Seth Stohs

Each year, I try to do a Minnesota Twins Top 52 Prospect list right before the draft. That way, we're looking at players who have (generally) now been in the organization for at least a year. It can also give you a sense of which positions have some strength. Through nearly two months of the season, there have been several very impressive performances throughout the organization. Many of the top prospects are in the lower levels, but when you put together this list, you see that there are a few players mentioned in the upper levels too. I'll count down from 52 with brief comments on each, right up to the Top 2 prospects, and I have to say, it's still a very difficult decision. Who will I put at Number One? Aaron Hicks has 'graduated' from the "Prospect" lists as he is now over the 130 at bats mark. For pitchers, the limit is 50 innings. Let's get to the list: #52 - Caleb Thielbar - LH RP - Rochester/Minnesota - The Randolph native has been impressive in his debut. He throws hard and has three good pitches. He can be a solid big league reliever. #51 - Tyler Jones - RH RP - Cedar Rapids Kernels - Jones was a starter a year ago, but he's got the fastball and breaking pitch to be a very good reliever as well. He missed a few weeks with an injury. #50 - Madison Boer - RH RP - Ft. Myers Miracle - Yes, I am listing him as a reliever because I would be done with the starting experience for him. He's can reach into the upper-90s with his fastball out of the bullpen, so they need to go with that. That is, when he returns from his broken hand. #49 - Mike Kvasnicka - OF/C - Ft. Myers Miracle - The former Gopher came to the Twins from the Astros late in spring training and pretty much immediately broke his hamate bone. He'll be out a few more weeks. He didn't put up the numbers you would hope from a 1st round pick with the Astros, but he does have power. #48 - Jason Wheeler - LHP - Ft. Myers Miracle - Since signing with the Twins as an 8th round pick in 2011, he has gone 19-6 with a 3.62 ERA. The 6-8 lefty doesn't throw over 89 mph, but he has good control of multiple pitches. #47 - Kuo-hua Lo - RHP - Extended Spring Training - Lo signed from Taiwan and he has very good stuff. He can throw hard, has multiple pitches, good control and a knowledge of how to pitch. He should start for the Elizabethton Twins. #46 - Austin Malinowski - LHP - Extended Spring Training - The Minnesota native gave up a scholarship to the University of Arizona to sign with the Twins. He pitched well in the GCL last year and should be in the Elizabethton rotation. #45 - James Beresford - 2B/SS - New Britain Rock Cats - I have no idea why he is still in New Britain. Despite missing a couple of weeks with an injury, he is hitting over .330, and he is an elite defensive player around the infield. #44 - Felix Jorge - RHP - Extended Spring Training - Hard-throwing youngster has terrific stuff and should be in the rotation for the E-Twins. #43 - Angel Morales - OF - Ft. Myers Miracle - He seems to have figured things out with the Miracle, and although he can be a six-year minor league free agent after the season, he is still just 23 years old. He should move up to New Britain soon. #42 - Dan Rohlfing - C/OF - New Britain/Rochester - Last night, he homered in his first AAA game. Always seen as more of an organizational player, Rohlfing has worked hard and made himself into a future big leaguer because of his athleticism and versatility. #41 - Dalton Hicks - 1B - Cedar Rapids Kernels - Hicks is a large man with great power. Drafted in the 17th round last year, he has come up with some big hits in his two pro seasons. #40 - Tom Stuifbergen - RHP - Ft. Myers Miracle - "Stuif" is finally healthy and pitching well again this season. He has incredible control and works fast. It'd be nice to see more strikeouts, but has the pitches. #39 - BJ Hermsen - RHP - New Britain Rock Cats - The Twins minor league pitcher of the year a year ago, Hermsen has put up very good numbers at every level, despite low strikeout totals. He went to big league camp and unfortunately got hurt. He has struggled in his return and moved now to the bullpen. He'll start again, and he'll be fine. #38 - Angel Mata - RHP - Extended Spring Training - Last year in Elizabethton, he made 13 starts. He threw 53.1 innings, gave up just 31 hits and struck out 55. Why is he not in Cedar Rapids? Well, he also walked 34. #37 - Randy Rosario - LHP - Extended Spring Training - Call me intrigued by left-handed pitchers who have been clocked at 95 mph. Rosario struck out 42 in 38.1 innings last year (And walked 19). #36 - Matt Summers - RHP - Ft. Myers Miracle - Still hasn't put up big numbers despite having very good stuff. Maybe he'll be a reliever down the line, where he might see those strikeout numbers increase. #35 - Aderlin Mejia - IF - Ft. Myers Miracle - He's been a story the last three weeks in Ft. Myers, hitting .400 and playing all over the field. He was just supposed to be with the team for a short