Nick Nelson

Ooh I like this comp. Just looked back at Molitor's age-23 season in the majors: .304/.372/.438 with 9 HR, 34 SB, and 48/48 K/BB while playing primarily second base. Obviously that's on the optimistic side but a feasible high-end projection for Martin.

I've seen Strotman mentioned a couple times in this thread but he's on the 40-man so unfortunately unable to participate. Palacios is a good name to call out though, could get himself in the mix for a utility role.

Incidentally, it could be... Martin!

The MLB season has already been delayed and it's about to get delayed further, meaning that major-leaguers and 40-man rostered prospects will continue to be off our radar for awhile. In the meantime, let's turn our focus to those players who are in Fort Myers and gearing up for minor-league seasons that will get underway in one month. With all big-leaguers and many top prospects absent from camp, players who are not subject to MLB's lockout are able to take center stage as they work toward the starts of their seasons with Twins affiliates. Not only could this result in extra coaching and opportunities to make an impression, but the altered timeline of an MLB season starting well after these players get rolling in the minors could also play to their advantage. Last week Nash Walker called out five players who stand to be most negatively impacted by a shortened season. Today I'll try to flip the script by highlighting some prospects and players who stand to be benefit from this very unfortunate situation. 5 Positive Prospect Scenarios Made Possible by the Delayed Season Austin Martin shows he's ready. In some respects, Martin looks like an MLB-ready player. He was a top-five draft pick two years ago, based almost entirely on his polish and advanced skills. He led all of Double-A in on-base percentage last year, brandishing a plate approach that almost everyone agrees will play in the majors. Yet, as I wrote when profiling him as our #1 prospect, there are still a few elements of Martin's game that need to be ironed out before he can make the jump. He hasn't gotten any in-game experience outside of shortstop and center field, and his swing likely needs refinement. Were spring training and Opening Day playing out as normal, Martin probably wouldn't be in the mix for a big-league job right out of the gates, even if an opportunity opened up at – say – second base or center field. But if the season doesn't start until mid-May, and Martin has already had a successful spring and strong start in St. Paul? Different ballgame, so to speak. Matt Canterino earns an immediate nod. Like Martin, Canterino is a clear-cut MLB-caliber talent who has questions to answer before receiving a look in the majors. In his case, it's not so much the condensed timeline creating ambiguity – he was drafted out of college in 2019, and turned 24 in December – but a lack of reps. Due to the pandemic and injuries, Canterino has thrown only 48 total innings since joining the Twins system, including just 23 last year. He has yet to pitch above Single-A. It's unlikely that even a brilliant showing in a typical 2022 big-league camp would have put him in line to win an Opening Day job on the pitching staff, because there is just no baseline for stamina or durability. A strong showing in spring and a healthy, dominant run at Double-A through the early weeks of the minor-league season could convince Twins brass he's ready for a look right away when the delayed MLB season starts. Like with Martin, Canterino would potentially be able to impact a much larger portion of the Twins' season than he would otherwise. And unlike Martin, the path for Canterino is pretty much wide open. Minnesota has a desperate and immediate need for electric arms like his. Louie Varland accelerates his timeline. Varland was one of the best stories of the Twins system last year, going from a relatively unknown 15th-round draft pick in 2019 to the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2021. With a powered-up fastball, he made mincemeat of hitters between Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids, posting a 2.10 ERA and 142-to-30 K/BB ratio and just six homers allowed in 103 innings. Tremendous work. But all of it done in Single-A. Varland is 24 so he's at an age where pitchers often break into the majors, but his development is lagging behind due to the pandemic. A delayed start for the big-leaguers, and other top prospects who are more advanced, could give him a chance to play catch-up. Aaron Sabato and Keoni Cavaco change their storylines. Sabato and Cavaco are both first-round draft picks from the past three years (2020 and 2019, respectively) but neither appeared in our recent top 20 prospect rankings, which is obviously a bad sign. Both had uphill climbs to justify their draft positions – Cavaco a raw prep player widely regarded as a stretch pick, Sabato a bat-only player who needed to mash immediately – and so far neither has come close, instead hurtling in the dreaded "bust" category. But in both cases, it's still early enough to remain hopeful. Eye-opening springs followed strong starts in the minors could help these downtrodden talents reverse their descending trajectories. Maybe by the time the Twins season starts, the view of one or both could be considerably different. Sabato is theoretically someone who could help this year with a big step forward. Devin Smeltzer puts himself back in the picture. Not every player in camp is a young prospect vying for their first chance at the big leagues. Smeltzer is an example of someone who's been there and is fighting to get back. The lefty spent more than two years on the Twins' 40-man roster before being outrighted last November, in the wake of a lost season. With more than two full seasons of service time, he was creeping up on arbitration eligibility. Now, he finds himself on the outside looking in. Except, in a more literal sense, he doesn't. Smeltzer's 40-man setback provides him with an opportunity to show he's gotten past the elbow issues of 2021, and is ready to help a needy Twins pitching staff again. As a 26-year-old with 70 innings of big-league experience and a 106 ERA+, he could put himself on the fast track by taking advantage of his head-start on other pitchers in similar positions, such as Randy Dobnak and Lewis Thorpe. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Order the Offseason Handbook — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Those hires all end up being drops in the bucket for a franchise that's worth $2.2B and earns $100M+ in annual revenue. The Cardinals have had their highest payrolls ever in 2019/2021 while making these outside investments. The same can basically be said for the Twins, who have similarly invested heavily outside of player spending. It's not an either/or. Extremely disingenuous to frame it as such. Appreciate the condescension, but ultimately your appeal from authority is empty because you're just guessing and throwing out your own hypotheticals. You don't know any of the numbers because the owners blatantly lie and show no transparency about their finances. To the extent I have "considerable bias," it's toward known facts. We can all see what the players make, we can all see the general publicized economics of the game and its revenues. Those numbers don't add up to support anything resembling economic difficulties (other than the COVID-related ones that everyone has dealt with).

