Nick Nelson

While center field is still in flux, it is fairly clear at this point how the Twins envision their starting lineup coming together at the start of the season. Chris Parmelee will be taking over for Ben Revere in right, and Ron Gardenhire has made no secret of the fact that he'd like to see Brian Dozier and Pedro Florimon take the reigns in the middle infield. All other positions will be occupied by players reprising their roles from 2012. There is less certainty when it comes to the composition of the bench. When I projected the Opening Day roster in my spring training preview, I guessed that the Twins would follow the typical Gardy formula: short bench (resulting from a seven-man bullpen) populated by a third catcher and a bunch of defensive specialists who can pinch-run. The names I listed were Drew Butera, Jamey Carroll, Eduardo Escobar and Darin Mastroianni. It's still plenty plausible that the Twins could enter the season with that very group comprising their bench but a few recent comments and developments have added some interesting twists to this storyline. First, there's Jim Thome. His name has been buzzing around Twins Territory recently, and while there initially appeared to be little steam behind the rumors, it sounds more and more like Gardenhire would really like for it to happen. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3392[/ATTACH] And why wouldn't he? The problem with the Twins' current bench candidates is that none of them are threats with the bat, which leaves the manager in a tough position in late-game situations when guys like Florimon, Dozier or Butera are due up. Thome is extremely limited at this point in his career but he'll always be a weapon as a pinch-hitter and his presence would be a treat for teammates and fans. The challenge is creating space on the bench, but that could potentially be accomplished by removing Butera from the equation. Would the Twins do such a thing? It has seemed unlikely, given that they re-upped him for $700,000 and Gardy has always enjoyed the comfort of having a third backstop on the roster, but recent reports that Escobar -- who was an emergency third catcher with the White Sox last year -- is getting in some work behind the plate suggest that the Twins may be trying to mitigate that need. If the Twins want to pass on Thome and look elsewhere for a bit of pop on the bench, there are several other intriguing candidates in camp, including Chris Collabello -- one of the feel good stories of this spring. Joe Benson could be a sleeper as well. With few starting jobs up in the air on offense, these open bench spots will provide some of the most compelling drama for fans craving position battles here in March. Personally, I hope the Twins make an effort to get creative and stray away from their norm. Why not?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3377[/ATTACH]As they try to rebuild their shattered starting pitching corps, the Twins are relying on Kyle Gibson to become a fixture in the rotation. Whereas the rest of the organization’s top pitching prospects are widely considered to be at least a year or two away, Gibson is ready now. After being sidetracked by Tommy John surgery, he’s returned throwing harder than ever and – much like in his first big-league camp in 2011 – he is impressing coaches and onlookers with his poise and polish. He is a beacon of hope for the future that the Twins can present to fans now; a bridge to what they hope will be a revamped young rotation that returns them to relevance. Considering his importance to their short-term and long-term plans, Gibson will obviously need to be handled carefully. From a physical standpoint, the Twins are addressing that by limiting his inning total for this season. But what about from a financial standpoint? The decisions made this spring, and later in the summer, will have a considerable bearing on when he'll be in line for free agency. Once a prospect graduates to the majors his service clock kicks in. From that point, the team owns his rights for the equivalent of six full seasons. His clock pauses if he is sent to the minors (for reasons other than injury rehab) but he must spend at least 20 days there for the stint to be counted against MLB service. In other words, if Gibson was sent to the minors for 15 days this season – either at the outset of the campaign or at some point during – he would still have an opportunity to accrue a full year of major-league service. If that stint were to extend to 20 or more days, the time logged in the minors would be subtracted from his service time and he’d be unable to accrue a full year. In essence, this would push his service clock back by a full year. He won’t be able to rack up six full seasons of MLB service over the next six years, thus extending the Twins’ control over him by another season. It is for this reason that we often hear about teams wanting to hold down top prospects for the first three or four weeks of the season, even after they’ve been deemed ready for action. The Rays are known for it. Many believe the Twins should do it with Aaron Hicks. It’s a perfectly logical business decision. But there’s more complexity to this dynamic than just business, especially as it pertains to Gibson. One the one hand, if the Twins bring him north out of camp, let him pitch his allotted 130-140 innings and then shelf him, he will accrue a full year of service time while pitching only a partial season