Shane Wahl

Who is the notable prospect left out? I only looked for Twins.

9 in the top 131? HA! He has them stacked Hick-Arcia-Buxton (like yours truly).

What in the hell? If the difference is such that certain pitches down cut or break, then this is pretty relevant thing that I have NEVER heard of before.

I bet Vargas will be a DH. It might come down to Arcia vs. Vargas for that role down the road.

It isn't a knock against Parmelee, I just mean that Sano is likely headed there. And maybe Vargas or even Kepler. I didn't say they were trading him today. I could see it happening after the season if they want to just hold down the position for awhile for Sano. I hope for 2013 Twins numbers akin to his 2011 AA numbers. That would be fine by me and it would increase his value.

I have not given up on him. I do think he has the potential to be a candidate. If I would have mentioned him here, though, I would have REALLY heard it from people.

Sano is not going to be a third baseman in the big leagues in 2014 and Rosario is very unlikely to be a second baseman in the big leagues in 2014. There's too much to learn defensively for Rosario, most likely. Now, IF the Twins pull another Span-Revere trade tandem with Morneau and Parmelee before next season (maybe for a third baseman, but certainly for pitching), then maybe we see Sano playing first base at New Britain next year to begin the season and then he gets promoted next year (Colabello, Mauer, Herrmann fill in at first until then).

Clearly some of these guys will be traded, but so could Plouffe and Parmelee (the latter almost certainly will be--in fact I would not be totally surprised if the Twins traded both Morneau and Parmelee before the beginning of next season, much like the Span-Revere situation this year). I think that all of them have league average or better capabilities. Now, again, think about the Twins for the past two years, this year, and then compare to this list.

This is just a weird discussion. Seth might need to chime in about the defensive capabilities of both Herrmann and Pinto, but they certainly have caught a fair number of games if they are so damn bad behind the plate. They both have been called average defensively, though both of them have been pretty successful at throwing runners out. Pinto caught 56 of his 93 games at Fort Myers. Does one really want to quibble with that? In the minors, that's what catchers do--they often split time behind the plate. After his promotion to New Britain he barely caught. I wonder why? Oh, yeah, Chris Herrmann was there catching. As far as Herrmann's .754 OPS at AA . . . yeah, that's a good thing. For a backup catcher to have an upper .600-lower .700 OPS is very good. That's basically Mike Redmond's average .OPS with the Twins. Herrmann should be a bit better. Butera's defense is overrated. His presence with pitchers is not overrated, for sure.

I keep getting sucked into my hatred for the Correia signing on a weekly basis around here. Part of that is that I read MLB's Twins offseason analysis and it was just so damn blunt about how terrible the signing was. It isn't just that money is wasted, it is that Deduno and/or DeVries might actually have *better* seasons than Correia if given the chance. And at 1/9 the cost this year and 1/10 of it next year.

Think about a position player roster with these 14 players in 2016. Mauer Vargas Sano Rosario Goodrum Polanco Dozier Kepler Buxton Hicks Arcia Herrmann Santana Pinto (Roberts, Walker, Ortiz, Morales, Michael, Beresford, Koch)

Herrmann: spring training means very little. One can see that in case after case throughout baseball. Herrmann will be fine. And Pinto turns 24 if a few weeks, so calm down.

If Joe averages 74 games catching for the 5 years while playing 140 or so games total, that has to be a big positive. Catching too much is going to hurt him. FULL STOP. So, don't do that, especially with Doumit and Herrmann (and Pinto starting in 2014 or so) who are capable of sharing the load. Mauer can DH and play first base, especially in the post-Morneau era as Parmelee is going to be relegated to the bench or will be gone with the arrival of Sano and Vargas. Mauer can catch 100 games but he is going to require many more days off if he does that. I don't think 2012 was that egregious in terms of the value they got out of him. In fact, it was about spot on.

