Seth Stohs

Let me first say that the difference in rankings between 7 and maybe 13-14 is very minimal. I just think Walker's continued production as he continues to move up, each step getting more difficult, gives me hope that this is the type of player he can be. He can crush mistakes. Big league pitchers make less mistakes, but they still make some. He's going to strike out. My hope is that at some point, he can drop his K-rate to something like 33-35% He has one absolutely elite tool. I've seen him take really good plate appearances. I watched quite a few Chattanooga games online when they were available (not their home games, so many of their road games). I saw times where he took some really good sliders. And I saw times where he just couldn't lay off. I know how hard he works. I know how much guys like Doug Mientkiewicz and Chad Allen believe in him and have worked with him the last two years. Also, I know he's played parts of four MiLB seasons, but he just turned 24. He was very young for his college draft class. He's not an elite prospect, meaning he's not going to be up at 21 or 22 (obviously, right?). He's going to be more of a down-in-the-lineup, hit some home runs and be a solid contributor types, so if he debuts this season, at 24, that's not too bad. Or, if he waits another season and debuts at 25, that's not too bad either. Obviously he's got plenty of room for improvement. No doubt about that.

I think you're right... that's the difference between him and Gordon at least at this point, in my mind. I see Polanco as a 2B who can really hit well... and that's not a bad thing. Ranking 6th in the Twins organization is nothing to sneeze about. But, if I had any confidence he could play shortstop (and at 22, let's not completely dismiss that as possible), he'd be very highly regarded.

He's a guy who was right on the borderline of the top 50, and probably - frankly - should be in the high 30s or low 40s. He had a nice season in Ft. Myers.

My sense is... out on a limb... if they trade Plouffe, this Sano guy will be the 3B. Polanco hasn't played any 3B since the GCL. He struggles at SS. I think 3B would be more difficult.

