Thrylos

He is 22. Not 26. One year older than Lewis Thorpe whose last 2 seasons were worse than Stewart's, and any other pitcher's in the organization. So how do you feel about Lewis Thorpe?

If anything Law is higher than most of us are on Stewart. Gonsalves is a great example of a pitcher who seems that he is pitching way better than his stuff, unless you see that BB%. That CU is changeup (and not cutter) and is Gonsalves' best pitch. On the other hand, lefties with good fastballs and plus changeups and lots of durability, are valuable. If the command of his fastball improves to plus, and his changeup improves to plus plus, then Gonsalves looks like a couple of LHSP for the Twins of yore. Still a lot of way to go though, and the two pitchers I am talking about were already in the majors at his age...

Not really. Carl Pohlad is dead last time I checked The problem with the Twins' ownership is that they are not Twins' fans. They care more about making $ than having the team win. The fact that the owner admitted that he is not even watching most of the games speaks volumes. He cares about baseball as much as he cares about his brother's movies. They gotta sell to people who are Twins' fans and care Bottom line.

I know that I am higher on Michael than most. 2017 will definitely be a make or break season for Michael, but I have seen enough from him to rank him that high. Up to two seasons ago the same time, right after the 2014 season, Harrison and Kepler (same age mind you) were hand in hand in the rankings (and performance). After they moved to Chattanooga, they went their separate ways. Still a believer that Harrison will get it some day, but it better be sooner than later, as well.

36-40 here.