This concludes my 1-60 prospect list in depth. I hope it is helpful for everyone to get a grasp of the depth of the system and to help in formulating one's own top 20 or 30 prospects lists. Note: yes, neither Randy Rosario nor Anthony Slama appear in this top 60, and for entirely different reasons. Rosario needs to have a good 2013, and Slama appears to be done in the system, or it doesn't even matter to include him anywhere. Also, note: I am going to analyze the prospect movement trends from 2012 to 2013 in an upcoming blog. It will not be as cumbersome as the 2011 to 2012 version. I think it will be fairly illuminating, so stay tuned. 5. Alex Meyer (DOB: 1-3-90), RH starter: Meyer was the return that the Nationals sent over for Denard Span. Meyer is 6’ 9” and throws in the mid-upper 90s with a fantastic slider. He was the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 draft. He pitched 129 innings last year between low and high-A ball. After the promotion, he compiled a 2.31 ERA with 32 strikeouts and 11 walks in 39 innings. His H/9 dropped minimally, but his walk rate dropped by a quarter, so that might make up for his K/9 drop in the move. Meyer is ranked as the 59th best prospect by Baseball America and 40th by MLB.com (after it ranked him 83rd going in to last season). Meyer was a beast in high school and the Red Sox drafted him in the 20th round in 2008, but he opted to go to Kentucky which increased his stock immensely. Meyer and Gibson really could give the 1-2 punch the Twins need going forward, but Meyer is going to take a bit of time still. Expected start: New Britain. ETA: 2014-2015. 4. Byron Buxton (DOB: 12-18-93), RH center fielder: The Twins took Buxton with the second pick in the 2012 draft because his tools are off the charts (speed, arm, defense) or great (average, power). He performed well in the Gulf Coast League even though he struck out a lot and did not hit for average. The key was that he found his power against some fresh-out-of-high-school pitching. He was promoted to Elizabethon and actually improved. The slugging dropped, but his average and OBP climbed and he ended with a combined .792 OPS in his first season of pro baseball as an 18-year-old. My placement at the fourth spot on this list is almost certainly as low as he is on any Twins prospect list. This is simply due to the three ahead of him and the fact that I want to see more plate appearances from Buxton. When Sano was signed, I thought of him in the 3rd spot back then. The Twins are going to be patient from here on out with him, but they very smartly broke character and are moving him up from the very low levels to the middle quickly. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: September 2015-September 2016. 