Seth Stohs

I mean, this year's Red Sox team might be one of the greatest teams in MLB history, so yeah... And people like hating the Yankees, but the Red Sox are just as bad...

When news came out that Joe Mauer was retiring and there would be a Monday morning press conference (11:00 central time), many took to social media to pay tribute to Joe Mauer's career. Fans weren't the only to do so, but several current and former teammates shared their well wishes for Mauer. Many simply retweeted the Twins tribute to Mauer. Below you will find many of these tributes. If you have seen others, please share in the comments below.Former Twins Phil Hughes: Dick Bremer: https://twitter.com/dbremer_pxp/status/1061057785142673410 Cory Provus: https://twitter.com/CoryProvus/status/1061067009369260032 Adam Weber: https://twitter.com/Adam_Weber8/status/1061058301717344256 Michael Young: https://twitter.com/MikeyY626/status/1061054893144895490 Morgan Hawk: https://twitter.com/Morgan_Hawk/status/1061330555533492224 Rocco Baldelli: https://twitter.com/roccodbaldelli/status/1061666224797597696 Jamie Hersch: https://twitter.com/...364850373337089 Dustin Morse: https://twitter.com/...046939658137607 This list will continue to be updated as other online tributes are discovered. If you are aware of one, please include them in the comments below. Click here to view the article

Late Friday afternoon, rumors began to trickle in that Joe Mauer had made his decision on retirement. Soon after, the Star Tribune announced that Joe Mauer was indeed retiring. He has taken out a full page ad in the newspaper on Sunday. The Twins later shared a letter that Joe Mauer had written to fans which explained his decision to retire, the timing and some of the reasons. Injuries and family were the reasons for this retirement at 35 years old.A foul tip off of the bat of the Mets Ike Davis in a game that was made up on what should have been an off day hit Joe Mauer's face mask and altered the trajectory of his career. In a letter to fans, Mauer said that it changed him professionally and personally. When Mauer dove into foul territory in an attempt to catch a pop up earlier this season, another concussion cost him over 30 games. It was at that point really where Mauer started to know what would happen following the season as his historic Twins contract came to an end. Joe Mauer wrote an emotional, heartfelt letter to fans. In it, he discussed why he needed to take this month after the season to feel at peace with his decision. He also opened up about the reason for his decision to retire, family. Mauer is the father of twin girls, and his wife Maddie is soon to have the couple's third child. They factored into this decision. Here is the full transcript of Mauer's Letter to Fans. Dear Twins Territory, After much consideration, I have decided to retire from playing baseball. This decision did not come easily as baseball always has been, and always will be, one of my greatest passions. The last few months of this season were very emotional for me and I wanted to take time to separate some of those emotions and think with a clear frame of mind. The decision came down to my health and my family. The risk of concussion is always there, and I was reminded of that this season after missing over 30 games as a result of diving for a foul ball. That’s all it took this time around and it was all I needed to bring me back to the struggles I faced in 2013. The concussion I experienced that season not only changed my life professionally with a move to first base but changed me personally as well. I am soon to be a father of three and I find myself thinking about my future health and its impact on my family more than I had years ago. People always told me how much things change when you become a parent, and they were right. After my concussion this season I found myself wondering about “what if” situations. If I were to continue playing this game I would want to do so without reservation and I no longer feel that is possible. There is a part of me that will always want to compete, but I have reached a point where my desire to play is outweighed by the possibility of another injury. Experiencing a concussion looks different for everyone, but my personal experience forced me to look beyond baseball at what is best for me as a husband and father. As each day of this season passed and the end of my contract became more of a reality, I began to reflect on all that has happened over the years as well as what the future might look like. The thought of retiring, even with my health related concerns, was still a very difficult and emotional subject for me. Leading up to the last day of the season, I talked with several people who I respect in this game and in my life and thought about all angles of this decision. I also turned to God and prayed for clarity and direction. The answer I was searching for came into sharper focus during my last game, a game I will never forget and a day where I felt like everything I was questioning started to become clear. As I stood on the field in my catcher’s gear, something I never thought would be possible again, I realized in that moment that this is how I wanted to finish my career. I wanted to finish on my home field in front of our amazing fans, my family, my friends, my teammates, and the organization that means so much to me. Being able to do that for a brief moment as a catcher, made that day even more incredible than I could have imagined. That day also had me reflecting on how baseball is about so much more than winning or losing. It’s about so much more than stats and personal accolades. For me it’s about the life lessons I have learned along the way. It’s about the struggles and triumphs that put things into perspective, and about all of the people I have met who have helped mold me into the person I am today. I left the stadium after that game with 18 years worth of amazing memories playing for a team and organization that has become family, and to me that is worth more than I can express. I will always be grateful to the Twins and to the fans for their love and support all these years. I walked into the clubhouse every day with pride and never once took for granted the opportunity to put on that uniform. I have never wavered that playing for this team was exactly where I wanted to be. Thank you Minnesota Twins, and thank you fans, for making my career as special and memorable as it was. Because of you I can leave the game I love with a full and grateful heart. All the best, Joe Mauer Click here to view the article

Because they are elite prospects, service time will be a factor regardless of their agent of choice. This front office showed how much service time is a factor in September, so it's probably more about front offices than agents.