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, and all segments in the series here. 40. Levi Michael (11) DOB: 2/9/1991; Age: 25 Positions: 2B Bats: S, Throws: R Height: 5'10", Weight: 180 lbs Acquired: Drafted in the 1st round in 2011 Professional Experience: 5; Highest level: AA (2014, 2015, 2016) ETA: 2017 Levi Michael was drafted by the Twins in the first round of the 2011 draft (30th overall) as a shortstop from the University of North Carolina. The Winston-Salem, NC native had a very frustrating 2016, losing the gains he made in the injury plagued but successful 2014 and 2015 seasons that put him back in the prospect spotlight. 2017 will be critical for Michael. Michael was drafted as a potentially power hitting five tool shortstop player, but his peak might have been his age 19 sophomore season when in 60 games (214 AB) he hit .346/.484/.575 with 9 HR, 44 BB, 26 K and was 20/22 in SB. In his junior season he hit .289/.434/.434 with 5 HR, 56 BB, 82 K and 15/16 SB with his isoP dropping from .229 the previous season to .145, and his BABIP from .355 to (a still respectable) .337. He signed at the August 15 deadline after was drafted and started his pro career at high A Fort Myers the next season. The transition to a professional was not smooth for Michael at both sides of the game. He hit only .246/.339/.311 with only .065 isoP and his BABIP dropped to .295. He had only 2 HRs and stole 6 bases in 117 games (431 AB). His defense at SS also proved inadequate starting playing mostly second base, a position that he has played exclusively from 2014 on. He repeated Fort Myers the next season with similar results, but a slight increase in the power and speed numbers and a further decrease in his BABIP. In 94 games (315 AB) he hit .229/.331/.340 with 4 HRs and 21/23 SB with an .111 isoP and .272 BABIP. He also lost the first month of the season in the Disabled List. He also started the 2014 season at Fort Myers when he showed improvement. In his first 45 games there (177 PA) he hit .305/.375/.395 with 1 HR, 6/10 SB, 0.090 isoP and .346 BABIP, before he spent 3 weeks in the disabled list. He was then promoted to AA New Britain where in 15 games (53 AB) he hit .340/.444/.358 with minuscule power (0.019 isoP) but a big rebound in BABIP (.429). This was enough for the Twins to invite him to the 2015 Spring Training. He continued his success in a AA season at Chattanooga where, despite losing a month and a half early with a strained angle and two weeks late in the season due to illness, in 63 games (221 AB) hit .267/.369/.434 with 5 HRs, and 18/22 SB, increasing his power numbers to .167 isoP and his BABIP to .327. At this point despite the plate discipline never reaching his college numbers (31 BB and 53 K in 2015) there was hope that Michael was the player the Twins have signed out of College and was invited to Spring Training against. 2016 was supposed to be his breakout season that would make him a long term alternative for the team in second base, but Michael bottomed out. In his first healthy season since 2012, he played in Chattanooga for 96 games and 316 AB. He hit a career low .215/.293/.291 with 2 HR and 5/7 SB, isoP at 0.76 and BABIP at .286. That was a different player than in the past 2 seasons. Does Michael have any potential future with the Twins? I think that he still does, even though my confidence level (and his ranking) dropped from the previous off-season. Micheal could always hit lefties. Here are his splits against LHP the past 2 seasons: 2014 A+: .366/.449/.463, 2014 AA: .409/.500/.455, 2015 AA: .385/.448/.673. This is more than respectable. In his horrible 2016 season against LHP, he hit and acceptable .277/.352/.426. His glove now is average and slightly above average at second base. If Michael returns to or improves upon his 2017 levels he might have a future with the Twins. If not, I would not be surprised if 2017 is his last season with the team. Likely 2017 Path: Starting the season at Rochester and potentially a cup of coffee (or more) with the Twins based on performance and whether Dozier is still a Twin. 39. Jaylin Davis (--) DOB: 7/1/1994; Age: 22 Positions: OF Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'1", Weight: 190 lbs Acquired: Drafted in the 24th round in 2015 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: A (2016) ETA: 2019 Jaylin Davis was drafted by the Twins in the 24th of the 2015 draft as an outfielder from Appalachian State University. The Greensboro, NC native missed almost all his junior season with a shoulder injury that was later diagnosed as a labrum tare and was operated upon. Davis lost all of 2015 in the disabled list for that reason. Last season he started in extended Spring Training and was assigned to Elibatheton. His college numbers (career: .268/.337/.411 10 HR, 22/28 SB in 126 games and 482 PAs with .143 isoP and .331 BABIP) were solid but not close in predicting how Davis will do in his first pro season. In 12 games (47 AB) in Elizabethton he hit .277/.346/.745 with 7 HR, and 2 SB, an unreal .468 isoP and a .353 BABIP. He walked 4 times and struck out 23 (for a scary 44.2 K%). Hot streak or not, his stint with Elizabethton was enough for the Twins to promote the 22 year old to Cedar Rapids for the last 52 games of the season. There at 192 AB, he hit .250/.339/.469 with 9 HRs and 3/3 SB. His isoP was .219 and BABIP .328. He walked 21 times and struck out 64 (29.4 %). Davies has power, but that 6.7 AB/HR at Elizabethton was unsustainable and dropped to a 21.3 AB/HR in Cedar Rapids, which, even though respectable, is not elite. But this just one season removed from shoulder surgery, and, if anything, it is good news. Likely 2017 path: Davis will likely start the 2017 season at Fort Myers 38. Aaron Slegers (--) DOB: 9/4/1992; Age: 24 Positions: RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'10", Weight: 245 lbs Acquired: Drafted in the 5th round in 2013 Professional Experience: 4; Highest level: AA (2015,2016) ETA: 2018 Aaron Slegers was drafted by the Twins in the 5th of the 2013 draft as a starting