Bob Sacamento

No you didn't, I'm just used to writing Sano, Rosario

Michael Stern (Rochester NY): I thought Adam Brett Walker would rank higher than 15th on this list. His top shelf power seemed to me to be a big time seperator. Where were the main questions with him? His defense? Plate discipline? What are the scouts saying? Thanks for the chat. J.J. Cooper: Defense is a question and some see him as a hitter who feasts on pitchers mistakes, which become less frequent as you climb the ladder.

Steve (Saint Paul): Does Mason Melotakis actually have a chance to make it as a starter, or is he destined to end up back in the 'pen like most thought coming out of the draft? J.J. Cooper: My guess is he ends up back in the pen long-term.

More on Buxton

Questions about Twins:

They are free to view but Subscribers can click the league name to see scouting reports for all 20 ranked prospects and are also able to ask questions about the top 20 in a chat.

You are definitely right, he's nothing like the majority of the Twins players especially pitchers. He is very cocky and knows that he was a top 5 pick. I'm willing to bet the Twins brass starts hammering on him next year because it really seems that the organization doesn't tolerate the "me-first" kind of guys. But having seen him throw in GCL, he's got the multi-million dollar arm. Don't worry he's got an excellent arsenal to make it as a front line starter so still be a huge fan of his selection. Personality and attitude are the negative marks that he gets, not just from me but from teammates (GCL and FIL). He's very brash and has no problem in showing you or telling you.

On Saturday 9/28/13, the Twins FIL squad took to the field at 9am for warmups/stretching before their game at the Hammond Complex against the Boston Red Sox at 10am. Upon gametime, the two teams threw a curveball and decided to play two games at once which is great in theory but not if you want to watch every pitch. The two squads were broken up into the players level of advancement. Game A featured a big name matchup of the Red Sox (2013 7th overall pick) Trey Ball and the Twins Jose Berrios (2012 32nd overall pick). Both pitched three innings and showed flashes of why their organizations consider them as key pieces in their pitching future. Berrios was hitting the gun 89-91mph maxing out at 94 mph. Offspeed wise, Jose was throwing a good changeup 78-82 mph and what appeared to be a curve and a slider, more on that later. Jorge Fernandez, Jose's best friend on the roster, caught for him and did a good job of blocking as Berrios was pounding the zone low which allowed Jose to rack up six strikeouts. Offensively, Kennys Vargas is a beast (as well as being one of the nicest guys, he has great power and showed that with a monster homerun off a Trey Ball hanger. Levi Michael made a couple of plays up the middle look pedestrian when they weren't. Byron Buxton made an appearance at camp and said he'll be there til the 2nd of October when he'll be accompanied by Kepler, Rosario and Meyer to head down to Arizona for the Fall League. In Game B, Lewis Thorpe started for the Twins and looked good. I honestly didn't watch him that close but little I did see he was throwing mainly fastballs around 88-90mph but it looked like it was faster due to his delivery. His changeup was 78-80mph and made a couple of the BoSox hitters look horrible. Game A finished about a half hour before Game B so all of the players sit on the steel bleachers. After Jose finished pitching he came back to the bleachers and I got the chance to talk to him and his family as much as one could due to the language barrier. Berrios' english is not his strong suit but luckily I know enough of spanish to put together a conversation. According to Jose, the biggest parts of his game that he is working on is his changeup and continued arm strength. He said at the end of the season he got tired quicker and the team wants to build up his arm for more work next year. Berrios also says he is working on locating his fastball better in the zone. All of which seems to be a trend in Twins Instructional Camp: working on the changeup, working on keeping the ball low in the zone, and building arm strength. As far as his offspeed pitch, he said it was a curveball not a slider but it registered between 77-81 mph and had different breaks (a few big benders and a few hard snaps) at different points. Part of this seems to be how he holds the ball and how he releases it; which he gladly showed. Jose is a great kid, nice to everyone and really easy to root for. Side note, Kohl Stewart is still a tool.

The chat starts at 230pm ET today, if you have any questions just post them here, I'll gladly ask as I have a BA account.