period, but he's earned his way into the daily lineup. #34 - Nate Roberts - OF - Ft. Myers Miracle - He's an on-base machine and showed in the AFL just how good he can be at the top of an order. He just has to find a way to stay on the field and another offseason knee surgery has limited him to just one game this year. #33 - JT Chargois - RH RP - Extended Spring Training - Chargois throws incredibly hard and can be a late-inning reliever. He just has to get healthy. #32 - JD Williams - OF - Cedar Rapids Kernels - A tremendous athlete, the charismatic outfielder has done a great job of getting on base and even showing power to go with his great speed. #31 - Hudson Boyd - RHP - Cedar Rapids Kernels - The numbers don't show it yet, but Boyd does have a chance to be good. He has the pitches, a fastball up to 93, a very good curveball and a terrific changeup. He just needs to find consistency with each of those pitches. #30 - Levi Michael - IF - Ft. Myers Miracle - His season was delayed several weeks with another injury, and he hasn't hit much since his return. The positive is that a big percentage of his hits have gone for extra bases. #29 - Chris Herrmann - C/OF - Rochester/Minnesota - He struggled in his AAA debut the first month of the season, but he had been much better before his promotion. His value is that he is a solid offensive contributor with defensive versatility that includes improved abilities behind that plate. #28 - Logan Darnell - LHP - New Britain Rock Cats - Darnell seems to have taken that next step and is pitching very well. He's left-handed and knows how to pitch. #27 - Corey Williams - LH RP - Ft. Myers Miracle - The power lefty is off to a great start with the Miracle after a disappointing 2012 in Beloit (despite 17 saves). He's still not getting the strikeouts you'd like to see from someone with his stuff. #26 - Adrian Salcedo - RHP - Ft. Myers Miracle - He was a top ten Twins prospect until an injury-plagued 2012 season (elbow and shoulder). He struggled at the start of this season, but in the last month, he has reclaimed his stuff and, in my opinion, should return to starting soon. #25 - Luke Bard - RHP - Extended Spring Training - His season is yet to start due to some arm problems, but he can pitch. Whenever he does get on a mound, he has the stuff to be very good. #24 - Danny Ortiz - OF - New Britain Rock Cats - Arguably the most under-appreciated prospect in the organization. Maybe it's because there are so many outfielders, but Ortiz has put up numbers, in AA and in Puerto Rico, to warrant a higher ranking. #23 - Mason Melotakis - LHP - Cedar Rapids Kernels - He has been alright so far as a starter for the Kernels. The numbers have been 'good.' Of course there is a lot more value if he can be a starter, but if he does move to the bullpen again, he can be a dominant reliever. #22 - Tyler Duffey - RHP - Cedar Rapids Kernels - Another college reliever turned starter, Duffey has pitched quite well to this point for the Kernels. He threw 7 perfect innings in his first start and has been good the rest of the way. #21 - DJ Baxendale - RHP - Ft. Myers/New Britain - The Twins 10th round pick a year ago had a rood awakening in his AA debut last night, but had thrown 31 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. He can be a mid-rotation starter but it won't be overnight. #20 - Taylor Rogers - LHP - Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers - 11th round pick a year ago, the lefty throws 91-92 mph with a very good slider. He just looks like a future starter and has the make up to be very good. #19 - Zack Jones - RH RP - Ft. Myers Miracle - 100. That says it all. OK, his fastball generally sits 96 to 98 mph, but when you can touch 10, that's impressive. He's working on the consistency of his slider, but when that comes, he could dominate. #18 - Michael Tonkin - RH RP - New Britain - After spending time as a starter, and maybe too much time in Beloit, he has skyrocketed the last 12 months because he has put it all together. A mid-90s fastball with good secondary pitches makes for an exciting late-inning option. #17 - Danny Santana - SS - New Britain Rock Cats - April was not a good month for the talented shortstop. He didn't hit, and he committed a ton of errors. He now has 18 errors on the season, but most came in the first month. He has also hit very well in May. Now, he just needs to be consistent. #16 - Alex Wimmers - RHP - New Britain Rock Cats - the right-handed former first round pick is now throwing off of a mound in his return from Tommy John. He is about on the same schedule as Kyle Gibson was a year ago. If he can end the season making starts in New Britain, that would be great. He'll be added to the 40 man roster after the season. #15 - Niko Goodrum - SS - Cedar Rapids Kernels - Niko has amazing tools, but watching him play makes you really appreciate just how solid he is. He makes the routine plays. He hits well from both sides of the plate. He has range. He has a great arm. He