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All hail Lord Byron. It took him awhile to adjust to his new Fort Myers digs, but Byron Buxton is once again doing man things. On Monday, Buxton was named Florida State League Offensive Player of the Week for the week ending July 28th, further cementing his status as the top prospect in baseball. To celebrate his latest achievement, he went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored Monday night, pacing the Miracle to a 5-0 win over Scott Baker (!!!) and the Daytona Cubs. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] After disrespecting Midwest League pitching to the tune of .341/.431/.559 as a member of the Cedar Rapids Kernels, including 32 steals, 33 extra-base hits and 56 RBI out of the leadoff spot, Buxton was finally promoted to Fort Myers on June 25th. After a slow start with the Miracle, he apparently remembered that he’s good at baseball, and now sports a strong .282/.338/.476 line over his first 29 games in the pitcher-friendly FSL. Monday night marked the sixth time in seven games that Buxton has tallied two hits, part of a 12-for-30 stretch. As noted by Baseball America’s Ben Badler in his Monday Prospect Notebook, Buxton is mounting a strong case for BA Minor League Player of the Year honors in his first full pro season. Badler further speculates that a promotion to Double-A by season’s end is a possibility for the 19-year-old, with a 2014 major league debut not out of the question. Not that the Twins could use the help or anything. #p2c Originally published at pitching2contact

On Opening Day 2013, Pedro Florimon became the eighth* different player in the past nine years to open the season as the Twins' starting shortstop. Since the departure of Christian Guzman in 2005, it’s been a perennial struggle to find the next fixture at what is generally, outside of catcher, the most important defensive position in baseball. Fortunately, in yet another season where little has gone right, the Twins appear to have filled their vacancy at shortstop for the foreseeable future. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Florimon has never been much touted for his offense and, true to form, his .236/.292/.351 line this year leaves much to be desired. However, that line looks much better in the context of .254/.307/.365 league averages, with shortstop traditionally being the weakest offensive position on the diamond. In fact, among his 26 contemporaries with at least 250 plate appearances this season, Florimon sits a respectable 16th in TAv** and 17th in wRC+***, ahead of players like Elvis Andrus and Starlin Castro, among others. Further, given his age (just 26), minor league numbers (slightly better across the board), and relative inexperience (just 131 games at the major league level), it’s not crazy to expect some modest improvement as he enters what should be his prime next season. But what really sets Florimon apart – and what will surely prove incredibly valuable in the years to come, as explained below – is his defense. Florimon committed his ninth error of the season Friday night in Seattle (tied for ninth most among shortstops), so he clearly has room to improve in terms of fundamentals. Having said that, advanced defensive metrics indicate he is already among the elite at his position. In terms of both UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) and DRS (Defensive Runs Saved), commonly cited as the two most accurate measures of defensive performance, Florimon rates as the second best shortstop in baseball – second only to Atlanta’s Andrelton Simmons, widely considered to be the best defensive shortstop in the game. He also ranks fourth in Baseball Prospectus’ FRAA (Fielding Runs Above Average), behind Milwaukee’s Jean Segura, the aforementioned Simmons, and St. Louis’ Pete Kozma. Largely as a result of his defense, Florimon has already been worth 1.7 WAR per FanGraphs (and 2.2 WAR per Baseball Reference), making him the Twins' second-most valuable position player behind Joe Mauer this season. With Florimon earning just $495,000 this season and not eligible for arbitration until 2016, he is and will likely remain among the better values in all baseball over the next few seasons. Looking ahead to 2014 and beyond, the value of that defense cannot be overstated. The Twins likely second and third basemen of the future, Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano, both currently reside at Double-A New Britain. Both rank among the best offensive talents in the minor leagues at their respective positions, and it’s not out of the question that both could be playing at Target Field as early as 2014. What neither is known for, however, is excellence on defense, making the fielding range of whoever is playing between them at short that much more important. Assuming Rosario and Sano continue to develop as expected, Florimon projects as their ideal complement in the field, making him a key component of the rebuilding effort. With the fifth worst record in baseball through 100 games, the Twins' front office is surely in all-out evaluation mode, trying to determine which members of the current roster will be around to help stem the losing tide next season. Based on his performance thus far, Florimon is one player who seems virtually assured of a spot in the 2014 opening day lineup. After almost a decade of trying to plug the six-hole, it seems the Twins finally have found their guy. #p2c *The others: Jason Bartlett (2005, 2007), Juan Castro (2006), Adam Everett (2008), Nick Punto (2009), JJ Hardy (2010), Alexi Casilla (2011), and Jamey Carroll (2012)…yuck. **Per Baseball Prospectus, TAv is a measure of total offensive value scaled to batting average. ***Per FanGraphs, wRC+ is a park- and league-adjusted measure of a player’s total offensive value compared with league average. Originally published on pitching.2.contact

Last week’s Triple-A All-Star Game marked the last of the minor league midsummer classics. The passing of the first half also meant the release of several midseason top prospect lists, and with the Twins steamrolling towards another 90-loss season, at least fans can take solace in the various updated rankings and know that better days are ahead. Several highly respected prospect evaluators released their midseason rankings over the past month, and not surprisingly, the Twins organization was very well represented.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Baseball America (Top 50): Byron Buxton (1) Miguel Sano (3) Alex Meyer (32) Baseball Prospectus (Top 50): Byron Buxton (1) Miguel Sano (6) Alex Meyer (44) FanGraphs (Top 50): Byron Buxton (1) Miguel Sano (10) Alex Meyer (36) Keith Law (Top 50): Byron Buxton (1) Miguel Sano (4) Kohl Stewart (30)* Alex Meyer (38) Eddie Rosario (41) John Sickels (Top 75): Byron Buxton (1) Miguel Sano (3) Alex Meyer (51) Eddie Rosario (56) *Only list to include 2013 draft picks Observations: Byron Buxton’s huge first half has made him the unanimous number one prospect in all baseball. Miguel Sano is a consensus top ten prospect and arguably the best power bat in the minors. Despite being sidelined the past several weeks with a shoulder injury, Alex Meyer has eased concerns about his mechanics and turned himself into an elite starting pitching prospect. Eddie Rosario has largely flown under the radar, but finds himself on the cusp of top-50 territory. Kohl Stewart is undoubtedly the top pitching prospect in the Twins organization, and will surely be a top three prospect heading into next year. Even with the 2013 promotions of top ten prospects Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia, and Kyle Gibson, the Twins pool of minor leaguers remains full of want and wet with talent. With as many as five potential top-50 guys and a number of other candidates (Max Kepler, Trevor May, Jose Barrios) knocking on the door, the Twins are assured of being well represented in virtually every 2014 top prospect list and a legit contender for the top organization in baseball. Someday we will look back at these 90-loss seasons and laugh, but until then the promise of a brighter future will have to do. #p2c Originally published on pitching.2.contact