Seth Stohs

The Twins announced today that six pitchers will be there to open spring training. JO Berrios is officially invited to his first big league camp, although he was there with the team when he was working out before the WBC two years ago. Right-handers Tyler Duffey, Mark Hamburger and Adrian Salcedo will also be there. So will left-handers Ryan O'Rourke and Taylor Rogers. The team always needs plenty of catchers. Dan Rohlfing recently signed to remain with the organization. Stuart Turner will return for his second big league spring training. Tyler Grimes and Mitch Garver will participate in their first spring training with the big leaguers. James Beresford and Doug Bernier return to the organization and to big league camp. They will be joined by newcomers Argenis Diaz and Heiker Meneses. Byron Buxton will return to big league camp in 2015 along with fellow outfielders Eric Farris, Danny Ortiz and Shane Robinson. Pioneer Press's Mike Berardino also tweeted that the Twins have brought back former 49th round draft pick Brock Peterson.

The Twins selected the right-hander with the fifth pick in the Rule 5 draft. He was a top prospect with the Braves a couple of years ago, with a fastball that touched triple digits. Shoulder injuries have stalled his progress the last two years, but the Twins scouts who saw him in 2014 liked what they saw. Twins pro scouting director Vern Followell told Mike Berardino that they saw him hit 97 and 98 mph this year. With any MLB Rule 5 pick, Graham will need to stick with the Twins, on their 25-man roster, through the 2015 season or be offered back to Atlanta. His opportunity with the Twins would be primarily out of the bullpen. He will turn 25 in January. Graham was drafted in the 46th round of the 2008 draft by his favorite team while growing up, the Oakland A’s. Graham said, “I would have to say my favorite team growing up was the Oakland As, but I did also like the San Francisco Giants. Some of my favorite players growing up were Tim Hudson, Randy Johnson (same home town and high school), and Pedro Martinez. It’s funny to look back now and realize they were all pitchers I enjoyed the most since I played shortstop growing up and rarely pitched.” He decided to go to college at Santa Clara University. Three years later, the Braves used their fourth round pick on him. He rocketed up prospect rankings with a fastball and ranked as high as the Braves #3 prospect. Unfortunately in 2013, he started experiencing some shoulder issues that have curtailed his last two seasons. “The shoulder injury had to be one of the most frustrating things in my life. You just feel helpless. It’s a moment I will never forget. I threw the pitch, and I felt it go. I remember just walking around the mound not knowing what to do. You have no way of knowing what is exactly wrong with you, but I knew whatever it was I was going to work through it and come back and be able to pitch. Right now, I feel 100% and can’t wait to get down to spring training and show everyone what I've got.” Last Thursday though, after four season in the Atlanta organization, Graham got the news that he had been selected in the Rule 5 draft. “The funny thing about the morning of the Rule 5 is that I wasn't actually paying much attention to it. I was driving from Orlando to Jacksonville to be a groomsman in my buddy’s wedding, Gus Schlosser, who pitched for Atlanta last year. So all of a sudden my phone started ringing like crazy, and I knew something good had to have happened. Once I did know I was selected by the Twins, it was a huge relief and I couldn't have been happier. I have been in contact with the Twins since the Rule 5.” Of course, with all his time spent in Atlanta, he was able to accumulate many great moments and friendships. “I had a lot of great memories with Atlanta, so it is hard to put just one down. But the one that is sticking out in my mind would have to be my first big league spring training and taking the mound for the first time. It was just a huge rush and crazy because I was on the field with the same guys I was watching on TV a year earlier.” He isn’t completely unfamiliar with the Twins organization. He knows a few of the players and recognizes many others. “I was excited to get back on the same teal as Gilly (Sean Gilmartin), but he also got Rule 5'd, and I couldn’t be happier for him. I wish him luck over with his new organization. I do know a couple of other guys in the Twins organization. One of my best friends growing up was David Hurlbut. We played travel ball growing up. I know Tyler Jones, Tim Shibuya, Zach Jones. I got to play with Jordan Schafer over with Atlanta. I also remember playing against the Elizabethton Twins in the Appy League so I am sure I will remember a few other names.” Danville is the Appalachian League affiliate of the Braves. Elizabethton and Danville are frequently the teams to beat in their divisions. That 2011 Elizabethton team included Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler and Niko Goodrum. So, what do we know about Graham as a pitcher? Well, why don’t we let him give us a scouting report on himself? “I am an aggressive pitcher. Once I get on that mound, I dont think anyone can beat me. I try to be a bulldog out there and have ‘No Fear.’ I throw a 4-seam and a 2-seam fastball, a slider and a change up.” Graham still spends his off-seasons in California with his parents and his sisters. He keeps pretty active away from the game of baseball as well. His hobbies include “working out, playing video games, learning to play guitar, a little bit of golf, watching movies, and going out on the boat to wakeboard and do some bare-footing.” I believe he really does have a chance to impress the Twins brass enough for them to want to keep him around. When the Twins selected Scott Diamond from the Braves in the Rule 5 several years ago, they were able to send Billy Bullock to the Braves in order to keep him in the organization. My sense is that if he doesn't make the Twins 25-man roster out of spring training, the Braves may want him back and not be willing to work out a trade this time around. Graham is excited about being selected in the Rule 5 draft and coming to the Twins organization. “Going into spring, I am just thankful for this opportunity the Twins are giving me. My dream has always been to be a major league baseball player. I can’t wait to get started with the Twins organization. It’s going to be a lot of fun!”

