mnfanforlife

Will any of these four guys pitch in Cedar rapids this coming summer?

How good do you have to be to hit 24 homers in 62 games as a junior at Stanford, but never hit more than 12 in a major league season?

Slama deserves a shot, no matter what his fastball radar reading is....I remember watching Greg Maddux top out at 86-87. Is Slama as good as Muddux? NO! But he has earned a shot to sink or swim with the Twins in Minnesota.

How bout David McCarty? He was pretty awful considering where he was drafted

Yes, keep starters on a strict pitch count while the weather is cold in Iowa. I am impressed with the number of high-ceiling pitchers we have in A+ and below. Could be a very solid Twins staff by 2015.

Yes! DJ Baxendale! Cant wait to see what he can do with a full season as a starter.

Hey JC - how does your list compare to my Top 10?

Right my friend, I am also hoping they draft a guy that will get to Minnesota quickly...and if he ends up on the Top 10 list after 2013, thye didn't waste their pick.

My cousin's boyfriend is the weather man! Long story...but my family did get him to say "unicorn" on the air. His mastery of meteorology inspries me, and I felt like taking a novice stab at forecasting something I enjoy talking about: Twins Prospects! Here is what I predict MLB.com's Twins prospect list will look like after this coming minor league season (Top 10 anyway)... [ATTACH=CONFIG]3044[/ATTACH] (Eddie is moving on up) 1. Byron Buxton - CF 2. Alex Meyer - RHP 3. Eddie Rosario - 2B/CF 4. Miguel Sano - 3B/DH 5. Trevor May - RHP 6. Jose Berrios - RHP 7. Max Kepler - OF 8. Corey Williams - LHP 9. Jorge Polanco - 2B/SS 10. Travis Harrison - 3B 1. Byron Buxton - Byron is like a Corvette, as long as you don't push it too fast with him he will perform beautifully with flash. Buxton as the Twins #1 prospect isn't too much of a stretch. He will probably go "bananas" at Cedar Rapids, even if he doesn't begin the season there. After being the best prospect in the rookie circuit last summer, Byron will most likely continue to leave impressive impressions on any league he graces in 2013. Some may freak out at the thought of Sano moving down on this list. This is just the start of Sano's descent. So just sit back and let go, while I present my case for these next few gentlemen. 2. Alex Meyer - With the Twins needing to find someone better than Vance Worley to lead their MLB rotation, Meyer is gonna smell blood in the waters of the Eastern League. The Twins may start this stud at A+, but once he gets his shot at Double-A...clear the way. I predict a big season for Alex with lots of innings, a sub-3 ERA, and a ton of strikeouts. He was fantastic in his pro debut last year, and was a steal in trade for the "above average" Denard Span. 3. Eddie Rosario - Yeah, yeah...He might not stick at 2B. His value is dependent on where he plays defensively. Well, the same can be said for Sano. But nobody is talking about how Eddie's body-type will prevent him from playing 2B. Both Eddie and Miguel can hit for power, no doubt. But Sano's strikeouts were out of control last year, while Eddie's were not. Eddie also hit more doubles than Sano in far fewer games played. If Rosario would have been able to play the entire season, he may have hit 15-20 homeruns to go along with 40+ doubles. I predict he sticks at 2-bag, and rakes at A+ next year. 4. Miguel Sano - Since I moved him down, this must be all bad news. Well, not really...I do feel that Sano will continue to strikeout like crazy in 2013. However, I also want to point out that our farm system is going to look very strong with a guy like Sano at #4 in the organization. No one is silly enough to predict that Sano will not mash (.500+ SLG%) in A+ next year. I am simply predicting that Rosario will outshine Sano at the same level. I'm a big Sano fan however, so it will be fun to track his progress towards becoming a monster in Minnesota. 5. Trevor May - May keeps his #5 ranking after Hicks, Arcia, and Gibson lose their prospect status by getting extended time in Minnesota next summer. What do we have in May? We are gonna find out quick. May has more upside than his trade buddy Worley, but his ERA was not so hot at AA last summer. However, he was striking dudes out and not giving up many hits. There is no reason to move May down, but there "may" be reason to move him up following 2013. 6. Jose Berrios - Does anyone really believe this guy has anything to prove at the Rookie level? I can understand the case for keeping him down south until the weather in Cedar Rapids more closely resembles that of Puerto Rico. But come on now, we don't need him to pitch for ELZ and take up a spot that could go to a lesser guy with something to prove at that level. I predict Berrios dominates again in the (insert league here) . He will be knocking on the big door following the 2014 season. 7. Max Kepler - That's right, Max Kepler! You might be thinking: Travis Harrison. But here is my case for Kepler: the German kid was 19 at Elizabethton and hit better than the 20-yr-old California kid. How can we not expect more out of Kepler as a prospect than Harrison? I understand that Harrison plays 3B, and Kepler is a mere CF-type. Ridiculous. Kepler has better numbers at a younger age at the same level, and he deserves more recognition. I predict he gets it following 2013. Check it out (Maximilian): If you didn't already know, that is a beautifully powerful swing by a 19-yr-old. 8. Corey Williams - This guy did not have a sparkling ERA after a full season of A-ball last year. But he has nasty stuff, and allowed fewer hits than innings pitched. He also K'd more guys than innings pitched, which makes me want to believe in what he can do at A+ next summer. Left-handed guys with good stuff are not out walking around on the street, so let's all give some support to this tough kid that could end up in Minnesota by 2014. Give it up for Corey: P.S. I am assuming Corey does not hang em like this anymore. 9. Jorge Polanco - Okay, okay...most fans have no idea who this guy even IS. And none of my readers will agree that he belongs in the Top 10! But let me state my case (please and thank you): He hit .318/.388/.514 at Elizabethton last summer. He is a switch-hitting second-baseman, but did play 15 games at SS. He will turn 20 next July. How is this guy not making waves among prospect junkies?! Well, this aggression will not stand: you are my #9 Jorge! Check it out (Jorge batting): Great bat speed. Great foot speed. 10. Travis Harrison - I like Travis, I really do. But something about him holding out after being drafted #50 overall in 2011, and not playing at all his 19-yr-old summer really bothered me. He did hit well in his pro-debut, amid concerns about his defense at 3B and his future at that position. BUT, he was out-slugged by 165 lb. second-baseman Jorge Polanco, and Kepler, and Walker. I was considering dropping Harrison from the Top 10, but I think Joe Benson will lose his prospect status. So Travis is in, by the hair on his chin. T. Harrison: (meh) He has a lot to prove this year.

