Nick Nelson

Everything you said here is correct, but I guess it comes down to this: If Cave does manage to build on his rookie campaign, and is a guy you want in the lineup against righties over Cron (not hard to envision), you're probably gonna want to play the guy at first who has experience and comfort there. Cave's not as good as Kepler in the OF but the drop-off isn't catastrophic for a game here and there. Another thing to consider is that Morrison was likely hurt. He had hip surgery in August which suggests a pretty serious issue. Who knows how long and how much it affected him, but he said at the time that he'd "just been grinding through it." So, ya know, extenuating circumstances. When the Twins added Cron I wasn't terribly enthused, but I've definitely warmed up to it with further thought. The guy has just produced really consistently, at every step. Yeah he could drop off a cliff but there isn't any rational reason to expect it.

Gonzalez has played 1200 innings at first base in the majors. Sano, Garver and Kepler have played about 180 combined. Austin probably won't be on the roster.

It's been a long time since the Twins had a primary first baseman not named Mauer or Morneau (save for some short-term fill-ins). Fourteen years, in fact. Now, as they venture into a new era at the right corner of the diamond, the team is taking a frugal yet creative approach to filling the position, seemingly biding time for a more permanent solution.Projected Starter: C.J. Cron Likely Backup: Marwin Gonzalez Depth: Miguel Sano, Tyler Austin, Lucas Duda Prospects: Alex Kirilloff, Brent Rooker, Zander Wiel THE GOOD Tasked with finding a replacement for Joe Mauer at first base, the front office decided to gather up a collection of intriguing low-cost parts rather than invest in a bona fide solution. Those hoping for a Paul Goldschmidt type splash were surely disappointed with the approach this past winter, but the Twins did well in patching together some viable options. Already the front office had acquired Austin from New York, in last July's Lance Lynn trade. The lefty-mashing slugger seemed to profile perfectly as half of a platoon with someone like – say – Duda, whom they added on a minor-league deal just ahead of spring training. Proceeding with those two would've been a sound short-term strategy, and perhaps Minnesota had plans along those lines heading into the offseason. But plans quickly changed when Cron became available on waivers in late November. Seeing a late-20s first baseman, with a solid track record, coming off a career year and available for nothing, was too much for the Twins to pass up at one of their clearest areas of need. Cron seems to offer a reasonably high floor along with a limited ceiling. The first part of that equation is valuable and sets him apart from the alternatives. Owner of a .289/.336/.500 line in the minors, he never posted an OPS below .739 in four MLB seasons prior to breaking out with an .816 mark and 30 home runs last year in Tampa. So even if he regresses a little, he probably won't fall too far. As a reference point, Mauer posted a .746 OPS overall in his five seasons as a first baseman. The Twins have lacked a reliable power bat at first base since Morneau suffered his concussion in 2010, so Cron looks like a breath of fresh air in that regard. And if something should go amiss with the projected starter during spring training, Minnesota is well equipped to absorb the blow. Austin and Duda have become fallback plans, and they're good ones at that. Austin is a muscle-bound, intimidating beast in the batter's box, and he put on a convincing power display after coming over from the Yankees last summer, blasting nine home runs in 35 games as a Twin. In 120 career big-league games, the 27-year-old has 24 jacks and a .469 slugging percentage. Duda has a lengthier track record of hitting with 152 home runs in 919 MLB games. He wasn't great last year between Kansas City and Atlanta, slashing .241/.313/.418, but that's respectable and the prior year he launched 30 homers with an .818 OPS. The 33-year-old has a career OPS+ of 118. One other creative addition from the offseason was Wilin Rosario, signed to play in Rochester after a three-year stint in Korea. Rosario was a quality bat for the Rockies before heading to Asia, and was a monster hitter for two years in the KBO (.961 and 1.060 OPS marks) before taking a step back in 2018. He's a longshot to make any impact but the Twins aren't counting on him for much – only to replace the departed Kennys Vargas as a readily available option in Triple-A. On the prospect front, 1B/OF hybrid Rooker is the most immediate possibility and could be up with Minnesota this summer if things break right for him. Trevor Larnach is more or less in the same boat, though he played only right field after being drafted last year. Sano might stop at first for awhile on his way to inevitably ending up at DH. But I believe the long-term vision is for Kirilloff to take over. He's got the bat, and while he has played outfield exclusively up to this point, he is not considered a special defender out there. With current Twins right fielder Max Kepler now locked up long-term, I expect we'll see the rapidly rising Kirilloff start to break in a first baseman's mitt this year. THE BAD Well, let's start here: The admirable present depth at first base is likely to evaporate by the end of spring training, because Austin is out of options (likely to be claimed on waivers) and Duda will undoubtedly opt out if he doesn't make the team, which he won't unless Cron or Nelson Cruz gets hurt. So then you're down to Cron and Sano probably sharing duties at first. I'd like to see Kepler play there too against the occasional tough right-hander, but that remains to be seen. Gonzalez's presence is helpful in the event of a Cron injury/implosion, as he can either fill in at first, or (more likely) at third with Sano sliding over. But none of these players are the kind of well rounded, dominant sluggers you ideally envision at first base. (Sano could be, but hasn't shown it since early 2017.) The Twins will gain more power at the position with Mauer gone, but they'll also lose two critical strengths – top-tier defensive prowess and strong on-base skills. No one is suited to match #7 in those traits, which are especially valuable on a team that features an iffy left side of the infield defensively, and a lineup already heavy on pop and light on OBP. Yeah, these guys the Twins have brought in can all hit the ball hard. But evidence suggests this isn't widely perceived as being all that valuable on its own. That's why Minnesota was able to get Cron on waivers, Austin as a trade toss-in, Duda on a minors deal, Rosario from Korea. THE BOTTOM LINE As far as stopgaps go, the Twins have done pretty well for themselves. Cron is a serviceable – albeit bland – starting option while Austin and Duda provide quality spring depth. There are also a number of players on Minnesota's roster (namely Sano and Gonzalez) who could become frequent plugs at the position, and possibly even regulars. That's the beauty of first base: it's on the far end of the defensive spectrum, meaning almost any capable hitter can end up there. So while there are no great "first base prospects" in the Twins' system right now, per se, there are plenty who could eventually take on that function as big-leaguers, with Kirilloff leading the pack in my mind. While the future at first is uncertain, it's hardly ominous, and the Twins have set themselves up for comfortable stability in the short-term. *** Twins 2019 Position Analysis: Catcher Click here to view the article

