Seth Stohs

I can only speak for me. My votes went to who I thought had the best year, statistically. This isn't a prospect ranking (for me), so I went with numbers/opinion.

I would say I'd agree with that...

I didn't like when he asked Polanco or Rosario to bunt in 7th or 8th innings. Any time before the 7th inning is just silly.

You caught me... 98% is a made-up number, but I'm pretty certain that it is way over 50% (again, in a one-run game, and with a bottom-of-the-order hitter batting). I woudln't have done it. I at least would have had the batter (if they weren't bunting, it would have been Castro) take a strike. But it's hard to get bent out of shape.

Teams bunt 98% of the time in that situation, even the analytical teams would bunt in that situation with a weak-hitting catcher at bat (I know they pinch hit for him with a good bunter). Edit to add: Not that I'm saying I agree with bunting, but in this situation, even Joe Maddon would ask for a bunt if a sub-.220 hitter was coming up.

The Minnesota Twins minor league season came to about ten days ago, but it was a successful season all around. The Rochester Red Wings won 80 games and lost a tie-breaker for the wild card spot in the International League playoffs.The Chattanooga Lookouts were the best team in the Southern League and shared the league’s championship due to Hurricane Irma.The Ft. Myers Miracle had a terrific second half to earn a playoff berth where they lost in the first round.The Cedar Rapids Kernels earned their playoff spot in the first half. They won their first playoff series before losing in Game 3 of the West Division championship. The team that beat them, Quad Cities, went on to win the Midwest League championship.The Elizabethton Twins won another Appalachian League title, and it appears they will remain a Twins affiliate for another five years (or more).The Gulf Coast League team won its division and lost in the GCL semifinals.The Dominican Summer League Twins also made the playoffs in 2017.Last week, we announced our minor league awards:Short-Season Minor League Pitcher of the Year - Jovani MoranShort-Season Minor League Hitter of the Year - Akil BaddooTwins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year - John CurtissTwins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year - Stephen GonsalvesTwins Minor League Hitter of the Year - Mitch GarverToday, we would like to announce our choices for 2017 Minnesota Twins All Stars. Our Twins Daily minor league report writers were asked to vote for a catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, three outfielders, a DH, a left-handed starting pitcher, a right-handed starting pitcher, a left-handed reliever and a right-handed reliever. The player at each position who received the most votes takes the spots. Read through our choices for each position. Check out how each of our writers voted. And then discuss and cast your votes as well. Let’s get started. (Note - all photos below from Seth Stohs, Twins Daily; exception, Brent Rooker photo by Mariana Guzman) The Twins Daily 2017 Minnesota Twins Minor League All Star Team Catcher: Mitch Garver - Chattanooga Lookouts, Rochester Red Wings Acquired: Twins 9th-round draft pick in 2013 out of New Mexico 2017 Stats: .291/.387/.541 (.928) with 29 doubles, 17 homers and 45 RBI Garver was the Twins Daily Minnesota Twins Daily 2014 Hitter of the Year when he played in Cedar Rapids. As you saw last week, he earned the award again in 2017 for his play with the Rochester Red Wings. His 2017 season began in big league camp as a non-roster invitee for the third straight year. He went to Rochester where he spent the final month of the 2016 season. He split time behind the plate early in the season with John Ryan Murphy. He began seeing some time in left field. Behind the plate, he threw out 31% of would-be base-stealers. He’s thrown out between 31-33% each season. In mid-August, he was called up to the Twins and has played in 15 games so far. ETA - August 2017 First Base: Jonathan Rodriguez - Chattanooga Lookouts, Rochester Red Wings Acquired: Minor League Free Agent in 2017 2017 Stats: .303/.408/.518 (.926) with 31 doubles, 22 homers and 78 RBI Rodriguez was the 