Twins were able to put four in the top 20: 1. Byron Buxton, of, Cedar Rapids (Twins) Age: 19. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 189. Drafted: HS—Baxley, Ga., 2012 (1). http://cdn.baseballamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/byron-buxton-2013-mj2-300x211.jpgByron Buxton (Photo by Mike Janes) Scouts debated whether Buxton was the best prospect they’ve seen or simply one of the best. Coming out of tiny Baxley, Ga., he was supposed to need time to catch up to the MWL. Instead the league never caught up to him. Buxton showed advanced pitch recognition, an ability to drive the ball to all fields and better-than-expected power. “It’s a simple, direct swing. It’s lightning fast and physically correct,” Twins vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff said. “His hands are so fast and the barrel goes so directly to the ball.” Defensively, Buxton was exceptional, showing the ability to make highlight-reel plays in center field. In fact, a diving catch he made in Cedar Rapids was a SportsCenter play of the day. In the long term, Buxton projects as a plus hitter with above-average power, top-of-the-charts speed and defense. That includes a plus arm. He’s already moving quicker than the Twins expected. Promoted to high Class A Fort Myers after the MWL all-star break, he may be ready for Minnesota by the end of 2014. [TABLE=width: 99%] [TR=class: subheader-row] AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG [/TR] 270 68 92 15 10 8 55 44 56 32 11 .341 .431 .559 [/TABLE] 13. Jose Berrios, rhp, Cedar Rapids (Twins) Age: 19. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 187. Drafted: HS—Bayamon, P.R., 2012 (1s). http://cdn.baseballamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/jose-berrios-2013-mj-300x211.jpgJ.O. Berrios (Photo by Mike Janes) In most years, Berrios’ youth would stand out, but in a league with 17-year-old wunderkind Julio Urias, his advanced feel for setting up hitters seemed less spectacular. But scouts were very impressed with Berrios’ ability to mix his three pitches in both pitcher’s and hitter’s counts. He also fills the zone with many more strikes than the average teenager. Berrios’ fastball sits at 91-93 mph, though he’ll add and subtract for anything ranging from 87 to 95. He mixes in a solid-average changeup and a hard curveball that he can vary in power and tilt. He got hot early, pitching for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, then wore down in the second half, which is understandable considering his age and reasonably heavy workload. [TABLE=width: 99%] [TR=class: subheader-row] G GS W L SV ERA IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG [/TR] 19 19 7 7 0 3.99 104 105 58 46 6 40 100 .262 [/TABLE] 15. Adam Brett Walker, of, Cedar Rapids (Twins) Age: 21. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 225. Drafted: Jacksonville, 2012 (3). http://cdn.baseballamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/adam-brett-walker-2013-pg-300x211.jpgAdam Brett Walker (Photo by Paul Gierhart) A terrible end to his summer in the Cape Cod League in 2011 hurt Walker’s draft stock, and he’s been making pitchers pay for that slight ever since. Walker’s 27 home runs led the MWL, and his raw power is exceptional. Unlike most home run hitters, his average home run is a towering flyball that has enough carry to make it to the seats. When Walker really connects, no center-field batter’s eye can hold the ball in the park. Walker is an average runner from home to first but is better than that underway, as evidenced by his 100 percent success rate on stolen bases. In right field, he still has work to do on his jumps, and his arm is average, which leads scouts to project a future in left field if he’s going to be a big leaguer. Other scouts believe his ultimate destination is first base. [TABLE=width: 99%] [TR=class: subheader-row] AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG [/TR] 508 83 141 31 7 27 109 31 115 10 0 .278 .319 .526 [/TABLE] 20. Jorge Polanco, 2b/ss, Cedar Rapids (Twins) Age: 20. B-T: B-R. Ht.: 5-11. Wt.: 165. Signed: Dominican Republic, 2009. For a middle infielder who was once hampered by his lack of strength, Polanco has blossomed as the natural maturation process kicked in. He posted the fourth-best OPS in the MWL among qualifying middle infielders, trailing only Correa, Seager and West Michigan’s Devon Travis. Polanco has a sweet swing from both sides of the plate with a solid understanding of the strike zone and more than enough pop for a middle infielder. When both he and Niko Goodrum were healthy, Polanco played more second base than shortstop. But Goodrum was banged up enough that Polanco ended up splitting his time almost evenly between the two positions. He lacks the plus range evaluators like to see from a shortstop, but he is reliable with good hands and an average, accurate arm. He projects as a potential everyday second baseman who could slide over to shortstop in a pinch. [TABLE=width: 99%] [TR=class: subheader-row] AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG [/TR] 465 76 143 32 10 5 78 42 59 4 4 .308 .362 .452 [/TABLE]