They wouldn't benefit because they don't want to spend that money. The Yankees and Dodgers like having this impediment in place because they want an excuse for keeping their spending in check and pocketing more money. Your argument presumes good faith and the owners don't operate on it. We can talk in circles about CBT all we want but the undeniable bottom line is that player salaries have been declining while league revenues and inflation grow. That shouldn't be happening in a business so financially healthy (despite what the lying commissioner would have you believe). What about MLB's proposals do you see as strongly suited to correcting this trend? What's unreasonable about the MLBPA's requests (which the league won't take any serious steps in bridging the gap toward) from that view?

This theory is not backed by reality. Teams use the CBT as an excuse NOT to spend more and increase their competitive advantage. They use it as a de facto ceiling while there is no corresponding floor on the other end. Other teams are concerned that if powerhouses like the Yankees (who were outspent by the PADRES last year) go back into full-on free spending mode it'll inflate the overall market. Which it will. Which it needs to.

Sure, I'll have a rational discussion. I find the proposal on whole to be problematic and non-serious because it is not a legitimate effort to compromise and seems focused on no outcome other than saving owners money and winning these negotiations. The "rationales" you're putting forth are simply off-base. I'm not buying into that empty corporate messaging. You actually think they're trying to keep the increase in CBT modest because they want to "avoid increasing the gap in parity"? Come on. If that was their goal they'd implement a salary floor and find measures to stop Pittsburgh from spending $40M/year to constantly tank. They want to keep their own spending controls in place so teams like LA and NY have justification for spending increasingly small fractions of their revenue. Moreover, the bottom line is that owners are in control of their product. They initiated the lockout. They canceled games. It is their responsibility to provide terms that their labor finds fair and equitable. In failing to do so, I hold them fully accountable.