19th-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009 and spent the first eight seasons of his career in that organization. Last offseason, he became a minor league free agent and signed with the Twins. He spent most of the season in Chattanooga where he put up fantastic numbers and was consistent throughout the season. He spent the final week of the regular season with the Red Wings where he added another home run. He returned to the Lookouts for their playoff run, and his tremendous season culminated when he hit a two-run, walk off home run to give the Lookouts a share of the Southern League championship. ETA - June 2018 Second Base: Travis Blankenhorn - Cedar Rapids Kernels Acquired: 3rd-round pick in 2015 out of high school in Pennsylvania 2017 Stats: .251/.343/.441 (784) with 22 doubles, 11 triples, 13 home runs and 69 RBI. Blankenhorn spent the full 2017 season in Cedar Rapids where he hit anywhere from first to third in their lineup. Still trying to develop defensively, he spent the first half of the season playing third base. In the second half, he moved over to second base and did well. Offensively, he has a good, patient approach at the plate. He’s strong and could add significant power in time, but he’s also got real good speed. He should move up to Ft. Myers for the 2018 season. ETA: July 2020 Third Base: TJ White Chattanooga Lookouts Acquired: Twins 19th-round draft pick in 2014 out of UNLV 2017 Stats: .276/.358/.484 (.842) with 26 doubles, 4 triples, 14 home runs and 65 RBI. White was a high school teammate of Rangers infielder Joey Gallo, playing against the likes of Kris Bryant and Bryce Harper. White stayed home and went to college at UNLV. He spent 2015 in Cedar Rapids. He began 2016 in Ft. Myers, but an injury pushed him to Chattanooga early in the season and he struggled. This year, he struggled some in spring training and stayed back in extended spring training to work through some things with his swing. The work paid off as he put together a tremendous season. White is very strong and could develop a lot more power, but he’s also got good speed. ETA: September 2018 Shortstop: Jermaine Palacios - Cedar Rapids Kernels, Ft. Myers Miracle Acquired: signed in September 2013 out of Venezuela 2017 Stats: .296/.333/.454 (.788) with 21 doubles, 10 triples, 13 homers and 67 RBI Palacios burst on the scene when he came to the States in 2015 and hit .370 in the GCL and .336 in Elizabethton. He went to Cedar Rapids to start the 2016 season, but he really struggled with the adjustment (whether is was the weather or the league). He hit just .222/.276/.287 (.564) in 71 games before getting hit by a pitch in the hand and ending his season. He returned to the Kernels this year and his prospect status was regained, and maybe heightened. He hit .320/.362/.544 (.907) in 62 games with the Kernels before moving up to Ft. Myers where he hit .269/.303/.359 (.662) in 62 games. He also had a .961 fielding percentage at shortstop. ETA: June 2020 Outfielder: LaMonte Wade - Cedar Rapids Kernels, Ft. Myers Miracle Acquired: Twins 9th-round draft pick in 2015 out of Maryland 2017 Stats: .292/.397/.408 (.805) with 22 doubles, 3 triples, 7 homers and 67 RBI Despite playing just 32 games for Ft. Myers in the second half of the 2016 season, LaMonte Wade was pushed up to AA Chattanooga. He struggled for the first two weeks, and then he returned to form. Wade has a very advanced plate approach. He knows the strike zone well and has a plan for each plate appearance. He can hit for average. He walks more than he strikes out, and he does have some power. While he hasn’t hit a lot of home runs, he has hit some of the longest home runs of the year, so he should develop that skill. Wade can play an adequate center field in the minors, though he probably profiles more as a left fielder in the big leagues ETA: August 2018 Outfielder: Zack Granite - Chattanooga Lookouts Acquired: Twins 14th round draft pick in 2013 out of Seton Hall 2017 Stats: .340/.394/.479 (.872) with 17 doubles, 5 doubles, 5 triples, 30 RBI. Back in early 2014, then-Kernels manager Jake Mauer told me that Granite would have the most professional at-bats I’d see. Over the last two seasons, as he has been healthy, he