pitcher from Indiana University. The Scottsdale, AZ native has been plagued with multiple injuries as an amateur both in College and High School with his Junior 2013 season being his only healthy season. And it was a good season. He started 18 games for 106 innings, walking just 17 (1.4 BB/9) and striking out 59 (5 K/9) with a 9-0 record, 2.04 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Later that season, after was drafted by the Twins he pitched for 9 games (19 IP) out of the Elizabethton pen walking just 2 (0.95 BB/9, 23.5 K-BB%) and striking out 18 (8.5 K/9, 26.5 K%) with a 0.47 ERA, 2.01 FIP, 0.95 WHIP (.340 BABIP). The next 3 seasons he was used as a starter exclusively, starting at A Cedar Rapids in 2014 and finishing in A+ Fort Myers, Starting at high A Fort Myers in 2015 and finishing in AA Chattanooga and playing exclusively at AA Chattanooga last season. Slegers started 25 games, pitched 145-1/3 innings, striking out 104 (6.4 K/9, 17.3 K%) and walking 46 (2.9 BB/9, 9.7 k-BB%). He finished with a 3.41 ERA, 4.07 FIP, and 1.26 WHIP (.295 BABIP). He also spent two weeks in late July, early August in the disabled list with biceps tendinitis. Slegers is the archetypal Twins' pitch to contact starter: He throws a high 80s, lows 90s (up to 92 mph) sinking fastball that induces a lot of grounders, an above average slider that coming from his 6-10 frame is deceptive and also a changeup. He has good control and command of all his pitches and does not walk many (even though as his level of competition increased so did his walks). Pitch to contact types with no exceptional stuff will get shelled in the majors, so Slegers is a borderline prospect. There is definitely a potential as a reliever (something that the Twins have not yet attempted, other than his first pro season) because there is not much there as a starter, unfortunate comparisons to Brad Radke notwithstanding. He was invited in the Twins' Spring Training for 2017 Likely 2017 path: Another season of starting at Chattanooga and then at Rochester, potentially as are reliever. 37. Travis Harrison (14) DOB: 10/17/1992; Age: 24 Positions: RF/LF/1B Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'1", Weight: 215 lbs Acquired: Drafted in the supplemental 1st round in 2012 Professional Experience: 5; Highest level: AA (2015,2016) ETA: 2018 Travis Harrison was drafted in the supplemental 1st round (50th overall) of the 2011 Draft out of Tustin (CA) High School. Harrison was a big time power prospect at a third baseman, but has not lived up to his billing yet. As a matter of fact his production has been declining annually after a very good first professional season in 2012 in Elizabethton where he hit .301/.383/.461 with 5 HRs in 60 games 219 AB walking 24 times and striking out 51. In 2013 at Cedar Rapids, his last season as a third baseman, he hit .253/.366/.416 with 15 HR in 129 games (450 AB) while walking 68 times and striking out 125. In 2014 he moved to left field at A+ Fort Myers where he hit .269/.361/.365 with only 3 HRs in 129 games (458 AB), walking 64 times and striking out 86. In 2015 at AA Chattanooga, as a right fielder, he hit .240/.363/ .356 with 5 HRs in 115 games (396 AB) walking 65 and striking out 102. Last season, also at Chattanooga was his career worst hitting .230/.338/.339 with 7 HRs in 120 games (434 AB) with 61 bases on balls and a career worst 126 strikeouts (24.8 K%). To Harrison's credit, he started both of his AA seasons better than he ended. In 2015 he started with a .268/.375/.403 line before he went to the DL with stomach inflammation and dropped after he returned and last season he started with a .264/.357/.377 line before he went to the DL with a concussion. His second half hit a pitiful .192/.317/.296, clearly bothered by the concussion. He also hit lefties well the past two seasons, .257/.416/.443 in 2015 and .260/.390/.427 in 2016. This is a make or break season for the former first round draft pick. His numbers are not great for even a middle infielder, much less for a corner outfielder. There is hope that Harrison with rebound and even have a break through season, however the fact that he did have a concussion and had a hard time after he returned does not look very promising. Likely 2017 Path: As a starting corner outfielder in Chattanooga. 36. Jean Carlos Arias (22) DOB: 1/14/1998; Age: 19 Positions: CF Bats: L, Throws: L Height: 5'11", Weight: 170 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent 7/2/2014 Professional Experience: 2; Highest level: Rookie GSL (2016) ETA: 2020 Jean Carlos Arias was signed by the Twins as an International Free Agent from Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic the summer of 2014. In his first professional season in the DSL he hit .311/.378/.537 with 18 BB, 30 K, 13 2B, 9 3B and 2 HRs in 189 PAs. He was 11/17 in stolen bases. That .914 OPS is not quite at Miguel Sano level (Sano hit .344/.463/.547 at age 17 in the DSL), but cannot be ignored in a league where the average OPS is .680. His wOBA was .425 and wRC+ 151, which are also on the ridiculous level. Arias destroyed RHPs at the rate of .330/.390/.568. Reports from the Dominican have the 17 year old Arias, who batted at the number 3 spot for the DSL Twins, is a true 5-tool Centerfielder. In 2016 he moved to the United States for Extended Spring Training and later to the GCL where he played an error-less OF in all 3 outfield positions and struggled with the bat hitting .202/.265/.266 with 10 BB and 28 K, stealing 7/10 bases and only 6 xBH / 25 H in 45 games (124 AB.) Moving from the Dominican to the United States is definitely a period of adjustment and some players adjust faster and better than others. Hopefully Arias' disappointing 2016 season was due to adjustment. He is still very young (turned 19 a few days ago) and the potential with the bat is there, while his glove is plus even at this young age. Will be interesting to see how he does in 2017 Likely 2017 path: Extended Spring Training and repeating GCL or to Elizabethton, depending on the Twins 2017 draft.