Dear journal, It's been 91 days since darkness fell upon the world of baseball. The regular season has officially been delayed and games canceled. As much as it always felt like we'd reach this point, it still really sucks to be here. We're in early March. Usually spring training is full swing by now, with camp storylines and position battles already taking shape. Instead, the Lee County Sports Complex in Fort Myers is occupied only by various minor-leaguers, with a decided lack of buzz or excitement surrounding the early action. Monday's deadline for striking a deal to start the regular season on time came and went. Commissioner Rob Manfred has canceled Opening Day and the first week of the regular season. We're all but certain to see more cancellations ahead. There's a widely held belief that the league is not motivated to salvage any games in the first month of the season, when northern teams find it harder to draw fans due to weather and TV contracts are essentially unaffected. ("Local television contracts generally do not require clubs to issue rebates to their networks until about 25 games are missed," according to Ken Rosenthal.) That means all the pressure is on the players at this point, but they are pretty clearly united and defiant in their stance. They're not going to cave or relent to the non-serious proposals being put forth by the league. Good for them. Bad for us, of course. Baseball fans are left in the lurch as this stalemate whittles away the season with each passing day. I have little doubt that I'll be continuing to write these stupid journal entries for several more weeks at least. View full article

We've spent the past couple of weeks rolling out our choices for the top 20 prospects in the Minnesota Twins organization heading into 2022. Today, we'll recap and analyze a system that is chock full of near-ready pitching with upside – seemingly exactly what's needed for this franchise at this moment in time. Will the pipeline pay off? Before I get started with recapping our preseason top 20 prospect list, I'm very excited to unveil a brand-new feature here at Twins Daily which will enable you to keep up with the system's best and brightest all year long, like never before. Introducing: The Twins Daily Top Prospect Tracker Brock's been hard at work on this great addition to the site, and now it's live for all to access. The prospect tracker is a regularly-updated interactive tool that keeps you up to speed on fluctuations in the rankings throughout the season, showcasing each player's latest monthly splits so you can track performances as the season plays out. Bookmark it and check in regularly. You'll also notice the widget popping up around the site. Okay, on with the breakdown. Minnesota Twins 2022 Top 20 Prospects 20. Steve Hajjar, LHP: Big 6-foot-5 southpaw drafted in the 2nd round last year, touted for his changeup. 19. Edouard Julien, INF: Versatile fielder drew 101 BB in 112 G last year at Single-A, good for a .434 OBP. 18. Spencer Steer, INF: Mashed 24 homers in a breakthrough power season, playing mostly 2B and 3B. 17. Blayne Enlow, RHP: Looked to be clicking last year before TJ surgery, which will cost him '22 season. 16. Emmanuel Rodríguez, OF: Extreme contact woes marred otherwise highly encouraging rookie-ball debut. 15. Louie Varland, RHP: Honored as the org's top minor-league pitcher in '21 thanks to dazzling A-ball performance. 14. Cole Sands, RHP: Polished righty has posted a 2.53 ERA, 10.3 K/9 in two seasons since joining Twins system. 13. Matt Wallner, OF: Huge raw power will play if he can shore up his plate discipline and whiffing tendency. 12. Gilberto Celestino, OF: Was overwhelmed during rushed MLB debut, but the skills are undeniable. 11. Noah Miller, SS: 38th pick in '21 draft out of HS swings from both sides with legit chance to stick at short. 10. Josh Winder, RHP: Absurdly dominant between AA/AAA last year, and is basically ready to go at 25. 9. Chase Petty, RHP: Team's top draft pick from last summer was a high-school phenom with 100-MPH heat. 8. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP: Mechanics and control hold back premium arsenal, but he's still young. 7. Jhoan Duran, RHP: Imposing flamethrower has makeup to dominate but must get past scary elbow issues. 6. Matt Canterino, RHP: His 1.13 ERA and 76 Ks in 48 IP since being drafted in 2019 say it all, good and bad. 5. Joe Ryan, RHP: Amazing numbers in minors were made to look legit during 5-start run with Twins. 4. Jordan Balazovic, RHP: Safest combination of ceiling, floor, and proven durability among arms in the system. 