Seth Stohs

Here is the full media release: TWINS ANNOUNCE 2020 MINOR LEAGUE STAFF ASSIGNMENTS MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that their minor league managerial and coaching positions have been filled for the 2020 season. Of note, all seven affiliates will have two pitching coaches, one of whom is bilingual (English and Spanish), while the top three levels will employ five-person coaching staffs. Triple-A Rochester Red Wings Toby Gardenhire makes his Triple-A managerial debut with the Rochester Red Wings, after guiding the Twins’ two Single-A affiliates to a combined 151-121 (.555) mark over the last two seasons. Matt Borgschulte will be the Red Wings’ hitting coach, after serving in the same capacity for Single-A Ft. Myers in 2019 and the GCL Twins in 2018. Mike McCarthy and Cibney Bello will serve as the Red Wings’ pitching coaches. McCarthy has been Rochester’s bullpen coach the past two seasons, while Bello has spent the past four seasons as a pitching coach with Double-A Pensacola (2019), Single-A Cedar Rapids (2018) and the GCL Twins (2016-17); he was also on Minnesota’s major league staff last September and into the ALDS. Robbie Robinson, who managed the GCL (2019) and DSL (2018) Twins the last two years, will join the Red Wings as an additional coach. Rochester’s new trainer is Jason Kirkman, who joins the Twins from the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine and Nemours Children’s Health System, after previously working for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2018) and Philadelphia Phillies (2008-11). Jacob Dean returns for his second season as strength and conditioning coach. Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos Ramon Barrego, who has guided his last three clubs to the postseason, returns as manager at Double-A Pensacola after leading the Blue Wahoos to a 76-63 record and the Southern League semifinals in 2019. Ryan Smith, who made his professional coaching debut in 2019 as the hitting coach for Single-A Cedar Rapids, joins the Blue Wahoos in the same capacity. Luis Ramirez, who enters his 15th season in the Twins organization, comes to Pensacola as pitching coach after serving in the same capacity at Single-A Ft. Myers in 2019. He is joined by pitching coach Nat Ballenberg, who spent part of 2019 with Ft. Myers after a nine-year stint (2011-19) as pitching coach and strength and conditioning coach at his alma mater, Haverford College. Joe Mangiameli jumps to the professional ranks as a Pensacola coach after spending four years in collegiate ball, including 2019 at Quinnipiac University (where he worked primarily with the catchers). Chris McNeely is the new Pensacola trainer, coming to the Twins after four seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Travis Koon returns as the Blue Wahoos’ strength and conditioning coach. Single-A Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Aaron Sutton assumes the reins as the manager for the Single-A Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels, his first professional coaching assignment. Sutton spent the last four years as head coach at Montana State University Billings, earning 2019 GNAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Yellowjackets to the league’s regular and postseason titles, and their first-ever berth in the NCAA Division II West Region Championships. The club’s hitting coaches are Nate Rasmussen, who served in the same role for the GCL Twins in 2019, and Brian Meyer, who spent the last three seasons at Butler University after a five-year stint at Tulane University. Virgil Vazquez and Carlos Hernandez are joining Ft. Myers for their sixth and third seasons, respectively, as pitching coaches in the Twins organization. Ben Myers returns for his second season as the Ft. Myers trainer, while Chuck Bradway is back as strength and conditioning coach. Single-A Cedar Rapids Kernels Brian Dinkelman returns for a second season as manager at Single-A Cedar Rapids after a successful 2019 campaign in which the Kernels finished 78-62, captured the Midwest League Western Division second-half title and won a first-round playoff series before falling in the semifinals. The new Kernels hitting coach is Bryce Berg, who spent the past four seasons as a coach at Concordia University, Nebraska, working with the team’s hitters and catchers. Peter Larson, who was the Twins’ rehab pitching coach last season, becomes the new Cedar Rapids pitching coach. He will join Calvin Maduro, who pitched in the majors for the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles from 1996-2002, before becoming a coach and scout in the Orioles organization. Luis Rodriguez returns for a second season on the coaching staff, while Tyler Blair begins his second campaign as the club’s trainer. Colin Feikles, the 2019 Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year in the New York-Penn League for his work with the Boston Red Sox’ Lowell affiliate, joins the Twins and Cedar Rapids in the same capacity. Rookie-level Elizabethton Twins Ray Smith embarks on his 27th season overall as manager with Rookie-level Elizabethton, his 34th campaign on the E-town staff and his 42nd with the Twins organization. Smith owns a career 1,048-701 (.599) managerial record, with 14 first-place finishes. Jeff Reed is back for his 19th season as Elizabethton’s hitting coach, while Richard Salazar returns for his second season as pitching coach. Jimmy Alvarez joins E-town as a coach, after serving in the same role for the DSL Twins in 2019. Matt Smith is the new Elizabethton trainer, joining the Twins after spending 2019 with Triple-A Pawtucket in the Red Sox organization. Cesar Castillo, the strength and conditioning coach for the GCL Twins last year, joins E-town in the same role. Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Twins Takashi Miyoshi, entering his third season with the organization, is the first-year manager for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Twins. Miyoshi, who was a coach with Elizabethton last season, became the first Japanese-born manager in U.S. professional baseball without previous MLB or NPB experience when he logged a three-year stint (2015-17) as skipper for the independent Pacific Association’s Sonoma Stompers. The hitting coaches will be Minnesota native Shawn Schlecter, who joins the organization from North Iowa Area Community College, and Jairo Rodriguez, who mentored the DSL hitters in 2019. Mark Moriarty joins the Twins as pitching coach following a season as the head coach at the University of Mary; prior to that, he helped Augustana University to the 2018 D-II NCAA championship as the associate head coach and pitching coach. Dan Urbina, a pitching coach last year for the DSL Twins, will be with the GCL club in the same role. Tyler Smarslok makes his professional coaching debut with the GCL Twins, joining the organization after a brief stint at Marist University as Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator, and assistant coach roles at Kean University, Seaton Hall University, Heidelberg University and Claremont-Mudd-Scrips. Brad McKenney will also serve in a coaching role. Asja Morello returns as trainer, while new strength and conditioning coordinator Garrett Hudson joins the Twins from Andover Academy. Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Twins Seth Feldman returns for his second season as manager of the Dominican Summer League Twins. Yeison Perez, a catcher for the GCL Twins in 2018 who transitioned to a coaching role last year, will be one of three DSL hitting coaches. He joins Ricardo Nanita, who retired after 2018 following a 16-year professional playing career, and Steven Rosen, who has spent the past three seasons at the University of Notre Dame (2019 as Director of Baseball Operations) and Georgia State University (2017-18 as a graduate assistant and assistant coach). Kevin Rodriguez returns for a second season as the club’s pitching coach, alongside Jared Gaynor, who owns Gaynor Strength & Pitching and joined the organization in May 2019 from Virginia Commonwealth University. The DSL medical staff all returns, with trainers Carlos Frías and Wladimir Morales, and strength and conditioning coaches Juan Carlos Pinto and Miguel Cabrera. Player Development Staff and Minor League Coordinators Alex Hassan enters his third season in the Twins organization, first as director of player development. Drew MacPhail joins the Twins as assistant director of player development after spending the past four seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ front office. Tommy Bergjans, who was drafted by the Dodgers in the eighth round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft and pitched four minor league seasons, is the new coordinator of player development. Longtime major league coach and former big league manager Sam Perlozzo begins his second season as a senior advisor, player development. Additionally, Kevin Morgan joins the Twins organization as coordinator of instruction after a 25-year stint with the New York Mets. Tucker Frawley, who spent 12 years on the staff at Yale University, is the new assistant field coordinator and coordinator of skill development. Pete Maki will serve his third season as pitching coordinator. J.P. Martinez returns for his third season as assistant pitching coordinator, while Justin Willard, a pitching coach at Double-A Pensacola in 2019, is now an assistant pitching coordinator. Donegal Fergus is the new hitting coordinator following a successful 19-year stint in the college ranks, including 2019 as associate head coach at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a five-year stay (2014-18) at the University of Washington. Michael Thomas is the catching coordinator in his third season with the organization. Billy Boyer will serve as infield coordinator for a second season, and former Rochester manager Mike Quade is back for his third campaign as outfield coordinator. Tyler Schmitz will serve his third season as minor league video coordinator. Zach Bove, a pitching coach for the GCL Twins in 2019, takes on a new role as special projects coordinator. Chad Jackson enters his 19th season with the Twins as minor league medical coordinator, and David Rak begins his fourth year as minor league strength and conditioning coordinator. Axel Lopez will serve his third season as Latin American medical coordinator. Anders Dzurak joins the Twins as rehab pitching coach after six seasons as a collegiate pitching coach, most recently at Briar Cliff University, and including two seasons in Minnesota at his alma mater St. Olaf College (2016-17) and Macalester College (2014). Brian Maloney enters his fourth season as senior manager of minor league operations. Matt Cheesman will serve his second season as minor league equipment manager. Victor Gonzalez is back for a third campaign as Florida operations manager. Jason Davilla returns as Florida operations assistant.