In the Prospect Handbook, there are two pages dedicated to looking at the league average age and performance of hitters and pitchers at each level. Here is what was shown for the Ft. Myers Miracle and the Florida State League. FT. MYERS MIRACLE (82-57) · FSL Hitters – 22.6, .257/.325/.371 (.695) · Miracle Hitters – 22.4, .261/.339/.383 (.722) · FSL Pitchers – 23.2, 3.75 ERA, 1.33 WHIP · Miracle Pitchers – 23.3, 3.34 ERA, 1.32 WHIP What does it mean? As you can see, the Miracle hitters and pitchers were, on average, about the same as the league average. They also performed a little better than league average in offense and pitching. By itself, this information is kind of fun to look at, but more important, it provides perspective. If a 25 year old in the Florida State League hits .300/400/500 (.900), it’s good. But if a 20-year-old hits .275/.350/.400 (.750) in the same league, he is a very good prospect. The 25-year-old could still become a big leaguer, and could even have a solid career. The 20-year-old likely has a higher ceiling. So, with that bit of background, I thought it would be fun to take a look at which Twins prospects were the youngest at their level. Players that spent time in multiple levels can show up multiple times on this list. This is not a perfect analysis, but it does give a range. Baseball-Refence.com has a method in which each player plays a season at a certain age. JO Berrios was 19 when he began the season in Ft. Myers. He turned 20 in mid-May, so his 2014 season was considered his age-20 season. As you see above, the average age for a pitcher in the Florida State League was 23.2. So, in this analysis, Berrios was 3.2 years younger than the average pitcher in the Florida State League. Years Below League Average 2.2 Years: Nick Gordon at Elizabethton 2.2 Years: Nick Burdi at Ft. Myers 2.2 Years: Aaron Slegers at Ft. Myers 2.3 Years: Callan Pearce at GCL Twins 2.6 Years: Byron Buxton at Ft. Myers 2.6 Years: Jorge Polanco at Ft. Myers 2.6 Years: Ruar Verkerk at GCL Twins 2.9 Years: Trevor May at Rochester 2.9 Years: Stephen Pryor at Rochester 2.9 Years: Michael Tonkin at Rochester 2.9 Years: Aaron Hicks at Rochester (he was 0.7 years younger than the AA Eastern League hitters) 3.0 Years: Stephen Gonsalves at Cedar Rapids 3.0 Years: Fernando Romero at Cedar Rapids 3.0 Years: Kohl Stewart at Cedar Rapids 3.2 Years: JO Berrios at Ft. Myers 3.9 Years: Tyler Duffey at Rochester 3.9 Years: Jason Wheeler at Rochester 3.9 Years: Oswaldo Arcia at Rochester 4.0 Years: Lewis Thorpe at Cedar Rapids 4.7 Years: Byron Buxton at New Britain 4.7 Years: Jorge Polanco at New Britain 6.9 Years: JO Berrios at Rochester You may be asking yourself the very question that I asked myself. Where would Miguel Sano have fit on this list had he been able to play. It would have been his age-21 season. In his time in AA New Britain, he would have been 3.6 years younger than the average player. We can assume he also would have moved up to AAA at some point during the season. He would have been 5.9 years younger than league average. Here are a few notes about the above: The average age at AAA is pretty high. In the International League, the hitters and the pitchers averaged an age of 26.9. Triple-A isn’t so much about prospects. It’s about guys moving up and down from the big leaguers. It’s about journeymen in the organization to provide depth and help the affiliate win games. JO Berrios was very young for the Florida State League, so when he moved up to New Britain, he was even younger compared to his competition. When he made his final-weekend start with the Red Wings, he was competing against hitters who were about seven years older, and more experienced. Byron Buxton is one of the best prospects in baseball, but notice how quickly Jorge Polanco has moved up the system. Sure, he signed as a 16-year-old two years before Buxton was drafted, but he’s the same age as Buxton and he spent nearly half of his season in New Britain as well. As you know, he became a big leaguer (admittedly out of necessity) at the age of 20. Notice how young were some of those pitchers in Cedar Rapids were. Lewis Thorpe was about four years younger than the average hitter he was facing. Kohl Stewart spent the whole year with the Kernels, and was about three years younger than the competition. Fernando Romero came up at the same time as Thorpe, just a year older. Stephen Gonsalves was promoted for the final month of the Kernels season. I sometimes wonder if people realize just how young Oswaldo Arcia is. Despite a ton of strikeouts, he has shown tremendous power potential. And, he is younger than several players still in the minor leagues who are considered very