I don't know, Edwin Jackson, who has17 losses this year, is facing Wainwright who has 18 wins. The Cards can put out there B squad and it's still better than what the Cubs have starting. The Cubs have a better chance winning tomorrow against Kelly but Samardzija is pitching and he's tanked. Note to Twins fans from a Cubs fan: Win a damn game or two!! Don't you know we suck really bad and need as much help as possible. Remember however bad you think you have it, at least your team has won the World Series in the last 100 years.

Really? I've seen him a few times (GCL last year), he's got the stuff and can put it where he wants that's for sure. Physically, he is very lanky, as an outsider, he reminds me of former Cub RHP Juan Cruz

From the BA chat, looks like Lars made it through again: CA (Seoul): I realize he only had three starts, but did you get any feedback on Stephen Gonsalves of the E-Twins? Clint Longenecker: A few questions on 2013 fourth rounder Stephen Gonsalves, who did not qualify. He had 3 strong starts and struck out 21 in 14 innings against 4 walks. Twins manager Ray Smith loved him and said he though Gonsalves could have been his top arm, over Felix Jorge, if he qualified. Gonsalves will continue to work on his curveball and split, which will be key for him. He would have been in contention for the list. Lars (MN): What kind of ceiling does Felix Jorge have? Clint Longenecker: He likely has the ceiling of a No. 3, but that is just that, a ceiling if everything clicks. A No. 4/5 is more likely, as is a bullpen arm.

Well the Twins placed 2 prospects in Baseball America's Top 20 prospects in the Appy League and they were: 14. Felix Jorge, rhp, Elizabethton (Twins) Age: 19. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 170. Signed: Dominican Republic, 2011. Jorge had a solid domestic debut last year in the Gulf Coast League and continued his success this summer with the fourth-highest strikeout rate (28 percent) in the league and a 4-1 K-BB ratio. The long, athletic Jorge offers significant projection in his wiry frame and lean lower half. He has long arms and large hands that allow him to manipulate the baseball. The ball jumps out of his hand as he produces 90-94 mph fastballs and touches 96 at his best, usually sitting 90-92 with good run and sink. Jorge’s breaking ball can flash plus with slurvy action, and his changeup is developing. His control is ahead of his command. With continued physical development, improved command and sharpened offspeed stuff, Jorge has the ceiling of a No. 3 or 4 starter. His arm-heavy delivery has effort, however, and might play better in the bullpen. [TABLE=width: 99%] [TR=class: subheader-row] W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG [/TR] 2 2 2.95 12 12 0 61 56 26 20 2 18 72 .245 [/TABLE] 18. Stuart Turner, c, Elizabethton (Twins) Age: 21. B-T: R-R Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 220. Drafted: Mississippi, 2013 (3). A first-team BA All-American in the spring, Turner was the second college catcher drafted in 2013, signing for $550,000. In a league full of talented but mostly unrefined players, he stood out with advanced defensive skills and a higher probability of reaching the majors. Turner was one of the top defenders in the league because of his soft, steady hands, advanced blocking ability and plus arm with good accuracy. Mangers applauded his quick feet, quiet movements behind the plate and above-average framing ability. His defense alone should make him a solid major league backup if his bat does not progress. Turner has the strength to hit for average power, but he has more of a line-drive swing that may keep him from reaching that power ceiling. His swing also has some stiffness and length. He’s a pull hitter and a well below-average runner. [TABLE=width: 99%] [TR=class: subheader-row] AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG [/TR] 121 15 32 5 0 3 19 12 22 0 1 .264 .340 .720 [/TABLE]

I can see the Cubs winning maybe one against the Cards same with the Twins and Indians. One of the few times I'll be rooting for the Cubs to lose to the Cardinals.

Nope, it's correct. A lefty who hits right handed, it's odd but does happen. Another irrelevant observation, Stephen Gonclaves, is a lefty pitcher but writes with his right hand.

