Seth Stohs

Yesterday, we began looking at my preliminary Top 50 Twins prospects list by reviewing prospects 41-50. Today, we’ll look at the next ten prospects, 31-40. Again, this list is a combination of hard throwers and young, athletic hitters from around the diamond.Reminders: This list is preliminary. Following research for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015, as well as your feedback, I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list. Players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2015. That is to say, hitters with less than 130 at-bats and pitchers with less than 50 innings. On last night’s Twins Hangouts, we discussed in a little more depth the choices for prospects 41-50. You can listen to that here. Top Prospects 31-40 #40 – Aderlin Mejia – 22 – IF – New Britain Rock Cats/Ft. Myers Miracle Mejia signed with the Twins out of the Dominican in 2010 and slowly worked his way up. As we have written many times before, he was at extended spring training to start the 2013 season (and likely would have gone to Elizabethton) when there was a need with the Miracle. He got an opportunity and took advantage of it. He hit .308 in 75 games. He began the 2014 season at New Britain, but after committing seven errors in 15 games he was sent back to Ft. Myers. He played all over. He played 45 games at second base, 24 at shortstop, 19 at third base and six at first base. Mejia is a speedy middle infielder with little power. #39 – Jorge Fernandez – 20 – C – Elizabethton Twins Fernandez was the Twins seventh round pick in 2012 out of high school in Puerto Rico. He spent two seasons in the GCL before moving up to Elizabethton in 2014. He hit .321/.361/.440 (.802) in 33 games with the E-Twins, with nine extra base hits. Fernandez is 6-3 and 190 pounds. He is very athletic, and there has been talk at times about moving him to the outfield. He threw out five of 13 base stealers (38%). He should move up to Cedar Rapids to start 2015. #38 – Mason Melotakis – 23 – LHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/New Britain Rock Cats Melotakis was the Twins second round pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State University where he pitched out of the bullpen. In 2013, he made 18 starts for Cedar Rapids. In 2014, he moved up to Ft. Myers where he made just two starts before he was moved into the bullpen. As a starter, he would sit 90-92. Out of the bullpen, he can reach back and hit 97. As important, he has developed his secondary pitches which should really him out of the bullpen. In early July, he was promoted to New Britain where he pitched in 13 games and struck out 17 while walking three in 16 innings. However, he missed time with a sore elbow. He was supposed to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, but he was still experiencing soreness in the elbow, so they shut him down. If healthy, he could see time with the Twins in 2015. #37 – Jason Adam – 23 – RHP – Northwest Arkansas/Omaha/New Britain Adam came to the Twins in the on July 31 from the Royals in exchange for Josh Willingham. He has worked primarily as a starter coming up in the minor leagues. He began this season in AA with 18 starts. He went 4-8 with a 5.03 ERA. He was promoted to AAA where he made eight appearances out of the bullpen. After the Twins acquired him, they said that he would be given the opportunity to start with the Twins organization. He is blessed with a fastball that reaches 94. He will pitch in the Arizona Fall League. #36 – Michael Cederoth – 21 – RHP – Elizabethton Twins Cederoth was the Twins 3rd round pick in 2014 out of San Diego State. In college, he was given a couple opportunities to start, but that didn’t go well. He was much more successful out of the bullpen. A 98 mph fastball in college will get a lot of outs. When he signed with the Twins, they allowed him to start at Elizabethton. In 45.2 innings, he gave up 41 hits, walked 18 and struck out 42. Long-term, my assumption is he’ll move to the bullpen though he will get the opportunity to start. #35 – Brian Navarreto – 19 – C – Elizabethton Twins Navarreto was the Twins sixth round pick in 2013 out of high school in Florida. He is a 6-4, 220 pound catcher with a very strong arm. He also has immense power. When I was in Ft. Myers in spring training, I saw him hit a long home run off of JO Berrios in an intra-squad game. He struggled in Elizabethton, though he missed some time with minor injury. He hit .194/.241/.370 with eight doubles and three home runs. #34 – John Curtiss – 21 – RHP – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels The Twins used their sixth round pick on the right-hander. He was the closer for the University of Texas during the 2014 season that culminated in a trip to the College World Series in Omaha. It was his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. Upon signing with the Twins, he was sent to Elizabethton where he made six starts after three relief appearances. He went 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA. In 31.1 innings, he walked seven and struck out 41. Following the E-Twins playoff series, Curtiss was promoted to Cedar Rapids and made a start for the Kernels in Round 2 of their playoff run. He threw five scoreless innings in a no-decision. He will be given the opportunity to start. #33 – Aaron Slegers – 22 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle It was an up and down 2014 season for the 6-10 Slegers. He got off to a quick start in Cedar Rapids before really struggling. However, he turned things around and ended the season with three starts in Ft. Myers where he went 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 19 innings. Not overpowering, Slegers mixes three pitches. He also has very good control considering his long arms. He threw 132.1 innings before reaching his innings limit and being shut down. #32 – Levi Michael – 23 – 2B – Ft. Myers Miracle/New Britain Rock Cats Michael was the Twins first round pick in 2011 out of the University of North Carolina. Unfortunately, he has spent much of his career to this point injured. Finally healthy, Michael was able to play most every day for Ft. Myers, and he hit. He hit .305/.375/.395 (.770) with 12 extra base hits in 45 games. However, he fouled a ball of his foot and missed nearly two months. After a short return to the Miracle, he was promoted to New Britain where he hit .340/.444/.358 (.803) in 15 games. Although 2014 was his third year of pro ball after three years in college, he is still just 23 years old. He needs to stay healthy, but 2014 gave fans a glimpse that he could be a solid utility guy or even a regular second baseman if needed in another year. #31 – Mitch Garver – 23 – C – Cedar Rapids Kernels Garver was drafted by the Twins in the ninth round of the 2013 draft out of the University of New Mexico. He had been the runner up for the Johnny Bench Award for top collegiate catcher. In 2014, he spent the entire season in Cedar Rapids where he became a force in the middle of the Kernels lineup. He was my choice for Twins minor league hitter of the year after he hit .298/.399/.481 (.880) with 29 doubles, 16 homers and 79 RBI. He played well behind the plate as well. He threw out 32% of would-be base stealers. So, what do you think of Part 2, Prospects 31-40? Next up will be prospects 21-30. Click here to view the article