Rory's numbers do not get me excited...But Hicks and Harrison could be the real deal. I am hoping that C.Pimentel and Polanco can stay at middle infield for Cedar Rapids. Niko too. Will read what you have on those guys. Thanks!

Is Adam Walker done at 1B?

Jackson would be a fan favorite in Minnesota

Hey this is great info! Being in the situation we are in, I would gladly take Francisco back no matter what risk there may be. Is a three-year-deal enough to get Liriano? How many mil are we talkin here?

Pop quiz! What do you do when you've run out of fuel, in a tour-bus, in rural Siberia, with your in-laws?? This is the metaphor for how I see the current situation with the Twins starting pitching rotation. Our characters are all familiar: the fuel = Pohlads' payroll; the bus = shiny new Target Field; Siberia = Minnesota; the in-laws = our gallery of failed starting pitchers. So...what DO you do? [ATTACH=CONFIG]2756[/ATTACH] In this case we defer to the NBA. No, we're not trading in our love of baseball to go "sell out" and become faithful followers of the Timberwolves' Love, Kirilenko, Pekovic, and Rubio (although its getting more tempting with Rubio getting healthier) NO! We need to focus on baseball, and in the Twins' case, NBA = Next Best Action. With the Cubs over-paying for Baker and Feldman, the flame of the Twins' hope at signing a guy with any proven, successful experience gets dimmer and dimmer (like the sun on a cold, Siberian evening). Without any news on the trade front, we'll have to hunker down for a long night (off-season). We should all be assuming things will heat up in the Winter GM Meetings, but what if other GM's are unwilling to part with their pitching? What exactly is the next, best step that the Twins could possibly take? Desperate situations like this one should be viewed as opportunity for certain men. Men with fortitude, and determination to survive. Sure the Pohlads are sitting on a huge oil field, but its crude stuff and won't help us survive the night, or the next day for that matter. We need to make a big fire. Then, we need to throw some of these guys in it. Surely some of them will burn and pass away, but others could be refined by the flames and provide warmth (production) to a frigid fan populace. In order with NBA, we must determine which men to risk first with a toss into the inferno. Who are the (my) top candidates to play the role of heroes in the unforseen wilderness of the AL Central? [ATTACH=CONFIG]2757[/ATTACH] 1. Kyle Gibson - what a prospect he was after being drafted in 2009!? As a minor league rookie, he flew right up to AAA as a 22-year-old. Now that is a fast-track, even for a college guy. Yes, he had TJ surgery on old trusty. But, he looked like good fuel for our fire during his six fall-league starts. And with his former "top-propsect" status, we will all be looking for Kyle to fight off the frost-bite of this, so far, bitter off-season. I say we build our bon fire around Gibson, and see what colors he produces. 2. Liam Hendriks - Oh dear. What do we have in Hendriks? When he signed as a 17-year-old outta the Outback, the organization took the standard approach and slowly developed him into a guy that dominated AAA as a 23-year-old. Thats great! But we have real issues here, and we need to find out right now if Liam can provide some warmth to our extremities. Minor League numbers are fun, but they don't keep you warm in Siberia. Even with his MLB struggles, I vote to see if he burns in the Twins' 2013 rotation. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2758[/ATTACH] 3. Samuel Deduno - As a 20-year-old minor league rookie, the Colorado Rockies had good reason to believe in what Deduno could become. Sammy made the Pioneer League All-Star team with 118 K's in 76.1 innings (13.9 per 9). Since then, not so much. He walked too many guys in A, A+, AA, and AAA. So, the Rockies let him sign with San Diego where he walked a bunch of guys again. Now, the Domincan Deduno does not seem like the type to help us survive in the upper Mid-west (Siberia). But, he does have a career 3.43 ERA in AAA, despite all those free passes. Last year, he showed us all in Minnesota how he is able to have success while walking everyone (and their in-laws). He's got really great "stuff" (the walks even make him more flammable), which is perfect for the fire we're building. 4. Esmerling Vasquez - I know what you're thinking: "This guy stinks!" Wrong! Well maybe he does smell a little bit. But this guy did great in AAA last year (and had terrrible control in Minnesota). He had an opposite season with Arizona's organization in 2011, as he walked too many in AAA while pitching just fine with the D-Backs. Hey, its getting colder by the minute here and there isn't much else for us to burn. Time to throw him in and see where it gets us. Hopefully, Esmerling prolongs the heat that keeps us hoping to be far away from our current sufferings. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2759[/ATTACH] Is there anyone you'd like to throw into the fire? What is the Twins' NBA in your opinion?