Wow that's some high praise, now I'll be watching him the rest of Instructs. My favorite Thorpe moment so far in FIL has been his introduction of chew to the Korean players or helping them pronounce citrus (Sit-trys) in English. He's kind of a goofball but I'll take that from a 17 year old kid.

Huh, I'll be damned he actually answered my question, usually I get the run around. 7. Lewis Thorpe, lhp, Twins Age: 17. B-T: R-L. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 214. Signed: Australia, 2012. Some international scouts considered Thorpe the best prospect to come out of Australia in years when the Twins signed him last year for $500,000, and he pitched even better than advertised in his pro debut. Thorpe led the GCL with 64 strikeouts, then left the team at the end of August to pitch for Australia in the 18U World Championships in Taiwan. Pitching against the United States, Thorpe struck out eight with no walks in 5 2/3 shutout innings in Team USA’s only loss. When Thorpe signed, he sat at 86-88 mph and touched 91 with long arms, but he’s grown an inch and added 55 pounds, which helped his fastball tick upward. He pitched at 88-93 mph in the GCL, then in Taiwan he touched 95. Even when he was throwing in the high-80s, Thorpe’s fastball was a swing-and-miss pitch because the ball explodes out of his hand and looks quicker than it is with sneaky late action. His changeup, a potential plus pitch, is his most polished offspeed offering with sink and fade. Thorpe’s breaking stuff has developed since he signed, including a slider and a curveball with a lot of spin and downward action. Thorpe racked up a lot of walks as an amateur, but he always had a good delivery and now control looks like it will be a plus for him after walking 1.2 batters per nine innings in the GCL. [TABLE=width: 99%] [TR=class: subheader-row] W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG [/TR] 4 1 2.05 12 8 0 44 32 13 10 2 6 64 .203 [/TABLE]

Yeah the big time guys especially one like Meyer don't usually do that but Alex is very approachable. Difference between Instructional and ST, is Instructs is free all around (parking, games, etc) and players are much more accessible of course they are usually low level minor leaguers. I'm going to be honest, I didn't watch him very closely I was too involved talking to Meyer. What I did see was an inconsistent fastball 90-92mph and a slurve-like pitch, of all the Twins pitchers he was hit the hardest (and his inning took the longest). I'm not a scout but it looked like he was throwing across his body, the biggest thing is that there was definitely control issues. Depending on how the rest of his offseason goes (he's not throwing in Instructs), he has the stuff to for them to start him in Low A Cedar Rapids. You never know with the Twins though, you guys love to take your time with your prospects especially high school pitchers but can't blame you. A full season in the minors will do him good with crowds of 1000, bus rides, hotel stays and not being told he's the greatest. One of the best things I can say about the Twins Organization is that they seem to be big on team play and not just individual stars; for example I saw Sano and Buxton treated the same way by staff as AJ Pettersen and Jhon Goncalves. The organization is also pretty big on giving back to the fans who come out and support them which sadly isn't always the case. Other notes I forgot about Meyer, is that he has two more starts of 3 or more innings left in Instructional League before going to AFL. He started on Saturday (9/21) and said he thinks he's throwing every fifth day to keep him on a routine and he is not on any exact pitch count.

Yeah I looked for Ryan, Radcliffe and others and spotted none of them on campus. There were a couple of scouts in attendance, and I know one of them is an in-house Twins scout because he was there in Camp on Thursday (was quite chummy with fielding coordinator Lepel and instructor Molitor) and was on the field. I did think it was unusual that he kept no written notes though but he did appear to be "old-school" while the younger scout was writing everything down and was very meticulous (saw his notes which also included Dae Eun Rhee (Cubs) and Zach Lee (Dodgers).

My Cubbies are tanking the last bit of the season and there is little chance on catching them especially on who they finish the year out with and who they still have playing for them. The Cards aren't going to let up too much especially against Chicago; Cubs are 7-9 against STL so far this year and 6-10 against the Pirates.

The way Alex talked about it made me envision one of the scenes out of Moneyball. "Here's Terry Ryan's number he's looking forward to talking to you"... I don't want to start bashing Kohl or any other player but his demeanor/attitude is polar opposite to that of Byron Buxton. Buxton would go out of his way to talk to fans and sign and take pictures with. Stewart wouldn't give his time and is very standoffish. I hope it's an aberration but he was that way on Camp day as well. Just a question out there, if I can get Meyer on video saying hi to Twins Daily would anyone be interested?