One hour... could be a crazy busy next hour.

Waiting for the Mighty Mussels to officially announce their 2020 coaching staff.

The Twins will now start announcing their 2020 minor league coaching/managing assignments.... We'll keep tabs of them here. Over the past couple of months, we've been updating when we heard about new coaches coming into the system, but now we'll learn there actual assignments. The Rochester Red Wings are first to announce their coaching staff. https://twitter.com/RocRedWings/status/1215649581888876545 Next to announce are the Pensacola Blue Wahoos: MIghty Mussels: https://twitter.com/SethTweets/status/1215679929716744193 The Cedar Rapids Kernels: https://twitter.com/CRKernels/status/1215655227480838145 Elizabethton Twins: GCL Twins: DSL Twins:

At 11:00 this morning (Friday), teams and arbitration players will have to exchange numbers unless they are able to reach an agreement before that deadline. The Twins will have a busy morning as they have seven players to have these discussions with. Please use the comments section below to discuss Twins arbitration news of the day.Earlier in the offseason, the Twins had to make decisions on which players they would offer arbitration to. Players with less than six years of service time, and more than three years (and the top 30% of players with more than two years of service time are Super-2 players) are eligible for salary arbitration. At that time, the team non-tendered RHP Sam Dyson early in the process. They also non-tended CJ Cron, who has since signed with the Tigers. They also agreed to terms with infielder Ehire Adrianza and RHP Matt Wisler. Below are the players that will know a lot more about their 2020 salaries by this afternoon. They will either agree to terms before 11:00 (which is usually what happens), or at that time, the team and the player will make their "bids" for their 2020 salaries. If they are unable to agree to terms before their arbitration date, the two sides will go in front of an arbitration panel and have the 2020 salary determined. This also does not happen often. So let's get to the players. What you will see below is the MLB Trade Rumor projection, and also the Twins Daily projection (found in the Offseason Handbook). When we see that an agreement has been reached, we will also post that under each player's name. UPDATE (5:00 pm.) - more specifics will be posted below when details are available. https://twitter.com/...803718043684864 Feel free to discuss. Click here to view the article

Worked OK with Knoblauch in 1991... I'd be OK with going with Kirilloff, but i think he missed enough time last year at AA to let him get another half-season at Double-A and/or Triple-A levels before coming up.

New pitching coach in the Twins minor leagues hired:

So tired of Donaldson talk... I hope he signs in Atlanta at this point... of course, I hoped that earlier in the offseason too. Was clear all along he was just using the Twins to get more from Atlanta.

Agreed, completely... Like I said in the first comment, I think that Thorpe could be as good as Boyd (in the next couple of years), and then to add a Larnach is just crazy... If that's what the Tigers are asking, then they aren't really trying to trade him.

I don't know if I would trade Lewis Thorpe straight-up for Matthew Boyd much less add a potential All Star like Larnach and a fast-rising SP option like Canterino. Three top ten Twins prospects for Chris Sale's horrible elbow and contract? I think the Twins would have to add something to Buxton to get Thor, but it shouldn't be a guy like Kirilloff. I would be good with Archer for Rooker and Gordon, I think.

