Seth Stohs

The sample size for any high school player isn't going to be much maybe 100 at bats. So the summer circuits may get them an extra however-many games... but it's games against other top-end talent, so it's better for evaluation than their normal high school or Legion season. But either way, the sample is small. Of course some of the top talent has been on that stage since they were 13, and had scouts seeing them on multiple occasions. Again, sample still small, but there are more data points. Of course, for any pitcher the sample size is probably going to be small too even the college guys.

http://www.twincities.com/2017/02/20/minnesota-twins-kyle-gibson-changes-delivery-to-keep-shoulder-healthy/ Mike Berardino talked to RHP Kyle Gibson about his new warm-up technique and his altered delivery. After missing 6 weeks of last season with a shoulder injury, Gibson has been focused on his shoulder health this offseason. Here is some video: The story is fairly extensive and quite detailed, but very interesting... here's one bit:

It's still 100% valuable, but it's value is dependent upon the hitter. There's never anything wrong with using the whole field. But when you're a guy like Vargas, it should be about elevation because he has the power to hit the ball out to any part of the field. What I'm most excited about with these coaches is that the philosophy is - or maybe it could be - individualized. What works for Dozier may not work for Mauer. What works for Sano may not work for Polanco. What works for Castro may not work for Vargas. Let them be athletes and let their talent take over. But if they are susceptible to certain pitches, MLB pitchers will figure that out in a hurry. So, being able to cover the whole plate is important.

Rhett Bollinger wrote about Justin Haley, saying he is "ready to grind." http://m.twins.mlb.com/news/article/216450568/twins-pitcher-justin-haley-ready-to-grind/

http://www.twincities.com/2017/02/19/minnesota-twins-pitcher-jose-berrios-can-feel-his-command-improving/ Jose Berrios says that he can feel his fastball command improving. It's something he focused on throughout the offseason and it's a focus of spring training with Neil Allen so far. He's also preparing to pitch for Puerto Rico in the WBC. The article also includes notes about Jason Castro's study work with the pitchers. Mason Melotakis update. Good to see Brian Navarreto and AJ Murray get pulled over from minor league side to catch some bullpens.

http://www.twincities.com/2017/02/19/minnesota-twins-slugger-kennys-vargas-took-hitting-lessons-from-manny-ramirez/ Mike Berardino talked to Kennys Vargas and learned that he spent a full week learning hitting with Manny Ramirez. The two went out to eat and talked about a lot of things on and off the field.

Correct... but obviously that's where the scouting comes in... Since you're obviously referring to Kirlloff, not only would the area scout be able to talk to his high school coach and teammates, but he can talk to the family and members of their church... and others can also check out how he interacts with teammates and coaches in the national circuit that he plays in and such. Talent is talent, but if a kid can't handle social interaction, it greatly reduces his likelihood of getting to the big leagues. We've see a couple of examples of that in recent years.

Didn't see you post this one on Twitter but this is great. Very well deserved honor/recognition!

It's a fair question. Obviously most high schools and international sites won't have Trackman or Pitch F/X or that kind of thing. But I would guess that a lot of the locations for the showcases and the national circuit probably do by now. And the Dominican and Venezuelan players often travel to the states for showcases and tournaments as well. So, it would be limited, but it would be something.

Character... Makeup... these things do matter. Obviously talent comes first, but let's not say that makeup doesn't matter.

Mike Berardino wrote a terrific article, with several quotes from Twins scouting director Sean Johnson, on how the Twins will use analytics as they prepare for an obviously very important June draft. "Assist" does appear to be the correct word. Scouting will obviously still play the largest part of the work, but now that there are analytical systems (such as Trackman or Pitch FX) in more college programs and such, that data can verify what the scouts see. Does this information/article kind of align with what you thought that the draft plan would be under Falvey and Levine? How different do you think things will be under Sean Johnson (with the information he has at his fingertips) than it was under Deron Johnson (with the information he had)?

