having the most prospects on the list at 5. Buxton (1), Sano (4), Stewart (30), Meyers (38), and Rosario (41). The rest of the AL Central combined had 4. This is even after the Twins graduated three of Laws top 60 prospects to start the year in Gibson (41), Hicks (49), and Arcia (59). While all 3 have struggled at times, 99% of prospects do their first year, I don't think they have show they can't at least be average big leaguers. All our minor league teams are over .500! Yay! While being a top prospect doesn't guarantee you will be a top player in the bigs, or even make it to the bigs for that matter, studies have shown the higher you are rated not only are you more likely to succeed but be a star. That shouldn't come as a surprise but the rate of success for prospects is a lot higher than most think. Scouting and development has come a long ways in the past 10 years. Losing= high draft picks! Next years draft is considered deep in top end talent. Especially in pitching and SS which just happen to be our biggest areas of needs. According to several experts we have the most wanted piece in Perkins at the trade deadline. LH proven closers are always at a premium at the deadline but this year is considered a down year for RPers. Experts have suggested there could be a bidding war if the Twins decide to trade him. Best case is there is a bidding war and we get a massive haul while the worst case is what? We hold onto our local, cost controlled, shut down closer? Darn! I know most aren't happy about our payroll but looking at the bright side with Morny's and Blackburn's contract off the books we will have no real bad contracts at the end of the year. This gives us a ton of flexibility moving forward. Heck, even if we decide its time to move on from Gardy we don't owe him any money!

Unlike Law or BA Sickels is always more conservative when ranking high school players. He had Buxton ranked 37 to start the year while BA had him at 10 and Law had him in the early 20s.

Kepler, Polanco, and Berrios are all fringe top 100 guys as you said. I'm sure they will sneak on a few lists if they finish the year strong. Even if they don't having 5 in the top 100 (top 41 for Law) is still very impressive. Especially if you take into account that we graduated three of Law's top 60 prospects this year in Gibson (41), Hicks (49) and Arcia (59). Add in most likely a high draft pick in a deep draft next year and its pretty hard not to get excited about our young guys.

White Sox have zero and Law actually mentioned there is a good chance they will have zero when he does his top 100 at the end of the year. Indians have one in Lindor (5) Tigers have one in Castellanos (22) Royals have two in Zimmer (14) and Mondesi (40)

Jon Heyman article on the Twins and the trade deadline. Twins update: Perkins expects to stay, Morneau market looks soft - CBSSports.com

Im all for trading him but as of now I don't see many good fits. Unless he gets hot and/or someone gets injured on a play off contender I don't see him going any where. If we could get a controllable RPer and a lottery tick I would be ecstatic.

Keith Law released his updated top 50 prospect list today. Kohl Stewart came in last #30. This is what Mr.Law had to say about the 18 year old pitcher: "The fourth overall pick in this year's draft, Stewart walked away from a commitment to back up Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M to join the Twins' system as their best pitching prospect, a four-pitch starter up to 97 with a plus slider who needs to work on fastball command and using his lower half more in his delivery."

The Dodgers have shown interest in Perkins and they have made it clear they will over pay. Would a package built around Lee excite people? They have several other arms I'm interested in too for extra .

A couple Twins notes from law's chat: Settle an argument between myself and my brother in-law please. Is your ranking of Springer much lower than Sano completely a reflection of his strikeout potential? Are Springers numbers inflated at all this year due to him playing in AAA? [h=6]Klaw (1:57 PM) [/h] Reflection of his lack of a two-strike approach, and the chance Sano stays on the dirt while Springer is already in the outfield. Any thoughts on JO Berrious seems like a top 100 guy with potential to be 2/3 starter or does his height hold him back. MN Fans are screaming Pedro-jokes [h=6]Klaw (2:14 PM) [/h] I think he'll also be too flyball/homer-prone. He ain't Pedro. Surprised to see 4 recent 2013 draftees on the list given the suspect nature of the draft. How many same-year draftees would normally make this post-draft list? [h=6]Klaw (1:09 PM) [/h] I think that was fewer than last year's top 50. Offseason top 100 usually has 12-17 guys from the most recent draft, I think.