for a team that’s probably going to be near the bottom of the standings. That’s hardly ideal. On the other hand, the Twins would eat away a good chunk of his limited innings by sending him to Triple-A for even three weeks, which would be tough to stomach if the coaching staff truly believes he’s ready for the majors. Sending him to the minors in August before shutting him down would stop his service clock but would probably raise the ire of his agent and the players’ association unless his performance merited the demotion. In addition, one can argue that the Twins have a responsibility to put their best team on the field, even if it’s widely believed that this is a lost season. It’s one thing if you can assemble five respectable starters to hold down the fort until Gibson’s postponed arrival date, but if other hurlers like Scott Diamond or Mike Pelfrey need to start the year on the DL, you’re reaching pretty far down to grab a replacement. We also have to look at this from the player’s perspective. Gibson, who did everything he could after being drafted to put himself on the fast track to the majors, had his timeline pushed back dramatically by the Tommy John procedure. He’s already 25 and up to this point he hasn’t really made any money in his career outside of his signing bonus. A baseball player’s opportunity to earn is finite, and Gibson is already looking at being 32 before he has a chance to hit that big free agent payday. To have that milestone pushed back further – despite his proving himself in spring training – so that the Twins can save a little money down the line would be understandably frustrating and could create bad blood. Fans may recall the situations that developed when the agents of Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins accused the Twins of employing a similar clock-delaying strategy in years past, and in those cases the club actually had solid ground because of the players’ performances. Keeping Gibson happy is probably more essential than anything to keeping him in a Twins uniform long-term, and if the team does right by him they shouldn’t have any trouble retaining him for as long as they like. If the young hurler pans out, then by the time he’s approaching that distant free agent eligibility date the Twins will surely approach him about an extension that buys out his remaining arbitration years and his first few years of free agency (think Scott Baker). At that point, all these concerns about the hypothetical end of his service clock will become irrelevant. The only thing that changes is that the Twins might have to pay him a little more, a little sooner. In this era of Target Field and increased financial flexibility, that shouldn’t be an issue. Personally, I’d rather have this organization form a rep as one that rewards players based on merit, not based on the approach that protects their financial interests. Given the questions raised over the past offseason about free agents’ desire to sign here, I think the Twins need to be very conscious of how they’re viewed by players and agents around the league. If Gibson shows signs this spring that he could use a bit more seasoning in Triple-A (which would hardly be shocking) then it would be wise to send him to Rochester for development, and the delayed clock is an added benefit. But if he does enough to convince coaches he’s ready to pitch in the majors, give him a spot in the starting rotation and allow him to begin establishing himself as a big-league ballplayer. The rest, as they say, will take care of itself.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3356[/ATTACH]Spring is an exciting time for baseball. Players are happy to be back in camp doing what they love. Coaches are pumped to reacquaint with returning team members and welcome new ones. Fans are giddy at the sound of gloves popping under the sun. It’s easy for reporters on hand to get caught up in the flurry of good vibes. This year’s prime example is Mike Pelfrey, who wowed everyone present during his early workouts, less than 10 months removed from Tommy John surgery. Pelfrey spoke about how great he felt, assured people he’d be fully ready for the start of the season and drew rave reviews from coaches and trainers as he fired off the mound in bullpen sessions with his imposing 6’5” frame. The media reports glowed, and it's not hard to see why. Yesterday, after he made his first Grapefruit League appearance, the tone changed just a little bit. Pelfrey got knocked around, coughing up three runs on five hits over 1 2/3 innings while clocking in at 87-89 MPH with his fastball. That’s a noticeable drop-off from his pre-surgery velocity, which averaged close to 93. Now, to be clear, I’m not saying this is a setback for Pelfrey. Results in a pitcher’s first spring training start are meaningless, and he’s likely to add ticks to his fastball in the coming weeks. But it serves as yet another reminder that he’s attempting a historically speedy return from one of the game’s most drastic arm surgeries, and despite all the optimism surrounding him, a healthy dose of skepticism is warranted. For his part, Pelfrey downplayed the decreased fastball speed, pointing out that last year in spring training he was at 82-84 MPH in his first start and was touching the upper 90s by the end of camp. Then again, many will recall seeing the exact same type of quotes from Joe Nathan when he showed up at spring training throwing in the mid 80s following