Seth Stohs

So, the options are Chris Davis, Albert Pujols, Chris Carter or Status Quo?

The beauty of maintaining forums... the comments stick around...

On Friday night, the Minnesota Twins lost to the Chicago White Sox. The loss was their 103rd of the season, “besting” their 102-loss season in 1982. So what do you think? Is this the worst team in Minnesota Twins history? I mean, if you go by record alone, then the answer became “Yes” on Friday night. There are two games left. They could still lose two more games and end with 105 losses. Image courtesy of Denny Hedley, USA Today On Friday night, the Minnesota Twins lost to the Chicago White Sox. The loss was their 103rd of the season, “besting” their 102-loss season in 1982. So what do you think? Is this the worst team in Minnesota Twins history? I mean, if you go by record alone, then the answer became “Yes” on Friday night. There are two games left. They could still lose two more games and end with 105 losses. I always like to go back and say that this team is way too talented to really be the worst team in Twins history. Brian Dozier has had an elite year. Ervin Santana was very good. Young players like Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, Kennys Vargas, Taylor Rogers, JT Chargois, Jose Berrios - guys with a lot of talent - took lumps, had successes and learned. The offense was middle of the pack and still has some chance at hitting 200 home runs. The pitching, however, was horrible. I’m a positive guy, and that’s probably the nicest word I can use to describe the Twins pitching in 2016. There were injuries. Glen Perkins pitched two games in the season’s first week before his season came to an end with shoulder surgery. Phil Hughes struggled and eventually learned that he had thoracic outlet syndrome and he needed surgery. Last year’s Twins pitcher of the year, Kyle Gibson, missed six weeks of the season with a shoulder injury and when he returned didn’t return to his 2015 form. A quick look at that 1982 season shows some of the same fatal (and sometimes encouraging) flaws. They had some young talent. players like Kent Hrbek, Tom Brunansky, Gary Gaetti, Tim Laudner and Frank Viola. If the Twins pitchers give up 14 runs in the final two games, they will have given up 900 runs, tying the 1996 Twins for most in team history. When that 1982 Twins team went 60-102, they followed it with a 70-92 season in 1983. They then had that surprise 81-81 season in 1984. Manager Billy Gardner stuck around until the middle of the 1985 season. In 1985, they won 77 games and followed it with 71 wins in 1986. Then came 1987. In the World championship season, they went 85-77. Is it the organization’s worst team? Maybe. Is this this most disappointing season in Minnesota Twins history? I don’t know, but for me it is. Without question. Think about it. Coming into this season many of us thought that the team would be competitive again after an exciting 2015 season in which the Twins weren’t officially eliminated from playoff contention until the second-to-last game. I said I thought that the young players would continue to have ups and downs and that the team would win about the same number of games in 2016. The Twins failed to get 2 million fans for the first time in Target Field history. Can’t help but wonder how much more that number will come down in 2017. When I was at Target Field a couple of weekends ago, I was talking to a Twins player. He told me that he had finally come to the reality that this team just wasn’t very good. There was the bad start. Then there was the 80-game run in which they played at and slightly above .500. But they have been really bad the final 40 games again. We reached an agreement. In a 162-game season, a team generally is what it is. At 57-103, the only real conclusion at this point is that the Minnesota Twins 2016 is a bad baseball team. Is it the worst? I don’t know. Close enough that it really doesn’t matter. And if you want to say it’s the worst, I won’t be able to make much of an argument in disagreement. Best wishes to Derek Falvey! Things can only get better.... right? View full article

Early in most shortstop's minor league career, there is always the question of whether or not he will stick at shortstop or eventually have to move. Look at Jose Miranda. The moment he was drafted as a shortstop, there were thoughts that he would eventually move to either 3B or 2B. With Gordon, there was always a thought that he could stay at short. He's got good range and a strong arm. However, the question of him moving to 2B has more to do with whether or not Vielma can get to the big leagues as a shortstop. If so, a team can't have two shortstops, so one of them move to second base.

And it's just showing that he's crazy. He can't get oer something like that, what's going to happen if Putin or Kim Jung-Un, or that Trudeau guy from Canada say a joke about him or something. What would he do? How it's gotten this for with Trump, I have no idea. I don't think it would surprise anyone that I have never voted Democrat (which in Minnesota means pretty much nothing)... I won't vote for Trump. I won't vote for Hillary. And voting 3rd party sounds great, but it's not like they're really qualified either. Hillary feels like the lesser of two evils, but I can't in my right mind/conscious vote for her. I truly have no idea what I'm going to do, other than not vote for either of them.

