Thrylos

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 2015 top 40 players who graduated as prospects or are not in the system, here. Here is my 2015 Twins off-season top 40 prospects list (summary of 1-40) for reference. You can find players 36-40 here, players 31-35 here, players 26-30 here, and players 21-25 here. 20 Felix Jorge RHP (29) DOB: 1/2/1994; Age: 22 Positions:RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'2", Weight: 170 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent 2/21/2011 Professional Experience: 5; Highest level: A (2014, 2015) Felix Jorge was signed as an amateur free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2011 for $250,000. He has been moving along the Twins organization, about a step a season, until 2014 where he had major issues in Cedar Rapids and had to return in Elizabetheton. He started 2015 agains in Cedar Rapids and was the Kernels' best pitcher, pitching 23 games (22 GS) a team tops 142 IP, had 32 BB (2.03 BB/9) and 114 Ks (7.3 K/9 and 20.3%,) for a 2.79 ERA (3.54 FIP) and 1.056 WHIP (2.67 BABIP). Jorge came in the organization as a 16 year old with a rare 3 above average pitch mix. He has a low 90s fastball with good downward movement, which the hitters have a hard time picking up. Above average slurvy curveball and change up. He commands all three pitches well, has good control and he mixes pitches well. One might see his 2015 results and think that Jorge had a break-through season, but his biggest issue surfaced again: endurance. In the first 11 starts Jorge pitched 70 innings resulting in 2.44 ERA, .195 OBA and 0.90 WHIP; the second half of the season (12 games, 11 starts) pitched 72 innings with considerable drop in performance: 3.13 ERA, .253 OBA and 1.21 WHIP. Not that his second half was bad, but it was not as good as his first. He does have mid-rotation potential, but time will tell whether he will have the endurance to be in a major league rotation. Likely 2016 path: In the Miracle Rotation ETA: 2018 19 Adam Walker OF (21) DOB: 10/18/1991; Age: 24 Positions: LF/ RF Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'4", Weight: 225 lbs Acquired: 3th Round Draft Pick 2012 Professional Experience: 4; Highest level: AA (2015) There probably is a lot of dissapointment with this ranking, especially by the ones who count the quality of a baseball player based on home runs and RBIs, because those at the things that Walker excells. His career minor league slash line has been .254/.311/.488 and has been mirrored every season at a new level. In 2015 in AA Chattanooga, Walker hit .239/.309/.498 with a career high 31 HRs and 106 RBIs, but also career high 34.8 % K% and career low batting average. He did show an improvement in the base paths hitting in a career low for full season ball 8 double plays and stealing a career high 13 bases. Another issue with Walker is that he has problems in the field and a relatively weak arm. To see whether his fielding improves, the Twins switched him last season to Left Field instead of Right, with very similar results. Walker is a single tool player and it is a good tool; the Twins were afraid that someone might be intrigued by it to select him in the Rule 5 draft that they added him to the 40-man roster. He really needs work on the plate and on the field to take the next step. Maybe First Base or DH is where he should be, but those two positions are spoken for in the organization for a while... It is not out of the question that he will not have a break through season if something "clicks", but it has not clicked yet. If it doesn't his ceiling will be Steve Balboni, and that is if he cuts down considerably on the strikeouts. Likely 2016 path: In the Rochester OF mix, might make a September call up or earlier depending on injuries and performance. ETA: 2016 18 Daniel Palka OF (--) DOB: 10/28/1991; Age: 24 Positions: RF/1B Bats: L, Throws: L Height: 6'2", Weight: 225 lbs Acquired: Trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015 Professional Experience: 