Thrylos

I thought that this was for Twins' Kohl Stewart and not some Dodgers' prospect... Gee

Wonder if that has to do with transactions. + Belisle + Adrianze - Park - Light = 3 wins it seems

Facts: Games started by position: MLB: 1B 1, 2B 31, SS 31, 3B 2. MiLB: 2B 3, SS 685, 3B 7 So, yeah...

The Pennant odds are not part of the PECOTA calculation. These are Vegas odds and they are using them as a comparison point.

That was not Sano doing that, it was Ryan who, thankfully, cannot do more harm.

Here. They project the Twins to tie with the Tigers for second in the AL Central with 77 wins, ahead of the White Sox and Royals and behind the 91 win Indians.

There is no way that Sano "clogs up the roster". The roster should start with Sano...

They signed Josh Romanski a couple days ago (converted pitcher, played in the Independent Leagues, can play CF) Likely at AA as well. Pretty sure they are not done making moves. 5 OF are just too many in the majors. I just don't see how Santana can make the Twins, esp. after the Adrianza pickup. I'd like to see Palka fight for a spot with Grossman, as well. He brings LH power that the Twins really need. As far as prospects go, it is a make it or break it season for Harrison. I am less bluish on Granite and English than most. I think that their peak (which is close, so pretty good data) is Shane Robinson/Jordan Schafer/JB Shuck/sub any AAAA OF who can play CF the Twins have had the past 5-6 years. Fieldwork is what concerns me about Kirilloff, and I'd like to see what he does with the bat at higher levels, like Fort Myers, but the potential is there. I like the 3 toolsy OFs (Wade, Baddoo, Arias). Jaylin Davis might actually end up a surprise. Speaking of, age and everything, I will be surprised if he does not start the season at Fort Myers. I suspect that some people on this list will not make it past ST. And there are several twinners, like Aaron Whitefield (just saw him up there) and Amaurys Minier who can play at the OF as well. It is not a secret that I still think very highly of MInier and that his arm and bat will play at RF well. Just a matter of getting consistent reps and learning the position. Same for players like Cabbage.

Bet moving to Cedar Rapids after growing up in Long Island and going to school in Queens might be a tad of a shock He barely missed my prospect list. I guess I have to see the velocity and movement this Spring to judge.

h is silent in Spanish. So more like an Hey! sound and not much

Speaking of DicknBert, I'd love to hear them trying to pronounce "Ehire" (correct pronunciation is close to HAY-ray)

I hope that he is ahead of Danny Santana in the IF depth mix. Great glove at SS, was rated among top Giants' prospects from 2008-13. Switch hitter and bat weak, esp. from the left side. Better than Florimon, but not that much.

And the Twins took the immortal Bryan Oelkers at 1-4...

That is some news actually Not the 102 mph, but "the 4 pitch arsenal". Last I checked he had the fastball that is a plus pitch, a slurve that is average but he tends to overthrow, and a change up that is horrible. If he developed a fourth pitch and improved the other 2, he might be an interesting choice... Still plenty of time for the helium to blow off...

I think that Melotakis can play for the Twins right now and likely be an improvement over any lefty in the pen. Starting pitcher he is not though. Minier and Stewart are on the same boat: They do have flaws but they are very young. Stewart's issues are mechanics and with the right coaching, he will improve. He is very immature as a baseball player, because, even though he was a 2-way player at high school, Football was his focus. So the Twins need to really do some extra work with him and quit rushing him. Minier is a former SS who I think can stick to a corner OF position. He has a big arm and that will play well at the OF, but still needs some instruction in the position and commitment by the Twins. You cannot have a kid play all over the place and expect him to improve his fielding. The worst thing one can do for someone who is not a good fielder is to move him from position to position during a season. Rortvert might actually be on the top 10 next season, if he can show that he can hit with the wooden bat...

Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch --- You can find the introductory segment in this series, including my criteria for eligibility to be a prospect and the list of the 2016 top 40 players who graduated as prospects or are not in the system, here. Here is my 2016 Twins off-season top 40 prospects list (summary of 1-40) for reference. This is the countdown for players ranked 51-55th in the system. You can find players 56-60 here, players 51-55 here, 46-50 here, 41-45 here, 36-40 here, 31-35 here, 26-30 here, 21-25 here, and all segments in the series here. 20. Huascar Ynoa (27) DOB: 5/28/1998; Age: 18 Positions: RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'3", Weight: 175 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent signing 2014 Professional Experience: 2; Highest level: Rookie, GCL (2016) ETA: 2020 The Twins signed Huascar Ynoa to an $800,000 bonus on July 2 of 2014 and had his first professional season in DSL in 2015 as a starter. He started 14 games (56.7 IP) walked 30 (4.7 BB/9) and struck out 47 (7.5 K/9 and 19.2% K%) with a 2.70 ERA (3.84 FIP) and 1.29 WHIP (.258 BABIP). Like his 7 year older and 5 inch taller brother Michael, who at some point was the baseball number 20 prospect according to baseball prospectus and now is in the White Sox' organization, consistency was the biggest issue with Huascar Ynoa. He has 3 pitches (fastball, curve, slider) which all flash above average to potentially plus, but he did not throw them consistently, thus the walks. He does have a good feel for all his pitches, which suggests that mechanics might be an issue here that can be correctable. Additional data pointing out to a mechanics issue were his numbers in full wind up when pitching with nobody on: 20.7 IP, 26 H, 24 BB, 15 K for a 2.42 WHIP. Subtract those from his totals and his numbers when pitching from the stretch position ended up like this: 36 IP, 17 H, 6 BB (1.5 BB/9) , 32 K (8 K/9) and 0.639 WHIP, which are absolutely impressive under any and all circumstances. Last season in the GCL, also as a starter at age 18, he made considerable improvements (11 GS, 51 IP, 51 K, 9 K/9, 24.3 K%, 12 BB, 2.1 BB/9, 18.6 K-BB%, 3.18 ERA, 2.52 FIP, 1.10 WHIP, .303 BABIP. Between the 2 seasons, in similar number of innings he reduced his walks from 30 to 12 and his wild pitches from 10 to 3, while increasing his strikeouts, indicating that he is on his way to achieve consistency. This season he improved his curveball to near plus, and added an above average changeup, while gaining a couple of ticks on his fastball that now hits 94. His changeup is an effective weapon against lefties who he kept to an .167 OBA (vs to a .270 OBA against RHB). The reverse splits are a good thing to see from a young pitcher, whose effectiveness against righties will come with command and maturity. Likely 2017 path: Extended Spring Training and move to the Elizabethton rotation in June 19. Amaurys Minier (15) DOB: 1/30/1996; Age: 21 Positions: OF/1B Bats: S, Throws: R Height: 6'2", Weight: 190 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent signing 2012 Professional Experience: 4; Highest level: Rookie, Elizabethton (2015,2016) ETA: 2019 Amaurys Minier was signed by the Twins as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic on July 2, 2012 for a $1.4 million bonus. The San Cristobal native was signed as shortstop but here was no intention of keeping him at that position. After off-season shoulder surgery in 2013, a season he his .214/.252/.455 in the GCL, he returned to the GCL as an 18 year old in 2014, where he punished pitchers in average 2 years older to the rate of .292/.405/.520 with 11 doubles, 2 triples and 8 home runs (.228 isoP), even after he broke his hand during extended spring training. Clearly the shoulder and hand were healed and the 18 year old who can generate power from both sides of the plate and hit equally well lefties and righties was well on his way towards the top of the prospect rankings. Then 2015 happened. A promotion in Elizabethton resulted in a .194/.279/.280 slash line, while his isoP dropped to .086. Still a year and a half younger than the league average player in the Appalachian league, and reportedly having to fight nagging injuries that season, the potential is still there, but Minier's stock nose-dove in the rankings. That season he made the transition from the OF to 1B. Last season he repeated in Elizabethton, still about half a year younger than the league, where he hit .222/.318/.449, returning his isoP to .228. His BABIP in 2016 was .281, which is very similar to his disasterous 2015 (.288) and much unlike his 2014 (.375.) He was on a tear in July (.235/.388/.559) while cooling off considerably in August (.218/.271/.423) but the power was still there. Power is his best tool, and he has tons from both sides of the plate, but it appoaches elite from the right side (.317 isoP as RHH in 2016). He is a man without a position who will likely end up either at first base or at DH at the higher levels, but the Twins will try to keep him on the field as much as possible. He can play the field, just not consistently. As a former SS, the instincts and hands are there. It is a matter of learning a position and getting a ton of repetitions. There is a lot of potential, but his contact needs to improve and his BABIP to return to mid 300s, pushing his batting average closer to high 200s, and for that to happen he needs to improve his pitch recognition, something that "clicks" for different players at different times in their development. Likely 2017 path: Cedar Rapid Kernels' starting first baseman and potentially corner outfielder.