has shown that to be true. Granite is a prototype for a leadoff hitter. He puts together quality at-bats. Knows the strike zone well, and has the cool and calm to handle tough situations. In 2016, the Twins named him their minor league player of the year. He was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason and made a strong impression on Paul Molitor at spring training. In June, he hit .470 in Rochester. In early July he was called up to the Twins where he played most games as Byron Buxton was on the disabled list. He went back down and came back up in late August. ETA: July 2017 Outfielder - Akil Baddoo - GCL Twins, Elizabethton Twins Drafted: Twins 2nd-round (compensation round) pick in 2016 out of high school in Georgia 2017 Stats: .323/.436/.527 (.964) with 19 doubles, 5 triples, 4 home runs and 29 RBI. The Twins have had terrific success drafting baseball players and athletes and letting them develop. Niko Goodrum and Byron Buxton are two examples, but Georgia has produced a lot of terrific baseball players in the last decade or more. Baddoo, one of two compensatory picksafter the second round in 2016, is another example. He has really good speed which could lead to a lot of extra-base hits, stolen bases, and range in the outfield. He also gained 15 pounds in the offseason and has a lot of power now with a ton of power potential. He began the season in the GCL, but moved up to Elizabethton as soon as Brent Rooker was promoted from E-Town to Ft. Myers. Upon joining the E-Twins, he became an instigator at the top of the lineup. In August, he had 13 doubles and got on base over 50% of the time. The future is bright. He was the Twins Daily short-season Hitter of the Year. ETA: June 2021 Designated Hitter: Brent Rooker - Elizabethton Twins, Ft. Myers Miracle Acquired: Twins 1st-round (compensation) draft pick in 2017 out of Mississippi State 2017 Stats: .281/.364/.566 (.930) with 11 doubles, 18 homers and 52 RBI The Twins drafted Brent Rooker late in the 2016 draft , but he chose to bet on himself and returned to college for his senior season. He won the SEC’s Triple Crown, and the Twins took him this year with a compensation pick right after the first round. (Interview) Since he’s had four years of college and is an advanced hitter, the Twins had him adjust to pro ball and life in Elizabethton for 21 games before aggressively promoting him to Ft. Myers. With the Miracle, he was twice named the Florida State League’s player of the week. His 18 homers in his draft season are the most since Paul Russo hit 22 in Elizabethton in 1991. He hit 11 of those homers for the Miracle. The last time a player hit double digits in homers in Ft. Myers during their draft season was Todd Walker, in 1990. ETA: July 2018 Right-Handed Starting Pitcher: Clark Beeker - Cedar Rapids Kernels, Ft. Myers Miracle Acquired: Twins 33rd-round pick in 2016 out of Davidson 2017 Stats: 12-4, 2.63 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 1.4 BB/9, 5.8 K/9 This was a close vote, as you might expect. There were a lot of options, but it was Beeker who got the most votes. Drafted late in 2016, he split his time between the GCL and Elizabethton. He began this season in Cedar Rapids and was one of the most consistent starting pitchers throughout the season. His fastball tops out at about 89, maybe 90, but he showed impeccable control and really good secondary pitches to keep hitters off balance. He had a stretch of 34.1 scoreless innings at one point. He received a promotion to Ft. Myers late in the year but returned to the Kernels for the playoffs. Get to know him. ETA: May 2020 Left-Handed Starting Pitcher: Stephen Gonsalves - Ft. Myers Miracle, Chattanooga Lookouts Acquired: Twins 4th-round pick in 2014 out of high school in California 2017 Stats: 9-5, 3.