And that is why I do a top 50 rather than the standard top 10s or top 20s.

First, this is awesome... Second, Jamie Ogden is such a great dude! I haven't been to Line Drive Sports, but I would encourage people to go there if you have a chance. I like the 100 mph challenge concept. I remember when I was good at baseball, like 20 years ago, hitting 87-89 wasn't so bad, but then I saw a guy throwing 92-93 and it was incredible the difference. I can't even imagine hitting 98-100. And, I have caught guys that throw 90, and it isn't so bad. Framing is not too difficult... but I imagine 100 is unreal because it's on you so quickly. Consider that someone as tall as Alex Meyer is throwing 97-99 from closer than someone who might be 6-2 also. This is fun to watch and see Dan's reaction... and Jamie's! As for pitch framing. I like it as a stat, but I've always said it's flawed. I think that there are just so many variables that go into it. Framing is without question a skill. The trick is whether you can do it in such a way to trick the umpire and get him to call it.

I'm just kind of curious what Byron Buxton and Nick Gordon are doing. I saw Buxton cheering on the guys during one of your videos. Is Gordon able to do any fielding or throwing yet? How about lewis thorpe? My assumption is that he isn't doing bullpens. How about Kohl Stewart? Is he doing bullpens and stuff? Shoulder seems OK?

You may be right. I'll be curious to get some more reports on what he was throwing in CR. Was he just cold? he was very good in ETown, but he was last year too. Also consider all of the SPs that were promoted to CR from ET (Hu, Gonsalves, Thorpe and Romero before that, Batts, Curtiss)...