needs time, but he has great upside. #14 - Max Kepler - OF - Extended Spring Training - There was a lot of excitement about Kepler coming into the season. Unfortunately, an arm injury has meant that he is yet to debut with the Kernels this year. He's got size and power and very good speed. He just needs to get on the field. #13 - Josmil Pinto - C - New Britain Rock Cats - OK, I give in. I have ranked him far too low for far too long. The guy can flat-out hit. He is OK behind the plate, but when you have a catcher that you also like to hit #3 and DH, you have something special. #12 - Adam Walker - OF - Cedar Rapids Kernels - Walker has shown a flair for the dramatic, with big, long home runs and some important grand slams. He needs to find more consistency, but he has so much talent and incredible power. He should move up to Ft. Myers. #11 - Trevor May - RHP - New Britain Rock Cats - May is back in the Eastern League and he's showing the talent he has. He's also continued to be inconsistent from start to start and his control has not been great. But he's still young and he puts in the time and I believe he'll be alright. #10 - Travis Harrison - 3B - Cedar Rapids Kernels - The supplemental first round pick in 2011 showed last year in E-Town that he can hit. This year, he has flashed some of the incredible power potential that he has. He has made improvements with the glove, but his power potential and youth makes him very exciting. #9 - Jorge Polanco - 2B/SS - Cedar Rapids Kernels - The former slick-fielding, little middle infielder has grown up. He now has the size to put up some numbers with his bat too. He has a smooth swing from both sides of the plate with extra base pop. And, his glove is still terrific. #8 - Kennys Vargas - 1B - Ft. Myers Miracle - Baby Papi just keeps hitting for power. He's got 15 doubles and 10 home runs in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. He's made improvements in his footwork at 1B as well. #7 - Kyle Gibson - RHP - Rochester Red Wings - Three out of four starts have been tremendous. If he can put up another good start tonight, we could see him in Minnesota as early as next week. Still just 25, Gibson has very good stuff, throws strikes, gets ground balls and has great makeup. He's going to be a good one. #6 - Eddie Rosario - 2B - Ft. Myers Miracle - No one questions his bat. He is going to hit. What people are most impressed by so far this year from Rosario is how well he has made the adjustment to second base. He has been very good defensively which shows that he's willing to do work. Still some maturity issues to work through, but he will. #5 - Jose (JO) Berrios - RHP - Cedar Rapids Kernels - A supplemental pick just a year ago, Berrios is very young. He now has 6 walks and 40 strikeouts in 33.1 innings with the Kernels. That's after he walked four and struck out 49 last year in the rookie leagues. He's got good stuff and a fastball that hits 94-95 mph. #4 - Alex Meyer - RHP - New Britain Rock Cats - The 23-year-old has been good in his adjustment to AA after just nine games in High-A a year ago. In 54.2 innings, he has struck out 54, but he has also walked 25. He hasn't walked hitters in the past, so hopefully that's just a mirage. But his four-pitch mix is special. He just needs some time. #3 - Oswaldo Arcia - OF - Rochester Red Wings - We all knew he could hit. We all know he's going to be a special hitter in the big leagues. Now we have seen a little glimpse of what he can be. He needed to go back down to Rochester as he has some adjusting to do, but he'll make those adjustments and be back in no time. #2 - Miguel Sano - Ft. Myers Miracle - It's really ridiculous to have Miguel Sano as the #2 prospect. In how many organizations would that be the case? Maybe three or four? In reality, I'm not even comfortable having him at #2. He is a Top 10 prospect in baseball and has put up incredible numbers, including power numbers, in Ft. Myers. All while improving his defense and stealing bases. He's so good. #1 - Byron Buxton - OF - Cedar Rapids Kernels - He has slumped in May and yet I still rank him (slightly) ahead of Miguel Sano. He's just such a great all-around talent. He does have power. His speed is elite. His defense is incredible, and he has a strong and accurate arm. He has great plate discipline and isn't afraid to hit with two strikes. He hits the ball to all fields. I don't know if there's anything he can't do. He just needs time and patience, but it'll be hard not to move him up the ladder pretty quickly. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4228[/ATTACH] So there you have it. I hope you've enjoyed reading about 52 names in the Twins system. I did not include Amaurys (German) Minier, though he should start appearing in my lists following this season, especially if he spends time with the GCL Twins. What do you think? Who is too high? Who is too low? Who do you have questions about? Feel free to ask and I'll try to answer as many as I can throughout the day.