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 9.7 K/9 Gonsalves has moved up a level a year (with midseason promotions along the way) and dominated at each level. He was the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2016, as well as the Twins Daily Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2016. He earned an invitation to big league spring training and pitched well before his shoulder started bothering him. He remained in Ft. Myers, rehabbing and building strength until moving back up to Chattanooga in the middle of May. From there, he was really good again. In early August, he was promoted to AAA Rochester where he made five starts. The left-hander has good velocity, sitting between 91 and 93, touching 94 with the fastball. He’s got a good changeup, and his slider and cutter continued to improve and has become a good pitch for him. He repeated as Twins Daily Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2017. ETA: June 2018 Right-Handed Relief Pitcher: John Curtiss - Chattanooga Lookouts, Rochester Red Wings Acquired: Twins 6th-round draft pick in 2014 out of the University of Texas 2017 Stats: 2-0, 19 Saves, 1.28 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 4.0 BB/9, 9.7 K/9 2016 was the breakout season for Curtiss. He dominated in Cedar Rapids for a month before dominating at Ft. Myers for the rest of the season. He impressed in the Arizona Fall League last year as well. He began this season in Chattanooga where he took off as their closer and was a Southern League All Star. He didn’t give up a run until June 13th. He was promoted to Rochester and made his AAA debut June 23rd. He continued to pitch well, and in late August, he was surprised to get the call to the big leagues. He faced 194 batters this year between AA and AAA and didn’t give up a home run. He’s faced 22 big league hitters and given up two homers. But with a 97 mph fastball and a really good slider, he’s got a chance to be a really good cog in the back of the Twins bullpen for years to come. He’ll need to cut down the walks some, but he certainly can miss bats. He earned the Twins Daily Relief Pitcher of the Year for 2017. ETA: August 2017 Left-Handed Relief Pitcher: Andrew Vasquez - Cedar Rapids Kernels, Ft. Myers Miracle Acquired: Twins 32nd-round draft pick in 2016 out of Westmont College 2017 Stats: 4-1, 2 Saves, 1.55 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9, 13.2 K/9 Vasquez looks the part of a potential dominant lefty reliever. He’s tall. He’s thick. He throws hard, and he’s got a strong slider. His pitches can be described as heavy and hitters rarely seem to make good contact off of him. As you can see from his 2017 numbers, he misses a lot of bats. He began the season in Cedar Rapids where he posted a 1.61 ERA and 13.3 K/9. He moved up to the Miracle where he had a 1.51 ERA and 13.1 innings. He’s certainly one to watch as he moves forward. ETA: August 2019 The Votes So there you have it. The second annual Twins Daily Minor League All Star team. Who would get your vote? Below are the votes/selections of our 2017 Twins Daily minor league writers: Seth: C-Garver, 1B-Diaz, 2B-Blankenhorn, 3B-White, SS-Gordon, OF-Granite, Wade, Rooker, DH-Rodriguez, LH SP- Gonsalves, RH SP-Slegers, LH RP-Vasquez, RH RP-Anderson Jeremy: C-Garver, 1B-Rodriguez, 2B-Blankenhorn, 3B-White, SS-Palacios, OF-Granite, Wade, Rooker, DH-Diaz, LH SP-Gonsalves, RH SP-T Wells, LH RP-Turley, RH RP-Curtiss Cody: C-Garver, 1B-Rodriguez, 2B-Blankenhorn, 3B-White, SS-Palacios, OF-Granite, Murphy, Rooker, DH-Vargas, LH SP-Gonsalves, RH SP-Beeker, LH RP-Clay, RH RP-Curtiss Steve: C-Garver, 1B-Rodriguez, 2B-Gordon, 3B-White, SS-Palacios, OF-Granite, Wade, Baddoo, DH-Rooker, LH SP-Gonsalves, RH SP-Beeker, LH RP-Vasquez, RH RP-Anderson Eric: C-Garver, 1B-Paul, 2B-Goodrum, 3B-Reginnato, SS-Gordon, OF-Wade, Granite, Corcino, DH-Vargas, LH SP-Thorpe, RH SP-Jorge, LH RP-Clay, RH RP-Van Steensel Tom: C-Garver, 1B-Rodriguez, 2B-Blankenhorn, 3B-White, SS-Palacios, OF-Granite, Wade, Baddoo, DH-Rooker, LH SP-Gonsalves, RH SP-Poppen, LH RP-Vasquez, RH RP-Curtiss Ted: C-Garver, 1B-Rodriguez, 2B-Blankenhorn, 3B-Hague, SS-Lewis, OF-Baddoo, Granite, Wade, DH-Rooker, LH SP-Gonsalves, RH SP-Romero, LH RP-Vasquez, RH RP-Curtiss Looking Back: 2016 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars C: Mitch Garver, 1B: Zander Wiel, 2B: Luis Arraez, 3B: Nelson Molina, SS: Nick Gordon, OF: LaMonte Wade, Zack Granite, Daniel Palka, DH: Adam Brett Walker. RH SP: Fernando Romero, LH SP: Stephen Gonsalves, RH RP: Trevor Hildenberger, LH RP: Michael Theofanopoulos. Click here to view the article