\ 18. Mason Melotakis (12) DOB: 6/28/1991; Age: 25 Positions: LHP Bats: R, Throws: L Height: 6'2", Weight: 220 lbs Acquired: Drafted in the 2nd round in 2012 Professional Experience: 5; Highest level: AA (2014, 2016) ETA: 2017 Mason Melotakis was drafted by the Twins in the 2nd round of the 2012 draft from Northwestern State University (LA.) The Grapevine, TX native was one of the 4 hard throwing College closers the Twins drafted in 2012 with the hope to turn them into starters in the pro game; one of them (5th Round Pick, Tyler Duffey) made the transition, albeit it looks like he is mostly suited for the pen, and the other three (Melotakis, 1st round pick Luke Bard, and fellow 2nd round pick JT Chargois) ended up with arm problems resulting in Tommy John surgeries and return to the bullpen. Melotakis has had his operation on October of 2014. The return to the pen in 2014 in AA New Britain (even though hurt) resulted in a good increase of strikeouts to 9.6 K/9 and 25.4% K%. It also produced a nice 1.64 GO/FO ratio. After his surgery and rehab, Melotakis' plus to plus plus fastball gets up to 96-97 mph and his once suspect slurve has improved to an above average pitch that flashes plus. He has been toying with a change up as a starter, but I suspect that with the new focus as a late inning reliever, he will abandon that. Melotakis was added to the Twins' 40-man roster and spend Spring Training with the Big club, but was optioned to AA for the season. At Chattanooga he appeared in 36 games (33-1/3 IP), had 42 Ks (11.3 K/9, 29.2 K%) and 12 BB (3.2 BB/9, 20.8 K-BB%), with a 2.97 FIP, 3.14 ERA, and 1.44 WHIP (.384 BABIP). He appeared in 11 games (11 IP) in the AFL where he dominated (11 K, 1 BB, 1.64 ERA, 1.18 WHIP.) His splits are considerably better against LHBs, but his slurve is an out pitch also against RHBs who he strikes out to a 1.5:1 ratio more than lefties; he is anything but a liability against RHBs, so his ceiling is higher than a LOOGY.Melotakis' stuff is a lot like that of Glen Perkins' in his prime and he belongs to a major league pen now. The Twins have been cautious after his surgery, and he had a couple sort stints in the DL last season because of a stiff back, but he is MLB-ready now. Likely 2017 path: Will fight for a position in the Twins' pen in this Spring Training, if caught in the numbers will start the season in AAA and likely called up later. 17. Kohl Stewart (13) DOB: 10/7/1994; Age: 22 Positions: RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'3", Weight: 195 lbs Acquired: Drafted in the 1st round in 2013 Professional Experience: 4; Highest level: AA (2016) ETA: 2018 Kohl Stewart was drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 2013 draft from St Pius X High School in Houston, TX. Stewart is one of those players that elicit a lot of conflicting emotions when evaluated, because of the high expectations based on his potential and drafting position, which he apparently has not come close to fulfilling. He started his professional career in the GCL the year he was drafted and pitched in 6 games, 3 starts, for 16 innings, striking out 16, walking 3, for a 1.69 ERA, and 0.938 WHIP. He also made a start in Elizabethton that season for 4 innings, striking out 8, allowing a hit and a walk, after he recovered from a foot injury he suffered while stepping on a sea shell on the beach. The next season (2014) he moved to single A Cedar Rapids, where, about 3 years younger than the league, he started 19 games (87 IP), struck out 62 (6.4 K/9, 17.2 K%) and walked 24 (2.5 BB/9, 10.5 K-BB%) and finished the season with 2.59 ERA, 3.73 FIP, and 1.138 WHIP (.270 BABIP), while fight shoulder tenderness. After that season MLB.com ranked him 36th best prospect in Baseball, and the Baseball Prospectus ranked him 28th. Stewart had a somewhat disappointing following season in 2015 for the Miracle. He started 22 games after losing about a month in the DL because of elbow inflammation. He pitched 129-1/3 innings had 45 BB (3.1 BB/9, 4.7 K-BB%) and 71 K (12.8 K% and 4.9 K/9) for a 3.20 ERA, 3.45 FIP, and 1.38 WHIP (.308 BABIP) The hope was that the 4th overall pick will miss a lot of bats, as he did in 2013 where in 24 IP in both Rookie teams he walked 4 and struck out 24, but he did not. Potentially his injury was to blame, but that was not a very good season for him. Last season he repeated in the high A Miracle where he improved enough (9 GS, 51-2/3 IP, 44 K, 7.7 K/9, 20.7 