3. Oswaldo Arcia (DOB: 5-9-91), LH right fielder: Arcia is another player who the Twins have been smart about in pushing him through the system. He went ballistic in 2010 in Elizabethon, posting a 1.096 OPS. He followed that up with a combined .866 OPS in 2011 where he faced high-A pitching for almost ¾ of the season. In 2012, Arcia started out much better in Fort Myers than where he ended it in 2011 and had a great second half with New Britain. There he had a .328/.398/.557 (.955) slash with 20 doubles, 5 triples, and 10 homers in 299 plate appearances. Those numbers are obviously excellent and he should, in my view, serve as a example for how certain high prospects should be treated by the Twins. That is, players should be promoted in season instead of playing a whole season at one stop. This way players may be a bit over their heads like Arcia was in 2011 in Fort Myers, but they get the taste of the level and can dominate like Arcia did the next year. Arcia is comparable to Jason Kubel pre-injury, so that means that would project him out to be an actual outfielder with an impressive bat who can turn some singles into doubles and doubles into triples. Expected start: short time in New Britain first. ETA: September 2013-2014. 2. Aaron Hicks (DOB: 10-2-89), SH center field: People started to scoff at my pre-2012 ranking of Hicks as my number two prospect. That’s fine, and certainly he would have dropped if he would not have been so good in 2012. His .844 OPS comes with MLB-ready defense in center field. That is something remarkable in itself, but both his power numbers and his stolen bases went up significantly in 2012. Hicks strikes out a lot, but he also walks a lot and that is something that isn’t going to go away since plate discipline doesn’t just disappear. It’s an advanced skill and that is one big reason (coupled with the defense) that made it impossible for me to move Hicks down the prospect list for the past three seasons. Hicks has been up and down, and some of that I blame on the Twins organization, but there is consistent improvement along the way. His bat is not fully ready, but with the trading of Span and Revere, the door was opened for Hicks to step in. And after all has been said and done, I think he will step in right out of the gates in 2013. Expected start: Minnesota. ETA: 2013, even if he doesn’t start out the season with the Twins. 1. Miguel Sano (DOB: 5-11-93), RH third baseman: Sano has more than lived up to expectations heaped upon him as he made his move into professional baseball after a hellacious bunch of scrutiny coming out of the Dominican Republic. He has moved up national prospect lists at a consistent pace to where he is ranked 9th by Baseball America and 12th by MLB.com. The absolute power is there and the amount of walks he drew in 2012 was a major improvement over 2012. As he moves up, the walks might drop but that may mean he gets more pitches to annihilate, so I don’t anticipate any real drop in power numbers even while moving in the Florida State League. The question is going to be eventually about where he will end up playing defensively, but it is certainly the case that third base is his position for 2013. If he can improve there, it is a huge gain for the Twins. If he has to move elsewhere, it hardly matters. His arm is spectacular, but first base may end up being his position. He certainly is growing into the position and might be 6’ 6”, 260 when all is said and done. Think a slightly smaller Frank Thomas and you get the idea. And Sano is still very young with immense talent. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: September 2014, or June 2015.

