Dman

The way the pen has been playing out I don't think another arm at the deadline was going to make a difference. Like all year one arm has a bad night almost every night and it dooms the team. It can be Jax, Pagan, Duran, Balazovich, etc. it doesn't seem to matter but someone has an off night and there goes the ball game. Given what I have seen so far they either need to figure out why the pen arms can't execute or find ways to better mix and match pitches to be less predicable. There are way too many "holes" in this pen for even one or two arms at the deadline to make a difference.

The Muscles could use more outfield help so moving Jenkins there should help the team out. Also nice to get him a little experience in A ball so he has leg up for next year. Martin is really playing well. Have to say I am surprised by the power he is showing so far this year. That bodes well for getting to MLB. Keaschall with a very good game and really upped hi OPS. Would be nice if he ends up a fast mover.

I don't understand how Wichita keeps winning. They only have three top 30 prospect's and the top 30 prospect's they have haven't been good ( Schobel, Raya, Festa). It is a Motley collection of over achiever's at this point and seems unlikely to last. And yet they are in first place in the second half. Still a month left of games in the second half so far from a guarantee they stay in first place, but to this point they have given themselves a chance. I'll be watching.

So many good things to choose from but I am going to focus on Miller and his chance to have an .800 OPS in the month of August. Just needs to keep getting a few extra base hits a week and keep that average and OBP up and he can do it. If starts doing it consistently he will be back in the top 10 of the top 30 list. Harry had a really tough start but A ball has been good to him. Going .500 for the week isn't easy to do. Another week like that and I bet they move him to High A for the playoffs. K rate has been brutal for a lot of my favorite hitters. Hopefully they can settle back in and take some walks. Ohl sure knows how to pitch. I am going to have to watch some of his games to see just how he does it since I don't think he has any plus pitches.

I was back on the Dobnak bandwagon as well. I really thought he was back on track. Needs to find another pitch or another something but for now another season of lost hope.

Kudos to Keuchel on a well pitched game. I never would have thought it possible to see him throw a perfect game through 6 innings given his pitch to contact repertoire. Class act for the fans to give him a standing ovation as he left. That had to feel good after getting killed his last time out. Have to say he is full of surprises. If he keep the team in games I hope they keep throwing him out there.

I like him more than most but as others have noted with not much power you really have to show you can hit and have a high OBP. Also as others have noted he is in a hitters league and still only OPSing .800. To make it at the MLB level he would need to be around that number and those marks usually drop 100 to 200 points when moved to the majors where every pitcher you face is good to elite. There are things to like about his profile. His K rate is low and walk rate almost double digits. He can steal bases and I believe is a good defender. He isn't young for the level and with the Twins already having their fair share of utility guys he needs to really stand out and he doesn't. I think he is very good player but until he can get into that .900 OPS range he kind of is just another guy.

They must not want to remove any of the young arms off the 40 man and with the trade deadline having passed they cannot trade anyone to make room. I assume it takes another long term injury for him to be added. He might be better than Moran and Sands and Winder but until he gets his chance we just won't know. Sands, Moran and Ortega all have good AAA numbers just like Kody so hard to know how well his stuff will translate but on the flip side he has been as good they have been and he is the only one who hasn't gotten a chance at the MLB level.

I do agree that those college bats are likely to move quickly to the majors as they both look like generational bats at this point. As you said Skenes can probably play in MLB right now but likely slow played to some degree to add innings and make sure he is ready for a starters load. Still, you also have to keep in mind that 2022 had a lot of high drafted high school players in Jones, Holliday, Green, Johnson, Collier and Williams. Also Next year will have other players up for top 5. Not saying Jenkins can't be one of the best 5 just that it is really hard to do as those spots are given to elite talents so performance is key to get into and stay in the top 5. You never know when a relatively unknown international player is going to breakout and move up ala Chourio or Salas. It takes a lot to be top 5 but again I will agree unless super young, guys that are in those spots generally don't stay long as they are valuable assets at the MLB level as well.