3; Highest level: A+ (2015) Daniel Palka was acquired by the Twins from the Arizona Diamondbacks this off-season for C/OF Chris Herrmann. Palka was the Diamondbacks' third round pick in the 2013 draft. If the Twins' fans want a comparable, that would be Adam Walker. Palka is 10 days younger than Walker, has been climbing a step a year in the organization and power is his best tool. Drafted a season after Walker, his highest level was high A instead of double A, and he hits and throws left. Palka is a converted first baseman and he is still learning to play the outfield. Last season in the high A Visalia he hit .280/.352/.532 with 29 HRs, 90 RBI, 24 SB, 56 BB and 164 K (28.5 K%) in 576 PAs. Going back to the 1980s, never a Twins' prospect has a season with 29 or more home runs and 24 or more stolen bases. Palka is a very interesting prospect who might be ranked a bit too low, but I have not seen him play in person, and I am concerned about his strikeouts, which are not as bad as Walker's but definitely a concern point. An additional concern is that LHPs neutralized him (.213/.285/.352 against LHPs; but he destroyed RHPs .301/.374/.589) which may indicate that there is a possibility that Palka might end up in the strong side of a platoon at some point. Likely 2016 path: In the Chattanooga outfield or first base conversation, likely both. ETA: 2017 17 Lewis Thorpe (11) DOB: 11/23/1995; Age: 20 Positions: LHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'1", Weight: 160 lbs Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent on 7/12/2012 Professional Experience: 2; Highest level: A (2014) Thorpe was signed on July of 2012 by the Twins to the largest bonus ever given for an Australian player, $500,000. He spend half of 2014 resting and rehabilitating his left UCL, which eventually required Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2015. Thorpe has 4 pitches, including a plus mid 90s fastball and a plus change up, but 2014, even before the injury was somewhat of a disappointment, showing considerable control issues (a career high 4.5 BB/9) and was fairly ineffective (4.52 FIP). Not much to say about Thorpe at this point, other than wait and see how his elbow turns out, but there is high enough raw staff and potential to be included in the top 20 prospect list at this point, regardless the many question marks. Likely 2016 path: In the Cedar Rapids rotation, with an outside chance to make the Fort Myers rotation, depending on the elbow and performance ETA: 2019 16 Jake Reed (16) DOB: 9/29/1992; Age: 23 Positions: RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'2", Weight: 190 lbs Acquired: 5th Round Draft Pick 2014 Professional Experience: 2; Highest level: AA (2015) Reed's 2015 season was a take of two halves: First 35 games in Chattanooga where he pitched 47 innings with 21 BB (4 BB/9) and 39 K (7.5 K/9, 17.6 K%) resulting in a 6.32 ERA (4.20 FIP) and 1.617 WHIP (.340 BABIP) and his last 10 games in Fort Myers and 10 more in the Arizona Fall League. where he regained his control (0.7 BB/9 in Fort Myers, 3.4 in AFL) and got hitters out (0.730 and 0.938 WHIP) but still had strikeout issues (5.1 and 8.4 K/9). Part of his dominance in 2014 and his gain in command and control was due to simplification in his mechanics in comparison to his College days'. Reed has a dominant fastball, but not much else. Maybe part of the reason of his numbers' decline was that he was working on improving his change up and breaking ball. Maybe those are pitchers he will never command. Hard to tell where Reed will be this time next season, and it all depends on the development of at least one above average secondary pitch that he can command well. He was invited in the MLB Spring Training as a non-roster player this Spring. Likely 2016 path: Repeat Chattanooga, potential to break into the majors' bullpen depending on development of secondary pitch(es) and the Twins' needs. ETA: 2017 http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5152/7098789651_02fb66b359_z.jpg

