Seth Stohs

The minor league seasons are reaching into their final two weeks. A couple of teams have a shot at making the playoffs with a strong end to their season. While development is the most important thing in the minor leagues, learning how to win and being in that environment can be a positive thing for the players' development too. It should be a fun couple of weeks following the Twins and their minor league system.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Friday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS There were no transactions in the Twins minor leagues before their Friday games. However, after their game, Cedar Rapids announced that RHP Calvin Faucher has been placed on the disabled list with right elbow tendinitis.But, the Midwest League named its postseason All-Star team. Both Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff were named to that team. Lewis was named the league’s top prospect.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 1, Toledo 4 Box Score Things were going well for Red Wings starter Zack Littell through the first five innings. He had yet to give up a run, but he got just two outs in the sixth inning and was charged with four runs (three earned). Nick Anderson gave up just one hit over the final 2 1/3 innings. He struck out three batters. The Red Wings offense wasn’t able to do much. Robbie Grossman, in his second rehab game, went 2-for-3 with a walk. Taylor Motter had a walk and his ninth double. Jeremy Hazelbaker hit his second triple. As per the plan, Byron Buxton is playing every other game as he returns to the Red Wings lineup. He played on Tuesday and Thursday, and he didn’t play on Wednesday and again on Friday night. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga , Mississippi Box Score Game postponed by rain. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Clearwater 2 Box Score In another battle of #1 overall picks, Royce Lewis came up big again. The top pick in 2016 was Mickey Moniak by the Phillies. He hit his fifth home run In this game, his 104th FSL game. Lewis the top pick in the 2017 draft went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth High A home run in just 32 games (14th in 107 total games in 2018). Both young players are likely to be future MLB stars, and they are both kids who played with and against each other in southern California. For the Miracle, the big story was the performance of lefty Bryan Sammons. After pitching very well in Cedar Rapids, Sammons has had some struggles since joining the Miracle. In four appearances (three starts), he had given up 18 runs (16 ER) in 12 2/3 innings. On this night, he was fantastic. He gave up just one run on three hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out six. Following the game, Sammons told Twins Daily, “It definitely felt good to get back in a groove. I was able to get through the order using mostly fastball and change-up the first time through the order, and then mixed in more spin the second and third time through the order. Mostly just trying to get ahead early and make them earn it. The biggest thing that has hurt me here is the walks.” In those 12 2/3 innings before this start, Sammons had walked 11 batters. That is uncharacteristic for him. In his 85 1/3 innings in Cedar Rapids, he had just 22 walks (2.3 BB/9). Jovani Moran came on and picked up his fourth save in his time with the Miracle. He worked the final three innings and gave up just one run on two hits. The run came on Moniak’s home run late in the game. Moran hit a batter and struck out three. Also of note, Alex Kirilloff had played in 14 games in August and had at least one hit in each game. However, on this night, he went 0-for-2. He has now hit in 27 of his last 29 games. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Peoria 1 Box Score A four-run sixth inning broke things open for the Kernels in this game. Trey Cabbage hit a three-run homer for the game’s biggest hit. Cabbage went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, as he added another run with an RBI single in the eighth inning. His homer was his eighth of the season. Gabriel Maciel went 3-for-4 with his first triple. Trevor Larnach added his first professional triple. Jordan Balazovic has had some struggles of late, but he was good on this night. The Canadian right-hander gave up one run on two hits. He walked two and hit two, but he also struck out five. Derek Molina got the sixth inning. He walked two, but he also struck out three batters. Jose Martinez racked up his seventh save by throwing three scoreless innings to end the game. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out six. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton 1, Bluefield 2 Box Score Andrew Cabezas continues to pitch well. In this game, he provided the Twins with a quality start. In six innings, he gave up one run on four hits. He struck out just three, but he didn’t walk anyone. Tanner Howell came out and pitched the final two innings. He was charged with an unearned run on one hit and an intentional walk. He struck out three. Colton Burns continued to show power. In his 24th game, he had two hits including his sixth home run of the E-Twins season. It was his fourth in his past eight games played. DaShawn Keirsey went 2-for-4 with his seventh double. Yunior Severino also notched his seventh double. GCL TWINS TALK Game 1 - GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 0 Box Score This game started last Saturday, but after three innings, there was no score and the game was tied 0-0. Donny Breek had thrown three scoreless innings for the Twins. Then the rains came and the game was suspended. When it was resumed on Friday, Frandy Torres was on the mound. He struck out five batters over three scoreless, hitless innings. He walked one. Casey Crosby continued his rehab and threw two scoreless innings despite giving up a hit, walking one and hitting one). Steven Cruz earned his second save by striking out two in a perfect ninth. Tyler Webb led the offense. He went 2-for-4 with both RBI. He also stole his seventh and eighth bases for the GCL Twins. Shane Carrier continued his rehab. He entered the game as a pinch runner and scored. Later he had a single, stole a base and came around to score the second run. Game 2 - GCL Twins , GCL Red Sox (Suspended in 4th due to rain) Box Score I guess you could say that Donny Breek started both games that the GCL Twins played on Friday. Of course, he started “Game 1” six days earlier and made the regularly scheduled start in this game. On this day, he gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks over 3 1/3 innings. He struck out five. Denny Bentley came on and got two outs. He walked one and struck out one. The Twins had just two hits through the four innings. Tyler Webb had a double. The game will be resumed at a later date. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Trey Cabbage, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-4, HR(8), 4 RBI). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Bryan Sammons, Ft. Myers Miracle (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 2-3, BB, HR(5), R, RBI #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - 0-2, BB #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch. #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 0-3, BB #5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Did not pitch #6 - Trevor Larnach (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 3B(1) #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - Rained out #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - Did not play #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 1-4, K #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 1-3 #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did not pitch #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 1-2, BB, K #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - 1-4, 2B(7), 2 K #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - Out for the season (wrist) #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2B(9), 2 R #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, BB #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - No Game Scheduled. #21 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 0-4 *Since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. ATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Toledo (6:05 CST) - RHP Chase De Jong (0-2, 4.80 ERA) Chattanooga @ Mississippi (DH at 4:00 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (5-5, 3.72 ERA), Jorge Alcala (2-5, 3.99 ERA) Clearwater @ Ft. Myers (5:00 CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes (5-5, 2.73 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin - RHP Jhoan Duran (6-5, 4.45 ERA) Elizabethton @ Bluefield (6:05 CST) - RHP Austin Schulfer (2-0, 2.17 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Friday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