I will be shocked if he isn't added to the 40 man roster... I'm guessing when I put together my final rankings in 3 months, he'll likely be higher.

These guys are 26-30... I wouldn't expect any of them to be in any Top 100 national rankings at this time. The Twins have 5 guys that should receive really strong consideration for Top 100 nationally... In this grouping, you might find some 4th OF types... and there is huge upside in Miranda and Baddoo, but I"m not ready yet to push them any higher up this list at this time.

@ThejacKmp - please read 1st paragraph. I made my list... went through all the names... wrote down 1-50... started Part 1, Part 2, and when I started readying Part 3, I noticed I had written 29 twice... Figured I'd just go with it. Wasn't going to move someone from 29-30 to out of the Top 50, so 51 will get recognized... and I'm OK with that.

After posting Part 1 and Part 2 over the last couple of days, predictably, today I am going to post Part 3 of my personal (preliminary) Top 50 Twins Prospect rankings. Today I'll share with you my choices for prospects 26 through 30. Typically, that would be a list of five people. However, when someone makes a list, and that list "accidentally" has two 29s in it, well, prospects 26 through 30 will contain six prospects instead of five today. So, continue on, and read of the SIX prospects ranked between 26 and 30. It is an interesting list. There are a couple of players who have spent some time in the upper levels, but the other four players are very young. Three of them remain teenagers. The teenagers all have the possibility of significantly moving up this list in 2017. Continue reading to learn more about six Twins minor leaguers deserving of recognition. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photos of Top L to R: Nelson Molina, Engelb Vielma, Bottom L to R: Tanner English, Trey Cabbage) After posting Part 1 and Part 2 over the last couple of days, predictably, today I am going to post Part 3 of my personal (preliminary) Top 50 Twins Prospect rankings. Today I'll share with you my choices for prospects 26 through 30. Typically, that would be a list of five people. However, when someone makes a list, and that list "accidentally" has two 29s in it, well, prospects 26 through 30 will contain six prospects instead of five today. So, continue on, and read of the SIX prospects ranked between 26 and 30. It is an interesting list. There are a couple of players who have spent some time in the upper levels, but the other four players are very young. Three of them remain teenagers. The teenagers all have the possibility of significantly moving up this list in 2017. Continue reading to learn more about six Twins minor leaguers deserving of recognition. REMINDER: 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 26-30 #30 – Nelson Molina - 21 – IF – Cedar Rapids Kernels Molina was the Twins 11th-round pick in 2013 out of high school in Puerto Rico (same high school as Twins catcher Juan Centeno). It is fair to say that he struggled offensively in the rookie leagues his first three seasons. However, watching him, he has the size (6-3), build (175), tools and work ethic to want to stand out. In 2016, he came up to the Kernels at the end of April and played well the rest of the way. He was named to the Twins Daily Minor League All-Star team after hitting .300/.374/.381 (.755) with 15 doubles, three triples and two home runs in 94 games. Drafted as a shortstop, he has played all over the field. He mostly played third base for the Kernels this year, but he ended the season playing shortstop for the team, including in the playoffs. #29 – Trey Cabbage - 19 – 3B – Elizabethton Twins Cabbage was the Twins fourth-round draft pick in 2015 out of Grainger High School in Tennessee. After signing, he spent the summer in Ft. Myers, spending some time with the GCL Twins and more time rehabbing a back injury. He spent the first half of the 2016 season at