Seth Stohs

Well, the pitchers are generally told not to pitch in the winter leagues. Maybe some of the short-season types. The guys that aren't free agents usually prefer to rest than play. Even those that do play tend to spend 2-3 weeks there tops.

Per several sources on Twitter, Ohtani's group has told the Yankees that he will NOT sign with them...

I know...

The Twins tendered contracts to their entire 40-man roster. No surprise. It was expected that all six arbitration-eligible players would be tendered a deal. Here is a quick look at the players in baseball who were non-tendered today. https://www.mlbdailydish.com/2017/12/1/16726396/full-list-of-non-tenders Drew Smyly is the one intriguing name to me... Former Twins utility guy Danny Santana DFAd by Atlanta.

And my original comment was saying that he has a pretty good track record with drafting hitters... nothing to do with world series rings or anything like that.

My bigger point is that he's drafted a lot of very good hitters since 1994... Of course, he was much more involved in the draft from 1987 through 1993 (Knoblauch, Hunter), when he was the scouting director. Maybe they're not Hall of Famers, but I would feel happy if I knew a GM whose teams drafted the likes of Todd Walker, Michael Cuddyer, Joe Mauer, Denard Span, Ben Revere, Trevor Plouffe, and Byron Buxton. One of them is a borderline Hall of Famer. There are a couple of 20+ WAR guys, and Buxton's well on his way. Yes, there are misses too, like all GMs. Matt Moses didn't pan out. Neither did BJ Garbe. But again, show me another GM that hasn't had some bad misses?

So... Umm... In the last ten years, 19 players "went into the Hall of Fame." The latest that a player was drafted who got into the Hall of Fame were Frank Thomas and Jeff Bagwell, who were drafted in 1989... So, of those 23 years, zero of them are Hall of Famers... Just math... and a 10-minute research session on Baseball-Reference.

JB Shuck and Drew Rucinski signed with the Marlins.

Updated the Original Post to include quick links to all 25 episodes.

I guess if Hall of Fame is the criteria for quality draft picks...

I would say that if he becomes Ben Revere, and what he did for 4-5 years, we should all be thrilled. And, I think that is a pretty good comp. Very similar, though Granite has added a little power the last two seasons. He's a good fourth outfielder who you don't feel bad having start for a couple of weeks or a month when needed. The fact that he has reverse splits throughout his career is also helpful for him.He's just such a professional.

I chatted with someone on the phone this afternoon, and it sounds like these things are all currently accurate.. though still many things are subject to change.

Mike Berardino is reporting that there are more minor league transactions in the works, though it sounds like not all of it is complete. http://www.twincities.com/2017/11/30/shuffling-continues-in-twins-minor-league-system/ Mike Quade is stepping down as AAA Rochester manager. Joel Lepel moving from minor league field coordinator to an undetermined role in the organization. Tommy Watkins moving from Cedar Rapids manager to Chattanooga manager. Jake Mauer 'weighing his professional options.' Whatever that means. Bob McLure named a senior pitching adviser. He'll work with Garvin Alston and whoever becomes the minor league pitching coordinator. Toby Gardenhire, who coached in Rochester and in the GCL last year, will manage somewhere. Jeremy Zoll has been busy since joining the organization. These moves are in addition to the earlier announcements that Doug Mientkiewicz and Eric Rasmussen were let go too.

The Red Wings announced today that they have signed four players: OF Ryan LaMarre Catchers Bobby Wilson and Willians Astudillo RHP Myles Jaxe. Also, what we know so far, these players have been lost by the Twins organization as free agents. Derek Rodriguez - Giants Ryan O'Rourke - Orioles Niko Goodrum - Tigers

I think Terry Ryan and those under him did a very good job of drafting and developing hitters... I think that success is clear and there are many examples. I think that their ability to draft and develop starting pitchers has been an issue that's been brought up many, many times... So I am hopeful that the Falvine Era will find more success/luck.

Nope... he went on the Disabled List with what was called a shoulder impingement.

He was on an innings limit plan. He had been limited to five innings per start for a month or six weeks before he was shut down. He was shut down when he had kind of a dead arm. It's something where if it had happened in the middle of the season, he'd skip a start and be back out there. Since it was only one more start, and he was so close to a limit, they just shut him down.