This concludes my 1-60 prospect list in depth. I hope it is helpful for everyone to get a grasp of the depth of the system and to help in formulating one's own top 20 or 30 prospects lists. Note: yes, neither Randy Rosario nor Anthony Slama appear in this top 60, and for entirely different reasons. Rosario needs to have a good 2013, and Slama appears to be done in the system, or it doesn't even matter to include him anywhere. Also, note: I am going to analyze the prospect movement trends from 2012 to 2013 in an upcoming blog. It will not be as cumbersome as the 2011 to 2012 version. I think it will be fairly illuminating, so stay tuned. 5. Alex Meyer (DOB: 1-3-90), RH starter: Meyer was the return that the Nationals sent over for Denard Span. Meyer is 6’ 9” and throws in the mid-upper 90s with a fantastic slider. He was the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 draft. He pitched 129 innings last year between low and high-A ball. After the promotion, he compiled a 2.31 ERA with 32 strikeouts and 11 walks in 39 innings. His H/9 dropped minimally, but his walk rate dropped by a quarter, so that might make up for his K/9 drop in the move. Meyer is ranked as the 59th best prospect by Baseball America and 40th by MLB.com (after it ranked him 83rd going in to last season). Meyer was a beast in high school and the Red Sox drafted him in the 20th round in 2008, but he opted to go to Kentucky which increased his stock immensely. Meyer and Gibson really could give the 1-2 punch the Twins need going forward, but Meyer is going to take a bit of time still. Expected start: New Britain. ETA: 2014-2015. 4. Byron Buxton (DOB: 12-18-93), RH center fielder: The Twins took Buxton with the second pick in the 2012 draft because his tools are off the charts (speed, arm, defense) or great (average, power). He performed well in the Gulf Coast League even though he struck out a lot and did not hit for average. The key was that he found his power against some fresh-out-of-high-school pitching. He was promoted to Elizabethon and actually improved. The slugging dropped, but his average and OBP climbed and he ended with a combined .792 OPS in his first season of pro baseball as an 18-year-old. My placement at the fourth spot on this list is almost certainly as low as he is on any Twins prospect list. This is simply due to the three ahead of him and the fact that I want to see more plate appearances from Buxton. When Sano was signed, I thought of him in the 3rd spot back then. The Twins are going to be patient from here on out with him, but they very smartly broke character and are moving him up from the very low levels to the middle quickly. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: September 2015-September 2016. 3. Oswaldo Arcia (DOB: 5-9-91), LH right fielder: Arcia is another player who the Twins have been smart about in pushing him through the system. He went ballistic in 2010 in Elizabethon, posting a 1.096 OPS. He followed that up with a combined .866 OPS in 2011 where he faced high-A pitching for almost ¾ of the season. In 2012, Arcia started out much better in Fort Myers than where he ended it in 2011 and had a great second half with New Britain. There he had a .328/.398/.557 (.955) slash with 20 doubles, 5 triples, and 10 homers in 299 plate appearances. Those numbers are obviously excellent and he should, in my view, serve as a example for how certain high prospects should be treated by the Twins. That is, players should be promoted in season instead of playing a whole season at one stop. This way players may be a bit over their heads like Arcia was in 2011 in Fort Myers, but they get the taste of the level and can dominate like Arcia did the next year. Arcia is comparable to Jason Kubel pre-injury, so that means that would project him out to be an actual outfielder with an impressive bat who can turn some singles into doubles and doubles into triples. Expected start: short time in New Britain first. ETA: September 2013-2014. 2. Aaron Hicks (DOB: 10-2-89), SH center field: People started to scoff at my pre-2012 ranking of Hicks as my number two prospect. That’s fine, and certainly he would have dropped if he would not have been so good in 2012. His .844 OPS comes with MLB-ready defense in center field. That is something remarkable in itself, but both his power numbers and his stolen bases went up significantly in 2012. Hicks strikes out a lot, but he also walks a lot and that is something that isn’t going to go away since plate discipline doesn’t just disappear. It’s an advanced skill and that is one big reason (coupled with the defense) that made it impossible for me to move Hicks down the prospect list for the past three seasons. Hicks has been up and down, and some of that I blame on the Twins organization, but there is consistent improvement along the way. His bat is not fully ready, but with the trading of Span and Revere, the door was opened for Hicks to step in. And after all has been said and done, I think he will step in right out of the gates in 2013. Expected start: Minnesota. ETA: 2013, even if he doesn’t start out the season with the Twins. 1. Miguel Sano (DOB: 5-11-93), RH third baseman: Sano has more than lived up to expectations heaped upon him as he made his move into professional baseball after a hellacious bunch of scrutiny coming out of the Dominican Republic. He has moved up national prospect lists at a consistent pace to where he is ranked 9th by Baseball America and 12th by MLB.com. The absolute power is there and the amount of walks he drew in 2012 was a major improvement over 2012. As he moves up, the walks might drop but that may mean he gets more pitches to annihilate, so I don’t anticipate any real drop in power numbers even while moving in the Florida State League. The question is going to be eventually about where he will end up playing defensively, but it is certainly the case that third base is his position for 2013. If he can improve there, it is a huge gain for the Twins. If he has to move elsewhere, it hardly matters. His arm is spectacular, but first base may end up being his position. He certainly is growing into the position and might be 6’ 6”, 260 when all is said and done. Think a slightly smaller Frank Thomas and you get the idea. And Sano is still very young with immense talent. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: September 2014, or June 2015.