3. José Miranda, 2B/3B: Perennial breakthrough candidate broke through with minor-league season for the ages. 2. Royce Lewis, SS: Missed 2 straight years, but has the elite skills, athleticism, and drive to catch up fast. 1. Austin Martin, SS/OF: Headliner of 2022 deadline sell-off is a worthy top prize, with evident star qualities. Top 20 Prospects Positional Breakdown C : 0 IF: 6 OF: 3 RHP: 10 LHP: 1 The Right Stuff The positional imbalance above is stark. Before we talk about some of the scarcities and what they mean, let's talk about the area of abundance: right-handed pitching. In our rankings, the top three prospects (Martin, Lewis, Miranda) are followed by seven straight right-handed pitchers, and there are three more in the back half. What's more, the majority of pitchers among these 10 are viable candidates to debut in 2022 (one already has). The Twins desperately need an infusion of impact arms and the system is poised to provide it. Six years after the new front office took over with a directive to develop pitching, they've got a pipeline bursting at the seams. Now, it's proving time. There's a whole lot riding on this group – especially if the Twins continue to take a relatively passive approach on the veteran pitching market. The team's fortunes over the next couple seasons may be dictated largely by this group. The lopsided ratio of RHP vs. LHP in these rankings definitely stands out – it's something I also remarked on when doing the organizational asset rankings, which included zero lefties. I'm not sure exactly what to make of this, or how much it matters. But it's definitely a thing. Emerging Areas of Scarcity Beyond their glut of pitching, the Twins are looking solid in the infield, although there's a lot of redundancy within that group – nearly all of the six are second/third base types, with only Lewis and Miller having any real shot to play shortstop in the majors. The scarce pipeline supplies in the outfield (3) and catcher (0) are not quite what they seem though. The past season saw Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, and Ryan Jeffers all graduate from prospect status. A year ago, those players ranked first, third, and fourth on this list. So yeah, that'll put a dent in the positional depth. Moreover, several of the players listed as infielders currently could easily end up in the outfield. Having said that, it would be nice to see some more catching talent emerge in the system. Mitch Garver is suddenly only two years from free agency, and the jury is out on Jeffers as a long-term solution. Ben Rortvedt, who also graduated from prospect status last year, has the makings of a solid backup. Do We Have a Shortstop? The Twins have an abundance of depth in the system to support their clear present need for pitching. Solutions at the shortstop position are less clear. Although we have three players listed (at least partially) as shortstops in these rankings, only two have a legit chance to play there in the majors: Miller, who is still probably four or five years away, and Lewis, who's gone two years without action on the field. The latter's viability at the position is in doubt. Keith Law of The Athletic recently reiterated his view on that matter: "Lewis is not a shortstop." Law is far from alone in his skepticism, although many others seem to more open-minded, including the Twins themselves who seem intent to keep pushing him at short for the time being. For his part, Lewis has his sights set on the big-league shortstop job. As he told Ted Schwerzler recently, "There’s an opening at short, and then the team looks very exciting. I’m just so ready to be a Minnesota Twin." At present, he might be the club's best present option at shortstop, which is to say they really have no options. Presumably that'll be addressed once the lockout ends. With the assumption that a short-term fix will be acquired, Lewis is seemingly being primed to take over in the not-too-distant future. (Otherwise, what IS the plan?) An Uneven Playing Field Before he can even be considered as a legitimate option to play shortstop in the majors, Lewis badly needs reps, and lots of 'em. Lamentably, with his presence on the 40-man roster, he's subject to the lockout, meaning he's unable to participate in spring training now, or minor leagues games when they start. Lewis isn't alone, although I feel his situation is more unfortunate than most. He's part of a group of nine players from our list, including six of the top 10, who will be unable to play so long as the lockout persists: Royce Lewis José Miranda Jordan Balazovic Joe Ryan Jhoan Duran Josh Winder Gilberto Celestino Cole Sands Blayne Enlow Should the lockout claim a chunk of the season, it will create a weird imbalance in development between these prospects and all the others, who will be able to proceed as usual with all the coaching, resources, and reps of a minor-league operation. Who's Your Pick to Click in 2022? Let's hear from y'all in the comments. If you had to pick a prospect who will enjoy a Miranda-like ascent in 2022, which is the first name that comes to mind? Ideally someone toward the back or outside of our Top 20 – either in the Honorable Mentions or entirely absent from our discussion. Maybe later on we can come back and see who made the best calls. For my part, I think I'm gonna go with right-handed pitcher Marco Raya. Past Rankings Twins Daily 2021 Top Prospects Twins Daily 2020 Top Prospects Twins Daily 2019 Top Prospects Twins Daily 2018 Top Prospects Twins Daily 2017 Top Prospects Twins Daily 2016 Top Prospects Twins Daily 2015 Top Prospects View full article