They did not do that last year. They made Polanco start the season at 2B in AAA, moved him to the majors and had him start only 45 games at SS. He needs to come to ST with the SS mind set and play 100+ games in the position. Cannot toss him all over the place and ask him to improve. He deserves at least the chances that Koskie, Morneau, and Plouffe got when they came up as atrocious but young defenders...

"Disastrous"? For an 103 L team to try to see whether Polanco can improve at SS with continuous play? Nope. Necessary. Signing a FA SS would have been akin to keeping Plouffe and blocking Sano. These guys need to play consistently in a position. Too young to do otherwise.

About Granite and his ranking, because there are so many questions: Not sure that he can hit MLB pitchingHis defense at CF is average at bestSB do not matter that much in 2017where would you rank a guy who is kinda half way to be a Vince Colemanjust sayin'

Maybe it has all to do with it, if the Twins have been asking the Dodgers for someone like Andrew Toles, in addition to DeLeon. And that OF better be a RH hitting one with some pop (since Kepler, Grossman, Rosario, and Palka are all Lefties) so Toles would certainly fit the bill. Also the Twins have been in rumors of RH OF FA bats, like Bautista, and when there is smoke...

The key is all of that with a non-competitive team. Were at the level of an 4th or 5th OF in a competitive team, it would pushed him a few points for sure.

That 135 different lineups had a lot to do with the Twins being a horrible defensive team. Both infielders (mostly) and outfielders (bit less) need to spend considerable time together and learn each others' play for a defense to gel. I would have no problem with rotation of Mauer/Park/Vargas at 1B/DH (with Vargas being the everyday guy as switch hitter) and sitting Castro against LHP, but the rest is tough to platoon. Sano and Polanco need to play every day at 3B and SS to develop. Whoever is the second baseman also needs to be there most of the time, so the double play combination clicks. With only Buxton the projected RH OF and the best centerfielder it will be hard to platoon the corners, unless one gets a RH bat as Grossman's replacement. I see 2017 all for development and other than the 2 mentioned, there is not place for many platoons.

Got a chance to talk to Ivan Rodriguez briefly last Spring Training when he was there to watch his son. Really nice guy, low key, and, unlike a few people who shared that ballot, does not like to draw attention to himself. Congrats! Same to Ivan Jr (Dereck is his middle name) for his dad.

I think that Granite would be a rock solid minor leaguer (pun intended,) but I think that his MLB prospects are not that great. He is way overvalued by the old-school Twins' FO that gave him the MiLB hitter of the year award, because "he hit .295", while having the 18th best OPS (among OFs mind you) in the organization. Ender Inciarte was in the majors in Granite's age and at best he is a 4th OF in a competitive team. I don't think that Granite is even that. Maybe in the NL because of the speed tool. I think that he would be like Erik Komatsu, Clete Thomas, and both Schafers type of player. Good enough to make a few starts here and there for a bottom of the standings team, but really a AAAA. Of course I might be wrong If I see anything more I am totally willing to change my mind

Interesting because just after the draft they had Jay as their number 1, two steps ahead of Gonsalves. Guess their changed their mind in a month

From what I heard from the Dominican Garcia is the real thing and Maldonado was described to me as a "monster". We shall see. Still lots of question marks, thus they are out of the top 40. Williams Ramirez is another late bloomer who got himself into prospect conversations and I was told that Garcia is better than Ramirez. In addition to those two a player I heard very good things about, but did not include (and I was going back and forth, but he will be around, so there is always next year,) is 16 year old Venezuelan SS Victor Tademo who was described to me as a very good player also, but Luis Martinez was thrown as a comparable, thus I hesitated. Maybe next year after I see him this Spring Looking at Dominican prospects is not much different that looking at High School prospects. Only difference is that there is a ton of scouting of those High School draft picks and not much on the Dominicans. I try to get as much information as I can gather from there and people who have seen them play at least a few games. Then once I see them myself in ST (both recent draft picks and Dominicans) I may or may not change my mind I swear I saw Peterson hit 95 at Fort Myers in 2015, but that might have been that radar gun in that ballpark. Should have probably said "tops at 95". He did go backwards, and he is one year older, thus the 13 spot drop. If I was doing just a top 40 he would not had make the cut. The biggest reason I expanded it to 60 was just because I really had a couple of dozen people or so between 30 and 40 and was very hard to cut.