Mike updated the article with comments from Molitor on Perkins 2nd bullpen.

http://www.twincities.com/2017/02/18/minnesota-twins-is-that-justin-haley-or-wyatt-earp-on-the-mound/ Mike Berardino wrote an article this morning about Justin Haley and his interesting delivery, a delivery that teammates have said is reminiscent of a gunslinger, such as Wyatt Earp. Find out why? Also, Joe Mauer and Drew Stubbs reported to spring training this morning, so everyone is there and on time.

https://gamurs.com/general/professional-pitcher-trevor-may-joins-luminosity-as-a-streamer-8446 Trevor May did it a lot in the offseason, but he's now signed with Luminosity and will stream his gaming on Twitch. Franky, I don't even really know what that means, but I think it means he games online with fans and other gamers. Cool or what?

http://www.startribune.com/twins-catcher-chris-gimenez-is-a-survivor/414033233 Catcher Chris Gimenez joined the Twins as a free agent this offseason and will get to compete with John Ryan Murphy and Mitch Garver for the backup catcher spot. According to the above article by Phil MIller (STrib), Gimenez has been part of some interesting experiences, and seven organizations. He was behind the plate when Jose Bautista homered and bat-flipped. He was nearly killed by a snowplow He's already got some ideas to work with Jose Berrios. Could he (maybe should he?) be the leader for the backup catcher spot?

http://www.twincities.com/2017/02/17/minnesota-twins-ryan-vogelsong-overcame-gruesome-beaning/ Mike Berardino talked to new Twins RHP Ryan Vogelsong today. While with Pittsburgh, he was hit in the eye with a fastball. There were a lot of concerns, but he has come back strong. Now, he (obviously) hopes to make the Twins team and contribute. He's a big Rocky fan. He's had Tommy John. He's played for several organizations... Can he (and should he?) make the Twins team?

Good catch... I've updated it... my bad!

I think it's 100% factual that they went over their allotted slot. Their slot was $3.85ish and they spent $4.0 million. That's over slot. I mean, they could have spent another $100K or $200K to sign him, just to get a penalty, I guess.

http://www.twincities.com/2017/02/17/minnesota-twins-brian-dozier-lends-his-support-to-team-trucker/ Mike Berardino wrote this morning about several goings on at Hammond Stadium. The primary story it about Brian Dozier reporting to camp and his support of the #TruckerToughChallenge, something started by former Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki. It's a support for a three-year old kid from Hawaii battling Stage IV neuroblastoma. Also in the article, Mason Melotakis strained his oblique recently and will not throw his first bullpen for a couple of days yet. Glen Perkins will throw his second bullpen today. Miguel Sano was one of several Twins position players to report on Friday. Apparently Drew Stubbs is the only player who is yet to report. (Report Date is tomorrow - Saturday).

Correct, and so are Hunter and Cuddyer... all three made a ton of sense.

Well, what's the consensus? What would you all want to do? Lay it out, how you envision it.

I agree with this...

Miguel Sano was my #3 prospect back in 2010. That was after his DSL debut. Prospect rankings are always a combination of production, tools, ceiling, floor, age, and many other factors. My personal rankings had Javier at #8.