This is a fantastic look at the Twins players... I would add just a couple of things too... 1.) Zack Granite did a respectable job when he came up for a DL'd Byron Buxton. Obviously he doesn't have the upside of Buxton, but he was able to do well during that stretch with the bat and the glove. 2.) When needing a starter for a game, Aaron Slegers came up and was fantastic. I believe it was something like 6.2 innings, 1-2 runs. He hasn't pitched much since then and yesterday's game was having not pitched for 11 days or games or something, but he provided a lift just when the team needed it too.

I think his double off of the wall was hit just as hard. He's been hitting well all year!

Huge difference. Wade has good speed. He would be a below average MLB CF, but he can certainly play it at least adequately. He's a good outfielder, average-ish arm. He's got good speed, but if we're comparing him to Buxton and his range, he'll not look so good. With Buxton, it's not something they have to worry about much.

Granite has reverse splits every season in the minors. He's hit better against lefties than righties, or at least equal.

I think this is a good way of saying it (Tweet from Derek Wetmore): And, for instance, having a 2-run lead gives a higher winning percentage/likelihood than a 1-run lead... and so on. So again, I hate the bunt early in games and I don't like it much late in games if there is a good hitter up. But if it's a crappy hitter in the 9th, down by one or tied or something, I don't mind it at all.

And they've done that with guys like Ben Paulsen and Carlos Quentin and others. I don't know which minor league free agents will be available. And I"m fine with them going after them. My point is that, knowing nothing else, Rodriguez makes sense to bring back. He wouldn't be blocking anyone, and if there were a need in the big leagues, he could come up and be OK. I just don't know that I would count on that.

They certainly have... and those are really annoying. I'm actually a fan of bunting for hits in some situations. It can be a weapon.

I think they should want him back. Wiel will move up to Chattanooga, so Rodriguez would have to go to AAA Rochester. There's a good chance Vargas won't be there (either with Twins or elsewhere), Park (may or may not come back), Hague (would be nice to bring back). So, there will likely be room for him. Do you think he'd make a big league roster? I don't know. Maybe. But he wouldn't really bring anything back, and I can't imagine a contending team trading for him.

And, I'm listening to Mackey and Judd and Wetmore on 1500 ESPN, and they're all anti-bunt... but I found myself agreeing with a couple of their takes. 1.) Molitor isn't bunting in the 3rd innings. 2.) Bunting will hurt the team's odds of scoring multiple runs, but it can increase the odds of scoring one run, and that's what they want when the score is 2-1. Now, I woudln't do it with any of the good hitters, so I don't want to see Polanco or Rosario doing it, but it's not a black and white thing either. 3.) Vargas is bad defensively, but we don't know if Garver is a better defensive 1B. We assume so. And, in one of his 2-3 games at 1B, he had a pretty bad error too. 4.) Vargas had three bad at bats last night, but his previous four at bats were double, homer, homer, double... So, as we do with Sano, we have to (probably just for the rest of the year) accept that he's going to strikeout a lot and is slow. 5.) I keep seeing people want to see Garver in LF instead of Adrianza. To this point, Adrianza has looked pretty good out in left field and has some good range. I watched a few of the games that Garver played in LF in Rochester. There's not much range. He'll catch what he gets to. But I don't blame them at all for going with Adrianza. Like I said, I want to see Garver as much as anyone, but there's no question we will... It may come in a pinch hitting opportunity, but more likely, it'll be in 2018 and beyond. As noted above, it's all about doing what they think is best for 2017 right now. And, Molitor isn't making decisions on his own. He's got a couple of very smart guys in Vavra and Pickler with him, and we know that Falvey and Levine and Adler are talking to Molitor every day too. They're all in this together.

