Seth Stohs

What inflated projections? I think ranking him this low says a lot.

I never said that they aren't out there... just that it's not really possible to know which one(s) will be good and which one(s) will fail.

That's what I said... I still think I have him too low... But, let's get him into some real games and by the season-ending rankings, I have little doubt he'll be in the top ten.

Free agent relievers are a crap shoot. They obviously aren't going to get the Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen or Mark Melancon types (though two of them have spent time on the DL already this year). Then there is that group of relievers each year that sign for between $2 and $6 million. Maybe 1/3 of them perform to hope... but figuring out which of them will be good or not good is impossible. As with most free agents, you're talking about 31-36 year olds, already on the downward plane of their careers... There are always a few good ones, but you never know which ones they'll be. Just my opinion... not claiming it's the right opinion. I know people can always find examples of free agents that were terrific. There are several of those. Maybe they should have brought back Anthony Swarzak this year? How would that have gone over with Twins fans this offseason? He's been remarkable for the White Sox.

Wheeler is just up (at least for now) for long relief right now. There really isn't a long reliever on the roster, so he could be it. Of course, he could get a start and Gibson could go to the bullpen too. After the 15-inning game, they needed some fresh arms. Of course, the assumption is that Santana and Berrios could give them some length to help, but you never know. Even the top aces occasionally don't get through 5 (or sometimes 2). Rucinski is just an arm. There's a reason he's 27-28, has had very little MLB time. He's filler. I would have gone to Busenitz or Hildenberger instead. I'd DFA Rucinski (and Boshers). I think both would clear, so they can stick in the organization.

Minor League Free Agents... not $3-6 million per year F/A.

Yeah, free agency isn't the way to build it... but unfortunately, pretty much all the relief pitcher prospects have been hurt and missed time with significant injury. Hildenberger and Busenitz are close. Belisle's been a mess and now two months into the season, they can make a decision on him, whatever that is; DL or DFA. He's going to be fine at some point - I think - but it isn't happening now. Breslow's actually been pretty good this year, before yesterday. Not too worried about him either. What Nick wrote about Pressly is exactly right. Too much there to give up on. Often can be dominant... but has these days too. Frustrating, but is what it is. Kintzler has been terrific. Say what you want about what a closer "should be," but he's gotten the job done most of the time (I think 2 blown saves), and that's not different from guys who are what closers should be. He's not the problem at all. Wheeler was up for long relief. He's there for emergency if the starter exits early and they need someone to eat some innings and throw 80-100 pitches. He's definitely not a guy you want pitching in the 8th inning.

