lightfoot789

1st HRs - LEAGUE LEADER 1st RBIs - LEAGUE LEADER 2nd Runs Scored - 2nd in LEAGUE 10 for 10 in SB's - NOT CAUGHT as a PROFESSIONAL The above stats are what baseball is all about in my mind. Damn Sabermetrics - Who is getting it done!! Oh yeah - The Kernels had the best record in Minor League Baseball too.

I agree with the thought that Walker should have been given the chance at Ft. Myer, but I also conclude that despite his low OBP - He was 2nd in the entire league in Runs scored. That just tells me that he is a special player. Most guys who lead the league in Runs scored have great a OBP. He has been one of his leagues best in each of his professional levels in Runs scored. That would mean that he scores more than others on his team (whom have a higher OBP) and he drives in more runs than others on his team (whom have a higher OBP). Which prospect would you want on your team?

What kind of OF do you want in 2016? - Mr. Everything (5 Tool / Buxton) CF - Solid Hitter who generates 20 HRs (Arcia) LF - Great Defender with modest average and OBP (Hicks) RF or Mr. Everything (5 Tool / Buxton) CF - Solid Hitter who generates 20 HRs (Arcia) LF - HR Hitter who produces runs and modest fielder (Walker) RF. I want more offense in my OF corner hitters. Even if that OFer became Kepler. We need offense to protect our modest pitching rotation too.

My question for Prospects in general is: Do they feel a sense of obligation to drive in runs and ignore OBP at the lower levels if not stressed as much? I'm speaking particularly for power hitters? I think the the OBP can easily be adjusted when coaches emphasize it as a priority. His OBP wasn't the greatest when Buxton was there early in season, but probably took another hit when he had to be more RBI mindful after the big 3 left at mid season. The Kernels were not particularly great at driving in RBIs after the big 3 left either. He was their RBIs. The question then becomes - What was his role and did he do what was asked?................. His OBP in college was .400 (FR) / .486 (SO) / & .426 (JR) respectively. It was even higher against the better competition he faced in college. Just saying not that monsterous if you see the whole picture.

I enjoyed the fact that Walker has moved up some and was considered a C+/B- type player. Lets hope he can have a repeat performance or better at A+ and/or AA next year. I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one who thought his defense was a little underrated. Would be nice to see all this potential power in the Twins farm sytem on one team moving forward.

I like how you think mnfanforlife. Why would anyone think he couldn't improve? I hope MLB.com rethinks thier rankings before years end.

Not at all. He will always have to prove himself more (as a 3rd rounder), until he actually does something in the show. I actually thought he wouldn't get ranked at all. I thought all the 1st rounders from this years draft would be included as well. He still has a lot to prove, but I think his upside is as good or better than every position prospect in the Twins organization (minus Buxton and Sano). The funny thing is - if he didn't have that bad Cape expereince - he would have been a 1st rounder and everyone would have assumed he would be on this list. Draft status dictates these list and sometimes understandably so. I just like where the Twins are headed in the next 3 years. My prediction for Walker is a RF version of Paul Goldschmidt moving forward. [build - Swing - Stolen Bases - Impact]

All these kids have things to work on and the fact is none of us now what the "Twins" want these kids working on specifically from year to year. Those are the questions I would like answered next spring from Terry Ryan and coaches in the minors. Some what of a gameplan for the prospects in terms of their growth progression.

Everyone wanted Adam Brett Walker to improve his strikeout rate this year and he did by 10% (30% to 20%). Incredible improvement without losing his HR & RBI production. Next year I will guess he works on his BB improvement. He has shown the ability to improve in the areas the Twins have asked (defense and K Rate) and I for one plan to rank this kid as my future star sleeper in the organization.

We could always put Adam Brett Walker II at Catcher. I read or heard he was a Catcher his entire life until he went to college. College coaches didn't want to waste his athleticism behind the plate. He could be another big Catcher (ala Joe). When is the last time we could say we had a Catcher who hit 30+ HRs either? A new direction (average for power)? Might have some swing and miss but HRs and RBIs don't grow on trees. I am kidding but..............

I'll take Walker's 15 more HRs & 40+ more RBIs (per season) and his position worthy arm in RF. He's a better fielder than most might believe. Hicks is a far better fielder, but Walker will win more games for you in the course of a full season. IMO . In terms of Runs scored. Walker was second in the Midwest League in that category. So - He brings more to the table as an overall player. IMO .

