Seth Stohs

Just because the team was bad doesn't mean every player was bad. If you can't find the positives, even in the bad... I'm sorry! Ervin Santana had a very good year. After that, not a lot, but Kintzler was good. It was some terrible overall pitching, but it's still OK to recognize a guy who was pretty good despite it.

We continue to look at and recognize Minnesota Twins prospects. We've already discussed Twins prospects 50 through 11. Today, we enter our Top 10 Twins prospects with my choices for prospects 6 through 10. Again, we’ve got a wide range of prospect here. We have a left-handed pitcher who is very nearly MLB ready. We’ve got a former top pick who has created a lot of discussion as there is still upside, but there are also question marks. And there are a few very young hitters with the world of potential with a long trek still to make before reaching the big leagues. The ceilings are high. The question marks are many. If you've missed any of the previous installments, check them out here: Part 1 (41-50) Part 2 (31-40) Part 3 (26-30) Part 4 (21-25) Part 5 (16-20) Part 6 (11-15) And then feel free to join the conversation. Ask questions, start thinking about your personal Top 30 or Top 50 list. When this list is done, hopefully you’ll post yours, either in the comments, or in a Blog post.Players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2017. That is to say, hitters with less than 130 at-bats and pitchers with less than 50 innings. (The list is preliminary. Following research for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2017 - which Cody Christie, Jeremy Nygaard and I are working on - I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.) Top Prospects 6-10 #10 – Kohl Stewart - 21 – RHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts I list Stewart at 21 years of age, but on Friday he will turn 22. The Twins top pick in the 2013 draft (fourth overall), Stewart has certainly pitched well despite a glaring lack of strikeouts. In 2015, he posted a 3.20 ERA in Ft. Myers. In 143.2 innings, he walked 63 (3.1 K/9) but struck out just 91 (4.9 K/9). Because of it, he remained in Ft. Myers for nine starts at the beginning of the 2016 season. He went 3-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 51.2 innings. He walked 19 (3.3 K/9) and struck out 44 (a solid 7.7 K/9). He moved up to Chattanooga and certainly experienced some ups and downs. He went 9-6 with a 3.03 ERA in 16 starts. However, in 92 innings, he walked 44 (4.3 BB/9) and struck out just 47 (4.6 K/9). It remains confusing as Stewart has good stuff. He’s got a fastball that reached to 94-95. He’s got a good slider. He’s got a good change-up. He needs to be more consistent with them, but the stuff is good. The Twins have certainly pushed Stewart along quickly relative to his league dominance. Talking to scouts, you’ll get two very different beliefs in what his ceiling is and likelihood to get there. But if a 21-year-old posts a 3.03 ERA in the AA Southern League despite the lack of strikeouts, he needs to remain in top prospect discussions. #9 – Adalberto Mejia - 23 – LHP – Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins Mejia was signed by the Giants in 2010. He gradually moved his way up the ladder. Following a strong 2014 season, Baseball Prospectus named him the #86 prospect in baseball. Unfortunately, he was suspended 50 games for PEDs. Upon his return, he threw 51.1 innings in AA Richmond, 31 innings in the Arizona Fall League and 18 more innings in the Dominican Winter League. 100 innings total. That’s why the Twins shut him down in early September at 134.1 innings this year. His season began in AA Richmond where he posted a 1.94 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 11 starts. He went 4-1 in AAA Sacramento. Baseball America put him near the bottom of their midseason Top 100 list. On July 28, the Twins acquired him from the Giants in exchange for Eduardo Nunez. He made four starts in Rochester, and he was called up for one day to the Twins. He gave up two runs in 2.1 innings out of the bullpen. Overall in 2016, he walked just 2.0 per nine innings. The lefty struck out a very solid 8.6 per nine innings. At 6-3, he weighs about 220 pounds. He works in the 91 to 93 mph range and is capable of hitting 94. He’s got a good change-up in the low-to-mid 90s. He also has a good slider in the mid-80s. A left-hander who is just 23 and has three potential above-average pitches who has had some AAA success, Mejia could factor into the Twins starting rotation at some point in the 2017 season. #8 – Wander Javier - 17 – SS – DSL Twins On July 2, 2015, the Twins signed Javier to a $4 million signing bonus. It covered their entire allotment for the international signing period. Javier looks the part of a shortstop. He’s 6-0 and 175 pounds. He is a good athlete with very good speed. He has a big arm and a generally good feel for the position. He has a lot of power potential as well. The one concern about him offensively appears to be his ability to square up the ball at times. He began his playing career this season in the Dominican Summer League. The plan was for him to spend the full season there. He got off to a good start. Unfortunately, after seven games he pulled his hamstring. He missed 16 games before he came back in late June. In his second game back, he re-aggravated the same injury and missed the rest of the season. It was good to see that he did come to Ft. Myers to participate in the Instructional League. He didn’t play much, but he was a full participant most of the time in practices. He’ll most likely come to the States in 2017 for extended spring training and play for the GCL Twins. He (and this ranking) are based solely on ceiling, potential and upside, but his road to the big leagues will take time. If the Twins rush him, he could be in the big leagues in 2020, but that would be very aggressive. #7 – Travis Blankenhorn - 20 – 2B – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels Blankenhorn was the Twins third-round pick in 2015 out of high school in Pennsylvania. He split the 2015 short-season between the GCL (14 games) and Elizabethton (39 games). In spring training, he was moved from third base to second base. He was also struggling with the bat early in the year too, so he stayed in extended spring training. He returned to Tennessee for the start of the Elizabethton season. In 34 games, he hit .297/.342/.558 (.900) with seven doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 29 RBI. He moved up to Cedar Rapids where he hit .286/.356/.418 (.774) with five doubles, two triples and a homer in 25 games. He did a nice job for the Kernels in the playoffs as well, hitting .350. Defense is where the question marks are for Blankenhorn. He did a solid job at second base, though his range is lacking in large part due to needing more reps. Of the 40 total games he didn’t DH, he played second base in 37 of them, with three games played at third base. Blankenhorn is a good athlete, and he is very strong. He has slightly above average speed. He won’t turn 21 until next August. #6 – Lewin Diaz - 19 – 1B – Elizabethton Twins Diaz was the Twins big international free agent signing in the 2013 international signing period. That can be taken two ways. He signed a big signing bonus for $1.4 million. At 6-3, 260 pounds, he is a rather big man. At the time, his body type was compared to that of David Ortiz and Ryan Howard. So, while he played some in the outfield as a 14-15 year old, he was destined for a career at first base and maybe DH. He began his career with a summer in the DSL. In 2015, he came to the States and split time between the GCL and Elizabethton. In 33 games in the GCL, he hit .261/.354/.369 (.724) with seven doubles, a triple and a home run. He moved up to Elizabethton for the final 14 games. He hit just .167, but three of his eight hits were home runs. In 2016, he busted out. In 46 games in Elizabethon, he hit .310/.353/.575 (.928) with 15 doubles, two triples and nine home runs. Obviously his ceiling would involve hitting a lot of home runs, but he is more than just a power hitter with the bat. He could potentially hit for average as well. If things come together well for him, he could become an elite hitter. So there you have it, my choices for Twins prospects 6-10. We’ll be back tomorrow with Part 8, the Top Five Prospects of the Minnesota Twins. Click here to view the article