good prospects. You see a couple of GCL Twins names, Callan Pearce and Ruar Verkerk. When players are signed from the Dominican Republic or Venezuela, they typically spend a year or two or three in the Dominican Summer League. Pearce is from South Africa. Verkerk is from The Netherlands. Players from those countries, Australia, Germany, etc., have to come to the States to play in the GCL and you can better understand why these guys take a little longer to develop. So, this article is intended to be informational regarding the Twins minor league system and minor league baseball in general. Age to level of competition is a topic that Cody wrote about often in his 2014 Recaps for each of the 158 players that were profiled in the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015. It also should just help put into perspective player performance and prospect rankings.

One of the reasons that we waited a few extra days to release the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015 was because we wanted to have profiles for any players who came to the Twins in the Rule 5. If you purchase the Prospect Handbook, you will find prospect profiles for Peavey and fellow-righty and (MLB) Rule 5 selection JR Graham. Greg Peavey is a 6-2, 185 pound right-hander. In 2014, he went 11-3 with 2.90 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 18 starts for AA Binghamton. He also made six starts for AAA Las Vegas, generally known as the worst place in baseball to pitch, and went 1-5. By being selected in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft, he does not need to be returned to the Mets organization. Peavey lives just north of Portland, Oregon, in a smaller city called Ridgefield, Washington, with his wife and nine-month old son Graydon. Let’s get to the questions. Growing up in Washington, Peavey was fan of the one major league team in the Northwest. “I was definitely a huge Mariners fan. Some of my favorite players were Ken Griffey, Jr., Jay Buhner and Randy Johnson. He was the Yankees 24th round pick out of high school but elected to go to college instead. Two years later, he was the Astros 32nd round pick. He still went back for one more year of college. “Every time I said 'No' was a little tougher. Saying 'No' to a childhood dream is never easy. The opportunity to play with the Oregon State Beavers made it a little easier. I really enjoyed my time there." In 2010, the Mets made him their sixth round draft pick and he signed. He has worked his way up to Triple-A. He had some great memories with the organization. “I have a lot of great memories and met a lot of great people during my time with the Mets. Winning the Eastern League championship last year was a huge thrill. The first time putting on a professional uniform was a memory I won't forget.” And then on Thursday, he was suddenly a member of the Minnesota Twins organization. The Twins had picked him with their Triple-A Rule 5 draft pick. He was surprised. “I was very surprised and definitely excited for the new opportunity. I found out through a text message from my agent while I was eating breakfast.” He knows some about the organization and even knows a couple of the players. “I've played against the Twins organization quite a bit in my time with the Mets. They've always had a very talented minor league system at every level I've played them. I remember a lot of names but I know Jim Fuller from his time with the Mets and Trevor May, having played in the same high school league as him.” So, what about Greg Peavey the pitcher? What does he throw, and how does he describe himself as a pitcher? “I'm known as a control guy with four pitches - fast ball, curve ball, slider, and change up. The key to my success is being aggressive down in the strike zone. I try to use all my pitches for strikeout pitches, but it depends on the situation.” There’s the baseball stuff, but Peavey is much more than that and has several other interests. “I’m a big Trail Blazer and Seattle Seahawk fan and really enjoy watching them play. I also enjoy spending time with my family, having a 9 month old son is a great time, it's a new adventure every day!” In summary, he is excited about a new opportunity in a new organization. “The organization contacted me and gave a warm welcome and let me know they will be in touch. I'm just looking forward to getting to Ft. Myers this spring!” When Peavey gets to Ft. Myers, he’ll have a lot more people to get to know. He’ll also be competing for a roster spot. He could start in Rochester or Chattanooga, and he could work out of the bullpen or be a starter (which he has been through his career). Certainly this is an interesting time for Peavey.

