Dman

Nice to see 3 solid pitchers that appear to have four solid pitches and decent velocity to go with them. It feels like it has been a long time since I could get excited about so many pitchers in the top 10. That being said Enlow has been far from dominant in most of his time with the Twins. Granted he has been young for every level and bumped his number to respectable in A ball for half the year. I am a little nervous about him as a starter but since he will only be 22 to start the year he has time to refine things. Here's to hoping the time off helped him get ready for 2021 Been hearing some good things about Canterino although scouts still don't love his delivery or his body type for starting. Floor should elite reliever though. If he can stay healthy he looks like mid rotation starter. Haven't seen one of those in the system since Berrios so that's nice. Balazovich has pretty much been a stud the past two years(2018,19). K rate has been there as he has been a K machine during that time. He hasn't been all that streched out though so hard to say if he would hold up during a full season or not. His numbers look absolutely dominant though. If he keeps this up he has to be a top of the rotation arm just has to be. Cavaco was a high risk pick. He is a tooled up player with the possibility to be a 5 tools player, but his hit tool was his weakest tool and that is not a good tool to be weak. The Twins had to be believers that they can develop him with the coaches they have and the skill Cavaco has. Time will tell if that was good decision or not. Sabato was a good pick for where they got him and he has most all the traits the Twins love in hitters. Hard hit rate, check. Good eye at the plate, check. HR in game power, check. Good swing, check. The tough thing is he likely is a defensive liability anywhere you play him, check. He could be a fast mover but to where with Kirilloff and Larnach likely already in the outfield and Sano and Rooker at 1st base someone is going to have get traded to fit him in. Twins do have a nice top 10 though.

If you are a team planning on the post season seasoned veterans matter. They are a known quantity so easier to predict production. If the price is right I think Marwin does make sense. Let Travis play everyday at AAA and if he is mashing bring him up. I just think Blankenhorn could use more seasoning and would be better served not having to worry about the pressure to perform when he has only been at the AA level for a short period of time Also he wouldn't be playing everyday in MLB so that could hurt his development. I really think he needs another season of MiLB ball to prove he is ready for the show. I certainly could be persuaded that Blankenhorn is the answer now but my gut says best to wait.

In prospect lists it is generally all about potential. Potential is different than fulfilling potential which is an actual realized skill. And that is why my choice for number one would be Lewis. Lewis still has the potential to be a 5 tool player and given Kirilloff's physical traits he has no chance to best Lewis there. While Kiriilofs elite hit tool carries him and elite offense is the most coveted trait for position players in baseball his average arm, below average speed and likely below average defense does drag his value down. Lewis is essentially elite at multiple positions none more important than shortstop a scarce resource to be sure especially for five tool players. Unfortunately his hit tool looks suspect and with all that movement seems unlikely to be elite and certainly likely never as good as Kirillof's will be. The thing is though we don't know yet where Lewis's hit tool will land. How close will his ultimate production be from Kirillof's? We don't know and there is potential for his tool to improve so with potential in mind there is no question in my mind that Lewis would remain number 1.

Not sure what to think of Simmons in decline but we desperately needed a player with his skill set on this team so this was a good get. Was dreaming on Semien but that would have been high price to pay for one year. Glad the FO finally recognized that Polanco was not a great defensive fit at short and getting something done. Lewis can't be ready fast enough if you ask me. I sure hope he can fix that swing as we need him sooner rather than later.

I know Colina has moved up prospect lists and is pretty high on those lists for a reliever but I am kind of worried about that hittable fastball in MLB. He throws hard and if he can hit his spots that might be enough to make him a good to elite reliever. I have to believe the Twins are banking on him somewhat this year given the bullpen turnover. The slider does appear elite and I assume that is why he is ranked as high as he is. I hope he is the real deal because we could use more power arms. I wasn't a fan of the Wallner pick as there was good pitching prospects where they drafted him and he is another slow Power over hit tool player. The Twins seem to be enamored with hard hit rate for players and Wallner fits the bill with easy power so I see why he was picked. Hard to know how well he will do but good luck cracking an outfield that will likely have Kirilloff, Larnach, Buxton, Kepler, Rooker and maybe Arraez or Polonco already in it. Super excited about Urbina and he had a good year in the DSL. Obviously a long way to go but very nice traits for success. Will know more once he plays more. Rooker did better at the MLB level than I thought he would but they will start throwing him the junk he hates so hopefully he has an answer. Celestino had his one big half year and we don't know if hecan or will carry that forward with the bat. It was between him and Baddoo if you ask me and so I hope that bat turns out because Baddoo will end up hitting for power so he needs to work out now more than ever. It is nice to have another good defensive centerfielder not too far away. He has lots of skills to dream on and hopefully he maxes out his potential.

