Seth Stohs

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!

According to Mike Berardino, Engelb Vielma has been claimed by an unknown (at this point) National League team.

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. Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson, USA Today 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. View full article

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

The Twins 2nd round pick this season, Landon Leach just finished his stint with Team Canada in the World Cup. He wrote an article for the Canadian Baseball Network on his experience during the draft as well as his time with Team Canada. Very interesting. https://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/canadian-baseball-network-articles/landon-leach-my-life-as-it-led-to-the-draft-and-this-world-cup?platform=hootsuite

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.

Willie Banks Bernardo Brito

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.

When I send out the ballots, I just basically say to vote for X number of hitters or pitchers and only to consider their minor league numbers. For the short-season, I say only to include short-season numbers. I put the non-specific qualifier of "spent most of their season in the minors" in there. These aren't "prospect" awards or rankings. This is minor league award stuff. Tonkin, for example, was sent down on May 9th or so. He had 5 weeks in the big leagues (during the minor league season). Busenitz had maybe 6-7 weeks in MLB while the minor league season was going. Hildenberger has had 9-10 weeks. But I like leaving it a little hazy (like MLB's MVP award, and let people interpret how they measure or evaluate Pitcher of the Year (in the minor leagues) on their own rather than just go with my opinions. Also, Cody sent me one list, which I entered, but then a couple of days later, he sent me a message saying that he had totally missed John Curtiss and to put him #1 and slide others down. .So, the rankings are still accurate. (I have updated Cody's rankings).

I think both have a chance to be big leaguers. Both throw really hard and have good sliders. Good swing-and-miss abilities... Late-round draft picks from a small college (both from Westmont), could be late developers.

The Minnesota Twins announced this afternoon that they have purchased the contract of Gabriel Moya and called him up to the Twins bullpen. To make room on the 40-man roster, the team DFAd SS Engelb Vielma. Vielma really struggled with the bat in AAA which should help his chances of clearing waivers and staying in the organization. However, he has two options remaining, which could intrigue teams as well.

A very fair point.

And now that you've read through these profiles, you can vote on the award on our Twitter feed:

It's been a good thing, the last 2-3 years I have asked the other minor league report writers to vote for these. Before that, it was just my opinion. As you'll see from several of these votes, our winner does not align with my choice. But the authors spend a lot of time throughout the season, scouring box scores, reading game and transaction reports and doing a lot of their own research. It's probably more fair now that there are 7 people getting equal votes than it was before.