his own Tommy John procedure. In that case, Nathan did indeed gradually ramp up his velocity, and he eventually returned close to his previous level of effectiveness, though it took him until a couple months into the season. And Nathan was a month further along in his rehab compared to Pelfrey. As everyone knows, it’s not all about pitch speed. It’s about endurance. It’s about command. It’s about movement – especially for a guy like Pelf who generally relies on inducing weak contact rather than missing bats. These are all traditional obstacles for pitchers with reconstructed elbows, and ones that Pelfrey is looking to overcome in an extraordinarily short period of time. I'm not saying he can't do it. But shaky outings like Tuesday's should be the expectation. If Pelfrey is actually able to pitch in the Twins' opening series, as seems to be the plan, it would be (as far as I could tell after researching a little) the shortest length of time between a pitcher's Tommy John surgery and his next MLB start. Ever. To do that and also be effective right away? It wouldn't quite be an Adrian Peterson caliber feat, but it would be perhaps the greatest success story for a TJ rehabber since the surgery's inception. To me, it's extremely impressive that Pelfrey is already out on the mound. The fact that he's even hitting the high 80s in game action right now is dazzling, all things considered. But no one should be surprised that he struggled in his exhibition debut, nor if he continues to do so as he attempts an unprecedented comeback.

When the Twins rose to prominence after the turn of the millennium, dominating the AL Central for nearly a decade, they always relied on a steady bullpen that protected leads. During that time, Terry Ryan was extremely adept at plucking overlooked assets from other organizations, which allowed him to build effective relief units on the cheap. There are many examples. Matt Guerrier was a nondescript Pirates farmhand when the Twins grabbed him off waivers in 2003. Dennys Reyes was released by the Padres midway through '05 before Ryan signed him and watched him blossom into an elite lefty specialist. Joe Nathan was a failed starter and then a setup man with the Giants; with the Twins, he instantly became a top closer in the game. This was a hallmark of Ryan's first stint at the helm. Whether it was more on him or the scouts he had in place, his regime showed a remarkable ability to capture underutilized arms and get the most out of them. That's a great way to build bullpens, because spending big money on relievers is dangerous given the volatility quotient. Somewhere along the line, the Twins started failing in this department. Most of the discarded arms from other organizations that they've taken flyers on have been baffling at first and ultimately just frustrating. When you look at predictable wash-outs like Dusty Hughes, Jim Gray, Jim Hoey and Matt Maloney, it's difficult to figure out just what the thought process was. These were all older players with relatively bad track records who showed little in their time with the Twins but still got extended opportunities, sometimes over deserving internal candidates. The Twins hit big on Jared Burton, who is the resounding success story for this strategy over the past several years, but he was more of an injury gamble than a talent gamble, having previously established himself as a standout setup man in the National League. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3341[/ATTACH] When you look at the crop of guys brought in to compete for spots this year, you see more of those talent gambles and it's difficult to have faith given the trends we've seen recently. There's Tim Wood, a minor-league signee who pitched well in Triple-A last year… as a 29-year-old. Wood's career numbers are mediocre and he's been brutal during limited time in the majors. But – like Hoey and Gray – he does throw hard. Then you've got Josh Roenicke, a rubber-armed righty claimed off waivers from the Rockies in November. Roenicke made 63 appearances for Colorado last year, logging almost 90 innings and posting a shiny 3.25 ERA, but his strikeout-to-walk ratio was ugly at 54/43. Like Wood, he's a 30-year-old without much meaningful success in his track record. Also in the fold is Ryan Pressly, the Rule 5 pick out of the Red Sox organization. A former 11th-round draft pick, he failed to gain traction in pro ball as a starter so last year he switched to the bullpen and had a nice run in Double-A last year as a reliever. He then impressed in the Arizona Fall League, which apparently helped draw the Twins to him. Pressly is only 24 and just transitioned to a new role, so it's easy to see the upside with him compared to Wood and Roenicke. Still, he has proven very little up to this point and his status as a Rule 5 pick adds a wrinkle: the Twins would need to keep him on the roster all season long or return him to Boston, barring a trade. Will one of these three get a shot? Personally I'd rather see the opportunity go to a player from within the organization, like Anthony Slama or Deolis Guerra or Tyler Robertson. Considering their typical attitude you'd think the Twins would agree. Nevertheless, I think there's a good chance we see the team gamble on one of the arms brought in from outside. That approach has been a boon for them in the past, but troubling recent decisions make it tougher to believe that the Twins are gambling on the right guys.