I agree with this... I also would say that Arraez, at 19, could grow, get stronger, add some speed/athleticism over the next few years... So, I have Arraez at 19 now, but he's got a chance to move up.

Oh yeah, I had him for like 40 homers and a .930+ OPS... I'm not saying it wasn't disappointing, but at the same time, he set the bar really high in 2015.

We're all just throwing opinions. I don't know if the word "expert" really ever applies to prospect rankings. There's no 'right" (or wrong) way to do it. I can't argue with you too vehemently on Garver. Maybe he is too low. Burdi's potential to be an elite late-innings guy is still there, but you're right, he has to stay healthy. Palka's power (And Walker's) just can't be ignored too much. They're both about a year younger than Garver. They're probably more boom-or-bust though whereas Garver, at worst, should be a solid backup catcher in MLB with a chance to be an alright starter, if he's given a chance. Wade's one great asset is his plate approach. That should raise his floor. His ceiling probably isn't as high as some others, but there aren't many weaknesses, so he's certainly one to watch too. I admit, this is a tough group to rank... I would argue that maybe 8-18 are all fairly close. None would be Top 150 types, but all have attributes that make them intriguing going forward.

No... But he can be a solid MLB 4th OF who you feel fine with starting in LF too.

I think he'd be in that range in the Twins organization too. I don't think I could have put him in the top 5, but 6 is possible.

Fair point, but when I sent out the "ballot," I didn't give any criteria for any of the awards, so the voters could determine their thoughts on this as well and pick as they choose.

If Most Disappointing equals a 25-home runs season... the Twins are in for some exciting years ahead!!

I can neither confirm nor deny this...

I can neither confirm nor deny this guess. Ha!

