Dman

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.

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.

Was starting to get worried about Cedar Rapids bats but it looks like they are back. Nice to see Ross with a big night was starting to wonder what happened to his contact skills. McCusker went 4 for 5 so he seems to be handling High A as well as A ball. Also good to see Rodriguez with no K's and two walks. I swear he is a different player every night. Cruz finally hit the 700 OPS mark on the season but it has taken a 1.277 OPS in August to get there. He is hot at the plate right now and I hope he has figured some things out as he is young for the level and could be a good bat in the future. If you would have asked me who would transition better to AA Tanner Schobel or Willie Joe Gary I would have hands down said Schobel as Gary hasn't had an OPS over .700 in his minor league career. It is a super small sample size but right now Willie Joe has a 1.041 OPS at AA and Schobel .554. Sometime things click and sometimes they don't I guess. Larnach continues to hit the ball well. Not sure if those hits are coming off breaking stuff or still just fastballs but he looks ready for another chance when and or if it comes. Nice to see the hitters getting back in a groove again now if the pitching could be better there would be more wins.

I will echo comments of too small of a sample size for Wallner. Larnach had his moments of being the best hitter on the team for about a month or so and then slowly tanked. Same with Miranda so not sold that this is who Wallner is just yet. I still believe in Larnach and his hitting is improving at AAA. The lack of power at the MLB level is concerning but it is harder to square up breaking balls so I can see that sapping some of his slugging. I think his approach of just trying to get contact and gain confidence in his hitting is the place to start and he has more than enough ability to swing for the fences when in good counts. I don't think he is a liability in left field but he doesn't have great speed so he needs to slug or he isn't a major league player. Of the two right now I like Wallner better. He has taken good at bats. he is getting to his power and has kept his K rate in an OK spot for right now. He is going to see fewer fastballs so hopefully he can adjust to that. This seems to be the point where players with generally high K rate have issues but we will see. Personally I still hope both players work out but we will have to wait and see.

What a start from Ohl. Pure Domination and he was so aggressive throwing strikes he didn't give up a walk. He did give up plenty of hits but he made them earn getting on base. Really like that guys style and is still playing well at AA. He could have gone 9 but this late in the season best to keep the number of pitches down. I think the other team pulled their guy at 66 pitches. I was actually surprised they let him go 8 as 7 usually seems the limit but nice to see him pitch so well last night. That AAA team has a great hitters lineup. I am going echo others and say Martin just keep doing what you are doing and don't worry about power. There is enough doubles power and the ability to steal bases to make him plenty valuable in other ways. Was happy to see a dominant 3 for 3. SWR has been better recently. I had been pretty down on him and thought he might fade even at the end of the season. I still think his ultimate home is in relief but he did a nice job again last night.

A little too early to be called a success story to me, but yeah, I am rooting for the guy. A fair number of warts in his last outing but the end result was much better than expected. Hoping he has great starts until the end of the year and he gets himself a fat contract for next year.

Yeah when you think of Keirsey over a Nick Gordon in center field it makes even more sense. Also Keirsey should be able to play all three outfield positions at a plus level. Still questions with the bat so hoping he maintains his batting line in AAA. Larnach is still a bit better at the plate than Keirsey but Keirsey could be a replacement for Larnach as well with the caveat that the bat holds up at AAA and beyond. I agree that hip injury really held him back for longer than anticipated. He has an aggressive approach with a good K rate so he has good bat to ball skills. Not enough walks though so his transition to MLB looks like it would be bumpy to me unless he maintains a good contact rate with the ball. Still the defense and ability to steal bases sure is enticing and the Twins don't have a lot of players that run above average so that brings value as well as having three option years so they can move him up and down to balance the roster as needed. Clearly a good 4th outfielder option but needs more work to be a regular IMO.

Too small a sample size to say too much about Jenkins just yet but if he keeps this up I think getting him acclimated with Kernal's makes some sense. That way he has less to worry about at the start of next year as he will know how things work there. He seems to have impressive bat to ball skills. He hadn't even struck out until his last game. The power is obviously there. IMO he doesn't need to follow the Holliday model. If he gets to High A next year that will be a good sign in and of itself for a teenager. I am hoping he is a fast mover as those players tend to be All Star type players but it has only been a few games so hard to say what his development path will be like. Still I am happy to see him doing well out of the gates it is far better than the alternative.