In June of 2020, the Toronto Blue Jays drafted Austin Martin fifth overall. They paid $7 million to sign him (more than Royce Lewis got as the top overall pick three years earlier), envisioning the collegiate superstar as a centerpiece in their plans going forward. One year later, they traded him to the Twins at the deadline for José Berríos. Did the Jays sell low? Did the Twins buy high? Somewhere in between? That is the question. Age: 22 (DOB: 3/23/99) 2021 Stats (AA): 418 PA, .270/.414/.382, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 67 R, 14 SB ETA: 2022 2021 Ranking: NA National Top 100 Rankings BA: 47 | MLB: 36 | ATH: 25 | BP: 52 What's To Like Derek Falvey has likely had eyes on Martin for some time. Just months after Falvey claimed Minnesota's top front office job, Cleveland drafted Martin out of high school in the 37th round of the 2017 draft. Of course, he didn't sign. Instead, the Florida prep phenom headed to Vanderbilt, where he solidified himself as one of the best young baseball players in the country, dazzling evaluators with his athleticism and stellar plate discipline while putting up monster stats. Three years later, Martin had emerged as a top draft prospect, viewed by some as a worthy #1 overall pick. He ended up going fifth to Toronto, and instantly became one of the best prospects in the game. The COVID shutdown prevented him from debuting in 2020, but last year Martin went straight to Double-A, where he led the league in on-base percentage (.414). I can hardly overstate how impressive it is for a first-year pro to lead all of Double-A – a level populated by many of the game's finest prospects – in the most crucial offensive statistic. Martin blended his keen eye at the plate with his knack for taking an HBP to reach base at a spectacular rate. After coming to the Twins, he reached base via BB or HBP in 20% of his plate appearances. Meanwhile, he split time between the two most valuable (non-catcher) positions: center field and shortstop. He's an elite young talent, ranked as one of the top 50 (or so) prospects in the game by every major outlet. Martin has established a high floor as a contact-hitting OBP machine who brings value in every facet of the game. He's a plus runner, and while the power didn't show up in his first pro season, that is frequently a later tool to materialize. He has all the ingredients to make it happen. "Making it happen" is exactly what Martin has done up to this point. He brings a tremendous skill set and also that added dimension of "superstar aura," which exuded heavily at Vanderbilt. He's electric. He's confident. He's a gamer and a playmaker. You want to see him in big spots. An All-Star in the making? The Blue Jays seemingly didn't think so. What's Left To Work On Just like his immense talent, Martin's question marks and barriers are plain to see. First, there is the lack of a clear defensive home. Nobody believes he'll play shortstop in the majors and he's blocked in center field by Byron Buxton. From there, you're looking at different scenarios that diminish his value to varying degrees. Will he be a great defensive third baseman? A capable second baseman? A rangy left or right fielder? There's a whole spectrum of potential outcomes and it's hard to put a finger on which is most likely, since the only positions he's played as a pro are two we can feel pretty confident he won't play regularly as a Twin. Keith Law, who is higher on Martin's overall outlook than most (he has him ranked #25 on his top 100 list for The Athletic), has significant concerns about the 22-year-old's arm. As Law shared in a recent collab article with Aaron Gleeman, "There are two separate issues at play with Martin. One is his throwing, which went south on him in the spring of 2020, right before the shutdown, and still hasn’t improved. He was a plus defender at third base as a sophomore, but if he can’t throw well from the left side of the infield, that’s a non-starter." The second issue referenced by Law is one that weighs heavily against Martin in every evaluation: a conspicuous lack of power. Even with the aggressive assignment to Double-A, a .382 slugging percentage in Year 1 from a top five draft pick is troubling. In 93 games, he managed just five homers and 18 doubles. Says Law: "He’s had a tendency to shrink himself by crouching and striding toward the plate, which improved his plate coverage but robbed him of his ability to drive the ball." Says Baseball America: "Gaining more strength and hitting the ball with authority more frequently will determine whether Martin becomes an impact regular or more of an average, everyday type player." Says Jeffrey Paternostro of Baseball Prospectus: "He still needs to hit for some pop, or major league pitching isn’t gonna nibble." That really gets to the bottom of it: standout OBP skills from the minors tend to fade quickly if MLB pitchers don't consider you a threat. On the bright side, Martin has plenty of time to build on his power output, and there's reason to believe that will happen. In his interview with Gleeman, Law called Martin's power concerns "overblown," citing a hand/wrist injury and shift in approach as sapping the natural pop that still resides within him. "It’s not a lack of strength but a conscious choice to give up contact quality in favor of avoiding the strikeout, and that can be changed — he certainly hasn’t always hit this way," says Law. "I absolutely believe the Twins are already addressing this." What's Next Having proven himself in Double-A, and set to turn 23 in a month, Martin seems destined to open the 2022 season in St. Paul, where he'll be a stone's throw away from Target Field. From there it becomes a matter of opportunity. They won't call him up sit on the bench, and the multi-positional regular role is already occupied by Luis Arraez. An early injury to Byron Buxton, Jorge Polanco or Josh Donaldson might open a door for Martin to step in. Another scenario that creates a path is moving Miguel Sanó to DH, Alex Kirilloff to first, and planting Martin in left field. But the problem is that Martin has barely played left field – his last official action at the position came in the form of 15 freshman appearances at Vanderbilt. He also hasn't spent significant time at third base since 2019, and has virtually no experience at second. For this reason, it's likely the Twins will take a somewhat measured approach rather than rushing things. Martin is in some ways a refined product – he could pretty clearly take quality ABs in the major leagues, right now – but he'll benefit from getting reps at different positions, and there may be some work needed yet on his swing. Since he's not yet on the 40-man roster, Martin will be able to jump into action when the minor league season commences, even if the lockout delays the MLB season. He might be ready for the major leagues before the big-leaguers are. Martin has a high bar to reach if he hopes to justify what the Twins gave up for him. Previous Rankings Honorable Mentions Prospects 16-20 Prospects 11-15 #10: Josh Winder, RHP #9: Chase Petty, RHP #8: Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP #7: Jhoan Duran, RHP #6: Matt Canterino, RHP #5: Joe Ryan, RHP #4: Jordan Balazovic, RHP #3: José Miranda, 2B/3B #2: Royce Lewis, SS #1: Austin Martin, SS/OF View full article