Last week, I began a review of my updated, midseason Top 40 Minnesota Twins prospects. In Part 1, we reviewed prospects 31-40. In Part 2, we looked at prospects 21-30. As we jump into the Top 20, we will briefly profile five players at a time. Today’s grouping of five is rather interesting. Two upper-level relief pitcher prospects. Two very young, but immensely talented arms. A former top prospect who has really struggled yet still profiles well by several reports. This group illustrates so much about pitching prospects. There are lots of young arms with huge upsides, but there is a reason that TINSTAAPP (There Is No Such Thing As A Pitching Prospect) is a thing in baseball circles. Some take off and become MLB starters. Some struggle with control, adding secondary pitches or injury and never reach their perceived potential. Some become relievers. Some relievers who throw really hard get hurt.Today’s group of prospects also illustrates why prospect rankings are so difficult. There is such a large range of talent, age, and potential. Some players are very young and have a lot of development to do. Others have pitched at the highest level. With that, I present Part 3 of my midseason Top 40 Prospect Rankings, prospects 16-20. 20. Huascar Ynoa, RHP, 19 Ynoa turned 19 years old on Memorial Day. He signed with the Twins in July of 2014 out of the Dominican Republic. His brother Michael is a reliever for the Chicago White Sox. After spending 2015 in the Dominican Summer League, he came to the States in 2016. He was the Twins Daily short-season minor league pitcher of the year. For the GCL Twins, he went 3-5 with a 3.18 ERA in 11 starts and 51 innings. He walked 12 and struck out 51. Ynoa throws hard, sitting 91-93 and touching 95. He’s got the makings of really good secondary pitches. He’ll likely pitch at Elizabethton this season. 19. Nick Burdi, RH RP, 24 After a long 2016 season in which he missed most of the season with a bone bruise in his elbow, things were looking good for Nick Burdi in 2017… at least until last week. Burdi had pitched 17 innings in 14 outings for Chattanooga. He had four walks and 20 strikeouts. He had given up just one run, on a solo homer. His ERA was 0.53 ,and his WHIP was 0.77. There was talk of him being ready for a promotion to Rochester, if not even directly to the Twins. He was hitting 100 with regularly. And then news came late last week that he has a torn UCL and will need Tommy John surgery which will put him out for the rest of the season. The Twins second-round pick in 2014 out of Louisville. 18. JT Chargois, RH RP, 25 The Twins second-round pick in 2012 out of Rice University, Chargois missed the 2013 and 2014 seasons with an elbow injury and Tommy John surgery. He returned in 2015 and stayed healthy. Last year, he dominated the minor leagues and got a chance to pitch for the Twins. Early results were not good but he was terrific in September. His velocity (normally 95-98 on the fastball) was a little down this spring and he struggled, so he went down to Rochester. Unfortunately, he has pitched in just two games this year due to elbow concerns. Frankly, we haven’t heard anything on him in quite some time. But as we’ve seen, when he’s healthy, his fastball-slurvy thing-change up can be a late-inning threat for the Twins. 17. Kohl Stewart, RHP, 22 It’s been a difficult start to the 2017 season for Stewart, the Twins first-round pick in the 2013 draft. While he’s never been a big strikeout pitcher, he’s always done a good job of not giving up too many hits and not walking batters. He’s maintained low ERAs. However, he went 0-4 with a 5.62 ERA in six starts to begin the season. In just 24 innings, he walked 22 and struck out 14. He was placed on the disabled list with a ‘knee’ injury. Still just 22, there is no reason to give up on Stewart. He has great talent. He throws into the mid-90s. He’s got a good slider. He can have a good changeup. Let’s hope that he gets healthy and starts throwing strikes again, because if he’s got those things, he can still be a solid starter. 16. Brusdar Graterol, RHP, 18 When I posted a previous Top 40, I had Graterol ranked in the low-20s. I felt that might have been too low, but most readers told me I had him too high. I’m sticking to my thinking and have moved him up. While he hasn’t pitched in nearly two years, and that was just 11 innings over four starts in the DSL (also 1 walk, 17 strikeouts), Graterol is intriguing. The right-hander signed with the Twins in 2014, but after those 11 innings in 2015, he came to the States and had Tommy John. He missed all of 2016. but he was pitching (and hitting 100 mph) in Instructional League. Unfortunately, before spring training, he broke his hand and had to sit most of camp. But he’s back, and he’s often sitting 97-98 with his fastball. He’s also got some solid secondary pitches. Now he just needs to be healthy and start working some innings. So there you have my selections for Twins Prospects 16-20. Feel free to discuss, ask questions, debate, etc. Click here to view the article

It would fit very well in the Twins forum...

I saw him pitch in Cedar Rapids a few weeks ago. I was more impressed with him than I thought I would be. Sat 91-93. Had good movement. Has 3-4 decent pitches and good control. Made in-game adjustments. He's a prospect in my mind, though I think he was just outside (or just inside? I can't remember) my top 40 prospects.

After tonight's game, the Twins DFAd Adam Wilk as he's out of options and the Twins are going to call up Adalberto Mejia. They have ten days to put him on waivers or trade him.

Benninghoff has a chance, for sure. Quezada was hurt this spring with a shoulder impingement. I haven't heard anything for awhile, but very hard thrower. Very long and lanky. Needs control.

I would say that a 24 year old "has some time left to make it." It seems like he's been around longer because he got to AA so far... Injuries are always part of it though. I'll never understand the thinking that a player needs to be in the big leagues before 25 or they won't be good or something. They may not be a Hall of Famer, but if you get a player's ages 25-31, that's pretty good...

And Kirilloff too, who would be in Cedar Rapids if not for the injury.

Stats in those lowest levels, and in the small sample of the GCL season are pretty meaningless. It's about the potential and upside and both have big upsides. They could both move up or down quite a bit this year. I wouldn't worry much about Rortvedt yet either.

I don't know that Vielma being in AAA means that Escobar would be gone. At least that's not directly true. Vielma isn't guaranteed a big league job next year at all. He's in AAA. Hopefully things go well, but there's no reason he can't be in AAA again next season. Obviously how he performs between now and Labor Day will play a role in that decision.

