Seth Stohs

Earlier in the week, we looked at the outfielders at the lowest levels of the Minnesota Twins organization. Today, we’ll review the outfielders in the upper levels. There are some very intriguing, elite outfield prospects on this list.Ft. Myers Miracle Jason Kanzler spent the majority of his season with Cedar Rapids, but he was instrumental in the Ft. Myers championship run. The 24-year-old combined to hit .282/.344/.444 (.788) with 11 doubles, nine triples and 12 home runs. He also stole 27 bases. In college, he won two Gold Glove Awards and is a tremendous defensive outfielder. Adam Brett Walker spent the full season as a 22-year-old in the Florida State League. He played in right field and is a very good athlete. He hit .246/.307/.436 (.743) with 19 doubles, 25 homers and 94 RBI. He has tremendous power and has been a very good run producer since signing as the Twins third round pick in 2012. Travis Harrison was a supplemental first round pick in 2011 out of high school in California. He turned 22 following the 2013 season. He hit .269/.361/.365 (.726) with 33 doubles and three home runs. Despite the lack of home runs, Harrison has big-time power potential. He made the move from third base to left field in 2014. Max Kepler continued to play some first base in 2014 with the Miracle. However, he also played 61 games in centerfield, 18 games in right field and eight games in left. In the AFL, he has played in right field. He missed some games early and struggled in the first half, but he really came on as the season went on. In 102 games, he hit .264/.333/.393 (.726) with 20 doubles, six triples and five home runs. He will turn 22 years old before spring training. Tyler Grimes played everywhere for the Miracle in 2014 including 12 games in centerfield and five games in right field. He moved to catcher before the 2013 season, and he also played a lot of second base. The 24-year-old hit .232/.313/.335 (.648) with 14 doubles, two triples and three home runs. New Britain Rock Cats Of course, the Twins moved their AA affiliate from New Britain to Chattanooga following the season, but we’ll leave the header as is. Byron Buxton remains the organization’s top prospect despite a long, frustrating, injury-plagued season. He played in just one game with the Rock Cats this year after rehabbing with the Miracle and got hurt in it. He returned to the AFL where he again was hurt after about three weeks of playing time. He remains as bright a prospect as there is in baseball. He just needs to get healthy this offseason and get back to developing. Eddie Rosario missed 50 games at the beginning of the season with his suspension. After a short stint in Ft. Myers, he returned to New Britain in early June and spent the rest of the season there. The 23-year-old hit .243/.386/.387 (.674) in 87 total games. He has been one of the better hitters in the Arizona Fall League while playing exclusively in the outfield. Reynaldo Rodriguez could have been a free agent again after the season, but he chose to sign back with the Twins for a third season. He made the move from first base to the outfield in 2014. It didn’t affect his bat. He hit a robust .286/.344/.510 (.854) in 126 games with New Britain. He also played ten games with Rochester. He is 28 years old. Mike Kvasnicka came to the Twins before spring training of 2013 for Gonzalo Sanudo. In 2014, he advanced to New Britain where he hit .257/.303/.400 (.703). The 25-year-old from Minnesota hit 23 doubles and ten home runs. He played 57 games in right field, 36 games in left field and even 16 games in centerfield. Tony Thomas played 27 games in left field and 12 more in right field. The 28-year-old hit .241/.302/.411 with 29 doubles, six triples and 12 home runs. He also stole 14 bases. He primarily played second base until Rosario came back to New Britain. He too could have been a free agent after the World Series, but he chose to re-sign with the Twins. Corey Wimberly joined the Twins as a minor league free agent before spring training. He played in just 72 games for the Rock Cats due to a hamstring injury and hit .252/.307/.346 (.653) with 13 doubles and five triples. The speedster also stole 17 bases. He turned 31 after the season and became a free agent. Rochester Red Wings Wilkin Ramirez returned to the Red Wings