Bob Sacamento

Burdi was just drafted a year ago and is already in AA, can't really have too many complaints about that and will be conversation for a bullpen spot next season. He had a bad April but has rebounded nicely since then. That's still a pretty quick return on investment. It's not a Mike Leake or Kyle Finnigan quick return but good nonetheless. Wimmers had a Steve Blass attack followed by TJS that was put off. By the way, he was taken in the backend of the first round 21st overall. Gilmartin was also taken in the backend of the first round, 28th overall. Buehler has a longer track record than either as well as a deeper arsenal. Pitchers in recent past with highest ceiling that have been taken include: Aaron Nola, Michael Wacha, Mike Minor

I just want to make sure everyone knows what they are getting in Bregman. Offensively, there is pretty much nothing wrong with his game. plus contact, good eye, good pop. It's the defensive end of his game that has questions, yes he's a SS now but there is enough dissention in the scouting world to cause concern of him sticking at SS instead becoming an above average 2B. At short, he has average range, average/accurate arm, and good hands; best comp I can think defensively at SS is Eckstein - make the basis routine plays but not much going in the hole or wide range behind the bag. And his most often comp overall is Dustin Pedroia.

I get the love for the high ceiling guy but that's how you get the Donavon Tates and Chris Grulers of the world, early high ceiling talent who had low floors.You have to weigh the likelihood of the player reaching his ceiling. and where he is with his floor especially early in the draft. The love for Buehler is the same love as Aaron Nola was last year.Yes, he does not have a high ceiling of a superstar ace but he projects as a safe reliable quick riser through the system and a force in the rotation for years to come.Young cost controlled starting pitching can never do you wrong.For those who don't know, Buehler has four above average pitches in a 91-94 mph fastball, curve, slider, and change; has a clean repeatable delivery; plus command and poise.It's just alot easier to do worse.

LOL, I was going to stop at 10 but I just had to get Nick Plummer on there so I went 15. Kid is very cerebral and has a very advanced plate approach along with some power. Nah, overpitched... pitched Vandy to the championship in 2014, then pitched for Team USA, then pitched his team to the championship in the Cape Code League before the 2015 college season. His delivery is very clean and repeatable and isn't a "flamethrower" so he has all those going for him in avoiding TJS scares but you never know.

Not a Twins fan, but I've been watching this draft for a year and a half and have seen many of these kids in person at showcases and college/HS games throughout South Florida. My personal top 10 list: 1. Swanson 2. Rodgers 3. Jay 4. Cameron 5. Tate 6. Fulmer 7. Bregman 8. Buehler 9. Tucker 10. Benintendi 11. Allard 12. Whitley 13. Funkhouser 14. Stephenson 15. Plummer I'm very bullish on Vandy RHP Walker Buehler, who I think would fit the Twins system and past draft patterns. He's a very polished college pitcher and unlike his teammate Fulmer will stick in the rotation the further he climbs the ladder. What many forget is he was one of the top pitcher going into the 2015 draft before he sat the beginning of this season for elbow soreness. Personally, I love Allard and if there wasn't the question mark of his health (lumbar stress indicators) then he'd be the top pitcher for me. For those who don't know, the issue he's having now does give major yellow flags because it's usually not a one time occurance and if proper rest and treatment isn't given/heeded then it leads to even more issues.

Me too, but for selfish reasons as I live in Ft. Myers and frequent the Miracle games and backfields

Spoke with Terry Ryan at the Twins Complex, last weekend where he was watching Stewart's return as well as the East coast perfect game showcase . He said Hu will be back in fort Myers a little longer still has a few things to work on before getting full promotion to Chattanooga. Ryan did say will be seeing Gonsalves "soon" in Ft Myers

Despite Ryan being one of the last few old school GM's still left in the game (a disiciple of Andy MacPhail), Terry Ryan has hit on quite a few first rounders with the philosophy of drafting the most athletic guy - (Cuddyer, Mauer, Span, Plouffe, Perkins, Garza, Revere), with the jury still out on Buxton, Berrios, Kohl Stewart, and Nick Gordon. The following first picks for Minnesota were during Terry Ryan's sabbatical - Hicks, Gutieriez, Hunter, Gibson, Bashore, Wimmers, Michael, Harrison and Boyd. While watching the Perfect Game East Coast showcase with Terry Ryan last weekend it was obvious that he loves the extremely athletic players. I know many "insiders" pooh-pooh it but Daz Cameron seems like a really good fit even with the rumor of a well above slot bonus. My guess is that he signs for slot as he doesn't prefer to go to college as long as it's Top 10 money even with him wanting top 5 money. In the past, I've advocated Vandy starting pitcher Walker Buehler here as he has the weapons and pitchability plus signing at slot, outside of his forearm strain early on he's been solid. While his rotation mate Carson Fulmer looks wicked at times but also is a projected reliever due to his mechanics/delivery because it's full effort and not ideal.