When I look at how fortunate the Twins were last June in the draft, it’s hard to imagine this organization not returning to some level of major league competency soon. The organization picked up two teenagers..... [ATTACH=CONFIG]2674[/ATTACH] ...with high ceilings with their first two picks of 2012, and both showed extreme promise after signing quickly and making their pro debuts. Byron Buxton was somewhat of a surprise to be available to the Twins at #2 overall. I feel the need to analyze what kind of player landed in the Twins lap with Buxton. Now, the real Georgia Peach was Ty Cobb, who was a “snarling wildcat” by his own admission. Cobb was a true gem of a player, and posted a career .367/.433/.512 during a legacy played mostly in the “dead ball” era. Buxton is a gem of a prospect, and the fact that both Ty and Byron are from Georgia and play centerfield is where the comparison ends. But we all know the Twins have a 5-tool-potential guy here that was called a hybrid of the talented Upton brothers. So its safe to say, Minnesota got a “peach” of a player in the Georgia high-school senior. Buxton was named the top prospect (by Baseball America) in the Gulf Coast League last summer. After he “graduated” and played a lil bit in Elizabethton (with our other gem J.O. Berrios), Buxton was awarded with the #1 prospect billing in the Appalachian League as well! How did he accomplish that after hitting just .248 in 48 games at both levels, and struggling mightily out-the-gate? Look closer, and we see that he had a .344 OB% and a .448 SLG%. Not bad at all for a guy that is supposed to be more speedy than powerful on offense (he also stole 11 of 14 bases). No wonder he was BA’s top pick in every league he played in 2012. I saw a grading scale that was out before the last draft that had each players current rating/potential rating listed in the following categories: Hit, Power, Speed, Field, Arm (the five tools on a 20-80 scale). Buxton was rated the following: 45/60, 45/60, 70/75, 55/70, 70/75. Those projections sound a lot more like B.J. than Justin Upton to me. Let’s just conclude that his upside is outstanding. If you haven't already, check out a nice video of the prize of the 2012 draft taking some BP for the E-Twins here: [ATTACH=CONFIG]2675[/ATTACH] I predict: Buxton is going to have more power than B.J. (like Justin), but be able to cover ground and stick in CF the way B.J. has. I earlier predicted that Buxton would hit 10-15 home-runs in a full season at Cedar Rapids next season, but I just have this feeling that he could mature into power quickly. Maybe he hits 20 HR’s during a full season at the low-A level, or at least keeps his SLG% near .500. Anyhow, Bux should continue to be productive and maintain his status as the “best of the best” prospect at every level he graces within the Minor Leagues. What are the chances he uses those tools to be a 20 HR/50 SB guy with Gold-Glove style CF defense in Minnesota? He most certainly will not get a look until 2015 or later. Your thoughts… [ATTACH=CONFIG]2676[/ATTACH]

The Twins must have too many minor league players because they keep guys in the low levels that are ready to move on.

Hey I hear ya loud and clear. I dont understand why they need their prospects to dominate each level. Many top prospects struggled through the minors, but were pushed to the bigs quickly and ultimately succeeded just fine.

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True that barely any of these guys will make it to Minnesota, if any at all. But it is nice to have a bunch of promotable guys starting somewhat together

Are we goin after Otani?