in 2014 and played in 107 games. He hit .262/.305/.368 (.672) with 23 doubles, three triples and four home runs. He turned 29 after the season and is currently a free agent. Chris Rahl came to the Twins before the 2014 season and was invited to big league camp. The 30-year-old veteran played in 104 games and hit .259/.272/.380 (.652) with 17 doubles and seven homers. He played 51 games in left field, 40 games in right field and 21 games in centerfield. He became a free agent following the season. Danny Ortiz was the Twins 4th round pick in 2008 out of Puerto Rico. He began the season in New Britain where he played in 49 games. He was promoted to Rochester for another 73 games. The 24-year-old combined to hit .285/.308/.462 (.770) with 29 doubles, five triples and 12 home runs. He has average range, but he can play all three outfield positions. He too could have become a minor league free agent after the World Series, but he quickly signed with the Twins. Minnesota Twins The one given to be playing in the Minnesota Twins outfield in 2015 is Oswaldo Arcia. The 6-0, 220 pound outfielder hit .231/.300/.452 (.752) which produced an OPS+ of 108. He added 16 doubles, three triples and 20 home runs. He strikes out a lot, doesn’t hit lefties real well, and isn’t a threat to win a Gold Glove, but he can hit the ball a long way. He’s also younger than most outfielders in the upper levels and patience will be important. Danny Santana played 71 games for the Twins in centerfield in 2014 and did fairly well considering he had played only a few games in the outfield earlier in his minor league career. He’s got good speed though the organization has made it clear that he will be given every opportunity to play shortstop in 2015. In 101 games, he hit .319/.353/.472 (.824) with 27 doubles, seven triples and seven home runs. He also stole 20 bases. Aaron Hicks has been the opening day centerfielder the last two years. In 2014, he was sent down to play in AA New Britain for about six weeks, then spent a month in Rochester before returning to the Twins in September. In 69 games with the Twins, he hit .215 with a .274 slugging percentage. He did manage to get on base 34% of the time. He’ll get another opportunity, most likely, in 2015, though maybe not in centerfield. Chris Parmelee has been up and down with the Twins since his September call-up in 2011. He was out of options. So when he did not make the opening day Twins roster, he went through waivers. He was unclaimed and went to Rochester where he played great and soon was called back to the Twins. In 87 games with the Twins, he hit .256/.307/.384 (.691) with 11 doubles and seven home runs. He played some first base. He also played 42 games in right field and 22 games in left field. He also played three games in centerfield. Jordan Schafer came to the Twins after being designated for assignment by Atlanta. In 31 games with the Twins, he hit .285/.345/.362 (.707) with five doubles, a triple and a homer. He also stole 15 bases. He plays a good left field and could be a platoon option. Chris Herrmann caught quite a bit in the minors but with the Twins he was used as a fifth outfielder. He played 13 games in left field and 12 games in right. Eduardo Nunez played 16 games in left field, and Chris Colabello played 21 games in right field. SUMMARY Oswaldo Arcia still has star potential despite some flaws. His youth and power potential mean that he should be a staple in right field for the Twins for several years. Danny Santana played centerfield for the Twins in 2014, and would be considered a building block at the position for most teams. With the Twins, he will move to shortstop. That means that the Twins have two positions that should be open in the outfield. At some time, the future involves Byron Buxton. Eddie Rosario seems to be putting himself back on the prospect map with his performance in the Arizona Fall League. Max Kepler’s second half and Fall League performances, along with his tool set, continue to make him an intriguing piece for the future. Travis Harrison and Adam Brett Walker provide serious power potential, though each has a little further to go. Previous Organizational Depth Charts: · Outfielders – Part 1 (Lower Levels) · Middle Infielders · Third Base · First Base · Catchers Click here to view the article