The most overlooked part of the organization in which I think are the true All Stars - are the minor league coaches. These players are all great talents, but to have the improvements that Sano; Rosario; Walker; Hicks; Williams; Buxton; etc. have made in 1 years time is very impressive. *Sano's average jumped from .258 to .350+ in a year. *Rosario improved as a second baseman to the point where he was nearly the best in FSL *Walker improved his strikeout rate from 30% to 20% *Hick was able to stay healthy (trainers) and show true talent *Williams as noted improved his OBP to new heights (able to show off his speed more) *Buxton was able to go from a kid with great tool potential to "Mr. Baseball" The Twins minor coaches have done an incredible job in taking these kids to new levels and nurturing their talent in the best interest of the Twins long term. Just think of where they can be next year if they progress at their current rates.

Might be the best minor league football (NFL) organization as well . What upside - At least they would look the part Stewart: Quarterback Buxton: Wide Receiver / Cornerback Sano: Tightend / Middle Linebacker Walker: Tightend / Outside Linebacker JD Williams: Wide Receiver / Cornerback Vargas: Left Guard / Defensive Line Gonzalez: Left Tackle / Defensive Line Stu Turner: Fullback / Middle Linebacker

Sano has very good speed for a man his size. He and Walker remind me of each other alot. Both beat out more infield hits than you would think probable and both look extremely athletic scoring from second base on singles through the infield. With both being 6'4 225+ lbs. - they are not just fast for their size, but faster than most of the players on their respective teams. I can see both having 20 SB seasons as a professional at the MLB level.

I agree that the OBP could be better. I'm just saying it is not due to high strikeout rate like all the post generally suggest. He is hitting into outs more so than other power hitters with higher OBP. He at least has bettered his contact rate from original perceptions. Now he just has to square those hits up more, which is more exciting than the opposite thought of him striking out all the time. 20.8% K Rate. I again say - Who with 25+ HRs has a better one in MiLB?

Adam Brett Walker has things to work on, but I challenge you to find many other MiLB or MLB hitters with 25+ HRs and 100+ RBI and a SLG% over .520 and an OPS% over .840, who have a better K rate (20.8%). I think his K Rate is quite good considering he is a power hitter. And he has shown the ability to drop the K rate nearly 10% over the course of a year without giving up his power productivity. I didn't say there aren't players out there who haven't done it, but there are not many who hold that distinction. He needs to Walk more, but as long as his OPS is still amongst the top in his league each year, I'll favor the positives. As he compares to our own organization and other Top prospects in MiLB. Colabello 32% K Rate Sano 27% K Rate Springer 24% K Rate Baez 28% K Rate

Agreed - On all points

I like Walkers placement on your list, but should note he is an OFer. He plays OF better than some may think. And I don't say that because of his size. He runs well and fields well. If he refines his throwing mechanics (strong enough arm), he could be a very serviceable OFer moving forward. Not afraid to leave his feet and make an attempt with dives or climmbing the wall. [And he is only 21 - Has not been legal to drink for a full year yet? How is that old? ]

1) Miguel Sano: Buxton (3) 2) Oswaldo Arcia: Sano (1) 3) Byron Buxton: Arcia (2) 4) Alex Meyer: Meyer (4) 5) Aaron Hicks: Rosario (6) 6) Eddie Rosario: Gipson (7) 7) Kyle Gibson: Stewart (2013) 8) Max Kepler: Pinto (NR) 9) Jose Berrios: Colabello (NR) 10) Trevor May: Walker (25) 11) Joe Benson: Who? Polanco (13) 12) J.T. Chargois: May (10) 13) Jorge Polanco: Z. Jones (NR) 14) Travis Harrison: Kepler (8) 15) Danny Santana: Berrios (9) 16) Mason Melotakis: Melotakis (16) 17) Luke Bard: Santana (15) 18) Hudson Boyd: Harrison (14) 19) Michael Tonkin: Turner (2013) 20) Niko Goodrum: Goodrum (20) 21) Chris Herrmann: Gonsalves (2013) 22) Alex Wimmers: Eades (2013) 23) DJ Baxendale: Archter (NR) 24) Levi Michael: D. Hicks (NR) 25) Adam Walker: B. Lee (NR) Could be on list -- *Murphy (NR) No Longer on My List

The link "Twinkie Town" Minor League Baseball - The Top 25 Update offered a Pre-Season Top 25. I'd like to know how your post season version would now look based on this list + Non Ranked members you know of.................... 1) Miguel Sano: 2) Oswaldo Arcia: 3) Byron Buxton: 4) Alex Meyer: 5) Aaron Hicks: 6) Eddie Rosario: 7) Kyle Gibson: 8) Max Kepler: 9) Jose Berrios: 10) Trevor May: 11) Joe Benson: Who? 12) J.T. Chargois: 13) Jorge Polanco: 14) Travis Harrison: 15) Danny Santana: 16) Mason Melotakis: 17) Luke Bard: 18) Hudson Boyd: 19) Michael Tonkin: 20) Niko Goodrum: 21) Chris Herrmann: 22) Alex Wimmers: 23) DJ Baxendale: 24) Levi Michael: 25) Adam Walker:

I heard the guys on the radio say (last night) that they thought Walker was their MVP for Kernels because of the full season he played in CR. They also complimented the Kernels on playing to a better record in the 2nd half of the season. I couldn't agree with them more. It was an amazing season despite the end results. Best of wishes to ALL the Kernels as the embark on their future MLB careers. Great season. Shout out to Seth and all the Twins Daily writers as they made this my morning / afternoon / and evening read with coffee and / or nightcap. Great Work.

Congrats to 1st Teamers Sano - Buxton & Colabello. Also congrats to Adam Brett Walker (who was HM) for making the Yahoo All Minor League Team

I want to give a shout out to my favorite player / prospect (Adam Brett Walker) as he and the Kernels head into the post season. One helluva season. HRS (27) 1st RBI (109) 1st Total Bases (267) 1st Runs (83) 2nd SLG% (.526) 2nd OPS% (.844) 10 for 10 in stolen base attempts Only player in MWL to have (6) or more Triples and at least 14 HRs. He had 7 Triples and 27 HRs. Buxton is by far the better Prospect, but Walker was the MWL MVP in my eyes. Walker had 65 XBH's to Buxtons 33 XHB and Walker played in 61 more games than Buck (129 to 68). The Kernels had a .588 winning percentage in 1st half of season and a .686 winning percentage post Buxton. Buxton Top Prospect - Yes!! Walker MVP - Yes!! I'm not hating on Buxton, because I think he is the best player in minor league baseball. I just think the MWL MVP award was more deserving by Walker. Plus it would have been so cool to have my sleeper for the (2013) season and Baseball Americas 31st ranked Twins prospect win that award. Best of luck to the Kernels; Miracle; and Red Wings. The Twins could be a very special team in the next year or 2, if these players with winning tools keep developing. GO TWINS

Walker was one of the youngest college players in the 2012 draft. Why is everyone so caught up in his placement in the MWL. He is only 21 and could be 23 or 24 in his MLB debut. Is that truly too old to have a long productive MLB career. Most of the guys on his team are older than him. This years 2nd (Eades) and 3rd (Turner) round picks are both only 2 months younger than Walker. If he hadn't had such a poor Cape Cod (2011) experience, he would have been a first round pick and everyone would be cheering a different tone. My point is, you shouldn't compare Walker with the Buxton's and Sano's of the world, because they are the young freaks that every franchise wished they had. Walker should arrive to the MLB around the average age of most prospects in baseball. Let's hope he can dominate at each of his upcoming levels and we can all stop dwelling on an unjust minor detail of his development (age). Let's enjoy his production for what it is and was this season (dominating). He should be the MVP of the league this year and I'm sure he won't be the oldest MVP in Midwest League history if fortunate enough to do so. Who ever thought we would call a guy who hasn't been legalto drink in this country for an entire year yet - old?

I believe some scouts are just "Haters" (as my daughter would say) because they need to justify why they passed on the kid in the 2012 draft. The more they continue to look for flaws, the less likely they will have to explain why they passed on him. Does he have useable Power? Led both leagues in HRs in each of his 2 years in pro ball. Why not just say yes and move on....................... Can he make enough contact to utilize that useable Power? Leads league in: HRs / RBIs / Total Bases / Slug % / 2nd in Runs Scored / 4th in OPS / All you can do as a prospect is work at your game and try to dominate at each level. From the above stat line - He has done that!!! Now he has to take the next step in 2014 and do the same. Stop looking for flaws and finally give this kid his due respect for making some appropriate adjustments to his game. His K rate is no where near what he did in the Cape. But we still mention it. His defense has been excellent yet all we here is, he will eventually have to move. The nice part is: As a college and high school prospect your fate is often in the hands of these scouts. As a professional - Walker already has a home (The MN Twins) and the only people he has to prove anything to, is them. I would think they have to be pleased - especially as they listen to the fans scream "Cedar Rapids Kernels Let the Good Times Roll" -- Keep doing your thing Walker. Baseball America had him ranked 31st in the Twins system this spring. People and Writers look for flaws (human nature) and they will always find some. Thats baseball and defintely Baseball America. Keep doing your thing and prove these "Haters" wrong.