Check out that cover! Twins Daily’s Brock Beauchamp created the JO Berrios cover using a photo by Linwood Ferguson who takes photos of the Ft. Myers Miracle. His photos of Miracle players are sprinkled throughout the book. Also, you know Jim Crikket (or SD Buhr) from Knuckleballs. His pictures from Cedar Rapids are also used throughout the book. Mike Berardino wrote a tremendous Foreword to the book. In it, he writes, “You’ve heard the old saying about any pitcher who is “left-handed with a pulse” being worthy of a contract at some level of pro ball? Well, for the Twins Daily Prospect Handbook, virtually anyone with glint of potential and a Twins minor-league uniform is worth profiling.” I wrote articles on the three Player of the Year award winners. The choice for hitter of the year was Cedar Rapids Kernels’ catcher Mitch Garver. He had a terrific season with the bat, but he takes a lot of pride in his defense, as well as leading the young pitchers. “I consider myself a leader. I am in it for the long haul. I want to work with the pitchers and make them better. Those guys have incredible talent and it’s great to see them work and improve.” JO Berrios was the choice for Starting Pitcher of the Year. Teammates raved about his work ethic. Fair to say, Berrios has some lofty goals! “I’ve always wanted to become a big leaguer. I’ve been working hard and hopefully I’m closer to it. But my dream is to be part of the Hall of Fame someday.” Savage (MN) native Brandon Peterson was the choice for Relief Pitcher of the Year. He had a tremendous first full season in the minors, splitting his season between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. When he was being recruited after high school, his dream was to play Division I baseball. As he told us, one Division II coach gave him some serious motivation. “One Division II coach asked him, ‘If you’re not good enough to play Division I now, what makes you think you will be good enough in two years?’ That was more motivation to fuel Peterson’s ambition. ‘I’m going to prove you wrong and do whatever I can to get there. I was upset at first.’” Cody Christie wrote about the Manager of the Year, Doug Mientkiewicz. Catcher Stuart Turner said of his manager, “He seemed to know how to manage each and every one of us to maximize us… both individually and for the benefit of the team.” *** Get your copy of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015 now ( Paperback or PDF) *** Former Twins minor leaguer and occasional Twins Daily contributor AJ Pettersen wrote a tremendous, emotional article on the things about the game and about life that bring joy. “I will live with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. Because of Virgil (Vasquez), I choose joy. Because of Alexis, Ray and Olivia, I choose joy. Because of my grandpa, I choose joy. All the time. Every time.” Jeremy Nygaard, who runs the Rosters & Payrolls and Organizational Chart at Twins Daily, is the most knowledgeable MLB Draft expert in this market. In this book, you can get his thoughts on the Twins 2014 draft. He also wrote a great article highlighting some of the players who will be available to the Twins when they make the sixth overall selection in the 2015 draft. However, he also gets into the international signing period and how the Twins have been more and more active. Cody Christie, aka the North Dakota Twins Fan, gave a preview a couple of days ago about his article an unfortunate theme, all of the injuries to top prospects in 2014. Eric Pleiss of Talk to Contact fame wrote up an article trying to think about the Twins starting rotation in 2017, considering all of the pitching prospects coming up. Steve Buhr not only provided photographs for the book, but he wrote “A Tale of Two Seasons for the Cedar Rapids Kernels.” He covered a team that really struggled to come together in the first half. He then saw the team come together in the second half and make a surprising run to the playoffs. *** Get your copy of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015 now ( Paperback or PDF) *** Of course, the meat and potatoes of the Prospect Handbook are the Prospect Profiles. You will find profiles in 89 Twins minor league pitchers and 69 Twins minor league hitters. Anyone who players from the GCL through the big leagues and still have Rookie of the Year eligibility remaining are profiled. Profiles take the following form. Jeremy provided a background on each player, where they’re from, how they came to the Twins and how they have done in previous years. In the 2014 Recap, Cody looks beyond the standard statistics. He provides a lot of splits and more. I did a scouting report on each player. For pitchers, what do