Just to point this out... I'm not claiming my list is perfect. I like to, when the season is over, put together this preliminary Top 50 list to create a bunch of discussion. As I (along with Jeremy and Cody) write the Prospect Handbook, we learn a lot more about these players, look deeper into the stats, get scouting reports from various people. And, when the book comes out, we'll each include our new Top 30. I definitely encourage people to take this list and alter it and create your own as well. There's nothing wrote with Hicks and Lee being Top 30 guys. They're both legit big league prospects if things go well. Vargas is well over the 130 at bat limit. May should remain under the 50 IP limit, so he'll be on here.

That's why he is still in the 40s. If it were about just numbers, he'd probably be a bit higher. That said, a player can only play against the competition he's playing against, right? It just all factors in.

I was thinking the same thing... There are no less than 5 of these guys that I feel like I should have higher... but I don't know that I could put them ahead of the guys I have in the 31-40 range... But I think this shows the depth of the organization when these types of prospects are ranked this low.

Good suggestion. I just added the ages into the header for each player. It's a good idea because it adds some perspective.

Since the end of minor league season, we have handed out some minor league awards. On Monday, the Twins announced that Kennys Vargas and JO Berrios were named their choices for Twins minor league hitter and pitcher of the year in the minor leagues. Today I’m going to start a preliminary Top 50 Twins prospects list and welcome your feedback. Today, I’ll post Part 1: Prospects 41-50. Players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2015. 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 2015, I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.) Top Prospects 41-50 #50 – Lewin Diaz - 17 – 1B – Dominican Summer League The 17-year-old was the Twins bonus baby when he signed for over $1 million in 2013. In 2014, he made his professional debut in the DSL. In 43 games, he hit .257/.385/.451 (.836) with 13 doubles and five homers. He walked 26 times and struck out 24 times. Still young, he has immense power potential. He should make his debut next season in the States, likely in the GCL. #49 – Ryan Eades - 22 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels The Twins second round pick in 2013 out of powerhouse LSU, Eades spent his entire first full season in Cedar Rapids. It was a disappointing season for the 22-year-old right-hander. He went 10-11 with a 5.14 ERA in 25 starts. In 133 innings, he gave up 147 hits, walked 50 and struck out just 98. Eades has three solid pitches. He just really struggles with consistency, not only from game-to-game but often from inning-to-inning. #48 – Tanner English - 21 – OF – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels English was the Twins 11th round pick this June after three seasons at the University of South Carolina. He had previously been a 13th round pick out of high school in 2011. He signed late and then missed some time with a shoulder injury. However, at Elizabethton, the 21-year-old hit .316/.439/.474 (.913) with 10 extra base hits in 32 games. He was then promoted to Cedar Rapids for their second round playoff series. He is a good combination of power, speed and defense. #47 – Jonatan Hinojosa - 22 – IF – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Elizabethton Twins Hinojosa is all about speed and defense. The infielder has a good glove at all three spots. He is 5-11 and just over 150 pounds. He served a 50-game PED suspension early in the season and came