Shane Wahl

I fear for him in AA, whenever the hell the Twins decide to promote him there. He has been very consistent up until now. I could be wrong about him. I really, really don't understand how he is still in Fort Myers.

The Twins system is entering a new era as the youth movement is now officially underway. Players like May and Rosario have graduated already. Some players like Sano and Buxton will be leaving this list due to graduation in the coming months. It is important to get a glimpse of the state of the system going forward as the Twins are now entering a time of contention (and hopefully victory) over the next few years. The system is still rich, but clearly there are areas of concern already present. This is the final installment of my mid-season prospect update. Late September will bring the final list for the year. 1. Byron Buxton: CF, 12-18-93 2015 status: Buxton is basically done with minor league baseball. He got injured again, but should be back with the Twins in September. ETA: already arrived. 2. Miguel Sano: 3B, 5-3-93 2015 status: Has obliterated the baseball after his promotion to the Twins. He is also done with minor league baseball. Sano will be used as the DH primarily for the rest of this year, but the Twins should be shopping Trevor Plouffe in the offseason. ETA: already arrived. 3. Jose Berrios: RHS, 5-27-94 2015 status: Strong improvement over 2014 AA numbers. Promoted to AAA. ETA: essentially MLB ready now. 4. Jorge Polanco: SS/2B, 7-5-93 2015 status: Promoted to the Twins for one game and then moved to Rochester from Chattanooga. His bat is ready, not he just needs to get his SS defense up to acceptable standards. ETA: 2015. 5. Max Kepler: OF/1B, 2-10-93 2015 status: In the midst of a breakout season that is really pushing the envelope for the Twins. I would like to see a move up to AAA and then a September call up. Outstanding to see Kepler develop in this way this year. Could be trade bait. ETA: September 2015, or 2016 after Twins roster shakeup in offseason. 6. Nick Gordon: SS, 10-24-95 2015 status: The youngster struggled offensively initially at Cedar Rapids, but is really hitting his stride. Defense is great. ETA: 2019. 7. Tyler Jay: LHR, 4-19-94 2015 status: Sent to Fort Myers to the bullpen, likely for the remainder of 2015. Starting ability in question. ETA: 2017. 8. Stephen Gonsalves: LHS, 7-8-94 2015 status: Totally dominated A ball, hitting a learning curve in A+ ball, but it should only be a matter of time. Perhaps A+/AA split in 2016. ETA: 2018 9. Adam Walker: RF, 10-18-91 2015 status: He is having a great season. Homers and strikeouts abound, but he is also hitting a bit better overall and has an .899 OPS. Also trade bait. ETA: September 2015 for some fun homers, or else 2016 after some AAA time. 10. Amaurys Minier: OF/1B, 1-30-96 2015 status: Getting moved to Elizabethon will be a bit of a challenge initially, but he should be fine. He could have a monster season. ETA: 2020. 11. Alex Meyer: RHS, 1-3-90 2015 status: Struggled in AAA as a starter, converted to reliever temporarily, promoted to Twins as such, optioned back to AAA. Maybe he works on a few things and is back relieving for a playoff Twins team. Otherwise, they have to move him back to try starting one more time. ETA: should be back in 2015. 12. Taylor Rogers: LHS, 12-17-90 2015 status: Strong AAA time, replicating his AA numbers from 2014. I would like to see a playoff push involving Rogers as a lights out LOOGY. ETA: 2015 as a reliever, 2016 as a starter. 13. Chih-Wei Hu: RHS, 11-4-93 2015 status: Hu has finally given up some home runs, but that is about all that has changed from his excellent production in 2013 and 2014. He is an 8.6 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 kind of guy. It will be interesting to see how they manage his innings for the rest of the season, since I doubt that he is going to be top 110 innings or so and he is at 66.2 right now. ETA: 2017. 14. Kohl Stewart: RHS, 10-7-94 2015 status: A mediocre strikeout rate has actually fallen sharply in 2015. There is a lot of hand-waving about it as though it doesn't matter, but I think some caution is warranted here. Clearly, Stewart will be in Fort Myers again in 2016. ETA: 2018. 15. Tyler Duffey: RHS, 12-27-90 2015 status: Like Hu, Duffey is producing at his current level with very similar numbers as his overall minor league career numbers, and that is telling. He has been excellent this year, and I almost placed him ahead of Stewart. ETA: 2016. 16. Lewin Diaz: 1B, 11-19-96 2015 status: Getting used to playing in the States. Born on the day I got my driver's license. Taking it slow, obviously, but Diaz is about as fun as any prospect to watch in anticipation for the rest of the year. ETA: 2021. 