Thrylos

Baseball America has a Phil Miller article about Tyler Kinley and the analytics-based decision to draft him, here. It is behind their paywall. A few quotes from Mike Radcliff regarding his development and the Twins plans for him as well.

I think that it is still too early to tell who will claim the last two bench spots. The way I see it (alphabetically) Adrianza, Aybar, Granite, Grossman, and Vargas, as of now, are after 2 spots. Each of them brings a different thing on the table. Given that Escobar has a job and can play everywhere in the infield and occasionally (not that great) at the outfield, any combination of the 5 might be happening. Add to that the fact that there are a lot of unsigned free agents. Matter of fact, if you get rid of the catchers, there are 28 unsigned free agents with major league experience. If the Twins bring in someone like (just throwing names here) Neil Walker or Jose Bautista on a minor league contract, this whole equation might change. Lots of Spring left still, we just got into March

So what? There is one thing wanting to do something, and another publicly saying that you want to do something.

This is not about Cuddyer. That's another story, but since you brought it up, the issue I had with Cuddyer started with his performance at game 163 at the WSux and what he said just afterwards. Another story and long time ago. Again: If the baseball industry perceived that Dozier had as much value as some of the Twins' fans around here do, he would had been a Dodger right now. Also, the people are talking about the value of Dozier's "leadership" to the Twins seem to keep forgetting that in his career year the Twins lost 103. I value him as much as the industry does. No issues with his extraverted nature. Escobar has an extraverted nature as well, and I think that he will be a great replacement for Dozier. Matter of fact, for the "bomb" loving fans, if Escobar had the same PAs that Dozier had last year, he would had hit 30 HRs...

Toronto and Texas has tried that strategy. Did not really work well for them I think that the Twins will be competing for the wild card and even possibly for the division. They could make the post-season, but to go far in the postseason Berrios have to take it up a couple of notches from last season (and he might be well in the way,) Odorizzi has to be a very dependable number 3, and someone (likely Fernando Romero) will have to pull a c2006 FranKKKKKKKKKKKKie performance (without getting hurt in the process)...

Not, unless he is a top of the rotation pitcher...

But the important part is that he did say that he want to become a free agent and how much he is looking forward to it. And by talking to someone with press credentials in a non-confidential manner, it had to be almost certain that it will be "paraded around" some place or another... He could have said on the subject what Mauer did in a similar 1-1 interview, and call it a day. Here is what Mauer said: “I really just want to enjoy this season and go out and play some baseball. I’m going to enjoy this year.” I suspect that you did not put those words in Dozier's mouth, and I suspect that you did not hold a gun to his head...

If you compare his 2017 with his 2015, you will find that his numbers were almost identical, other than the ones driven by his BABIP that was about 40 points higher in 2017 than 2015, and about 25 points higher than his career. To add to that, he will be 31 this season and age-based regression will continue. Already lost a step on the bases (16/23 SB, 69.5% last season) and will not improve. How many 31 year old players got big money this off-season? He will be older than Jay Bruce was this off-season. Will he get a Jay Bruce type contract? And there should be no argument that Bruce is more valuable than Dozier.

You are over-rating Dozier. If he were worth anything more, he would had been a Dodger last off- season. An overpaid second baseman is a huge luxury for most teams out there.

Well, then the Twins should give him a qualifying offer. The draft pick they will get will have more value than Dozier for them, especially, since apparently he does not seem to want to be a Twin any longer. Not very smart for him to start talking about this, especially in this environment regarding FA compensation and offers...

I am not arguing Granite vs. Grossman. I am arguing the point of view that the Twins should keep Grossman regardless, since he is out of options. If he is the best player for the Twins' bench, he should come North. If he is not, he should not. Options or no options...

When you are competing the goal should be to have the 25 players who will make a better team up North, not hoarding mediocre players... And the Twins are competing.