Well the three guys I've been watching the most for the Twins have been Roberto Gonzalez, Lewin Diaz, and Amaurys Minier. Gonzalez flashes plus tools all around, a very strong and accurate arm that the Red Sox squad no longer challenges for extra bases. He works counts as he appears to have a game plan in set when he takes the box, still his contact rate needs work . In the power department, he's shown good potential with gap-doubles power, as for his wheels he's still recovering from a serious knee injury but he's a smart baserunner and when fully recovered a real possibility to climb quickly. The other two Lewin Diaz and Amaurys Minier are the next wave of big thumpers for the organization, Diaz is listed at 6'3 271lbs and he looks every bit of that if not more. Physically, he loks like Kennys Vargas and has a similar jovial attitude. He's listed in the outfield but he's been getting the bulk of his playing time at 1B. He's definately learning the postion still yet is baking good strides. At the plate, he more or less hacks most of the time and when he makes connection the ball goes far, very far. Still the contact needs worked on and his swing needs shortened, his worst problem is swinging at high heat. Amaurys Minier has been playing the corner outfield postions, getting his feet wet and still working on his routes. His plate approach is more advanced than Diaz' at this point and has a better hit tool as well. His game reminds me of Sano's and he's physically aliken to him as well. I'll post pics and video later.

Bregman is NOT a defensive SS the further he goes, he's at best a Ryan Theriot SS and even that's a stretch. Most MLB clubs rate him as a 2B due to his glovel

As usual, I was on the backfields on Saturday 5/16 to watch the Twins take on the Red Sox in Extended Spring Training and Alexis Tapia (Sano's personal pick to watch out for) was absolutely dealing in Game 1. In 4 IP, he struck out 5 walked none and gave up two hits, his fastball was hitting 92-96mph, averaging 93-94. Of his 62 pitches (42 strikes, 20 balls), he threw 36 fastball (30 strikes, 6 balls), 21 sliders (12 strikes, 9 balls averaing 79-84mph), and 6 changeups (all balls avg 78-86mph). Afterwards, he was relieved by Johan Quezada, who pitched an inning, giving up two hits, a walk, and striking out none. In his one inning, he threw 23 pitches (11 strikes and 12 balls), 21 fastballs (10 strikes, 11 balls, hitting 93-96mph averaging 95) and 2 changeups (1 strike and 1 ball, 73-75mph). In the sixth, Netherlands prospect Matz Schutte threw one inning, giving up a hit, walking none and striking out one. He threw 18 pitches (11 strikes, 7 balls), 10 fastball (6 strikes and 4 balls hitting 83-85 mph), 6 curveballs (4 strikes and 2 balls, 67-69mph) and 2 changeups (one strike one ball 67-69mph). Mexican prospect Leonel Zazueta came on to finish off the final two innings for the win and was dominating. Keep an eye on him Twins' fans as he looked impressive. He pitched 2 IP, gave up 1 hit, no walks, and struck out four. He threw 33 pitches (21 strikes and 12 balls, of those he threw 20 fastballs (16 strikes and 4 balls, hitting 87-92mph averaging 91mph), 9 sliders (4 balls and 5 strikes, 81-83mph) and 4 changeups (1 strike and balls, hitting 84-86mph). Here's Zazueta with the strikeout. In Game 2, Andro Cutura started the game and put up a line of 3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K. Cutura threw 53 pitches ( 29 strikes and 24 balls), of that he threw 38 fastballs (25 strikes, 13 balls, 87-94mph averaging 89mph) He was followed up by Brandon Poulson who was extremely erratic in 2/3 IP of 0 hits, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. Poulson threw 29 pitches (17 balls and 12 strikes), 28 as fastballs (17 balls, 11 strikes, 90-98mph averaging 94mph. After Bradon walked one, RHP Randolph Perez came on and relieved Poulson's mess going 1 1/3 IP giving up no hits, not walks, and striking out one while only throwing 15 pitches of which were 11 fastballs (7 strikes and 4 balls, hitting 87-92mph averaging 89mph), 3 curveballs (2 strikes and 1 ball, hitting 75mph), 1 changeup (1 strike at 80mph). In the bottom of the 7th Callan Pearce out of South Africa came into the game and had butterflies early on as I watched him in the bullpen. In 1/3 IP, he gave up 3 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K while throwing 23 balls (13 balls and 10 strikes) 20 fastballs (12 balls and 8 strikes hitting 87-90mph), Zach Hayden came on to a very sticky situation and performed quite admirally, going 1 2/3 IP, giving up 2 weal singles, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Of his 26 pitches, he threw 17 strikes and 9 balls. Zach's fastball was 90-94mph (15 strikes and 8 balls), 3 curveballs (2 strikes and 1 ball, 80-81mph) Jose Abreu finished off the game throwning the final inning going one inning giving up no hits no walks and one strikeout. Of his 11 pitches, he threw 9 strikes, 2 balls. he threw 6 pitches fastballs all for strikes (90-93mph) and 4 changeups (86-87mph), and 1 curveball (79mph).

