Shane Wahl

The fifth installment is comprised of 5 high upside guys who could all be very good major leaguers. I guarantee that at least one of them will be very good, another will be good, and the other three will all make it to contribute in a real way (or be used in a trade). 20. Matt Hauser (DOB: 3-30-88), RH reliever/starter: Hauser has a mid 90s fastball, a sinker, a slider, and a changeup. He was great at Fort Myers in relief then started some games successfully and moved up to New Britain where he went to the bullpen again. His strikeout rate dropped in AA down to 4.5, but that was only 16 innings of work. I would expect Hauser to see some time starting again this year and I would think if he gets his strikeout rate back up over 7, it would be wise to keep him starting. Otherwise he may be a dominant pitcher out of the bullpen and would add to the great depth the Twins have there in the organization. If the walks fall even a bit, it will mean that Hauser’s ERA should stay low even if he gets hit a bit more (only 78 hits in 88 innings in 2012—and only 5 of those were homers). He may be challenging Alex Burnett soon in his middle relief role, but also could make Jared Burton expendable in 2014. Expected start: New Britain. ETA: 2014-2015. 19. Hudson Boyd (DOB: 10-18-92), RH starter: Boyd throws in the upper 90s and came into the system with good control. He has fallen on this list both because of additions at the top and because his 2012 performance was underwhelming. In 58 innings at Elizabethon, he maintained a low ERA (2.95), but struck out only 36, walked 23, and hit 5 batters. The strikeout numbers are alarming for a pitcher of his skill at Elizabethon. He is still very young, though, and the talent is there. It is possible to see him move to the bullpen at some point and that could mean a fast ascent in the system, possibly as a future closer. As a starter, he would still probably be limited to under 100 innings in 2013. He probably will get another crack at starting, but he might be in the bullpen by season’s end. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: 2015-2016 as reliever, 2016-2017 as starter. 18. Adrian Salcedo (DOB: 2-5-91), RH starter: Salcedo was fantastic through 2010 and was in the top ten of most prospect lists at that time. 2011 was a letdown, but he was still could in his first full season (135 IP, 92 strikeouts, 27 walks). 2012 brought a comebacker and a broken nose. He was limited to 30+ innings between Fort Myers and a rehab stint in the GCL. 2012 was a lost season for Salcedo like it was for Stuifbergen, Wimmer, and Soliman. His strikeout rate is dropping but another year at Fort Myers might mean an increase there. He has a low 90s fastball, a slider, and a changeup. He is still very young and was so impressive early in his professional career, so there is no reason to exaggerate the results of 2011 and 2012 at the moment. 2013 is a big year for Salcedo and he is near the top of my list of guys to watch this seaon. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: 2015-2016. 17. Niko Goodrum (DOB: 2-28-92), SH shortstop: The 2010 second round pick has been moved a bit slow early on in his professional career, but it may all be worth it if Goodrum can stick at SS or move to 3B as the next best option. He improved in 2012 in Elizabethon over his 2011 numbers there, especially with regard to plate discipline. 2011 stats: 230 plate appearances, 21 walks, 56 strikeouts, .735 OPS. 2012 stats: 269 plate appearances, 38 walks, 56 strikeouts, .768 OPS. Perhaps most importantly, his defense at short improved enough to warrant the vast majority of his time spent there during the season. If SS doesn’t work out, 3B should for the big switch-hitter. He is an overlooked but important piece to the Twins future as there is no clear total package at SS or 3B in the system right now. Goodrum represents that possibility and it hopefully 2013 is a big step forward for him. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: 2016-2017. 16. Kennys Vargas (DOB: 8-1-90), SH 1B: Vargas served his suspension (did his time) and still managed 11 homers in 186 plate appearances at Beloit. Vargas was a legitimate power prospect going into 2012, but now he is at the top of the department with Sano. A 1.030 OPS at Beloit is nothing to scoff at and he is simply not striking out at a rate that should worry anyone at all. His .318/.419/.610 slash is phenomenal at that level. A real full season this year is going to be interesting. He is the most interesting prospect to watch in my opinion because he could rise into the top 10 easily if his success continues at Fort Myers. Vargas is interesting because he would give the Twins two huge power bats in the future with Sano being the other. That makes this seem a little more like the early 80s which should inspire and create some hope for the 2015 and on Twins. If the Twins find themselves in 2015 deciding between Vargas and Sano for 1B and DH, then things are quite good. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: 2015-2016.