Yeah I agree. I think it would take something big for the Twins to move Severino. He has been a .900 OPS hitter (if you only count high A in 2021) the last three years at three different levels. He has the hard hit rate the Twins love and to top it off he hits well from both sides of the plate. It is the power bat the Twins crave and his only wart but it is a fairly big one is his K rate has also been around 30% most of his career. It is a Wallner type profile except Severino does hit lefties well which is also something the Twins need. I agree he would be nice at 1st base but can also play 2nd and 3rd maybe not quite at an average level but he can play those positions. He also would be a good DH and bench bat to have when not starting. I think he ends up taking on Polanco's role with the team. as their skill sets match pretty well and Severino is younger and cheaper.

I don't know getting to top 5 on a top 100 list is really hard to do. I am not sure Lee would ever even make it there as the player has to be tooled up and considered special to make top 5. Even Jenkins who has the best chance to make sense at a top 5 candidate would have a hard time as 4 players from his own draft were selected ahead of him and they all are doing just as well or better than he is right now. I just don't see one let alone two guys making it to top 5 status. Maybe top 10 or 20 but top 5 is tough to crack IMO. That being said top 100 rankings are fun and a way to identify top players but not the be all end all for elite players. Arraez is a good example of that. Can't get too caught up in farm rankings as rating players is so subjective. It feels like the Twins have been good at getting the most out of lower drafted players but have had issues finding elite players that work out. It feels like the current farm is light on those types of players which is why the Twins are middle of the pack. Hopefully guys like Winokur or Soto or De Andrade or some of those International signings find a way to excel beyond expectation's and move up into those top 100 lists. I am not worried about top 5 just getting elite talent to the MLB club.

I agree. If they can get something back in trade they should move him. Nothing is guaranteed but Severino is essentially his replacement as he can play 2nd and third. He is a switch hitter just like Polanco and while he is power over hit he can hit pretty well. Even if you don't see Severino filling his spot then Lee certainly will it is just a matter of time there. I like your Prato suggestion as well. While he has cooled off in August his walk and K rate are still balanced so he has the eye at the plate to help his tools translate. If needed he could fill the Polanco role as well. Don't get me wrong I don't think Polanco's is "easily" replaced but if this team is going to start acting more like the Rays and Guardians they should be moving on from vets and investing in their younger guys. Using the Vet's to help bolster the farm with prospects. If the Twins can find a decent return that would be my first option. If they cannot trade him then I am willing to move on from Farmer instead. I really like Farmer as a baseball player and person but he just hasn't performed well enough with the bat and Polanco is a more versatile and overall better bat. If space on the 40 man is needed I would consider moving on from Farmer. Lewis can play short if Correa needs a break and when Lee comes up he can play there too if needed.

He probably comes in just outside the top 20. It has been two years of pro ball and he hasn't had an OPS over .700 in any month that I can see since May of 2022. Doesn't matter how good a fielder you are if the bat isn't good enough the shine is off IMO. He is still very young for the level at only 20 years old and August might be the first month he shows he can have a month with a .700 OPS which isn't exactly a high bar. He has plenty of time to move back up but I think he is where he belongs for now.

Thanks! I thought that was the case, but was hoping for more especially on the fastball side. Gonna be hard to move past AA with that arsenal. Kind of Cody Lawyerson like. Well I still like the kid and maybe he can be a one in a million Radke type pitcher.

I haven't been a fan of Winkel mainly because I feel his defense isn't that great and his bat sort of ho hum. For the month of August though he has an OPS over 1.000. Probably just a hot streak but if the bat stays even close to those numbers the Twins have have a lot of bat first catchers in the system in Winkel, Cossetti, Cardenas and Morales with Camargo a Power first bat. Hoping he keeps it going. Ohl I love his stuff and mentality but I do wonder if it will translate to MLB. Does anyone know if he has plus pitches or does he just mix things and have great control? He is looking like one of the better arms at AA right now.