Every year around this time the talk is about how hope springs eternal; how the slate is wiped clean and every team is 0-0; how every club is tied for first place. For these 2013 Twins, optimism is noticeably subdued. For most people, a realistic form of “hope” involves approaching a .500 record and avoiding the cellar for a third straight year. The Twins have more question marks dotting their roster than perhaps any other team in the American League. The odds are against them this season. Literally. Vegas set the over/under for Minnesota at 64.5 wins. Ouch. There's too much talent on the roster to call this team hopeless, but in order to be true contenders in the AL Central, the Twins will need several core players to put forth optimal seasons. They’ll need prospects to emerge and make an impact. They’ll need multiple injury flyers to pan out. Likely? Not especially. There's not much margin for error. But this is spring, so we can hope. Grapefruit League results and reports from Ft. Myers will give fans a window to the early progress of some players who could prove pivotal to this year's effort. Here are some of the key storylines worth following over the next six weeks leading up to Opening Day: 1) Center field Fittingly it will be the center of attention in the coming month, as three contenders vie for the billing as starting center fielder and, in all likelihood, leadoff man. These are big cleats to fill. Nearly each man who has spent significant time roaming center field in Minnesota over the past decade – be it Torii Hunter, Carlos Gomez, Denard Span or Ben Revere – has gained notoriety with highlight reel catches and a dynamic offensive game. It seems clear that ultimately the next in that line will be Aaron Hicks, who has all the skills necessary to generate excitement in the same way as those listed above. The only question is whether he’s ready, with no experience above Double-A. As such, he’ll be under a microscope in camp. He’s likely the leading candidate right now, but if he falters the door will be wide open for Darin Mastroianni or Joe Benson. It will be interesting to see how Hicks responds to this pressure in what could be a defining point in his young career. 2) Who rounds out the rotation? The new-comers are all but locked in. Kevin Correia and Vance Worley are sure bets to claim spots, and all reports indicate that Mike Pelfrey will surprisingly be at full tilt by the start of April. That leaves two rotation slots up for grabs, with organizational incumbents largely comprising the candidates. Scott Diamond would have probably been Opening Day starter if recovery from elbow surgery hadn’t pushed back his timeline, leaving his status for the start of the season in doubt. Kyle Gibson and Liam Hendriks, the Twins’ best MLB-ready pitching prospects, are the leading contenders for the final two spots if Diamond can’t go, but Hendriks’ struggles last year and Gibson’s surgically repaired arm could come into play. Beyond these three, there are a number of fringe contenders – such as Brian Duensing, Nick Blackburn, Rich Harden, Sam Deduno and Cole DeVries – that cannot be discounted. 3) Keystone questions We find four players in the middle infielder mix: Brian Dozier, Pedro Florimon, Jamey Carroll and Eduardo Escobar. It’s not a particularly intimidating assembly but the Twins seem comfortable with what they’ve got. At this point it appears that Ron Gardenhire favors Dozier and Florimon as starters, with Carroll and possibly Escobar serving in utility roles, but you’d have to assume that’s subject to change, based on the fact that neither Dozier nor Florimon has accomplished anything to earn the honor. No scholarships, right? 4) Pen pals Every year there are a few spots at the end of the bullpen up for grabs and this year is no different. Beyond Glen Perkins, Jared Burton, Duensing and maybe Anthony Swarzak, this unit appears to be wide open. Last month, I ran through all the candidates to fill those remaining spots. 5) Rehab central The Twins gambled on several pitchers recovering from major injuries during the offseason. Pelfrey is the headliner, and while all signs have been positive that's almost always the case in February. Still, he remains a far safer bet than Rich Harden, whose shoulder woes have limited him to 174 innings over the past three seasons, or Rafael Perez, a formerly dominant left-handed reliever who underwent his own shoulder surgery in September and will apparently be tried as a starter. The chances of either Harden or Perez sticking in the rotation are extremely low, but both carry intriguing upside, even as potential bullpen options. The way they're throwing this spring should give us a good idea of what can realistically be expected. 6) How will the Opening Day roster shake out? This will be dictated by health, performance and circumstance over the coming weeks. Here's my mid-February guess at how the roster and batting order will shake out on April 1: LINEUP CF: Aaron Hicks C: Joe Mauer LF: Josh Willingham 1B: Justin Morneau DH: Ryan Doumit 3B: Trevor Plouffe RF: Chris Parmelee 2B: Brian Dozier SS: Pedro Florimon BENCH C: Drew Butera IF: Jamey Carroll IF: Eduardo Escobar OF: Darin Mastroianni ROTATION SP: Vance Worley SP: Kevin Correia SP: Mike Pelfrey SP: Liam Hendriks SP: Kyle Gibson BULLPEN RP: Glen Perkins RP: Jared Burton RP: Brian Duensing RP: Casey Fien RP: Alex Burnett RP: Anthony Swarzak RP: Rafael Perez [ATTACH=CONFIG]3297[/ATTACH]