Sub "Kepler" with "Rosario" and I think that you are about right. Kepler is not a centerfielder any more (but the Twins used Parmelee and Cuddyer at CF...)

16-20 here (and I suspect that people might find at least one surprise.)

Got to remember that Milone's and Fien's and Nunez' contracts (Plouffe's too, but that's another story) are not guaranteed, so the Twins can cut them during ST without any precautions. I would be surprised if all 3 are with the team come April.

Beaten. To. Death. Let's see the kid play a single inning at the OF first and then we can speculate...

Arguably, Berrios was not the best starter in Rochester last season based on results (depending how you are counting; Duffey had better ERA, FIP and BB/9,) much more "their best young pitcher". I can think at least of 2-3 more that may deserve that title better than Berrios, based on stuff.

Yeah, I hear you about Vielma. And at the end I just could not have him any higher because of the concentration issues. Not that different than Danny Santana regarding those. Might change my mind come mid season if he improves.

That is not the case. Rose was banned for life from baseball because of his gambling. Same thing with the black Sox. Nothing to do with the HoF. The fact that he cannot be part of the HoF is one of the many consequences of his ban from baseball.

The Radke comparison is outright bizarre, esp. after she threw Duffey's 8.2K/9: Radke hit that mark once in his career: 8.3 K/9 in his first pro season with the GCL Twins. His career average in the majors was 5.4 K/9 (think Blac_burn.) I just have a hard time seeing Duffey making the team out of Spring Training pending trades, injuries or doping...

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 2015 top 40 players who graduated as prospects or are not in the system, here. Here is my 2015 Twins off-season top 40 prospects list (summary of 1-40) for reference. You can find players 36-40 here, players 31-35 here and players 26-30 here. 25. Ryan Eades RHP (30) DOB: 12/15/1991; Age: 24 Positions:RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'2", Weight: 200 lbs Acquired: 2th Round Draft Pick 2013 Professional Experience: 3; Highest level: A+ (2015) Eades was drafted by the Twins from Louisiana State in the second round of the 2013 draft. The Louisiana native has been a slow bloomer in the pros. I wrote about him in last season's list: His potential is a mid to top of the rotation starter with four good pitches. He reported had a plus fastball that sits at 93-95 mph and peaks at 97-98, with good command. However, the Eades I saw was a good 5 mph below those numbers and was pitching really tentatively. In his 2014 season he started 25 games in Cedar Rapids (133 IP). He was at an average age with the list and finished with 5.14 ERA (4.44 FIP) 98 Strikeouts and 50 BBs. His K% fell down to 16.6 %. His loss in velocity and inability to strike out players his age, further dropped him to number 30 in these rankings. Will likely move to Fort Myers for 2015, but Eades really needs to regain his velocity and start missing bats, because pitching to contact with low 90 mph FB, will result to contact with bad consequences for his teams. And what did Eades do this year? He made a liar out of me and was much more effective. His peripherals were practically the same (16.4% vs 16.6% K%, 7.8% vs 8.5% BB% and even 0.83 vs 0.79 GO:FO) he did have a considerable decrease in WHIP (1.239 vs 1.481) half of which could be accounted from a normalization of the BABIP (.291 vs .323). However he translated that into results (3.11 ERA vs 5.14 and 3.48 FIP vs 4.44) beyond what a better defense behind him could bring. Will be interesting to see whether the tentativeness went away and he started pounding the strike zone and/or whether his stuff improved. Definitely someone to keep and eye on in 2016 Likely 2016 path: In the Chattanooga Rotation ETA: 2017 24. Luis Arraez IF (40) DOB: 4/9/1997; Age: 18 Positions: 2B/SS/3B/LF Bats: L, Throws: R Height: 5'10", Weight: 155 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent 11/5/2013 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: Rookie GCL (2015) Arraez who rounded out the prospect list last season was signed in the November of 2013 from Venezuela. He made the jump from the Dominican and the DSL (where he had a phenomenal for the league .833 OPS) to the United States and GCL with ease. He hit .309/.377/.391 with an impressive 19 to 10 BB:K ratio. He stole 8 bases and was caught in another 8 times. He flashed signed of gap power hitting 15 doubles and 1 tripe in 233 PAs, but he is not a power hitter. Plate discipline is one of the hardest skills to learn and Arraez has it, plus his contact tool is good. This is a great combination for a middle infielder, and Arraez looks like he will settle at second base, where he is average to above average with the glove, turning 19 double plays last season. Likely 2016 path: Extended Spring Training and at Elizabethton in June ETA: 2019 23. Engelb Vielma ss (20) DOB: 6/22/1994; Age: 21 Positions: SS Bats: S, Throws: R Height: 5'11", Weight: 150 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent 9/4/2011 Professional Experience: 4; Highest level: A+ (2015) Vielma is a very interesting player who could be ranked higher. The Venezuelan signed by the Twins in 2011 and has been moving really quickly in the organization. His glove is really great and he has excellent instinct for the game. When I saw him play for the first time during the 2014 Spring Training, I wrote this for him: This is the single one most unknown superstar in the making in the Twins' organization. He turned two unassisted double plays (one a line out/throw out the other a step on second throw at first) today and he made them seem so easy. Like it is an everyday kind of thing. Looks like his contact tool is getting better. He has crazy nutty speed and as a cutoff guy, he almost threw a guy out at third on a easy triple. Very strong arm. And he has room to grow. And I still stand behind that assessment. The one thing that bothers me about Vielma is not his bat (we will get to the bat in a second;) it is his occasional lapses in concentration that result in silly mistakes on the field and on the base paths. This is the single reason he is ranked that low in my list. I am still very high on Vielma and I think that he has the potential of an All-Star shortstop. Let's not forget that this is the position that has a player with a career .666 OPS in the Hall of Fame. Not that I am comparing Ozzie Smith's glove to Vielma's, but their bats are comparable. Vielma hit .270/.321/.306 this season at Fort Myers which at first sight is about the same .266/.313/.323, if not worse, than he did in Cedar Rapids in 2014, until someone looks below the slash lines: Vielma was the youngest position player at the Miracle team and the Miracle team slash line was .246/.319/.318, so he made better contact than the average. Power is not his strong suit, so looking at SLG% is misleading. If you look at component numbers, like wRC+, he had 93 in 2015 vs 84 in 2014. He is also maturing as a player taking advantage of his speed. He will not walk (7% BB%) or strikeout (14.2% K%) but will make contact and run. He had 24 sacrifices last season, and most of them (18) on the ground. He stole a career high 35 bases (but was caught 12 times). Definitely Vielma is on the right track, but I still need to see just a little bit more from him. Playing at AA might tell us a lot about his maturity. Likely 2016 path: Starting Shortstop at AA Chattanooga, on the 40 man roster in the post-season. ETA: 2017 22. Jean Carlos Arias (--) DOB: 1/14/1998; Age: 17 Positions: CF Bats: L, Throws: L Height: 5'11", Weight: 170 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent 7/2/2014 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: Rookie DSL (2015) Jean Carlos Arias was signed by the Twins as an International Free Agent from the 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. 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, which would need to be cofirmed once he starts play in the US, but his numbers cannot be ignored. One additional thing of note: Arias destroyed RHPs at the rate of .330/.390/.568. Likely 2016 path: Extended Spring Training and the starting Centerfielder at the GCL ETA: 2020 21. Rainis Silva C (24) DOB: 3/20/1996; Age: 19 Positions: C Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'1", Weight: 185 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent 7/9/2013 Professional Experience: 3; Highest level: A (2015) The Venezuelan Catcher was signed by the Twins as a 16 year old in 2012 for $175,000. I have not seen enough of John Ryan Murphy or John Hicks yet, but other than those 2 potentially, Silva is the most polished receiver in the Twins' organization. He could catch a major league staff today. The problem is his bat. He was fast tracked by the Twins moving from the DSL to A in just 3 seasons. It is very encouraging to see that his bat has improved with every stop: .539 OPS in the DSL in 2013, .636 OPS in the GCL in 2014, .635 OPS in Elizabethton and .572 OPS in Cedar Rapids in 2015. Improvement? This looks pretty horrible. Here are a couple of other numbers: .367/.406/.533 in Elizabethton and .333/.333/.556 in Cedar Rapids. Those are his slash lines last season against LHP. He absolutely destroys left hand pitching and this is an improvement this season. He hit lefties at a .217/.254/.267 pace in GCL and at a .222/.294/.244 pace in the DSL the previous 2 seasons, which means that he is learning and adjusting, an incredibly encouraging sign for an organization not that deep in future Catchers. Why is he not ranked higher? He has to prove that he is not a liability against RHP. If his OPS against righties was closer to .700 than .500 (which is the case now,) his glove is good enough to propel him to top 10 prospect conversation. Not there yet. Likely 2016 path: Likely start the season at Cedar Rapids and, depending on his performance and the Twins' Draft, a move to Fort Myers by at least mid-season is a good bet. I will not be surprised if the Twins have him start the season at Fort Myers. ETA: 2018 http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5152/7098789651_02fb66b359_z.jpg