Alright, we’ve been counting down my preliminary Top 50 Minnesota Twins prospects for the last couple of weeks. Over the next two days, you will find out who I have included in my personal Top 10 list. Despite the ‘graduations’ of Tyler Duffey, Trevor May, Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano, this group of ten remains quite impressive. As always, please feel free to discuss these prospects in the comments below.Previous installments of this prospect ranking: Part 1 (41-50)Part 2 (31-40)Part 3 (26-30)Part 4 (21-25)Part 5 (16-20)Part 6 (11-15)As a quick reminder, players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2016. 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 2016 - 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 Stewart missed about three weeks of action in late April with some shoulder soreness. However, he took the mound for the rest of his starts throughout the season. He went 7-8 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.38 ERA. In 16 of his 22 starts, he gave up fewer than three runs. After striking out just 6.4 per nine innings at Cedar Rapids in 2014, he struck out just 4.9 per nine with the Miracle. He increased his workload from 87 innings to 129.1 innings. Stewart is throwing a fastball in the low 90s that touches 94. He has a good curve ball and slider and continues to work on his change-up. The strikeout rate becomes a concern. He likely will begin 2016 in Chattanooga, but I would personally like to see him spend two more months in Ft. Myers early in the season and work on that K-rate. It’s important to remember that he still hasn’t pitched lot. He was the Twins first-round pick in 2013 out of high school in Houston. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (5), 2014 (4) #9 – Nick Burdi - 22 – RH RP – Chattanooga Lookouts/Ft. Myers Miracle If you saw Burdi’s outing in the Arizona Fall League on Monday afternoon, you can better understand why he is ranked this high. It is no secret, Burdi is a flame-thrower. His fastball sat between 97 and 100 mph. He showed a slider that sat between 89 and 91 mph. He showed one slider that ‘slid’ away from a right-handed batter, but another one that dropped straight downward. What he showed on Monday was the ability to command both pitches, something he struggled with during the minor league season. He began the season in Chattanooga, but in late June, after 30.1 innings, he had a 5.93 ERA, a 1.78 WHIP and 22 walks to go with 33 strikeouts. He was sent down to Ft. Myers where he had a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings. More important, he walked three and struck out 29. It earned him a trip back to the Lookouts where he gave up runs in just one of his seven outings the rest of the regular season. He was also a key performer in the Lookouts championship run. My guess is that Burdi will receive a non-roster invite to big league camp and get a shot at an Opening Day gig. However, he could start the season back in AA with a quick promotion to AAA (or the big leagues) being very possible. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (10) #8 – Adam Brett Walker - 24 – OF – Chattanooga Lookouts Walker was the Twins third-round draft pick in 2012 out of Jacksonville University. He is arguably the most powerful hitter in the Minnesota Twins organization. With Miguel Sano and his power in the organization, it should tell you a lot. That kind of power is rare. In 2015, he led the Southern League in home runs (31), RBI (106) and extra base Hits (65). He has led his league in homers in all four of his professional seasons. However, last year he also led all of minor league baseball in strikeouts with 195. Therein lies that biggest question mark with Walker. It is the reason he isn’t a little closer to #1 than #10. However, he just turned 24 and is performing very well in the Arizona Fall League. Through eight games played, he is hitting .355/.459/.677 (1.137) with a double and three home runs. He is a lock to be added to the 40-man roster and go to spring training with the Twins. He should advance to Rochester for the 2016 season with a shot at a big league promotion in the season’s second half, if needed. Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (14), 2014 (11), 2013 (16) #7 – Stephen Gonsalves – 21 – LHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle Gonsalves was the fourth-round draft pick of the Twins in 2013 out of high school in San Diego, California. That season, between GCL and Elizabethton, he posted a 0.95 ERA and in 28.1 innings he walked 11 and struck out 39. In 2014, he made 14 combined starts between E-Town (six starts) and Cedar Rapids (eight starts). He posted a 3.97 ERA, and in 65.2 innings he walked 21 and struck out 70. He began 2015 back in Cedar Rapids and in his nine starts, went 6-1 with a 1.15 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP and 77 strikeouts with 15 walks in 55 innings. He moved up to Ft. Myers for 15 more starts. There, he was 7-2 with a 2.61 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. In 79.1 innings, he walked 38 and struck out 55. Those numbers are a little deceptive as after his first three starts with the Miracle, he posted a 2.07 ERA over the final 12 starts. As he has each of those seasons, he is likely to begin the 2016 season with the team he finished the preceding year with, in this case Ft. Myers. He will likely advance to Chattanooga by mid-June. At 6-5 and about 200 pounds, Gonsalves looks the part of big league starter. He’s left-handed, has a good fastball in the low-90s with movement. He has a good change-up and an improving curve ball. He takes pride in his control, which is one thing that likely bothered him about his time in Ft. Myers. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (15), 2014 (13) #6 – Jorge Polanco - 22 – SS/2B – Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins Polanco’s major league numbers are quite impressive. He is hitting .313/.450/.500 (.950) in his two season’s worth of big league play. No need to mention that is in just 20 plate appearances. In 2014 he became the youngest player to make his MLB debut for the Twins when he came up for five games as a 20-year-old. He was called up on two occasions in 2015 as well, and these times when he came up, Paul Molitor placed him in the lineup at shortstop. Polanco was signed in July of 2009. He spent two years in the GCL before a good season in Elizabethton. He jumped up prospect rankings in 2013 when he was the #3 hitter for that powerful Cedar Rapids lineup. He split 2014 between Ft. Myers and New Britain. In 2015, he was all over the place. He started in Chattanooga, moved up to the Twins for a game, went back down to Chattanooga, was promoted to Rochester, then promoted and spent three games with the Twins, and he then was sent down to Chattanooga where he ended the season helping the Lookouts to their Southern League championship. When he was signed, he was touted as a potentially great defensive middle infielder who may learn to hit. He has become a very professional hitter. Though he continues to play shortstop, he struggled mightily at the position. With Brian Dozier at second base, it only makes sense for the Twins to keep trotting Polanco out at shortstop in hopes that it can click for him. He is ready for the big leagues offensively, but finding an everyday spot for the still-just-22-year-old will prove difficult again in 2016. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (7), 2014 (6), 2013 (19) So, what do you think of Part 7, Prospects 6-10? Tomorrow, we will finish up this series by discussing the Top 5 Twins prospects. Feel free to discuss these players. Make your predictions for my Top 5. And start planning your Top 30 prospect lists. Click here to view the article

No question Hunter is a Twins Hall of Famer. It may not even be all that long before they do it. I also think he's done enough in his career to be one of those guys that stays on the MLB HOF ballot for a few years. His numbers, coupled with his defense are very impressive. However, for me, retiring a number is bigger and needs to be more exclusive. In my opinion, it should be just about their Twins career. When it comes to bWAR, Hunter during his Twins years only, is tied for 15th all-time in Twins history (1961-present) with Jim Perry. That said, I would be fine if no one wore that uniform number again, just not formalizing it in the banners.

Very sad. That press conference was excruciating to listen to. So emotional. If someone listened to or watched that without getting goosebumps or without their eyes sweating a little bit, I feel sorry for them. It's another great reminder that these are people, with families, spouses, kids, parents... Tough!