This concludes my 1-60 prospect list in depth. I hope it is helpful for everyone to get a grasp of the depth of the system and to help in formulating one's own top 20 or 30 prospects lists. Note: yes, neither Randy Rosario nor Anthony Slama appear in this top 60, and for entirely different reasons. Rosario needs to have a good 2013, and Slama appears to be done in the system, or it doesn't even matter to include him anywhere. Also, note: I am going to analyze the prospect movement trends from 2012 to 2013 in an upcoming blog. It will not be as cumbersome as the 2011 to 2012 version. I think it will be fairly illuminating, so stay tuned. 5. Alex Meyer (DOB: 1-3-90), RH starter: Meyer was the return that the Nationals sent over for Denard Span. Meyer is 6’ 9” and throws in the mid-upper 90s with a fantastic slider. He was the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 draft. He pitched 129 innings last year between low and high-A ball. After the promotion, he compiled a 2.31 ERA with 32 strikeouts and 11 walks in 39 innings. His H/9 dropped minimally, but his walk rate dropped by a quarter, so that might make up for his K/9 drop in the move. Meyer is ranked as the 59th best prospect by Baseball America and 40th by MLB.com (after it ranked him 83rd going in to last season). Meyer was a beast in high school and the Red Sox drafted him in the 20th round in 2008, but he opted to go to Kentucky which increased his stock immensely. Meyer and Gibson really could give the 1-2 punch the Twins need going forward, but Meyer is going to take a bit of time still. Expected start: New Britain. ETA: 2014-2015. 4. Byron Buxton (DOB: 12-18-93), RH center fielder: The Twins took Buxton with the second pick in the 2012 draft because his tools are off the charts (speed, arm, defense) or great (average, power). He performed well in the Gulf Coast League even though he struck out a lot and did not hit for average. The key was that he found his power against some fresh-out-of-high-school pitching. He was promoted to Elizabethon and actually improved. The slugging dropped, but his average and OBP climbed and he ended with a combined .792 OPS in his first season of pro baseball as an 18-year-old. My placement at the fourth spot on this list is almost certainly as low as he is on any Twins prospect list. This is simply due to the three ahead of him and the fact that I want to see more plate appearances from Buxton. When Sano was signed, I thought of him in the 3rd spot back then. The Twins are going to be patient from here on out with him, but they very smartly broke character and are moving him up from the very low levels to the middle quickly. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: September 2015-September 2016. 3. Oswaldo Arcia (DOB: 5-9-91), LH right fielder: Arcia is another player who the Twins have been smart about in pushing him through the system. He went ballistic in 2010 in Elizabethon, posting a 1.096 OPS. He followed that up with a combined .866 OPS in 2011 where he faced high-A pitching for almost ¾ of the season. In 2012, Arcia started out much better in Fort Myers than where he ended it in 2011 and had a great second half with New Britain. There he had a .328/.398/.557 (.955) slash with 20 doubles, 5 triples, and 10 homers in 299 plate appearances. Those numbers are obviously excellent and he should, in my view, serve as a example for how certain high prospects should be treated by the Twins. That is, players should be promoted in season instead of playing a whole season at one stop. This way players may be a bit over their heads like Arcia was in 2011 in Fort Myers, but they get the taste of the level and can dominate like Arcia did the next year. Arcia is comparable to Jason Kubel pre-injury, so that means that would project him out to be an actual outfielder with an impressive bat who can turn some singles into doubles and doubles into triples. Expected start: short time in New Britain first. ETA: September 2013-2014. 2. Aaron Hicks (DOB: 10-2-89), SH center field: People started to scoff at my pre-2012 ranking of Hicks as my number two prospect. That’s fine, and certainly he would have dropped if he would not have been so good in 2012. His .844 OPS comes with MLB-ready defense in center field. That is something remarkable in itself, but both his power numbers and his stolen bases went up significantly in 2012. Hicks strikes out a lot, but he also walks a lot and that is something that isn’t going to go away since plate discipline doesn’t just disappear. It’s an advanced skill and that is one big reason (coupled with the defense) that made it impossible for me to move Hicks down the prospect list for the past three seasons. Hicks has been up and down, and some of that I blame on the Twins organization, but there is consistent improvement along the way. His bat is not fully ready, but with the trading of Span and Revere, the door was opened for Hicks to step in. And after all has been said and done, I think he will step in right out of the gates in 2013. Expected start: Minnesota. ETA: 2013, even if he doesn’t start out the season with the Twins. 1. Miguel Sano (DOB: 5-11-93), RH third baseman: Sano has more than lived up to expectations heaped upon him as he made his move into professional baseball after a hellacious bunch of scrutiny coming out of the Dominican Republic. He has moved up national prospect lists at a consistent pace to where he is ranked 9th by Baseball America and 12th by MLB.com. The absolute power is there and the amount of walks he drew in 2012 was a major improvement over 2012. As he moves up, the walks might drop but that may mean he gets more pitches to annihilate, so I don’t anticipate any real drop in power numbers even while moving in the Florida State League. The question is going to be eventually about where he will end up playing defensively, but it is certainly the case that third base is his position for 2013. If he can improve there, it is a huge gain for the Twins. If he has to move elsewhere, it hardly matters. His arm is spectacular, but first base may end up being his position. He certainly is growing into the position and might be 6’ 6”, 260 when all is said and done. Think a slightly smaller Frank Thomas and you get the idea. And Sano is still very young with immense talent. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: September 2014, or June 2015.