21-25 here and the rest next week

Thanks. That is good to know.

Wells grew 5 inches in a year? And they do not have medical facilities in the Dominican to run tests? Hard to believe on the first one, I know better on the second one

Unfortunately he will be out of options before Mauer retires, so he either has to move up in 2017 or move to another team. I am with you.

.283/.414/.496 between Chattanooga and Rochester and .366/.395/.561 in May in the Majors is not underperforming. He underperformed in April and the part of June he was in the Majors. But he did perform the rest of the season.

Other than that 4 and 1, I see mediocrity and horribleness. Last time I checked, Ryan has been the GM since 1994 and a bit longer than 2002-2008...

Got 26-30 up today here. I suspect a few surprising names

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 2015 top 40 players who graduated as prospects or are not in the system, here. Here is my 2015 Twins off-season top 40 prospects list (summary of 1-40) for reference. This is the third countdown segment of the 2016 off-season Top 40 Twins' prospect. You can find players 36-40 here and players 31-35 here . . 30. Taylor Rogers (--) DOB: 12/17/1990; Age: 25 Positions:LHP Bats: L, Throws: L Height: 6'3", Weight: 200 lbs Acquired: 11th Round Draft Pick 2012 Professional Experience: 4; Highest level: AAA (2015) The Colorado native was selected by the Twins in the 11th Round of the 2012 draft from Kentucky University. Taylor has a Twin brother, Tyler, who is in the Giants' system (drafted in 2013) and interestingly is right-handed. To complicate matters, the Giants had a Taylor Rogers pitching in the organization from 2009-2013. Genetics and homonymy aside, Rogers is an interesting enough pitcher to make this list for the first time. On first sight he is a "solid" middle of the rotation minor leaguer who can keep his team in the game. His 2015 pitching line with Rochester was: 28 games, 174 IP, 44 BB, 126 K (7.6 K/9; 17.2 K%), 3.98 ERA, 3.21 FIP. Players like this are usually not prospects, especially when they are 25 years old. There are three things about Rogers that elevate him this season: Between Rochester and the Arizona Fall League Rogers pitched 199 Innings in 2015. This is the most innings pitched by anyone in the Twins' organization at any level last season (Kyle Gibson was second with 194.7) .Rogers did not have a performance drop-off, actually pitching better in September (in both AAA and AFL) than he did in July and August. His stuff and endurance are better that the guy who projects as the number 5 pitcher in the Twins' rotation, Tommy Milone who has never pitched that many innings in a season and last time he reached 190 IP was 4 seasons ago. This should count for something And most important: Left-handed hitters, might as well sit down when he is pitching. He has always been great against LHBs, but his 2015 AAA numbers against lefties are out of the charts: 57 IP, 5 BB, 55 K, .177 OBA, 0.68 WHIP, 1.42 ERA, 2.09 GO:FO These numbers have LH set up man all over them. His Fastball is his best pitch and sits at 91-93 mph. Has an average slider and changeup as well. A move in the pen might help him increase his velocity and if one of his secondary pitches improves there is a lot of potential here. Dark horse for being the LH set up man the Twins were supposed to acquire from outside the organization this off-season. Likely 2016 path: Since he was added to the 40-man roster to be protected from this season's Rule 5 draft. Can potentially make the Twins' pen out of Spring Training or be held in reserve at Rochester, if the numbers are not in his favor. Likely a September call up at worst case scenario. ETA: 2016 29. Brandon Peterson (27) DOB: 9/23/1991; Age: 24 Positions: RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'1", Weight: 190 lbs Acquired: 13th Round Draft Pick 2013 Professional Experience: 3; Highest level: AA (2015) Brandon Peterson is a Minnesotan from Savage, who was drafted in the 13rd round of the 2013 draft from Wichita State University. With a fastball that sits at 95 mph and a slider that is a hair below a plus pitch, Peterson has been able to move up the Twins' organizational ladder in leaps and bounds, striking out the competition and being the closer at each level he pitched. Until he reached AA as a promotion from Fort Myers at the middle of this season, where he landed to Earth. In 20 games he pitched 29.3 innings, walking 13 and striking out 33 (10.1 K/9, and 25.4 K%) with a 1.47 WHIP (.354 BABIP) and 3.38 ERA (2.93 FIP.) In contrast, earlier in the season in A+ he pitched 21 games (31.7 IP), walking 15 and striking out 44 (12.5 K/9 and 36.1% K%) with a 0.92 WHIP (.222 BABIP) and 0.85 ERA (1.81 FIP.) He held his opponents to a .131 average in Fort Myers and .259 in Chattanooga. 