Seth Stohs

Buxton won the award from Wilson as well.

I can't understand this thinking that there is any chance that the Twins might be a realistic option for Carlos Santana. While I think the Twins would be willing to pay Santana, why would Cleveland not be willing to match that offer, and then why would he leave them to join the Twins. That's not an anti-Twins take, but I do think it's realistic. Unless the Twins are willing to way-overpay for Santana, I think he'd stay "home." And if overpaying is what it takes... that's generally not a good idea.

First, bloodlines had nothing to do with his ranking for me. I do think his stuff can be pretty good. I don't care much about the age-to-level for Rodriguez because he did spend those three years as a hitter/outfielder. I can see the Slegers argument. But then again, we're talking prospects 29 and 34... there's really not a ton of difference there in the bigger picture.

In my opinion, yes. Both throw harder. Moya's had a ton of success. I mean, he was MiLB's Minor League Reliever of the year, but the profile for him is a good lefty middle reliever. Rodriguez could be a starter, or eventually a late-inning guy. Jax has really good stuff. He'll be a little older when he gets there (if he gets there), but his stuff could be really good as a starter.

Correct... I just have a feeling that he is a guy that they should want to bring back, so I'm choosing to include him here.

He's working innings... that's much more important than any of the stats he puts up. He missed so much time, it's just great that he's pitching. And, like you said, it's such few innings.

In Part 1, I gave my selections for Twins prospects 41-50. Earlier this week, Part 2 reviewed Twins prospects 31-40. Today, the countdown continues with Part 3, my choices for Twins prospects 26-30. This is an interesting group of prospects. While there is a free agent whom I would hope the Twins would want to bring back, the four other players are high-ceiling types but very raw and inexperienced. They are the types of players who could move up this list a lot in 2018.With that, let’s take a look at my choices for Twins prospects 26-30. #30 SS Jelfry Marte Marte is one of the more intriguing names on this prospect list. Signed in July out of the Dominican Republic for $3 million, most believe that he has the potential to stay at shortstop. He’s got good speed, range and a strong arm. While he is currently about 5-10 and 140 pounds, it is believed that he will grow. There are mixed opinions about his offensive potential While many believe that he will likely be a bottom of the order hitter, some think that he could grow and eventually add some power. He could begin his pro career in the Dominican Summer League in 2018, though it’s possible he’ll move up to the GCL. #29 RHP Dereck Rodriguez Rodriguez recently became a free agent. He was drafted by the Twins in the sixth round of the 2011 draft out of high school in Florida. He spent the first three seasons of his pro career as an outfielder in the rookie leagues. He started the transition to pitcher in 2014. In 2015, he was the Appy League Pitcher of the Year. He finished the 2016 season with a 2.56 ERA in Ft. Myers. He was an All Star for the Miracle in 2017, going 5-2 with a 2.51 ERA. He moved up to AA where he went 5-4 with a 3.94 ERA. Last offseason, he helped win a championship in the Puerto Rico Winter League and was then named an alternate for the talented Puerto Rico WBC team. He’s 25 but continues to take strides forward. He throws 90-93, touching 94. He’s got a good slider as well and a changeup. He was able to get more ground balls. He even got to attend his father’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown in August. #28 3B Andrew Bechtold Bechtold was the Twins fifth-round draft pick this year out of junior college powerhouse Chipola College. Coming out of high school, he went to Maryland. He made seven starts before getting hurt and getting a medical redshirt. In 2017, he hit .419/.532/.676 with 12 homers. He had committed to LSU but instead signed with the Twins. At Elizabethton, he hit .299/.406/.424 with ten doubles and two homers. At 6-1 and 195 pounds, Bechtold was moved to third base at Chipola (though he may have played shortstop at LSU). He already has shown his ability to work the count and take walks. He also has a chance to hit for a lot of power. #27 RHP Griffin Jax Jax made a start in Elizabethton this summer before making four starts in Cedar Rapids. That marked his three-week leave from the Air Force. When he left, he headed to Cape Canaveral where he is an acquisitions officer. His duty will be complete next summer, though he may be able to make the trek to Ft. Myers on weekends in the summer. Jax, whose dad played in the NFL for a decade, was the Twins third-round pick in 2016. He’s blessed with a mid-90s fastball and has a good slider and a changeup to go with it. He will turn 23 in two weeks, so his career will be delayed by two years. We’ll have to be patient, but he has the stuff to be good. (Get to know him.) #26 OF Aaron Whitefield The Twins have done well with toolsy hitters in the past. In the Twins minor league system, there are not players more athletic than the outfielder from Australia. He’s only been playing baseball for about three years after spending most of his youth playing softball at a high level. Defensively, he can cover ground in center field with anyone (not named Byron Buxton). Offensively, he’s still working on things, but he hit .268/.318/.414 (.732) with 18 doubles, six triples and 11 home runs. He also stole 33 bases. He’ll need to adjust and put the ball in play more, but he’s definitely a sleeper. (Get to know him.) So there you have Part 3 of my Top 50 Twins Prospect rankings, prospects 26-30. Be sure to check out Part 1 (41-50) and Part 2 (31-40), and feel free to discuss any of these players or ask questions below. Click here to view the article

I think Mauer should have been a finalist too... But we should all be thrilled that Dozier won a Gold Glove.