That will be quite interesting. It might be worth a trip or three to Cedar Rapids early next season to find out. But think about all the prospects who should start the season in Cedar Rapids: Lewis, Javier, Kirilloff, Enlow, Baddoo, Miranda, Cabbage, and I Know I'm missing a couple of obvious ones too. Rortvedt could start there again.

This article found on reddit discusses how good Zack Granite's plate discipline is. https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/7g9tik/zack_granites_impressive_plate_discipline/

Of course, Sano was 19-years-old for the first month+ that he was with Ft. Myers. Ortiz was 20. It's a good rate stat to look at, but it does need some context. Of course, Rooker only had about 5 weeks of pro ball under his belt when he did it whereas Sano and Ortiz were in their fourth seasons as professionals. Rooker is a terrific prospect, and his age doesn't bother me. He was a four-year college guy and he was in Ft. Myers five weeks into his pro career. As I've written before... that's very unusual... It was impressive enough for me to rank him 6th, ahead of four younger players that probably have a higher ceiling. So it's fair to say I'm pretty high on Rooker.

It’s been almost a month since I started posting my 2017 postseason Minnesota Twins Top 50 Prospect Rankings. There have been mini profiles on 45 players so far, and today you will find who my top five Twins prospects are. I certainly welcome your feedback and discussion. Prospects 6-10 were very young and very exciting. The same can be said of this group, though there are also a couple of guys that we should see in a Twins uniform during the 2018 season. If you’ve enjoyed these mini-profiles of 50 Twins prospects, you’ll definitely want to get a copy of the 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook, which will be available in about a month. There will be bigger profiles on about 170 Twins prospects, along with stories, rankings and much more. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily It’s been almost a month since I started posting my 2017 postseason Minnesota Twins Top 50 Prospect Rankings. There have been mini profiles on 45 players so far, and today you will find who my top five Twins prospects are. I certainly welcome your feedback and discussion. Prospects 6-10 were very young and very exciting. The same can be said of this group, though there are also a couple of guys that we should see in a Twins uniform during the 2018 season. If you’ve enjoyed these mini-profiles of 50 Twins prospects, you’ll definitely want to get a copy of the 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook, which will be available in about a month. There will be bigger profiles on about 170 Twins prospects, along with stories, rankings and much more. Let’s get to my choices for the Top 5 Twins prospects. This is a very talented group, all of who have the ability to not only play in the big leagues but be strong, long-term contributors. Please feel free to discuss. (Note - there are links to the first seven parts of this series at the bottom) #5 OF Alex Kirilloff Yes, he missed the entire 2017 season because he had to have Tommy John surgery in early March. He had injured his arm late in the 2016 Elizabethton season but chose to rehab and hope. The Pittsburgh native was one of the best hitters in the 2016 draft when the Twins made him the 15th overall pick in the draft. He came in and hit very well in Elizabethton .He is a big, strong kid. He’s 6-1 and about 215 pounds. He is very sound mechanically at the plate. He’s a line drive hitter who uses the whole field, and he has tremendous power potential. He should be ready for Opening Day 2018, though the Twins will certainly not rush him back. Defensively, he will be a corner outfielder. He has the arm to play right field. He’s a good athlete with a lot of potential. He just turned 20 earlier this month. (Get to know Alex Kirilloff) photo by Jon Tarr #4 RHP Fernando Romero Fernando Romero missed two full seasons because of Tommy John surgery, but he came back throwing nearly 100 mph. He’s also got a sharp slider and an improved changeup that he worked on a lot in 2017. Romero will turn 23 on Christmas Eve. He was added to the Twins 40-man roster a year ago and spent the entire season at AA Chattanooga. He went 11-9 with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. In 125.1 innings, he walked 45 and struck out 120 batters. While he’s just over 6-0 tall, he’s build very strong. He’s thick in the legs and the backside and that’s where he gets his big velocity from. The hope for Romero should be to get him to 155 to 160 innings. And he should see time in the big leagues too. photo by Seth Stohs #3 SS Nick Gordon I mean... Nick G Cinco is The Man... maybe that's where we should start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IfDry906h8 Nick Gordon was the Twins first pick in the 2014 draft, the fifth overall pick out of high school in Orlando. He began his career in Elizabethton and has moved up one level each year. Following the 2016 season, he played well in the Arizona Fall League. 