Nice to see Tapia (Sano's said to keep an eye on him) and Velez get into some real game action. I just saw these two throw in extended spring ball over the weekend and they were definately the most impressive arms at the time.

Well I was at extended spring training games this weekend, watching the Red Sox take on the Twins. On Friday, I was too wrapped up talking to Red Sox prospect Yoan Moncada's agent Dennis Hastings, so I didn't get to see too much of the game other than a few big swings by Lewin Diaz and Roberto Gonzalez, along with Sam Gibbons looking good for two innings to start the game. BoSox phenom Yoan Moncada didn't play on Friday but played SS for the first two innings on Saturday before coming out of the game and coaching first. This kid is built like a body builder, runs like a sprinter, and hits like batting champion; definitely someone to watch out for in the future. Saturday though, I did watch both games at the Centurylink Complex, spending more time watching Game 1 which featured Keton Steele who looked good in two innings of work with a fastball between 91-93 mph and only a few offspeed offerings of slider and changeup. His fastball has good life to it while his slider was decent. The Twins lineup in Game 1 featured Jarrard Poteete behind the plate, Nelson Molina at 1B, Manuel Guzman at 2B, Blake Schmit at SS, Rafael Valera at 3B, Roberto Gonzalez in RF, Austin Diemer in CF, and Dubal Baez in LF. Gonzalez was impressive in the outfield, covering large ground and showing off a cannon of an arm. At the plate he's still working his way back, he struck out looking, grounded into a double play (started by Moncada at SS), and flied out to center. Taking over for Steele was Brandon Poulson, I'd heard stories of him hitting 100 mph in the past well on this day he was between 91-93 mph in his first inning and 89-91 mph in his second inning of work. The movement and life to his fastball was nearly non-existent while his slider was erratic; sometimes looking sharp and dangerous at 84-86 mph then other times batting practice at 79-81 with no break. In his two innings, he threw two wild pitches that led to a run scoring. Taking over for Poulson was Alexis Tapia and he looked great compared to the rest. Miguel Sano told me in Spring Training to keep an eye out for Tapia this year and now I know why, His fastball sat between 92-94 mph with a hard sharp slider at 80-85 mph. The kid looked good and held his velocity To round out Game 1, Aussie Josh Guyer took the mound for an inning hitting 90-92 mph with his fastball and lefty Jose Velez who is a max effort thrower hitting 90-92 mph as well. On Game 2 where the Twins took on the soon to be Lowell Spinners, meaning most of these guys were going to be going to short season affiliate ball when it starts up. Derek Rodriguez was on the mound and shows off a very live fastball with sink that was between 91-93 mph, his slider is still a work in progress breaking off a couple good offerings. Dereck still needs to work on his control and mechanics but the ability is definitely there to be a mid-late inning reliever. Luis Hernandez followed him up along with a good outing by Johan Quezada who showed a fastball between 92-94 mph and had his slider working. Netherland's Ruar Verkerk nearly went yard hitting a double off the left centerfield fence. While Lewin Diaz is a man amongst boys, he looks like a slightly smaller version of Kennys Vargas, he's currently playing LF and getting some reps at 1B which is likely his future home. I'll be back next weekend when they take each other on again.