back to play in Elizabethton. He was promoted back to Cedar Rapids where he finished with 20 strong games. He hit .341/.378/.494 (.872) in 92 plate appearances. Combined, he stole 23 bases in 27 attempts. #46 – Max Murphy - 21 – OF – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels Murphy is from Robbinsdale, Minnesota, and the Twins drafted him in the ninth round this year out of Bradley. Murphy is just shy of 6-0 and compactly built. He has good power and it was on display at Elizabethton. He was named the Appalachian League hitter of the year when he hit .378/.483/.723 (1.206) with seven doubles, two triples and 10 homers in 35 games. He was then promoted to Cedar Rapids where he came down to earth, though he did hit seven doubles and four homers in 32 games. #45 – Dalton Hicks - 24 – 1B – Ft. Myers Miracle Hicks was the Twins 17th round pick in 2012 out of Central Florida. He has been a big run producer since signing with the Twins. His grand slam in extra innings gave the E-Twins and Appalachian League championship in 2012. Hicks led minor league baseball in RBI in 2013 with 110. He spent 2014 in Ft. Myers where he hit .262/.344/.407 (.751) with 24 doubles, 11 home runs and 76 RBI. At 6-5 and about 250 pounds, Hicks is lumbering, but he has tremendous power. #44 – Jason Kanzler - 24 – OF – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle The 24-year-old spent four years at the University of Buffalo where he won two college Gold Glove awards. Kanzler’s can play above-average defense at all three outfield positions. He strikes out a lot, but he packs a lot of power. In 84 games at Cedar Rapids, he hit .286/.334/.448 (.782) with eight doubles, eight triples and nine home runs. He moved up to Ft. Myers where in 27 games he hit .267/.476/.430 (.906). His two-run homer in the tenth inning of the FSL championship series Game 4 gave the Miracle their first championship with the Twins. Overall, he had 32 extra base hits. He also stole 27 bats in 34 attempts combined. And, of course, we must Feat the Stache! #43 – Rainis Silva - 18 – C – GCL Twins After a year in the DSL in which he hit just .223 (.539 OPS), Silva came to the States right away in spring training. At 18 in the GCL, he hit .270/.294/.342 (.636) with nine doubles. He ended the season quite strong though. He is known more for his defense. He has good size and a strong arm. He threw out 39% of would-be base stealers in 2014. He also spent 10 games at first base and had just one error. #42 – Felix Jorge - 20 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Elizabethton Twins It was an interesting season for Felix Jorge. He began the season at Cedar Rapids but struggled immensely, posting a 2-5 record with a 9.00 ERA in 39 innings (12 games). He was sent back to Elizabethton where he was the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year. He went 4-2 with a 2.59 ERA. He is 6-2 and lanky. As he grows, he should add more velocity. 2015 will be a big year for Jorge as he attempts to show he can get Midwest League hitters out. #41 – Brett Lee - 24 – LHP – Ft. Myers Miracle Lee was the Twins 10th round pick in 2011 out of St. Petersburg College. He was a Florida State League All-Star in 2014 when he went 10-5 with a 2.45 ERA. He has good stuff and good control. However, his strikeout rate has dropped quickly. He struck out 9.9 batters per nine innings in 2012 at Elizabethton. In 2013 in Cedar Rapids, he struck out 6.9 per nine innings. In 2014, he struck out just 4.6 per nine. He has good stuff, so I suspect the numbers will continue to be solid and his strikeout rate will come up some. So, what do you think of Part 1, Prospects 41-50? Next up will be prospects 31-40. Click here to view the article