Thanks for pointing this out. I have corrected it. Yes, a season with 12 more doubles and 13 more homers would have been pretty remarkable for Palka, and he'd likely not be written about today... probably tomorrow. I don't know about fast-tracking Wade. I mean, I can see him starting next year in Ft. Myers since he only played 32 games there before missing August with an injury. But I can also see him getting to Chattanooga relatively quickly as well. Sounds great, but if you've got Rosario, Buxton and Kepler as your regular outfielders in 2017 and Grossman and his .380 OBP as a 4th OF, and guys like Palka and Walker and Granite for depth in Rochester, there's no reason to push Wade. He'll be 23 in 2017 (January 1st), and if he ends the season in Chattanooga, he's on a good pace. I think he just needs to stay healthy and play a lot and that will dictate his pace.

I can't help but wonder if we would have waited another week or two to vote... Buxton probably would have been higher up the list. His September put his numbers in line with Kepler's.

We continue to look at and recognize Minnesota Twins prospects. We've already discussed many Twins prospects. Today, we discuss five more, my choices for Twins prospects 11 through 15. When we get to this point, it comes with prospects where you can try to start envisioning their future. Again, there are a couple of guys that we could see in 2017. There is a power hitter, and another hitter with a tremendous approach at the plate. There’s another hard-throwing reliever, and a strike-throwing machine who has risen these rankings over the last couple of years. And there’s a flame-throwing teenager with upside, but a long ways to go. If you've missed any of the previous installments, check them out here: Part 1 (41-50) Part 2 (31-40) Part 3 (26-30) Part 4 (21-25) Part 5 (16-20) And then feel free to join the conversation. Ask questions, start thinking about your Top 30 or Top 50 list.Players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2017. That is to say, hitters with less than 130 at-bats and pitchers with less than 50 innings. (The list is preliminary. Following research for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2017 - which Cody Christie, Jeremy Nygaard and I are working on - I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.) Top Prospects 11-15 #15 – Nick Burdi - 23 – RH RP – Chattanooga Lookouts Burdi was the Twins second-round pick in 2014 out of Louisville. That summer, he pitched in Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He began 2015 in Chattanooga but struggled enough to be sent back to Ft. Myers. He walked three and struck out 29 in 20 innings for the Miracle before moving back up to the Lookouts where he and JT Chargois shut the door in the late innings of their Southern League championship run. He went to the Arizona Fall League where he walked one and struck out 11 in eight scoreless innings. Burdi was invited to big league spring training and really impressed the coaching staff. He went to minor league camp and was shut down with some forearm soreness. He returned and threw in three games for the Lookouts before being shut down with a bone bruise near his elbow. He didn’t return. But the 23-year-old remains a top relief pitching prospect because of a big, upper-90s fastball and a terrific slider. With health, we should see him in a Twins uniform in 2017. #14 – LaMonte Wade - 23 – OF – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle Wade was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2015 out of the University of Maryland. After signing, he went to Elizabethton where he hit .312/.428/.506 (.934) with eight doubles, five triples and nine home runs. What stood out is that he walked 46 times and struck out just 34 times. He ended the season with four games in Cedar Rapids, which is where he started the 2016 season. He was a Midwest League All-Star after hitting .280/.410/.396 (.806) with 13 extra base hits. He walked 44 times with just 27 strikeouts. After the game, he was promoted to the Miracle. In the Florida State League, he hit .318/.386/.518 (.904) before his season came to an end with an injury. While he played center field throughout most of the 2016, he likely profiles more as a left fielder. Wade has an extremely professional approach at the plate. He’s solid all-around and people are most impressed with his makeup. He can hit and has gap-to-gap power that could develop more into home run power. He’s got average outfield speed and runs the bases well. None of his tools jump out when you watch him once, but over time, one can notice that he really doesn’t have a weakness in his game. #13 – Huascar Ynoa - 18 – RHP – GCL Twins Ynoa was the Twins biggest international signing in July of 2014, signing for about $800,000. He made his professional debut in 2015 in the DSL where he went 2-5 but posted a 2.70 ERA in 56.2 innings. He came to the States for the 2016 season and pitched for the GCL Twins. He went 3-5 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. In 51 innings, he walked 12 and struck out 51. Ynoa’s brother, Michael, was originally signed by the A’s for $4.25 million but debuted in the White Sox bullpen in 2016. Michael is 6-7 and 210 pounds. Huascar is 6-3 and about 215 pounds. Huascar throws 90 to 95 mph with movement. He’s still working on his secondary pitches. He has the ability to be nasty, but as you would expect of an 18-year-old, he’ll need to be more consistent. #12 – Felix Jorge - 22 – RHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts Jorge signed with the Twins in 2010 as a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic. He spent a season in the DSL. He came to the States in 2012 and pitched in the GCL. He moved up to Elizabethton in 2013. He began the 2014 season in Cedar Rapids, but after a month of struggling, he went back to EST. He pitched for the E-Twins again and was the Appy League Pitcher of the Year. He returned to Cedar Rapids in 2015 as a different pitcher. He went 6-7 with a 2.79 ERA. He began 2016 in the vaunted Miracle starting rotation. According to some reports, he was the best of the group in Ft. Myers. He went 9-3 with a 1.55 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP in 93 innings. He moved up to AA Chattanooga where he experienced some issues. In 11 starts, he went 3-5 with a 4.12 and a 1.28 WHIP. Overall, he walked just 1.2 per nine innings. In Ft. Myers, he struck out 7.5 per nine, but that dropped to just 3.9 per nine over his 74.1 innings in AA. He ended the season with a complete game, one-run game against Jackson. And in reality, he gave up more than three runs in just two of his 11 starts for the Lookouts. He also worked five or more innings in all 11 starts, and he worked into the seventh inning in seven of 11 starts because he keeps the pitch count down. Jorge attacks the zone with a fastball that touches the 94-95 range at times. He throws a ton of strikes, generally keeping the ball on the ground. Jorge could have been selected in the Rule 5 draft last offseason. Will the Twins add him this November? #11 – Daniel Palka - 24 – OF – Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings Last November, Terry Ryan traded Chris Herrmann to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In return, the team received OF/1B Daniel Palka. Until then, few Twins fans knew of Palka. However, we all checked out his stats and found that last year in High-A Visalia, he hit .280/.352/.532 (.885) with 36 doubles, three triples, 29 home runs, 90 RBI and 24 stolen bases. This for Chris Herrmann, who was out of options and not likely to stick with the Twins in 2016. Palka reported to Twins minor league spring training. He got an opportunity to play in a big league game, and he hit home runs in his first two at-bats. He added another two days later in a big league game. It was a sign of things to come for Palka in 2016. He began the season in Chattanooga where he hit .270/.348/.547 (.894) with 12 doubles, four triples, 21 homers and 65 RBI in 79 games. He was a Southern League All-Star and later was promoted to AAA Rochester. In 54 games with the Miracle, he hit .232/.296/.483 (.779) with 12 doubles, 13 homers and 25 home runs. In AA, he struck out 29% of the time. In AAA, he struck out 39% of the time. Palka has Sano and Walker power. Like Walker, he’ll have to cut down his strikeout rate to have big league success, but sometime in 2017, he will get an opportunity. He has to be added to the Twins 40-man roster in November or risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft. So there you have it, my choices for Twins prospects 11-15. We’ll be back tomorrow with Part 7, Prospects 6-10. Click here to view the article