I swear if they sign either one of them . . . . If I had to choose, I would choose Inge for a variety of reasons. But this is just so idiotic if they sign either one of them.

It all depends on his elbow. He will NOT be the ace, but he could be a legitimate 5th starter, making the Correia signing completely atrocious. The Twins may have killed his elbow by letting him pitch with bone chips floating around in there.

Part of that is that Burris is a bit younger and also could move into a starter role. And his curveball is there as in ready.

Benson should probably have some good at bats that don't involve the pressure of the major league first.

Brandon Boggs and Wilkin Ramirez can play all three OF positions, especially Boggs. It would be idiotic to sign another FA.

I am not sure what the hell is going on here, but laying out some facts is nice: The Twins not offering Brett Myers a contract is AGAIN BIZARRE. Why not OFFER contracts to these guys? If they haven't even OFFERED to Marcum . . . good god. Myers is not necessarily a "character guy" at all. I wouldn't have really liked that guy in the first place, but still. Kevin Correia's $10 million contract is a ridiculous signing. It's atrocious. Nick Blackburn's $5.5 million was polluting the payroll this year. Now Correia's EXACT same amount is going to pollute it next year. There was no reason to give him two years. One year and 7 million would have made more sense, but then Scott Baker . . . . Anyway, it is true that Correia is barely above replacement level since I cannot believe it gets any better than is 2012 season at this point. If this comes down to taking innings away from Hendriks, a prospect, who also could be better IMMEDIATELY than Correia in 2013 (and likely in 2014), it is just preposterous. If this comes down to merely being a shuffling part of a deck for Pelfrey and Gibson, then it isn't terrible. That all said, I actually trust Nick Blackburn about as much as Correia, especially with time removed from his Twins medical staff produced injury exacerbation (just let bone chips be while you pitch!). So this wasted money is dumb, especially when you put Correia's 2013 salary together with the now gone Span salary and could get close to the yearly salary for Shaun Marcum.

Note: I will link to all parts of this series with the final 1-5 grouping.