Over the past two weeks, we've gradually laid out our selections for the Twins organization's top ten prospects. Each day, we took an in-depth look at a different rising star within the system, outlining their strengths and weaknesses while spelling out what each must do to succeed in the majors. Here's how our list came together: 10. Max Kepler, OF 9. Trevor May, RHP 8. J.O. Berrios, RHP 7. Eddie Rosario, 2B 6. Kyle Gibson, RHP 5. Alex Meyer, RHP 4. Oswaldo Arcia, OF 3. Aaron Hicks, OF 2. Byron Buxton, OF 1. Miguel Sano, 3B It's a truly impressive group, and the Twins deserve immense credit for bringing all this talent together. It says something about the quality of their system that Trevor May, who was ranked by Baseball America a year ago as the No. 1 prospect in the Phillies organization, is all the way down at No. 9 despite a non-disastrous 2012. He and pretty much anyone else on this list would've had a shot at the top ranking if this were 4-5 years ago, when the farm was going through a bit of a drought. Those lean years took their toll and amplified the big-league club's challenges, with almost nothing in the way of legitimate MLB-ready talent available during the past two seasons. But this current group, which was named recently by ESPN.com's prospect wonk Keith Law as the second-best in baseball, offers promise that the Twins could be approaching another run like the one beginning in 2001, where the system churns out impact players in consistent waves. At a glance, there is balance between pitchers and position players on this top ten list (four vs. six) but there's clearly more security on the position player side. Many of these guys are human toolboxes who have demonstrated enough skill that it would be surprising if they fizzled out completely. There's certainly a noticeable concentration of outfielders – in fact it's possible all six could end up there – but as long as they stay on track that's not the worst problem to have because the Twins can flip them to fill other areas of need. And of course, Miguel Sano is universally viewed as the organization's best prospect since Joe Mauer was in the minors. On the pitching side, the risk/upside dynamic is in play to a much greater extent. Alex Meyer stakes a claim as the organization's best prospective arm after being acquired in the Denard Span trade, but he hasn't pitched above Single-A and his mechanics raise questions about durability. Kyle Gibson is coming off Tommy John, J.O. Berrios is 18 and May has been an erratic mess at times. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3277[/ATTACH] The Twins are counting on this group to fill at least a couple rotation spots long-term, but a few bad outcomes (Meyer ends up in the bullpen, Berrios hits a wall against tougher competition, May never cuts down his walk rate, etc.) could have them perpetually scrambling to supplement their burgeoning offense with a competent rotation. The Twins have never paid for high-end free agent pitching and, as Terry Ryan has pointed out many times, it's extremely tough to pry good arms from other organizations unless they're in the low minors. Fortunately, the upside with the pitchers on the list is strong enough to outweigh concerns at this point. These are all very legitimate prospects, and if just a couple of them reach their potential the Twins will have found anchors who can front the rotation at a low cost for years. The 2013 season is likely to be a tough one on the field for the major-league club, as the organization has clearly set its sights on the future and didn't show much interest in building a stable bridge to get there. But the great thing about baseball is that fans will have plenty of opportunities to follow these prospects and watch the future come into focus. Minor-league box scores readily available, Cedar Rapids (where Buxton, Berrios and Kepler are likely to play) is just a four-hour drive from the Twin Cities, and of course we'll be regularly updating you on on all of these players and more throughout the season here at Twins Daily. ~~ By the way, you can read about these 10 – and about 150 others – in Seth's 2013 Prospect Handbook. It's an indispensable resource for anyone who digs this kind of stuff.