41-45 is here

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, and all segments in the series here. 45. Pedro Garcia (--) DOB: 7/21/1995; Age: 21 Positions: RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'2", Weight: 180 lbs Acquired: International free Agent Signing Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: Rookie/DSL (2016) ETA: 2020+ The Twins signed Pedro Garcia as an international free agent from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on October 11, 2015. Garcia had his first professional season in the Dominican Summer Rookie League in 2016 and he was the ace of that team, starting 14 games (62-1/3 IP), striking out 69 (10.0 K/9, 28.2 K%), and walking 24 (3.5 BB/9, 18.4 K-BB%). He finished the season with a 5-1 record, 2.17 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 1.01 WHIP (.260 BABIP). Oponents had a very hard time making contanct (.181 OBA), especially when hiting from the right side (.155 OBA) Garcia has 3 pitches, a low to mid 90s fastball with good command, a workable changeup and an above average breaking ball. There is some wildness there (he also hit 5 batters and had 2 wild pitches) but he really improved in August (4 GS, 21 IP, 5 BB, 30 K, 4-0, 1.29 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, .123 OBA) which suggests that there is huge room of improvement and he is already on his way. If that 12.9 K/9, 1.5 BB/9 of August as a starting pitcher is sign of what it is to come from Garcia, expect him to move really fast in the organization. Likely 2017 path: Extended Spring Training in the United States, then GCL or Elizabethton, depending his adjustment and the Twins 2017 draft. 44. Humberto Maldonado (--) DOB: 12/30/1997; Age: 19 Positions: CF Bats: S, Throws: R Height: 6'3", Weight: 202 lbs Acquired: International free Agent Signing Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: Rookie/DSL (2016) ETA: 2020+ The Twins signed Humberto Maldonado as an international free agent from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic on November 15, 2015. Maldonado had a good first professional season, hitting .283/.363/.404 as the starting centerfielder of the DSL Twins, in a league dominated by pitchers. He flashed a bit of power (15 xBH / 47 H) and speed (stole 14 bases in 24 tries.) He is a switch hitter and equally well from both sides of the plate. His glove is adequate at CF at this point. He also played 17 games at LF and finished a game at 1B. He is strong athletic type (6'3 - 202 lbs) who can develop into a five tool talent and stick at centerfield. Think of a bit taller and stronger version of Joe Benson, as a prospect. Tons of potential, but he has a long ways to go, and Joe Benson did not go very far for the Twins. Likely 2017 path: Extended Spring Training in the United States, then GCL, depending his adjustment and the Twins 2017 draft. 43. Zach Granite (--) DOB: 9/17/1992; Age: 24 Positions: CF Bats: L, Throws: L Height: 6'1", Weight: 175 lbs Acquired: Drafted in the 14th round in 2013 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: Rookie/DSL (2016) ETA: 2017 Zach Granite was drafted by the Twins in the 14th round of the 2013 draft from Seton Hall University. The Staten Island, NY native as a collegiate hit .299/.391/.367 with 91 BB and 75 K in 156 games (633 AB). He also stole 67/78 bases. After he was drafted in 2013 he started his pro career in Elizabethton where he hit .285/.362/.343 with 29 BB, 25 K, and 14/21 SB in 61 games (278 PA.) He was promoted to Cedar Rapids in 2014 but was a lost season for him going to the disabled list multiple times with leg ailments. He only managed to play 21 games (85 PA) and had decent success (.291/.321/.367, 4 BB, 8 K, 1/5 SB.) He started the 2015 season also in Cedar Rapids where he his the cover off the ball (.358/.463/.463, 12 BB, 6 K, 7/8 SB) and after 19 games was propoted to Fort Myers were he landed hard, having the worst season of his career: In 105 games (441 PA) he hit .249/.328/.304 with 41 BB and 63 K and was 21/33 in stolen bases. He was promoted to AA Chattanooga last season where he rebounded as a 23 year old, hitting .295/.347/.382 with 42 BB and 43 K, stealing 56 of 70 bases and had 8 triples in 127 games (584 PA.) His glove at centerfield is above average and his splits as LHB were equally good in AA against both LHP (.291/.345/.339) and RHP (.296/.348/.396) for the first time in his career, having reverse splits previously. There have been some comparisons to Ben Revere after his season in Chattanooga, but Granite is a very poor man's Ben Revere. Their tool sets are the same, hit for average, speed, and defense; however Revere's tools were much better at the same points of their career, not to mention that Revere was in the majors by age 22 where Granite just finished his age 24 season. Revere owned a career .325/.382/.402 minor league line and a .353 career BABIP in the minors where Granite's are .282/.349/.354 and .321 respectively. For someone whose game is to get on base and use his speed to move ahead that difference of 43 points on the battling average, 33 on the on-base percentage and 32 on the batting average of the balls in play are huge. In the modern game those skills are much more devalued than they were 2 decades ago. Granite's ceiling is more of an Eric Yelding vs. a Juan Pierre type of player, which is that of a AAAA of that might spend some time in a mediocre or worse MLB team's bench. The Twins added him on their 40 man roster this season and he might be afforded that opportunity. A potential trade piece to a National League team that might value his skills as a PR and a PH and a defensive glove at the end of a game more that the Twins. Likely 2017 path: Starting CF at Rochester and potentially part time with the Twins based on needs and injuries. 