Seth Stohs

He did actually pitch one other inning in a game the previous week but it was rained out so there is no box score for it. I know AB Walker had an RBI double in that partial game as well.

Fair enough. I think my point was mainly just amount of information we know on them at this time. But again, that could be said for any minor leaguers being compared.

A reminder... here's a thread set up for your prospect lists (or links to your prospect lists). http://twinsdaily.com/topic/20532-post-your-prospect-lists-here/

I know one thing... it's not a bias. As I've said previously, whether it's in this thread or one of the previous ones, I typically don't rank players until they play in the GCL. I think that international signings are always very interesting. I certainly think that Javier has a big upside based on reports. I've seen minimal video. I don't know the level of competition he's playing against. I'd like to see him put up numbers in the States before making too strong of a case for him. If he comes to the States next spring - my guess is he won't go to minor league camp but will go to the DSL and then over to the GCL when that season starts - he could jump into the Top 10 easily, especially with graduations next spring. As for Gordon vs Javier... it wouldn't even be fair for me to comment on that. I think Gordon's upside is really high, and I've seen him... it's not really even fair to compare the two at this time. Just so much different.

I love when that happens! That's why I love following minor league development! Every minor leaguer's story is a little bit different. We all like the Miguel Sano's and Byron Buxton's, but I love the stories of Tommy Watkins, and Chris Heintz, and Chris Colabello, and Caleb Thielbar, and Ryan O'Rourke better... as a story, that is. And, I always try to point out that prospect rankings are for talk, discussion, recognition, etc. We like to pretend they are some sort of indicator of future success, but there are too many examples of that not being the case.

Yeah, it's definitely not a secret that a lot of people like Navarreto... I still doubt that BA (or, Mike Berardino, as it is) will have him in their top 30. But maybe. I fully admit I'm going to likely have him ranked higher than most, if not all... and that's OK with me. Prospect lists are, and should be, based some on gut feelings too. If there's one thing that prospect rankings shouldn't be based on, it's stats. Especially in the lower levels of the minor leagues. They're part of the equation, but tools, potential, et all, are as important.

Yup, when I do my prospect rankings, I'm certain there will always be questions and comments and I'm 100% OK with that. We all value certain things more or less, and that can also vary by position. Again, my hope is that when my rankings are done, people will write up their own personal top 30 or top 50 lists, either as blogs or in a forum. They're fun to discuss.

At some point he will be.

I'll reply... these are just my opinions, so I don't care if people disagree. I would think people would. If we all agreed exactly the same on every prospect, what fun would that be. 1.) no one is telling me where to rank people, but I'll take any opinions and listen to them. People I've talked to have talked about his defense and offensive potential... but mainly it's a gut feel. I don't think his ceiling is backup catcher. I think he can be a solid starter, someday. Maybe not. In fact, odds are against him, as they are all minor leaguers. 2.) I mean, you can if you want... but he's been with the Twins, the Angels and now the Royals... those teams find value in him as a backup catcher. Teammates tout his intelligence and what he brings to the team. I frankly don't care about his bWAR or whatever. Whether we (fans who think we know more than front office people) like it or not, he provides value in the eyes of the people that matter most. 3.) I skimmed my rankings... I don't think I ever had Butera in the top 30. 4.) Fair enough... but then Buxton and Hicks and Plouffe hit 97 in high school, maybe they should be bullpen guys too. 5.) It's possible I ranked two backup big league catchers in my preliminary top 20. It's also possible that neither one of them will make it to the big leagues. It's possible one does and the other doesn't. It's possible they both do, one becomes a starter and the other is a backup.