I believe Buxton only signed with the Twins for the incentive laden contract if he got a no trade clause. He was signing a lessor deal because he likes Minnesota and wanted to stay there. It was how the deal got done so I don't believe trading Buxton is an option.

First things first Kepler has to remain consistent the rest of the season and given his history that is far from a certainty. If he does manage that then picking up the option seems likely. I still think they might want to trade him if his value has been reestablished but they would need a really good offer to move him as this FO doesn't move players they value without getting one. If they are inclined to keep him it seems like they would want to try and deal Larnach. They have Emmanual Rodriguez who could be ready next year but more likely will need a spot by 2025. Rosario a right handed power hitter is right there with him and they could use Keirsey in a 4th outfielder role that would allow for good to great defense at all three outfield spots. Lewis might be in the mix as well. Someone is going to have to be moved at some point. I guess we will know more in the next couple of months.

First I have to say Pablo was amazing today. Nice to just see a good clean start and then mop up by Headrick. Second Props to Luplow who has already exceeded my expectations as I never thought he would have a 3 for 5 game from now until the end of the season. He took some good at bats and kind of got jobbed on his strike out at bat. If his bat can hold up even close to that against lefties he has my vote to stay in the lineup. After all the crap I have been giving Correa lately he goes out and Doubles and Homers in key situations. I guess he has me off of his back now. Donny Barrels got things started and had good at bats for the most part. He has been as good as advertised. I hope Kepler didn't hurt his foot with that hit by pitch. He was just finally having some success it would suck if he broke a bone and or had to out for a while again. Even if just a bruise given where is landed it seems likely to affect his at bats. Larnach might get another look yet. Will have to wait and see. Hoping we can take this series the way the Tigers took it to the Twins at Target Field. Would be nice to get several games above .500 and stay there this time.

I am loving Walker Jenkins as well. With the double and Home Run today he doesn't look over matched in the FCL right now. Winokur has quite the K rate but has been taking some walks and is hitting far better than I expected for an 18 year old. Those two have been quite the one, two punch for their team. Glad the OP mentioned Carr as even I had started to notice he is a stopper for that team. Andrew Morris is starting to look more interesting these days as well. AA should get a lot of pitching reinforcements next year from the loaded Kernal's team. The best thing though is that Miller had a week with a 1.000 OPS. He has struggled since turning pro with the bat so really hoping he comes on strong at the end of the year as he could be a star shortstop if the bat turns plus. ER is gonna ER some weeks and other weeks he slumps. Consistency for him is key and consistency for him would be a .900 to 1.000 OPS week in, week out as he hits the ball hard all the time. I think he can do it. He just needs to get that swing under a bit more control at times. I am still not a fan of Winkel's defense but he sure had a great week offensively. He generally is solid in the box but he really stood out this week. Seems like all the catchers in the Twins system are doing well with the bat this year. Fajardo can hit for average but if he is playing in a corner spot he needs to find a bit more power. Really interesting player the Twins brought over but the walk rate is low and the slugging is OK but needs to be higher IMO. He can steal bases but to get an outfield spot you almost have to be special and more power is the key there. Have enjoyed Ohl all the way from A ball and happy to see him doing well at AA. Kind of glad to Raya take some lumps it should make him a better pitcher down the road. Gonna focus on Larnach at AAA. On Sunday the Saints team only got three hits and Larnach had two of them. He looks healthy and appears more confident at the plate. I am still a believer but Kepler and Wallner are still ahead of him. I still think he can be a slightly above average left fielder with a big bat with power to all fields. He is going to have to impress at AAA and wait for his next shot though. There is a ton of Blue Collar guys at AAA. Prato, Helman, Keirsey, Severino, Stevenson and Williams. Guys that are right on the cusp of a 40 man spot. Out of all of them I think I like Prato the best but I wonder how many of those guys will around next year after Rule V and free agency. Great summary as always! Love these reports.