I'm a little upset that we didn't get Tseng but I won't at all be upset if we miss out on Gonzalez. Twins need talent and had one of the biggest international pools to get some talent. Ryan said he is going to use it all but I believe he said that thinking we are going to get both Diaz and Tseng. Cubs out bid us on Tseng, which I consider a failure by our front office, and now we are stuck with money we aren't spending. I don't get all the fuss about Gonzalez. From what I have read he doesn't have front of the rotation stuff. Not only has he not pitched much in the past two years but is surrounded by question marks. The teams the Twins are bidding against are pretty much play off teams who could use him this year which should lead to him getting his 5 year 60+ million contract. That's a lot of money for an enigma.

Twins, Astros, Pitt, and Cubs have been bat for several years so it doesn't surprise me we have a lot of the top guys. Losing does bring some value! I do like that our top talents comes from a mix of ways. Buxton/Stewart high draft picks. Rosario a 4th rounder. Meyers a trade. Sano international signing. Add in Hicks/Gibson (other first rounders) and Arcia (international signing) who were promoted and we have done a pretty good job.

The year, 2010. The trade deadline, Twins are buyers.The prize, Cliff Lee. The Twins get out bid by the Rangers for Lee because we refuse to include Hicks in a deal for him. The Rangers go on to make it to the WS while we get swept by the Yankees.....again! Would Lee have changed things? No one knows but I know I was very disappointed not to have gotten him. I have no problem trading top specs to try and put you over the top. I do have a problem with trading them when the teams sucks and in reality the players only help us suck a little less. Losing sucks but we are on the right track. Patients is a virtue.

Twins 5 prospects in the top 50 (tied with the Astros) Rest of AL Central combined 4 prospects.

Damn CBA changing their rules! Everyone seems confused about one of the many changes they made. I have to look them up still. If we could get JJ for 2 years 20 million I would be doing back flips. I just feel with the current state of the pitching market that teams are going to over pay JJ. I obviously could be wrong. I'm no expert on off season signings and a lot depends on how he pitches down the stretch. I just feel if Ryan gets in a bidding war for a player we are bound to lose. Especially with how bad we are. No one is rushing to sign with a team who might lose 90 games for a third straight year.

Type A and B free agents don't exist any more. Teams have to offer their free agents a qualified offer, ~13+ million for one year, to get a pick. The Twins won't offer Morny that because there is no way he would turn it down since he has been very average. To the Josh Johnson talk. While he has shown front of the rotation stuff he is always injured. I don't see any chance that Ryan brakes the bank on a pitcher who hits the DL twice a year. Especially because a dumb team, looking at you dodgers, will over last him.

We are 12 games back and 14 games under .500...why are we trying to trade for Gallardo or as you suggested earlier Norris? We are rebuilding.

Law had Meyers at #61 to start the year so after his injury I doubt he makes it. Also, Law had Rosario at 65 to start the year so I could see him sneaking into the top 50. I'm guessing Buxton #1, Sano #5, Rosario #45, and Stewart #47.

Haha. The 10 teams with the smallest revenues and the 10 teams with the smallest markets get entered into a lottery to get extra draft picks. There were 14 teams eligible for these picks, there is obviously some overlap with the 10 smallest revenues/markets, but the Twins were not one of them. The picks are either competitive balance round A (right after round 1) or competitive balance round B (right after round two). They give out 6 picks for each with two teams not getting picks. These picks can be traded. While the Twins didn't get a pick, once again they weren't eligible, the Royals and Indians each received a round A pick. Last year the Royals were able to use their competition balance round pick on Manaea after going under slot on their first round pick. For more information/results of this years competitive balance lottery follow these links: 2014 Competitive Balance Lottery Results: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com Competitive Balance Lottery pays out 12 Draft picks | MLB.com: News

In May Keith Law released his updated top 25 list which featured Buxton at 2 and Sano at 6. No other Twins prospects made the list. Tomorrow he will be releasing an updated....well updated list that will also feature 25 additional prospects. My question to you is who will make it and where? Meyers still in the top 50 even with the injury? Kohl Stewart going to make it (yes, it will have draft prospects)? Will Rosario or J.O. sneak in?