The Twins and the NHL announced today that the 2021 NHL Winter Classic will be played at Target Field. It will be January 1st, 2021. My question would be how Twins fans feel about Target Field being used for other public events, like this hockey classic, or like College Football games that he been played there the last couple of Septembers, or like the concerts played in-season. More information: TARGET FIELD TO HOST 2021 BRIDGESTONE NHL WINTER CLASSIC®, FEATURING THE MINNESOTA WILD MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – Target Field, home to the Minnesota Twins and one of the premier sporting and entertainment venues in the Upper Midwest, will play host to the 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® featuring the Minnesota Wild on January 1, 2021, the National Hockey League (NHL®) announced today. The Wild’s opponent, as well as additional details for the 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, will be provided at a future date. “The Minnesota Twins are absolutely thrilled to partner with the National Hockey League and the Minnesota Wild to bring the 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® to Target Field,” Twins President & CEO Dave St. Peter said. “Understanding previous Winter Classic venues, hosting the NHL’s annual New Year’s Day showcase is an incredible honor for our organization and our community. We can’t imagine a better Winter Classic setting than the one the State of Hockey will deliver at Target Field on January 1, 2021.” The 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® will be the latest jewel event to be held at Target Field, which was named Sports Facility of the Year in 2011 by the Sports Business Journal and was recognized as having the best game day experience in all of sports by ESPN the Magazine in 2010. Over its first decade, the venue has hosted Major League Baseball’s Postseason (2010 and 2019) and All-Star Game (2014), multiple sporting events including Minnesota prep tournaments, an international soccer match (2016) and NCAA football games (2017 and 2019), and several concerts and music festivals. The 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® continues the tradition the NHL established in 2008 of hosting a regular-season outdoor game at the onset of the new year. The outdoor game on New Year’s Day 2021 will be the 13th NHL Winter Classic and the 31st NHL regular-season outdoor game overall. For a complete history of NHL regular-season outdoor games, click here. “The Minnesota Wild is truly honored to be selected to host the 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®,” said Minnesota Wild Owner Craig Leipold. “Target Field is a fantastic ballpark and there is no better place for the NHL’s marquee event than right here in the State of Hockey. We are grateful for the opportunity to treat our fans to an incredibly unique and exciting experience celebrating our favorite game, and would like to thank NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman for his support and the Minnesota Twins organization for their help in securing this event.” The New Year’s Day matchup will be the Wild’s first NHL Winter Classic and second NHL regular-season outdoor game, with their previous such matchup coming in the 2016 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series, a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® will be broadcast live on NBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports. Game time, ticket information and other events surrounding the game will be announced when available. NHL Social™ will have exclusive coverage on all social platforms using the hashtag NHL #WinterClassic. Today’s announcement was made by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman during the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Dates and locations for additional NHL events taking place during the 2020-21 season will be announced when available. Fans can sign up for news and information on all of the NHL’s events at nhl.com/events. As further details are announced regarding the 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, information will also be available at twinsbaseball.com/2021winterclassic.

It would probably take next to nothing because that's a ton of dollars and a long time for a guy who missed a lot of time with elbow issues... Same situation as Price, but two extra years.

He's not an option to start... Berrios, Odorizzi and Pineda are good. Rich Hill is really good when he's healthy. Bailey was really good in 2019. And Graterol, Thorpe and Dobnak are all higher ceiling starting options than Wisler. He was a good prospect as a starter 4-5 years ago... Now he's got a chance to maybe be a solid mid-bullpen option.

So, which available starting pitchers are better than Berrios? Cuz Gray hasn't been. Marquez hasn't been. Price probably isn't anymore. Zack Wheeler hasn't been. Bumgarner probably isn't.

Arraez is a below-average defensive second baseman and he has barely played any third base... Not sure this would make the Twins defense any better.