On Saturday 9/21/13, the Twins FIL squad took to the field at 9am for warmups/stretching before their game at the Hammond Complex against the Boston Red Sox at 10am. Alex Meyer started for the Twins going 3 innings giving up no hits, 1 walk and striking out 7. Meyer looked sharp with his fastball maxing out at 98 mph and registering 93-95 mph. His slider showed flashes of really good bite at times and was good enough against the much younger BoSox lineup. What Alex worked on the most was his changeup which registered 81-84mph on the gun. It still needs worked upon and he'll be the first to tell you that, more on that later. Outside of Meyer, the star of the game was Twins' catcher Mitchell Garver who went 3-3, a single, a triple, 2 run homer, and a sac fly. His reward...getting to run wind sprints after the game by himself for missing a sign. CK Irby threw three innings, followed by one inning by Madison Boyd and Randy Rosario, and Luke Bard who threw the 9th and the 10th. Bard was hitting 92-94mph with his fastball with modest control. The movement on his fastball is impressive but the ride and motion is so much that he can't control it all the time. Still he completely overmatched the BoSox lineup with his stuff. It went 10 innings due to the lack of the number of at bats for the BoSox players. After Meyer's appearance on the mound, he joined the rest of the pitcher's not available for the game on the old school steel bleachers behind home plate. Meyer sat next to Wimmers who was charting and starting the game on 9/23 against the Rays at Hammond Complex. Kohl Stewart was responsible for watching the gun since he's not competing at all during Instructional League; he's there to get in the flow of MLB life and to work on fielding fundamentals. He's also pretty much a Diva and his own teammates talk about it. For those of you who don't know, Instructional League is a rare time in baseball. Remember those times as a kid where you had ghost runners etc well Instructional League games are not that far off. At any point you can reinsert a hitter in the lineup to get him an extra at bat, you can change up the order, reinsert a player etc. After his session, Alex Meyer joined the rest of his teammates on the bleachers where I engaged him in conversation that somehow lasted from the 6th to the 10th inning. Despite the video I took on him, he's not trying out a splitfinger, just wanted to know how it felt. He said he's never thrown one in a game and doesn't plan to. The biggest thing he worked on in the game was his changeup which had the BoSox prospects really off balanced with his fastball. He was really upset with himself for giving up the one walk. Alex said when he was notified of the trade by the Nationals front office he didn't know what to say, "Do I thank him? Do I say **** off? So I just said okay." He said the trade from the Nationals was a blessing because the opportunity he was far greater. Everyone in the Twins organization has treated him great and he looks forward to contributing. When asked about this Fall, he was really excited to see rest of this Twins core. On Buxton, he said at first he didn't know if he was just some really athletic kid with a bunch of tools but when seeing him in Spring Training, Alex said he is better than the hype. He's just so fast and at the plate he can beat you several different ways whether he takes you yard, hits it in the gaps, bunts or walks. He hopes the Twins put him on a Trout/Harper path because he think Buxton can help the big league club now. On Rosario, Meyer said he can flat out hit and that Eddie's 5 for 5 game in New Britain was one of the best hitting displays he's witnessed in the minors. Alex said he feels comfortable on the mound with Rosario at second and that Eddie worked really hard all season on his defense. On Sano, his power is so impressive, his batting practice was a show itself. Alex says he is the closest on the team with Trevor May who will also be joining him in the Arizona Fall League. May will not join Buxton and others who will report to Instructs this week before leaving on October 2nd for Arizona. Meyer feels the Twins are on the right path, the guys they have coming up are players who can contribute now and for the future. There was alot more from his golf game, offseason regime, love life, being a giant, the Chicago Cubs and Kentucky baseball, I just didn't include it because it's not Twins related. Definitely a great guy who makes it hard not to root for him, I wish him nothing but success and luck in his future.

There are definitely some good players in Camp (Meyer, Stewart, Eades, Gonsalves, Wimmers). But last year's crop at Instructionals was just amazing: Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Kyle Gibson.

Tibs you have no idea, it was a blast! Especially when you consider that I was the only regular person there everyone else was with the Twins or Kia Tigers organization. So if you're someone who likes to get autographs or pictures/video it's extremely easy.