Not that I really know anything about him but on paper I didn't care for the De Andrade pick. He was the only IFA signed that high with essentially average tools across the board except power as he is projected to have above average power. I know he is only 16 and things change for all of those guys but so many in that range were starting as five tool players it wouldn't hurt this org to have some guys who can run. Always loved Miranda's hit tool and still do. I just wish he was able to be more selective at the plate and wait to make contact on better pitches for him to hit. As the Turtle has shown hitting everything helps with strike outs but hitting stuff out of the zone generally leads to outs as well. If he can fix that we might have an actual young 3rd baseman. I really enjoyed box score watching Sands in 2019. The WHIP was low, the K rate there and a strong ERA was the end result. He just went after guys. Threw strikes and dared the batter to hit it. If he continues to be that kind of pitcher I think the Twins have something. If he regresses then likely reliever material this is a big year for him and with the layoff hard to say how things go out of the gate but I hope the guy from 2019 shows up in 2021.

I think the primary reason for pessimism is his injured knee and his knees in general. I think he will always be good at the plate but how healthy will be throughout a season? I think he will likely miss chunks of time every season. I still like him but I can understand the pessimism as injured players generally don't perform as well as they compensate for the injury. If can stay healthy the bandwagon will be large.

I am just happy to see them spending money on pitching. They need to sign or trade for another pitcher. The young guys are coming but best to break them in slow. We have room a for few more guys lets go getem.

Happy to see they went heavy on infielders this year. With Wander floundering and the uncertainty of Lewis at short and how his bat will play there aren't as many options as the Twins have for outfielders. We haven't developed a good this third baseman since Koskie so hopefully they shore the infield up in the coming years. They also could use more pitching. Here's to hoping there is a Tatis in there somewhere.

I remember him being hyped and then getting to the Bigs and becoming very hittable. He wasn't the same pitcher when called up. He really struggled to get outs. Honestly I don't understand why the Twins gave him the short hook but he didn't really prove them all that wrong as he never did make it as a starter. They probably should have given him a shot in the pen but must have felt differently at the time. I am happy he found his way to elite status. He never gave up on himself and his hard work paid off. Good for him.

You are right after looking at the players more closely the one young great defensive shortstop could be Lindor like if his bat comes around. Rosario looks like a nice utility piece and Wolfe is a very good get. My hunch is he wont disappoint. It is a nice package for one year of an All Star and they will have the best chance to sign Lindor long term. With prospects it always hard to say how things will turn out but Cleveland did well.

I Agree. I think the Dodgers had a pretty nice package set up for Lindor that might have made more of a difference. Even if the Mets do not resign Lindor I think they came out OK in the deal. They will definitely get a comp pick if they don't resign him and Lindor could make a huge difference for them this year. Carrasco will probably be better in NL as well. IMO Josh Wolfe is the headliner of this trade. I wanted to Twins to pick him but they chose someone else in the draft. Cleveland knows how to find pitchers and I think Wolfe will be a good one in time. Cleveland did a good job dumping salary so they should have some flexibility to fix their lineup with one year deal bargain players until their young guys step up.

Wow, the Padres are all in. Pitching was there only weakness and barring injury they look poised to try and take over the Dodgers. I still don't feel like the padres have great depth but if they stay healthy look out. They just might be the best team out there. I like the Twins and I know emotion makes me over react but it just feels like we are second tier compared to the top 4 to 6 teams in baseball. Injuries and young players on the rise can change things but it takes a strong core of above average players to make it anywhere in the playoffs these days. Kudos to the Padres for winning the offseason now they need good health to make it all work.

Dang he was one of our best pitching prospects at one time. I can't believe they couldn't turn him into at least a solid reliever. Oh well another one bites the dust.

I was pretty excited when the Twins got Vallimont in that trade. His 2019 numbers looked pretty good to me. throws mid 90's has good K rate and WHIP. Granted he was only in High A but the numbers looked solid to me. I was really hoping to see if he improve on those number or at least keep them the same as he moved up but 2020 was lost season for everyone. I liked getting a chance to see what he had to say about his approach to pitching and happy to hear he liked the how the Twins were handling their pitchers. Here's to hoping he is starter material and reaches his potential.