Happy New Years Day! As the calendar changes from 2019 to 2020, let’s take a look at what the current Minnesota Twins roster might look like if the season started today. The Twins added two pitchers on Tuesday, likely completing their search for pitching. What is left to do?The Twins front office has been busy this offseason. To this point, they have signed Jake Odorizzi to the qualifying offer. They brought back Michael Pineda on a two-year contract. They brought back Sergio Romo and brought in another veteran bullpen arm in Tyler Clippard. They took care of the backup catcher spot by signing veteran Alex Avila. And on Tuesday, they signed veteran starters Homer Bailey and Rich Hill. All that, along with the business-as-usual events such as minor league signings and bringing in new coaches throughout the organization. They have hired Mike Bell as bench coach, but they still need to hire an assistant pitching coach/bullpen coach. While the core of 2019’s 101-win team is largely still intact, Rocco Baldelli will have plenty of new faces as well. Let's take a look around the diamond and see what the Twins roster might look like if the season were to start today. Hopefully it gives Twins fans a glimpse at the work that Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have ahead of them to fill out Rocco Baldelli's second Opening Day roster: Catcher (3) - Mitch Garver, Alex Avila, Willians Astudillo No question. Silver Slugger award winner Mitch Garver earned the Twins starting catcher gig. Alex Avila will be the #2 catcher, and yet we know that means he will likely catch a lot due to the team’s emphasis on rest. As the roster is currently comprised, Astudillo represents a good 26th roster option, at least until the team signs a first baseman or third baseman. Then he is an ideal 27th man for a 26-man roster. Non 40-man options: Tomas Telis, Juan Graterol Infielders (5) - Marwin Gonzalez (1B), Luis Arraez (2B), Jorge Polanco (SS), Miguel Sano (3B), Ehire Adrianza (UT) Clearly the Twins are going hard after third baseman Josh Donaldson. If they sign him, Sano moves over to first base and the infield is set. Sano at first base. Luis Arraez at second base. Donaldson and third base. Jorge Polanco at shortstop. Adrianza backs up four spots. Gonzalez backs up two spots and two outfield spots too. If they don’t sign Donaldson, Sano probably stays at third base and they bring in a Mitch Moreland type to play first base for a year. 40-man Options: Travis Blankenhorn, Nick Gordon Non 40-Man Options: Alex Kirilloff, Cody Asche, Jack Reinheimer, Wilfredo Tovar, Zander Wiel Outfielders (4) - Eddie Rosario (LF), Byron Buxton (CF), Max Kepler (RF), Jake Cave (4th) Rosario is still a Twin! He may not have had a great year, but when a guy hits .276 (.800) with 28 doubles, 32 homers and 109 RBI, he shouldn’t be traded for just anything. Hopefully Buxton and his shoulder will be ready by Opening Day. And hopefully Kepler can continue to grow upon the progress he made in 2019. Jake Cave and LaMonte Wade will likely battle it out for an outfield spot as Marwin Gonzalez can also play out there. 40-man Options: LaMonte Wade, Luke Raley, Gilberto Celestino Non-40-man Options: Brent Rooker, Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach Designated Hitter (1) - Nelson Cruz I feel pretty comfortable with this one. Starting Pitchers (5) - Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, Michael Pineda, Homer Bailey, Rich Hill (maybe in June) As of now, the Opening Day rotation will consist of Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi and Homer Bailey. Michael Pineda will have to miss about six weeks due to his suspension, and Rich Hill will be out until sometime in June after having a modified Tommy John surgery. The question becomes… who will make starts for the Twins until Pineda and Hill are ready to pitch? Short-Term Starter Options - Lewis Thorpe, Randy Dobnak, Devin Smeltzer, Brusdar Graterol, Last week, I wrote about the idea of Brusdar Graterol being a “primary” pitcher. Another option would be for him to get starts until Hill comes back in June. At that point, a decision could be made about how to proceed. Keep him starting, or move him to the bullpen to limit his innings. Thorpe, Dobnak and Smeltzer all made starts for the Twins in 2019 and had varying levels of success. All four should be a part of future Twins plans. The Bullpen (8): Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey, Trevor May, Sergio Romo, Tyler Clippard, Zack Littell, Cody Stashak, Matt Wisler. Taylor Rogers became a top reliever in the league in 2019, and Duffey and May both took huge strides in the second half. So did Zack Littell and Cody Stashak who pitched well in their rookie seasons. Sergio Romo and Tyler Clippard provide a veteran presence and know-how. Wisler is out of option, so he would have to make the team or be placed on waivers. He’s got impressive strikeout rates. The bullpen has a chance to be a strength and has plenty of good depth. It will be interesting to see how the pecking order changes over the course of the season. Other Bullpen Options 40-man Roster: Ryne Harper, Fernando Romero, Sean Poppen, Jorge Alcala, (Graterol, Dobnak, Smeltzer, Thorpe) Non 40-man Roster: Blaine Hardy, Ryan Garton, Mitch Horacek, Caleb Thielbar, Daniel Coulombe So, what do the Twins need to do over the remainder of the offseason? (There is likely no huge rush at this point. We have seen free agency trickle into spring training if not into the season. The trade market is always open..) Corner Infielder - The Twins appear to be going after Josh Donaldson very strongly. Getting him would add a huge bat to an already potent lineup while improving the defense in the infield. If Donaldson signs elsewhere, it is likely that the Twins sign a first baseman in the Mitch Moreland mold.Outfield - While it shouldn’t be a huge priority, a right-handed hitting outfielder might make sense as a platoon option with lefties Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler. It also makes sense for the guy to be able to play center field well when Byron Buxton is out of the lineup. Kevin Pillar makes a lot of sense.Starting Pitching - I think the additions of Bailey and Hill on Tuesday likely signal the end of the Twins efforts in attracting starting pitchers. Unless teams drop their trade prices on possible ace-like pitchers (Jon Gray, German Marquez as examples), the Twins have improved their staff while giving themselves quality depth.That's where the Twins roster is right this moment, as well as some areas of need. What do you consider the Twins areas of strength, and how would you prioritize their areas of need the rest of the offseason? Click here to view the article

Thanks for the feedback and thoughts. I enjoy reading them too. As mentioned, Kepler was only top 100 (Top 50) one year, and deservedly so. Gordon's been ranked high all along, for whatever the reason.