extended spring training before heading north, back to Tennessee, to play in Elizabethton. The third baseman hit .204/.297/.337 (.634) with five doubles, one triple and two home runs in just 31 games with the E-Twins. At 6-3 and a little over 200 pounds, Cabbage is a tremendous athlete. He’s got a sweet, left-handed swing with line-drive power that could turn into home run power from gap-to-gap. Defense continues to be a work-in-progress at third base, but he has a strong arm and puts in a lot of extra work. He could start 2017 in extended with an opportunity to move up to Cedar Rapids. #29 – Tanner English - 23 – OF – Ft. Myers Miracle/Rochester Red Wings English was the Twins 11t- round pick in the 2014 draft out of South Carolina. In 2015, he was named the top defensive outfielder in the Twins system for his glove work in center field in Cedar Rapids. At 5-10 and 180 pounds, English has great speed, range and a powerful arm. Offensively, he can be a leadoff type of hitter. He takes quality at-bats and has good pop. He also is a very good base runner and base-stealer. He began the 2016 in Ft. Myers, but he went on the disabled list early in the season. When he was about ready to come back, he had his ankle rolled in an extended spring game. He returned late in the year to the Miracle. When Rochester needed a center fielder for the final week, English was pushed to the level and hit .294 in 17 at-bats. To get some extra plate appearances, English will head to Arizona to participate in the Fall League. #28 – Akil Baddoo - 18 – OF - GCL Twins If these lists were solely about upside, Baddoo would likely be a Top 10 prospect. Baddoo was the fourth pick in the 2016 draft and the Twins second compensation- round pick, 74th overall. He was an outstanding high school player from the state of Georgia. After signing, he went to the GCL. At 6-1 and just shy of 200 pounds, Baddoo has a lot of tools. He has good speed (8 steals in 9 attempts). He has good range in the outfield and has a strong left arm. Though he hit just .178 in his pro debut in the GCL, most believe he will hit, and he has already shown that he has some power potential (2 triples, 2 home runs). As it is with most 18 year olds, patience will be a big key. #27 – Jose Miranda - 18 – SS – GCL Twins Miranda was selected one pick before Akil Baddoo, 73rd overall, in the June draft out of high school in Puerto Rico. He also began his career in the GCL. He played shortstop and third base equally and also played a handful of games at second base. He’ll likely be given more time at shortstop, but when he was drafted most scouts believed his future was either at third base or second base. He played in 55 games and hit .227/.308/.292 with seven doubles, a triple and a home run. Listed at 6-2 and 180 pounds, he has average speed. Most believe he will hit and has a chance to hit for above average power. #26 – Engelb Vielma - 22 – SS – Chattanooga Lookouts Vielma signed with the Twins out of Venezuela in mid-September of 2011, just late enough that he didn’t need to be added to the 40-man roster last year. The Twins will have to make that decision this November. Vielma has been named the Twins top minor league defensive infielder the last two years and earned an invitation to big league spring training after a solid 2015 in Ft. Myers. He spent the majority of the 2016 season in Chattanooga, though he had two stints on the disabled list and played some rehab games in Ft. Myers. With the Lookouts, he hit .271/.345/.318 (.663) with seven doubles and four triples. While he’ll never hit for power, if he can hit for average, he has a chance to be a big league shortstop because of his great defense. He is the total package at shortstop. He has good range, instincts and a powerful arm. Others discuss his leadership So what do you think of Part 3, Prospects 26-30? Next up will be prospects 21-25. Feel free to discuss, comment and ask questions below. View full article