Harper's ability to walk really pushes him up in those three categories.

I don't necessarily think that is true, and obviously it's not something we would need to worry about for 7-8 years.

I was very surprised by the news that Kirilloff is now a Boras client (along with Royce). Kirilloff just switched to Boras less than two weeks ago. I don't know what to make of that. But, I was trying to figure out some of the Twins players who were also Boras clients. Lewis, Kirilloff, Eades. Jeff Manship, Kenny Rogers, Carlos Gomez. Who else?

Unless it's'a Nick Senzel type, I'd much rather that they take shortstops and move them to third base if or when needed.

Miranda was terrific and busted out as a prospect, at least for me, in 2018. After a slow start in CR, he took off. He's a legit 3B prospect in my opinion. Bechtold's season was disappointing and ended with a concussion, but I wouldn't give up on him either. Baddoo didn't' have the batting average, but everything else, across the board, was a strong step for his first full season. Mack is a high school kid coming to pro ball, making anything out of his debut is probably not too important. We're still deciding on whether or not to include Urbina in the prospect handbook. But generally, ,we only include players in the GCL and up. Urbina would probably be Top 10 though, yes.

I've had a chat with someone from the Blue Wahoos recently and nothing was mentioned. We'll cover them more in the near future.

I can't argue against Arraez, Jeffers or Wells. Stewart and Gonsalves both pitched better than Berrios did in his first MLB partial season, so I'm not ready to make too much about 24-36 innings. We're going back and forth on whether or not to include Urbina in the prospect handbook.

I'll be surprised if Lewis moves up to AA at the start of the season. I would expect him to spend a month or two in Ft. Myers since he moved up there later. But, it's possible. No doubt that Kirilloff will start in Pensacola.

Possible near the end of it... Similar to Tyler Wells, really. Just a lot of injuries. His season ended with another elbow injury, but it wasn't structral, so he should be ready in 2019.

Last I heard, he was about to start hitting, and that was in early September. He should be ready for 2019 spring training. And yes, non-throwing shoulder.

It's Javier's non-throwing shoulder which still is a big deal, but not quite as big of a deal as if it was his throwing shoulder.

I'm guessing that I will rank Tyler Wells significantly higher than any of the national prospect rankers... And, I would guess that I rank Alcala lower than all of the national prospect rankers will. I wouldn't make too much of Alcala's ERA during his time with the Twins at the end of the season. Dude throws 95-100 mph with the makings of secondary pitches. I personally think he'll be a reliever, and a dominant one, which is why I rank him a little lower for now. Wells had a phenomenal season, ,no doubt. But the tools aren't as highly considered as Alcala's. Fastball is more in the low 90s. That said, I like him because he does have better secondary pitches at this point. I also think that Wells can be a starting pitcher, or is more likely to be a starting pitcher, ,than Alcala. So yeah, I'll stand by the first paragraph I wrote here. To be honest, I was sure there would be far more comments about how low I rank Alcala. Many will have him in the Top 10.

I think he was in the 40s somewhere. He is another example of the strong depth in the organization. But, he was an 11th round pick this year. Would that mean that I should almost have the 8-10 players drafted ahead of him ahead of him? He got off to a great pro debut,, but I always try to temper that just a little.

Stewart's showing in the final 6+ weeks moved him from somewhere in the 30s to 19 or whatever now. Gonsalves's showing moves him from #4 to #7. Making much out of player's MLB debuts is dangerous. Nothing that happened for either was particularly surprising, so I don't feel that the rankings should be altered all that much. We know what the strengths are of each that give them a chance, and we know the areas that they need to improve. Rortvedt is probably a bit too low... I thought that too when I was making the list and the multiple times I went back and looked at it again and again. I just, for now, couldn't put him above the others ahead of him.

55 2/3 innings is over 50, so he's no longer deemed a 'prospect.' Gonsalves threw 24 2/3. Stewart threw 36 2/3 innings. If I could place Romero on this ranking,, it would probably be #4.

Greg Gagne was a plus-plus defender with range and a big arm. He just couldn't hit much. Gordon's question marks are on defense where he didn't have many errors, ,but the question marks are range and arm strength. Most believe that Gordon will be a pretty solid hitter.

Alex Kirilloff missed an entire season as well, ,came back just fine... He hadn't played any full-season baseball yet either. When they're that young, it's obviously all about the talent tools and upside, but Javier's tools are incredible. I would also say that I think that the difference between 4 and maybe 14 is all a matter of opinion.