My brother and I went to that game... Got on FSN, eating nachos... I also remember being outside, waiting for the gates to open. It was absolutely pouring... we wondered if the game would even be played only to get to watch the tarp come off the infield (to a standing ovation) and how amazing the drainage system was. Great game. Remember the standing, loud ovations that Jacque Jones got in those games? That was awesome! I was also at the Gophers/Louisiana Tech game a few weeks earlier. My brother and I walked around the stadium, watching half-innings at a time from all over the stadium.

Each year, you can find Top Prospect rankings and articles for your favorite team. The national sites post them. Your favorite Twins bloggers will write up their rankings. Today, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the Twins top prospects of this past decade. How would you rank them? Image courtesy of Steve Buhr (photo of Byron Buxton) While I am still working toward completing the 2020 Twins Prospect Handbook, I am putting together my official 2020 Twins preseason Top 50 prospect rankings. In the Handbook, you can see my official prospect rankings dating back over 15 years. But I thought it might be fun to look back at the past decade and try to rank the top Twins prospects of the decade. To do so, I considered several sources. First and foremost, I looked at my Top 30 Twins prospect rankings from the last ten years. I also considered how the players ranked nationally. And then, I tossed in some opinion too. I hope you enjoy the rankings, and just as much, I hope you have some good memories as you think back to prospects past, guys who made it and guys who didn’t. Let’s start with some guys who just missed the list: Honorable Mention Max Kepler - Baseball America ranked him #30 before the 2016 season. One of the best European players of all-time already, Kepler signed in 2009. His 2015 season was one of the best that I can recall. Wander Javier - Signed to a $4 million signing bonus in 2015, he has shown talent and athleticism. He just hasn’t had the ability to stay on the field much. Baseball America ranked him #95 prior to the 2018 season. Jorge Polanco - Another international signing from 2009, Polanco is the longest-tenured player in the Twins organization, a few days longer than Max Kepler. Polanco was signed as a smooth infielder, but when he reached Cedar Rapids, it was his bat that took off. Before the 2016 season, he ranked #99 by Baseball America. Fernando Romero - Before the 2018, MLB.com ranked Romero the #68 prospect in baseball. He made his debut that season. He missed two years of development due to Tommy John surgery or it’s quite possible that he would have had more time to rank high nationally. Brusdar Graterol - Like Romero, Graterol missed about two seasons due to Tommy John surgery, but when he came back, he was hitting triple digits and people noticed. After staying healthy throughout the 2018 season, he ranked #33 by Baseball Prospectus and #55 by Baseball America. He should rank high again in 2020. Oswaldo Arcia - The Twins signed Arcia early. He put up huge numbers in the lower levels and then flew up the ladder. Baseball America ranked him #43 before the 2013 season. He hasn’t played in the big leagues since 2016. He’s just 28 years old. Brent Rooker - The Twins liked Rooker enough to draft him twice. Since the 2017 draft, he has moved up the ladder very quickly and is at the cusp of the big leagues.Baseball America ranked him #92 before the 2018 season. He spent 2019 in Rochester. Eddie Rosario - Rosario was the Twins fourth-round draft pick in 2010 and he has been hitting ever since. While Baseball American never put him in their Top 100, Baseball Prospectus ranked him #87 in 2012 and #60 before 2014. Kohl Stewart - The fourth-overall pick in the 2014 draft was a Top 100 prospect by Baseball America, MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus before the 2014 and/or 2015 season, ranking 28th on BP’s pre-2015 rankings. He struggled to get strikeouts but limited damage. He signed with the Orioles earlier this week. Joe Benson - Benson was the Twins 2nd round pick in 2006. A great athlete, he had great speed and power potential. He ranked 100th by Baseball American before the 2011 season and 99th before the 2012 season. He spent that September with the Twins and never got back to the big leagues. Lewis Thorpe - The Twins signed him from Australia. Baseball Prospectus ranked him #101 in 2014 and #91 before the 2015 season. He missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons due to Tommy John surgery. Since his return, he has pitched well and debuted in 2019. --------------------------------------------------------- #10 - Stephen Gonsalves The Twins selected Gonsalves from his southern California high school in the fourth round of the 2014 draft. While he wasn’t a flamethrower, Gonsalves simply put up numbers. In Low A, he went 8-4 with a 1.96 ERA. He had 121 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings. In Ft. Myers, he went 12-6 with a 2.48 ERA. In 145 innings, he struck out 121 batters. In AA, he went 19-4 with a 2.35 ERA. He had 213 strikeouts in 184 innings. In AAA, he went 10-6 with a 3.46 ERA. He had 119 strikeouts in 125 innings. He went 2-2 with the Twins late in the 2018 season. He missed most of 2019 with forearm and elbow issues. The Twins tried to sneak him through waivers after the season, but the New York Mets claimed him. Before the 2017 season, he ranked #99 by Baseball America. A year later, he ranked #97. MLB.com ranked him #78 before the 2018 season. Seth Rankings: 2014 (13), 2015 (15), 2016 (6), 2017 (1), 2018 (2), 2019 (10) #9 - Nick Gordon Gordon was the Twins top pick, fifth overall, in the 2014 draft. Along with genetics, he has a lot of talent. He’s got a smooth, line-drive swing and uses the whole field well. He’s athletic. He’s not as fast as his brother Dee, but he does have a little more power (though not much). He had a solid season in Rochester in 2019. Unfortunately he missed a lot of time with a knee injury. Prospect rankings love him. He was a Top 100 prospect before the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 seasons. He ranked #33 by MLB.com before the 2015 season. He ranked #35 by Baseball Prospectus before the 2018 season. Seth Rankings: 2015 (4), 2016 (4), 2017 (4), 2018 (3), 2019 (12) #8 - Kyle Gibson Gibson was the Twins first-round draft pick in 2009 (21st overall) out of Missouri. He made his pro