17. Lewis Thorpe: LHS, 11-23-95 2015 status: The Twins and Thorpe decided to not have Tommy John surgery last September and this amounted to long delay of the inevitable,as Thorpe's April surgery will mean that he is out until at least mid-season 2016. He will only be about 20 and a half when he returns in 2016 (I would assume GCL/Fort Myers) so his status is still top-10 worthy. ETA: 2019 with level/year development. 18. Brandon Peterson: RHR, 9-23-91 2015 status: Peterson did not get the attention that Nick Burdi and Jake Reed did after last season. Then the Twins kept him down in Fort Myers for some inexplicable reason. Now, he is up in Chattanooga and he has not missed a beat at all. The 13 K/9 coupled with an acceptable 3.3 BB/9 makes him an elite reliever prospect. ETA: 2016. 19. Wandy Javier: SS, 12-29-98 2015 status: Just signed by the Twins to a $4 million bonus, the SS could top this list within two years. Looks like a good all-around player, both offensively and defensively. ETA: 2022. 20. Travis Harrison: LF/RF, 10-17-92 2015 status: Harrison is a good all-around hitter, who is fully in the OF this year. The power still has not come, however, and this is going to force him down the list. Harrison is definitely someone the Twins should try to shop in some package in the offseason, or if they really want to trade for a bullpen arm for the stretch run in 2015. ETA: September 2016. 21. Zach Jones: RHR, 12-4-90 2015 status: Jones was dominant until his last two appearances and was sent to Fort Myers. When he gets healthy, the Twins should consider promoting him to AAA. ETA: 2015 or 2016. 22. Nick Burdi: RHR, 1-19-93 2015 status: Things started poorly, got significantly better for a little bit, then went so poorly that the Twins actually just demoted Burdi back to Fort Myers, in a move that is rather perplexing, even with his bad performance. His mechanics have been altered significantly, and this might be the problem. ETA: 2017. 23. Levi Michael: 2B, 2-9-91 2015 status: Michael has battled an injury again this season. When actually healthy, he is good. He has an .807 OPS for Chattanooga this year and is back to stealing bases. He is slugging substantially more this year, which is interesting. Given everyone above him, Michael is in Harrison's camp as trade material. ETA: September 2016. 24. Travis Blankenhorn: 3B, 8-3-96 2015 status: Drafted in the third round, the Twins sent Blankenhorn to the GCL. Nice pick, good bat. ETA: 2020. 25. Jake Reed: RHR, 9-29-92 2015 status: Like Burdi, the stock is falling here for Jake Reed. He has struggled in AA and should remain there well into next season. ETA: 2016 only if all goes well. 26. Niko Goodrum: SS/3B/CF, 2-28-92 2015 status: Promoted to Chattanooga after an OK start in Fort Myers. He always threatens to push that OPS over .700 . . . time will tell. Great speed. Adding CF to his resume is interesting. Good end up being a more athletic and bigger version of Eduardo Escobar. Still relatively young. ETA: September 2016. 27. Felix Jorge: RHS, 1-2-94 2015 status: He's back and pitching very well. The strikeout rate has dropped, but so has the walk rate. He is also not giving up very many hits. I think he likely moves to A+ when the Twins move Hu to AA. ETA: 2018. 28. Dalton Hicks: 1B, 4-2-90 2015 status: Hicks was smashing the ball in Chattanooga before getting injured. He has been up and down my lists over the past few years now. ETA: September 2016. 29. JT Chargois: RHR, 12-3-90 2015 status: Chargois is back after not pitching in 2013 or 2014. He is doing very well, though his control is an issue. It was rather shocking how he dominated A+ ball though, and he is up to AA. ETA: 2016 if he remains healthy. 30. Alex Robinson: LHR, 8-11-94 2015 status: After being drafted in the fifth round, he headed off to the Elizabethon bullpen. ETA: 2019. 31. Michael Cederoth: RHP, 11-25-92. 2015 status: He has struggled a bit in A ball this year, walking a lot of guys as a starter. He moved to the bullpen and has been excellent. I imagine he stays there. ETA: 2018. 32. Mat Batts: LHS, 7-6-91 2015 status: After a very strong start to the 2015 season in Cedar Rapids, Batts was promoted to Fort Myers where he continues to be fantastic. ETA: 2018. 33. Tanner English: CF, 3-11-93 2015 status: Has hit a bit of a snag with his first full season, but the steals and defense are intriguing enough. He also draws a good amount of walks. Only grounded into one double play all year, which is crazy. ETA: 2018. 34. Cameron Booser: LHR, 5-4-92 2015 status: Strong for Cedar Rapids, but he is walking an awful lot of guys. He strikes out a ton too, though. ETA: 2018. 