Seth Stohs

Improved control... something... once Burdi figures it out, it's just a matter of time. After what he did in the AFL, it's clear he's closer. Chargois throws just as hard as Burdi. He was the Lookouts closer at the end of last season, with Burdi setting him up. Also close. And Melotakis is lefty and throws 97. Very reasonable to think that he proves himself healthy and gets up quickly.

Plouffe is still under-30... and at 2.5 WAR last year, he was worth $20.1 Million last year (per fangraphs)... so jumping to $7.5-8 million in 2016 isn't so bad. Plouffe was also worth $27+ million in 2014... so, he's fine.

From a prospect ranking standpoint, I completely agree... With that question, I kind of went a different direction and just wondered aloud if people would be more excited about him if the Twins would have had to pay more.

Can you argue that any of them were? Melotakis missed the whole year. Burdi had struggled most of the year and just starting to turn it around, and Chargois was solid in AA but in his first year back from Tommy John. I could argue Rogers could have come up and contributed out of the bullpen, but not the other three.

Today, we also present another Q&A with a Minnesota Twins minor leaguer and member of the team’s 2015 draft class. Outfielder Daniel Kihle was the team’s 18th round pick last year out of Wichita State. He spent the rest of his summer in Elizabethton. Today, you can Get To Know much more about him on and off the field. Image courtesy of Wichita State Athletics Today, we also present another Q&A with a Minnesota Twins minor leaguer and member of the team’s 2015 draft class. Outfielder Daniel Kihle was the team’s 18th round pick last year out of Wichita State. He spent the rest of his summer in Elizabethton. Today, you can Get To Know much more about him on and off the field. Take a few minutes to read the terrific responses that Kihle provided for our questions today. Feel free to discuss or ask questions in the Comments below. ----------------------------------------------------- Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Kansas, who was your favorite team to follow? Who were some of your favorite players? Daniel Kihle (DK): I used to go to Opening Day with my dad and his work friends every year to the Royals games in Kansas City, but actually my favorite team to follow when I was young was the Arizona Diamondbacks because I really sat and watched my first World Series in 2001 when they won it. I remember watching Randy Johnson pitching and thought he was amazing so I followed him from that point on.SS: What were some of the better memories of your high school baseball career? Did you play other sports? DK: I would say some of the better memories would be my freshman year when I got to pitch the first game of regional, and we ended up winning because our first baseman hit a huge home run in the last inning to win! The other great memory was my junior season when we were the first team in our school’s history to finish with a perfect record through the regular season.SS: You grew up less than 25 miles from Wichita State. I know you had other offers, but was it an easy decision to sign and play for the Shockers? DK: Yes, it was very easy to make that decision. I grew up watching a lot of their games, and I always told my dad I was going to play for the Shockers one day. At the time (when I was 10) I don't really think we were serious. As time went on, it became more of a reality that I could end up playing on that field. When I got the offer, I didn't hesitate to commit right away!SS: What were a couple of your highlights from your college years? DK: The biggest highlight was my freshman year when we lost the first game of conference tournament and then won the next 5 or 6 games in a row and made it to a regional. It was awesome being a part of a team that pulled together and found a way to win no matter what happened. We came from behind every game I believe. It was a blast!SS: Did you have the chance to speak with many scouts before the draft? Did you have any idea