He's the one that has the potential to move up this a ton in 2018 or so... but it's hard to put him up any higher quite yet.

Also corrected... thank you!

Thank you for catching that. Slegers just turned 24 in the last month. Rosario is 22. I have edited the article to correct those errors.

Regarding Light, I'm pretty certain I have him too low, and probably have been watching too much of him on TV to have a fair opinion right now. It's likely he'll figure things out, like Chargois has in September, at some point. And, I'm certain worrying about what a guy is doing this late in the season isn't fair. Regarding Slegers, I can guarantee they won't trade him for Brian Fuentes!

I think most people will have Rosario easily in the Top 30, maybe even top 20. I may have him in the Top 20 after researching and writing the prospect handbook. He's got some really good stuff. He should be better in 2017. But obviously, there are enough question marks still.

Absolutely... Not sure how it would play if we just worked our way up... but this gets a lot of deserving players recognized and discussed.

Once they're in the system, they all have a chance. I think it's a good thing. Obviously high signing bonus guys will get more chances, but if guys keep performing, there's always a chance to move up.

Today, I’m sharing Part 2 of my prospect countdown, prospects 31-40. In Part 1, welooked at my choices for prospects 41-50. This is an interesting group of prospects as well. There are a couple of starting pitchers who have produced numbers as they’ve moved up the ladder without being credited with great stuff. There are a couple of starting pitchers and relievers who have electric stuff and have either struggled some or been injured. There is a hitter who really struggled in 2016 and ended the season injured. It is another group where there are some future big leaguers. In fact, there is a current big leaguer on the list too. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photos of Top L to R: Cody Stashak, Edgar Corcino, Eduardo Del Rosario, and Bottom L to R: Jaylin Davis, Randy Rosario, Jermaine Palacios) Today, I’m sharing Part 2 of my prospect countdown, prospects 31-40. In Part 1, welooked at my choices for prospects 41-50. This is an interesting group of prospects as well. There are a couple of starting pitchers who have produced numbers as they’ve moved up the ladder without being credited with great stuff. There are a couple of starting pitchers and relievers who have electric stuff and have either struggled some or been injured. There is a hitter who really struggled in 2016 and ended the season injured. It is another group where there are some future big leaguers. In fact, there is a current big leaguer on the list too. 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 31-40 #40 – Cody Stashak - 22 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle Stashak was the Twins 13th-round pick in 2015 out of St. Johns (NY). He went 5-2 in ten starts in Elizabethton. He began the 2016 season at extended spring but was quickly promoted to Cedar Rapids. There, he went 8-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 18 games (17 starts). Late in the season, he was promoted to Ft. Myers where he 2-0 with a 0.54 ERA in 16.2 innings for the Miracle. Stashak fits into the mold of Twins starter in the last decade. He’s not real tall and he’s thin. He throws 90-92 and has good command of a three-pitch mix. #39 – Eduardo Del Rosario - 21 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels The Twins signed the very skinny Del Rosario in 2012 out of the Dominican Republic. He spent a year in the DSL. He pitched out of the GCL bullpen in 2014. He returned to the GCL in 2015 to start, nearly doubling his innings count. He ended the season with one start in Elizabethton. He began 2016 in extended spring but he was promoted to the Kernels in early June. In his first six Kernels starts he went 0-2 with a 6.25 ERA and opponents hit .314 (.882) off of him. Then he figured something out. Over his final 10 starts, he went 6-0 with a 2.09 ERA. In 51.2 innings in those starts, he walked 20, but he struck out 64. He is 6-0 all and 170 pounds. He throws a good fastball and is mixing in some improving secondary pitches as well. #38 – Jordan Balazovic - 18 – RHP - GCL Twins Balazovic was committed to Auburn, but the Twins' fifth-round pick is out of high school in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He was one of the last 2016 picks to sign, and when he did, he reported to Ft. Myers to play in the GCL. While the organization was obviously, wisely, very cautious with him in his debut, Balazovic pitched quite well. In 32 innings over eight games (six starts), he went 2-1 with a 1.97 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. He struck out just 16 batters but the youngster (just turned 18 after the season) worked on just throwing strikes with an upper-80s fastball (touching 90-91). His breaking pitches have a way to go also. But size (6-4) and mechanics indicate that he has a ton of potential. #37 – Jaylin Davis - 22 – OF – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels Davis was the Twins 24th-round draft pick in 2015 out of Appalachian State. He fell in the draft because he was injured and, in fact, didn’t play in the Twins rookie leagues at all last year. He began this season in extended spring training and actually ended up starting his playing season in Elizabethton. He spent just 12 games there and hit seven home runs before moving up to Cedar Rapids for the remainder of the season. With the Kernels, he hit .250/.339/.469 (.808) with 13 doubles, a triple and nine home runs. At 6-1 and nearly 200 pounds, Davis’s best tool is clearly his power. He has the potential to strike out a lot, walk a bit, display some speed and hit a lot of home runs. #36 – Edgar Corcino - 24 – OF – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts Corcino was originally the 26th-round pick of the Detroit Tigers in 2009. He remained in that organization through the 2012 season. He spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons playing independent league ball. The Twins signed the Puerto Rican before the 2015 season. After spending some time in EST, he spent the final three months of the season in Cedar Rapids where he displayed tremendous defense all around the outfield. He began 2016 in Ft. Myers. In 74 games, he hit .266 (.760) with 24 extra