My level of caring about the advanced defensive statistics of Brian Dozier relative to him winning the Gold Glove... Couldn't care less... Happy for him!!

UPDATED: On Friday night, Byron Buxton was named the Best Defensive Centerfielder by Wilson. Also, at the Rawlings ceremony, Buxton was presented the Rawlings Platinum Glove as the best defensive player in baseball! For the first time since 2007, the Twins have multiple Gold Glove winners. Brian Dozier and Byron Buxton each won their first career Gold Gloves. It is the first time since Joe Mauer won his third Gold Glove behind the plate in 2010. Dozier and Buxton are the 42nd and 43rd times the Twins have won Gold Glove Awards.While there is little surprise with the selection of Byron Buxton, despite great competition in center field, many will be surprised that Brian Dozier won. Some of the advanced metrics indicate that while his range may be just league average, or a little lower, he makes the plays that he gets to. Of all AL second basemen with more than 1,000 innings played this year, he had the fewest errors. He also had a lot of web gems. Dozier topped veterans Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia for the award. Buxton beat out Lorenzo Cain and Kevin Pillar, both terrific center fielders, for his award. Kevin Keiermeier was not eligible because of all his time on the disabled list. Buxton ranked third in defensive runs saved this year and second among outfielders to right-fielder Mookie Betts. He had some of the greatest web gems of the year. Congratulations to both. They are both extremely hard workers who deserve any awards they may have coming. Also, Joe Mauer was still snubbed! In addition, Twins Hall of Famer Jim Kaat was named to the Rawlings 60th Anniversary Gold Glove team! VOTE!!!! For the next 24 hours, fans can vote for the Platinum Glove Award to recognize the best defensive player of the 2017 season. Byron Buxton should get a lot of votes! UPDATE Click here to view the article

I can try to do that... I hope to update the "Organization Chart" during the offseason. Moya could be a big part of the Twins bullpen in 2018.

I think Stashak was at the back end of the Top 50 last time. I think he's got a chance. He just missed a bunch of time with a couple of injuries, so I wouldn't make too much of the numbers. I was impressed that they sent him straight to AA at the end of the year.

It always has been. It's just strange to me that they keep making up new eras and groupings in an attempt to get more players in. It has worked minimally in the past. I know that Bill Mazeroski was a Veteran's committee guy in the year Puckett and Winfield went in. They've been trying to get guys like Oliva in for a long time. I don't think any of these players are HOFers, though I'm not against it. Marvin Miller should be in, but he shouldn't be in the same category as players... This is just a weird one, in my opinion.

Looks a bit like Gonsalves physically... on the stat-sheet paper, he just hasn't put up numbers anywhere near Gonsalves has, and his 'stuff' isn't there either... But... with his size and such, he has lots of room for improvement.

Uffdah, and I thought my blueprint was detailed... this is impressive!! Thank you for sharing this!

The purge has begun. With Palka, Randy Rosario and Turley already lost in the DFA process, and O'Rourke and Goodrum and Gimenez off the 40 man there are spots. And, frankly, there are another handful that can come off soon as well (whether by DFA, trade, etc.). There are also several guys that they can keep on the 40-man roster until they sign a free agent or something and need a spot.

I can agree with that. I guess pending seeing the next 10 prospects or so may (or may not) sway your opinion. I think he can be an MLB 4-5-6 starter, and that has value. It's always that ceiling versus likelihood conversation. There's a very good chance he will be a 4-5-6 MLB starter because he's basically already there. Then there are a lot of guys who have a ceiling of 2 or 3 starter if things go well, but they may be in the lower levels, so the odds of them getting to that level aren't great. Their odds of becoming a 4-5-6 starter aren't necessarily great. But that's the discussion on every prospect.

Thank you. I see the typo has now been corrected.

He's got a chance to move up quite a bit after this year.