This concludes my 1-60 prospect list in depth. I hope it is helpful for everyone to get a grasp of the depth of the system and to help in formulating one's own top 20 or 30 prospects lists. Note: yes, neither Randy Rosario nor Anthony Slama appear in this top 60, and for entirely different reasons. Rosario needs to have a good 2013, and Slama appears to be done in the system, or it doesn't even matter to include him anywhere. Also, note: I am going to analyze the prospect movement trends from 2012 to 2013 in an upcoming blog. It will not be as cumbersome as the 2011 to 2012 version. I think it will be fairly illuminating, so stay tuned. 5. Alex Meyer (DOB: 1-3-90), RH starter: Meyer was the return that the Nationals sent over for Denard Span. Meyer is 6’ 9” and throws in the mid-upper 90s with a fantastic slider. He was the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 draft. He pitched 129 innings last year between low and high-A ball. After the promotion, he compiled a 2.31 ERA with 32 strikeouts and 11 walks in 39 innings. His H/9 dropped minimally, but his walk rate dropped by a quarter, so that might make up for his K/9 drop in the move. Meyer is ranked as the 59th best prospect by Baseball America and 40th by MLB.com (after it ranked him 83rd going in to last season). Meyer was a beast in high school and the Red Sox drafted him in the 20th round in 2008, but he opted to go to Kentucky which increased his stock immensely. Meyer and Gibson really could give the 1-2 punch the Twins need going forward, but Meyer is going to take a bit of time still. Expected start: New Britain. ETA: 2014-2015. 4. Byron Buxton (DOB: 12-18-93), RH center fielder: The Twins took Buxton with the second pick in the 2012 draft because his tools are off the charts (speed, arm, defense) or great (average, power). He performed well in the Gulf Coast League even though he struck out a lot and did not hit for average. The key was that he found his power against some fresh-out-of-high-school pitching. He was promoted to Elizabethon and actually improved. The slugging dropped, but his average and OBP climbed and he ended with a combined .792 OPS in his first season of pro baseball as an 18-year-old. My placement at the fourth spot on this list is almost certainly as low as he is on any Twins prospect list. This is simply due to the three ahead of him and the fact that I want to see more plate appearances from Buxton. When Sano was signed, I thought of him in the 3rd spot back then. The Twins are going to be patient from here on out with him, but they very smartly broke character and are moving him up from the very low levels to the middle quickly. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: September 2015-September 2016. 3. Oswaldo Arcia (DOB: 5-9-91), LH right fielder: Arcia is another player who the Twins have been smart about in pushing him through the system. He went ballistic in 2010 in Elizabethon, posting a 1.096 OPS. He followed that up with a combined .866 OPS in 2011 where he faced high-A pitching for almost ¾ of the season. In 2012, Arcia started out much better in Fort Myers than where he ended it in 2011 and had a great second half with New Britain. There he had a .328/.398/.557 (.955) slash with 20 doubles, 5 triples, and 10 homers in 299 plate appearances. Those numbers are obviously excellent and he should, in my view, serve as a example for how certain high prospects should be treated by the Twins. That is, players should be promoted in season instead of playing a whole season at one stop. This way players may be a bit over their heads like Arcia was in 2011 in Fort Myers, but they get the taste of the level and can dominate like Arcia did the next year. Arcia is comparable to Jason Kubel pre-injury, so that means that would project him out to be an actual outfielder with an impressive bat who can turn some singles into doubles and doubles into triples. Expected start: short time in New Britain first. ETA: September 2013-2014. 2. Aaron Hicks (DOB: 10-2-89), SH center field: People started to scoff at my pre-2012 ranking of Hicks as my number two prospect. That’s fine, and certainly he would have dropped if he would not have been so good in 2012. His .844 OPS comes with MLB-ready defense in center field. That is something remarkable in itself, but both his power numbers and his stolen bases went up significantly in 2012. Hicks strikes out a lot, but he also walks a lot and that is something that isn’t going to go away since plate discipline doesn’t just disappear. It’s an advanced skill and that is one big reason (coupled with the defense) that made it impossible for me to move Hicks down the prospect list for the past three seasons. Hicks has been up and down, and some of that I blame on the Twins organization, but there is consistent improvement along the way. His bat is not fully ready, but with the trading of Span and Revere, the door was opened for Hicks to step in. And after all has been said and done, I think he will step in right out of the gates in 2013. Expected start: Minnesota. ETA: 2013, even if he doesn’t start out the season with the Twins. 1. Miguel Sano (DOB: 5-11-93), RH third baseman: Sano has more than lived up to expectations heaped upon him as he made his move into professional baseball after a hellacious bunch of scrutiny coming out of the Dominican Republic. He has moved up national prospect lists at a consistent pace to where he is ranked 9th by Baseball America and 12th by MLB.com. The absolute power is there and the amount of walks he drew in 2012 was a major improvement over 2012. As he moves up, the walks might drop but that may mean he gets more pitches to annihilate, so I don’t anticipate any real drop in power numbers even while moving in the Florida State League. The question is going to be eventually about where he will end up playing defensively, but it is certainly the case that third base is his position for 2013. If he can improve there, it is a huge gain for the Twins. If he has to move elsewhere, it hardly matters. His arm is spectacular, but first base may end up being his position. He certainly is growing into the position and might be 6’ 6”, 260 when all is said and done. Think a slightly smaller Frank Thomas and you get the idea. And Sano is still very young with immense talent. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: September 2014, or June 2015.