Baseball is an unpredictable game. You can have the "best" team on paper and still lose to the plucky last place team in the league. Players get injured and players don't perform as expected on every team which changes the dynamic of a teams season. Still as fans you want your team to win every game even though that isn't going to happen. If you are a fan you have expectations of your star players and that is supposedly why teams pay lot's of money to keep star players. Watching Buxton actually hurt the team this year doesn't feel good. Watching Correa with maybe the worst offensive season of his career feels. well, offensive. Bringing in Gallo and blocking younger players given the results isn't fan friendly either. We are fans we want to cheer on our hero's but when they go missing I think we have a right to feel disappointed. I think most fans are happy the Twins are in 1st place but this is Minnesota the land of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Just last year the Guardians reeled the Twins in and the Twins fell out of the race. That feeling is very fresh in the minds of many fans. When this team blows games with poor pitching or offense or both it hurts losing winnable games and while it happens to all teams it hurts worse when you are clinging to a .500 record and fearing another let down at the end of the season like just last year. Then there is just the sheer embarrassment factor of leading your division with a .500 record when at times the East has 4 teams with better records. It is hard to feel good about your team when staring that in the face. Maybe it is too much to ask for your star players to be stars or for your team to perform with enough consistency to be 10 games over .500 and look like a team in the hunt for a championship. Maybe the scars of being swept in the post season should just be swept under the rug. Maybe hoping that a flawed team gets hot at the right time should be our only hope every year but I think most fans would like more than that. Yeah the Twins are in 1st place and that is better than what the other central teams have managed this year. Yes the Twins are at least over the .500 mark so far. Yes I am happy they are leading instead of trailing, but those seem like pretty low bars in the grand scheme of baseball's ultimate prize. I don't think that makes fans snooty I think it makes them realists.