Dear journal, It's been 84 days since darkness fell upon the world of baseball. We're days away from the deadline for a deal to get done before an on-time start to the regular season becomes untenable. An agreement feels nowhere close, and so the same goes for baseball, at a time where excitement and anticipation are usually skyrocketing. To their credit, I guess, the two sides have been meeting daily this week in Florida. Amidst its garbage proposals and cries for a mediator, the league is at least making some effort to move things forward, which is more than you could say about the first half of this now-three-month lockout. But when the dust settles on each round of negotiations, the reports are the same: one side was "underwhelmed" by the other, and the two are nowhere close to agreement on numerous core issues. On Thursday, they'll reconvene to do it all over again. We're reaching the point now where it's gonna start getting ugly. Spring training games have already been wiped out and another round of cancellations has got to be coming soon (the currently-scheduled start date of March 5th ain't happening). More urgently, MLB has set a drop-dead date of next Monday for reaching an agreement in time to avoid lost regular-season games. If a deal hasn't miraculously taken shape by the time I write you next, dear journal, then I'm afraid I'll feel doomed to continue writing these entries for many more weeks. A willingness to sacrifice millions of dollars for both sides would signal that everyone is digging in deep. View full article

Except that wouldn't accurately reflect the substance of the article since I'm talking about his experience through all this and not ours. "Raw deal" does not connotate anything money-related.

Seems weird to dedicate an entire comment to this when I specifically said I wasn't talking about anything financial in the post. Also your opener here is simply false. He has played 2 seasons in the minors, both against generally much older and more experienced competition, and he was great in one of them. Were Aaron Hicks or Joe Benson ever viewed as consensus top-10 prospects in baseball?