I wanted to write this blog myself. Good job!

More likely is Kepler-Buxton-Hicks with Arcia DHing. Now, IF Sano could only stay at 3B, the Twins could have Vargas at 1B. Those 6 are MONSTERS. If Sano has to move to 1B, then someone will be traded. Unless the Twins want to really have a damn deep roster in 2016 and on. That would be ideal.

Some things appear to be off in this article, but I realized the same thing about Deduno. This is a good sign. But it just makes this Correia abomination way worse.

Good info. Can't wait to see the power in Fort Myers this year.

Colabello with 7 rbi in the Classic so far. Batting .462 with 2 homers. Could be the difference in this game.

Yeah, I wonder if Clement or Escobar pleased people enough with their catching demonstration. Does anyone know how that went???? I wish Clement hit from the right side. It would almost be a no-brainer. He caught one game in the minors in 2010 and 16 in 2009. He isn't throwing anyone out, but that is not the necessary condition for an emergency catcher. He has some ability to homer (16 in 459 PAs for Indianapolis last year).

Regarding Tonkin-as-starter, I said this elsewhere: "Converting him to a starter again could really throw a kink in his development. And it isn't like he could become a starter for the 2013 or even 2014 Twins anyway. But by 2014 the Twins may be needing quality relievers (well they do now, but that's another matter) and Tonkin (and Achter) look suited to challenge for spots along with Watts and Pugh. I say their might be a need because A: who knows ifJared Burton isn't traded at the deadline, B: Casey Fien might turn into a pumpkin, C: Lester Oliveros' health is in doubt in general, D: Deolis Guerra might simply be a pumpkin, E: The Slama era (ha!) appears probably over, F: Alex Burnett might have peaked a few years ago!, and G: The Twins nonsense with bringing in "veteran" MR pitchers who aren't very good (Gray, Maloney, Wood, Roenicke) has got to stop sometime." I think it is true that pitching need is about to turn towards the bullpen instead of the rotation pretty soon (Gibson, Worley, Hendriks, May, Meyer, 2013 draft pick, and a few others like Hermsen, Wimmers, Stuifbergen, etc. could all be relevant in 2014 or 2015). With regard to Herrmann, it is important to establish himself as being versatile (C-LF-1B-can RF be assumed?) while being capable defensively. That's what Gardy is going to want, and I think his bat will come around. Unless there is an injury to Doumit or Mau (er, not going to even say that) very early in the season, I expect Herrmann to be guy they call on to fill in as needed instead of Butera.

Converting him to a starter again could really throw a kink in his development. And it isn't like he could become a starter for the 2013 or even 2014 Twins anyway. But by 2014 the Twins may be needing quality relievers (well they do now, but that's another matter) and Tonkin (and Achter) look suited to challenge for spots along with Watts and Pugh. I say their might be a need because A: who knows if Jared Burton isn't traded at the deadline, B: Casey Fien might turn into a pumpkin, C: Lester Oliveros' health is in doubt in general, D: Deolis Guerra might simply be a pumpkin, E: The Slama era (ha!) appears probably over, F: Alex Burnett might have peaked a few years ago!, and G: The Twins nonsense with bringing in "veteran" MR pitchers who aren't very good (Gray, Maloney, Wood, Roenicke) has got to stop sometime.