Seth Stohs

Jamie is awesome! He's got such great stories... great person! Wonderful interview!

I kind of agree... I don't know that they're untouchable, but like Paul said, it would have to be for a young pitcher with a track record and a couple more years of cost control. I'd add that Alex Gordon, who should be a strong MVP candidate this year, took several years to become the player he has become the last two seasons. I believe that the core should be team-developed, but there needs to be some supplementing.

It can be a challenge. Like you said, you have to first decide who you are taking off the roster, and then determine who you feel you absolutely must add (Meyer, Sano, Rosario, etc), and then it's back and forth. Would you rather potentially lose Player X by removing him from the 40 man or Player Y who might be taken in the Rule 5 draft? Like these prospect lists, it's a fun exercise to do.

This is just awesome, and that video is so fun! Great to see so many willing to participate. There are so many really good people in this organization, and Duensing is right near the top of that. Thank you Lindsey for writing this and sharing this. Just wonderful!

Yeah, couldn't (or didn't) fit him into the Top 50, but here's the deal. They could put him on the 40 man roster and see. he'd have 3 option years. They could see if he would pass through again this year (as he did last year). He won't be a minor league free agent for another two years, so there really is no rush at all at this point. They don't need to make any sort of decisions (certainly not once-and-for-all decisions) on him yet.

Like I said, I'd like to (maybe later next week after the list is complete, put together a summary article of my Top 50 and encourage everyone to post their personal top 50 (or top 20 or 30, etc.). It is a pretty neat exercise to actually rank them when you consider player A vs player B vs player C.

Earlier in the week, we started looking at my preliminary Top 50 Twins prospects list by reviewing prospects 41-50 and then prospects 31-40. Today, we’ll look at the next ten prospects, 21-30. This portion of the list includes several southpaws, a couple of hard-throwing bullpen arms and a couple hitters with potential.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. Top Prospects 21-30 #30 – Zack Larson – 20 – OF – Cedar Rapids/GCL Twins (rehab) Larson was limited to just 41 games this year for the Kernels. At just 20, he held his own in the Midwest League and hit 11 doubles in just 151 at-bats. With the Kernels, he hit .265/.325/.358 (.683). Unfortunately, he suffered a hamstring injury and missed months. Larson was the 20th round pick of the Twins in 2012. He signed late when he was offered a signing bonus well over slot. At 6-2 and 190 pounds, he is a good athlete, but his best tool is his bat. He can hit. #29 – Michael Tonkin – 24 – RH RP – Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins Tonkin was actually on the Twins opening day roster due to the birth of Brian Duensing’s child, but he spent most of the season in Rochester. He went 3-4 with a 2.80 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. In 45 innings, he walked 12 and struck out 46. He has posted a 5.00 ERA in 24 games with the Twins as well. He’s only thrown 18 innings. He may not be rookie-eligible in 2015 due to days on the MLB roster. He’s still got some upside, due to a fastball at 95 and a solid slider. He needs to be with the Twins and see if he can improve. He’s done all he can in AAA. #28 – Stuart Turner – 22 – C – Ft. Myers Miracle Turner was the Twins third-round pick in 2013 out of the University of Mississippi where he was the winner of the Johnny Bench Award as the nation’s top catcher. He spent 2013 in Elizabethton though he did go 2-4 in one game at New Britain at season’s end. Turner is so well-respected with his glove that he was invited to big league spring training. He spent the year in Ft. Myers where in 93 games, he hit .249/.322/.375 (.698) with 16 doubles, two triples and seven home runs. He hit much better in the second half. However, teammates and coaches rave about his work behind the plate. #27 – Engelb Vielma – 20 – SS – Cedar Rapids Kernels He is listed at 5-11 and 155 pounds, but that last number may be generous. It was a surprise when he was sent to Cedar Rapids to start the season. Defensively, it is my opinion that he is the best in the Twins organization. Long