I was intrigued when they acquired him last year, but yeah, a .545 OPS and 77-to-10 K/BB ratio as a 21-year-old in Low-A is pretty irredeemable. Hopefully he bounces back in a big way but right now I don't see him as part of the picture.

According to reports, the Twins took a run at no fewer than two prominent free agent catchers this offseason (Robinson Chirinos and Yasmani Grandal) but came up short in their pursuits. So it appears they'll roll into the 2019 season with what they've got: a collection of question marks (albeit promising question marks) behind the plate.Projected Starter: Jason Castro Likely Backup: Mitch Garver Depth: Willians Astudillo, Tomas Telis, Brian Navarreto Prospects: Ryan Jeffers, Ben Rortvedt THE GOOD Castro's back. He was a solid presence in his first year with the Twins, combining a reasonably productive bat with quality defense and an air of veteran assuredness. That final part is important, and went awry after Castro suffered a season-ending knee injury last May. Garver and Bobby Wilson were left to shoulder the load, and rapport with the staff had to be built on the fly. The upside of all this is Garver got more time behind the plate than expected, and showed noticeable defensive improvement in the later months. His OPS also ranked 10th among MLB catchers with 300+ plate appearances. Garver showed signs of being a starter-caliber player, which is handy to have around with Castro returning from knee surgery. And third on the depth chart, the Twins have an enigmatic wild card whose utter uniqueness makes him extremely difficult to analyze. When Astudillo showed up to camp, he wasted no time putting on a show, immediately blasting a leisurely bomb against the team's best pitcher. He arrives after hitting .316 in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he made headlines with his theatrics. Last year with the Twins he batted .355 in 29 games. The previous winter he'd hit .319 in the VWL, after batting .342 in Triple-A for the Diamondbacks in 2017. In total, over the last two years between the minors, majors and winter league, Astudillo has a .311 average in 915 at-bats. Now, of course this sample includes varying degrees of competition – most of it not MLB-caliber – but that's a lengthy run of almost nonstop hitting. Much of this owes to the fact that he almost literally never strikes out. But that's always been the case, throughout the 27-year-old's lengthy run as a minor-league journeyman and also-ran. What's new is the power. Last year between Rochester and Minnesota, Astudillo launched 15 home runs in 108 games. In his entire eight-year minor-league career leading up to that point, he'd hit 14. Total. And now he's fresh off going deep eight times in 55 games for Caribes in Venezuela. The intrigue of his bat is undeniable. Were he to accumulate enough starts at catcher, he'd likely rank among the league's best hitters at the position. Along with the emerging Garver and the steady Castro, Astudillo gives the Twins cause for cautious optimism at the catcher position. THE BAD We're gonna have to put an emphasis on the cautious in cautious optimism, because there are a lot of cautionary signs at play here. Castro is 31 and coming back from some fairly significant work on his knee. He also didn't look very good before going down last year, with a .143/.257/.238 line in 74 plate appearances. And his highest WAR in the past five years is 1.6, so you're not looking at a whole lot of upside even if he's back to form. Garver is in prove-it territory after a good rookie season at age 27. Plenty of late-bloomer types have shown up with a strong first impression and then faded into obscurity (Lew Ford comes to mind). But that's not really my concern. Garver has all but solidified his status as a capable hitter. The bigger concern is his head. If he comes up dazed after another hard foul-tip to the mask, it's gonna be a thing. It needs to be a thing. That specter will loom over him for a while at least. And Astudillo? Well, like I said, he's hard to analyze. It's not entirely clear how much the Twins trust him at catcher. He does cool wacky things like but when it comes to receiving, and framing, and spryness? Hard to judge, and we don't have a ton of data. It does seem fair to say that if Astudillo was considered a strong defender behind the plate, he'd have gotten a look in the majors before age 26, or a few more starts last year before Garver went down and left Paul Molitor with little other option. THE BOTTOM LINE Given the alleged extension of a rare multi-year offer to Grandal, it's safe say Minnesota's front office isn't totally sold on the existing situation. Then again, they certainly had the means to make it happen with Grandal, or any number of other upgrades, so clearly they weren't feeling too much urgency. Entering his final season under contract, Castro is a nice steady force to complement Garver and Astudillo, each of whom is exciting for his own reasons. After that trio, the depth is pretty rough, and the top prospects haven't played above A-ball. If health issues strike early, the Twins will find themselves in a precarious scenario. Click here to view the article