Age: 19 (DOB: 5/11/93) 2012 Stats A: .258/.373/.521, 28 HR, 100 RBI, 75 R, 8/11 SB ETA: 2015 [ATTACH=CONFIG]3260[/ATTACH] Since his days crushing baseballs in the Dominican Republic, where he attracted the attention of numerous pro scouts, everything about Miguel Sano has screamed "Superstar." The 2011 documentary Ballplayer: Pelotero followed a 16-year-old Sano, along with another teenage Dominican prospect, as they sought to impress the right people and land big major-league guarantees. The film – which I highly recommend – provides a sometimes sobering glimpse into a world where kids are desperately trying to make a name for themselves and earn that bonus that will take care of their families. From the perspective of a Twins fan, watching Sano in the movie is a treat. He's a smiley and charmingly cocky kid, larger than life in a culture where baseball is everything. It becomes obvious that Sano is one of the more special talents to come along in the region, on another plane entirely from the typical promising Latin prospect. The Twins reinforced this notion when they ultimately stole him away from the Pirates – who lost their position as front-runners to sign him by engaging in shady negotiation tactics – with a massive $3.15 million signing bonus. It was less than Sano initially expected to get, but still ranked as the second-highest bonus ever for a Dominican and by far Minnesota's largest investment in the international market. Less than four years later, that decision has become the biggest reason for optimism regarding the organization's future. Sano has taken American baseball by storm, quickly developing into one of the game's best power-hitting prospects despite the fact that he won't take his first legal drink for another 15 months. The Good At 6'4" and more than 230 pounds, Sano has already grown into an imposing figure of the Frank Thomas ilk and at 19 he may not be done growing. His prodigious size and unparalleled strength enable him to unleash a ferocious upper-cut swing that sends balls sailing off into the distance like Wilson in Castaway. In a FanGraphs report on Sano written after watching Twins instructs late last year, Kiley McDonald – who has a scouting background – stated that the third baseman's "power is an easy 80" (on a 20-80 scale) and added this: Sano is the prototypical slugger, capable of punishing mistake pitches and launching highlight reel bombs in instances where it doesn't even look like he's swinging with full effort. He showed the most power in the Midwest League by a longshot last year, piling up 28 homers and 100 RBI in 129 games to lead the way in both categories by a wide margin. In addition, he took massive strides with his ability to lay off bad pitches and draw free passes, boosting his walk rate to 14.5 percent after posting a 7.8 mark at Elizabethton in 2011. These factors, and more, have earned Sano the respect of baseball's scouting authorities. He slid up from No. 23 to No. 12 on MLB.com's Top 100 Prospect list this year and in all likelihood he'll move up from No. 18 in Baseball America's rankings when they're released later this month. The Bad While his transcendent power display was amazing, Sano did exhibit some notable flaws in his game while taking his first stab at full-season competition. He struck out in over a quarter of his plate appearances, racking up 144 whiffs. This contributed to a ho-hum .258 batting average. His defense at third base was beyond sloppy, as he was charged with an eye-popping 42 errors for a lousy .884 fielding percentage. It's difficult to hold the areas where Sano struggled against him, given his age. He was a teenager with 120 pro games under his belt facing players who were generally older and more experienced. Still, these are not superficial concerns. Sano has struck out at a high rate everywhere he's played, and while there's a slim chance he sticks at third it is widely believed he'll end up moving somewhere his offense stands out a little less. Said McDonald in the previously linked report: "His hands are okay, but his feet are just not quick enough to play third base … right field or first base look like his positional possibilities." Unlike many of the players ranked below him on our list, Sano doesn't have an especially well rounded game. He's never going to be a burner, he's probably never going be a contact hitter and he's almost certainly never going to be a defensive asset. His