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. But the jury is still out and this reason, in addition to the fact that the Twins' system is loaded with RHRPs, is part of the reason that Peterson dropped 2 spots this year compared to last. 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. ETA: 2017 28. Brusdar Graterol (--) DOB: 8/26/1998; Age: 17 Positions: RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'1", Weight: 180 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent 8/27/2014 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: Rookie/DSL (2015) I want not untrue when I said that the number 40 prospect, Emmanuel Morel, is a great candidate for being a sleeper prospect who comes out of nowhere and becomes the darling of mainstream media, but this is even more true for Venezuelan, Brusdal Graterol who just turned 17 and has been placed in the Fast Track by the Twins. Graterol signed for a moderate $150,000 bonus in 2014 just as turned 16 and pitched his age 16 season next summer in the Dominican Republic. An what he did was opened some eyes wide open after just 4 starts with those numbers: 11 IP, 12 H, 1 BB, 17 K, 2.45 ERA (1.19 FIP), 1.18 WHIP (.444 BABIP). How wide did those eyes open? After his first 17 days as a pro, Graterol, who also wins the title of the Twins' prospect with the best name now that Will Hurt is outside the organization, was on a plane to Fort Myers to get acclimated to life in the US and learn English. I have not seen Graterol pitch, but those numbers for a 16 year old (3 years younger than average DSL age) are extremely impressive. Likely 2016 path: In the Instructional leagues to begin the season and the GCL rotation in June ETA: 2020+ 27. Huascar Ynoa (--) DOB: 5/28/1998; Age: 17 Positions: RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'3", Weight: 175 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent 7/2/2014 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: Rookie/DSL (2015) The Twins signed Huascar Ynoa to an $800,000 bonus on July 2 of 2014 and had his first professional season in DSL the past season 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 is the biggest issue with Huascar Ynoa. He has 3 pitches (fastball, curve, slider) which all flash above average to potentially plus, but he does 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 are 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 end 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. This, and not genetics, is the reason that Ynoa is ranked that high in my prospects list, and his numbers on full delivery is the reason he is ranked that low. Likely 2016 path: Extended Spring Training and move to the GCL rotation in June ETA: 2020 26. Lachlan Wells (--) DOB: 2/27/1997; Age: 18 Positions: LHP Bats: L, Throws: L Height: 5'8", Weight: 163 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent 8/14/2014 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: Rookie/GSL (2015) The Twins signed the diminutive Australian as an International Free Agent in August of 2014 and made his debut in the Gulf Coast League in 2015. He played in 10 games (9 GS) and pitched 47.3 innings, walking 11 (2.1 BB/9) and striking out 49 (9.3 K/9, 26.5% K%) for a 2.09 ERA (3.22 FIP) and 0.97 WHIP (.263 BABIP). Size is a Concern with Wells, but he is just 18. He throws an above average 92-93 mph fastball, a work in progress curveball and a changeup that is close to plus and is his out pitch. So far his spits against lefties and righties are about similar with only one big difference: He produces 5 times as many ground balls against lefties that he does against righties. It could be the more frequent use of the changeup, but it is an interesting data point. It is too early to tell whether the pen or the rotation is in Wells' future, but a plus changeup at 18 is nothing to scoff at. We will know more as he develops in the Twins' organization. Likely 2016 path: Extended Spring Training and likely in the Elizabethton rotation in June, depending on the 2016 Twins' draft. ETA: 2020+ http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5152/7098789651_02fb66b359_z.jpg