The new Twins front office is making a name for itself with late-offseason (er, early spring training) free agency splashes. This time around it's Marwin Gonzalez, the defensively flexible veteran who has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $21 million contract.Gonzalez, who turns 30 next month, has spent all seven of his big-league seasons with the Houston Astros, winning a World Series in 2017. He's mostly been a solid, above-average hitter throughout his career, and had his best season in 2017 with a .907 OPS and 23 homers, but is best known for his ability to play all over the field. Gonzalez has logged at least 90 career starts at: 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, LF. He played all five of those positions in Houston last year, and while he spent the least time at third base (only two starts), his ability to handle the hot corner might’ve been a key reason Minnesota pulled the trigger. Miguel Sano is coming off a disaster season, with major question marks swirling around his surgically repaired leg. Now, he’s limping into camp with a heel laceration. The depth behind was basically Ehire Adrianza, with little help in the high minors. So locking up Gonzalez for two years is a huge help in that regard. The beauty of his versatility is that if Sano does rebound and return to form, as we’re all hoping, Gonzalez can still be plenty useful to the Twins. They are bound need help throughout the season at multiple positions he can play. Even if everyone’s healthy, Gonzalez will hardly be treated as a backup utilityman type. The Twins envision him getting 500 plate appearances while playing everywhere, keeping the starters fresh and helping Rocco Baldelli build optimal lineups with his platoon-neutral switch-hitting splits. Gonzalez is a veteran with postseason experience (he won a World Series with the Astros in 2017) and a great clubhouse reputation. Like most moves we’ve seen from the Falvine Regime, it’s tough to find much downside in this one. Cruise through the comments below to see what our community is saying about the move. Click here to view the article

Excellent Craig Kilborn reference. An underrated Minnesota legend!