Yeah, if you look at Isolated Power, Vargas's numbers are very impressive... not quite Sano-like, but very impressive!

yeah, I really have enjoyed all of the writeups from our "correspondents" in the minor league cities. If anyone in Ft. Myers is interested, be sure to let us know. Thanks!

Probably true!

Like i said, I would enjoy hearing that, I don't know if others would. I also don't think that finding pitch percentages is necessarily advanced metrics. You need to go to a fangraphs site to find them, but that fits well into their conversation and helps them paint the picture of maybe why Lackey is doing what he's doing. that's a great example of Provus tying it all together because he put the numbers with comments from scouts and in the end, everyone wins. I just don't think people wanna hear about WAR (BR or other), FIP, xFIP, stuff like that. Again, I don't mind it, but it's not something that listeners can (or should have to) try to grasp on the fly.

we certainly encourage Twins Daily readers to check out the transcript, and participate by asking questions, here: MLB Draft Chat: May 29 | Perfect Game USA

This is a great question, and it's one that we have discussed since the site's onset. Do people want to see some sort of game report from each and every Twins game? Occasionally, one of the Twins Daily guys will get some access and can add some quotes, but many times we don't. What would people want to see from such a report?

Me too!

I looked at it and saw several errors, then again, I don't claim to be a good writer... Ha!

I truly enjoy listening to Provus. I agree that putting out too much in terms of advanced stats would be detrimental to the broadcast. It would be better on TV because a viewer can see (graphics) and hear. Radio is meant for stories. Such a small percentage of the listenership would want to hear that. They just want to know what's happening. I'd enjoy it, and I think Twins Daily readers would enjoy a little bit of it. The average Twins fan, listening on the radio or watching on TV, wouldn't want it. But like Cory said, it should be fun. Kris Attebery likes to discuss such things from time to time when he's on air.

He just turned 21, so he would be right about league average in the Appy League. I think that, if nothing else, he will 'only go back' to Cedar Rapids instead of ETown. He's very young for the FSL... (Though he's a year older than Sano)

I mean, it could be pretty much any time there is a need at this point. Whenever there is an injury in Rochester, or the Twins. We'll see. He's pretty close.Let's see him have another strong June. He was "OK" in April.

And, I know people like to minimize the value of a utility infielder, but Tolbert as a later-round pick to be on the roster in that role for a couple of years is pretty nice too.