Walker Jenkins Has done nothing to disappoint in the FCL I still feel Jenkins has louder tools than Lee. More power, better speed and I hope just as good a hit tool and it is trending that way in a SSS. If the speed holds he has true 5 tool potential. Brooks Lee Lee has really turned on the past month and got promoted. He still seems pretty rock solid as all his numbers make him look like a strong hitter and tough out.Emmanuel Rodriguez He has been very Jekyll and Hyde this year and I have lost some faith but he is still young and the upside so high I giving him the three spot. With the lack of consistency at the plate he could be falling. Hoping for more but I can't see another player in this spot as he is the only other player on the edge of the top 100. Marco Raya Going with Raya here as he young for AA he bends pitches like Berrios but has been getting hit around at AA so needs more refinement. I have to say I am getting worried about reliever risk but his excellent stuff has me putting him number 4 Charlee Soto Haven't seen him in games and assume his results be mixed as he is so young, but he already throws hard and has ace upside. Most exciting pitcher in the system if you ask me. David Festa Fangraph's has Festa in their top 100. I am not quite a bullish as AA has been a challenge. He still gets the K's and the FIP and xFIP look solid. Feels like he is going to need another something to make it though and seems like his arm is tired as his results have been worse as the season wears on. Brandon Winokur I might be too early to have him this high and he wasn't on my last top 20 but Winokur is a 5 tool player and he is hitting well in the FCL with power. His hit tool was his greatest question mark on draft day and why he fell to the third round and I still have concerns with a 36% K rate and low walk rate. Still when it comes to potential I don't know who else I would put ahead of him. Still SSS but from what I have seen so far putting him here.Tanner Schobel Schobel doesn't get a lot of love, but no other player has dominated his level (A+) so thoroughly this year. He was leading his league in HR's and 2nd or third in OPS. He is performing better than a lot first round picks taken in his draft year. His walk and K rates are solid. He has not been the same hitter at AA but for me he feels like he should be top 10.Austin Martin Still has the skills just waiting for him to put it together. He has been looking better at the plate lately and given his ability to get on base and steal bases I am moving up from my last top 20.Andrew Cossetti Feel free to laugh at me for Putting Cossetti at number 10, but his batting line is so good I think he deserves this spot. Being a solid defensive catcher just adds more value. Probably too high for most but I think he gets here fairly shortly.Kala'i Rosario Right now Rosario leads his leaguer in OPS and is tied for the HR lead and he is only 21 which is young for the level. There are still some plate discipline concerns and Fangraph's feels his swing path is to stiff but right now it is hard to argue with the results. If ran and fielded better I would have him higher but he might the right handed corner bat the Twins need in the future.Luke Keaschall Keaschall looks like a fluid hitter and hasn't looked lost at A ball with 1.000 OPS. With a larger sample size he could move up this list but need to see a bit more before going there.Connor Prielipp Dropping Connor mainly because back to back TJ makes me wonder if his arm will ever hold up and I certainly no longer see him as a long term starter. He still has elite movement and could be a shut down pen arm so he slides to 13 for me. Yasser Mercedes Probably too low for the 5 tool Mercedes but the results just haven't been there this year and other players look better. I still think he ends up a difference maker but dropping him a little lower until I see more life in the bat.Yunior Severino Severino would be higher but I don't like K rate and walk rate as much as I like other bats in the system. His power and ability to hit are elite though. The only question is if it all translates and if he can play good enough defense to find a starting role.Jair Camargo Camargo's calling card is power but he can hit too as he hit .300 in May and June this year.. Defense is OK as well. A bit more refinement and he could go higher. Still he has backup catcher as his floor right now and with more patience at the plate he could be more.Ricardo Olivar His all around number are really good and is he top 10 for OPS in the FSL. He could be higher on this list I just don't know a ton about him and if his OPS was bit higher I would have moved him higher up.Cory Lewis I feel like Lewis has enough pitch variation to become a really good pitcher. This might be high for some but I like his stuff.Byron Chourio Another hitter with a really balanced line, but he is currently lacking power.I like he bat to ball skills enough to give number 19.Danny De Andrade Only 19 and holding his own in A ball I think he could be a good player. Need to see more power but the approach looks sound. I had Headrick fairly high in my last top 20 but dropped him out as his consistency has been deteriorating as season went on. I thought about Keirsey in the top 20 but he is older and he batting line isn't as balanced as most of the guys I had a head of him. Jose Rodriguez arguably could have been in Chourio or De Andrade's spots but I left him out this time. I was going to put SWR in the top 20 as he has performed better as of late but opted to leave him out based on my belief he might be more reliever than starter. Kind of same feeling with Balazovich.

Agree odds are slim he plays short long term but he does have the tools to play there as he has plus speed and a plus arm. I haven't seen in action yet so don't know how he sets for throws or how natural he might look there defensively but he has the tools to play there IMO. Right field would also be a good use of his tools since he runs well and a plus arm. I shouldn't get too excited about the kid as this is just a small blip stat wise and the K rate and lack of walks is still concerning but he has impressive power for an 18 year old.

De Andrade is doing what I always hoped Cavaco would do which is slowly improve. It hasn't been an elite year for Danny and August has been his best month so far with an .858 OPS but each month looks a little better than the last one. Add in the fact that he has a fairly balanced line with 13% walk rate and 23% K rate, and a solid hard hit rate and what he is doing right now makes his improvement look sustainable to me. Oh and he is doing all that as a 19 year old in A ball where he is likely two to three years younger than the average age of competition. This kid could be special but we will know more next year as it looks like he has slowly figured some things out. Jenkins seems good for a hit pretty much every game and he gets the bat to the ball as his K rate is only 17% right now which is really good for a high school hitter in the FCL. He hasn't walked much though so that will be a part of his game to improve at some point. He is off to a great start and yet maybe I am Home run bedazzled or maybe my expectations were so low that I am finding Winokur to be even more interesting. While his K rate was hovering around 40% for a while it is now down to 34%, when he connects he does real damage. Of his 14 hits 3 are doubles and 4 are home runs. So while the K rate is concerning and something to be worked on he has done an amazing job barreling up the baseball and hitting it hard reaching his HR power in games which for an 18 year old is pretty special if you ask me. Most 18 year old's are waiting on their man muscle to get to their power later, Winokur has his right now. He is 18 and he will need to work on plate discipline and is likely blasting off against fastballs right now but for an off the radar 5 tool pick in the 3rd round he is looking really good right now in a SSS.