they throw? How hard to they throw? For hitters, what type of hitter are they? Do they have power, speed? And finally, we worked together on a Forecast for ’15, in which we consider where each player could spend the next season. Here is a sample of a player profile, using the pieces from four separate profiles. Background: Though it shows that Onas Farfan was drafted in the 21st round of the 2014 draft out of Ridgewater CC after graduating from Robbinsdale Cooper High School, his story is much deeper than that. Farfan was born in America but moved to Venezuela at age seven. At 16, he returned to the States and joined Minnesota’s RBI Program. Farfan passed up a chance to pitch at the University of Mary (Bismarck) to sign with the Twins. 2014 Recap: In his professional debut with the E-Twins, (Tyler) Kuresa showed some good signs at first base. He was charged with three errors in 330 chances. It took a while for his bat to get acclimated the professional level, but he made improvements each month. In July, he hit .293/.352/.554 with five home runs and nine doubles across 92 at-bats. For August, he hit over .350 and had his highest OPS of any month (.918 OPS). The left-handed first baseman had a slugging percentage that was 101 points higher versus right-handed pitching. Scouting Report: Though he missed all of 2013 and 2014, (JT) Chargois was the talk of Instructional League. He was clocked at 98-99 mph regularly. He was known previously to have a violent delivery, but it appears that he has calmed that down without losing velocity. Chargois also has a very good slider, as long as he is able to control it. He was a two-way player in college, so he is a good athlete who is anxious to get back on the mound. He could move quickly once he proves healthy. Forecast for '15: (Max) Murphy was a rare example of a position player getting a promotion out of E-town to Cedar Rapids (or Beloit, previously) during his debut season. But when you bat .378 with 10 home runs in 35 games, there really isn’t much else to prove. Given Murphy’s struggles after his promotion, it is likely he’ll return to Cedar Rapids to start 2015, though earning a second-half promotion isn’t out of his reach. *** Get your copy of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015 now ( Paperback or PDF) *** Of course, it all culminates with the official Top 30 Prospect lists for myself, Jeremy and Cody. You’ll notice that there are several guys that we each rank a little differently. We all have certain prospects that we rank a little higher (or lower) than others. I’m sure after reading this book fully, you’ll develop your own Top 30 Twins prospect list that looks a little different than others. 205 pages. This book is a labor of love. If you’ve bought previous versions of the book, I think you’ll concur that it is very informational and fun. It’s an opportunity to recognize and get to know a lot of future Twins. And, even I they don’t make it, they are deserving of credit. I’ve written the following in the Introduction of all six previous books and will always include it because I think it is important. Minor League baseball players are doing all the same work that the big leaguers do. They are just doing it with far less fanfare, smaller per diems, less luxurious travel and hotel arrangements, and noticeably lighter wallets due to pay checks with far fewer zeroes. These players deserve to be recognized too! And that’s true. Also, notice that the Twins have been recognizing a minor leaguers’ performance in most of their televised games, and I know that the Twins radio crew will mention players as well. This can be a coffee table type of book where, when a player gets mentioned, you can impress your friends by knowing a whole lot more about that player. And, when the Twins call up a minor leaguer and says, “Who is that guy?” You can tell them all about him. Consider getting a copy or two or six of the book. The paperback version is 6” x 9” and done very well. I have had several people tell me how great it is to have at Twins Fest or if they go to the minor league sites for autographs. Consider it a challenge to see how many of the 158 profiles you can get signed! You can order the paperback here for just $14.99 (plus shipping) and get them, maybe even in time for Christmas presents or Stocking Stuffers. If you can’t wait for the paperback version to come to you in the mail, you can also buy an electronic, pdf version of the book here and immediately download it for just $9.95. On behalf of Jeremy and Cody, we really appreciate all of the support from the readers and hope you have a great experience with your Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015! Thank you!