Prospect rankings are meant to be fun, but they're also meant to recognize players that work hard throughout the season. I choose to update my personal Top 40 Twins prospect rankings before the draft, before an influx of 25 or so new prospects. Obviously the draft, particularly the #1 overall pick but also several others in the top rounds, will affect any organization’s rankings. When the season is complete I do a quick preliminary Top 50 rankings before diving deep into the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. It is in that publication where you can find my “official” preseason rankings, and a lot more on all Twins minor leaguers.After looking at my Twins Prospects 31-40yesterday, let’s take a quick look at my choices for Twins Prospect 21-40 today. I welcome your questions and any discussion on the players. (I have included my preseason rankings. Note that I do a Top 30 list in the Prospect Handbook, but I keep and update occasionally a ranking of all of the Twins prospects. However, for this, I will put NR if they were outside my Top 50.) 30. Engelb Vielma, SS, 22 The slick-fielder Vielma signed with the Twins in September of 2011. Last fall, he was added to the Twins 40-man roster and went to his second MLB spring training. When he was sent to minor league camp, Paul Molitor noted that he could do some things with his glove that few can. His defense, his arm, his range and his leadership are all impressive. He began the season splitting time between second base and shortstop, alternating with Nick Gordon. In the last two weeks, he was promoted to AAA where he has played shortstop exclusively (and so has Gordon). Vielma puts together quality at bats, and he will hit for a decent average, but they will mostly be singles. Nothing wrong with that, but he won’t be a guy who puts up big OBP or SLG numbers because pitchers will throw him strikes. But he has value. That kind of defense, any team will be happy with. He’s probably more of a utility guy who you don’t mind starting when needed. Preseason Ranking: 27 Pre-2016 Ranking: 15 29. John Curtiss, RH RP, 24 Curtiss was the Twins sixth-round pick in 2014 out of the University of Texas. While in college, he had Tommy John surgery and came back as a closer. The Twins let him start for a year, but he struggled to stay healthy, so he was moved to the bullpen to start the 2016 season, and he took off. His prospect status really took off last year in the Arizona Fall League when he was pitching well and hitting 97. Last year, he was clocked at 98 mph. And, he has a starter’s mix of pitches available to him. He hasn’t been one of the big-named reliever prospects in the organization, but he has a chance to help the big league club, and maybe in 2017. He now has nine saves this year for Chattanooga. He has thrown 17.2 innings and has not yet given up a run. He has given up ten hits and ten walks, but he’s also struck out 25 batters. Preseason Ranking: 35 28. Jose Miranda, 3B, 18 Miranda was the Twins third draft pick in 2016. He was the first of two compensatory picks between the second and third round. The 73rd overall pick was drafted as a shortstop out of the Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico. He played some at shortstop last year, but this spring, he was already moved to third base. A lot of that may have to do with the presence of Wander Javier. Miranda is 6-2 and approaching 200 pounds. He’s a good athlete and should adapt to the hot corner well. He also should hit well. In 55 games in the GCL last year, he hit .227/.308/.292 (.600) with seven doubles, a triple and a home run. Obviously he’s got a long way to go before getting to the big leagues, but he’s got the tools and the frame to find him very interesting. Preseason Ranking: 18 . 27. Akil Baddoo, 18 Baddoo was the fourth Twins draft pick in 2016, selected one pick after they took Miranda. The Georgia prep was drafted as a tremendous athlete who had become a very good baseball player. While he hit just .178/.299/.271 (.570) with two doubles and two triples in 38 games, he will advance to Elizabethton to play this season (most likely). He came to spring training this year having gained 15 pounds and it was likely all muscle. Baddoo has all the tools. He should hit. He has major power potential. He’s got great speed and can play really good defense, including center field. And, he’s got the arm to play right field. Preseason Ranking: 20 26. Lewis Thorpe, LHP, 21 In July of 2012, the Twins signed Thorpe out of Australia for $500,000. He burst onto the scene the following year when he went 4-1 with a 2.05 ERA in 12 games. In 44 innings, he walked six and struck out 64. The following season, he moved up to Cedar Rapids in mid-May, and as an 18-year-old, he struck out 80 in 71.2 innings. Unfortunately, in his final start of the season, he hurt his elbow. The result was Tommy John surgery which cost him two seasons. He returned to the mound last week and made his second Miracle start on Thursday night. His fastball is still in the 91-93 range, and his secondary pitches are starting to work already. Thorpe will very likely move up this list quickly again. Preseason Ranking: 26 Pre-2016 Ranking: 13 Pre-2015 Ranking: 12 25. Lachlan Wells, LHP, 20 When Thorpe returned to the Miracle, he joined fellow Australian Lachlan Wells in the team’s starting rotation. Wells signed with the Twins in August of 2014 for $300,000. He’s actually followed the path of Thorpe fairly closely. He had a strong debut in the GCL in 2015 when he went 5-2 with a 2.09 ERA. In 47.1 innings, he walked 11 and struck out 49. Last year, he jumped up to Cedar Rapids midseason and made 12 starts for the Kernels. He went 6-4 with a 1.77 ERA. In 71.1 innings, he walked just 16 and struck out 63. He pitched for Australia in this spring’s WBC. He began this season with the Miracle and right now he is 2-6 with a 3.72 ERA. In 46 innings, he has walked ten and struck out 36 batters. Not great numbers, but consider he is three years younger than the average player in the Florida State League. Wells, like Thorpe, has a high baseball and high pitching IQ. He knows how to pitch. He’ll make adjustments. Preseason Rankings: 23 24. Ben Rortvedt, C, 19 Rortvedt was the Twins second round pick in 2016 out of Verona Area High School in Wisconsin. He went to the GCL and hit .203 (.531) in 20 games before moving up to Elizabethton where he hit .250 (.598) in 13 games. I admit that I was a little surprised that he started in Cedar Rapids right away this season, and he has struggled with the bat. However, he is one of the youngest players in the Midwest League and he is tremendous defensively. While he’s hitting just under .150 and his OPS is just shy of .400, he is providing value to his pitchers and to the coaching staff. Obviously at some point he will need to hit, but I have little doubt that will happen at some point. Preseason Ranking: 16 23. Aaron Whitefield, OF, 20 Aaron Whitefield signed with the Twins in May of 2015 after playing fast-pitch softball nearly his entire life. He was the lone GCL Twins player last year to make the league’s post-season All-Star team. He was a top player for the two-time defending Claxton Shield champion Brisbane Bandits in the ABL, and he represented Australia in the WBC this spring. He jumped up to Cedar Rapids to start the season and has played pretty well. In 42 games, he has hit .285/.327/.472 (.799) with six doubles, three triples and five home runs. He’s also stolen seven bases and become a reliable center fielder with great range. Then remember that he has only played baseball for about four years. He’s also 6-4 and 200 pounds. He’s got all of the tools. He just needs to play, and play a lot. He may be a diamond in the rough, but he’s certainly intriguing. Preseason Ranking: 48 22. Jake Reed, RH RP, 24 Reed was the Twins fifth-round pick in 2014 out of the University of Oregon. Upon being drafted, he gave up just one earned run in 31 innings between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids before giving up one run in 12.2 innings in the Arizona Fall League. In 2015, he struggled early in Chattanooga. He went down to Ft. Myers and was good before returning to the Lookouts late. He ended strong and again pitched well in the AFL. Last year, he pitched well in Chattanooga and ended strong in Rochester .This spring, he went to his second big league spring training and clearly impressed the coaching staff. Unfortunately, in the final exhibition game (Rochester vs Twins), he pulled a muscle in his side. He has been out since. He has pitched in recent days in extended spring training and even hit 98. He should return to the Red Wings soon. Preseason Ranking: 19 Pre-2016 Ranking: 18 Pre-2015 Ranking: 18 21. Luis Arraez, 2B, 20 The Twins signed Arraez in November of 2013 out of Venezuela. He broke out last year in Cedar Rapids. As a 19-year-old, he led the Midwest League in batting average in 2016. He went back home and played in the Venezuelan Winter League where he hit .335 against competition much older than him on average. He was starting to be talked about more and more as a bigger prospect. He began this season by going 5-13 (.385) in his first three games. However, in his final at-bat of that third game, he lunged toward first base and landed awkwardly, falling over the bag. He was carted off the field. Two days later, we learned that he had a torn ACL and would miss the entire remainder of the 2017 season. Preseason Ranking: 17 So there you have it, my choices for Twins prospects 21-30. If you missed my choices for Twins prospects 31-40, click here. The top 20 prospects will come over four more installments of five prospects a piece until we reach #1. Please feel free to leave comments and discuss the prospects mentioned and the order they are in. Click here to view the article