Yup... he's only got like 25 games in AAA. Not saying he needs more time, but I'd almost rather him play 3 out of 4 days rather than 1 out of 4 days... I'd also be 100% fine with him in the big leagues.

Not crazy but I'd be a little surprised.

Centeno should not stay on the 40-man roster, but I agree, it'd be good to bring him back on a minor league deal, if he wants. Turner was fast tracked too much early in his career. I think he could go to AAA, but we'll see.

I have no doubt that he'll be a Major League catcher... He's the highest ranked player on the list that's been shared (16-50, he's 16). So without sharing who 1-15 are, I can't fairly ask you which of the 11-15 range types you'd rank lower than him... but tomorrow you can.

Head over to the Twins Daily Twitter page to place your vote for the Approval Rating of the hiring of Derek Falvey:

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I do try to toe a line between performance and ceiling, definitely leaning toward ceiling. I guess I am trying to guess which players will have the best careers in MLB (which, of course, is anything but scientific). Garver was one of the tougher ones to rank, for sure. He's "hurt" by age-to-level, at least he has been, though he's kind of caught up with that. It doesn't matter in real life, but for what it is, it does hurt in prospect rankings. I'm very curious what the Twins do at catcher this offseason.

I know I've written this other places too, but Wells measured in at 6-1 and 186 pounds at spring training, so the 'listed' numbers are well off, probably from when he signed or something. Not sure if or when those things get updated.

This is the most that I've struggled with a Top 50 list in a few years. In recent years, the Top 20 or even 25 have been fairly easy to determine. With all of the "graduations," it's a lot more difficult... and I think a lot more room for discussion/debate, etc. Wells and Thorpe have had a very similar path through the end of their Cedar Rapids season. Hopefully Wells can stay healthy. I think Thorpe has the higher upside, but as of today, comes with a little higher risk too. Both really good kids too.