Correct. I don't know why I put that he was from the Dominican. He's from Venezuela.

Another coach period. Another set of eyes. A liason. A confidant for the Latin players. Another guy who can throw extra BP, or sit and watch video. A great baseball man around the clubhouse. And probably more.

Virgil is from California and speaks pretty much no Spanish.

I would argue that the best pitch is the fastball on the outside corner and at the knees. But if you get it out over the plate (like any pitch), it's going to get hit. I have talked to several players in the organization, and there has been an effort to have some pitchers work up in the zone, to be a strikeout pitch... I don't know if that's an organizational change or shift. I don't know if that's primarily guys that throw over, say, 94-95? But there was definitely some short of discussion about this.

I agree with this... He's got like 30 years of baseball history and work... 3 with the Twins. That's not just someone from inside the organization.

Seven coaches + the manager. So, there are four more hires. They'll hire someone else as 1B coach.

I kind of like this hiring. He wasn't a name I gave a whole lot of thought and consideration to. However, if his purpose (or one of his purposes) is to be a person that the Latin American players can do to and relate to and such, I do think it's important for it to be a man who has a familiarity, a comfort with. Hernandez has been around all of these guys for a long time, and is probably a confidant for many already. This is a position I'm comfortable being from within.

Christensen played all over in college, and he's played all over in his one year-plus of pro ball. I'm sure he'll continue to be used in that role.

I think that Glynn is an outside perspective. He's only been in Rochester for 3 seasons after a wealth of experience in various capacities elsewhere. The Twins have now hired a coach from Latin America. And no, I don't think Mientkiewicz is a shoe-in for Rochester. I still say Chattanooga. I tweeted earlier that my (complete) guess remains: Mauer in Rochester, Mientkiewicz in Chattanooga, Smith in Ft. Myers, Watkins in Cedar Rapids... but that's just guessing. hard to know.

Rhett Bollinger had it first. The Twins will announce Rudy Hernandez as their assistant hitting coach. The Venezuela native has been a coach and manager in the Twins minor league system for 14 years. He has been a hitting coach at various levels from the rookie leagues on up. It solves, or at least addresses, the need for a coach from Latin America who speaks Spanish and has lived the culture.

I'd say that through the first three new hires, the motto of "sometimes the obvious guy is the right guy" is true... Things will get interesting from here though!

In the last week, the Twins have named Paul Molitor their new manager. They named Tom Brunansky as their hitting coach. Today, they named Gene Glynn as their next third base coach. The move is not surprising. It was clear that Glynn would be added to the major league coaching staff. He has been a coach and a 3B coach in the big leagues several years in the past: 1994-1998 - Rockies 1999 - Expos 2000-2002 - Cubs 2003-2006 - Giants Good hire. Smart guy who was also a scout in the Rays organization for a few years (2007-2011). He has managed the Rochester Red Wings the last three years.

From the mlb.com article: A descriptor of what the effects of it are:

Not a good first impression, I'm sure, for the 2014 24th round pick out of New Mexico.

He's such a great athlete, and there's so much talent there. The injury really hurt him last year. He likely would have spent the full season in Ft. Myers. Instead, back to Cedar Rapids, and just couldn't get it going. He'll definitely have to get to at least Ft. Myers in spring to stick.

It's certainly not as deep as when there was Young, Cuddyer, Revere, and Span in the big leagues... At that time, the organization had several other top prospect types like Benson, Parmelee, Angel Morales and Aaron Hicks... It's why I think depth is so important and having options at each level is huge because guys get hurt and primarily because it is so hard to actually get to the big leagues, much less succeed and stick.

Orlando isn't a very big guy either. Would have seen him play last year in Cedar Rapids, but I believe he was hurt. He's a pretty good prospect, and a middle infielder too. Oswaldo is/was probably a little better prospect, but Orlando has a chance too!

tough to say without seeing the four highest levels. With the lowest levels, it's about tools and projectablility and there are some exciting prospects at these levels... It's just that a lot has to happen and go right just to get to the higher levels, much less to get to the big leagues.

