John Sickels

Thorpe vs. Jorge: I like them both, but my understanding is that Thorpe's mechanics are cleaner than Jorge's, which are somewhat high-effort. Some observers feel that Jorge may be better suited for the bullpen as a result, but everyone seems to think Thorpe can start. The B- and high ranking for Thorpe is aggressive and when all is said and done I might move him a slot behind Pinto, but sometimes you just get a feeling about a guy, and I have that about Thorpe. The numbers were great, the scouting reports are increasingly impressive, and I've heard more than one source say that he would be a certain first round pick heading into 2014 if he had been born in the US.

I wasn't taking it personally. Pinto DID exceed expectations, but there were hints in his profile that he could/would do so

Here is the rough draft of the Pinto comment for my 2014 book, which I've posted nowhere else since I just wrote it a few days ago. ******* It is apparent that Josmil Pinto doesn’t care about unenthusiastic scouting reports. He blasted Double-A pitching, continued ripping the ball in Triple-A, and looked great in September for the Twins. His plate discipline took a hit at the highest levels, but the production was still there and given his track record, I wouldn’t doubt his ability to make needed adjustments. Although he still needs work on the finer points of catching, he continued to progress defensively and threw out 45% of runners in the majors. By all accounts, he has worked hard to remedy his flaws as a catcher. He’s also in better shape now, dropping 20 pounds last winter and showing greater mobility as a result. Pinto turns 25 in March so he’s not young as prospects go. His defense still needs polish and perhaps the pitchers will catch up with Pinto, but he’s been playing great for two years now. I don’t think this can be written off as just a fluke. Grade B-.

Then I wrote this note about Pinto at Minor League Ball in early April 2013. ************ Pinto is off to a strong start in 2013, hitting .290/.405/.806 in eight games for Double-A New Britain, with four homers, five walks, and seven strikeouts in 37 plate appearances. Combined with last year, he has 20 games of Double-A under his belt with a .295/.382/.654 line, with six homers, nine walks, and 17 strikeouts in 89 plate appearances. Yes, it is just 20 games, a very small sample. But he's picking up right where he left off last year, and he's usually hit well when healthy, so I wouldn't write this off as a fluke just yet. So far, Double-A pitchers haven't been able to contain him. Most complaints about Pinto revolve around a bad body and doubtful defense, although as I wrote above, his actual defensive stats aren't bad and have gotten better over time. Reportedly, he has lost some weight and looks more athletic this spring, although interestingly enough he hasn't been able to catch any of the five runners who've gone on him this year. So what do we have here? A successor for Joe Mauer? I wouldn't go that far, but Pinto is at least interesting, looks like he can hit some, has improved his defense over time, is under-the-prospect-radar nationally, and the Twins like him enough to give him a spot on the 40-man roster. That spells sleeper.

As for Pinto, it is true that I didn't rank him on last year's list, but this is what I wrote about him in my 2013 book: Signed by the Twins out of Venezuela in 2006, Pinto had a big year in the Appy League in 2009 (.332/.387/.610 for Elizabethton) but struggled with injuries and defensive problems in ’10 and ’11. 2012 was better: he showed impressive power in the Florida State League, and remained hot after a late promotion to Double-A. Pinto has legitimate sock in his bat, but scouts don’t like his body and he spends a lot of time at DH. Interestingly, his actual defensive stats are pretty good: he threw out 38% of runners last year with low error and passed ball rates. Scouting reports remain unenthusiastic and he turns 24 in March, but Pinto hits enough that we need to pay attention. Grade C I should have given him a C+ but I WAS aware of him.

Ibarra is a Grade C guy for me, a potential LOOGY. I could have ranked him in the "others" list but the Twins system is so deep that there are just guys I'd rather mention.

Based on the improved physical conditioning (which I didn't know about until after I wrote my book), I would boost him up to a C+. I think he could be a very useful role player. The main point is that nobody outside of Twins fandom has heard of him, and I was wanting to change that by mentioning him.