The bullpen will be very fluid: I would not call Taylor Rogers, Trevor Hildenberger and Ryan Pressly locks at this point. They have to earn a position, and with the first 2 having options, it might work against them. If Hughes is healthy he will be on the 25 man roster, either as a starter or in the pen. Too early to tell about the rest despite the fact that Busenitz and Kinney Kinley bombed in their only appearances. Only Rodney, Reed, and Duke are locks. Another reason that things will be fluid is that I do not have it beyond them to sign another free agent here. They are 3-4 back of the pen types who can help them this season. About that last starter spot: If Romero has 3-4 more such appearances and then a couple more at 6+ innings, I would think that it will be his. Still a long shot but I will not write him (or anyone else, btw) off at this point. I don't see Sano starting at the DL, if he can play during Spring. You just don't take the bat out of your best hitter's hands. Aybar, Adrianza, and Granite will be fighting for one spot in the bench. This team is infield heavy and Granite can provide good OF defense and PR abilities that the other 2 cannot. But he is yet another LH bat. We'll see how this plays. Vargas and Grossman will also be fighting for a single spot at this point. Grossman can play the OF, but about as well as Morrison can do, so that I do not see as an advantage. If Vargas shows that he is willing to take a base and starts hitting from the right side in Spring, he might have a job... Still very fluid, esp. in the pen, but there are only a handful of jobs to go around, in general, unlike other seasons...

Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---- This is the last segment in the 2018 Twins top 60 prospect list. You can find the introductory segment that discusses qualifications to be on this list and presents the players who were on the 2017 list but are not in this list here. You can find the list of the previous rankings here: 56-60, 55-51, 46-50 , 41-45, 36-40, 31-35, 26-30, 21-25, 16-20, 11-15, 6-10, and 1-5. You can find all segments in this series here. Here is the list of the Twins top 60 prospects, with last year's ranking in parenthesis; if not ranked in 2017 this is indicated by (--). I also indicate their position and ETA to the majors: 1. Royce Lewis (--), SS/OF, 2020 2. Wander Javier (1), SS, 2020 3. Brusdar Graterol, RHP, 2020 4. Brent Rooker (--), 1B/LF, 2018 5. Fernardo Romero (4), RHP, 2018 6. Rainis Silva (32), C, 2020 7. Blayne Enlow (--), RHP, 2020 8. Zack Littell (--), RHP, 2018 9. Stephen Gonsalves (6), LHP, 2018 10. Lewin Diaz (3), 1B, 2020 11. Akil Baddoo (24), OF, 2020 12. Tyler Jay (2), LHP, 2018 13. Alex Kirilloff (8) OF, 2020 14. Luis Arraez (11), IF, 2019 15. Michael Montero (--), RHP, 2021 16. Nick Gordon (5), IF, 2018 17. Tyler Wells (54), RHP, 2020 18. Jose Miranda (--), IF, 2021 19. Jean Carlos Arias (36), CF, 2020 20. Jermaine Palacios (31) SS, 2020 traded to the Rays 20. Jovani Moran (--), LHP, 2020 21. Lewis Thorpe (30), LHP, 2019 22. LaMonte Wade (22), OF, 2018 23 Yunior Severino (--), IF, 2022 24. Chris Paul (--), UT, 2019 25. Landon Leach (--), RHP, 2021 26. Andrew Bechtold (--), 3B, 2020 27. Travis Blankenhorn (15), 3B/1B/OF, 2020 28. Charlie Barnes (--), LHP, 2020 29. Tyler Watson (--), RHP, 2020 30. David Banuelos (--), C, 2020 31. Ben Rortvedt (16), C, 2021 32. Kohl Stewart (17), RHP, 2018 33. Alberoni Nunez (--), OF, 2021 34. Derek Molina (--), RHP, 2021 35. Bryan Sammons (--) LHP, 2020 36. Bailey Ober (--), RHP, 2020 37. Pedro Garcia (45), RHP, 2021 38. Lachlan Wells (29), LHP, 2020 39. Wander Valdez, (--) 3B, 2021 40. Aaron Whitefield (59), OF, 2020 41. Ricky De La Torre (--) SS, 2021 42. Jake Reed (25) RHP, 2018 43. Jacob Pearson (--), OF, 2022 44. Yeltsin Encarnacion (--) IF, 2022 45. Ryley Widell (--) LHP, 2022 46. Andrew Vasquez (52), LHP, 2019 47. Tom Hackimer (--), RHP, 2019 48. Kerby Camacho (--), C, 2021 49. Hector Lujan (--), RHP, 2020 50. Colton Burns (--), OF, 2021 51. Cody Stashak -(55), RHP, 2019 52. Jaylin Davis, (39), OF 2019 53. Alex Robles, (--), OF, 2022 54. Ruben Santana, (--), IF, 2022 55. Carlos Suniaga, (--), RHP, 2022 56. Sandy Lugo, (--), RHP, 2020 57. Nelson Molina, (47), IF, 2020 58. Ben Rodriguez (--), C/1B, 2022 59. Carson Crites (--), 2B, 2022 60. Jesus Toledo (--), LHP, 2022 Re-arranging the list based on when players would be ready to help the Twins in the majors, will make look something like this: 4. Brent Rooker (--), 1B/LF, 2018 5. Fernardo Romero (4), RHP, 2018 8. Zack Littell (--), RHP, 2018 9. Stephen Gonsalves (6), LHP, 2018 12. Tyler Jay (2), LHP, 2018 16. Nick Gordon (5), IF, 2018 22. LaMonte Wade (22), OF, 2018 32. Kohl Stewart (17), RHP, 2018 42. Jake Reed (25) RHP, 2018 --- 14. Luis Arraez (11), IF, 2019 21. Lewis Thorpe (30), LHP, 2019 24. Chris Paul (--), UT, 2019 46. Andrew Vasquez (52), LHP, 2019 47. Tom Hackimer (--), RHP, 2019 51. Cody Stashak -(55), RHP, 2019 52. Jaylin Davis, (39), OF 2019 ------- 1. Royce Lewis (--), SS/OF, 2020 2. Wander Javier (1), SS, 2020 3. Brusdar Graterol, RHP, 2020 6. Rainis Silva (32), C, 2020 7. Blayne Enlow (--), RHP, 2020 10. Lewin Diaz (3), 1B, 2020 11. Akil Baddoo (24), OF, 2020 13. Alex Kirilloff (8) OF, 2020 17. Tyler Wells (54), RHP, 2020 19. Jean Carlos Arias (36), CF, 2020 20. Jermaine Palacios (31) SS, 2020 20. Jovani Moran (--), LHP, 2020 26. Andrew Bechtold (--), 3B, 2020 27. Travis Blankenhorn (15), 3B/1B/OF, 2020 28. Charlie Barnes (--), LHP, 2020 29. Tyler Watson (--), RHP, 2020 30. David Banuelos (--), C, 2020 35. Bryan Sammons (--) LHP, 2020 36. Bailey Ober (--), RHP, 2020 38. Lachlan Wells (29), LHP, 2020 40. Aaron Whitefield (59), OF, 2020 49. Hector Lujan (--), RHP, 2020 56. Sandy Lugo, (--), RHP, 2020 57. Nelson Molina, (47), IF, 2020 --- 15. Michael Montero (--), RHP, 2021 18. Jose Miranda (--), IF, 2021 25. Landon Leach (--), RHP, 2021 31. Ben Rortvedt (16), C, 2021 33. Alberoni Nunez (--), OF, 2021 34. Derek Molina (--), RHP, 2021 37. Pedro Garcia (45), RHP, 2021 39. Wander Valdez, (--) 3B, 2021 41. Ricky De La Torre (--) SS, 2021 48. Kerby Camacho (--), C, 2021 50. Colton Burns (--), OF, 2021 --- 23 Yunior Severino (--), IF, 2022 43. Jacob Pearson (--), OF, 2022 44. Yeltsin Encarnacion (--) IF, 2022 45. Ryley Widell (--) LHP, 2022 53. Alex Robles, (--), OF, 2022 54. Ruben Santana, (--), IF, 2022 55. Carlos Suniaga, (--), RHP, 2022 58. Ben Rodriguez (--), C/1B, 2022 59. Carson Crites (--), 2B, 2022 60. Jesus Toledo (--), LHP, 2022 There is a solid pipeline of talent ready (ETA 2018) and close to ready (ETA 2019) that can help the Twins this season; albeit other than a couple of cases (Rooker and Romero), it is not top talent. The majority of top talent will be ready around 2020, close to when the current young Twins core is coming to its arbitration eligible stage. For 2021 and further there is not much at this time, but a. many of these prospects will rise in the rankings and b. will be supplemented in the 2018-2020 drafts. The Twins system is its stronger and more balanced that it has been in years. The years when Sano, Polanco and Buxton were the top prospects, the quality of position players prospects was probably higher than now, but with Lewis, Javier and Rooker on the top 5, this might be challenged as well. The quality of pitching and the potential of pitching prospect is much higher than previous years. Also this team has a nice core of prospects from 8-15, and some of that group are regarded much higher in the National lists, which can serve as the basis for trades to bring in ready now top of the rotation talent, something that the Twins lack.