In the fourth installment, things start to get quite interesting with some strong upside talents and some almost tragic time-is-of-the-essence prospects in limbo. 30. Mason Melotakis (DOB: 6-28-91), LH reliever: Melotakis was moved quickly from Elizabethon to Beloit last year and didn’t miss a beat. The hard-throwing lefty (mid 90s fastball) also has a great power slider. In 17+ innings at Beloit last year he gave up only 4 earned runs, struck out 24 and walked 4. He could fly up this list and also move quickly in the Twins system. I hope the Twins push him this year immediately up instead of a return to low-A ball. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: 2015-2016. 29. Tom Stuifbergen (DOB: 9-26-88), RH starter: Stuifbergen suffered through a strange shoulder injury that limited him to 74+ innings and hampered his strikeout total dramatically (39). Bouncing back this year after the disastrous 2012 is certainly possible and he is running out of time. If things had gone well last year, he could have been a contender for a rotation spot with the Twins at some point this year. Expected start: New Britain. ETA: never or 2014-2015. 28. Jorge Polanco (DOB: 7-5-93), SH middle infielder: Polanco generated a decent amount of attention before even playing in the Twins organization and then fell off the radar some after the 2010 and 2011 seasons. His defensive ability at shortstop was heavily sought after by the Twins, though he struggled at the position in 2012 and spent most of his time over at second base. The offensive production, however, went off the charts with a 235 OPS point jump between GCL 2011 and Elizabethon 2012. And he is still 19. Polanco demonstrated some power in 2012, especially with 15 doubles in just 204 plate appearances. He doesn’t walk much, but he also doesn’t strike out much. He is definitely going to be one of my top 10 players to watch in 2013 in the system. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: 2016-2017. 27. Jason Wheeler (DOB: 10-27-90), LH starter: Wheeler was a consistent presence for the Beloit rotation, throwing 156+ innings with a 3.45 ERA. His 6.6/2.5 per nine K/BB rate doesn’t overwhelm, but he looks like a younger (and taller) version of Scott Diamond right now. I would expect a steady increase in workload and movement up the system for him. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: 2015-2016. 26. Dereck Rodriguez (DOB: 6-5-92), RH outfielder: I remain high on Rodriguez even though the Twins are moving slow with him. He doesn’t have a single plate appearance beyond the GCL, where he posted a .783 OPS in 2012. It would seem that the outfield log jam at the bottom of the system and Dereck’s plate discipline kept him in the GCL after 2011. He did improve some in that regard, but still does strike out a lot. Expected start: EST and Elizabethon with possible promotion to Beloit mid-season. ETA: 2016-2017. 25. Levi Michael (DOB: 2-9-91), SH middle infielder: 2011’s first round pick did not have a good 2012 season, but to write him off at this point would be very silly. His numbers for his first season of pro ball at a level a bit over his head are decent enough and .093 isolated discipline shows a skill that won’t go away. He should hit better (and for more power) and the real question comes down to where he will play. He played a bit more at second base in 2012, but should probably get the majority of the duties at short in Fort Myer if Danny Santana moves to New Britain. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: 2015-2016. 24. Alex Wimmers (DOB: 12-1-88), RH starter: Like Stuifbergen, Wimmers has run into terrible luck which has significantly delayed his progress. This was a guy who some thought could actually arrive in 2011 for the Twins by the end of that season, but then weird control issues ended that and 2012 brought Tommy John. The Twins let Wimmers delay surgery and the injury only got worse, so what was an early season issue became an early August surgery. He should be working his way back into the New Britain rotation for the last 2/5 of the season. Expected start: New Britain DL. ETA: never or 2014-2015. 23. B.J. Hermsen (DOB: 12-1-89), RH starter: In 139+ innings in 2012, Hermsen struck out 75 batters and walked 25. He kept his ERA to 3.22 which is in line with his career 3.21 ERA in his career. The strikeouts are dwindling, however, and this is cause for concern as he goes forward. His sinker is good and he can induce ground balls. He is another guy to really follow this year as continued success after moving to AAA should relieve at least some of the doubts I have about his ability to pitch in the majors. He will get there though and there is no reason to keep him back at New Britain. Expected start: Rochester. ETA: a big range from Sept. 2013 to Sept. 2015. 22. Danny Santana (DOB: 11-7-90), SH middle infielder: It’s a good sign to see someone move up a level and then add 68 points to his OPS. It’s even better when this is a middle infielder. Santana has a good glove, great speed, and surprising pop. His 21 doubles, 8 triples, and 9 homers in 547 plate appearances in the Florida State League are very impressive. He doesn’t walk much at all, but he cut the strikeouts down a lot in 2012 while raising his batting average 39 points. He is another guy to watch in 2013 and it will be interesting to see how middle infield time might be divided in New Britain between he and Beresford, assuming the Twins don’t make the mistake of keeping him in Fort Myers. If Santana can maintain this offensive production and fine-tune his defense, he is a promising middle infielder for the Twins soon. Expected start: New Britain. ETA: 2014-2015. 21. Josh Burris (DOB: 11-28-91), RH reliever: Burris pitched 36 innings for Elizabethon, striking out 40 and walking 21. This control issue is not strange for Burris, but that is actually an improvement from his 2011 college numbers. He can hit the mid 90s and has a good curveball. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Twins will be converting his talents and stuff towards being a starting pitcher. I would think that they might experiment some with that later in the season, but certainly have to start increasing his innings load. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: 2015-2016 as reliever, 2016-2017 as starter.