off-the-charts power and emerging patience make him special, but if his weaknesses persist or worsen they could hold him back. I'd be remiss not to mention the lingering questions about whether Sano's age is actually legitimate (a topic well covered in the aforementioned documentary) and when you see his enormous frame in person it's easy to lend validity to those concerns. If he were actually 23 rather than 19, his progression thus far would be less impressive to an extent. However, given that he's done everything in his power to disprove such rumors, it seems only cynical at this point to doubt him. The kid is a physical freak. Let's embrace it. The Bottom Line It is difficult to overstate Sano's potential. The Twins have not had a hitting prospect of this caliber come along in some time, and while he's still probably multiple years away from appearing in the majors, the optimist would view that as only more time to grow, both physically and mentally. Given the growth he's already experienced in his short career, that's almost scary.

Age: 23 (DOB: 10/2/89) 2012 Stats AA: .286/.384/.460, 13 HR, 61 RBI, 100 R, 32/43 SB ETA: 2013 [ATTACH=CONFIG]3251[/ATTACH] When it comes to physical tools, Aaron Hicks is tough to top. A muscular 6'2" outfielder with tremendous speed and an arm so strong that many teams considered drafting him as a pitcher, he's the type of player scouts salivate over. Will the production match the athleticism? That's a question that has followed him throughout his career as a pro, which hasn't been without its warts. After repeating a season at Low-A in 2010, the switch hitter fell off the elite prospect map by scuffling through his '11 campaign in Ft. Myers, batting just .242 with a .722 OPS and flailing from the left side of the plate. Last year he came roaring back, dominating the competition at Double-A with a performance so strong that he's back on the national prospect scene and suddenly in position to win a starting position on the major-league roster out of spring training. The Good During his professional debut in 2008, the 14th overall pick displayed an auspiciously advanced approach at the plate, drawing 28 walks against 32 strikeouts in 45 games in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League as an 18-year-old. As he's risen through the ranks, his bat has lagged at times but the uncommon adeptness for taking walks has always remained intact. In five minor-league seasons, Hicks has drawn free passes at a 15 percent overall rate. For comparison, the uber-patient Joe Mauer walked at an 11 percent rate in his brief minor-league career and has been at 12 percent in the majors. Check out Hicks' year-by-year league ranks in the BB% category: 2010: 17.0% (5th in Midwest League) 2011: 14.8% (5th in Florida State League) 2012: 13.9% (3rd in Eastern League) In the three seasons where he's had enough at-bats to qualify, Hicks has been among the five most patient hitters in his league, and in nearly all cases he's been younger than anyone surrounding him on the leaderboard. His ability to take pitches and coax walks is a vital skill that allows him to get on base even when his batting average slumps. His overall OBP in the minors is .379 and he's never posted a mark below .353. Hicks' bat has been somewhat slow to develop, as he batted just .266 with 25 home runs in his first four seasons as a pro, but year represented a major breakout. If the .286/.384/.460 line with 13 homers as a 22-year-old doesn't blow you away, consider that the average batter in the Eastern League was 24.5 years old and hit .260/.330/.392. Hicks ranked fourth in the EL in OPS and was younger than any other player in the top 18. He tied for the league lead in triples (11) and ranked third in stolen bases (32). It was a monster season. That's not even accounting for his defense, which was typically fantastic in center field. Hicks covers tons of ground with his high-end wheels and has a cannon arm that tops the scales for many scouts (no surprise, given that he pitched in the high 90s as a prep). He's a huge defensive asset, which substantially magnifies the value of everything he provides on offense. With his consistently strong on-base skills, his speed and his ability to hit from both sides, Hicks profiles as an ideal leadoff hitter – a big part of the reason he seems like an appealing option for this year's Twins team. If his increased power and his improved proficiency against