Escobar, Adrianza, Vargas, and Grossman are all out of options. One does not fit in the same team as Morrison. It is a numbers game, 15 position players or not

You need 5 years or so of further data to answer this question On the other hand, here is how the 6 top relievers of the Astros and the Dodgers last season were acquired: Astros: Trade, Trade, Free Agent, International Free Agent, Waivers, Trade Dodgers: International Free Agent, Drafted as a starter & converted, International Free Agent, Trade, Trade, Free Agent So methinks that there are better ways of building a World Series bullpen than spending high draft picks on College relievers. Terry Ryan / Deron Johnson mistake number 1. Also, if you draft college relievers wasting their arms in the minors is horrible. Burdi and Jay could have helped the Twins the seasons they were drafted. Teams that draft high end college relievers have them up that same or the next season the latest. They do not try to convert them to starters. Terry Ryan / Brad Steil mistake number 2. What this front office is trying to do is not make mistakes, but correct the mistakes of the past...

Let's see: 2018: Brian Dozier, Miguel Sano, Trevor May, Michael Pineda, Fernando Romero 2017: Glen Perkins Beyond that memory fades

The issue with that train of thought is that for Aybar to make the club he has to replace another established, respected, reputable, spanish-speaker, who in addition is younger and better than him on both sides of the ball and can play more positions than just SS, Adrianza or Escobar...

The only issue with that infield is that none of the 4 can play first (or actually might be a waste to get any of those guys to play first) and only Javier maybe has the arm to play third. I am looking for a Rooker, Polanco, Javier, Sano infield as the Twins' core for a while with Lewis at the OF, along with Buxton and someone else not yet in the team who can hit 40+ HRs. Diaz at DH. The Twins are solid as far as top of the line position player pipeline goes. They need top of the line pitching seriously. And since FA aces are more expensive than FA MVP-caliber position players, they better start drafting or signing them internationally.

Thanks. I am trying Actually I was surprised at how similar Mike Berardino's list at BA was with mine this season...

plus/minus, DRS, and UZR all list Aybar as below average at SS. He has not played enough of the other positions to be of significance, and to be regarded as a "utility player". He is an aging below average SS on both sides of the ball. I just don't see him lasting with the Twins.

I hope Sano is the Twins' third baseman for a decade and then switches on the other side of the diamond and then to DH. He is a special talent. But this is not about Sano...

Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----- This is the next segment in the 2018 Twins top 60 prospect list. You can find the introductory segment that discusses qualifications to be on this list and presents the players who were on the 2017 list but are not in this list here. You can find the list of the previous rankings here: 56-60, 55-51, 46-50 , 41-45, 36-40, 31-35, 26-30, 21-25, 16-20, 11-15, 6-10. You can find all segments in this series here. Here are players 6-10 in reverse order with their 2017 ranking in parenthesis. Players not in the 2017 top 60 list are indicated by (--) 5. Fernardo Romero (4) DOB: 12/24/1994; Age: 22 Positions: RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'0", Weight: 215 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent Professional Experience: 6; Highest level: AA (2017) ETA: 2018 Fernando Romero was singed by the Twins as an International Free Agent from the Dominican Republic for on November 4th, 2011 with a $260K bonus. The San Juan de la Maguana native spending his age 17 2012 season in the Dominican Summer League where he pitched in 14 games, 6 starts, for 31 innings, striking out 27 (7.8 K/9, 20.2 K%), walking 14 (4.1 BB/9, 9.7 K-BB%), with a 4.94 ERA, 3.05 FIP, and 1.29 WHIP (.289 BABIP). 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 (2.44 FIP) and 1.00 WHIP (.271 BABIP) and had 47 strikeouts (9.4 K/9, 26 K%) and 13 walks (2.6 BB/9, 18.8 K-BB%.) After only 4 games in single A Cedar Rapids in 2014 he required Tommy John surgery, missing the rest of 2014 and the whole 2015 season. Last season he returned to Cedar Rapids where he started 5 games (28 IP) had 25 K (8.0 K/9, 24.3 K%) and 5 BB (1.6 BB/9, 19.4 K-BB%) with a 1.93 ERA, 2.33 FIP, and 0.82 WHIP (.250 BABIP). He moved to high A Fort Myers late in June where he started 11 games (62-1/3 IP) had 65 K (9.4 K/9, 26.9 K%) and 10 BB (1.4 BB/9, 22.7 K-BB%) with a 1.88 ERA, 2.00 FIP, and 0.93 WHIP (.288 BABIP), improving on his already great Cedar Rapids performance. Last season he pitched in 24 games (23 starts) at AA Chattanooga for a career high 125 innings. He had a 3.53 ERA, 2.93 FIP, 8.6 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 22 K%, 13.8 K-BB%, and 1.35 WHIP (.328) BABIP. He was shut down in early August due to shoulder impingement. Previously he had a 5 inning limit on his last 5 starts because of the arm. His numbers are deflated because of 8 August starts that he pitched hurt, where he got a 8.38 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and allowed a .372 OBA. Romero has a plus plus fastball that sits at 95-97 mph and has a nasty sinking movement, a plus plus slider that sits 88-92 mph and a close to plus now changeup. After his surgery, Romero came in better shape and he improved his command and control by leaps and bounds, pounding the strike zone and cutting down on walks. His stuff can already play in a major league pen, but Romero has top of the rotation potential and the Twins will explore that. Romero was added to the Twins' 40-man roster the November of 2016, so he will appear in the Twins' Spring Training camp. The shoulder is not much of a concern, and he has a chance to make the team out of Spring Training. Likely 2018 path: Depending on health and on transactions, fighting for a spot in the Twins' rotation. Likely in the majors in 2018, barring injuries, trades etc. 4. Brent Rooker (--) DOB: 11/1/1994; Age: 23 Positions: 1B/LF Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'3", Weight: 215 lbs Acquired: Drafted in the 1s Round of 2017 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: A+ (2017) ETA: 2018 Brent Rooker (whose first name is Terry) was drafted by the Twins in the supplemental 1st Round of the 2017 draft as a Junior from Mississippi State. The Germantown, TN native, tore up the Southeast NCCA Conferance last season hitting: .387/.495/.810 with 23 HR (and 18/23 SB) in 248 AB (10.78 AB/HR.) He had 48 walks and struck out 58 times. As a pro he moved to Elizabethton, where he did not loose a beat with the wooden bat, hitting .282/.364/.588 with a .413 wOBA and 145 wRC+ in 99 PA in 22 games. That was enough for a promotion all the way to A+ Fort Myers where, in a league that usually bats come to die, he improved upon his E-town production hitting .280/.364/.552 with a .415 wOBA and 166 wRC+ in 40 games and 162 PA, as a 22 year old, about a full year younger than the average player. And this was the first time he hit with a wooden bat. Rooker played mostly LF at both Elizabethton and Fort Myers, with 11 games at 1B in Florida. His throwing arm does not play outside those two positions, but he is a capable defender in both positions. Strikeouts have been a issue in the pros (21.2% at Elizabethton and 29% at Fort Myers,) but playing a full season and further adjusting with the wood, will help him improve. A player with a great work ethic and makeup, Rooker will be a leader for every team he plays. My impression is that the Twins will fast track him as the heir-apparent to Joe Mauer at first base, thus the aggressive ETA estimate. If he continues to hit at that rate, he might force the Twins' hand ahead of time, since they can use a power RHB in the majors right now. Likely 2018 path: Starting 1B/LF at Chattanooga with potential promotion to the majors based on necessity or a September cup of coffee with the Twins. 