35. Trevor Hildenberger: RHR, 12-15-90 2015 status: Hildenberger has been out of control dominant for Cedar Rapids. It isn't clear why he is not in Fort Myers by now. ETA: 2017, if the Twins are at all serious about him. 36. Aaron Slegers: RHS, 9-4-92 2015 status: Slegers is a solid starting pitching prospect who might continue to climb the prospect rankings, but shouldn't fall far. Very good K/BB rate. ETA: 2018. 37. Engelb Vielma: SS, 6-22-94 2015 status: Slow to develop bat at Fort Myers, but that should be expected. He is inching toward similar offensive numbers in 2015 as he had in Cedar Rapids in 2014, but the stolen bases have exploded. ETA: 2017 if the Twins want a defensive shortstop, otherwise 2018. 38. Stuart Turner: C, 12-27-91 2015 status: As expected, the bat is bad in AA. He is a very good defensive catcher, however. A .566 OPS in AA is a bit scary and the Twins have an immediate hole at the catcher position. ETA: September 2016. 39. John Curtiss: RHS, 4-5-93 2015 status: I was too high on Curtiss going into the season. He has been hit pretty hard in A ball this year. The strikeouts are still there, but it is going to be a slow ascent in the system. ETA: 2019. 40. Alexis Tapia: RHS, 8-10-95 2015 status: Very young, but with good strikeout and walk numbers. Could climb fast. ETA 2019. 41. Mitch Garver: C, 1-15-91 2015 status: Started very slowly offensively, but is now coming around. Would like to see him pushed to AA in August to test his bat a little bit and get him ready for a full season of AA in 2016. ETA: 2017. 42. Danny Ortiz: OF, 1-5-90 2015 status: Ortiz was hitting really well to start the year in AAA, then cooled off as he was moved to CF. Maybe the two are unrelated, but I think that it is a good thing for Ortiz to add CF to his resume. The Twins should definitely be interested in his 4th OF capability if they are going to be trading some of their OF depth (Kepler, Walker, Harrison). Otherwise, Ortiz is trade bait to add in a package. ETA: would be September 2015 in about any other organization. Here, 2016. 43. James Beresford: 2B/IF, 1-19-89 2015 status: Beresford is totally consistent. There is basically no steadier a bat in the system. The Twins know how Beresford will produce offensively in the big leagues if they want him there. The issue for him is that he needs to move beyond being a second baseman. His future anywhere is going to be as a utility infielder, much like Ortiz's future is as a 4th OF. ETA: September 2015 wouldn't be totally out of the question if the Twins have 40-man space. Otherwise 2016 somewhere in MLB. 44. Jermaine Palacios: SS/IF, 7-19-96 2015 status: Palacios is pounding GCL pitching right now after a very solid 2014 season in the DSL. Currently, he is quite slight, measuring six feet tall while being listed at under 150 pounds. He might not outgrow SS, so there is a decent chance that he sticks there. Big sleeper prospect right now. ETA: 2021. 45. Zach Granite: CF/LF, 9-17-92 2015 status: Granite dominated in Cedar Rapids and was quickly promoted to Fort Myers. He is struggling some there, but should get his 2015 A+ numbers to match his 2014 A numbers. He has very good speed and some decent plate discipline. ETA: 2018. 46. Alex Wimmers: RHS, 11-1-88 2015 status: It is fantastic that Wimmers has gotten back into the swing of things. That he is starting again and striking people out is a testament to his perseverance. ETA: 2016 if the Twins are aggressive. 47. Randy Rosario: LHS, 5-18-94 2015 status: Hopefully, a healthy Rosario can get on track and return to showing the promise of his pre-2014 career. ETA: 2019. 48. Rafael Valera: 2B/3B/SS, 8-15-94 2015 status: Valera is another sleeper prospect. The Twins sent Valera to Cedar Rapids this year after a decent season in the GCL in 2014. Good plate discipline and speed. ETA: 2019. 49. Todd Van Steensel: RHR, 1-14-91 2015 status: Van Steensel is a strikeout machine for Fort Myers. Undoubtedly, he will finish the year in AA if some of the pitchers in AA and AAA get promotions. ETA: 2016. 50. Ryan O'Rourke: LHR, 4-30-88 2015 status: O'Rourke has just been promoted to the Twins. He has been hit hard by right-handed hitters this year again, but the strikeout numbers against lefties are astounding. He could make it as a dominant LOOGY. A Twins playoff bullpen with Rogers and O'Rourke would negate left-handed hitters in the late innings. ETA: right now. Honorable Mention: Luke Bard, Max Murphy, Trey Vavra, DJ Baxendale, Brian Navarreto, Zach Larson, Trey Cabbage, Tyler Kuresa, Yorman Landa, Ryan Eades, Kuo-Hua Lo, Mason Melotakis, Corey Williams, Alex Muren, Fernando Romero, LaMonte Wade, Jason Wheeler, Tim Shibuya, Brett Lee, Matthew Summers Conclusion: The system has now peaked. Losing the second-round pick Kyle Cody hurts as well. Including the honorable mentions, though, the Twins here have 70 players who could make it to the show.