I would say that what Molitor says regarding players is much, much more important for us to read than what St. Peter says. Molitor and Ryan and the front office are involved in these discussions. St. Peter likely gets briefed or maybe a few notes. But he'll have 0 input on player decisions. St. Peter is good for information on stuff off the field. I don't mean that as a slight to him or anything, but as President, he's got a ton to worry about and has to (and should) leave all baseball decisions to the baseball people. Also, realize that at the org meetings, they talk about everything. Every possible scenario. There's a lot of information. And also remember, what Molitor or anyone says publicly is only part of the story... you have to read beyond the quotes. Would Molitor want Torii Hunter back? Absolutely, no question about that. But that'll be on Hunter (to want to) and Ryan to be ok with the details. Could Buxton use more AAA time? I think that's quite reasonable. The Berrios thing... Molitor acknowledged that there was likely some business side to him not coming up. 1.) I don't think that was bout arbitration or free agency. 2.) I do think it was more about the 40 man roster. The Twins have proven over and over that, although they should think about arbitration and especially free agency timelines, they haven't. If they think someone is ready opening day, they'll go with it. So again, have to look past the quotes, to the history and to some common sense. Cotts - Sure, they'll probably evaluate a lot of lefty relievers who are free agents. They may even bring in a couple to compete... I'd be surprised if Cotts is back. Sano to the OF - I'll believe that when I see that. Need OF depth - they know players will read this stuff... can't just tell them that things will be handed to them. Hicks had a good 6 weeks. Rosario doesn't walk. Arcia's situation. If it was me, I'd go Rosario, Buxton, Hicks in the OF, but there isn't anything certain about any of them. Anyway, just some of my thoughts. I was glad to hear that SS is Escobar's job at this point.

Sure, but Duensing wasn't a LOOGY. Duensing is also a free agent and unlikely to be back, opening up a spot. Could be Rogers, Darnell or someone else. I just believe that pitchers are better served developing as starters (if they can) because 1.) starters are more valuable and guys that have success in AA and AAA may need just one thing to click to become a solid #3-4 starter (which is valuable), and 2.) they face so many more in-game situations as a starter than they do as a reliever. I'd also add that I think there's a very good chance he's on the MLB roster at some point in 2016... and beyond.

I would say this much... because it's all just theoretical and I'm not going to look anything up... It's rare to find good defensive catchers who can hit. It's rare to find good offensive catchers who can catch well. There's a reason Joe Mauer was the #1 prospect in baseball for a couple of years. There's a reason he was a perennial All Star. If there are catchers in the minor leagues who people think and hit well in the majors and still be good defensively, those guys will likely be very highly ranked. My guess is you'll see a few of them in the lower levels of the minors, and as they move up the ladder, things get exposed and you see less of them. The ones that can hit will be on prospect lists. The ones that teams want to be their starters will not be ranked as high in many cases because offensive stats are pretty much all that can be seen. That the long way of saying that I don't think you'll find a ton of catchers in prospect rankings. It's the most difficult position for ranking.

The right situation being maybe in an organization that doesn't have an All Star second baseman locked up for the next three seasons.

Because starting pitchers are more valuable and if there's any chance he can be a starter, they should go with that. Also, once they brought O'Rourke up, he was the LOOGY. Now, most believe that Rogers will be a bullpen guy long term, in large part due to the Twins depth of mid-to-backend starters, but he's developing more as a starter than as a reliever because he's facing those same situations every start almost.