Just a couple of years ago, MLB changed its rules on signing international players. In an attempt to keep signing bonuses down, MLB gave slot numbers that teams could use to sign 16-year-olds. In 2015, the Twins allotment was just shy of $4 million. They chose to give $4 million to shortstop Wander Javier, going over their slot to secure his signature. Javier made his professional debut in 2016 in the Dominican Summer League where he showed what he could be, albeit in just nine games due to injury. He has a ton of potential, and we will begin to see it stateside in 2017. Age: 18 (DOB: 12/29/98) 2016 Stats: (DSL): .308/.400/.654 (1.054), three doubles, two home runs ETA: 2022 2016 Ranking: 13 National Top 100 Rankings BA: NR | MLB: NR | ESPN: NR | BP: NR Image courtesy of Jon Tarr Just a couple of years ago, MLB changed its rules on signing international players. In an attempt to keep signing bonuses down, MLB gave slot numbers that teams could use to sign 16-year-olds. In 2015, the Twins allotment was just shy of $4 million. They chose to give $4 million to shortstop Wander Javier, going over their slot to secure his signature. Javier made his professional debut in 2016 in the Dominican Summer League where he showed what he could be, albeit in just nine games due to injury. He has a ton of potential, and we will begin to see it stateside in 2017. Age: 18 (DOB: 12/29/98) 2016 Stats: (DSL): .308/.400/.654 (1.054), three doubles, two home runs ETA: 2022 2016 Ranking: 13 National Top 100 Rankings BA: NR | MLB: NR | ESPN: NR | BP: NR The first time a Twins scout watched Wander Javier play, he was just 13 years old. The Dominican Republic native trained with Josue Mateo. They continued to watch him grow and they saw enough to warrant the $4 million signing bonus. That bonus became the highest paid by the Twins to an international signing (ignoring Japan and Korea, of course), topping the $3.15 million bonus the Twins signed (SS) Miguel Sano to in 2009. When the Twins signed him, he was the #9 ranked international prospect according to Baseball America. While he was shy of 6-0 and 160 pounds, the tools were all there. Since signing, he has added an inch and about 20 pounds of muscle. What's To Like The tools. The terrific tools. Javier is considered a plus fielder. He handles the routine plays well. In his debut, he had just one error in 25 chances in the Dominican Summer League (DSL). He has plus arm strength, able to make all of the throws a shortstop needs to make. The belief is that he should be able to stick at shortstop. Offensively, he has plus bat speed. Because of that, he has plus raw power. Most believe that he will be able to develop above average power for a shortstop. In his professional debut in the DSL, he did show some offensive capabilities. He hit over .300, got on base 40% of the time, showed a strong approach at the plate, and hit for power. He had just 30 plate appearances and he had five extra-base hits and four walks. Unfortunately, he was limited to those 30 plate appearances because of an injury. After just seven games he hurt his hamstring. He didn’t play for over two weeks. When he returned, he played in two games and then re-strained the same hamstring and missed the remainder of the season. Fortunately, he was healthy enough to come to Ft. Myers for the Instructional League in September. What's Left To Work On Everything. I mean, come on… The kid is just 18 years old. While the potential is there for Wander Javier to become a star, he’s got plenty of room for growth. Physically, he will likely continue to grow and gain strength and power. The biggest question mark regarding Javier is the hit tool. Javier has a big leg kick, and there are times he can be off-balance. That could affect him, especially on breaking pitches. That isn’t an unusual for most hitters coming out of the draft, but it’s almost ‘normal’ for a 17-year-old. He needs to work on his swing mechanics, his timing and his balance. The reality is the Javier is just very raw. (You can see some of the good and bad in the below video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jClkBUxZfMg I asked Fred Guerrero, the Twins top scout in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, what Javier needs to work on most. His response was “He needs to play a lot. He needs to get a lot of at-bats.” What's Next Javier will come to minor league spring training in Ft. Myers in a couple of weeks. When the full season teams start in early April, Javier will remain in southwest Florida and participate in extended spring training. It is most likely that he will start in the Gulf Coast League. However, if he gets off to a fast start the first three or four weeks, he could jump up to Elizabethton by the end of the season. ~~~ Read up on our previous installments in the Twins Daily top prospects series: TD Top Prospects: #20-16 TD Top Prospects: #15-11 TD Top Prospects: #10 Lewin Diaz TD Top Prospects: #9 Travis Blankenhorn TD Top Prospects: #8 Kohl Stewart TD Top Prospects: #7 Adalberto Mejia TD Top Prospects: #6 Wander Javier TD Top Prospects: #5 (Coming Monday) TD Top Prospects: #4 (Coming Tuesday) TD Top Prospects: #3 (Coming Wednesday) TD Top Prospects: #2 (Coming Thursday) TD Top Prospects: #1 (Coming Friday) View full article