Buxton is going to be an elite player with Sano. Buxton adds tremendous defensive capability. That is overall the difference to me (the speed of Buxton and the power of Sano cancel each other out, in my view). I expected some complaint about Javier, but in the opposite direction! He might be in the top 3 signed this year from the DR.

Yeah there are a lot of guys who bottle-necking in the system right now. I think the Twins do need to make some trades that will end up getting them younger guys, especially since one would think that the era of top 10 picks is very much over. We don't want a system getting bare in 2018 regardless of what the big league club is able to accomplish.

It is time for part 2 of my mid-season prospect list. Here are the top 30 position player prospects in the Twins system: 1. Byron Buxton (1): CF, 12-18-93 2015 status: Buxton is basically done with minor league baseball. He got injured again, but should be back with the Twins in September. ETA: already arrived. 2. Miguel Sano (2): 3B, 5-3-93 2015 status: Has obliterated the baseball after his promotion to the Twins. He is also done with minor league baseball. Sano will be used as the DH primarily for the rest of this year, but the Twins should be shopping Trevor Plouffe in the offseason. ETA: already arrived. 3. Jorge Polanco (3): SS/2B, 7-5-93 2015 status: Promoted to the Twins for one game and then moved to Rochester from Chattanooga. His bat is ready, not he just needs to get his SS defense up to acceptable standards. ETA: 2015. 4. Max Kepler (6): OF/1B, 2-10-93 2015 status: In the midst of a breakout season that is really pushing the envelope for the Twins. I would like to see a move up to AAA and then a September call up. Outstanding to see Kepler develop in this way this year. Could be trade bait. ETA: September 2015, or 2016 after Twins roster shakeup in offseason. 5. Nick Gordon (5): SS, 10-24-95 2015 status: The youngster struggled offensively initially at Cedar Rapids, but is really hitting his stride. Defense is great. ETA: 2019 6. Adam Walker (7): RF, 10-18-91 2015 status: He is having a great season. Homers and strikeouts abound, but he is also hitting a bit better overall and has an .899 OPS. Also trade bait. ETA: September 2015 for some fun homers, or else 2016 after some AAA time. 7. Amaurys Minier (8): OF/1B, 1-30-96 2015 status: Getting moved to Elizabethon will be a bit of a challenge initially, but he should be fine. He could have a monster season. ETA: 2020. 8. Lewis Diaz (11): 1B, 11-19-96 2015 status: Getting used to playing in the States. Born on the day I got my driver's license. Taking it slow, obviously, but Diaz is about as fun as any prospect to watch in anticipation for the rest of the year. ETA: 2021. 9. Wandy Javier (NR): SS, 12-29-98 2015 status: Just signed by the Twins to a $4 million bonus, the SS could top this list within two years. Looks like a good all-around player, both offensively and defensively. ETA: 2022. 10. Travis Harrison (9): LF/RF, 10-17-92 2015 status: Harrison is a good all-around hitter, who is fully in the OF this year. The power still has not come, however, and this is going to force him down the list. Harrison is definitely someone the Twins should try to shop in some package in the offseason, or if they really want to trade for a bullpen arm for the stretch run in 2015. ETA: September 2016. 11. Levi Michael (10): 2B, 2-9-91 2015 status: Michael has battled an injury again this season. When actually healthy, he is good. He has an .807 OPS for Chattanooga this year and is back to stealing bases. He is slugging substantially more this year, which is interesting. Given everyone above him, Michael is in Harrison's camp as trade material. ETA: September 2016. 12. Travis Blankenhorn (NR): 3B, 8-3-96 2015 status: Drafted in the third round, the Twins sent Blankenhorn to the GCL. Nice pick, good bat. ETA: 2020. 13. Niko Goodrum (14): SS/3B/CF, 2-28-92 2015 status: Promoted to Chattanooga after an OK start in Fort Myers. He always threatens to push that OPS over .700 . . . time will tell. Great speed. Adding CF to his resume is interesting. Good end up being a more athletic and bigger version of Eduardo Escobar. Still relatively young. ETA: September 2016. 14. Dalton Hicks (20): 1B, 4-2-90 2015 status: Hicks was smashing the ball in Chattanooga before getting injured. He has been up and down my lists over the past few years now. ETA: September 2016. 15. Tanner English (18): CF, 3-11-93 2015 status: Has hit a bit of a snag with his first full season, but the steals and defense are intriguing enough. He also draws a good amount of walks. Only grounded into one double play all year, which is crazy. ETA: 2018. 16. Engelb Vielma (17): SS, 6-22-94 2015 status: Slow to develop bat at Fort Myers, but that should be expected. He is inching toward similar offensive numbers in 2015 as he had in Cedar Rapids in 2014, but the stolen bases have exploded. ETA: 2017 if the Twins want a defensive shortstop, otherwise 2018. 