debut in 2010 and pitched in Ft. Myers, New Britain and Rochester. He was on the verge of his big league debut. Before the 2011 season, Baseball America ranked him as the #34 prospect in baseball. Unfortunately, in late 2011, he had Tommy John surgery. He returned late in 2012. Before the 2013 season, Baseball America ranked him #68. Baseball Prospectus ranked him #64 and MLB.com had him ranked #49. Seth Rankings: 2010 (5), 2011 (1), 2012 (7), 2013 (6) #7 - Aaron Hicks Hicks was the 14th overall pick in 2008. He began appearing on prospect rankings in 2009. His prospect status peaked before the 2010 season when Baseball America ranked him #19 and Baseball Prospectus ranked #26. While he dropped out of the Top 100 before the 2012 season, he jumped back in before the 2013 season when he made his MLB debut. His combination of power and speed with a big arm and great centerfield defense made him intriguing to the Twins and scouts around the game. It took a little time for it to come together, but it certainly did. Seth Rankings: 2010 (1), 2011 (3), 2012 (4), 2013 (5) #6 - Alex Meyer It was well known that the Nationals really wanted Denard Span from the Twins, enough that they were willing to deal former first-round pick Alex Meyer straight-up for him following the 2012 season. At the time, Meyer was a consensus Top 100 prospect. At 6-9 with a fastball in the upper-90s, teams knew he was raw but had potential to become a top-of-rotation starter. A year later, he ranked even higher, and before the 2015 season, he was the 14th prospect (overall) by Baseball Prospectus. He pitched in four games for the Twins before being traded at the July 2016 deadline. He retired from baseball after a series of shoulder injuries after the 2019 season . Seth Rankings: 2013 (4), 2014 (3), 2015 (6), 2016 (14) #5 - Alex Kirilloff Kirilloff was the Twins top pick in 2016 (15th overall) out of high school. MLB.come ranked him #98 after that season, but he missed the 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery. He returned in 2018 and put together one of the best minor league seasons you’ll ever see, splitting his season in half between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He hit for average (.348) and power (44 doubles, 7 triples and 20 home runs). Before the 2019 season, MLB.com ranked him #9 while Baseball America ranked him at #15. Seth Rankings: 2017 (3), 2018 (5), 2019 (2), #4 - Jose Berrios Berrios was the Twins supplemental first-round draft pick (#32 overall) in the 2012 draft. While he was a high draft choice, he was seen as a very raw prospect. Some saw him as a back-of-rotation starter. But as Berrios continued to put up strong numbers throughout the minor leagues, and his workouts became well known, his prospect status rose. He was Top 100 by MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus. Before the 2015 season, all three national sites put him in their Top 50 prospects and kept him there before the 2016 season too. MLB.com and BP ranked him in their Top 20 before 2016. Seth Rankings: 2013 (8), 2014 (7), 2015 (3), 2016 (2) photo by Steve Buhr #3 - Royce Lewis Lewis was the first overall pick in the 2017 draft out of JSerra High School. He put up strong numbers that summer between the GCL and Cedar Rapids. Before the 2018 season, he ranked between #20 and #27 in the three national rankings. In 2018, he put together a strong season between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers, helping both to the playoffs and the Miracle to a Florida State League title. He showed he can play shortstop, hit and hit for power. Before the 2019 season, he was Top 10 in each. MLB.com ranked him highest at #5. He struggled with the bat in 2019, so he’ll likely drop some in the rankings, but he will still be in the Top 50 and should be much higher. Seth Rankings: 2018 (1), 2019 (1) #2 - Miguel Sano The Twins signed Sano in October 2009 from the Dominican. He was already the star of a documentary telling his unusual story and making him a known commodity around the baseball world. Before even playing a game as a pro, Baseball Prospectus ranked him #35. Even after missing the 2014 season with Tommy John surgery, Sano remained one of baseball’s top prospects. Baseball America ranked him in their Top 100 each year from 2010 through 2015. Four of those years he was Top 20, and twice he was in their Top 10. Baseball Prospectus also ranked him six straight seasons. He never got into their Top 10, but three of the years he ranked between 12 and 14. Lowest they ranked him was #31. MLB.com didn’t add him to their Top 100 until before the 2012 season. At that time, he ranked #23. Before the 2014 season, he reached #4 in their rankings. What made Sano so intriguing was his power potential, and we certainly have seen that! Seth Rankings: 2010 (3), 2011 (2), 2012 (1), 2013 (1), 2014 (2), 2015 (2) #1 - Byron Buxton Byron Buxton was the second overall pick in the 2012 draft out of high school in Georgia. Buxton was as toolsy as any player or prospect. He hit. He had some power. He played elite defense and had a strong, powerful arm. Not only did he have all the tools, but he put up huge numbers. In 2013, he hit .334 with 19 doubles, 17 triples and 12 homers between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He also stole 55 bases. Baseball America named him the minor league player of the year. Before the 2014 season, he was the consensus #1 prospect in baseball. He continued to impress as he climbed the ladder. Before the 2015 season, he ranked #1 by MLB.com and BP while Baseball American ranked him #2. Before the 2016, he ranked #2 across the board. In 2017, he won the American League Platinum Glove Award. In 2019, we saw him put it all together for the first half of the season. When he is healthy, he is as talented and impactful as any player in baseball … not named Mike Trout, of course. Seth Twins Rankings: 2013 (2), 2014 (1), 2015 (1), 2016 (1) -------------------------------------------------------- So there you have it… My Top 10 Twins Prospects of the Decade. What do you think? It really is an impressive group of prospects and many of them (and some of the Honorable Mentions too) have achieved success in the big leagues. Another theme is that the Twins have seen injuries affect so many of these players’ careers. Tommy John for pitchers and hitters. But the Twins have had a lot of talent and still more talent on the way. How would you rank these prospects? Did I miss anyone? View full article