The Minnesota Twins have made it clear: they're relying on their own internal pipeline, rather than transformative outside additions, to turn things around. Fortunately, their system is widely viewed as one of the best in the game. We've been counting down our rankings of the Top 20 Twins prospects over the past few weeks, and today we'll recap the full list, zeroing in on trends and key takeaways.Twins Daily's Top 20 Twins Prospects of 2019 20. Jose Miranda, 2B/3B: Versatile infielder shows offensive promise with contact/power combo 19. Jorge Alcala, RHP: Big arm acquired in Ryan Pressly trade plagued by question marks 18. LaMonte Wade, OF: OBP machine is almost MLB-ready, profiles as rotation guy in corner OF 17. Zack Littell, RHP: Back-of-rotation type with higher potential if he adds velo or goes to bullpen 16. Gilberto Celestino, OF: Speedy CF with a bit of pop and solid plate approach, lofty ceiling 15. Yunior Severino, 2B: Teenage infielder is still developing physically, projects as slugging 3B 14. Ben Rortvedt, C: Took a step forward with bat in 2018, and reinforced strong defensive rep 13. Ryan Jeffers, C: Blasted onto scene in pro debut, providing critical boost to the system at C 12. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP: Flaws were magnified in rocky intro to MLB, but intrigue remains 11. Nick Gordon, SS: Highly skilled middle infielder looks to rebound after falling flat in Triple-A 10. Akil Baddoo, OF: Rare blend of power, patience, speed commingle in uber-athletic package 9. Blayne Enlow, RHP: Riding signature CB, held his own against advanced competition at 19 8. Lewis Thorpe, LHP: Aussie southpaw has performed everywhere in minors, awaits MLB shot 7. Jhoan Duran, RHP: Biggest surprise from deadline deals dominated with legit stuff after arrival 6. Brent Rooker, 1B/OF: Flashed prodigious power while spending first full pro season in Double-A 5. Wander Javier, SS: Prized international talent is back after losing 2018 to shoulder surgery 4. Trevor Larnach, OF: Last summer's first-round pick mashed in pro debut, could reach MLB quickly 3. Brusdar Graterol, RHP: Among the hardest throwers around, complements FB with filthy slider 2. Alex Kirilloff, OF: Can drive any pitch anywhere, with hit tool ranking among best in minors 1. Royce Lewis, SS: Elite skill and athleticism surpassed only by uncommon maturity and makeup POSITIONAL BREAKDOWN C: 2 IF: 5 OF: 6 RHP: 5 LHP: 2 The breakdown here hasn't changed a ton from last year. At that time, I called out catching depth as the biggest area of concern, but things look much brighter on that front now. We still only have two backstops on our list, but that's partially because Mitch Garver graduated with a strong rookie year for the Twins. Meanwhile, he was replaced by a promising talent in second-round pick Jeffers, and Rortvedt took a step forward. Overall, there's not a glaring weakness (maybe 3B), but the clear area of abundance is outfielders. WHERE THEY STAND This system is very highly regarded, and there seems to be consensus that it's on the rise. Keith Law of ESPN ranks Minnesota fourth among all organizations, up from 10th last year. Baseball America, which also pegged the Twins' system 10th last year, now has them up to #7. Few teams can match a 1-2 punch like Lewis and Kirilloff, and there's plenty of functional depth here as well. "A parade of unfamous names who project to at least some tangible big league value," as Law puts it. In terms of pure upside, I doubt any other farm system can stack up. Therein lies the rub – Minnesota's pipeline is delightfully high on potential, but frightfully low on assurance. None of their top three prospects have played above A-ball, and in fact only two members of their top 10 have done so. It's a boom-or-bust minefield but the skills, athleticism and projectibility of this group are undeniably tantalizing. It's not hard to envision a toolbox like Baddoo, Javier, Celestino or Severino suddenly emerging as a nationally recognized top-tier talent; it's also not hard to envision any of them bogging down upon reaching the upper levels. When Minnesota's front office talks about biding its time, and waiting to develop further clarity before charting a decisive course, they aren't just talking about the big-league club. We're going to learn a ton about the farm system this summer. CREAM OF THE CROP, RISING TO THE TOP Minnesota's system is on the rise largely because of its two shining stars. Last year, Lewis was the highest Twins prospect to appear on any of the four national lists we track – MLB.com had him at #20. This year, all four have him among their top 10s, with MLB.com placing him highest at #5. Meanwhile, Kirilloff has come out of nowhere to rank in everyone's top 40, with ESPN and MLB.com both placing him among their top dozen overall. Not since Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano were eligible have the Twins held this kind of national prestige in the prospect arena. I realize that sentence probably made some of you groan, but – FOLKS, you gotta believe me on this – the past does not dictate the future. Everyone should be very, very excited about these two phenomenal incoming talents. THE NEW WAVE Derek Falvey and Thad Levine inherited Kirilloff, and had the luxury of a #1 overall pick to procure Lewis, so they can't take TOO much credit for the very top end of this system. But there is zero question they've followed through on a stated mission to thoroughly bolster the minor-league ranks. Half of our Top 20 now consists of players acquired by the new regime (Lewis, Larnach, Rooker, Duran, Enlow, Jeffers, Severino, Celestino, Littell, Alcala). From the current view, Falvey and Levine have hit on numerous draft picks (notably Larnach and Rooker), and they've gotten solid returns when trading away veterans. In particular, Duran – acquired in the Eduardo Escobar deal and already at #7 on our list – looks like a real find. HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Sizing up this system's estimable top five, you see a lot of high-stakes investments paying off. Lewis was obviously a #1 overall pick. Kirilloff and Larnach were also first-rounders. Javier was the most expensive international free agent in franchise history. And then we have Graterol, who signed out of Venezuela for a mere $150,000 in 2014. He wasn't a big name, or a flashy addition. When he first arrived, the right-hander was throwing in the upper-80s. After logging just 11 innings in the Dominican Summer League at age 16, he tore his UCL and underwent Tommy John surgery. During the time off, Graterol focused on building strength, and he came back a radically different player, firing in the upper-90s. These are the kinds of development stories that set apart the best organizations; it's important to hit frequently on those crucial top draft picks and high-profile international splashes, but the biggest differentiator is when you can pan this kind of gold from your lesser investments. UNDER THE RADAR Speaking of lesser investments, let's talk about the Twins' 2016 fifth-round pick, Jordan Balazovic. He was named by both ESPN's Law and The Athletic's John Sickels as a player who narrowly missed their Top 100s; in fact, Law shockingly had Balazovic (#102) ranked ahead of Graterol (#108). Balazovic was an honorable mention for us, failing to make our Top 20 cut, but I'm wondering if that'll look silly a year from now. The Canadian right-hander was impressive at Cedar Rapids last year, posting a 78-to-18 K/BB ratio in 61 innings as a 19-year-old, but has totaled only 134 frames since being drafted in 2016. FINDING FLAMETHROWERS Where there's smoke, there's fire, and the Twins system has plumes rising from its stellar collection of young arms. It wasn't so long ago that Minnesota had a dire shortage of high-end velo in its minor-league ranks, but now this trait has become a hallmark. Graterol is of course one of the hardest-throwers out there – a rare starter capable of reaching 100 MPH and maintaining above 95. Duran throws in the upper-90s. Alcala has been known to touch triple digits. And there are a number of other power arms (like Balazovic) that didn't quite crack our list. MORE PROSPECT COVERAGE If you want to read up on all of these prospects and many more, I recommend ordering a copy of the 2019 Twins Prospect Handbook (paperback or eBook), which Seth, Cody and Tom worked tirelessly to put together. And of course, you'll wanna stay tuned into Twins Daily, where we'll have on-site reports from camp during spring training, and daily minor-league recaps all season long. There's no better place to follow the next wave of Minnesota Twins talent. PAST TWINS DAILY TOP PROSPECT LISTS TD 2018 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects TD 2017 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects TD 2016 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects TD 2015 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Click here to view the article

Buxton's K-rate in the minors was 22%. I really think his extreme contact issues in the majors have stemmed from a harsh learning curve, whereas Sano just has a swing & approach that are conducive to strikeouts. That's not to say Buxton won't strike out a lot. I made clear in item #1 that I think he will. Long-term, I don't see him as an historic whiff machine like Sano.