On July 31, the Twins traded popular second baseman Brian Dozier to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a deal that had been in the works for roughly 20 months. In return, the Twins acquired Double-A prospects Luke Raley and Devin Smeltzer. The Dodgers were willing to make the deal but insisted on the Twins taking back second baseman Logan Forsythe, and more important, his salary. Brian Dozier has been a big add for the Dodgers, but Forsythe has returned to his American League form with the Twins.With a 5-for-5 night on Thursday night at Target Field, Logan Forsythe is now 22-for-49, hitting .449/.500/.531 (1.031) with four doubles in his 14 games since joining the Twins. Obviously that is a very small sample. In his 70 games with the Dodgers this year, he had hit just .207/.270/.290 (.560) with ten doubles and two home runs. It appears this will be a trade that could be beneficial to both teams. Brian Dozier has also played in 14 games since joining the Dodgers. He is hitting .255/.400/.532 (.932) with four doubles, three homers and 12 RBI (including a walkoff sacrifice fly in extra innings on Wednesday night in LA. So what should the Twins do as it relates to Logan Forsythe? There really may be three options. Should The Twins Try to Capitalize on Forsythe’s Hot Start by Looking to Trade Him? There is just under two weeks before the August trade deadline. The Twins should try to trade him for something. While they aren’t going to find a GM in baseball willing to overlook his past two seasons because of two really good weeks, the Twins clearly want to continue accumulating talent for the future. They won’t get anything resembling a blue-chip prospect for five weeks of Forsythe, but they might find a suitor remaining for the versatile infielder. Should The Twins Try to Sign Forsythe Right Now to a Contract for 2018? The Twins could decide that Nick Gordon needs more time in AAA next year to continue his development. They may determine that they would like to have a one year stop gap, like Forsythe, to play second base until Gordon is deemed ready. Again, based on his struggles over the last couple of seasons in Los Angeles, and his injuries the last couple of years, he likely is a guy who would get a one-year deal in the neighborhood of $2 million. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine could reach out to Forsythe right now and make him that offer. There would appear to be little reason for Forsythe to accept it, though he could just as easily struggle over the next two or three weeks. Should The Twins Sit Back and Let It Play Out? Or they could just let it play out. Let Forsythe work to continue gain value the rest of the season as he looks to become a free agent at season’s end. From the Twins perspective, they certainly can see his value, especially on a one year, stop gap type of deal. No matter how strong Forsythe finishes the season, his next contract likely will remain a one-year deal at less than $3-4 million. The financial risk of waiting isn’t huge. The risk of him going to one of the other 29 teams if he becomes a free agent might be a little bigger. Truthfully, there isn’t a wrong (or bad) answer in that group. Signing him to a one-year, low-cost deal makes a lot of sense. Forsythe is and has always been a very professional hitter. It’s great to see him playing like he did during much of his time in Tampa. So if the Twins can add another prospect with a chance, that’s not a bad deal for a three week rental. Or the Twins can just let him keep playing and see what happens. Following the game, in an interview with FSN's Audra Martin, Forsythe said (regarding his 5-for-5 night), "Sometimes you get lucky." Maybe in this case, the Twins got a little bit lucky. Is there a best option in your opinion? Share your thoughts below. Click here to view the article