As each day passes and the likelihood of a shortened season grows stronger, it's time to start considering some broader implications of what this would mean. One under-discussed dynamic: the uneven playing field for prospect development, all based on who's been added to 40-man rosters. Royce Lewis will feel the sting of this more than almost anyone. As if he needed another bad break. We've already surpassed the original start date for spring training. The deadline for avoiding a delay of the regular season is fast approaching. Insiders see little reason to believe an agreement will be reached in time. But that's only the major-league season. Since most minor leaguers aren't part of baseball's union, they're not subject to the CBA or lockout. Thus, those affiliate seasons will begin as planned, starting in early April. Except, not all prospects will be able to participate. Those who've already been added to the 40-man roster are now in the MLB Players Association, meaning they're affected by the union's actions and decisions, despite often having never received a big-league paycheck. By nature of what a 40-man promotion signifies, prospects who are in this category tend to be some of the best, and some of the closest to the majors. For the Twins, this group includes Josh Winder, Jhoan Duran, and José Miranda, all of whom would likely be spending the early part of the minor-league season solidifying their cases for big-league opportunities. But no player's plight through this lens feels quite as unfortunate as that of Lewis. I say this not from a financial standpoint – his $6.7 million signing bonus from 2017 gives him much more padding on that front than most prospects awaiting their first chances – but from a developmental one. Let's run through his series of experiences leading us up to where we are at today: In 2018, Lewis puts together a fantastic first full pro season, earning his way to consensus status as a top-10 prospect in baseball. In 2019, his performance takes a step backward, which is hardly that alarming for a 20-year-old competing in High-A and Double-A. In 2020, his minor-league season is wiped out by the pandemic, costing him a critical chance to rebound and get right. In 2021, his minor-league season is wiped out by a fluke knee injury, which forces him to spend the next nine months rehabbing. Last November, just days before the lockout commenced, he was added to the 40-man roster – a procedural move designed to protect him from being taken in the Rule 5 draft ... which ended up not even happening. And now, because of that last development, he won't be able to report to Wichita or St. Paul when their seasons start, assuming the lockout persists. Another force completely out of his control, threatening to rob him of direly-needed reps in a crucial stage of growth. Meanwhile fellow top prospect Austin Martin, who is in some ways directly competing with Lewis for a shot at the majors, will get to start his season on time, work on his game, and build his case. Purely by virtue of not being on the 40-man roster, even though he's older than Lewis. Recently, Ted Schwerzler interviewed Royce on behalf of Twins Daily to get a feel for where the snakebitten shortstop is at, physically and mentally. In typical fashion, the 22-year-old continued to express upbeat optimism and determination. "My will to succeed and finally get to the big leagues has continued to be such a driver," said Lewis. "There’s been a lot of things that have been hiccups or hindrances in me becoming a big leaguer, but as unfortunate as they have been, I’d rather be up there and ready than one of those guys that’s overly excited and then has to get sent back down and do it all over again." This perspective reflects the measured, mature and humble demeanor that sets Lewis apart from so many other athletes on his tier of greatness. It's one big reason that many expressed confidence he'd be able to persevere and overcome the series of setbacks up to this point, and now he'll need to keep relying on his faith and will to succeed. The world keeps conspiring against him and his path to fulfilling his lofty potential. No player deserves to go through all this, but it's hard to think of anyone who could deserve it less. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Order the Offseason Handbook — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Dear journal, It's been 77 days since darkness fell upon the world of baseball. There is no sign of any improvement in relations between the league and union, although apparently they're getting together again this weekend for more futile negotiations. I'm in Mexico right now, enjoying a vacation, so I have little to say about the current state of affairs. On Saturday, Twins Daily will celebrate its 10th anniversary. I've spent the past few weeks highlighting some of our most popular articles from each year, and we're also rolling out our 2022 top prospects series. (My writeup on #7, Jhoan Duran, went live earlier this morning.) These diversions make it easier to ignore the reality of MLB's situation, but that reality is going to hit hard within a few weeks. We're already past the normal starting point of spring training, and soon, the lack of exhibition games will become noticeable. Are we really going to head into April with no baseball? Are the league and owners really that self-sabotaging? Instead of trying to generate an ounce of goodwill, every new headline seems to relate to their desire to eradicate the minor leagues. I don't believe these negotiations are entirely one-sided. I think the owners have a valid position, and a stance they feel is fair. But I hope they realize that for people like me, the optics are absolutely awful. Everything feels like a giant middle finger to the players and fans. But again, I'm on vacation. So I'm choosing not to let any of it rile me up for the moment. I'll save that for when I'm back in town. View full article