Just to look at my 2015 Twins Prospects, #s 16-20. #16 - Tyler Duffey - knowing what we know now, and if he had only pitched 49 innings with the Twins, where would he rank now? #17 - Chih-Wei Hu - he took another step forward in 2015 and was traded for a solid late-innings reliever. #18 - Jake Reed - he took a step back, but he still is top 25 for me and is a good candidate to be successful in the Twins bullpen at some point in the next couple of years. #19 - Stuart Turner - Defense matters... I still think there's some offensive potential in there. He had a solid second half... with graduations and such, he stayed the same for me. 2016 will be a big season for him to determine whether he goes up the list, or drops a bit. #20 - JR Graham - he was a Rule 5 guy who was clocked at 95+ despite it being in his return from injury with the Braves. Obviously he's not a 'prospect' anymore, but given a little time, he can be a solid 6th/7th inning type of guy. 2014 #s 16-20 --> 16.) Amaurys Minier, 17.) Kennys Vargas, 18.) Ryan Eades, 19.) Felix Jorge, 20.) Niko Goodrum. 2013 #s 16-20 --> 16.) AB Walker, 17.) Chris Herrmann, 18.) BJ Hermsen, 19.) Jorge Polanco, 20.) Luke Bard 2012 #s 16-20 --> 16.) Manuel Soliman, 17.) Levi Michael, 18.) Max Kepler, 19.) Niko Goodrum, 20.) Hudson Boyd 2011 #s 16-20 --> 16.) Max Kepler, 17.) Eddie Rosario, 18.) BJ Hermsen, 19.) Danny Ortiz, 20.) Bobby Lanigan 2010 #s 16-20 --> 16.) Jeff Manship, 17.) Tyler Robertson, 18.) Alex Burnett, 19.) Blayne Weller, 20.) Billy Bullock 2009 #s 16-20 --> 16.) Shooter Hunt, 17.) Joe Benson, 18.) Mike McCardell, 19.) Steve Tolleson, 20.) Brian Duensing 2008 #s 16-20 --> 16.) Jason Pridie, 17.) Erik Lis, 18.) Deibinson Romero, 19.) Nick Blackburn, 20.) Jay Rainville. 2007 #s 16-20 --> 16.) Kyle Waldrop, 17.) Brock Peterson, 18.) Jay Rainville, 19.) Trevor Plouffe, 20.) Joe Benson 2006 #s 16-20 --> 16.) Kyle Waldrop, 17.) Boof Bonser, 18.) Matt Garza, 19.) Juan Portes, 20.) David Winfree There are some really good players... Duensing, Plouffe, Garza, There are some guys who got a cup of coffee. There are some guys who "Roger" might be the only one who remembers. That's the nature of these lists... It's what makes them fun.

I would say that the top 2-3 prospects are what makes a prospect ranking for an organization. The Twins have 6-7 guys that will have them ranked pretty high even with the 'graduations' of Rosario, May, Duffey and Sano. How I look at rankings... You look for one of the top 2 to become an All-Star caliber player. You hope that guys in that 3-7 range can become regular starters in the lineup or 3-5 starters. You hope that guys in that 8-15 range can become quality role players, maybe bullpen arms, etc. You hope that guys in the 16+ range can get to the big leaguers and help in any way. Of course, there's so much wiggle room in all of that. I mean, guys like Blankenhorn, Diaz, Cabbage simply don't have enough track record and not quite enough prospect hype to be Top 10-12 guys right now but clearly do have the potential to someday breakout and become a Top 10 guy. I just need something more. Consider Jorge Polanco signed out of the DR as a mid-sized signing bonus, good defense, questionable bat prospect. Sano was my #3 Twins prospect right away after the Twins signed him. Polanco wasn't in the top 30. Polanco took two seasons in the GCL and didn't hit until he moved to Elizabethton, and then proved that was real in Cedar Rapids. Now he's easily a top 10 guy and someone who, in the right situation, can be a big league regular. Prospect rankings are for fun discussion and learning about players and recognizing them. But they're subject to change year over year as players develop. That's the beauty of it!

Fair point, but what if he does take the step in 2016 and people think that he can be more than a backup catcher. Also, what's wrong with being a backup catcher. If the Twins would have moved Butera to the bullpen, it's pretty likely he never makes the big leagues. As a backup catcher, and one of the smartest baseball players around, he's now over 5 years of MLB service time. He's considered valuable by MLB Insiders, front offices, players, coaches, etc. That's nothing to scoff at, even though many chose to do so.

He wasn't in my Top 30 coming into 2015 either. He dropped out of my rankings (and most rankings) after his 2014 season. But he pitched his way back in in 2015.