where in the draft you might be selected? What was your interaction with the Twins scout? DK: Yes I did speak to some before the draft. No, I did not really have any clue where I would be drafted. I spoke with JR DeMercurio quite a few times before the draft, and then he called me right after I was selected.SS: The Twins took you in the 18th round. How did you find out that you had been drafted? How busy was your phone at that moment? I was out on a boat at Table Rock Lake in Missouri the day that I got drafted. I was swimming around the boat just hanging out when I heard my phone go off. It was my head coach from Wichita State, Todd Butler, congratulating me on being drafted. I answered and then got another call from JR and had to switch lines and that is when I found out I was drafted to the Twins. My phone was pretty busy! I tried to respond to everyone's phone calls and texts, but I am sure I didn't get to them all. It was an exciting time.SS: What was the adjustment like for you, from the amateur/college game to the professional game, both on and off the field? DK: The biggest adjustment was just playing every day. In college, we get at least two days off per week so your body and mind has time to recover and get ready for the next series. I think we got three days off this whole summer. It was just a big learning experience on how to keep your mind and body ready every day. It was also strange being that far away from home and paying rent to live in a small apartment off the back of someone's house. It was all new to me!SS: You put up solid numbers at E-Town in your pro debut last summer, walking quite a bit and showing good power. Having had time to look back, how do you feel about how you played? DK: I feel like I did pretty well this summer. I started out really rough, but was pleased at how I adjusted the last half of the season and learned how I needed to play. Jeff Reed taught me a lot this summer and really helped me get better every day.SS: At this stage in your career, what would you say are your biggest strengths? DK: I would say I am pretty good at letting go of what happened yesterday so I can just focus on what I need to do today. It is very hard to play a game if you are worried about making up for your bad game the day before. It is also hard to forget about a good game that you had the day before. Sometimes they make a player get too confident and then they don't work as hard as they need to. It is very important to keep an even head no matter what is going on.SS: What are the areas of your game that you would like to spend time working to improve? DK: I need to improve all aspects of my game. I wouldn't say that any area of my game is at a point that I don't need to improve it. I need to continue to improve my all-around game to help the Twins any way possibleSS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? DK: My parents are my biggest help no doubt. They believed in me from a young age and never gave up on me. They always pushed me to play better and improve my skills, but they were always there to cheer me on along the way. My college coaches really helped me understand the level of baseball that I can and should be playing at and pushed me to get there. They are a big reason to why I got the opportunity to play professional baseball.SS: How has your offseason been? What do you do when you’re not playing baseball? DK: My off season has been good! I have spent a lot of time deer and duck hunting. Pretty much every day I would go out if I had to opportunity! I love getting away from everything and go sit in a tree stand or duck blind and just watch the animals.SS: At what point did you start your preparation for the 2016 season? DK: I took a few weeks off after Instructs and then started lifting a lot. I started running and hitting a few weeks after.SS: Favorite baseball movie? DK: The Rookie!----------------------- A Big Thank You to Daniel Kihle for taking time to answer our questions. Best wishes to him in 2016! Feel free to ask questions or leave thoughts below. View full article