I guess the difference is that I expect Buxton to eventually lower his baseline K-rate. He struck out at a 27% rate from June-Sept in 2017 and I think he'll eventually sustain around there. Sano might bring his K-rate down a little but I don't think he'll ever be below the mid-30s. It's just who he is.

Spring is here! You wouldn't know it from looking out a window in Minnesota, but fortunately, beat reporters and Twins writers who have arrived on the scene in Fort Myers (including our own John Bonnes, who lands on Friday) are serving as our windows to warmth and workouts in sunny southwest Florida. As spring training gets underway, I've got nine red-hot (or at least moderately warm) takes on the 2019 season.Some of these prognostications are positive, others are negative. Some represent my heartfelt beliefs, others are just plausible scenarios I wanted to put forth. The idea is to spark conversation and get your minds churning about the possibilities of this year's Twins team. Let's get to it. 1: Byron Buxton will be an All-Star despite a sub-.250 average at the break. Contact issues and sub par plate discipline continue to suppress his batting average, but a fired-up Buxton comes back swinging and running harder than ever. His regular presence on defensive highlight reels, plus a gaudy SB total and double-digit homers by the break, help earn him his first (but not last) All-Star appearance. 2: Miguel Sano will strike out 200 times. The only thing making this a hot take is Sano getting enough plate appearances to reach the mark. If he strikes out at his typical 36% rate, the slugger will need about 550 plate appearances to eclipse 200 Ks, a feat achieved only 13 times in MLB history. Up to this point Sano hasn't accrued even 500 PAs for the Twins in a season, but I think his offseason commitment pays off and keeps him on the field, where his profile as an all-or-nothing hitter becomes more pronounced. 3: Fernando Romero will end the year with an iron grip on the closer role. He won't be awarded the gig from the start, as his manager leans toward more experienced options out of camp, but Romero's ferocious stuff and demeanor out of the bullpen help him quickly emerge in the late innings. After a few others scuffle in the ninth, Romero gets his shot and develops a rep as a lights-out bulldog. 4: Lewis Thorpe will make 10-plus starts (or "primaries") for the Twins. Shifting Romero and Adalberto Mejia to the bullpen leaves the Twins short on rotation depth. That leads to guys like Kohl Stewart, Stephen Gonsalves and Zack Littell getting overexposed, but Thorpe is the one who keeps earning more chances, in large part because he comes in and pounds the zone. 5: Jake Cave will endure a nightmarish sophomore slump. I think Cave has a nice career ahead of him, but he looks like the classic regression candidate coming off an outstanding rookie campaign. His performance was propped up by a .363 BABIP, and nearly one out of four fly balls clearing the fence. In 2019, pitchers adjust and Cave's contact problems (33% K-rate in 2018) come to a head. He spends more time in Rochester than Minnesota. But as a silver lining, this creates opportunity for LaMonte Wade or Michael Reed. 6: Rocco Baldelli will be a top three finisher for AL Manager of the Year. In his first year at the helm, Baldelli sees the Twins add several wins, contending with Cleveland in the division up until the very end. The team's improved morale and looser play under the first-year skipper creates plenty of buzz, while his sharpness and engaging manner endear him to the ball writers that vote on MOTY. 7: The soft underbelly of the bullpen will be a crippling weakness early on. Although the unit's back-end proves strong with a high-powered trio of Romero, Trevor May and Taylor Rogers, the rest of the relief corps struggles routinely. Injuries and lingering performance issues lead to turmoil in the middle innings for much of the first half. 8: The Twins will acquire two significant arms during the course of the season. Despite the bullpen stumbles, Minnesota hangs around .500 for the first few months, keeping pace with a slow-starting Cleveland team in the Central. Having preserved trade capital and financial flexibility during a quiet offseason, the front office strikes aggressively to acquire a big-name reliever well ahead of the deadline. Then, in late July, they acquire a high-caliber starter with multiple years of control. 9: Alex Kirilloff will debut for the Twins in September. He spends most of his summer tearing it up in Double-A, and in the final month, Kirilloff joins the Twins – not just for the experience, a la Max Kepler in 2015, but to help out. The 21-year-old appears frequently throughout the final month as the Twins push fiercely to overcome the Indians but ultimately come up a bit short. ~~~ There you have it. If you feel like I've spoiled any surprises for the coming season, take heart in knowing that my predictions are pretty much always wrong. Though I'd bet good money that several of these things do in fact happen. To close out, I'll leave you with some of my favorite fan-submitted takes from Twitter. Chime in with your own in the comments section! Click here to view the article

Sounds like the Twins enticed Kepler to sign with a big up-front salary boost. IMO that's exactly the right approach -- take advantage of your present spending flexibility to front-load extensions and maintain cost control down the line. Those first few years of FA could turn out to be a crazy bargain.