He is eligible this year for the Rule 5 draft if he isn't protected. For me, I don't think he's a given to be added, though he is one of 2-3 that I think are borderline adds. I just don't think he'd stick with a big league roster for the season, so I don't think he'd be taken...

Everyone has their personal rankings and has guys they are likely higher on then most... or lower. I guess I don't look at other rankings when I come up with mine. As noted, these are all subject to change when I come up with my final rankings in the Prospect Handbook. I haven't really talked to anyone associated with the Twins about these rankings. I've talked to some about some of the players, but not about how to rank them. What am I looking for in a catcher? #1 - Defense. I think that's the most important thing a catcher can do for his team. Both Turner and Navarreto are terrific. Tools-wise, Navarreto has good size, strength and a powerful arm. He's working on calling games, and he'll get better at blocking, but those are the tools I look for defensively. Yes, I would like to see more offense, but again, he's got the size. He's got decent speed, especially for a catcher. He hasn't shown it yet, but he has tremendous power potential. Maybe I'm biased some by the monstrous home run I saw him hit off of JO Berrios in spring training. Obviously a pretty small sample size (1 AB), but it does speak to his potential. The Salvador Perez comp is based on size and defense, and offensive potential. It doesn't mean he will get there, and it certainly doesn't mean he'll be an All Star by 23. I frankly don't care if it takes him til 25-26 to get to the big leagues. For me, comps are about potential, not about age-to-level and stuff like that. What 'could' he become... Navarreto may never get to AA. No way to know. But with his defense, I think he's got a good chance to get to the big leagues. But mainly, just my personal opinion.

I would agree with that, but I'm always a proponent of that. Others asked why I have Navarreto and Turner as high as I do. Part of it is their size. Part of it is seeing some offensive potential. And, my personal opinion is that to see that potential, they need to get an extra half-season at a level. I've written on a few occasions that I'd like to see Turner get another half-season in Chattanooga in 2016. Same thing with Navarreto. I'd like to see him get another half season in Cedar Rapids. Both hit better in the 2nd half than they did early in the season. Neither will be a great hitter, most likely, but if they can be near-.700 OPS guys and play the kind of defense they can play, that's pretty valuable. Will that happen? No way to know, but I love both upsides. And, I guess if I were to make one other statement, or acknowledge one mistake, it's probably that there is so much separation in ranking between these two and Garver. When I come up with my final rankings, I would guess these two will stay pretty close to where they are, but Garver will move up a little bit.

I think that would be a fair statement, though there is a lot of development he needs to do offensively as well as defensively.

