Seth Stohs

According to the Twins Prospect Handbook, Graterol is 6-2 and 247 pounds... at least that is what he weighed at the end of the season. He gained about 50-60 pounds while he was out with Tommy John surgery. And, when I met him and saw him in Cedar Rapids last year, he was that big, and he is strong. Toby Gardenhire said that he is incredible in the weight room, very strong, very strong lower half.

20-year-old Twins outfield prospect Jacob Pearson shares his story. He discusses the draft and his early career, but he also lets us inside and shares part of his life away from the game of baseball. Photography is a big passion for the outfielder from Louisiana. I've always enjoyed following minor league baseball players as they improve and work their way up the organizational ladder, sometimes all the way to the big leagues. But, beyond that, I thoroughly enjoy getting to know the minor league baseball players as people. Baseball is such a huge part of their lives. It has always been something they love and they are really good at, but it is also their job. It is their career. But they all have interests beyond the game, and it's fun to learn about that. What are their other passions.For today, Twins outfield prospect Jacob Pearson took time to let us get to know him a little bit more. He is a solid prospect, a former third-round draft pick who spent about half of the 2019 season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Below, he penned some thoughts on his young career, but also about some of the things that he is very passionate about in his life. Look back at the Get To Know Jacob Pearson article we did last offseason after he was acquired from the Angels organization. With that, I turn the writing over to Jacob Pearson. Thank you Jacob for sharing a bit of your life and your story with Twins fans! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many know me as a professional baseball player, but I am going to tell much more about me as a person and what I do inside and outside of baseball. LIFE OF BASEBALL Now this is what most people know about me, but I will share a couple stories of how my draft day and my first and second year of professional baseball went. Draft day was about as normal as draft day could go. I had no idea where I would go, or who would take me. The Twins were one of the first teams to call, followed by the Angels. The Angels ended up taking me before the Twins could, but everything works out how it is suppose to. Following my first year I was traded to the Twins. Now back track a bit, my first year was stunning to me. It was a whole other ball game at this level. I struggled and before I knew it, my first year was finished. I couldn’t grasp how fast it had gone by, but I knew I had some work to do in my first offseason. I showed up to Spring Training 2018 with the Twins following the trade. I was prepared to have a solid year. I was held down in extended spring training to work on my craft before making my way to Cedar Rapids to play with the Kernels. Full-Season ball is amazing, but I had no idea how to prepare as the season went on. The days started going by really fast again and before I knew it, I was headed into my second offseason following yet another rough year. Now all was not so bad, but it didn’t meet my expectations by a long shot. So this past offseason I worked on my craft harder and harder and figured out a way to approach the 2019 season. I am really excited for baseball to start again LIFE OUTSIDE OF BASEBALL For starters, I am currently engaged to my beautiful fiancé, Faith Guice. We will be getting married in November 2019. As a couple, we spend as much time as we can in the offseason hanging out with family, friends, and each other. Some activities include movie dates, traveling, and dominoes. Being home for several months at a time allows us to do almost anything we want. We spend Sunday mornings in Mt. Ararat Baptist Church. And if we ever have free time, Netflix fills the void. Jacob Pearson photo of his fiance My hobbies include hunting, fishing, and photography. Deer hunting will always be my favorite form of hunting because I have been doing it since I can remember, and I enjoy the peace of the outdoors. Over the last few years, I have picked up duck hunting, and I have found that to be very enjoyable. Going out to a blind at 5am with your buddies; there’s nothing better. Fishing is a hobby I take up during the season. Because it is not hunting season, summers allow me to be outside fishing and soaking up the sun. Hunting and fishing both bring excitement to me because there is the “what if” question. What if I see a big deer? What if I catch a large fish? Now photography needs its own paragraph because this is more than a hobby. I am very passionate about taking pictures and capturing the beauty of the earth. I started in photography in 2016 with a little camera from a pawn shop that my dad had bought me. Since then I have created my own business, taking pictures of people and their beauty. Now I mainly focus on astrophotography; capturing the beauty of the cosmos. A lot goes into taking pictures like this; the conditions have to be almost perfect. Luckily, I live in a place where the Milky Way is visible most of the time. A link to my Instagram and website will be listed below if you want to look further into this hobby of mine! Follow Jacob Pearson on Instagram. Follow Pearson Photos on Instagram. Follow Jacob Pearson on Twitter. Check out the Pearson Photos website (be sure to look in the Gallery. Here is a sampling: Click here to view the article

I think we all would take that!!