That's not really how prospect lists go though... they have little to do with MLB ready and about projecting potential ceiling. Hildenberger is pretty much ready too.

Here are a few: Cody Stashak is a guy I like as a Radke type. Slow start in FM, now on DL. Trey Cabbage should be higher on my list... and I would guess after the season, he'll jump into the Top 25, especially if he stays healthy and plays in E-Town. Niko Goodrum is at least in the category of "could be an MLB utility guy." Dereck Rodriguez... I think he could be a solid MLB reliever. Tyler Benninghoff ... huge upside arm. Tanner English... has the great defense, but really struggled in AA with the bat. Alan Busenitz has been a great find and has to be on the verge. Tom Hackimer --- a Hildenberger-esque delivery in Cedar Rapids. I don't want to give away the whole list, but those are some in that 'next' category.

I don't know. I mean, Deduno pitched in the big leagues. Robinson throws harder, is left-handed, profiles more as a late-inning reliever rather than starter or long relief guy. But the command and control will be something I'm sure he'll fight.

That said, if he was on the 40-man roster right now, we might look at it differently. But that can be a factor too... I just feel he is where he needs to be right now, and they could re-evaluate that again in a month.

Chatted with him the other day... sounds like things are going well. He's pitching a couple of bullpens each week. He said that he's currently scheduled to pitch in a game in July... I don't know if that would be a GCL game or if there might be some simulated games or what... but I'd think he'll get into some innings for the GCL Twins this year.

I would stick more with Gibson right now and let Slegers keep working in Rochester. He's been really good at times, and he's been lit up at times. I'd like to see him spend a little more time down there because I do think he could have a future in the rotation at some point, and I'd rather let him develop at his own pace rather than push him too quickly. That's not to say he couldn't come up and be OK right now... but he's got a few things to iron out and clean up.