I pointed out on last week's Twins Hangouts podcasts that I'm hearing Chargois is hitting 97-98 on the radar gun in Instructs. That's rather encouraging!

Interesting idea.... Ha! I really enjoy this look into the Instructional League... it's an aspect of the minor leagues that we just have so little visibility to.

This is awesome!! Thank you so much for sharing all of the pictures and the great information.

On Friday night, the Twins announced that All-Star closer Glen Perkins will not pitch again during the 2014 season due to a left forearm strain and nerve irritation. He will also not pitch during MLB's tour in Japan.According to FSN's Tyler Mason, Twins Doctor John Steubs said that Perkins' ulnar collateral ligament "looks perfect." He also noted that the forearm strain will be managed with exercise and therapy. Earlier this week, Parker Hageman asked What was going on with Glen. Specifically, he wrote about his declining fastball velocity. Perkins has experienced this forearm issue before but not to this degree. The most important thing is that the UCL is intact. That is actually good news. He is expected to be ready for spring training. Click here to view the article

It's OK news... nerve issues are concerning, but not as much as ligaments.

Fair point... I can't disagree with that.

Since news broke last Friday, the Adrian Peterson situation has been at the forefront of national and local sports talk. Each day, there are new details that come out and take the discussion in different directions. A local sports “hero” has suddenly been cast into a new and different light (or darkness). Maybe this is a little déjà vu for some of us Twins fans.I was eight years old when Kirby Puckett was called up to the Twins. He pretty quickly became my new favorite baseball player. In all honesty, I’m thinking it was his name, at least at first. He was the speedy new centerfielder who was sure fun to watch. And within a couple seasons, he became one of baseball's best players. When the Twins won their first World Series in 1987, I was 12 years old. I had spent the summer playing baseball, wearing number 34. In 1991, I was a junior in high school and the Twins won the World Series again. There was The Catch against the plexi-glass. There was his “We’ll see you tomorrow night” moment. Puckett was full of charisma and clearly enjoyed playing the game of baseball. He was a hit machine. He was a perennial All-Star and one of the great ambassadors of the game. He was someone who was involved in charities, especially those that helped children. Then came spring of 1995, and his career was suddenly over due to glaucoma. I was 19 years old, in college, and the news was devastating. Kirby Puckett was my hero. He was the guy who I enjoyed watching through my formative years. I’m guessing the same can be said for many of my generation. In 2001, my dad and brother and I went to Cooperstown with some friends to watch Puckett (and Dave Winfield) get inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. That is certainly the pinnacle for any ball player’s career. It wasn’t long after his induction that things went tumbling downhill for Puckett. I’m not going to get into the details here. If you want, you can Google it. I was grown up then, but the news was still painful to read. Where did this come from? How could I have been so wrong? The situation now if very similar for Adrian Peterson and these fans. There are many kids in Minnesota and around the country who idolize Adrian Peterson. He is one of the best running backs to play the game. He did things that we haven’t seen before on a football field. Although his reputation had taken a few hits, he was generally considered a very good person who did a lot in the community. As horrible as this Adrian Peterson situation has been (and will continue to be), and as horrible as the Kirby Puckett news was, can we learn anything from them? Maybe the conversations about the Peterson situation can do some good. Maybe the conversations on talk radio and in the Vikings Journal forums can be productive. It can help define what is wrong and what limits should be. If even a handful of parents alter their thinking on using a switch or other extreme “discipline,” it will help those kids. If it can keep some people around the country from abusing a child, a girlfriend, a wife, the conversation is worthwhile. I agree with the old Charles Barkley commercial in which he famously said, “I am not a role model. I am not paid to be a role model. I am paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court.” In theory, that is correct. Teachers, doctors and parents should be the heroes of kids. In reality, kids who enjoy sports are going to look up to their favorite athletes. They will emulate the stars. They will try to replicate batting stances or touchdown celebrations or 360-windmill slam dunks (Well, maybe when they get older). I am now a parent of an eight-year-old. She’s not quite the sports fanatic I was at that age, but she knows a few Twins names and will occasionally watch part of a ballgame with me. What should we tell our kids? At one point, I thought it might be best to tell children not to have athletes as heroes and role models. I don’t really agree with that. I think it’s important to remember that a large majority of athletes are really good people who really do a lot of great work in the community. I've had the opportunity to meet several of the Twins players and minor leaguers and there are so many genuinely good people. I also think that does put some responsibility on the athletes to realize that kids are watching them. I would like to see a few top athletes take a stand and speak out against domestic violence, against other things and about being good people and role models. It’s also important as a parent to talk to your children and help them understand that what we see on the field and on TV is just a part of who these people are. The Twins players are more than just athletes. They have families. Some have wives or girlfriends, and some have kids. Like each and every one of us, they will make mistakes. We aren't perfect. When I am asked who my favorite baseball player of all time is, I still say that it is Kirby Puckett. And I say it easily and with no hesitation. If someone were to ask me who the best running back that I’ve ever seen in the NFL, I will tell them Adrian Peterson (though Bo Jackson might be the answer on the right days). And that’s OK. Click here to view the article

I'm positive in that, if he is healthy, he is a smart guy and will make some adjustments. He was very good until the last few weeks despite the lower velocity. If he's hurt, obviously at that point there is a concern.

Perkins will be just fine. Good fastball, very good slider. All relievers have their moments that last a couple of weeks to a month. It happens to the best. The concern is possible injury, and that's unpredictable.

Definitely a guy worth getting through the arbitration years with... I'm encouraged by the increased walk rate, though I'd definitely like to see that strikeout rate decrease. I think that will help with the batting average... and the on-base percentage. Like above, I'm not worried about the home runs. I am encouraged by the doubles... And the defense has been terrific. Increased errors (I believe) but overall, I think better.

Thank you for that comment. It's good to hear. It's hard to ignore the frustration that another 90+ loss season brings, but it'd just be silly not to acknowledge that there is also a lot of good happening on and off the field as well.