42. Brandon Peterson (29) DOB: 9/23/1991; Age: 25 Positions: RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'1", Weight: 190 lbs Acquired: 13th Round Draft Pick 2013 Professional Experience: 5; Highest level: AA (2015, 2016) ETA: 2017 Brandon Peterson was drafted in the 13th round of the 2013 draft from Wichita State University. The Savage, MN native moved pretty fast in the Twins organization, reaching the high A Fort Myers Miracle squad in the second half of his second pro season, but ended up being caught in the numbers games, having to start each of the last two seasons at that level before being promoted to AA Chattanooga the second half of the last two seasons. His 2015 and 2016 seasons both split between A+ and AA were almost identical in peripheral numbers, but not in effectiveness. Here are his numbers in both organizations for the last 2 seasons: 2015-A+: 21 G, 31-2/3 IP, 44 K (12.5 K/9, 36.1 K%), 17 BB (4.3 BB/9, 23.8 K-BB%), 0.85 ERA, 1.81 FIP, 0.92 WHIP (.222 BABIP) 2016-A+: 22 G, 34 IP, 44 K (11.7 K/9, 33.3 K%), 14 BB (3.7 BB/9, 22.7 K-BB%), 2.65 ERA, 2.37 FIP, 1.00 WHIP (.264 BABIP) 2015-AA: 20 G, 29-1/3 IP, 33 K (10.1 K/9, 25.4 K%), 13 BB (4.0 BB/9, 15.4 K-BB%), 3.38 ERA, 2.93 FIP, 1.47 WHIP (.354 BABIP) 2016-AA: 16 G, 26 IP, 31 K (10.7 K/9, 27.2 K%), 15 BB (5.2 BB/9, 14 K-BB%), 4.15 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 1.35 WHIP (.288 BABIP) Peterson has a fastball that sits at 95 mph and a slider that is a hair below a plus pitch. I think that the 2017 season is a make or break season for the 25 year old. After last season, I thought that it might be that he needs to adjust his approach to be successful against better competition rather than his stuff not playing against better competition, based on his results in AA compared to A+, especially with that high AA BABIP. Having pretty much the similar results between the two leagues in 2016, reduces my confidence in Peterson. While in A+ he looks like a borderline elite reliever, albeit with some wildness, in AA he looks like a mediocre reliever, and the Twins are full of young promising RHRP who are ahead of him both in the high minors and majors. Likely 2016 path: Sharing closer duties in AA, a promotion to AAA is probably depending his success and promotions to the MLB bullpen of AAA pitchers allowing him a path there. 41. Brandon Lopez (SS) DOB: 9/9/1993; Age: 23 Positions: SS Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'1", Weight: 190 lbs Acquired: 10th Round Draft Pick 2016 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: A (2016) ETA: 2019 Brandon Lopez was drafted in the 10th round of the 2016 draft from the University of Miami as a senior. The Miramar, FL native Sports Administration major was the Hurricanes' starting SS all 4 seasons with the team and was previously drafted out of High School by the Blue Jays in the 34th round of the 2012 draft. He struggled somewhat his first two seasons as a collegiate with the bat, keeping the starting SS position because of his glove, he improved in his junior season and had a stellar senior season in 2016. He hit .376/.449/.469 with 23 BB and 34 K, stealing 5 out of 7 bases and having 14 doubles and 2 home runs, in 58 games (214 AB). He started his professional season in Elizabethton where he continue hitting well despite the transition to the wooden bat. He hit .337/.474/.413 with 21 BB and 19 K, was 4/4 in stolen bases and had 5 doubles and 1 HR in 27 games (92 AB). He was promoted to Cedar Rapids at the end of the season where he played 18 games (70 AB) and hit .286/.398/.329 with 11 BB and 16 K and 3 doubles. His BABIP numbers this season were .433 with Miami, .425 with Elizabethton and .370 with Cedar Rapids. His junior season, his BABIP was .357, which suggests that there is potential to sustain a BABIP at the .375 level as a professional player. Very limited power, but some potential and average speed, but above average pitch selectivity and glove at SS; a bit older for both of his leagues at 23, but much better than average performance. He hits Left and Right hand pitchers equally well. Lopez has the potential to be a good glove shortstop that can hit and take a walk. Because his performance requires that he maintains a high BABIP, which is not beyond Lopez, it is interesting to see how he will do against better pitching competition, especially at the A+ and AA levels. Potentially blocked by Nick Gordon at this point, if Gordon stays at SS, Lopez might be a valuable trade chip for the Twins down the road. But there is long way to go. Lopez in a pretty high ceiling but high risk player, thus the reason he missed a top 40 inclussion. This will change with sustained success, esp. keeping his BABIP high. Likely 2017 path: Starting SS at Cedar Rapids with a potential move to Miracle mid-season