A year ago at this time, Travis Blankenhorn was beginning his senior basketball season at Pottsville High School. A tremendous athlete, he was named his league’s Player of the Year and reached over 1,500 points. He was also touted as a fantastic defensive back in his prep years. However, it was on the baseball diamond that Blankenhorn made a name for himself. Recently, Twins Daily had the chance to get to know a little more about Travis Blankenhorn.After taking hard-throwing college pitchers with their first two draft picks in 2015, the Minnesota Twins used their third-round pick (80th overall) to select infielder Travis Blankenhorn. He signed pretty quickly and reported to Ft. Myers. He played 14 games with the GCL Twins before moving up to Elizabethton where he played the final 39 games. He participated in the Twins Florida Instructional League and will head to spring training for the first time next March with a chance to begin his first full season in Cedar Rapids. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seth Stohs: Drafted by the Twins in the 3rd round... is that about where you thought you might be selected before the draft? Travis Blankenhorn: Yes, that is around where I expected to be, but that draft is unpredictable so you never know what could happen. I was hoping to be in the 100 picks of the draft, so I was happy to be able to meet that goal. SS: You had the commitment to play for Gary Henderson at Kentucky. How difficult was the decision to sign, or did you know you wanted to sign all along? TH: It was an extremely difficult decision for me and my family. Kentucky is an excellent program, competing in one of the best conferences in the NCAA. Coach Henderson and Coach Bohannon were great to me during the process and that made making a decision even more difficult. SS: What was the biggest adjustment you had to make, going from the high school and amateur season to the pro game? On or off the field? TH: I would say the biggest adjustment was adapting to the pitching. The level of competition from the high school game to the pro game is noticeable. SS: You played shortstop primarily in high school. You played various places in your short GCL stint, and solely third base in Elizabethton. Defense is obviously important to the Twins and any team, but where do you feel most comfortable and where do you think is the best position for you? TH: I feel like I am a versatile player, and I am able to play many positions, but after playing 3rd base, I feel comfortable there. SS: In these early stages of your career, what would you say are your biggest strengths as a player? TH: I think the strongest part of my game is when I am at the plate trying to help my team win the game. SS: What are the things that you feel you need to improve over the offseason and going forward? TH: Just trying to improve every aspect of my game so that I can be the best possible player. SS: Growing up in Pennsylvania, who was your favorite team to follow, and who were some of your favorite players? TH: The Pirates were always my favorite team to follow growing up. My favorite player is Andrew McCutchen. SS: What were some of the highlights of your high school and amateur career? (What other sports or activities did you participate in?) TH: I played football for three years going both ways, along with punting and kicking, and received all-state honors my junior year. I played basketball for four years and my team won three league championships and a district championship. I also reached 1000 points in my career and rank second all-time in scoring at my school. I also received all-state honors in basketball my senior year. I played baseball for four years and my team won two league championships and a district championships. SS: What was the highlight of your first professional baseball season? TH: My favorite memory of pro ball is my first home run at Elizabethton. SS: What are your plans for the offseason? Baseball Training, but also what do you enjoy doing away from the game of baseball? TH: My plans for the off season are to work out with my trainer, Russ Frantz, and continue to improve myself physically. Away from baseball, I plan to do some hunting. SS: Who are some of the coaches and others who have helped you get to this point in your career? TH: There have been many coaches who have helped me along the way. My travel coaches, Mark Helsel and Greg Kinneman, were very influential and helpful to me. My high school baseball coaches, Mike Welsh and Ed Terefinko and my high school basketball coach Dave Mullaney all played a role in my development. Also, my family, for supporting me and helping me throughout the whole process. We would like to thank Travis Blankenhorn for taking time to answer our questions. Please feel free to comment or ask questions Click here to view the article

Of course... They're paid to be right... but sometimes the right things still don't work out... and vice versa.

There aren't any 16-year-old American's signing. These guys are signing anywhere from 18-30 months earlier than the Americans.

Correct... the thinking behind the trade (the process) was right... how it will turn out is to be seen. Right now, not looking great, but they have his rights for like 6-7 more years, so he could prove valuable.

They could have, but I don't know enough about the international market to know what's out there. Signing the big name guys makes the splash, but sometimes the guys who sign for $10,000 do just as well. So, I'm in no position to question their international signing strategy.

My thought is the Meyer to the 'pen is how it will go. If I'm wrong, great. He's a great person, so no matter which role he ends up in, I'll wish him the best. I think with the Twins starting pitching depth and his struggles last year, I think he's in the bullpen from now on. Again, if I'm wrong, that's fine. I've been wrong on several things before and will be again.