The offseason is officially upon us. Baseball America is starting to publish its American League Central Prospect rankings. Soon we will see how the popular site ranks the Top Ten Twins Prospects. Today, I will share some quick thoughts in my preliminary Top 30 Twins Prospects rankings.Work has begun in earnest on the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. It will be the 11th annual Twins Prospect Handbook for me, and Cody Christie and Tom Froemming will be involved in the writing, editing, formatting and overall development of the book. As we do every year, we will publish our official prospect rankings in the book along with our history of prospect rankings. But today, I am posting my preliminary Top 30 Twins Prospect ranking. It is subject to change up until the handbook comes out (likely in mid-December or very early January, so get it on your Christmas wish list!) as I do much more research and chat with more people about the 162 Twins Prospects that are currently planned to be profiled in the book. This will be a quick rundown of my Top 30 Twins prospects with minimal description of the Top 10 Twins prospects. I welcome your feedback in the comments below. What would your rankings look like? And, I’ll be happy to answer any questions that you post about any Twins minor leaguers in the comments. With that let’s get started: 1. Royce Lewis - SS - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle The 2017 #1 overall pick put together a really strong first full season of minor league ball. The shortstop showed range and a good arm. Offensively, he showed a good approach and added more power than most were expecting. His status nationally has risen and he should be a Top 10 overall prospect in the game this winter. 2. Alex Kirilloff - RF - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle In about 2/3 of the organizations in baseball, Alex Kirilloff would be the easy choice for the team’s #1 prospect. After missing the entire 2017 season, the Twins 2016 top pick put up some monster numbers in 2018 in both Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He will likely be a Top 10 prospect in baseball this winter too as he is one of the best hitting prospects in the game. 3. Brusdar Graterol - RH SP - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle Graterol returned from his Tommy John surgery in 2017 with big velocity. In 2018, he debuted in May with the Kernels and after a couple of months, he moved up to Ft. Myers. A triple digit fastball and a changeup and breaking ball that also could be plus pitches, and it’s understandable why Graterol is finally getting national recognition. 4. Wander Javier - SS - Did not play Javier had left shoulder surgery early in the season and missed the full year. However, he is still very young and immensely talented. He’s got good speed, size and he barrels up the ball well. He should have his breakout season in 2019. 5. Trevor Larnach - OF - Oregon State/Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels The Twins top pick in 2018, he helped lead Oregon State to a College World Series championship. He’s got big power potential and he could be a strong all-around hitter. 6. Nick Gordon - SS/2B - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings Gordon was the Twins first-round pick in 2014 out of high school. He has quickly moved up the ladder. He certainly struggled after he was promoted to Triple A where he was very young for the level. He continues to be a strong prospect with the potential to be a long-time big leaguer. 7. Stephen Gonsalves - LH SP - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins Gonsalves struggled in his big league debut, but he continues to be a top prospect with a big league future. He again put up strong Triple-A numbers in 2018 despite struggling with his control through most of the season. 8. Lewis Thorpe - LH SP - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings In his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, Thorpe pitched well for Chattanooga. He regained his velocity and was able to miss a lot of bats. He pitched in the Futures Game. Late in the year, he moved up to Rochester where he continued to pitch well. 9. Brent Rooker - OF/1B - Chattanooga Lookouts Rooker continued to be pushed aggressively and spent the full season in Chattanooga. He struggled early in the year, particularly with contact, but in June and July, he crushed Southern League pitchers. He hit 32 doubles and 22 home runs. 10. Jhoan Duran - RH SP - Kane County Cougars/Cedar Rapids Kernels Duran came to the Twins from Arizona in the Eduardo Escobar trade. In his Kernels/Twins debut, he threw seven no-hit innings. He continued to pitch well. He has good size (6-5) and throws hard. He had 115 strikeouts in 100 2/3 innings of Low A ball in 2018. 11. Gilberto Celestino - OF - Tri City Valleycats/Corpus Christi Hooks/Elizabethton Twins 12. Akil Baddoo - OF - Cedar Rapids Kernels 13. Blayne Enlow - RH SP - Cedar Rapids Kernels 14. Jorge Alcala - RH SP - Buies Creek Astros/Corpus Christi Hooks/Chattanooga Lookouts 15. Zack Littell - RH SP - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins 16. LaMonte Wade - OF - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings 17. Ryan Jeffers - C - UNC-Wilmington/Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels 18. Tyler Wells - RH SP - Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts 19. Jose Miranda - 2B/3B - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle 20. Kohl Stewart - RH SP - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins 21. Travis Blankenhorn - 2B/3B - Ft. Myers Miracle 22. Yunior Severino - 2B - Elizabeththon Twins 23. Luis Arraez - 2B - Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts 24. Gabriel Maciel - OF - Kane County Cougars/Cedar Rapids Kernels 25. Luke Raley - OF/1B - Tulsa Drillers/Chattanooga Lookouts 26. Griffin Jax - RH SP - Ft. Myers Miracle 27. Edwar Colina - RH SP - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle 28. Jordan Balazovic - RH SP - Cedar Rapids Kernels 29. Ben Rortvedt - C - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle 30. Jacob Pearson - OF - Cedar Rapids Kernels The Next Ten: Lewin Diaz, Charles Mack, Chase De Jong, DaShawn Keirsey, Prelander Berroa, Andrew Bechtold, Landon Leach, Luis Rijo, Zander Wiel. There you have it... My current Top 30. Who do I have too high? Who is ranked too low? Who is missing from this list? Let's spend some time talking Twins prospects. Discuss the above, but also feel free to ask me any questions you would like. Click here to view the article