17. Stuart Turner (12): C, 12-27-91 2015 status: As expected, the bat is bad in AA. He is a very good defensive catcher, however. A .566 OPS in AA is a bit scary and the Twins have an immediate hole at the catcher position. ETA: September 2016. 18. Mitch Garver (15): C, 1-15-91 2015 status: Started very slowly offensively, but is now coming around. Would like to see him pushed to AA in August to test his bat a little bit and get him ready for a full season of AA in 2016. ETA: 2017. 19. Danny Ortiz (22): OF, 1-5-90 2015 status: Ortiz was hitting really well to start the year in AAA, then cooled off as he was moved to CF. Maybe the two are unrelated, but I think that it is a good thing for Ortiz to add CF to his resume. The Twins should definitely be interested in his 4th OF capability if they are going to be trading some of their OF depth (Kepler, Walker, Harrison). Otherwise, Ortiz is trade bait to add in a package. ETA: would be September 2015 in about any other organization. Here, 2016. 20. James Beresford (24): 2B/IF, 1-19-89 2015 status: Beresford is totally consistent. There is basically no steadier a bat in the system. The Twins know how Beresford will produce offensively in the big leagues if they want him there. The issue for him is that he needs to move beyond being a second baseman. His future anywhere is going to be as a utility infielder, much like Ortiz's future is as a 4th OF. ETA: September 2015 wouldn't be totally out of the question if the Twins have 40-man space. Otherwise 2016 somewhere in MLB. 21. Jermaine Palacios (NR): SS/IF, 7-19-96 2015 status: Palacios is pounding GCL pitching right now after a very solid 2014 season in the DSL. Currently, he is quite slight, measuring six feet tall while being listed at under 150 pounds. He might not outgrow SS, so there is a decent chance that he sticks there. Big sleeper prospect right now. ETA: 2021. 22. Zach Granite (NR): CF/LF, 9-17-92 2015 status: Granite dominated in Cedar Rapids and was quickly promoted to Fort Myers. He is struggling some there, but should get his 2015 A+ numbers to match his 2014 A numbers. He has very good speed and some decent plate discipline. ETA: 2018 23. Rafael Valera (NR): 2B/3B/SS, 8-15-94 2015 status: Valera is another sleeper prospect. The Twins sent Valera to Cedar Rapids this year after a decent season in the GCL in 2014. Good plate discipline and speed. ETA: 2019. 24. Max Murphy (13): OF, 11-17-92 2015 status: After dominating in Elizabethon in 2014, Murphy struggled some in Cedar Rapids last year. Those struggles have continued and that is why he has fallen dramatically on this list. Still can rebound. ETA 2019. 25. Trey Vavra (HM): 1B/LF, 9-17-91 2015 status: Vavra got off to a torrid start this year before getting injured. His performance has been a pleasant surprise. When healthy he has hit and hit for power. ETA: 2018. 26. Brian Navarreto (HM): C, 12-29-94 2015 status: Navarreto got off to a terrible start at the plate, then was injured, and now has been better since returning. His defense is good to very good, but the bat is really lagging. He will certainly be in Cedar Rapids for much of 2016. ETA: 2019. 27. Zach Larson (19): OF, 10-8-93 2015 status: Really going backwards this year, not even really close to his 2014 numbers in Cedar Rapids. He is still young, though, so there is time for him there to work it out. ETA: 2019. 28. Trey Cabbage (NR): 3B, 5-3-97 2015 status: Drafted in the 4th round, Cabbage could be a bit of a steal in the draft. He is starting out for the GCL. ETA: 2022. 29. Tyler Kuresa (HM): 1B, 11-17-92 2015 status: I had high hopes of a breakthrough season for Kuresa, but Cedar Rapids was very rough for him. He was then demoted to Elizabethon where he immediately started hammering the ball. After only 63 plate appearances there, the Twins have promoted him back to Cedar Rapids for round two. ETA: 2019. 30. LaMonte Wade (NR): CF, 1-1-94 2015 status: Drafted in the 9th round, the Twins sent wade to Elizabethon where he is off to a very impressive start. ETA: 2020 Honorable Mentions: Kolton Kendrick (1B), Jorge Fernandez (1B/C), Rainis Silva © Overview: This list doesn't compare to the pitching prospects list in terms of depth, though the high-end talent is probably better overall. You can see where it really starts to breakdown with Mitch Garver at 18 as a kind of "hope he doesn't fizzle" status and then the minor league veterans in limbo at AAA in Ortiz and Beresford. Palacios and Valera are two guys to watch. The rest at the end have real questions about either performance or the lack thereof (2015 draftees). Wade is another fun guy to see develop this year. Breakdown by ETA: 2015: 1. Buxton, 2. Sano, 3. Polanco. 2016: 4. Kepler, 6. Walker, 10. Harrison, 11. Michael, 13. Goodrum, 14. Hicks, 17. Turner, 19. Ortiz, 20. Beresford. 2017: 18. Garver. 2018: 15. English, 16. Vielma, 22. Granite, 25. Vavra, 2019: 5. Gordon, 23. Valera, 24. Murphy, 26. Navarreto, 27. Larson, 29. Kuresa. 2020: 7. Minier, 12. Blankenhorn, 30. Wade 2021: 8. Diaz, 21. Palacios, 2022: 9. Javier, 28. Cabbage Part 3 will be a combined list of pitchers and position players