Bobby Cuellar! Just looked him up and it appears he is currently pitching coach for the Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers' Single-A affiliate). Also, I had totally forgotten he was the Twins bullpen coach prior to Guardado.

The triple-digit fastball isn't as rare as it once was. By Baseball America's count, 63 minor-league pitchers were members of the 'Century Club' in 2018 alone. Not all of them will turn into quality MLB players, but Brusdar Graterol combines his premium heat with enough complementary strengths to convince many that he's destined for stardom in the majors.Position: RHP Age: 20 (DOB: 8/26/1998) 2018 Stats (A/A+): 102 IP, 2.74 ERA, 107 K, 28 BB, 1.15 WHIP ETA: 2020 2018 Ranking: 9 National Top 100 Rankings BA: 55 | MLB: 68 | ESPN: NA | BP: 33 What's To Like His fastball gets the headlines. It's not just the velocity – reaching as high as 101 MPH and maintaining in the upper-90s throughout his starts – that makes Brusdar Graterol's heater such a lethal weapon. It's also the movement and command. The right-hander hurls fear-inducing two-seamers that sink and run in on same-sided hitters, while tailing away from lefties. He can place them all over the zone and he likes to throw inside, which is good news for grouchy old-school seamheads and bad news for hitters that have to sweat out ABs in the box. Often lost in the shuffle is Graterol's slider, which many scouts label as a potential plus or plus-plus pitch. Tightly spun and fiercely sharp, his hard slider buzzes in around 87-89 MPH (per MLB Pipeline) and is almost unhittable when executed well. For reference, only eight qualified MLB starters averaged 87+ MPH with their sliders in 2018, according to FanGraphs: Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, Jameson Taillon, Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino, Miles Mikolas, Blake Snell and Jon Gray. It's no coincidence that all are dominant, rotation-fronting studs. The combination of a premium fastball with a hard, late-breaking slider gives batters fits at every level. Graterol saw it for himself last year at the Low-A and High-A levels. He first decimated the Midwest League, piling up 51 strikeouts in 41 innings with a 2.18 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over eight starts. His final start with Cedar Rapids, on June 24th, was an overpowering display – he faced 20 batters over five shutout innings, striking out nine of them while generating 18 swinging strikes on 79 total pitches (23%). In July he moved up to the Florida State League, struggling a bit in his first start by allowing five earned runs on nine hits in three innings for the Miracle. From that point forward, Graterol went 5-1 with a 2.50 ERA and 53-to-18 K/BB ratio in 58 FSL innings, holding opponents to a .237/.300/.294 slash line with zero home runs. Not much of a learning curve for a 19-year-old facing older and vastly more experienced competition. What's Left to Work On There are three points of caution to keep in mind with Graterol, all of which help suppress his ranking on national lists. 1: Workload. He threw only 102 official innings last year, pushing his career total to 153 since signing in 2014. He needs to prove that he can hold up over a starter's regimen. Graterol's mechanics are solid but there's definitely some effort in his delivery, and further questions arise because of the next item. 2: Build. At 6'1" and about 220 lbs, Graterol has been described as a "fire hydrant" and certainly doesn't match the workhorse starting pitcher prototype. Of course, some scouts also critiqued the size of Jose Berrios (whom Graterol openly models himself after) as a prospect, and we've seen the All-Star overcome it. 3: Depth of repertoire. His fastball/slider combo is unassailable, giving a Graterol the practical floor of an impact reliever, but he lacks a standout third pitch. His curveball is more of a get-me-over type offering and his changeup (like most at this stage) remains a work in progress. Developing the latter might prove decisive if the righty is to stick in a starting role. “The changeup is going to be really good for me,” Graterol told the Star Tribune's Patrick Reusse. “A starter wants three good pitches. And I’m a starter.” For what it's worth, Keith Law – who placed the 20-year-old outside of his top 100 at ESPN – said, "To a man, every scout or exec I asked about Graterol used some declension of the word 'reliever' in his response." Graterol as an intimidating late-inning weapon doesn't sound like such a bad thing, but needless to say we're all hoping he can reach his ceiling as an ace-caliber starter joining Berrios atop the rotation. What's Next The hard-throwing Venezuelan will likely report back to Fort Myers, where he'll still be younger than most of his peers. Presuming he continues to conquer the competition there, a midseason promotion to Double-A could be in order. At that point, he'll be primed for a potential MLB debut in 2020. The imperative for Graterol is simple: stay healthy and stay the course. He's got some things to overcome, but is on track to become one of the youngest pitchers to ever debut for the Twins. Twins Daily 2019 Top 20 Prospects Honorable Mentions 20. Jose Miranda, 2B/3B 19. Jorge Alcala, RHP 18. LaMonte Wade, OF 17. Zack Littell, RHP 16. Gilberto Celestino, OF 15. Yunior Severino, 2B 14. Ben Rortvedt, C 13. Ryan Jeffers, C 12. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP 11. Nick Gordon, SS 10. Akil Baddoo, OF 9. Blayne Enlow, RHP 8. Lewis Thorpe, LHP 7. Jhoan Duran, RHP 6. Brent Rooker, 1B/LF 5. Wander Javier, SS 4. Trevor Larnach, OF 3. Brusdar Graterol, RHP 2. Coming tomorrow! Get to know more about these five Minnesota Twins prospects and much more in the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. It’s available in paperback or as an eBook. Click here to view the article