K%, 19 B, 3.3 BB/9, 11.7 K-BB%, 2.61 ERA, 3.27 FIP, 1.12 WHIP, .253 BABIP) to be promoted to AA Chattanooga the end of May. There, his numbers flattened out again (16 GS, 92 IP, 47 K, 4.6 K/9, 11.8 K%, 44 B, 4.3 BB/9, 0.8 K-BB%, 3.03 ERA, 4.49 FIP, 1.47 WHIP, .291 BABIP) before finishing the season in the DL with right biceps tendonitis. It appears that Stewart's ceiling moved after each of his seasons, from a top of the rotation flamethrower, compared to fellow Texan Roger Clemens when drafted to a bottom of the rotation pitch to contact pitcher who will utilize his ground outs (about 1.8 as many as fly outs for his career) to get bats out. I think that the true is somewhat in between. There are a few things that have stalled Stewart's development: First and foremost Stewart is still learning how to pitch at 22 years old. He was primary football player who was on his way to be a College quarterback before the Twins drafted him and he used to throw the ball past high schoolers in the Houston Catholic School circuit. His stuff is excellent. He has a plus to plus plus four seamer that hits 96, which he alternates with a plus 2 seamer in the low 90s and supplements it with a close to plus hard slider/cutter in the low-mid 80s, an above average high 70s curveball and an average change up. His command is about average at this point and the primary reason of his declining K/BB ratio. The issue with his command is his mechanics that are not smooth. This issue has also caused him the nagging injuries (other than the seashell one) which he has been battling with all his pro career. At this point the Twins and Stewart will be better served by taking a step back and re-examining his mechanics, working on a consistent, repeatable delivery that will help him be successful, instead of rushing him again. If it were up to me, I would have him start 2017 in Extended Spring Training to do this, instead of a league that is 3 years older than him, and move him to AA with a new delivery and confidence and a way to excel, avoid injuries, and reach his potential. Not sure that the Twins will do so... Likely 2017 path: In the Chattanooga rotation, depending on health. 16. Ben Rortvedt (--) DOB: 9/25/1997; Age: 19 Positions: C Bats: L, Throws: R Height: 5'10", Weight: 190 lbs Acquired: Drafted in the 2nd round in 2016 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: Rookie/Elizabethton (2016) ETA: 2020 Ben Rortvedt was drafted by the Twins in the 2nd round of the 2016 draft from the Verona, WI Area High School. He started his pro career in the GCL where he played in 20 games (59 AB) hitting .203/.277/.254 with 5 BBs and 8 Ks, before he moved up to Elizabethton for the last 13 games of the season where in 40 AB he hit .250/.348/.250 with 5 BB, and 2 K. He mostly batter third, fifth and sixth in the GCL and on the 7th spot in Elizabethton. His splits were not significantly different against lefties or righties. Good eye and pitch selectivity overall, still lack of contact in his first few games making the transition from aluminum to wood and this was reflected on his BABIP (.235 in GCL and .263 in Elizabethton,) which has room to move upwards and trended so nicely, improving in the harder league, as he spent more time with the wood. He has a good feel in the catcher position which he played in 30 of his 33 total games (he was the DH for 3 games.) Good arm with 28% CS, few issues blocking the ball (9 PB for the season,) but overall a lot of promise, but a lot of youth and development ahead of him to reach his potential that is that of an above average two ways MLB-regular catcher. Likely 2017 path: EST and Elizabethton or Cedar Rapids depending on the Twins' draft; outside chance to start at Cedar Rapids.

16-20 here

Gee! That's awful. Hope he gets well soon

I think that there is plenty of time for DanSan to go away or someone like Goodrum to make him go away. Got to add Tommy Milone & Pat Dean to the list of additions by subtraction; that 140 or so IP between the two. On the other hand they might go to Vogelson The next addition by subtraction will hopefully be Perkins and hopefully will happen sooner than later.

That would not clear his 40-man spot

Link?

And the Twins get another catcher on board. 29 year old former Rockie & Cardinal Jose Gonzalez, last of the Gary South Shore RailCats. Likely Chattanooga-bound.

Adam Brett Walker has cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Braves' AAA team, for what it matters...

You do realize that Polanco has started a grant total of 21 games at 3B and 9 of those for the Twins last season, correct? Third base is not Polanco's forte... The best defensive alignment with the best bats will be Sano at 3B and Polanco at SS and both of them should be given the opportunity the Twins gave to players who were worse than either with them with the glove, like Koskie, Morneau and Cuddyer. Got to play them at least for a full season in a rebuilding team.

Or cry, because he still has a job with the organization after bringing both Nishioka and Park on board...