Jesus that was a lot to digest. Bad about Jorge Fernandez! Also, Vargas is on a downward spiral.

Screw it, I am going to just post this in the forums too.

Other than injury or suspension issues relating to one month+ quiet threads, I think I will go through and update those threads that haven't had an update since June 10. Maybe I will get around to opening up a few new ones too.

True. The thing that is funny about it, though, is that this makes him a much better backup who can come in and pinch hit for somebody in those situations!

I wouldn't get too concerned about the number next to the name. He is likely a top 15 pitching prospect in almost every other organization. Also, his ranking will rise naturally when he moves up another level. The system is also unusually heavy with relievers right now. That isn't going to last. Bard just has so little actual professional time under his belt that it is hard to put him higher up on this list.

Here we are on July 7th now. Last seven innings aside, it has been a disaster.

It is time to re-evaluate the top pitching prospects in the Twins system. Trevor May graduated, and the 2015 draft brought in three fresh pitchers to this list. 1. Jose Berrios (1): RHS, 5-27-94 2015 status: Strong improvement over 2014 AA numbers. Promoted to AAA. ETA: essentially MLB ready now. 2. Tyler Jay (NR): LHR, 4-19-94 2015 status: Sent to Fort Myers to the bullpen, likely for the remainder of 2015. Starting ability in question. ETA: 2017 3. Stephen Gonsalves (5): LHS, 7-8-94 2015 status: Totally dominated A ball, hitting a learning curve in A+ ball, but it should only be a matter of time. Perhaps A+/AA split in 2016. ETA: 2018 4. Alex Meyer (2): RHS, 1-3-90 2015 status: Struggled in AAA as a starter, converted to reliever temporarily, promoted to Twins as such, optioned back to AAA. Maybe he works on a few things and is back relieving for a playoff Twins team. Otherwise, they have to move him back to try starting one more time. ETA: should be back in 2015. 5. Taylor Rogers (9): LHS, 12-17-90 2015 status: Strong AAA time, replicating his AA numbers from 2014. I would like to see a playoff push involving Rogers as a lights out LOOGY. ETA: 2015 as a reliever, 2016 as a starter. 6. Chih-Wei Hu (15): RHS, 11-4-93 2015 status: Hu has finally given up some home runs, but that is about all that has changed from his excellent production in 2013 and 2014. He is an 8.6 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 kind of guy. It will be interesting to see how they manage his innings for the rest of the season, since I doubt that he is going to be top 110 innings or so and he is at 66.2 right now. ETA: 2017. 7. Kohl Stewart (3): RHS, 10-7-94 2015 status: A mediocre strikeout rate has actually fallen sharply in 2015. There is a lot of hand-waving about it as though it doesn't matter, but I think some caution is warranted here. Clearly, Stewart will be in Fort Myers again in 2016. ETA: 2018. 8. Tyler Duffey (10): RHS, 12-27-90 2015 status: Like Hu, Duffey is producing at his current level with very similar numbers as his overall minor league career numbers, and that is telling. He has been excellent this year, and I almost placed him ahead of Stewart. ETA: 2016. 9. Lewis Thorpe (7): LHS, 11-23-95 2015 status: The Twins and Thorpe decided to not have Tommy John surgery last September and this amounted to long delay of the inevitable,as Thorpe's April surgery will mean that he is out until at least mid-season 2016. He will only be about 20 and a half when he returns in 2016 (I would assume GCL/Fort Myers) so his status is still top-10 worthy. ETA: 2019 with level/year development. 10. Brandon Peterson (13): RHR, 9-23-91 2015 status: Peterson did not get the attention that Nick Burdi and Jake Reed did after last season. Then the Twins kept him down in Fort Myers for some inexplicable reason. Now, he is up in Chattanooga and he has not missed a beat at all. The 13 K/9 coupled with an acceptable 3.3 BB/9 makes him an elite reliever prospect. ETA: 2016. 11. Zach Jones (12): RHR, 12-4-90 2015 status: Jones was dominant until his last two appearances and is now on the DL. When he gets healthy, the Twins should consider promoting him to AAA. ETA: 2015 or 2016. 12. Nick Burdi (4): RHR, 1-19-93 2015 status: Things started poorly, got significantly better for a little bit, then went so poorly that the Twins actually just demoted Burdi back to Fort Myers, in a move that is rather perplexing, even with his bad performance. His mechanics have been altered significantly, and this might be the problem. ETA: 2017. 