Our rankings: Seth (5), Nick (6), Tom (4), Nick (4)

All fair points, no doubt. But each year, or each time a ranking is done, it has to be on its own merit. I would also say this... in my opinion, the prospects from about 4 to about 12 or so are all pretty interchangeable... I think that speaks to the depth of the system as some of them have very high ceilings (like Javier) and others are close to ready (Gonsalves, Gordon, Littell, etc). The conversation is the best part!

If you is optioned at any point this season,, including during spring training, his 2019 option is used (with some contingencies in there about when he is recalled). Whether he's optioned once of 10 times,, his option year will be used. Yes, players on the 40-man roster are immune from the Rule 5.

Last year, we were given quite a big of grief for our #5 prospect too. He was coming off of a missed year. He had been hurt late in 2016 and didn't have a lot of pro experience... But Alex Kirilloff turned out to be pretty good. Now,, I'm not saying that Javier will put together a 2018 Kirilloff season in 2019. I'm only saying that... I think he'll be a Top 50 prospect in all of baseball one year from now. https://twitter.com/SethTweets/status/1094766423002570752

No question. Davis only spent about 6 weeks in Cedar Rapids, so that's' where he''s starting either way. It's just a matter of how much SS he plays.

Our rankings: Seth (4), Nick (4), Tom (7), Cody (6).