and lanky, he seemingly glides around the shortstop position. He has soft hands and a strong arm. Offensively, he is mostly a slap-hitter at this time, but he more than held his own. He hit .266/.313/.323 (.636) with 13 doubles, four triples and one home run in 112 games. #26 – Logan Darnell – 25 – LHP – Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins Darnell was the Twins sixth-round draft pick in 2010 out of the University of Kentucky. He reached AAA last year and was added to the 40-man roster following the season. He had a very solid season at Rochester this year. He went 7-6 with a 3.60 ERA. In 115 innings, he struck out 90. He made his major league debut on May 6 with three perfect innings. He has made four starts and three relief appearances and posted a 7.13 ERA. However, in 24 innings, he has struck out 22. He can be a #6/#7 starter or a solid middle reliever. #25 – Fernando Romero – 19 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels Romero throws gas. The 19-year-old was hitting 94-96 mph with his fastball this spring and had a solid slider. Signed from the Dominican Republic in 2011, Romero spent a year in the DSL before posting a 1.60 ERA in 45 innings in the GCL last year. He began this season in extended spring training, but by early June he was called up to the Kernels where he made three starts. Unfortunately, he started to experience elbow pain and soon after had Tommy John surgery. He will likely miss most of the 2015 season, but if he’s able to come back, he has huge potential. #24 – Sean Gilmartin – 24 – LHP – New Britain Rock Cats/Rochester Red Wings Gilmartin graduated from Crespi Carmelite High School, the same high school that Trevor Plouffe graduated from four years earlier. He became the first-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2011 after a stellar career at Florida State. Last winter, he came to the Twins organization in exchange for Ryan Doumit. He began this season in AA New Britain where he went 7-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 12 starts. He struck out 74 in 72 innings. He was promoted to Rochester where he went 2-4 with a 4.28 ERA. In 73.2 innings, he struck out 59. He is a guy who should be added to the 40 man roster this offseason. #23 – Jason Wheeler – 23 – LHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/New Britain Rock Cats/Rochester Red Wings Wheeler was the Twins eighth-round pick in 2011 out of Loyola Marymount. He went 14-6 with a 3.45 ERA in Beloit in 2012. In 2013 in Ft. Myers, he went 9-4 with a 3.70 ERA. He returned to the Miracle to start this season and made a couple of adjustments. He went 6-5, but his ERA dropped to 2.51. He advanced to New Britain where 5-4 with a 2.78 ERA in 12 starts. He even made a start in Rochester. Although he sits in the 89-91 mph range, Wheeler can touch 94 on occasion. He is aggressive, throws strikes and mixes his pitches well. He is another guy who will be strongly considered for a 40-man roster spot. #22 – Niko Goodrum – 22 – 3B – Ft. Myers Miracle The Twins used their second round pick in 2010 on the toolsy Goodrum who was a high school kid from Georgia. At 6-3 and about 200 pounds, he is a tremendous athlete. With the Miracle in 2014, he hit .249/.337/.336 (.672) with 19 doubles, five triples and three homers in 122 games. After playing shortstop through his first four professional seasons, he moved to third base this year, though he still played 26 games at shortstop. Goodrum is good defensively and has very good speed. On the base paths, he stole 35 bases in 39 attempts. Goodrum is someone who the Twins will have to consider putting on their 40-man roster in November. #21 – Jake Reed – 23 – RH RP – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels Reed was selected in the fifth round by the Twins this year out of the University of Oregon. He ended up having a dominant pro debut. He began at Elizabethton where he pitched six innings over four games and gave up just one hit. He was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he pitched 25 innings in 16 games. Overall, he threw 31 innings in 20 games. He gave up just 11 hits, walked three and struck out 31. He was 3-0 with a 0.29 ERA and a 0.45 WHIP. He and his upper-90s fastball will head to the Arizona Fall League next month. So, what do you think of Part 3, Prospects 21-30? Next up will be prospects 11-30. Click here to view the article