13. Jake Reed (8): RHR, 9-29-92 2015 status: Like Burdi, the stock is falling here for Jake Reed. He has struggled in AA and should remain there well into next season. ETA: 2016 only if all goes well. 14. Kyle Cody (NR): RHS, 8-9-95 2015 status: Still unsigned, for whatever reason. I am personally not very enthused with this draft pick. ETA: 2019 15. Felix Jorge (20): RHS, 1-2-94 2015 status: He's back and pitching very well. The strikeout rate has dropped, but so has the walk rate. He is also not giving up very many hits. I think he likely moves to A+ when the Twins move Hu to AA. ETA: 2018. 16. JT Chargois (HM): RHR, 12-3-90 2015 status: Chargois is back after not pitching in 2013 or 2014. He is doing very well, though his control is an issue. It was rather shocking how he dominated A+ ball though, and he is up to AA. ETA: 2016 if he remains healthy. 17. Alex Robinson (NR): LHR, 8-11-94 2015 status: After being drafted in the fifth round, he headed off to the Elizabethon bullpen. ETA: 2019. 18. Michael Cederoth (11): RHP, 11-25-92 2015 status: He has struggled a bit in A ball this year, walking a lot of guys as a starter. He moved to the bullpen and has been excellent. I imagine he stays there. ETA: 2018. 19. Mat Batts (HM): LHS, 7-6-91 2015 status: After a very strong start to the 2015 season in Cedar Rapids, Batts was promoted to Fort Myers where he continues to be fantastic. ETA: 2018. 20. Cameron Booser (24): LHR, 5-4-92 2015 status: Strong for Cedar Rapids, but he is walking an awful lot of guys. He strikes out a ton too, though. ETA: 2018. 21. Trevor Hildenberger (NR): RHR, 12-15-90 2015 status: Hildenberger has been out of control dominant for Cedar Rapids. It isn't clear why he is not in Fort Myers by now. ETA: 2017, if the Twins are at all serious about him. 22. Aaron Slegers (HM): RHS, 9-4-92 2015 status: Slegers is a solid starting pitching prospect who might continue to climb the prospect rankings, but shouldn't fall far. Very good K/BB rate. ETA: 2018. 23. John Curtiss (14): RHS, 4-5-93 2015 status: I was too high on Curtiss going into the season. He has been hit pretty hard in A ball this year. The strikeouts are still there, but it is going to be a slow ascent in the system. ETA: 2019. 24. Alexis Tapia (NR): RHS, 8-10-95 2015 status: Very young, but with good strikeout and walk numbers. Could climb fast. ETA 2019. 25. Alex Wimmers (NR): RHS, 11-1-88 2015 status: It is fantastic that Wimmers has gotten back into the swing of things. That he is starting again and striking people out is a testament to his perseverance. ETA: 2016 if the Twins are aggressive. 26. Randy Rosario (22): LHS, 5-18-94 2015 status: Hopefully, a healthy Rosario can get on track and return to showing the promise of his pre-2014 career. ETA: 2019. 27. Todd Van Steensel (HM): RHR, 1-14-91 2015 status: Van Steensel is a strikeout machine for Fort Myers. Undoubtedly, he will finish the year in AA if some of the pitchers in AA and AAA get promotions. ETA: 2016. 28. Ryan O'Rourke (25): LHR, 4-30-88 2015 status: O'Rourke has just been promoted to the Twins. He has been hit hard by right-handed hitters this year again, but the strikeout numbers against lefties are astounding. He could make it as a dominant LOOGY. A Twins playoff bullpen with Rogers and O'Rourke would negate left-handed hitters in the late innings. ETA: right now. 29. Luke Bard (NR): RHR, 11-13-90 2015 status: Bard is back healthy and looks to get his career on track. I am placing him above some honorable mentions here because he was the 42nd pick in the 2012 draft. ETA: 2017 if he stays healthy and the Twins are aggressive with him in 2016. 30. DJ Baxendale (NR), RHS, 12-8-90 2015 status: Shows what I know. I thought Baxendale was a slightly better version of BJ Hermsen after his bad 2014 in AA. He returned there and has been solid. He just needs to stay healthy and fine-tune things and he could be another starting option in 2016. ETA: 2016. Honorable Mentions: Yorman Landa, Ryan Eades, Kuo-Hua Lo, Mason Melotakis, Corey Williams, Alex Muren, Fernando Romero, Jason Wheeler, Brett Lee, Adrian Salcedo, Tim Shibuya, Matt Summers This is an extensive list, ending with a lot of "C" prospects who could still develop and move up this list. I tend to value progress up into the higher levels of the minors a bit more than ceiling, until high-ceiling pitchers actually get to A+ ball and succeed. Breaking this down by ETA: 2015: 1. Berrios. 4. Meyer. 5. Rogers. 11. Jones. 28. O'Rourke. (3 SP, 2 RP) 2016: 8. Duffey. 10. Peterson. 13. Reed. 16. Chargois. 25. Wimmers. 27. Van Steensel. 30. Baxendale. (3 SP, 4 RP) 2017: 2. Jay. 6. Hu. 12. Burdi. 21. Hildenberger. 29. Bard. (2 SP, 3 RP) 2018: 3. Gonsalves. 7. Stewart. 15. Jorge. 18. Cederoth. 19. Batts. 20. Booser. 22. Slegers. (5 SP, 2 RP) 2019: 9. Thorpe. 14. Cody. 17. Robinson. 23. Curtiss. 24. Tapia. 26. Rosario. (4 SP, 2 RP) Not all thirty (42) are going to actually arrive in the show, but each one of these guys could realize his potential and get there someday, with some team. There is also adequate depth, clearly, to trade from as the Twins become serious contenders in 2016 and beyond.