We continue to look at the Minnesota Twins organizational depth at all of the positions. Previously, we have reviewed the Catchers, First Basemen and Middle Infielders. Today, we check out all of the third basemen in the organization. If anything goes off of plan, who are some of the options to fill in at first base in the coming years, and are there any prospects with the potential to be impact players down the line? Read on and see what you think, and then let’s discuss below in the comments. Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson, USA Today We continue to look at the Minnesota Twins organizational depth at all of the positions. Previously, we have reviewed the Catchers, First Basemen and Middle Infielders. Today, we check out all of the third basemen in the organization. If anything goes off of plan, who are some of the options to fill in at first base in the coming years, and are there any prospects with the potential to be impact players down the line? Read on and see what you think, and then let’s discuss below in the comments. MAJOR LEAGUES Trevor Plouffe enters his thirteenth season in the Minnesota Twins organization. Originally drafted in the first round of the 2004 draft, Plouffe debuted with the Twins in 2010. He became the regular third baseman in mid-2012, and he has remained there since. Despite the presence of Miguel Sano, Plouffe heads into spring training as the Twins starting third baseman. In 2015, his hit .244/.307/.435 (.742) with 35 doubles and 22 home runs. His OPS came in just shy of league average, but his defense gave him a bWAR of 2.5. He will turn 30 in June and is in his third of four arbitration seasons. Miguel Sano will continue to take ground balls, even if he is moving out to the outfield for the 2016 season. Eduardo Nunez will also get into games at third base when needed. MINOR LEAGUES Rochester Red Wings In 2008, Buck Britton joined his brother, pitcher Zach Britton, in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He played every position but shortstop and catcher during his seven seasons in that organization. He spent last year with the Dodgers AAA affiliate in Oklahoma City where he played all over but mostly at third base. In the PCL, he hit .262/.311/.374 (.685). Chattanooga Lookouts Niko Goodrum moved to third base in 2014. He is a natural shortstop, and that is where he is at his best. He has struggled with the move to third after being really good at shortstop. Offensively, he hasn’t hit for average, but he takes a lot of walks. He is long and some still believe he’ll gain strength. He may now be more of a super-utility player who plays three infield spots and centerfield. He has very good speed and is a good base runner. Stephen Wickens is 26 and has worked his way up the ladder since the Twins drafted him out of Florida Gulf Coast University in the 33rd round in 2011. The Canadian native is a utility infielder who has played a lot at 2B, 3B and LF. With the Lookouts in 2015, he hit .254/.352/.333 (.685) with 14 doubles. Ft. Myers Miracle TJ White was the Twins 18th-round pick in 2014 out of UNLV. He spent most of his 2015 season in Cedar Rapids, though he spent almost a month in Ft. Myers mid season. In his final 30 games, he hit .364/.454/.551 (1.005). White is strong and has potential to add a lot of power. He also plays good defense at third base. (Get to Know TJ White here.) Logan Wade signed from Austalia and since has played a variety of positions. In 2015 with the Miracle, he played first, second and third base, plus in the outfield. He has some pop in his bat and doubles power. Cedar Rapids Kernels Travis Blankenhorn is 19 years old. He was the Twins third-round pick in 2015 out of high school in Pennsylvania. He began with 14 games in the GCL before moving up to Elizabethton for the final 39 games. Combined, he hit .244/.321/.347 (.668) with seven doubles, two triples and three home runs. He is a tremendous athlete and the Twins could push him up to the Kernels. (Get to Know Travis Blankenhorn here.) Extended Spring Training Trey Cabbage was the Twins fourth-round pick. The team went well over slot value to sign the 18-year-old from Tennessee. Another great athlete, Cabbage hit .252/.302/.269 (.571) with two doubles in 33 games. His season ended early with a back injury.He should move up to Elizabethton. (Get to Know Trey Cabbage here.) The Twins were excited when Nelson Molina was available in the 11th round in 2013. After two years in the GCL, he moved up to Elizabethton in 2015. He hit just .207/.271/.250 (.521) with a triple and a homer. When he signed, the belief was that he could play shortstop and stay there, and he may still be able to, but he has played all over the diamond since signing. He is 6-3 but just 175 pounds, so they may choose to remain patient with him. Dutch infielder Ruar Verkerk signed in July of 2013. He came to the States in 2014 and played in the GCL the last two years. He has hit .147 and .197. At 6-3 and 180 pounds, he is quite athletic, but as you would expect, he is quite raw. He turned just 19 after this season. He has very nice mechanics and a sweet left-handed swing. SUMMARY It’s been a water cooler conversation for Twins fans since the end of the 2015 season. Most fans just assumed the Trevor Plouffe would be traded to make room for Miguel Sano at this position. To this point, that hasn’t happened. Miguel Sano is working in the outfield and Terry Ryan and Paul Molitor insist that is what will happen. Plouffe is a solid, average big league third baseman who plays very good defense at the hot corner. That situation still feels like it could change at any time, but having both Plouffe and Sano in the lineup means up to 50-55 home runs in 2016. When it comes to prospects, the Twins 2015 draft added two really high-potential athletes in Blankenhorn and Cabbage. Both played shortstop in high school, but with their size and strength, they both played primarily third base in their pro debut. Third Base Prospect Rankings: Travis Blankenhorn, Trey Cabbage, TJ White, Niko Goodrum, Logan Wade Next week, we’ll continue to make our Roster Projections, from big league to the extended spring training rosters. Feel free to discuss and ask questions. View full article