Hank Aaron has admitted to have used now banned PEDs. How do you feel about that?

I assume that every Twins fan knows about Polanco, Meyer and Kepler etc. The way I am doing it gives coverage to many players that fans do not know about other than places like Seth's Handbook. I think that someone has to draw the line somewhere, and that is where I draw it: Have you played in the majors or signed an MLB contract (sorry Byung-Ho), you are no longer a prospect. Personally, I believe that rules like "he has to play in the US to be in the list" that discount a whole bunch of prospects from the DSL or who have just singed are worse, because there is not a balance. If you include 2015 draft picks, you got to include 2015 IFAs, in my book. FWIW in 2015 the Twins gave a bigger bonus to an International FA than everybody who they drafted not named Jay. Don't you think that he should be in the prospect conversation? But, that's the beauty of those lists. Each of us has different criteria, so they all don't look the same, like the National guys'

Sure. That's why the Ryan pens brought the Twins so many post-season wins and World Championships...

Surprised? It has been Ryan's MO since he was promoted from Head of Scouting in 1994. Business as usual.

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 2015 top 40 players who graduated as prospects or are not in the system, here. Here is my 2015 Twins off-season top 40 prospects list (summary of 1-40) for reference. This is the second countdown segment of the 2016 off-season Top 40 Twins' prospect. You can find the first segment, players 36-40 here. 35. Yorman Landa (--) DOB: 6/11/1994; Age: 21 Positions: RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'0", Weight: 165 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent 9/3/2010 Professional Experience: 5; Highest level: A (2014, 2015) Yorman Landa was signed by the Twins as an International Free Agent on September of 2010. It is fairly telling that the 21 year old Venezuelan has 5 professional seasons under his belt, yet he is younger than half of the Twins 2015 draft class. This is the first time in those 5 years that Landa cracked my top 40 prospect list, part of the reason being that he was a 2 pitch starter/long reliever and the Twins did not know what they wanted to do with him. Add to this a shoulder surgery in the summer of 2014 and very slow climbing of the organizational steps, and does not make a great case for inclusion in a prospect list. What happened? The Twins decided in 2014 that he really belongs to the pen, and moved there in Cedar Rapids that season with good results. After the surgery, he recovered completely and returned to Cedar Rapids with a new delivery from a lower arm angle that produces a mid-90s fastball with nasty movement and cleaned up some of his secondary pitches. He pitched 27 innings in 15 games, producing an 1.67 ERA (3.47 FIP) and and 1.19 WHIP (.258) BABIP. He walked 4 and struck out 31 (10.33 K/9 & 27% K%). The Twins are thinking highly of him and added him to their 40 man roster to protect him from this years' Rule 5 Draft. I think that he is still a work in progress because he still works too many and needs at least one convincing secondary pitch, but that Fastball and the new delivery has opened some eyes. Likely 2016 path: Will be with the big club this Spring Training as part of the 40-man roster and then likely pitch for Fort Myers. ETA: 2018 34. Fernardo Romero (37) DOB: 12/24/1994; Age: 21 Positions: RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'0", Weight: 215 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent 11/4/2011 Professional Experience: 4; Highest level: A (2014) Yorman Landa was signed by the Twins as an International Free Agent on November of 2011. The Dominican right hander has misses all of 2015 and most of the 2014 recovering from Tommy John surgery. Here is what I wrote about him last year: After spending the 2012 season in the Dominican Summer League, he made the jump to the Gulf Coast League in 2013. He pitched in 12 games (6 GS) for 45 innings to a 1.60 ERA and had 47 strikeouts and only 13 bases on balls. His WHIP was 1.00 and K% a very impressive 26, while his K/BB was 3.62. He missed 2014 with Tommy John surgery. It will be interesting to see how Romero will rebound in his age 20 season. He had a heavy fastball is in the mid to low 90s and barely adequate supplementary stuff. Romero does have mid rotation potential, depending on development of his secondary pitches and staying healthy. He will likely begin 2015, his age 19 season, in Cedar Rapids where he will alternate between the rotation and pen until extended. He did not make it on a professional field in 2015, but expecting to return in full force in 2016. One thing that needs to be remarked is his ability to hide the ball really well from both lefties and righties and throwing a Carlos Silva - like heavy sinker. Time will tell how he will move on, but the potential is still there as long as he stays healthy. Likely 2016 path: Will be eased into the Cedar Rapids bullpen and depending on success move on to Fort Myers in the middle of the season. Likely will stay in the pen the whole season. ETA: 2019 33. Chris Paul (--) DOB: 10/12/1992; Age: 23 Positions: 1B/3B/OF Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'3", Weight: 