To be fair, Brian Dozier was an 8th round pick which means most teams passed him by 8 times and the Twins did 7 times. He too was a college senior. His first full year, he split between Beloit and Ft. Myers. There was a middle infield need at that time. The Twins clearly like Garver enough to want him to play every day (catch a lot and have him DH a lot to), and they wanted Turner to catch a lot in Ft. Myers. Draft round matters to some degree, but once they put in a full season, it matters much, much less.

It appears the Phil Hughes 2014 season is complete. He ends the year with 186 strikeouts and just 16 walks. The 11.6 K/BB rate is the best in MLB history. Of course, if he is done, he also finished with 209.2 innings. If the rain had not fallen and he recorded one out in the ninth inning today, he would have received a $500,000 bonus. 16 wins, 16 walks, 16 HR allowed. Pretty incredible season!Phil Hughes was cruising on Wednesday afternoon in the final Target Field game of the season. He had given up just one run to the Arizona Diamondbacks on five hits. He walked none and struck out five. He was at 96 pitches after eight innings of work. With a 2-1 lead, it appeared he would reach the 8.1 innings for the game, or more, and hit the 210 innings mark. And then the rains came. The tarp was put over the infield. An hour and six minutes later the game continued. Jared Burton came out for the 9th inning to record the save and give Hughes his 16th win of the year. One out short of a $500,000 bonus. Hughes and Ron Gardenhire both insisted following the game that he is done. He will not pitch out of the bullpen in Detroit on Saturday or Sunday to reach the milestone. First, it is important to point out that the front office, coaching staff and Hughes himself were fully aware of how many outs he needed to get the bonus. All sides wanted him to reach 8.1 innings. Second, the Twins are absolutely not obligated in any way to give him the bonus because he did not reach 210 innings on the season. It's easy to say that "an act of God" took away his opportunity for that bonus. And that certainly tugs at the heart- strings. But he could have recorded one more out any other time during the season too. Third, if the Twins don't give him the bonus, the organization will again be called cheap, though that really has nothing to do with this. The Twins could do a few things: First, they could let him pitch an inning on Saturday or Sunday out of the bullpen. It would be a little shy of his regular rest, but it would be on what would be his normal bullpen day. Of course, they aren't bullpen days because (if this isn't an option) Phil Hughes may not throw a baseball for the next two or three months. The Twins could just give him the bonus, though it sets a precedent that I'm sure Major League Baseball would not appreciate. The bonus was for 210 innings. He did not reach 210 innings. What if he had ended at 209 innings rather than 209.2 innings? (Side note - I'm not certain this is even something that they can do according to the collective bargaining agreement.) Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press made an interesting observation on Twitter. The Twins could donate $500,000 to the Phil Hughes Foundation. Here's another interesting idea... Could the Twins work on extending Phil Hughes beyond the current three year deal that is through the 2016 season? Well, they could try, but at just 28 years old, Hughes could still become a free agent at 30, and if he pitches well the next two years, he would be in line for a four or five year deal and a lot of money. Would Hughes be willing to extend his current contract two years? Would the Twins have any interest in extending him beyond that when they have him under contract for two more years? The organization has certainly had its ups and downs when handing out long-term deals. All of this is fun to talk about. It's also interesting to talk about because Phil Hughes just put up one of the more impressive starting pitching seasons in recent years, certainly back to Johan Santana circa 2008. In an organization that has struggled so much to find competent starting pitching, they struck gold with Hughes in 2014. In another 90-loss season, maybe we should just enjoy that. At least for now. QUICK UPDATE - Mike Berardino posted the following on Twitter after the game: Click here to view the article

Personal bias, time seen players playing, practicing, are things that can't be quantified, and frankly, I don't think any prospect list should be viewed based solely on any one thing. And, I do think visual should play into this as well. SDBuhr saw this year's Cedar Rapids team play probably 80+ times this year and the same last year. He's visibly seen what these guys can do. His "bias" is pretty valuable in my opinion and that can increase or decrease a player's rankings in his mind. I do think it would be interesting to look back at my previous Top 50 lists and do some sorting. Find out a percentage of guys I had in the 41-50 range or the 31-40 range who got even a cup of coffee... or Top 10 prospects who don't make it. Of course, that will also depend on the quality of the farm system. I may have to do that in the offseason.

I can see both being a little higher. Melotakis could be a dominant LH Reliever, touching 97, but we know he won't be starting in the big leagues. There are also some concerns about his elbow which could cost him some time... I hope not though. Sure, Michael could be a big league 2B. I see him more as a potential utility infielder. He's no Nick Punto though. I don't think. If he is, he should be higher.

Probably a little, though the fact that he could be a very dominant, 98-99 mph throwing reliever keeps him this high. He needs to work on his control, and I definitely hope that he does get the opportunity to start in 2014 and maybe even further. He needs to work on control and secondary pitches, so starting will give him more opportunities to do just that.

I don't know that its' a "big deal." I think it's a great opportunity for the players who get to play there. I think the Twins can use it, particularly on Adam, to have more data points to evaluate (specifically whether or not he is added to the Rule 5). I don't think an AFL assignment affects a prospect ranking.

If he becomes Chris Young, he should be ranked much higher on this list. Young has had some injuries, but he's also had some solid seasons in the big leagues.

This discussion is really the thing that makes prospect rankings so difficult. Age-to-level of competition is one piece of that formula. You guys have outlined that. Ceiling is another aspect, and I would say maybe "perceived ceiling" is a better way of putting that. We've all heard it, and if you've seen Navarreto, the comparisons to Salvador Perez are legit. Will he get there? Who knows? Garver may not have that type of upside, but his ceiling is solid major league catcher. Garver is probably more likely to reach his ceiling than Navarreto is. It's also possible neither of them see AA (though I feel pretty good about both being able to do that, but who knows). Similar discussion can be had about Levi Michael and Aderlin Mejia. Mejia is a little bit younger. I see both as utility guys in the big leagues though I think that Michael would have a better chance to be an adequate start in MLB. If healthy, I think Michael has higher upside even though he's a year or so older. Injuries have been a problem for him. So, keep the questions and discussion rolling. That's the fun of it. Like I wrote in the comments yesterday, I hope all will take all of this information and develop your own lists too. It's fun!

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.