I fully explains, in my mind, why they don't want to go beyond 1 year on any reliever.

Fair question is... Would Twins fans be more excited, and would Park rank higher on prospect rankings, if the Twins would have had to pay Park 5 years, $30 million, instead of 4 years, $12 million.

Because 1.) he's now a reliever, 2.) his mechanics are all over the place and not very good, 3.) his velocity is all over the place, 4.) others above him are really good prospects too, 5.) some evaluators wonder if he'll be able to figure it out ever. I say that, and he's a tremendous person who I hope like crazy does figure it out and becomes a dominant late-inning reliever.

There is a lot of confidence on Burdi, Chargois, Melotakis and Rogers all being ready by May 1st.

I disagree with so much of this, but to the first half of the first sentence of the last paragraph (Mike's list seems to want to be a potential and stuff vs actual results)... Yes, that's what prospect rankings do. It has very little to do with stats and numbers and much more to do with upside, potential and stuff.

I think that Mike does a ton of work for this ranking. In fact, I know he does. He is talking to a lot of people. I was surprised by that response too, but I think like 99% of it and the writing is Mike's. The team rankings haven't always 'conformed' to the Top 100.

Prospect - by Baseball America's, MLB's, my, etc definition - is someone who is still eligible to be rookie of the year. If it was Major League contract, then no one could win the award. Buxton, Kepler, Polanco, and now Walker will all be signing MLB contracts (they'll likely all be split contracts, but still...)... If so, Buxton is probably now tied with Mauer, who I believe was #1 Twins prospect in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. Mauer was also the #1 prospect in all of baseball two years in a row.

Berardino is now answering questions at Baseball America. Click here to send your questions or watch the chat.

I like trying to compare other lists to mine, just to see where there might be some differences. Mine is: 1.) Buxton 2.) Berrios 3.) Kepler 4.) Gordon 5.) Park 6.) Gonsalves 7.) Burdi 8.) Polanco 9.) Jay 10.) Walker Just missed where guys like Chargois and Stewart.

After his season last year, Nunez would get claimed. The Twins will likely use Santana all over the place, and I'd call him (likely) the #1 utility guy. But, when he enters the game, there has to be someone else on the bench in case of injury, or choosing to use a pinch hitter, etc. When one of the other three is the backup catcher, it'd be nice to have one outfielder (Arcia), and one infielder (Nunez).

Agreed, and on January 12th, there is no way to know which one will be which.

Good questions... I have Park 5 and Burdi 7. And, I'm typically one to rank relievers lower than most.

We all know that it is Mike Berardino that does the Twins Top 30 list. The Top 10 prospect list is now available online. Take a look at what was written. Here is his Top 10: 1.) Byron Buxton 2.) JO Berrios 3.) Max Kepler 4.) Nick Gordon 5.) Tyler Jay 6.) Jorge Polanco 7.) Byung Ho Park 8.) Kohl Stewart 9.) Stephen Gonsalves 10.) Nick Burdi What do you think? Have at it? As lots of questions so Mike can see this and prepare for his Baseball America chat at noon today!

I'm fine with Michael moving up, but to be fair, he played 15 games in AA in 2014. And even last year, he played just 63 game. That's the equivalent of just over a half-season of games. They didn't lose him in the Rule 5, so there's no rush. Also, I'm not sure Beresford qualifies as a utility guy at this point. Over the last THREE seasons, he's played a total of 6 games at shortstop and 5 games at third base.

Yup. I would say that, especially with the hard-throwing depth that should be ready soon... I would rather sign Bastardo to a one year, $7.5 million deal than a 3 year, $15 million. Relievers tend to be so volatile. Few are as good and consistent as Benoit.

I'm certain Terry Ryan doesn't (and shouldn't) spend a ton of time reading the comments here. Others might. I prefer going with Fien than signing some guy for triple that who isn't guaranteed to be any better. We make Bastardo sound like this great pitcher... there's a reason he hasn't received the 3 year, $18 million contract he's said to want. He walks a ton. That's not 3 years, $15 million worth... If they sign him, cool, but let's not pretend he's some final answer or something. And, I more important, three years to a big question mark makes no sense if they believe in Burdi, Reed, Chargois, Rogers and Melotakis, who could all be better than Bastardo within the first year of a three year deal.

I don't know if that's what the organization claims. It's what I personally think. Somewhat I agree, but it's hard to move through the system. It's not an area I would try to trade players. Jorge Polanco is pretty close to ready, so he is the backup plan (likely) for Escobar or Dozier. Vielma has a chance, but also, will he hit enough to be more than just elite defensively. Gordon has the upside, but there's never guarantee with a 20 year old. Javier is a long ways away. I'd be hesitant to deal any of them.