After a busy week last week with the Minnesota Twins naming their new manager, we are returning to our look at the Twins organizational depth chart. This week, we’ll be reviewing the outfielders throughout the system. Since there are nearly fifty outfielders, I am going to split it into two parts. Today, I’ll look at that outfield depth in the Twins four lowest affiliates; Dominican League Twins, GCL Twins, Elizabethton Twins and the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Later this week, I’ll discuss the players in the upper levels.Coming Soon - The Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015 will be available soon here at Twins Daily. In it, there will be much more detailed prospect profiles and much more.> Dominican Summer League Down in the DSL, there were six players that got significant time in the outfield. Looking at the statistics in the lowest levels can be quite fruitless, but it’s always interesting to get to know the names. A couple of these players could wind up coming to the States and playing in the GCL or even Elizabethton in 2015 or beyond. Francisco Hernandez led the DSL team with 31 games in centerfield. He was 18-years-old this year and in 42 games he hit .210/.369/.210. At 5-10 and 160 pounds he has very little power (no extra-base hits) and had just seven stolen bases. 18-year-old Antonio Tovar spent his second season in the DSL in 2014. The 6-0, 195 pounder was the leader in games played in left field with 32, though he played 26 games in centerfield as well. He hit .253/.381/.335 (.716) with six doubles and five triples. After going 12-13 in stolen base attempts in 2013, he went just 9-20 in 2014. He walked 41 times and struck out 35 times. Junior Amarante turned 19 before the 2014 season started. It was his third season with the DSL Twins and by far his best. He played 31 games in right field and eight games in left. He hit .287/.383/.337 (.720) with five doubles and two triples. He was also 22 of 24 in stolen base attempts. He is 5-11 and 185 pounds. Edgar Herrera is a 17-year-old from Venezuela. He played 26 games in right field and 13 games in left field. At 6-0 and 170 pounds, he hit .259/.361/.302 with two doubles and two triples. He walked 23 times and struck out 23 times, as well. Jorge Parra is 6-0 and 176 pounds. In his second DSL season, he played in 52 games and hit .260/.356/.345 (.700). He added nine doubles and three home runs. He played 19 games in left field and 15 more in right field. Luis Martinez was an 18-year-old in his first DSL season. He played in 23 games and hit .328/.443/.414 (.857) with three doubles and a home run. He also stole 14 bases and walked as much as he struck out. He played 15 games in centerfield and one in right. Gulf Coast League Tyree Davis was the Twins 37th round draft pick in 2014. The now-19-year-old played 36 games in centerfield for the GCL Twins. In 38 total games, he hit just .087/.210/.146 (.356). He went 9-103, but he had two doubles and two triples. He is a great athlete, a five-tool athlete. The graduate of Centennial High School in Compton, California, is looking to become the school’s 11th major league player and the first since Lonnie Smith retired in 1994. At 6-3 he has a lot of power potential. Amaurys Minier was the Twins top international signing in 2012. He debuted in the GCL in 2013 and went back to the GCL in 2014. He had offseason shoulder surgery, and he moved from third base to left field where he started 34 games. In 53 games, he hit .292/.405/.520 (.925) with 11 doubles, two triples and eight home runs. At 6-2 and 190 pounds, he has terrific power. He also spent a lot of time at first base. Frank Encarnacion led the GCL in games played at right field with 16, though he also played seven in left field. After a year in the DSL, he moved to the States where he played in 26 games and hit .198/.244/.235 (.479) with three doubles. 19-year-old Roberto Gonzalez is another five-tool outfielder whom the Twins drafted in 2014 (15th round) out of Orlando. He played in just 13 games due to knee surgery. In 43 at-bats, he hit .233/.313/.302 (.615) with three doubles. At 6-0 and 195 pounds, he has very good speed and a lot of power potential. He stole four bases in five attempts. He will need to be able to make more contact. Rafael Valera came to the States in 2014 after two seasons in the DSL. He played in 47 games for the GCL Twins, but he also had a couple of stints (and three games played) in Ft. Myers. With the GCL, he played eight games in right field solely and three games in right and left. He also played around the infield. He hit .254/.370/.341 (.710) with eight doubles and two triples. After four seasons in the Dominican Summer League, 21-year-old Dubal Baez finally got to move to the States. He played 40 games in the GCL and hit .281/.351/.331 (.681) with six doubles. He played 18 games in centerfield, 11 games in right field and nine games in right field. After a season in the DSL, Ariel Montesino hit .165/.233/.220 (.454) with four doubles and a triple. He also stole 10 bases. He played 13 games in left field and 10 games in right. He turned 19 since the end of the season. Elizabethton