In a system full of high-upside, high-risk arms, Jhoan Duran probably tops both lists. An absolutely pivotal year lies ahead for the big righty. Age: 24 (DOB: 1/8/98) 2021 Stats (AAA): 16 IP, 5.06 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, 22 K, 13 BB ETA: 2022 2021 Ranking: 5 National Top 100 Rankings BA: NR | MLB: NR | ATH: NR | BP: NR What's To Like On May 27th of last year, Duran had it all working. His entire "What's To Like" section could essentially be boiled down to that outing alone. Facing the Iowa Cubs in his second start of the year for St. Paul, the Dominican right-hander struck out eight over four innings of one-hit, shutout ball. He touched triple digits multiple times with his heater. He unleashed a bevy of nasty offspeed pitches, including his signature "splinker." Duran was in command and flat-out dominant, showing every bit of the ability that made him the top pitcher in our rankings last year. This ability has more or less been on display since Duran first came to Minnesota at the 2018 deadline, when he led the return package from Arizona for Eduardo Escobar. In 167 innings as part of the Twins organization, he has 202 strikeouts and a 3.50 ERA, with just 132 hits allowed. Duran's performance tailed off quickly last year after the aforementioned late-May gem, and he was shut down before the end of June due to an elbow strain. Concerning, obviously, but hardly damning after the disruption of a lost season in 2020. Plenty of other pitchers experienced health issues last year, inside and outside the Twins organization. The Twins opted for a PRP injection rather than surgery. He was able to throw again in the fall, albeit not in live games – seemingly a positive sign. He's already 24 and hasn't built up much durability, so the bullpen is Duran's most likely destination at this point. And that's okay. So long as he stays off the injured list and is able to unleash his arsenal at full strength, he will be an asset. What's Left To Work On Duran was not a perfect prospect even before injuries wiped out his 2021 season – his control and changeup both need work, especially if he hopes to stick as a starter – but simply keeping himself on the mound would be a huge accomplishment for the 6-foot-5 hurler in 2022. Throwing 16 innings total over the past two years is a major setback to his workload development, although he'd built up a decent baseline beforehand by throwing 100 innings in 2018 and 115 in 2019. His big sturdy build and previous history of durability provide hope Duran can get back on track health-wise. But we'll have to see him get through a couple months incident-free in order to feel confident the team's course of action in 2021 negated a need for surgery, rather than delaying it. What's Next It's unknown exactly what the Twins' plan is for Duran this year. There's been no indication the club intends to move him into the bullpen straightaway, but surely they will be very cautious with his innings – even his pitch counts and stress levels within those innings. On one hand, keeping him in Triple-A for awhile seems like the best way to carefully manage his arm. On the other hand, if he truly is healthy and throwing flames again, you don't necessarily wanna waste a bunch of his bullets in the minors. It might be the best way to bring Duran along is as a multi-inning reliever, which would fit with the vision for a modular pitching staff that doesn't rely on traditional six-inning starters to shoulder the load. Unless and until the Twins make some impactful veteran additions to the rotation, I'm going to assume they're tentatively planning as such. If healthy (a big IF, clearly), I'd give Duran a decent chance of winning a roster spot in spring training and a strong chance of debuting in the first half of the season. Previous Rankings Honorable Mentions Prospects 16-20 Prospects 11-15 #10: Josh Winder, RHP #9: Chase Petty, RHP #8: Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP #7: Jhoan Duran, RHP #6: Coming tomorrow! View full article