right-handers last year both prove legitimate, he could easily develop into one of the most well rounded center fielders in the major leagues. The Bad The weaknesses in Hicks' offensive game have been distinct. No. 1 on that list is strikeouts. Although he's drawn walks at an outstanding clip throughout his career, Hicks has also whiffed quite a bit, with three straight 100-K seasons. Overall, he's struck out in 20 percent of his plate appearances as a pro and that has taken a toll on his batting average; he hasn't approached .300 since his debut in rookie ball. Hicks batted .251 in his first turn at Low-A in 2009 and .242 in his first turn at High-A in 2011. Last year's .286 mark was certainly an improvement, but was buoyed by a .346 BABIP. As long as he keeps piling up strikeouts, Hicks will have a tough time mustering strong batting averages in the majors, which would limit his offensive upside. There's also the matter of hitting from both sides of the plate. Up until last year, the outfielder really struggled from the left side, and that's an issue when the vast majority of pitchers will push him into that batter's box. A natural righty who took up switch-hitting as a sophomore in high school, Hicks himself admitted to Baseball America in 2011 that he doesn't generate the same pop swinging lefty, though he added that he "sees the ball better and gets better at-bats from the left side." His splits last year were much more balanced, and we can hope that's a sign of things to come, but I suspect that holding his own against right-handers will be one of Hicks' toughest hurdles as he adapts to the majors. The Bottom Line No. 3 is higher than you'll see Hicks on most lists, but personally, I'd make a case for ranking him even higher. His combination of skills is rare, and he delivered a major statement with his performance in the Eastern League last year. It wouldn't surprise me a bit of he were a Rookie of the Year contender with the Twins this season, nor if he ultimately goes down as the best in a long succession of quality Minnesota center fielders. [TD’s Top Ten Prospects: #10: Max Kepler] [TD’s Top Ten Prospects: #9: Trevor May] [TD's Top Ten Prospects: #8: J. O. Berrios] [TD's Top Ten Prospects: #7 Eddie Rosario] [TD's Top Ten Prospects: #6 Kyle Gibson] [TD's Top Ten Prospects: #5 Alex Meyer] [TD's Top Ten Prospects: #4 Oswaldo Arcia]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3233[/ATTACH]The hits have just kept on coming for the Twins over the past two seasons, leaving those who believe in karmic balance to wonder just when a spell of good fortune would come along for a change. Apparently we're still not there yet, as La Velle E. Neal III indicated on Friday that reigning No. 1 starter Scott Diamond is "really iffy" to be ready for Opening Day after undergoing offseason elbow surgery. Diamond is a prime regression candidate, but he's the only player in the rotation mix who put together a full, successful season last year, making him the club's most reliable starting pitching commodity by default. Now he'll have a lingering injury concern on top of the question marks about his ability to sustain a breakout performance. As if Twins fans needed more bad news when it comes to the starting corps. Diamond underwent the elbow scope to remove a bone chip in December, after late-season soreness (which may or may not have contributed to his September struggles) carried into the winter months. At the time of the surgery, Darren Wolfson was informed that "Diamond will be ready for Spring Training 2013." It would seem that the lefty has fallen behind schedule if he's now being deemed "iffy" to be at full tilt in seven weeks. And as much as I'd like to believe that this revised timetable is based on some minor setback or a conservative overall approach, the last time we saw a player wait until December to undergo a purportedly minor offseason surgery was Joe Mauer two years ago. Like with Diamond, the club began to express some reservations about Mauer's status in the early stages of spring training, and we all know how the rest of that story played out. The thought of reliving anything similar with a young pitcher that the Twins absolutely need to get solid production from this year is a bit nauseating. But the past does not dictate the future. This is a different situation from Mauer's, and hopefully one that will carry a vastly different outcome. We're about due for that, right?