Twins Max Murphy was the Twins ninth round pick in 2014 out of Bradley. The 21-year-old Minnesotan was the Appalachian League Player of the Year and spent only 35 games with the E-Twins, but he hit .378/.483/.723 (1.206) with seven doubles, two triples and ten home runs. He then played 32 more games with the Cedar Rapids Kernels where he hit .242/.314/.395 (.709) with seven doubles and four home runs. Combined, he played 35 games in centerfield, 20 games in left field and six games in right. Tanner English was the Twins 11th round pick in 2014 out of South Carolina. He played in 32 games for the E-Twins and hit .316/.439/.474 (.913) with five doubles, two triples and three homers. He was also five for six in stolen base attempts. Despite being just 5-10 and 160 pounds, he is far from a slap-hitter. All 26 games he played defense, he played in centerfield. Austin Diemer was the Twins 26th round out of Cal State Fullerton. He played 37 games in centerfield for Elizabethton and another 18 games in left field. In 55 games, he hit .227/.305/.286 (.591) with six doubles and two homers. He stole ten bases. Jeremias Pineda spent most of the 2013 season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, minus his 50-game suspension. He began 2014 in Cedar Rapids, but he was sent back down to Elizabethton where he played 58 of his 73 games. In all, he hit .224/.301/.295 (.597) with six doubles, four triples and two homers. He has good speed and stole 27 bases in 34 attempts. Trey Vavra was the Twins 33rd round pick in 2014 out of Florida Southern. He primarily played first base for the E-Twins, but he also played 13 games in left field. He hit .319/.392/.454 (.846) with 20 doubles, a triple and a home run. Cedar Rapids Kernels JD Williams advanced to Ft. Myers in the second half of 2013, but a spring training broken thumb and rehab sent him back to the Kernels. He played 52 games in left field. In 75 games total, he hit .245/.330/.383 (.713) with 19 doubles, four triples and three homers. The 23-year-old will need to get to Ft. Myers to start 2015. Zach Granite began the season in Cedar Rapids, but unfortunately the centerfielder missed time with two injuries and played in just 21 games with the Kernels. The 21-year-old hit .291/.321/.367 (.689) with two doubles and two triples for the Kernels. He is very fast and has the skill set to be a good leadoff hitter. Zach Larson began the season as the Kernels right fielder. The 20-year-old hit .265/.325/.358 (.683) with 11 doubles and a homer. Unfortunately, he dealt with a hamstring issue most of the rest of the season. Despite being a 20th round draft pick out of high school in 2012, he is a very good hitting prospect. Chad Christensen primarily played first base for the Kernels, but the versatile athlete also played 20 games in left field, ten games in right field and six games in center. The 24-year-old was the Twins 25th round pick in 2013 out of the University of Nebraska. In 127 games total with the Kernels, he hit .272/.339/.404 (.744) with 24 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs, 73 RBI, 84 runs scored and 30 stolen bases. Alex Swim had almost solely been a catcher until mid-June when he came up to the Kernels. He went on a hot streak and then he was moved out to right field to keep his bat in the lineup. He played 46 games in right field. In 63 total games, he hit .311/.352/.349 with nine doubles. SUMMARY In Part 2 of the outfield depth chart later this week, we’ll discuss players who are closer to the big leagues. However, Part 1 does show a lot of players with some big-time potential. A few have the potential to be great. Of course, at the low levels, the odds are markedly against them. Amaurys Minier and Zach Larson are arguably the two top prospects in this list. Players like Max Murphy, Chad Christensen and Tanner English have the opportunity to advance after strong showings. Players like Tyree Davis and Roberto Gonzalez have a long way to go, but they are two players that legitimately have five tools. Click here to view the article

A good player, great person who was drafted and came up with and developed into a very good player as a Twin makes good. Is it more than we (as pretend Twins GMs) would pay him? Sure. Is he worth 2/21? Apparently, and good for him. My only thought on this is good for him. Hopefully he can stay healthy and keep playing well.

Teams could start talking to other free agents last Tuesday.

As I'm researching and talking to people about prospects for the upcoming Prospect Handbook, I think the Meyer opinions do vary. I think that a lot of people who watch Meyer definitely think that his future is more in the bullpen than starting. That said, I think they will have him get a decent amount of opportunity to start. As for Gordon's ranking... people need to know that stats at E-Town are pretty meaningless to the big picture... Someone above listed guys who had started at E-Town out of high school. Travis Harrison and Denard Span signed too late to play in the GCL the year they were drafted, so they moved to E-Town the year after they were drafted. Mauer and Plouffe were drafted, signed and went right to E-Town.