3. Brusdar Graterol (13) DOB: 8/26/1998; Age: 18 Positions: RHP Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'1", Weight: 180 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent signing 2014 Professional Experience: 2; Highest level: ELZ (2017) ETA: 2020 This is the third time that Brusdar Graterol has been in this list and every season he has made serious leaps. He was ranked 28th in my 2016 list well before the National media and most of the local media even knew him from Adam. Graterol was signed by the Twins as an international free agent from the Venezuela on August 29, 2014, three days after his 16th birthday, for $150,000. The Calobozo native made only 4 career starts in the DSL before he required Tommy John surgery and moved statewide the summer of 2015. His numbers in those 4 games, as a 16 year old, fully 3 years younger than the league, were video-game like: 11 IP, 17 K, 13.9 K/9, 36.2 K%, 1 BB, 0.8 BB/9, 34 K-BB%, 2.45 ERA, 1.19 FIP, 1.18 WHIP (.444 BABIP.) He returned from the surgery well, adding considerable muscle to his frame and surprised everyone when he added several miles per hour to his fastball when he hit the mount. In 2017 he started the season in the GCL where he pitched 19-1/3 innings in 5 games (2 starts) with a 1.40 ERA, 2.86 FIP, 9.8 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 29.2 K%, 23.6 K-BB%, and 0.72 WHIP (.205 BABIP). He moved to Elizabethton mid-season where he started in 5 games (20-2/3 IP) with a 3.92 ERA, 3.66 FIP, 10.5 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, 28.2 K%, 17.7 K-BB%, and a 1.21 WHIP (.300 BABIP.) Graterol is throwing his plus to plus plus fastball at 96-98 mph deep into the games and he can dial it up to triple digits if necessary, supplementing it with a crisp slurve at the 85-87 mph range and a changeup that has improved the last season, but he still needs to command better. He is throwing from a 3/4 delivery that causes deception. Graterol is one of the few pitchers in the Twins' organization with top of the rotation stuff, and his ceiling is higher than any other pitcher in the organization, but he still needs work on command and control, esp. with his secondary offering. The 40 innings he pitched last season were Graterol's career high and he will need to be stretched, potentially slowly because of the elbow. Likely 2018 path: At the Cedar Rapids rotation, potentially after some EST, depending on how the Twins feel about his elbow and the temperatures in the Midwest in April. Note: The next two players are very close, and I could have ranked either at the top spot. 2. Wander Javier (1) SS, 2020 DOB: 12/29/1998; Age: 19 Positions: SS Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'1", Weight: 165 lbs Acquired: International Free Agent 7/2/2015 Professional Experience:2; Highest level: ELZ (2017) ETA: 2020 Wander Javier was signed by the Twins as an International Free Agent from the Dominican Republic last summer and had yet to play a single professional game, before this season. His $4 million signing bonus topped what the Twins gave Miguel Sano, and any other amateur player ever for signing with them other than Joe Mauer, Kohl Stewart and Byron Buxton. Javier started his pro career last season in the DSL with a bang, playing in 9 games (30 PA), hitting .308/.400/.654 (199 wRC+, .498 wOBA), with 13.3 BB% and 16.7 K% in a league dominated by pitching, as a 17 year old, before he was shut down with a hamstring injury. In 2017 he moved to Elizabethton where he hit .299/.383/.471 with a .390 wOBA and 131 wRC+, in a league where the average player was 2.5 years older. His K% increased to 27.2%, which is more of a data point, than even a slight concern at this point of his career. Javier has the highest upside of any position player in the Twins' organization; his tool-set is similar to Byron Buxton's at that age, but with more power and less speed. At this point, he has 5 above average or better tools, with his arm, and power at above average and fielding, contact and speed approaching plus. Great work ethic, he gives 100% even at drills at Fort Myers and back field spectators are always impressed by his tendency to try to win all race drills. Unlike Miguel Sano who was also signed as shortstop, Javier projects to stay in the position as a professional. He has very smooth hands and confident footwork and body control. Power will come as he fills in. He had an .172 IsoP at 6-1/165 lbs, which will shoot up as he bulks up. Likely 2018 path: Starting SS at Cedar Rapids. 1. Royce Lewis (--) DOB: 12/29/1998; Age: 18 Positions: SS/OF Bats: R, Throws: R Height: 6'2", Weight: 188 lbs Acquired: Drafted in the 1st round (1st overall) in 2017 Professional Experience: 1; Highest level: N/A ETA: 2020 Royce Lewis was taken first overall by the Twins in the 2017 draft from J. Serra High School in San Juan Capistrano, CA. The Aliso Viejo, CA, native started his professional career in the GCL. There he hit .271/.390/.414 with a .391 wOBA and 136 wRC+ with 11.9 BB% and 10.7 K% in 36 games and 159 PA. He moved for the final 18 games of the season (80 PA) all the way to Cedar Rapids where he hit .296/.363/.394 with a .348 wOBA and 117 wRC+, and had 7.5 BB% and 20 K%. All that in a league in which the average player was 3.2 years older. Lewis is a five tool player, with his contact, power, and arm slightly trailing the other 2 tools that are plus, with his speed being close to plus plus. Already at 6-2/188 as an 18 year old, he might have to shift position from shortstop to centerfield, or even potentially to third base, a position he played early in High School, if he grows more. His make up, affect, personality, and, workout ethic is off the charts. The Twins have a great to have difficult decision in where to play Lewis and Javier, if they want to keep both as everyday shortstops in full-season leagues. Lewis, who is about half a year younger, has been at a higher level, and I expect him to stay this way as long as he stays at SS. As I indicated earlier Lewis and Javier are very close and either can be ranked as number one at this point. Javier's ceiling is a bit higher with the bat and he is the better shortstop, but Lewis' speed, charisma, and the fact that was notched ahead of Javier by the Twins, give him the nod in these rankings. But they are close. Likely 2018 path: Starting SS at Fort Myers, unless the Twins are willing to have Lewis and Javier play in other positions; in this case, they will both be at Cedar Rapids. Next: Summary 1-60 and Organizational Overview

He needs to see Rauch's ink man

There was some talking about it at the MLB Network this afternoon as well, but it was more of a speculation. Too much smoke though...