Here are the #1 starters for the post-season teams in 2014 (in no order) : Madison Bumgarner James Shields Chris Tillman Adam Wainwright Garrett Richards Max Scherzer Stephen Strasburg Clayton Kershaw Sonny Gray Gerrit Cole Hughes might have had a better 2014 that Chris Tillman and maybe Gerrit Cole in that list. However both the Orioles and the Pirates kinda had 3 number 2s that season.

I bet that the Twins' team that will be there on opening day will be different than the team that is projected to be there now. Way too early to make predictions.

You can get enough data on March 10th or 15th, if you know where someone was on those dates in previous seasons. One could tell about Perkins last ST, for example, as soon as his first outing under a radar gun.

Not sure about that. In 2014 there were 196 SPs with minimum of 40 IP.. If you take the #1 cut-off at 10% , then you have 20 #1s (which is too much I think, but let's say it is so - reminder: the best starter in a horrible team is not always number 1; see: Diamond Scott) Here is Hughes' ranking in several categories in 2014: Hughes was 71st in ERA, 48th in K%, 36th in WHIP, 33th in xFIP, 29th in SIERA, 18th in IP, 10th in FIP, 1st BB%, Other than his FIP numbers that was majorly driven by his low walks, Hughes was not on the top 10 of 2014 pitchers. His 2014 was a lot like and a hair better (because of the more Ks) Carlos Silva's 2005: A decent number 2 type of pitcher

In 2016 they Scored 722 runs, Allowed 889 runs. For a .500 record they should allow 722 runs, which is 167 or 18.8% improvement. Team ERA was 5.08. An 18.8% improvement would be 4.12 and not 4.25. A 4.12 ERA would have been the 6th best in the AL a. Good luck b. a .500 record means nothing in a rebuilding season. Developing players and getting young talent that can help them to become a 90+ win team is more important.

I would say that these pitchers maybe have higher upside, but they do carry much more risk. That's why the relative ranking. They pitched 8 and 11 professional games respectively. They can be fast climbers, but they still have a lot to prove. Tyler Benninghoff for example has MLB closer or mid-rotation upside, but he has not thrown a single pitch because of TJ surgery. If he returns with intact velocity he might jump 20 spots or so next time I do this.

Struggling at the GCL as a 22 year old, that one was to be expected...