From Baseball America:

Great guy to have in an organization, his best case scenerio is that of a mid-late inning reliever, nothing sexy but always good to churn out your own relievers. He just gets over looked by the high velocity arms ahead of him Nick Burdi, Jake Reed, JT Chargois, Zach Jones, Dallas Gallant, etc...

Peterson doesn't much love at all and never did in college either, and it's a combination of things; he was a 13th rounder, he's not imposing physically or on the mound but you CAN NOT argue his results. In his brief MiLB stint he's averaging 13.3 K/IP, 2.9 BB/IP, 6.2 H/IP and closed at Witchita State (40IP, 1.12 ERA, 9.45 K/IP, 3.4 BB/IP, 6.1 H/IP) with his two plus pitches. The two occasions I saw him pitch this spring, he was throwing a 91-93 mph fastball, I think I saw him hit 96 once. His mechanics and delivery look good, real good, he doesn't max effort it like Burdi or Chargois but gets great results thus far with a swing and miss slider and locating a moving fastball. Peterson isn't a sexy prospect but he does appear to have what it takes to make it as a mid/late inning reliever as he has the ability to go more than an inning. I'll believe it more though the further he climbs the ladder, if he keeps it up he'll be pushing a callup to the crowded AA pen.

Hu might be a year older but he also has the whole assimilation issue to contend with but from speaking to his host family here he's loving it here and picking up the lifestyle quickly. Kid knows how to pitch and keeps his composure even after he was hit around early in his start before settling down.

Let's not forgot Kepler was in right and batting cleanup. Also worth note, look out for this Brandon Peterson kid continues to baffle hitters overmatching the Crabs striking out 5 in 2 innings. The Miracle have drawn the short straw this week drawing MLB rehabbers Drew Smyly and Jesus Colome to start two of the three games.

And that might be what he needs to get the monkey off his back. Kid knows he has alot of pressure on him to perform and has missed time, he's likely pressing but ashbury john was right that Buxton was overmatched but usually by the older pitchers in camp and with breaking balls. Towards the end of camp, he started looking better, hitting a homer off of Pelfrey. My biggest concern and the difference I saw in his swing this year was that it seemed like he was going for more longballs. He had been getting most of his hitting advice from Torii Hunter this spring...I didn't see Chad Allen working with him much at all

Great sounds like it was a success, I know he was going to be doing his rehab at the Spring Training Complex as he was setting up to share a room with Guyer.

That's probably accurate but from when I last saw him in Instructionals he's added 10lb of muscle mass and looks to get bigger. I forgot to stay that Sano said keep an eye on starting pitcher Alexis Tapia, I think he might have just been building his friend up because he was right there or if he's legit.

He really showed good footwork behind the plate with a plus arm, he was constantly getting praise for his defensive work add that to his growing frame and this could be a breakoout year. Others in camp that I was told to keep watching were pitchers Chih wei Hu, Alex Mildren, Dallas Gallant, and Stephen Gonsalves. The catcher who got raves across the board was Stu Turner, he's got a great defensive game and his bat is starting to come around. Everyone's pick after camp finished was Adam Brett Walker to finally turn it around and have a big push this year. Max Murphy got a lot of love too, kid has some serious pop and works counts, contact needs work though.

Yes the price list is for real, and a little exhorbent if you ask me but alot of these guys will just pay it because it's there and they don't have to go anywhere. During spring training, the players are fed lunch at 11-12 daily, breakfast I'm not sure about. I'll never forget seeing Buxton at the being of his career (this was before the Complex was built) come into the clubhouse with McDonald's Sausage and Egg McMuffin and a KickStart energy drink. As for Fernandez, he's one of few guys I was told by staff to look out for this season as a breakout year; he's worked really hard at his game behind the plate but also in the weight room.

As of last week, he was still in camp and said he hadn't scheduled it yet. He was actually playing catch with a righthanders' glove.

Here's video I took of Chargois saying his own name Also I asked around the Player Complex, players were still reporting to extended spring training camp as of Friday (from the the Dominican), the full roster and schedule should be released on the 4/13 or 4/14.