And as it turns out, we should've ranked Kirilloff higher. In 2017 we had Fernando Romero as our #1 prospect despite his throwing fewer than 200 pro innings through age 21. I feel good about that decision in retrospect. Everyone is welcome to quibble with our rankings, but understand that they aren't solely influenced by our personal opinions or optimistic hopes. Javier's ranking reflects what we're hearing from in the org and in the scouting community at large. Everyone's high on this kid. I think you'll find out why soon enough.

He was out of sight last year, with shoulder surgery wiping away his entire 2018 season. But this uber-talented young shortstop was never out of our minds, and his massive upside as a dynamic two-way talent keeps him near the top of our Twins prospect rankings.Position: SS Age: 20 (DOB: 12/29/1998) 2018 Stats: DNP ETA: 2021 2018 Ranking: 6 National Top 100 Rankings BA: NA | MLB: NA | ESPN: NA | BP: NA What's To Like Losing major time to injury has, sadly, become a rite of passage for Twins top prospects. Miguel Sano and Alex Kirilloff both missed full seasons after Tommy John surgery. Byron Buxton had nearly his entire 2014 erased by wrist and thumb issues. Fernando Romero was sidelined for two consecutive campaigns by elbow and knee surgeries. Wander Javier is the latest to join this lineage, but there's good news: Each of the prospects above came back after a long absence and almost immediately returned to prior form, if not better. Javier has shown very good form when on the field, but that doesn't amount to much time. Signed at age 16 out of the Dominican Republic for a club-record $4 million, the skinny shortstop's early focus was adding strength and weight. He played in only 50 official pro games before hurting his shoulder in late 2017. The Twins tried to remedy the issue through rehab but that didn't take, and Javier underwent labrum surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder last May. The recovery timeline from this procedure was estimated at six-to-nine months, so Javier will be on the other side of it when spring training kicks off, and all reports have him coming in at 100%. When at full strength, the righty-swinging infielder has plenty of offer. Unlike fellow big international splashes Sano and Yunior Severino, who were both technically signed as shortstops out of the Dominican but with the expectation they'd bulk up and move elsewhere, Javier is fully expected to remain at short and be an asset there. He's quick and fluid in his motions, with good mechanics and a strong arm. Projecting as a quality shortstop has plenty of value on its own, but what really makes Javier a special talent is his bat. In two stints at rookie ball, he owns a .301/.386/.497 slash line with six homers and 16 doubles in 210 plate appearances. He just hits. It is exceedingly rare to see an undersized teenager flash such immediate power in rookie ball, which created a great deal of hype around what Javier might do in full-season leagues. We've had to wait a bit to find out, but that excitement hasn't wavered in spite of the delay. MLB.com didn't rank Javier in its Top 100 but did name him Minnesota's best prospect to miss the list. What's Left To Work On Well, everything. Javier initially showed the skills that compelled Minnesota to commit all of its 2015 international bonus pool (and then some) to acquire him, but he spent last year rehabbing from major shoulder surgery instead of developing those skills. It shouldn't surprise, or alarm, anyone if Javier comes out of the gates slow this season. He has missed out on a full year of facing live competition at a time where those reps are so vitally important. Kirilloff showed us how quickly a young player can get back up to speed but Javier isn't nearly the same natural hitting talent. There was already a rawness to Javier's game and now that element is magnified. He'll see better pitching than ever before and will face a more demanding regimen than ever before. Amidst this setting, he needs to fine-tune and advance his game, while also acclimating to a surgically repaired shoulder leading his swing. Javier is in for a big challenge. But all evidence suggests he's up to it. What's Next “We need to get him on the field,’’ Mike Radcliff told Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune earlier this offseason. “He has to go out and play.’’ A bulked-up Javier – who claims to now have 200 lbs on his 6'1" frame, according to Reusse's piece – will almost certainly start out in extended spring training as he works back into playing shape. But by May or June he should make his way to Cedar Rapids, where we'll finally get the chance to see what he can do. It's unfair to bring up Kirilloff's name and precedent in comparison. Expectations should be kept in check with Javier, for all the reasons listed in the section above. But the bottom line is that talent wins out, and on that front – well, I think Baseball Prospectus fantasy writer Darius Austin put it best when answering a chat question via Dusty from Colorado (infamous for his relentless inquiries about Javier) in December: "There is no upside for the player with infinite talent." Playing to the bit with hyperbole? Sure. But Javier's raw ability and athleticism are immense, and since we haven't yet seen them play out substantively on the pro stage, his possibilities feel almost limitless. There's no Twins prospect I'm more excited to follow in 2019. Twins Daily 2019 Top 20 Prospects Honorable Mentions 20. Jose Miranda, 2B/3B 19. Jorge Alcala, RHP 18. LaMonte Wade, OF 17. Zack Littell, RHP 16. Gilberto Celestino, OF 15. Yunior Severino, 2B 14. Ben Rortvedt, C 13. Ryan Jeffers, C 12. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP 11. Nick Gordon, SS 10. Akil Baddoo, OF 9. Blayne Enlow, RHP 8. Lewis Thorpe, LHP 7. Jhoan Duran, RHP 6. Brent Rooker, 1B/LF 5. Wander Javier, SS 4. Coming tomorrow! Get to know more about these five Minnesota Twins prospects and much more in the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. It’s available in paperback or as an eBook. Click here to view the article