Pretty cool guy and very nice interview. I have to say I wasn't sure why the Twins grabbed him where they did as it looked like he kept the ball in the zone but was pretty hittable. So developing a good mix and pitches that can better miss bats will be important for him to succeed. Personality wise I can see the attraction though. He seems to be an easy going, bright kid with a great knowledge of the body with a good pitchers build. He is a nice piece of clay to mold. I am rooting for him to reach his highest potential. Thanks for sharing!

Can I just say I am happy the Twins did not make a roster clogging Rule V pick this year. I have a feeling we will need the roster flexibility so am happy their won't be a player in the way.

So I guess you were right and I was way wrong on this one. Baddoo was a highly rated prospect and one my favorites from that draft class but he seems like he might end up a left fielder and is that something most teams need to invest in Rule V picks? Left field is a position you can run almost anyone out with a decent bat and have them play there. If he truly is a quality center fielder then this pick makes more sense as there is not as much pressure on the bat he has good plate discipline so could be valuable if he stays there. The thing is for the Twins is that we already have a ton of quality outfield prospects with more on the way. Certainly cannot keep them all. I guess Baddoo is one that will no longer be around unless the Tigers give him back. Wells had a good year a couple of years ago but can you tell me why a team would pick him over a lot of other guys that looked to have better potential. He was not even a top 30 prospect. I haven't seen him pitch since he came back but is he really that good or do the O's just want to see him up close? If he is that good he has a great chance to get to MLB with the O's so happy for him. I just didn't see it coming though, but I guess you have a much better handle on who would be targeted than I do.

Yeah bummer on Baddoo. There's a lot of things to like there and if the Tigers need a backup center fielder he could be gone for good. I still think with the arm issues he ends up in left field but we will see. I guess they will check out that hit tool first hand and see if he is worth carrying for a whole season. He would have to contribute to make it worth it.

I think you are probably right about Badoo he has the speed for center and good power for a center fielder his eye appeared to be good as well. The issue though was his arm is suspect and he had contact issues even at the lower levels. Most teams have good outfield prospects so given his time off and the fact he may may never hit enough I see him as a long shot at this point. I think Wells would be a tough pick as well since he never had elite velocity and hasn't pitched much in the last two plus years. I would think there would be better candidates out there with more defined track records or upside. While Jax could be taken again he appears pretty easy to replace and his K9 is not that great. Maybe a move to the pen changes some of that but he seems like a long shot to me. Rijo is the one that worries me and Maybe I am overestimating his ability as I only have second hand reports and have never seen him pitch but he is young with a good enough fastball and a potentially elite secondary pitch. What's not to like about grabbing a guy like that in the Rule V a guy that looks like he has the upside to be an elite relief arm if not a back end starter. I think there is a pretty decent chance he gets taken but the scouts know best and we will see how he stacks up to what is out there.

Honestly I don't see any position players being taken in the Rule V. If there were a catcher there maybe but none of guys scream take me. if I was a down on my luck team I would have to say I might be interested in Rijo. He has a good to great secondary pitch so might be able to make MLB bullpen. Probably worth a try for some team but I guess we will have to wait and see. The rest of what the Twins have other teams have so I don't think those players will be worth a Rule V move. If I am the Twins I would skip grabbing someone in Rule V. There will be good players on the FA market likely for cheap and they are more proven players and we are at a point where proven players are better than wild cards. I guess we will find out soon enough if we lose Rijo or not.

For me losing Cruz to the WhiteSox would be the straw that breaks it for me. He would make their lineup absolutely crazy good and it would knock ours down a peg. He can be a bit injury prone but he takes good care of his body. He is great in the clubhouse. If I am the Twins I would give him that two year deal he is looking for.

I think that is a good investment for the Giants. I don't think he will be as good as last years numbers but I think he will hold his own. Seems hard to believe the Twins let him go for such a small amount of money. They really must not be believers and I guess they should know.

The White Sox are pushing their chips on the table. Doesn't look like they want to wait around for that division title. Unfortunately I think they are going to be a dominant team for quite some time. Here's hoping our guys have some moves to match their moves.

Personally I was wondering if LA thought the Twins robbed them with the Dozier trade thus got half of those assets back in Raley in the next trade. Given Doziers production and the fact they were not going to resign him make it a win IMO. I mean even just the HOPE of something worthwhile coming back would have been worth it as the alternative was nothing, zip, nada. I would have rather had hope than nothing at all. At least Smeltzer made it and I think he will end up a decent reliever in time. Has to stop giving up HR balls first though. For me the Twins won this trade the moment they made it. I guess you could argue they could have gotten more but it seems unlikely IMO.