The Minnesota Twins had a day off on Monday. Some of the players went to the Minnesota Vikings season opener. Hopefully all of them got some quality rest. The Twins now have 19 games in the next 20 days. And that's assuming there isn't a Game 163, which the Twins have a bit of experience with. Let's take a look at the Twins' opponents over these final 19 games. Image courtesy of David Richard, USA Today The Minnesota Twins had a day off on Monday. Some of the players went to the Minnesota Vikings season opener. Hopefully all of them got some quality rest. The Twins now have 19 games in the next 20 days. And that's assuming there isn't a Game 163, which the Twins have a bit of experience with. Let's take a look at the Twins' opponents over these final 19 games. The Twins have just one off-day (on Monday, September 25th) remaining. Other than that, it's full-steam ahead toward the regular season's finish line. There remain high hopes among players and fans alike that the season will continue beyond the regular season's final regularly scheduled day (Sunday, October 1st). The opponents over the final 19 games comprise an interesting mix of teams. There are a couple of teams playing out the string. There is one team that pretty much never loses. And there is one team that the Twins have some hopes of catching before the end of the season, likely in an attempt to get to play them one more time. Here is a quick look at the remaining opponents on the Twins: San Diego Padres (September 12-13): The Twins played two games in San Diego earlier in the season, and now they will play their final interleague games, starting tonight. The Padres are 65-79 on the season. However, the team just came off of a series in which they won two out of three against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The weekend before, they won three out of four against the Los Angeles Dodgers, starting their losing streak. In between, they lost three out of four to the St. Louis Cardinals. Toronto Blue Jays (September 14-17): The Twins will play four games at home this weekend against the Blue Jays, a team that has had their number in recent years, but the Twins won two out of three in Toronto in late August. The Blue Jays beat Baltimore on Monday, and before that they won two out of three against the Tigers. Before that, they lost two out of three to the Red Sox. New York Yankees (September 18-20): The Twins will travel to the Bronx to take on the team they are chasing for the top wild card position. They are currently four games behind the Yankees for that spot, but that could be different in a week. This is a good Yankees team, but it isn't your older brother's Yankees. Derek Jeter isn't going to walk through that door. Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams aren't going to walk through that door. And if they did... Well, they're still a very good team, obviously, illustrated by being 13 games over .500. They beat Tampa Bay last night. Before that they won two out of three games in September series against the Rangers, the Orioles and the Red Sox (technology and all). Detroit Tigers (September 21-24 (away), September 29-October 1 (Target Field): The Twins and Tigers will play seven times down the stretch. That should be a good thing for the Twins. The Tigers are currently 60-83 and challenging the Chicago White Sox for the cellar in the AL Central. Of course, the White Sox were trying to be bad this year (acquiring tons of top prospects along the way). The Tigers have traded some of their players, like JD Martinez and more recently, Justin Verlander. Victor Martinez is out for the year. These can be tough games though. This month, the Tigers have lost all five games they've played against Cleveland, and by a combined score of 5-40. They lost two out of three to Toronto this weekend, but before that, they won two out of three against the Royals. Cleveland (September 26-28): I mean... wow! They are now 88-56 on the season and currently have won 19 games in a row, one short of the record. They are 13.5 games ahead of the Twins. Their Magic Number to win the division is down to six. It is very likely that they will clinch the division this sometime this weekend which will make these late-season games against the Twins pretty meaningless, but they are very likely to be very meaningful for the Twins. In this 19-game winning steak, they are 5-0 against Detroit, 3-0 against Baltimore, 4-0 against the White Sox, 3-0 against the Royals, 3-0 against the Yankees, and 1-0 against the Red Sox. Their last loss came to the Red Sox on August 23rd. So there you have it, the schedule the rest of the way for the Twins. Here is a quick look at the current standings in the American League Wild Card: Here are the upcoming schedules for the Twins Wild Card competition: Los Angeles Angels (19 games) 3 vs Houston 3 vs Texas 3 vs Cleveland 3 @ Houston 4 @ Chicago White Sox 3 vs Seattle Texas Rangers (19 games) 3 vs Seattle 3 @ Angels 3 @ Seattle 3 @ Oakland 3 vs Houston 4 vs Oakland Kansas City Royals (19 games) 2 vs White Sox 4 @ Cleveland 3 @ Toronto 3 @ White Sox 1 @ NY Yankees 3 vs Detroit 3 vs Arizona Seattle Mariners (18 games) 3 @ Texas 3 @ Houston 3 vs Texas 3 vs Cleveland 3 @ Oakland 3 @ Angels Baltimore Orioles (18 games) 2 @ Toronto 4 @ NY Yankees 3 vs Boston 4 vs Tampa Bay 2 @ Pittsburgh 3 @ Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Rays (17 games) 2 vs NY Yankees 3 vs Boston 2 vs Cubs 4 @ Baltimore 3 @ NY Yankees 3 vs Baltimore There you have it. It's going to be a fun, interesting final three weeks... View full article

Awful news... I'm such a fan of Alex Meyer and the person he is. I was so happy when he was pitching really well earlier in the season. The arm issues, unfortunately, have stayed with him. Nothing he can do about it but rehab and now surgery and a long rehab. Such a good kid. Chatted with him a week or two ago. I just wish him the best.

I would assume that they both may start 2018 in AAA.

Turley's only pitched long relief and late-game. Perkins has been as expected. But Boshers has shown at times, including right before he got sent down. So I think it was fair to think he could be an adequate 2nd lefty... He hasn't been. And, I don't know why we think Moya will come up and be better... He's the softest thrower of the bunch, so it'll be interesting to see how well he adjusts to mlb.

My gut tells me that September 1st, they thought they would have Rogers and an adequate Buddy Boshers and hopefully an improving Glen Perkins and Nik Turley as a long-relief/wild card guy... they've got Rogers, against lefties... The others haven't done it to this point.

He has a fun delivery... Looks a little like Jose Mijares... should be entertaining...