Absolutely agree... and that includes other things too. Like, I'd love to see Granite and Garver and Curtiss and such play, but at this point, it's 100% about winning in 2018. No concerns about who will or won't be here in 2018. It's about getting to that Wild Card game, and hopefully advancing from there!

So many reasons. First, this isn't a prospect ranking. IF that's the case, it's clearly Gonsalves and then Romero... both of whom had really nice seasons too. I won't mention Wins, except to reference his stretch from mid-June through his first call up to the Twins in which he went 9-0 with a 2.10 ERA. At one point, he had a stretch of 14 out of 15 quality starts. Only Felix Jorge had more innings pitched (149.0 to 148.1) and both of them also missed two minor league starts to make big league starts. He walks very few. His strikeout rate was just 7.2, but the year before it was 6.4, and the year before that was 6.0. That's a nice bump. I don't think that any starting pitcher in the Twins system this year improved his standing in the organization (or around baseball) than Slegers. I don't look at age-to-level of competition for these awards, only as a tie-breaker maybe. I figure a guy can only pitch where he's assigned. I do tend to factor in Innings Pitched maybe more than some as well. Gonsalves had 38 less innings than Slegers. He had 56 innings more than Turley, and he had 65 more innings than Thorpe. Maybe those guys were a little bit better, but it's a long season and I think that those innings are pretty important. Certainly isn't a knock on any of the others... I feel good about my rankings, but there were a lot of really good starting pitching performances, and there wasn't that one pitcher who dominated the way Berrios did in 2014 and 2015 or Gonsalves did in 2016.

As I recall, that person ended up hitting a lot of home runs in Atlanta and Milwaukee, right?

And I thought that the #1 spot was an easy choice... But, since I was the only one who put Slegers at #1, apparently it wasn't such an easy choice.