It is a conversation with every hard-throwing pitching prospect in baseball. Can he make it to the big leagues as a starter, or does he need to be moved to the bullpen? Fernando Romero has found himself in that situation for a while now, and it is likely that decision will ultimately be made in 2019. Will Romero get another opportunity to start, or will be be moved to the bullpen.Why do the Twins need to make a determination on Fernando Romero so quickly? We’ll get to that, but first, let’s take a look at his background, why he should remain a starter, and why the bullpen could be an option for him as well. Regardless, it will be interesting to see what Derek Falvey, Thad Levine, Rocco Baldelli, Wes Johnson and Jeremy Heffner end up doing with Fernando Romero and the pitching staff in 2010. BACKGROUND Fernando Romero burst on the prospect scene way back in 2013 when he debuted stateside with the GCL Twins. Over 45 innings, Romero posted a 1.60 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and struck out 47 batters while walking just 13. In 2014, he was quickly promoted to Cedar Rapids. However, after just three starts he was shut down and had to undergo Tommy John surgery. He missed the rest of 2014 and all of 2015. His return was slowed by a knee injury in 2015. Early in 2016, Romero returned and went to the Kernels. However, he made just five starts and went 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA. In 28 innings, he walked just five and struck out 25 batters. He moved up to Ft. Myers and continued to pitch well. In 11 starts, he went 5-2 with a 1.88 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. Over 62 1/3 innings, he walked 10 and struck out 65 batters. With the strong showing and his prospect status, it was an easy decision to add him to the 40-man roster in November of 2016. Twins Daily named him the #1 Twins Prospect heading into the 2017 season. In 2017, Romero spent the season at Double-A Chattanooga. He pitched 125 innings over 24 games (23 starts). He went 11-9 with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He walked 45 and struck out 120. Prior to the 2018 season, he was ranked by Twins Daily as the #2 Twins Prospect. (It took having the #1 overall draft pick to move Romero down to #2.) For the second straight year, Romero began the season by impressing the Twins coaching staff and front office with a strong spring training. He began the season in Rochester. On May 2nd, Romero was called up to make his major league debut. He tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Toronto Blue Jays to earn his first win. His next outing was in St. Louis and he threw six shutout frames to improve to 2-0. After making ten starts, he was optioned to Rochester and made just one start for the Twins the rest of the season (mid-July). Overall with the Twins, he went 3-3 with a 4.69 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP. At Rochester, he went 5-6 with a 3.57 ERA but a 1.29 WHIP. Combined, he worked 146 1/3 innings. STARTER So why should the Twins continue to give him an opportunity to start? There are several reasons. First, he had a pretty good showing early in his big-league career as a starter. In his first five starts, he went 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA. In 28 2/3 innings, he struck out 29 batters. Not only did he put up solid numbers, he showed really good stuff. His fastball sat between 92 and 95 mph and touched 96 and even 97 at times, and he maintained that through the first five innings. He did show a good breaking ball early, something that those who watched his Triple-A didn’t see consistently. He also showed a solid changeup most of the time. He spent the full season at age 23. One thought would be to continue the development as a starter, hoping that he could find more consistency with his breaking pitches and changeup. Despite missing two years, Romero was able to reach 146 1/3 innings in 2018. Ideally, with a 20% increase, he could jump up to 175 innings, a real solid number for a mid-to-late, young starting pitcher. Over Romero’s final six starts with the team, he went 1-2 with a 7.67 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP in 27 innings. BULLPEN 2019 is a crucial season for this decision to be made thanks to the rules of the Rule 5 draft. The Twins had to add Romero to their 40-man roster in November of 2016, so he used up option years in 2017 and 2018. If optioned in 2019, he would be out of options starting in 2020. At Twins Fest, Derek Falvey would not commit to Romero being moved to the bullpen, even after the addition of Martin Perez. “I wouldn’t say that’s a definite at this point, but I would say that he is definitely an option (for the bullpen).” There are several factors that go into this kind of decision, but the eye test tells people that Romero could be a force in the bullpen. And that’s something that Falvey acknowledged as well. “Fernando is someone who you watch the first few innings and you think, ‘that could be pretty special out of the bullpen.’ That’s something we’ve always talked about.” There are varying opinions on what is best for pitchers who have had Tommy John surgery, so that’s another factor according to the Twins Chief Baseball Officer. “It’s a balance. You want to think about what’s best for his health. What’s best for his long-term? He is somebody who has history with Tommy John surgery. Is there some benefit to him working out of the bullpen?” That’s part of it, but Falvey continued with the other part of the balance. “Certainly developing third pitch and getting some more variation to his repertoire is important if he is going to continue being a starter.” Don’t forget, as so many Twins fans recall, the Johan Santana spent a couple of seasons in the Twins bullpen, used in a variety of roles, before joining the starting rotation in 2004 (his first Cy Young season). There is a lot of truth to the old saying that most of the best relief pitchers in baseball were starters early in their career. A look at some of the top relievers in Twins history certainly shows that. Joe Nathan, Rick Aguilera, Eddie Guardado and Glen Perkins were all starting pitchers early in their careers. Even top relievers such as JC Romero, Juan Rincon, LaTroy Hawkins and others made starts early in their big league years. THE FIFTH STARTER SPOT I think most would agree that Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson, Jake Odorizzi and Michael Pineda are at least penciled into the Opening Day starting rotation. They may not need a fifth starter for a little while either, but at some point, they will need one. Martin Perez will most likely be on the Opening Day roster and is the favorite for the fifth starter spot as we speak. But there are several candidates for that spot. Some will certainly head to Rochester to start the season, but the bullpen just might be an opportunity for some of the pitchers as well. As the Twins CBO, Falvey needs to think about the big picture to the 2019 season and beyond. He needs to factor in a lot of things such as contracts, options, injuries and more. He notes, “We don’t know exactly what our team will look like on Opening Day. The reality is we’ll have injuries - hopefully less than last year - but we’ll have injuries. We’ll have struggles. We’re going to have to find ways to get those guys to step up. I think about someone like Stephen Gonsalves, or Kohl Stewart, or Fernando Romero, or Zack Littell, or Adalberto Mejia. All those guys will compete to be potential starting options for us, but if we stay healthy, maybe there’s an opportunity for those guys in the ‘pen.” YOUR TURN What will happen? How do you foresee this situation playing out. Consider what might happen as well if there is an injury. Who would you think would be the next in line? Specifically, what would you do with Fernando Romero? Clearly he’s got good fastball velocity and the potential to have three good pitches. We likely all agree that getting 175 innings out of a pitcher is probably more valuable than getting 60 to 70 innings from a reliever. Obviously Adalberto Mejia being out of options factors into decisions on him. Does Romero having just one option remaining force their hand and push a decision more quickly? Should it? What other factors would be instrumental in your decision? Click here to view the article

I ALWAYS mean to do more o them, but then get busy. So if people have any requests, let me know.

Our rankings: Seth (7), Nick (5), Tom (5), Cody (8)

Rooker was a non-roster invite to spring training. Tom Kelly hasn't traveled to spring training in 3-4 years.

1.) I don't look at any other rankings before doing my list. It's my list. I don't want to be swayed by others. 2.) Keith Law ranked Jordan Balazovic as the #3 Twins prospect.

Or the system is stronger. It's also reality that as players move up the ladder, there are a lot more data points to evaluate. I fully admit... I had his ceiling as a number 3 starter who had the potential to have a couple of seasons that might qualify as a #2 type season. His 2018 debut didn't convince me that he can't still be that,though the likelihood is maybe more that he's a #4 with an upside as a #3.

For me, it's the 6-5 and 220. It's the 94-98 mph fastball. Potentially four pitches. Young. Video of his stuff. and more. Also, I saw him on a mid-season Top 10 guy for Arizona from a couple of places I went to. Not that that meant anything in my personal ranking or evaluation, but it was there.