I'm getting really, really good at forgetting to respond to Cody. Oops! Anyway, my answer to who should be the Twins closer... "Whoever." It doesn't matter to me. I'm good with Hildenberger getting the first shot. Now that he's had saves in back-to-back games, if there is another save opportunity on Thursday, maybe I'd go with May, or Duffey, or Rogers... or Magill. Or, whoever. Later in September, could be Busenitz or Curtiss or Anderson or Reed... Or, whoever. It's good for all of them to get high-leverage spots at this point.

Of course, Drew Butera was 3-years older at the time... Oh, and he's in his 9th MLB season... And, anyone who watched Rortvedt last year and watched him again this year and worries about the numbers just isn't watching. He's made some solid strides. No one is saying that he is a finished project. It'll take him a while to get to the big leagues, but he's got a chance. And, I was doing a story on the 2016 draft... So, no reason for me to ask him about other guys...

I'm pretty sure none of that matters even a little bit.

I mean, if Nick Gordon ranks #10 in the Twins system, Twins fans should be thrilled about the system. That said, I never think it's fair to expect All Star appearances for any prospect. That might be the ceiling, but a more likely scenario might be that he's "just" a solid MLB second baseman for a bunch of years... and that's pretty OK too. Not a transformational player, but a real solid player is good too.

Borderline Top 100. May be in some. May not be in others. Top 10 Twins guy next year? Absolutely. A 22 year old in AAA is impressive.

He's got really solid numbers. The batting average is fairly low, but that on-base skills are fantastic and he's got real good pop. He runs the bases well and he's a good outfielder. He's put in the time ad he hasn't been overwhelmed in any part of the game. I think it's a given he moves up.

There'll be a Part 2... no worries...

I'd say Graterol instead of Gonsalves... but yeah, huge haul

Agree with some of thise, but Gonsalves's one start tonight will likely have very little impact on his call up (or not), just like Romero's potential call up will have very littler or nothing to do with "another start.

I'll be very surprised if Baddoo starts 2019 in Cedar Rapids. They'll move him up.

I personally don't care either, but I don't blame the players, the teams or the organization for caring a little bit at least. Especially in the leagues where the promotions aren't moving up to the big leagues. I think there is development value in being part of a team pushing for a playoff spot or even playing in a playoff series. And, as you mentioned elsewhere, there are like 2 1/2 weeks left.... where these guys play over that 2 1/2 week period will have pretty much zero impact on where they start next year.