These are fun to read, thanks! It was a big draft for them, and to no surprise, injury definitely has had an impact... Pitchers get hurt. That's just the way it is. If a pitcher doesn't get hurt, that's the anomaly. Perkins has certainly turned out pretty well. Plouffe needs to break out to make it a great pick, but he's been able to get some good service time. Waldrop got hurt. That derailed what had started out as a very impressive career. He pitched well out of the AAA bullpen after that, but wasn't given many innings with the Twins. Hopefully he gets a shot with the Pirates! Swarzak has been pretty solid in his long-relief role. The starting thing certainly didn't work, but in his role, he's been solid as well. Rainville is kind of the sad one. He got hurt, then never really recovered. I believe he is now a cop. This guy was really good in those lower levels before the injury. He had some good stuff. Fox got hurt pretty much right away and just slowly moved up, and did well. He got that one start with the Twins against the Rangers and was really good. Then he was DFAd. He just signed with the Mets. Morlan was a high-ceiling type who I had hopes for. In other words, they only have one impact player from the draft (Perkins). Swarzak and Plouffe have had roles. Waldrop and Fox had cups of coffee. Not a great draft, but not terrible either.

Just realized that it was ten years ago today that I posted my first blog article at SethSpeaks.net. It was terrible, and looking at the Archives, it definitely took awhile to get it going. Here's that horrible first blog: Thursday Originally, I wanted it to be about all sports, especially baseball, but also things like TV, movies, etc. It's kind of surreal to think about having done this now for ten years. Surreal, or sad, or something... but it has been good. And, the thing that keeps me going is the response from people who read it and agree or even disagree. It's that conversation that makes it a lot of fun. Even if I get a bit frustrated by certain aspects of it, it's definitely a huge part of my life. Thanks to everyone who have helped make the transition to Twins Daily a pretty smooth one. I still get a lot of e-mails from people telling me I should go back out on my own because of the negativity here on some things. Life has managed to get much busier over the years, but I do still enjoy being able to write about the minor leaguers, and getting to know the people beyond just the box scores. That's what makes it all worthwhile. So, ten years... that's a long time... but thank you to everyone who has made that time a lot of fun for me! Archives: http://www.sethspeaks.net/Archives.htm Q&As: http://www.sethspeaks.net/QandAs.htm

The Twins have highly-drafted college pitchers fly through the lower levels. Matt Garza went to ETown for a little bit to keep his innings down after signing, but he went from Ft. Myers to New Britain to Rochester to the Twins in his first full season. Kevin Slowey went two levels. Duensing moved quickly. Logan Darnell got to AA in a hurry. Alex Wimmers was about to move quickly. Kyle Gibson went from Ft. Myers to Rochester. It's a myth that the Twins don't promote top pitching prospects up pretty quickly. Shipley sounds more raw than even Alex Meyer. The Nationals started Meyer in Low A and only got him 9 starts in High A. The Twins pushed him to New Britain this spring.

Yeah, if there's any chance that he takes that long to get to the big leagues, just take Stewart and give him that time table. I think he would report to Ft. Myers after signing. They would likely have him work 2-3 games out of the bullpen in E-Town before pushing him to Cedar Rapids. I'd have no problem with him spending the rest of the summer with the Kernels since he is more raw. The fact that he's only pitched for a couple of years would cause me to be a little more conservative this year. But no matter what, I think he starts 2014 in Ft. Myers and spends a half year there before moving up to New Britain. Like other top pitchers taken, he would then get a spring training invite in 2015 and be up sometime during the middle of that season. This is, of course, assuming he stays healthy. I have a concern about guys that play a lot of an offensive position in college. I just think that they have a higher injury risk. I think I'd prefer Stanek to this guy. Velocity isn't everything.

It's one of those things, like Kubel, where he catches everything he gets to. He has a good, accurate arm. He makes the routine plays. He just doesn't have a ton of range, so he's advanced defensive stats likely won't look terribly impressive. Again, I think Parmelee is one of several guys that they should go with throughout the year. Let him work into and out of slumps, see what he can do.