Kirby Puckett was my favorite player of all time. After the news came out of his transgressions, I stopped thinking of him as more than my favorite player of all time. I can acknowledge that he wasn't a great person. That doesn't change what he is as a teammate, friend, all those things. Puckett remains my favorite player of all time. Torii Hunter has had a tremendous baseball career. He has put up great numbers. It's OK to say that he's one's favorite player while not agreeing with his personal beliefs. It's also OK to acknowledge that he was a great leader and teammate.

There's a pretty good reason that Vielma is 8-12 places lower (don't want to give too much away) on the prospect ranking than Nick Gordon.

There's not much more uncertain in baseball than international signings. Sano is one who appears to have made it, but most of the international guys who have signed for more than $3 million haven't made it. So there are no guarantees with any of them. See Michael Ynoa (brother of Twins minor leaguer Huascar Ynoa). Javier has all the tools. But for me, I'm combining so many factors. Some of the guys ahead of him on this list are much closer to the big leagues and are almost certain to be big leaguers. They have higher floors. Javier has as high a ceiling as the guys you'll see in the top 5 prospects, but his floor is that he may never get to Low A ball. My assumption is that he'll spend some time in the GCL in 2016 and next year at this time, he'll be a Top 5 guy.

they're all within a small range of about 5-6 prospect rankings spots, so there's not really a significant difference. They all throw hard. They all have sliders. They all have struggled with their control. They all have the ability to be dominant relief pitchers. As those who have followed my prospect rankings for the last decade, I don't usually rank relief pitchers real high... So, to have these three guys this high is a positive for all three of them.

If he could hit more, he'd be a top 8 type of guy... he'll never hit for any power, but if he can continue to grow and hit a few doubles, his defense will make him a big leaguer.

Regarding International Players, in signing Wander Javier for $4 million, they went over their limit... Not sure how much more they could do without some negative effects.