In 2015, first-year manager Paul Molitor led the Minnesota Twins to an 83-79 win, the team’s first .500 season since 2010. Because of that, they did not make their first draft pick in 2016 until pick #15. However, they had four of the first 74 picks in that 2016 MLB draft. It is very early in their development, just over two years since they were drafted, but to this point it should be deemed a very strong draft for the Twins, full of potential big leaguers. Recently, I caught up with former Twins scouting director Deron Johnson to discuss his final draft picks. Find out a little more about what the Twins’ scouts saw in their draft picks. Today, we’ll look at those first four picks (Alex Kirilloff, Ben Rortvedt, Jose Miranda and Akil Baddoo) and, coming soon, we’ll dig a little deeper into the other players selected that year that have developed well so far. “I don’t know about other organizations, but it’s unprecedented in our history of the way we’ve drafted over the course of years. To take four high school position players with consecutive picks, I don’t think a lot of teams have done that.” Deron Johnson, Twins Senior Advisor to Scouting, continued, “I’m proud. It’s a bold move, I think.I don’t know many teams that have done that in the past. So far so good with the results.” Johnson, as you recall, became the Twins scouting director in 2008 and held the position through the 2016 season when he received his promotion to the Senior Scouting Advisor role. Alex Kirilloff has been one of the most impressive hitters in all of minor league baseball in 2018. Ben Rortvedt’s development both at the plate and behind the plate has been noticed by the organization. Jose Miranda’s 2018 season started slow in Cedar Rapids, but he’s been raking since and recently earned his promotion to Ft. Myers. Akil Baddoo remains in Cedar Rapids at this point, but he’s been very impressive at the plate and in center field and continues to improve. Deron Johnson insists that the plan coming into the draft wasn’t necessarily to take four high school kids right away. “You have a plan, but being able to watch our system over the years, I knew that we were in need of some position players. It just so happened.” Here is a quick look back at the top four Twins draft picks in 2016 through the eyes of Deron Johnson. ALEX KIRILLOFF “He hasn’t missed a beat since he had that layoff.” That layoff, of course, was missing the 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery. As you know, Kirilloff has not only been arguably the top hitter in the Twins minor leagues this year, but maybe one of the best in all of minor league baseball. He spent the first 65 games of his 2018 season in Cedar Rapids. He hit .333/.391/.607 (.999) with 20 doubles, five triples, 13 home runs and 56 RBI. He played in the Midwest League All-Star Game and then immediately was promoted to Ft. Myers. He represented the Twins on Team USA at the Futures Game, and went 2-for-2. In his 47 games with the Miracle, he has hit .365/.385/.547 (.932) with 19 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 37 RBI. The Twins used the 15th overall pick to take Kirilloff who played high school ball for Plum High School near Pittsburgh. While they drafted him in 2016, they had known about him for a couple of years already. He made a major impression on Johnson at Petco Park in San Diego a year before the draft. Johnson, recalled, “He hit a ball during the Perfect Game All-American Game in Petco. I mean, it was an absolute bomb. Left-handers don’t hit balls out a lot at that park. Mostly right-handers because the ball kind of travels there. That showed me that this guy’s got power.” Johnson saw him again early in the 2016 season. “I saw him a couple of times. I saw him two or three games in Florida early in spring and we identified him as a guy going into the draft.” Shortly before the draft, Johnson traveled to Pittsburgh to see Kirilloff play. Unfortunately, the game was rained out. It ended up creating a great opportunity for the scout. “ I got a chance to see him practice. A lot of times, it’s better than seeing the games. I got a chance to speak with the kid, see how he goes about his business, see how he interacts with his teammates, and that was great. Plus we had a lot of looks on him too.” BEN RORTVEDT There is this perception that players from northern states can’t get seen by scouts as easily as players from southern states. There is some truth to that, but the top prep players now are playing in the summer baseball circuit across the country, and they are the showcases necessary if players want to get drafted. That is where Rortvedt was first seen. Johnson pointed out, “We got a lot of looks in the summer. He played against the best guys. He was on that Perfect Game tour, played in the All-America Game. We definitely relied on Mike Ruth, Mike Radcliff, and Mark Wilson, the scout that had the area at the time. We had a lot of coverage on him. We had a lot of looks.” Rortvedt was the Twins second-round draft pick, the 56th overall pick in the draft, out of Verona High School in Verona, Wisconsin. He split that season between the GCL and Elizabethton. He made the jump to Cedar Rapids in 2017, and admittedly he struggled with the bat. But he was gaining experience and making improvements. He returned to Cedar Rapids to start the 2018 season. In 39 games, he hit .276/.325/.386 (.711) with 12 extra base hits. He has now played 39 games since being promoted to Ft. Myers. He has hit .244/.342/.351 (.693) with eight extra base hits (including a two home run game). Behind the plate, he is blessed with a very strong arm and has gained a reputation for working well with his pitchers. But there is a thought, a hope that he will be able to continue making strides offensively as well. Johnson believes in Rortvedt’s offensive potential. “I think he can. I think he’s strong. For him, I think it’s all about approach .He’s got a nice swing. He’s a very strong young man. A lot of that’s been addressed. Drive the ball. If he can consistently learn to and want to drive the ball, the sky's the limit for him. He’s one of the younger guys again in the Florida State League. He doesn’t strike out much, makes contact. He’s got raw power. There’s no question about that. Is he going to be a 25-home run guy? Well, I’m not going to say he can’t.” But again, his defense is where he can really affect a game. “His defense has improved immensely. He can really throw. He can stop a running game. He’s athletic behind the plate. Someone quoted me after the draft where I said that he looks like he was born to catch. I truly believe that He looks like a catcher. He looks like one of those old school catchers from the ‘50s. The big forearms, the squared jaw. The real strong face. He’s young. He’s still got some immaturity. He’s not grown up yet. It’s going to take some time, but he works at it. He really gives a good effort. His game-calling has really improved. I think all aspects of