3 homers in 3 games. Added a triple too. For me, I just enjoy seeing a really good guy seeing success it's been a difficult couple of years for him, so it's nice to see. I'm actually happy for him. He needed a change, a change of scenery. Yes, this s just AA, but so much of this game is confidence. I'm not even upset that the Twins let him go. Just happy for the guy.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1796-Twins-Minor-League-Report-(5-28)-Pitching-the-2012-Draft-Arms

We are all very excited about the potential of Jose (JO) Berrios. DJ Baxendale has been the best pitcher in the Twins organization to this point in the season. Tyler Duffey has been strong and consistent through the year. Two other 2012 draft picks made impressive starts in the Twins farm system on Tuesday night. 2nd Round Mason Melotakis looked to end the Cedar Rapids Kernels’ six-game losing streak. 11th round pick Taylor Rogers looked to keep things rolling for the Miracle while putting up some impressive numbers. It would be nice to get Luke Bard and JT Chargois going, but even without those two starting yet, the Twins 2012 draft class is off to a very strong start. Check out what happened in the Twins minor league system on Tuesday: Rochester Red Wings, Lehigh Valley IronPigs This game was suspended by rain with one out in the top of the 5th inning. Andrew Albers was working on his first clunker of the season. Jeff Clement had homered. When the game is resumed, and then completed, we’ll provide the game’s story. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Richmond Squirrels 2 Box Score Logan Darnell had another very good start, but unfortunately, the Rock Cats were kept quiet. Darnell has been very good of late. In this game, he went six innings. The lefty gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out five. Cole Johnson came to the team and got into game action right away. He pitched a scoreless inning in his AA debut despite giving up two hits and a walk. Michael Tonkin came on and struck out five over two perfect innings. Jordan Parraz hit his second home run in the week since he joined the Rock Cats. It was one of just three hits for the team. Down a run in the ninth, Reynaldo Rodriguez doubled to lead off the inning. AJ Pettersen bunted him to third base, but the team was unable to plate the game-tying run. Ft. Myers Miracle 5, Bradenton Marauders 0 Box Score Aderlin Mejia continues to impress with the Miracle, but it was another player who did not start the season with the team that was the story in this one. DJ Baxendale has been the organization’s top starter so far this season. He was the Twins 10th round pick a year ago. One round later, the Twins drafted left-hander Taylor Rogers from the University of Kentucky. He began the season with the Kernels but was promoted to Ft. Myers at the start of the month. On this night, he worked seven shutout innings. He gave up seven hits, walked none and struck out seven to improve to 4-1 and reduce his ERA to 1.32 with the Miracle. Ryan O’Rourke returned to the Miracle bullpen and threw a scoreless inning. He struck out two. Matt Hauser struck out the side in the 9th. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4208[/ATTACH] Photo by William Parmeter Mejia is supposed to be in Ft. Myers waiting for the Elizabethton season to start. If he keeps playing like he has, he may have to stick. In this game, he went 2-2 with three walks. He doubled for the fourth time and stole his eighth base. Eddie Rosario went 2-3 with two walks and his 10th double. Miguel Sano went 2-4 with his 14th double. Jhon Goncalves went 2-4 with his fourth double. Angel Morales was also 2-4. Cedar Rapids Kernels 9, Clinton LumberKings 4 Box Score The Kernels found a good equation to end their six-game losing streak. They got some big hits, including a couple of home runs, and a terrific start. Like Rogers and Baxendale, Mason Melotakis was a 2012 draft pick. He improved to 4-2 with a 3.69 ERA on the season with seven innings in this one. He started with six shutout innings before giving up two runs in the seventh. In all, he gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out three. Tim Atherton pitched the eighth inning. He gave up two runs on a walk and a home run. Steven Gruver struck out two in a scoreless ninth. JD Williams led the offense on this night. He went 3-4 with his fifth home run. Byron Buxton went 3-5. Travis Harrison knocked his eighth home run. Jorge Polanco hit his seventh triple. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

I like it. These two are ultra-talented. Buxton has really struggled in May, but he's right, the tools are still there. Jim Souhan is in Cedar Rapids tonight. Should make for a good story. I'm hoping to head back down there for the weekend of June 14th. Then I"ll be on the territory train at the end of June. Sign up here: Territory Train