I was at #1 and #2... #2 - Paul Allen gave me four tickets to two games that season for being a guest on his radio show for two years. One of those games was the Thome walk-off. Khalid El-Amin was sitting in the front row, three rows in front of us. When Thome hit it, we all jumped and yelled. El-Amin came up and was high-fiving everyone! It was so loud. Just amazing. #1 - I was in the press box, thinking I really needed to get going to make my 7 hour trek home... but I wanted to see how the Twins had Mauer exit the game. I thought maybe sometime he'd get pulled off the field, get a standing ovation and I'd leave. Then he had the late-inning double and I figured he'd leave for a pinch runner. Then came that ninth inning. I was sitting by Brandon Warne in the press box, and it was eerily quiet, and then slowly the crowd started cheering, and there we saw Mauer walking out of the dugout. Even in the press box, we rose... Trying to be professional while trying to hold back tears... what a moment. Then after the game, getting to go down and be part of that press conference and talking to other players about the day... Just amazing... I will never forget that day. Seeing his little daughters give him a big hug after that press conference. Seeing his whole family down there. Chatting with Jake for awhile. Just incredible. Getting goosebumps even now just thinking about it. Oh, and I left there later... and only drove halfway home. Texted my boss and said I'd try to make it in by noon.

Definitely not easy decisions because football CAN BE the school's big money maker... But never a bad idea.

Per multiple reports, the Chicago White Sox and Edwin Encarnacion have agreed to a 1 year, $12 million deal. The White Sox have signed Grandal, Keuchel, Gio Gonzalez and now Encarnacion to their talented young prospects. They are a legit contender in the AL Central.