base hits. He was promoted to Chattanooga and played in 50 games. He hit .280 (.754) with 15 extra base hits. He’s got good speed and makes a ton of web gems. #35 – Aaron Slegers - 24 – RHP – Chattanooga Lookouts Slegers was the Big 10 Pitcher of the Year in 2013, his junior season at Indiana. Following the college season, he was the Twins fifth-round pick. He has consistently moved up one level each year. In 2016, he spent the full season in Chattanooga. He went 10-7 with a 3.41 ERA. In 145.1 innings, he walked 46 and struck out 104 (6.4 per nine). From mid-May until just after July 4th, he posted nine straight quality starts. Unfortunately, he then went on the disabled list and missed about three weeks. He did end the season strong. At 6-10, we all are aware that he doesn’t throw real hard, topping out at about 91-92. But he knows out to pitch and has improved each year. #34 – Pat Light - 25 – RHP – Pawtucket Paw Sox/Boston Red Sox/Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins The Twins finally got the guy they drafted seven years earlier. Late in the 2009 draft, the Twins selected Light out of high school. He wisely chose to go to college and three years later, he was a supplemental first-round pick of the Red Sox. He worked his way up the ladder there, first as a starter, but more quickly as a reliever. Blessed with a fastball that can reach into triple-digits at times, he came to the Twins at the July trade deadline in exchange for Fernando Abad, who has an ERA over six since joining the Red Sox. In Rochester, he was still hitting 100 mph with regularity, but with the Twins, he’s been sitting 93-96. Could just be tiring at the end of a season, but his struggles and the velocity drop have me a little nervous. He struggles with command and control, but he does have the ability to miss bats, so it would be silly to give up on him at this point. #33 – Mason Melotakis - 25 – LHP – Chattanooga Lookouts Melotakis was the Twins’ second-round pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State University of Louisiana. The hard-throwing left-hander spent about a year given the opportunity to start, but he was moved back to the bullpen (which is where he performed in college). Unfortunately, he had Tommy John surgery and missed the 2015 season. He came back for Instructs and was throwing in the upper 90s. Wisely, the Twins were patient and cautious with “Melo” during the 2016 season. He struggled early, and then spent seven days on the DL. When he returned, he pitched much better. He spent one more stint on the disabled list later in the season, but they were able to get him through the season healthy. And he pitched fairly well for the most part. In 33.1 innings (over 36 games), he posted a 2.97 ERA, walked 12 and struck out 42. He is now essentially where JT Chargois was a year ago at this time. Look for Melotakis to start next season in Chattanooga with the opportunity to quickly get up to Rochester before getting an opportunity with the Twins. #32 – Jermaine Palacios - 20 – SS – Cedar Rapids Kernels Palacios came into the 2016 season as one of the most interesting, intriguing prospects in the Twins minor league system. He came to the States in 2015 and put on an offensive display in the rookie leagues. In the GCL, he hit .421 in 26 games before moving up to Elizabethton where he hit .336 in 31 games. At 19, he moved up to Cedar Rapids in 2016 and to call it a struggle might be putting it kindly. Palacios got off to a slow start in the cold weather and saw his batting average hover around the Mendoza line. He ended at .222/.276/.287 (.564) thanks to his final ten games of his season when he hit .349. Unfortunately, his season came to an end when he was hit in the wrist by a pitch on July 16. His defense is still suspect, though he has the ability to improve. I wouldn’t give up on him. I suspect he’ll return to Cedar Rapids in 2017, still just 20. He has a chance to move back up this list quickly due to the lumps he took in 2016. #31 – Randy Rosario - 22 – LHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts The Twins signed Rosario out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old in 2010. He has gradually moved up the ladder. As he continued to grow, his velocity continued to rise. Unfortunately, early in 2014, Rosario hurt his elbow and had Tommy John surgery early in the 2014 season. He returned to the Kernels midway through the 2015 season, and he was throwing hard, touching 97 at times. He was added to the 40-man roster following the 2015 season and went to spring training with the big league club in 2016. He started the season in the vaunted Ft. Myers rotation and had some ups and downs, but in 21 games (16 starts), he went 6-6 with a 3.34 ERA. In 94.1 innings, he walked 34 and struck out 68. He ended the season with four relief appearances in Chattanooga. In his first outing, he gave up two hits and walked two before leaving the game without recording an out. He threw two shutout innings in each of his next two appearances for the Lookouts before another tough one in his fourth and final outing. Rosario has electric stuff so I believe he has a chance to make a big jump forward in 2017. He’ll head to the Arizona Fall League next month for an opportunity to keep working on things. So what do you think of Part 2, Prospects 31-40? Next up will be prospects 26-30. View full article

He's been in Ft. Myers lately (or at least last week) and had quite a few tweets on players in Twins Instructs.

He measured in at 6-3 and 191 pounds this spring, but he is definitely a great athlete with a chance to grow, get stronger and maintain his speed... The baseball stuff will come.

And Murphy is at Instructs now because he missed so much time this year with injuries. He's got some talent.

Fair statistical points, but his future, like any prospect, is about hoping to improve the deficiency so that by the time he might get to the big leagues - 2-3 years later - he's figured some of those things out. Way too early to call that a wasted pick. If you can get a 100 mph fastball in the third round, hard to give up on yet.

Diaz, English and Jorge will be in future installments, for sure... Lee was released in spring. Kanzler was released last year. Hinojosa was released last year. Eades has a shot still... Silva is still young and was with Cedar Rapids. Noteworthy that he didn't catch at all for the Kernels once the playoffs started though.