I am going to be dealing with a move over the next 6 days, so I won't be able to update my prospects until Thursday, of next week, probably. Anyone is free to do so over the next week.

I am relieved, though, that it is clearly the case that Stewart is just out of the top 10.

I wasn't even thinking about Jay. That seems pretty high for him too, honestly! Kepler at 9 is a ridiculously high standard.

Forget Kepler . . . is Kohl Stewart actually being ranked higher than Gonsalves here? Stewart, Polanco, Berrios, Sano, and Buxton are left, right?

Wimmers making it to the big leagues would be a fantastic story.

Kepler added two more triples tonight. He is having the best year for Twins prospects. I think Arcia has to be traded as well. You don't mention Travis Harrison or Danny Ortiz, but I think all three of them could be shipped off (most likely together with a couple vets in a couple of trades). A 2016 OF of Kepler-Buxton-Rosario-Hicks is pretty enticing.

It would be totally ridiculous to keep Tonkin at AAA. He has to get the real extended look with the Twins for the rest of the year so they can wrap up his case one way or the other. No onto Lester Oliveros . . .

Anyway, this is good. Stauffer has nothing left. He is probably best off not playing anywhere at all the rest of the year and then come back somewhere next year on a minor league dealing to see if some arm rest has helped that velocity problem.

The Twins think they need 13 pitchers because they never ever use more than 10 position players in a game, and usually it really is just 9. Of course Shane Robinson is back to his usual terribleness, so the fact that they don't pinch hit for him by his third at bat is a problem.

Both Tanner English and Greg Peavey are particularly interesting.

How on earth is Eduardo Escobar a quality hitter? Pinto has been hitting well for most of the year at AAA and is currently in a slump. Still at a .730 OPS. Vargas had been smacking the ball around when they demoted him.

If the Twins aren't going to do the right things and call up Vargas, Arcia, and Pinto (one reliever, Santana, Herrmann/Nunez), then I would consider Dozier-Mauer-Plouffe-Hunter-Rosario-Hicks-Suzuki-Nunez (see how the bat holds up for a bit)-Santana/Escobar. Mauer's OBP is still ok for now and I cannot imagine any way that it remains below .350 as the season goes on. I think .320 is the low point right now. But his lack of slugging forces him either at the 2 or 6 spot.

I like how you organized your guys into one blog post. I think I will do that a few times during the year now! Your enthusiasm for AAP is *very* much appreciated by me!