Not sure where I read it but I thought Winokur was likely gonna take time to get to his game power and was more of a power over hit type player. Right now I think he might be more impressive than Jenkins in a SSS. 4 Home Runs already for an 18 year old first pro exposure playing against pitchers much older than he is. I kind of expected a Cavaco type start so he has exceeded my expectations by a long shot. He wasn't in many draft top 100 lists that I saw either except for MLB.COM which is another reason I thought he might be more of a project. Throw in the fact it sounds like he can play short right now and his versatility is Lewis like. Really excited about this kids potential as his only question mark was the bat and that looks better than advertised to me so far.

With this team I wouldn't think that even an easier schedule is an advantage as they have been horrid against bad teams at times. Got swept in KC can't seem to win a series against the Tigers. They barely snuck by the A's with two one run games and the A's are the worst team in baseball right now. With tired arms and a lineup that runs hot and cold on any given night and a pen full of question marks I just don't see this as an easy road unless things change for the better consistency wise for this team. Also the Guardians young arms have been keeping them in games, Their team ERA is slightly better than the Twins and their bullpen is better than Minnesota's. The only thing holding the Guardians back is their offense has once again gone missing. If they find any kind of resurgence in that area then they could pass the Twins for the division title despite the tougher schedule. Sure if the Twins do what they should they have the division locked up. I just don't trust them at all given how the season has played out so far.

And of coarse just to make me look an idiot he homered in his first at bat today. Maybe Wade will be a good comparison. I hope so.

He likes to crowd the plate which is why he gets so many hit by pitch at bats. With little power I am not sure those walks will translate well. Just pitch to the guy and the worst he can do is get a single which is essentially the same as a walk. I would just attack him with breaking stuff and make him work his way on instead of giving him a free pass. He hasn't even hit .300 in any minor league season so it isn't like he is great with the bat anyway. Best way to beat him is to attack him. He keeps his K rate down so he can hit almost anything but he doesn't get solid contact so his slugging is low and with .260 -.270 Average in AAA I don't see how that approach is gonna translate well to MLB. His one strength is his balanced K rate and walk rate so he has always had a really good OBP throughout his career. Gonna have to wait and see but given how many outs he makes I am surprised teams even at AAA want to walk him at all.

I really like Prato's line and as others have said his K rate of 20% has remained steady throughout the minors. He has never had a 20% walk rate before but his walk rates have always been good just not this good. His OBP month to month has been in the .400 to nearly .500 range in every month except April so his control of the zone does looks elite. That is a skill that would give him a leg up at the MLB level. Still looking at August and the SSS there his batting average is only .250 although he still has a .462 OBP so the average is fine as he is getting on base a ton. However, his slugging is dropping and has been for a while now. In August it is at .393 his lowest since the month of April. There is a lot of time left in the month but the super hot streak may be starting to cool off. Will have to wait and see but he still has a nice plate approach that looks MLB worthy but without the slugging to go with it he would be a utility bat at best.

Hey I want to be a believer but he needs an out pitch. Batter's can seem to run up his pitch count at will because he doesn't seem to have a pitch to put guys away with. If he ever solves that I do think he is a major league pitcher and possibly a mid rotation one. If he stays as is I just don't see him making it except in maybe a depth emergency. The WHIP has to come down before I have any confidence what so ever. He is a good pitcher right now but he needs to be better if he wants to pitch in the majors.