After a lengthy absence, Lewis Thorpe returned with back-to-back strong seasons, and in 2018 was recognized as the organization's most outstanding minor-league pitcher. He's on track to make his MLB debut in 2019. What can we expect from the Australian southpaw?Position: LHP Age: 23 (DOB: 11/23/1995) 2018 Stats (AA/AAA): 129.2 IP, 3.54 ERA, 157 K, 36 BB, 1.24 WHIP ETA: 2019 2018 Ranking: 11 National Top 100 Rankings BA: NA | MLB: NA | ESPN: NA | BP: NA What's To Like There is no perfectly predictive statistic for pitching prospects. Nothing even close. But if you asked me for the best shorthand – the very first thing I will look at when assessing a minor-league hurler, after his age and level – it's K/BB ratio. As a general rule, high-quality pitchers rate well in this category, because it portrays the essential ability to throw strikes and make batters miss. In this regard, Lewis Thorpe is exemplary. His 4.4 K/BB ratio ranked fifth among pitchers with 100+ IP in the Class-AA Southern League (two of the guys ahead of him were 29) and he basically replicated that mark during his late stint at Triple-A. In total between the two levels, Thorpe threw 66% strikes, induced a 15% swing-and-miss rate, and posted a K% at the highest percentile. The left-hander attacks hitters with mostly heaters from a three-quarters arm slot, mixing in a couple of different breaking-ball looks. He had a brutal run health-wise between 2015 and 2016, missing both seasons, but has looked strong and healthy since returning in 2017. Last year he pushed to 130 innings and stayed strong up until the very end, firing seven shutout innings for Rochester in his final start on August 31st. In recognition of his altogether excellent campaign, the Twins named Thorpe their 2018 Minor League Pitcher of the Year. What's Left To Work On "As weird as it is to say for a dude who struck out 10 per nine in the upper minors, I’m not entirely sure what the true swing-and-miss offering is," wrote Baseball Prospectus in ranking Thorpe as Minnesota's ninth-best prospect. That's been a common refrain from skeptical scouting reports, which don't see the lefty's stuff quite matching up to his numbers. It is somewhat conspicuous to see Thorpe get hit hard as frequently as he does, given the dominance otherwise hinted by his numbers. In one April outing at Double-A, he coughed up six runs (two earned) on 10 hits over 4 2/3 innings, despite notching seven strikeouts with zero walks and inducing 16 whiffs on 87 pitches (18%). In a June start, also with Chattanooga, he yielded nine earned runs on nine hits, despite getting 16 whiffs on 85 pitches (19%). Just odd. Thorpe gave up 16 home runs in 130 innings last year; by comparison, fellow left-hander Stephen Gonsalves (an extreme fly-ball pitcher) had surrendered only 20 home runs in 500 total minor-league innings when he was at the same age and progression level. This would seem to speak to Thorpe's lack of a putaway pitch that BP and others have cautioned about. The 23-year-old mixes his unspectacular repertoire with good enough command and sequencing to overpower minor-league hitters for the most part, but he has his lapses, and gets beat more often than you'd expect from a pitcher who pounds the zone with swing-and-miss stuff. One wonders about how this formula will play in the big leagues. Unless he can take at least one his pitches to the next level, Thorpe likely projects as a back-end starter or middle-relief arm. But there's still time for improvement and it's important to note he has only totaled 370 total innings since signing in 2012. What's Next? He'll be in big-league camp, but Thorpe is ticketed to start the season back at Class-AAA Rochester. There, it seems likely he'll pick up where he left off. The key will be finding consistency and eliminating those misfires that lead to big hits and big innings. The Australian southpaw certainly has the core tools necessary to be a rock solid big-leaguer, and will likely make his Twins debut sometime this summer. Twins Daily 2019 Top 20 Prospects Honorable Mentions 20. Jose Miranda, 2B/3B 19. Jorge Alcala, RHP 18. LaMonte Wade, OF 17. Zack Littell, RHP 16. Gilberto Celestino, OF 15. Yunior Severino, 2B 14. Ben Rortvedt, C 13. Ryan Jeffers, C 12. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP 11. Nick Gordon, SS 10. Akil Baddoo, OF 9. Blayne Enlow, RHP 8. Lewis Thorpe, LHP 7. Coming tomorrow! Get to know more about these five Minnesota Twins prospects and much more in the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. It’s available in paperback or as an eBook. Click here to view the article