Last week, I began to review my Top 50 Minnesota Twins prospects by looking at prospects 41-50. That list was comprised of several nearly-ready relievers and some young players with plenty of promise. Today, the list continues with a look at my choices for prospects 31-40. This group is kind of all over the place. There are some upper-level arms that are likely big leaguers, maybe back-end of the rotation types. There are some very young, high-risk, high-reward players as well. Injuries have been a factor in some of these rankings also.Let’s get started by reviewing prospects from 40 down to 31, starting with a left-hander selected out of Clemson in 2017. #40 LHP Charlie Barnes The Twins made Barnes their fourth-round pick in 2017 after three years at Clemson. Touted as one of the best changeup pitchers in the draft, Barnes made six appearances for the Elizabethton Twins and then was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he made another six starts. After working 101 innings in college, he worked 48.1 innings in pro ball. He walked 18 and struck out 46 batters in his debut. Barnes turned 22 following the minor league season. #39 Ricky De La Torre When the Twins used their sixth-round pick in 2017 on the shortstop, he became the highest-drafted player from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy since Carlos Correa was the #1 overall pick in 2012. De La Torre was projected to go earlier in the draft, so the Twins were happy to swoop up the athletic, 6-2 shortstop. The 18-year-old hit .268/.341/.359 (.701) in 42 games during his pro debut. He played a bit of second base when Royce Lewis was in the GCL, but upon Lewis’s promotion, De La Torre played mostly shortstop. He should advance to E-Town in 2018. #38 LHP Tyler Watson The Twins acquired Watson from the Nationals at the trade deadline for Brandon Kintzler. The 20-year-old had been Washington’s 34th-round pick in 2015 out of high school in Arizona. Most believed he would go to college. He had posted a 4.35 ERA at Hagerstown (Low A) in 98 innings. In 120.1 combined innings, he walked 32, struck out 116. At 6-6, there is a lot of projection. He’s throwing a little over 90 now with good, but still developing, secondary stuff. #37 LHP Lachlan Wells As a 19-year-old, Lachlan Wells spent the second half of the 2016 season in Cedar Rapids. He went 6-4 with a 1.77 ERA in 12 starts. In 71.1 innings, he walked 16 and struck out 63. In 2017, he moved up to Ft. Myers where he went 4-10 with a 3.98 ERA. His peripheral numbers were all pretty similar to his numbers a year earlier. He did miss nearly two months with an elbow flexor muscle strain. He did return to the Miracle late in the season. He won’t turn 21 until late February. #36 RHP Jake Reed Like Nick Burdi, Reed was a 2014 draft pick that we figured we would see before now. He dominated pro ball his first season. Since then, he has had some control issues and some injury issues that have cost him time. He was well on his way in 2017 until an oblique injury on the final day of spring training cost him the season’s first two months. He remains a legit relief pitching prospect. He has a fastball with a lot of movement at 97. He also has a darting slider. #35 RHP Landon Leach Leach was a prospect who had a lot of helium as the draft approached. He had been a catcher in the Canadian youth leagues until the last couple of years when he got a shot on the mound and reached into the mid-90s with a fastball. He agreed to the terms set out by the Twins and they took him in the second round of this year’s draft. It took several weeks for Leach to get his work visa and then he headed down to Ft. Myers. He turned 18 in July and pitched in 13.1 innings over five appearances before the end of the season. #34 RHP Aaron Slegers Slegers was the Twins fifth-round pick in 2013 out of Indiana where he was the reigning Big 10 Pitcher of the Year. He has moved up one level each season. He received an invitation to big league spring training in 2017, and had a really nice season with the Red Wings. He went 15-4 with a 3.40 ERA. In mid-August, he made a spot start against Cleveland and responded b y giving up just two runs in 6.1 innings. He made four total appearances for the Twins. He is 6-10. He doesn’t throw real hard, sitting mostly in the low-90s but occasionally touching 94. He’s got the secondary pitches and know-how to pitch. He can be a solid back-of-the-rotation starter. #33 LHP Gabriel Moya Moya came to the Twins in late July from Arizona in exchange for catcher John Ryan Murphy. At the time of the trade Moya had a 0.82 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP for Jackson (also in the AA Southern League). After the trade, he helped Chattanooga to a share of the Southern League championship. With the Lookouts, he had a 0.61 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP in 14.1 innings. When the Lookouts finished their playoff run, Moya was summoned to the big leagues. He posted a 4.26 ERA in seven games for the Twins. The left-hander has a herky-jerky, deceptive motion and delivery making his 90 mph fastball appear much faster. He has a good slider and a changeup and has a chance to be a good lefty-reliever for years. Recently, he was named MiLB.com’s minor league relief pitcher of the year. #32 RHP Tyler Wells Another tall starter, Wells spent most of his 2017 season in Cedar Rapids. Drafted in the 15th round in 2016 out of Cal State - San Bernadino, Wells has a good fastball. His best pitches might be his breaking balls. He has a really good 12-6 curveball, but he also has shown a really sharp slider. He was limited to 14 starts in 2017 due to a couple of stints on the disabled list with biceps tendinitis. He went 5-3 with a 3.11 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. In 75.1 innings, he walked 22 and struck out 92 (11.0 K/9). #31 RHP Nick Burdi Like Reed, the assumption was that Burdi would already be on the 40-man roster, an established, dominant, late-inning reliever for the big league club.. Instead, he is now a question mark to be added to the 40-man roster in November after having Tommy John surgery early in the 2017 season. But this almost still feels too low. Yes, he’ll probably miss a majority of the 2018 season, but when he comes back from surgery, he’ll still be a reliever with upper-90s fastball and an upper-80s slider. And, he’ll only be 25 throughout the 2018 season. So there you have it, my choices for Twins prospects 31-40. What do you think of these choices or these rankings? Feel free to ask questions or leave your comments below. Click here to view the article

Grossman and Vargas are both switch hitters.

I agree that he needs to re-establish himself,but he did miss most of the season with a broken hand or wrist or somewhere in that area. He is a possible 40-man removal candidate, but that would likely be based on things other than a .759 OPS in AAA.