200 lbs Acquired: 6th Round Draft Pick 2015 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: A (2015) Chris Paul was drafted by the Twins in the 6th round of this years' draft from University of California Berkeley. The California native was a polished hitter in College. He hit .321/.406/.509 in the summer of 2014 in the wooden bat Northwoods Summer College League playing for St Cloud Rox (he played there for 3 summers, so he has been well-scouted by the Twins). Continued hitting .325/.404/.562 in 2015 for Berkely and did not miss a bit by turning pro, hitting .302/.375/.488 in 96 PAs for Elizabethton earning a promotion to Cedar Rapids, where he ran out of gas hitting .244/.277/.356 in 12 games. Not much of a home run thread at this point, but he does have double power to the opposite field. Long swing makes him vulnerable to breaking balls, but it is fixable. The Catch-22 with Paul is that he does not have a position. He played pretty much everywhere but Catcher in College and High School, and all corner infield and outfield positions in the pros. He was named in the Pac 12 all defense team, so his defense is not a liability. His versatility might allow him to make it to the Bigs earlier as a utility player, but that would be his ceiling. On the other hand, players like Ryan Zobrist and Daniel Murphy are making a good living out of it. Likely 2016 path: Will start the season as a utility player in Cedar Rapids. ETA: 2018 32. Kolton Kendrick (--) DOB: 8/10/1996; Age: 19 Positions: 1B/DH Bats: L, Throws: R Height: 6'3", Weight: 225 lbs Acquired: 8th Round Draft Pick 2015 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: Rookie/GCL (2015) Kolton Kendrick was drafted by the Twins in the 8th round of this years' draft from Oak Forest (LA) Academy. He fell to the Twins in the 8th round, while considered a top 100 player in the draft, by many insiders, including top 62nd by Baseball America. Kendrick who played his senior season in High School with a wooden bat, has plus plus power and great plate selectivity for a teenager. He walked 50 times in his senior season in High School. As a pro in 24 games (89 PAs) in the Gulf Coast League, he hit .200/.371/.271 with 18 BB, and 24 K, 3 doubles and a triple. Kendrick, generously listed at 225 lbs, is a work in progress with the glove and how he will respond to breaking balls and changeups in the pros, is still up for discussion. He is a lot like Kennys Vargas was that age, if you could imagine Vargas as an exclusively left hand hitter, with bright red hair and freckles. Now that Miguel Sano is a big leaguer, Kendrick has the highest power potential in the Twins' minors organization, and being a lefty, is something they have been missing for the Twins, since Justin Morneau departed. Getting consistent swings, staying in shape and improving his fielding will help him get in the majors earlier, but he is playing a position that the Twins have a couple long term answers in the majors in Joe Mauer and Byung Ho Park and Vargas in the High Minors. Likely 2016 path: Will start the season in Extended Spring Training and be the starting 1B at Elizabethton once that League starts play. ETA: 2020+ 31. LaMonte Wade (--) DOB: 1/1/1994; Age: 22 Positions: CF Bats: L, Throws: L Height: 6'1", Weight: 195 lbs Acquired: 9th Round Draft Pick 2015 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: A (2015) LaMonte Wade was drafted by the Twins in the 9th round of this years' draft from University of Maryland. Wade's 2015 practically came out of nowhere. Before 2015 he was regarded as a glove-first Centerfielder with excellent strike zone judgement but many contact issues. In 2014 as a Sophomore for Maryland he hit .247/.358/.335 (62 games) and for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod League .145/.351/.200 in 21 games. Then something clicked: In his Junior (and final College) season he hit .335/.453/.468 in 42 games and in his first pro season in Elizabethton, he hit .312/.432/.506 in 64 games (284 PAs) with 8 doubles, 5 triples, 8 HRs, 12/13 SBs, 46 BB and 34 K. He played 4 games in Cedar Rapids. Between College and Pros, he finished the season with 13 HRs and 19 SBs. Quick wrists, excellent eye, decent power and speed, very good Centerfield play and hitting and throwing as a lefty have had some people drawing Denard Span comparisons. However the truth of the matter is that Span has less power, speed, and strike zone judgement than Wade and has never had a season like Wade's 2015. It will be interesting to see how Wade's hitting will stand against better and better competition, but he has a very high ceiling in a position in need in the Twins' organization. Likely 2016 path: Will start the season as the starting Centerfielder for Cedar Rapids. ETA: 2018 http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5152/7098789651_02fb66b359_z.jpg

Thanks for this. I will edit this post when I publish a new one. Hope it works 31-35 is here.

The problem is that Nick thinks that it is starting slow in every level, thus business as usual, while I think that he has a fatal flaw (he cannot hit breaking stuff) which needs to be fixed to be a star. Does this make more sense? And, yes, I think that he had a single dominating season. That's it. Dominating is the difference between a Barry Bonds and a Bobby Bonilla.