Today, my preliminary Top 50 Minnesota Twins Prospect countdown continues today with numbers 11 through 15. This group contains a couple of young, talented shortstops with room to grow. It also contains a couple of hard-throwing relievers and a southpaw with big upside coming back from major surgery. As always, please feel free to discuss these prospects in the comments below.Previous installments of this prospect ranking: · Part 1 (41-50) · Part 2 (31-40) · Part 3 (26-30) · Part 4 (21-25) · Part 5 (16-20) As a quick reminder, players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2016. 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 2016 - which Cody Christie, Jeremy Nygaard and I are working on - I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.) Top Prospects 11-15 #15 – Engelb Vielma - 22 – SS – Ft. Myers Miracle Vielma was signed by the Twins out of Venezuela in September of 2011. He’s listed at 5-11 and 150 pounds, though he might be up to 155 pounds. He spent 2012 in the Dominican Summer League. In 2013, he played 42 games in the GCL and ended his season with six games in Elizabethton. Despite the lack of Appy League time, he began the 2014 season in Cedar Rapids. In 112 games, he hit .266/.313/.323 (.636) with 13 doubles, four triples and a home run. He moved up to Ft. Myers for the 2015 season. In 120 games, he hit .270/.321/.306 (.627) with nine doubles, two triples and one home run. Over his final 90 games, he hit .298/.357/.329 (.686). Vielma has good speed. In 2015, he stole 35 bases in 47 attempts. He is a singles hitter who will need to gain strength to hit enough in the big leagues. However, it is his glove that gets him noticed. He has very good range and a strong arm. He will likely move up to Chattanooga for the 2015 season. Previous Top 30 Rankings: N/A #14 – Wander Javier - 16 – SS – Did Not Play The Twins signed Javier out of the Dominican Republic for $4 million, a number over their international slot figure. It’s also the highest amount that the Twins have paid an international free agent from the Caribbean, topping the $3.15 million they signed Miguel Sano for. At 6-0 and 165 pounds, he has room to grow, gaining strength and speed. Most believe that he will be able to stick at shortstop though, as he is likely six years from the big leagues, a lot can happen. Though many believe his swing is long now, he could develop into an above average hitter with some power. It is likely the Twins will have him follow the same path as other top signings from the Dominican, such as Sano, Jorge Polanco, and Amaurys Minier. They began their first seasons in the Dominican Summer League but came to the States in time to play for the GCL Twins. Previous Top 30 Rankings: N/A #13 – Alex Meyer - 25 – RHP – Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins A year ago at this time, Meyer was coming off of a solid season as a starter in Rochester. To say 2015 was disappointing for Meyer is likely a huge understatement. He struggled in spring training. Then he couldn’t get many out as a starter early in the season for the Red Wings and was moved to the bullpen. As he was starting to pitch well, he was called up to the Twins and his two appearances did not go well at all. He was optioned back to Rochester and finished the season by pitching pretty well over the final six weeks. So there is the set up. The reality is that Alex Meyer still has all of the tools and the pitches that could make him a very good pitcher in the big leagues. Most likely, that will now happen out of the bullpen. However, he still throws very hard (upper-90s), has a very good slider, a bit of a change and the ability to miss bats. His primary problem in 2015, and years prior, was control, both in and outside the strike zone. However, in the latter part of 2015, control was not as much of an issue as it had been in previous years, so it’s very possible he comes back in spring training ready to contribute in the big leagues. Or, if he begins in Rochester and does well there, he could be brought up fairly early in the season. He has tremendous makeup and works hard. He’s got good perspective and it would be silly to discount his potential. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (6), 2014 (3), 2013 (4) #12 – Lewis Thorpe – 19 – LHP – Did Not Pitch Thorpe missed the entire 2015 season after having Tommy John surgery in early April. He had signed with the Twins in July of 2012. He became a big prospect in 2013 when he grew, gained weight and started hitting 94 and 95 on his fastball. He also has a good curve ball and a strong change up. He also went 4-1 with a 2.05 ERA. In 2014, he started the season at extended spring training, but before the short-seasons began, he moved up to Cedar Rapids. In 16 starts there, he went 3-2 with a 3.52 ERA. He walked more than he had in the past (4.5 per nine), but he struck out 10 batters per nine innings despite being nearly four years younger than the average player in the league. It is likely that Thorpe will remain in Ft. Myers following spring training. He could return to game action as early as June. 2016 will be about getting some innings and keeping healthy. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (12), 2014 (10) #11 – JT Chargois – 22 – RHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts Chargois was the Twins second-round pick in 2012 out of Rice University where he was co-closer with Tyler Duffey. Coming into the 2015 season, he had pitched just 16 innings as a professional, all at Elizabethton in 2012. He had elbow problems and the Twins had him rehab throughout the 2013 season only to have Tommy John surgery in mid-September of 2013. He missed the entire 2014 season as well. He did return to the mound during the Instructional League. Everyone was talking about his upper-90s (and occasionally triple digit) fastball. The Twins had him begin the 2015 season in Ft. Myers. In 16 games (15 IP), he posted a 2.40 ERA, walked five and struck out 19. He earned a mid-season promotion to Chattanooga. In 32 games (33 IP), he had a 2.73 ERA, walked 20 and struck out 34. Clearly the control will need to improve, but his big fastball and sharp slider make him very intriguing. They make him an easy choice to add to the 40-man roster in November as well. He will come to big league spring training and probably get a legitimate shot to compete for a bullpen job. Previous Top 30 Rankings: N/A So, what do you think of Part 6, Prospects 11-15? On Thursday, we will begin our Top 10 Twins prospects and finish out with the Top 5 on Friday. Click here to view the article

According to LaVelle E. Neal of the Star-Tribune, Torii Hunter has decided to retire from playing baseball. Torii Hunter decided last offseason to return to the organization he grew up in, the organization he often says changed him from a boy to a man. And now the 40-year-old will begin the next chapter of his life after helping the Twins return to competitive baseball play.Hunter told Neal today, "I'm sad because it's all I've known for half of my life." He spent parts of 19 seasons in the big leagues. He won nine Gold Glove Awards. He played in five All Star games. He won a Silver Slugger Award. He played for the Twins, the Angels and the Tigers, playing in the postseason most of those seasons. He turned 40 in July, and now he says it's enough. “But mentally, I think it’s time. I still love the game, but time has taken a toll on me mentally and physically.” Hunter retires with some pretty impressive career numbers. Overall, he hit .277/.331/.461 (.793) with 498 doubles, 39 triples and 353 home runs. He stole 195 bases and supplied many web gems for his fans. He also retires a Twins player, something that meant a lot to him, his teammates, the organization and to the fans. He leaves as one of the best players in organization history. He is in the top ten among Twins hitters all time in many statistical categories despite spending seven season in other organizations. Hunter is a leader. He has ties around the game. He has expressed interest in front office positions. Congratulations to Torii Hunter on a great career – one that began in 1993 when he was selected by the Twins in the first round out of Little Rock Arkansas and ended with the same organization and a fan base that loves him! Click here to view the article