his game have gotten better.” JOSE MIRANDA The Twins added the 73rd overall pick in the 2017 as part of the compensation round. Miranda was another guy that the Twins had seen quite a bit of, including at a Perfect Game event. Miranda actually grew up in Florida. According to Johnson, “He had played in the States. His mom is a flight attendant located in Florida. He went to high school in Florida his freshman and sophomore years, and then he moved back to Puerto Rico.” He started out this season at Cedar Rapids and like the weather conditions, he was cold. As the temperatures, Miranda’s bat heated up. In 104 total games with the Kernels, he hit .277/.326/.434 (.760) with 22 doubles, 13 home runs and 72 RBI. He has now played in eight games since being promoted to the Ft. Myers Miracle. He had his coming out party, of sorts, at Perfect Game. “We didn’t know who he was. (Delvin) Perez was the main guy. (Long-time Twins scout) Freddie Thon said, let’s take a look at this guy. I kind of like this guy.” “We saw him, and we like everything about him. We’ve always liked his bat. His defense is getting better. He’s found a home at 3B. He’s going to be a big man.” Miranda was drafted as a shortstop, but it was known that he wouldn’t stay there, though he did make one start there since joining the Miracle. He split much of his time in Cedar Rapids between second base and third base. AKIL BADDOO In the 2015 draft, the Twins used their second round pick (73rd pick) on right-handed pitcher Kyle Cody, a Wisconsin native who had spent three years at the University of Kentucky. For a few reasons, Cody did not sign with the Twins. Because they did not sign him, the Twins received the 74th overall pick of the 2016 draft. The Twins went to a familiar place for this selection. They signed a tremendous athlete out of high school in Georgia. In 2010, they drafted Niko Goodrum out of Fayette County High School in Georgia. In 2012, the Twins used the second overall pick in the draft on Byron Buxton who went to Appling County High School in Baxley, Georgia. Akil Baddoo continues that line of Twins great athletes selected by the Twins out of Georgia. Johnson noted, “Akil is coming into his own. He always kind of knew the strike zone as a high school kid. He’s from Georgia and he plays some really good competition. Georgia is one of the few areas in the country, along with Southern California and Florida and Texas, they play a lot of good baseball. It’s been a hotbed, not just for us, but for the industry.” Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State are a couple of powerhouse colleges, but the prep ranks are loaded with great talent. In fact, when the Twins used the 74th overall pick in Akil Baddoo, he became the seventh Georgia high school kid drafted in 2016. Josh Lowe was the 13th overall pick by the Rays. With the 14th pick, Cleveland’s selection was Will Benson. Carter Kierboom was the 28th overall pick by the Nationals. Taylor Trammell went to the Reds with the 35th pick. The Angels selected Brandon Marsh with the 60th overall pick. Alex Speas went #63 to the Texas Rangers. Johnson saw all of them, but he wondered why Baddoo wasn’t always mentioned in the same breath as some of those top picks. “He’s from out in the country, a little town called Conyers. Akil, everyone knew him, but he was the second tier of that group. Taylor Trammell came out that year. Three or four first-round picks come out of Atlanta that year. I was always curious why people weren’t talking about Akil more. We got a lot of looks at him.” He was seen a lot the summer before he was drafted. But it was very late in the summer when Baddoo took another step forward in the eyes of the Twins scouts. “We saw him at a Puerto Rico event the winter before the draft. The Mets put together a showcase where they bring a team from the States, and they play against Puerto Rican kids. It’s a great event. It’s after other events so you don’t get a lot of kids to show up. They’re tired. But Akil was there. He showed his passion for baseball. We liked him during the summer and were excited to see him show up. He went off there. He hit the ball hard, drove some balls, ran hard.” Baddoo was the Twins Daily choice for short-season Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2017 when he split the season between the GCL and Elizabethton. He has now played in 101 games this season for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. He has hit .241/.354/.413 (.767) with 19 doubles, nine triples and ten home runs. He also has 21 stolen bases in 26 attempts. Baddoo is a great athlete and has the built of a football player. “He’s strong. He’s like a running back. For me, he’s running better than when we drafted him. He’s a 70 runner. He’s playing way better defense. Mike Quade’s done a really good job with him defensively. He was a little raw defensively, but he’s got a different throwing action, but he can throw the ball. That’s maybe the one negative, the throwing. He’s getting much better. He’s got a chance to be a plus base runner.” ----------------------------------------------------------------- It is certainly not normal for a team to use four draft picks in the top two rounds and use each of them on high school hitters. To this point, the Twins front office has to be thrilled with all four picks. Each has experienced success and advanced up the organizational ladder appropriately, maybe even aggressive in some cases. 2016 was Deron Johnson’s final draft as scouting director, replaced by Sean Johnson. He says he is enjoying his new role where he gets to scout in many places. He was involved in the amateur scouting, the pro scouting and has had a chance to do some work internationally as well. But he has the right to be proud and excited about what the future might hold for his final draft. “I got a chance to see all those guys this summer, and it was fun to see. I got to see Alex. He’s done tremendously. Ben has been doing really well. He’s really improved defensively and his bat is coming on, so that is encouraging. Baddoo, despite his batting average, his peripheral numbers are really good. He’s hitting for some power, a bunch of doubles and stolen bases. And Miranda, I was there when he started heating up too.” Johnson continued. “It’s encouraging seeing those kids play well. I think Alex Is the oldest at 20-years-old. Akil won’t be 20 until the end of the year. It’s awesome seeing those guys have that kind of success this early in their career. ” But what is just as exciting as the top four picks, there are several other players that the Twins drafted in 2016 who remain in the organization and also have a chance to reach the big leagues. Will they? There’s no way to know that yet, of course, but several are on the right path. Soon, we will continue the conversation with Deron Johnson and discuss the rest of the Twins 2016 draft. It is a draft class that the Twins and their front office should be excited about. View full article