In mid-July, I wrote an article looking at the first half of what I’ve been calling The Core Four. The Core Four, in my opinion, is comprised of Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Jose Berrios and Max Kepler. While it is clear that those four have the highest ceilings of any of the Twins young players, but it is becoming more and more clear that the Twins may have more than just four players that they may be able to rely upon for years to come.Let’s start by saying that The Core Four is still the core. At the time of the July article, Byron Buxton was in the middle of a mini-slump. However, with his defense, he was still very valuable. He figured some things out in August and had a huge month. A hand injury likely has stolen some pop from his swing, but his defense is still a must in the outfield. Max Kepler has had some ups and downs. He’s struggled mightily against left-handed pitchers, but that isn’t something that has historically been the case. He plays a strong right field and has continued to show increased power. Jose Berrios was great early, and he’s been more inconsistent from start to start the last six weeks or so. It’s clear that with his stuff, he is a large part of the Twins future. Miguel Sano has been hurt the last three weeks. He strikes out a ton, but there is no questioning the impact that he can have on the Twins lineup. His power is electrifying. And his defense at third base has been adequate at worst, so he is certainly part of the future. But since mid-July, a few others have put themselves in the conversation for being a part of the Twins new core. It’s not that they weren’t part of the future, but there were some question marks. ADALBERTO MEJIA Just 24-years-old, Mejia proved himself as a mid-rotation type of starter before experiencing an arm injury that cost him about a month. He has made three rehab starts in the Twins minor leagues, and he will return to the Twins rotation on Saturday against Toronto. Clearly he’s got good, starters stuff. He’s left-handed. He has enough velocity and is able to mix pitches well. If healthy, there is no reason that he shouldn’t be part of the Twins rotation for a half-decade or more. JORGE POLANCO In July, there were so many questions about Polanco. He was rarely playing because he looked lost at the plate, and at times, he was carrying it into the field. However, as the calendar changed to August, Polanco got back into the lineup and put up an incredible month. He posted an OPS well over 1.000 for the month. Is the 24-year-old part of the Twins future? Well, he’s certainly part of the 2018 season. Maybe Nick Gordon will come up at some point in 2018. Will Brian Dozier be traded or extended? In several of these scenarios, Polanco remains in the Twins starting lineup. And if not, he’ll be a starter in the big leagues for years. EDDIE ROSARIO No one has made bigger strides in 2017 than Eddie Rosario. Since signing with the Twins in 2009, it’s been clear that he is immensely talented, has quick hands, big power potential and strong defense (range and arm). What wasn’t clear is if he had it within him to quit swinging at so many pitches outside of the strike zone, or if he was even willing to try. Well, whether it was Rosario, James Rowson, Rudy Hernandez or someone else, Rosario has figured some things out. In fact, he has more walks this year than in the two previous seasons. He has been the Twins top hitter for most of the last three or four months. And, he’s just 25 years old still. If he can continue his trend of better strike zone judgment, he could be an all-star. He’s that talented. The “Core Four” are guys who were top prospects. Sano and Buxton were Top 10 overall prospects. Berrios was a Top 25 guy, and Kepler was a Top 50 guy. Mejia, Rosario and Polanco weren’t Top 50 prospects, but they were right on the borderline of the Top 100. Each of them made a Top 100 list or two as they were working their way up the organizational ladder. In other words, they haven’t just come out of nowhere. But what they have done this year is take a step forward in their development. I’m a big believer that overcoming struggles and difficulties is another part of the development. Maybe it’s the most important part of the development. There is a small group of prospects who work their way to the big leagues without finding extended period of struggle. They get to the big leagues. Have an extended slump, and you find out what they’re made of. Rosario and Polanco certainly fit into that category. The “Core Seven” isn’t as catchy as The “Core Four” but as a Twins fan, it’s great to see more and more reliable talent. These players will have to continue improving and becoming more and more consistent, but it’s in them. All seven are just coming into their primes and there is room to grow. That is what is the most exciting. Then consider the role-type of players that these guys can and will be surrounded by. Maybe not Top 100 types of prospects, but valuable pieces. Trevor Hildenberger, Alan Busenitz, John Curtiss and Gabriel Moya weren’t Top 100 prospects, but that’s four bullpen arms that could be there for years. Mitch Garver would appear to be the backup catcher for the next several years with the bat to play more often. Zack Granite can be a quality starting outfielder who may find himself in a fourth outfielder role. And there are pitchers coming soon too. Couple that Core Seven, with all that additional young talent, and the future is bright. Couple that talent with the veterans like Brian Dozier, Joe Mauer, Ervin Santana and Matt Belisle playing so well, and that’s why this team currently has a two-game lead for a playoff spot with 17 games to go. Click here to view the article

I personally never considered him, but I don't want to tell others how to think .

I struggled to include Busenitz and he had 30+ innings in the Twins minors, so I couldn't put Moya's 14.2 innings in there. Bard was on my list to consider... Good point on the BABIP, but at the end of the day, I feel good about the 5 I voted for, and feel bad that I couldn't vote for 4-5 others.

I did a radio interview yesterday in St. Cloud and was asked if I think this Twins team is very good. My response was that there is clear separation between Houston, Cleveland, Boston and New York and the rest. Those are the 'very good' teams. But we're 144 games into the season and the Twins are 6 games over .500. At some point, we might have to start considering that maybe this team is good. Maybe not very good, but certainly good. Yes, they're capable of going 6-12 over the final 18 games, but that feels unlikely. And for all of their flaws (particularly some pitching and maybe some against left-handed pitching), they're 2 games better than the next group. All of the other teams below them have flaws that are just as big, and maybe bigger, than the Twins.