2017 was another exciting season for the shortstop. He played very well in the season’s first half. He was named to the Southern League All-Star team (though the game was rained out). He started for Team USA in the Futures Game before the All-Star game. He struggled a bit in the second half. More important than all the accolades, he took strides in his game. He set season highs in nearly every statistical category including Isolated Discipline and Isolated Power. After hitting a combined five home runs in his first three seasons, he hit nine home runs for the Lookouts. Defensively, the questions remain for many of whether he will be able to stay at shortstop. He is also considered a leader by those who know him best. photo by Seth Stohs #2 LHP Stephen Gonsalves Gonsalves was the runner up to Jose Berrios for the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2015. In 2016, he was the choice for Starting Pitcher of the Year. Like Berrios, Gonsalves became a two-time winner when he was the choice again in 2017. His season began with an invitation to big league spring training where he had a solid showing until an injury arrived and cost him the first two months of the season. He returned to the Lookouts where he went 8-3 with a 2.68 ERA in 15 starts. He made three starts for Rochester at the end of the season. Gonsalves has a terrific mix of pitches. He has a good fastball in the 91-94 range. He throws a good changeup. He has really worked on his slider and it’s become a really good pitch. He also mixes in a cutter in some situations. He is poised and he is smart on the mound. He knows how to pitch. He was added to the 40-man roster this month. He should be given an opportunity to make starts for the Twins by mid-summer. photo by Seth Stohs #1 SS Royce Lewis Derek Falvey and Thad Levine came into an enviable situation. While the 2016 team lost 103 games, the organization was blessed with some young players with high ceilings. And, along with the worst record, they had the #1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. They had choices, and some really good choices. They could have taken a college pitcher like Kyle Wright. They could have taken a high school pitcher like Hunter Greene or MacKenzie Gore. They could have taken Brendan McKay who will pitch and may hit too. Instead, the Twins went with a high school shortstop from California named Royce Lewis with the Number One pick. And if early returns mean anything, they made a really, really good choice. After the Boras client signed, he was sent to Ft. Myers and spent about a month in the GCL. In 36 games there, he hit .271/.390/.414 (.804) with six doubles, two triples and three home runs. In a somewhat surprising move, Lewis finished the season with 18 games in Cedar Rapids. He hit .296/.363/.394 (.757) with two doubles, a triple and a home run. Combined, he stole 18 bases in 21 attempts. Lewis has all the tools, though since he will remain just 18 until June, he will need to work and continue to develop all of them. He has a good approach at the plate and knows the strike zone. He’s got a smooth, line-drive swing. He’s got good size and will continue to grow and gain strength and could develop good power. He’s got well above average speed. He can play defense. And the more people watched him, the more many believe that he could stay at shortstop, but he could play any position on the field. He’s got what’s called an average arm, but he can make all the throws he needs to. From everything we’ve heard about him or from him, he has tremendous makeup. It will be fun to watch how aggressive the Twins choose to be with him in 2018. He will likely start in Cedar Rapids, but could he work his way up to Ft. Myers by season’s end? It’s possible. photo by Jean Pfiefer --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So there you have it, my choices for Minnesota Twins Top 5 prospects and my Top 50 prospects. I certainly don’t expect everyone to agree with my choices… And, by the time the 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook comes out, it’s likely it will change a little bit more. But it’s fun for discussion, and it’s fun to recognize fifty players who deserve to be talked about. So, please feel free to ask questions, leave comments and discuss these rankings. Part 1: Prospects 41-50 Part 2: Prospects 31-40 Part 3: Prospects 26-30 Part 4: Prospects 21-25 Part 5: Prospects 16-20 Part 6: Prospects 11-15 Part 7: Prospects: 6-10 View full article

I can't imagine there is any plan in which Brent Rooker is a 5th OF or backup 1B. My guess is whenever he's ready, they'll bring him up to start.

The Phil Miller article in Baseball American on Graterol said that he gained 60 pounds of muscle since signing. He wasn't 120 when he signed... He may not get taller, but he's strong.

That may be why he's #8 and not #4.