Today we start looking at who I’ve put in my preliminary Top 20 Minnesota Twins Prospect countdown with prospects 16 through 20. This is a fairly diverse group by age and by position. There are a couple of catchers, a left-handed starter, a right-handed starter and a young infielder with big power potential. 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)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 16-20 #20 – Brian Navarreto - 20 – C – Cedar Rapids Kernels The Twins used their sixth-round pick in 2013 on the 6-4, 225 pound backstop. He was born in Puerto Rico and went to high school in Jacksonville, Florida. He spent that summer playing for the GCL Twins. He hit .226/.318/.365 (.683). In 2014, he played in 31 games for Elizabethton and hit .194/.241/.370 (.612). In 2015, he moved up to Cedar Rapids where he hit .217/.256/.281 (.537) with 11 doubles, a triple and two home runs. It’s behind the plate where Navarreto stands out. In E-Town, he threw out 59% of would-be base stealers. For the Kernels, he threw out 56% He is often compared to Royals catcher Salvador Perez. At this point, it’s his size and arm, and not his bat that make that comp appropriate. However, he does have a lot of offensive potential. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (29) #19 – Stuart Turner - 23 – C – Chattanooga Lookouts Three rounds before the Twins select Navarreto, they drafted Stuart Turner out of the University of Mississippi. He spent that season in Elizabethton. In 2014, he skipped over the Midwest League and went straight to Ft. Myers. In 93 games, he hit .249/.322/.375 (.698) with 16 doubles, two triples and seven home runs. In 98 games with Chattanooga in 2015, he hit .223/.333/.306 (.628) with 13 doubles and four homers. After throwing out 32% in Elizabethton and Ft. Myers, he threw out 39% for Chattanooga this season. At 6-3 and 230 pounds, Turner is strong and durable and does have potential to get on base and show some power with the bat. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (19) #18 – Taylor Rogers - 23 – LHP – Rochester Red Wings The Twins drafted Rogers in the 11th round of the 2012 draft out of the University of Kentucky where he was a three-year starter. He made six starts in Elizabethton before moving up to Beloit. He began the 2013 season with three starts in Cedar Rapids before moving up to Ft. Myers where he was named the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. With the Miracle he went 11-6 with a 2.55 ERA. He moved up to New Britain in 2014 where he went 11-6 with a 3.29 ERA. He made three appearances in the Arizona Fall League a year ago after taking a liner off his arm in his second outing. He was invited to big league spring training this year and then went to Rochester. He went 11-12 with a 3.98 ERA in 174 innings. He is back in the Fall League now. The lefty throws a fastball between 89 and 92 mph. He has a slider in the upper 70s. He had significantly better numbers against left-handers. At 6-3 and 180 pounds, some wonder if he’ll hold up as a starter. However, this year he’ll hit about 190 innings total. He’ll continue to start, though he’ll likely be able to compete for a bullpen spot out of spring training. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (21), 2014 (11) #17 – Travis Blankenhorn – 19 – 3B – GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins Blankenhorn was the Twins third-round draft pick this year out of high school in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. A terrific athlete, Blankenhorn has a lot of offensive potential. He began his career with 14 games in the Gulf Coast League. He hit .245/.362/.408 (.770) with four doubles and two triples. He was promoted to Elizabethton where he played in 39 games and hit .243/.306/.326 (.632) with three doubles and three home runs. In those 14 games in the GCL, he played some at first base, shortstop, third base and in left field. When he moved up to Elizabethton, the only defensive position he played was third base. He’s young and he’s raw, but he has a solid swing and uses the whole field. He is strong and should develop power. He could start in extended spring, but I think it’s likely he will begin 2016 with Cedar Rapids. Previous Top 30 Rankings: N/A #16 – Felix Jorge - 23 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels The Twins signed Jorge out of the Dominican Republic in February of 2011. He spent that summer in the DSL before coming to the States in 2012. He spent a year with the GCL Twins. In 2013, he went 2-2 with a 2.95 ERA in Elizabethton. He began 2014 in Cedar Rapids but struggled mightily. He went back to Elizabethton and was the Appy League Pitcher of the Year. He returned to the Kernels to start the 2015 season and was a completely different pitcher. Overall, he went 6-7 with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 142 innings. He was remarkably consistent. He completed six innings in 20 of his 22 starts including a streak of 14 straight. He also gave up more than three earned runs in a start just twice. He sits in the low-90s but has a really good pitch mix. He will advance to Ft. Myers to start the 2016 season. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2014 (19) So, what do you think of Part 5, Prospects 16-20? Next week, we’ll continue the countdown with the Top 15 Twins Prospects. Feel free to share your thoughts on these prospects. Who is too high or too low on this list? Also, start contemplating your own personal Top 20, Top 30 or Top 50 Twins prospect list. Click here to view the article

In previous years, I wouldn't rank anyone until they had played in the GCL. For the Prospect Handbook this year, we're going to include recently signed players in our rankings. So, Diaz, for me, wasn't 'eligible' for me to rank last year. That's why it looks like he jumped from N/A to 21 or so. If I had ranked him a year ago, he probably would have been in that same range, possibly a little higher.