Just post the link...

Correct... we also have to remember that they do have to fill a team and need certain positions and need depth and yet have just 6-7 per team. So guys like Perez and Kranson (especially a catcher who can play other positions) make a ton of sense.

It'll presumably be in tonight's' Twins minor league report, even though it won't be official until the team announces it tomorrow... but.. Lewis Thorpe fans....

I agree on the Jax idea... that would be a good one. There is no One Below Double A rule anymore, so that's' not an issue. Granite probably wouldn't be ready yet. He just started his rehab from his torn rotator cuff last week, so I'm guessing he wouldn't be ready.

Jax is borderline Top 30 for me even after adding 5-6 new guys in the organization. Helman's too early to know yet. 11th round pick, solid college player, already moved to 2B... he'd be borderline top 50 maybe for me. I don't' rank any players until they reach the GCL, unless they're 7-digit international signees and that's only because we include them in the prospect handbook.

Who would i like to see? Kirilloff, Lewis, Rooker, and either Navarreto or Rortvedt. Tyler Wells, Cody Stashak, and if healthy, Hackimer. But there are so many reasons to send guys to the AFL beyond prospect status.

He's a Top 50 guy for me... I feel like he should be higher. He throws 95-96 mph. Has a good, developing pitch mix. Definitely one to watch.

Yes, they would just need waivers from their Winter League teams.