Baseball HQs Minor League Analyst does something like that. They give a Grade for ceiling. something like 10 = Hall of Famer, 9 = regular All Star, 1 = AA... something like that. But then they give an Grade related to likelihood of reaching that potential.

Our rankings: Seth (6), Nick (8), Tom (13), Cody (7).

Prospect rankings, however, typically have very little to do with the stats, though they do obviously factor in. And, I would hope people have not given up on Gonsalves at all. But Duran's upside is top of the rotation starter. That's why I rank him higher. That's'why I have Graterol ranked higher.

As you recall, the Twins front office was awfully busy around the trade deadline in 2018. It was a tough time for some Twins fans who would miss seeing some of their favorite players dealt to contending teams. The one positive to come out of that situation was the acquisition of some quality talent including our choice for the Twins #7 prospect, Jhoan Duran. Jhoan Duran came to the Twins along with outfielders Gabriel Maciel and Ernie de la Trinidad in exchange for Eduardo Escobar. When the trade was made, we knew very little about the three. It’s fair to say that Duran has made a strong impression in his short time with the Cedar Rapids Kernels.Age: 21 (DOB: 1-8-1998) 2018 Stats (Low-A): 100.2 IP, 3.75 ERA, 115/38 K/BB, 1.25 WHIP ETA: 2021 2018 Ranking: NR National Top 100 Rankings BA: NR |MLB: NR | ESPN: NR |BP: NR What’s To Like There is a lot to like. When Jhoan Duran signed with the Diamondbacks in February of 2015 out of the Dominican Republic, he was tall and lanky. That means that he was often touted as “projectable” as he had room to fill out. When the 2018 season ended, Duran stood 6-5 and weighed in at about 220 pounds. With the increased strength, Duran’s fastball has taken off. Duran throws 94-96 and even touched 98 mph. If you watched Tom Froemming’s Prospect Spotlight on Duran, he was hitting 96 in late August despite already being over his previous career high innings. He also gets some sink on his pitches. Duran also throws what appears to be two different breaking balls. He has a slider that can dart out of the zone, but he also has more of a curveball that drops. Both can be swing-and-miss pitches. He also is working to improve his changeup. Potentially, he’s got a big fastball with movement, four pitches and the ability to miss bats. Yes, potentially there is a whole lot to like in Jhoan Duran. What’s Left To Work On For Duran, he needs to work on the things that all young pitchers need to work on. While he has shown good control, he will need to continue to improve his command. While most believe that he can remain a starter, that will likely depend on continuing to improve and be more consistent with his secondary pitches. Especially, his changeup remains a work-in-progress. Development of that third (and maybe fourth) pitch may determine whether he remains a starter or if he becomes a potentially dominant, triple-digit throwing late-inning reliever. Before his six-inning stint to end the 2018 season in Cedar Rapids, his numbers had not yet matched his stuff. He had an ERA of 4.75 a 1.50 WHIP in 64 2/3 innings with Kane County before the trade. He struck out 9.9 batters per nine innings, but he also walked 3.9 per nine innings. After joining the Kernels, he was incredible, posting a 2.00 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP over 36 innings. He increased his K-rate to 11.0 per nine innings, and reduced his walks per nine innings to 2.5. So was it a great, short-sample size six-game stint, which included seven no-hit innings in his Kernels debut, or has Duran actually turned corner in his career? What’s Next After spending last season in Cedar Rapids, Duran will start the 2019 season in Fort Myers. At this point, it’s all about developing those things (third and fourth pitches, consistent command). Working in the Florida State League should allow him an opportunity to put up some big numbers and potentially continue to rise up the Twins prospect charts. If he gets off to a strong start, he will certainly be a candidate for a midseason promotion to the Twins new Double-A affiliate in Pensacola. TD Top Prospects: Honorable Mention TD Top Prospects: 16-20 TD Top Prospects: 11-15 TD Top Prospects: #10 Akil Baddoo TD Top Prospects: #9 Blayne Enlow TD Top Prospects: #8 Lewis Thorpe TD Top Prospects: #7 Jhoan Duran TD Top Prospects: #6 Coming Tomorrow… Get to know more about Duran and many more minor league players in the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. ORDER NOW: 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (paperback, $17.99) ORDER NOW: 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (eBook, $12.99) The 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook goes in-depth and provides player bios, scouting reports, statistics and much more on almost 160 Twins minor leaguers. Click here to view the article

Not Nick, but Thorpe is 91-94. His other pitches are typical velo differential. Changeup and curveball in the low-80s, curveball can be a little slower at times.

Our rankings: Seth (8), Nick (12), Tom (6), Cody (11)