In the fourth installment, things start to get quite interesting with some strong upside talents and some almost tragic time-is-of-the-essence prospects in limbo. 30. Mason Melotakis (DOB: 6-28-91), LH reliever: Melotakis was moved quickly from Elizabethon to Beloit last year and didn’t miss a beat. The hard-throwing lefty (mid 90s fastball) also has a great power slider. In 17+ innings at Beloit last year he gave up only 4 earned runs, struck out 24 and walked 4. He could fly up this list and also move quickly in the Twins system. I hope the Twins push him this year immediately up instead of a return to low-A ball. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: 2015-2016. 29. Tom Stuifbergen (DOB: 9-26-88), RH starter: Stuifbergen suffered through a strange shoulder injury that limited him to 74+ innings and hampered his strikeout total dramatically (39). Bouncing back this year after the disastrous 2012 is certainly possible and he is running out of time. If things had gone well last year, he could have been a contender for a rotation spot with the Twins at some point this year. Expected start: New Britain. ETA: never or 2014-2015. 28. Jorge Polanco (DOB: 7-5-93), SH middle infielder: Polanco generated a decent amount of attention before even playing in the Twins organization and then fell off the radar some after the 2010 and 2011 seasons. His defensive ability at shortstop was heavily sought after by the Twins, though he struggled at the position in 2012 and spent most of his time over at second base. The offensive production, however, went off the charts with a 235 OPS point jump between GCL 2011 and Elizabethon 2012. And he is still 19. Polanco demonstrated some power in 2012, especially with 15 doubles in just 204 plate appearances. He doesn’t walk much, but he also doesn’t strike out much. He is definitely going to be one of my top 10 players to watch in 2013 in the system. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: 2016-2017. 27. Jason Wheeler (DOB: 10-27-90), LH starter: Wheeler was a consistent presence for the Beloit rotation, throwing 156+ innings with a 3.45 ERA. His 6.6/2.5 per nine K/BB rate doesn’t overwhelm, but he looks like a younger (and taller) version of Scott Diamond right now. I would expect a steady increase in workload and movement up the system for him. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: 2015-2016. 26. Dereck Rodriguez (DOB: 6-5-92), RH outfielder: I remain high on Rodriguez even though the Twins are moving slow with him. He doesn’t have a single plate appearance beyond the GCL, where he posted a .783 OPS in 2012. It would seem that the outfield log jam at the bottom of the system and Dereck’s plate discipline kept him in the GCL after 2011. He did improve some in that regard, but still does strike out a lot. Expected start: EST and Elizabethon with possible promotion to Beloit mid-season. ETA: 2016-2017. 25. Levi Michael (DOB: 2-9-91), SH middle infielder: 2011’s first round pick did not have a good 2012 season, but to write him off at this point would be very silly. His numbers for his first season of pro ball at a level a bit over his head are decent enough and .093 isolated discipline shows a skill that won’t go away. He should hit better (and for more power) and the real question comes down to where he will play. He played a bit more at second base in 2012, but should probably get the majority of the duties at short in Fort Myer if Danny Santana moves to New Britain. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: 2015-2016. 24. Alex Wimmers (DOB: 12-1-88), RH starter: Like Stuifbergen, Wimmers has run into terrible luck which has significantly delayed his progress. This was a guy who some thought could actually arrive in 2011 for the Twins by the end of that season, but then weird control issues ended that and 2012 brought Tommy John. The Twins let Wimmers delay surgery and the injury only got worse, so what was an early season issue became an early August surgery. He should be working his way back into the New Britain rotation for the last 2/5 of the season. Expected start: New Britain DL. ETA: never or 2014-2015. 23. B.J. Hermsen (DOB: 12-1-89), RH starter: In 139+ innings in 2012, Hermsen struck out 75 batters and walked 25. He kept his ERA to 3.22 which is in line with his career 3.21 ERA in his career. The strikeouts are dwindling, however, and this is cause for concern as he goes forward. His sinker is good and he can induce ground balls. He is another guy to really follow this year as continued success after moving to AAA should relieve at least some of the doubts I have about his ability to pitch in the majors. He will get there though and there is no reason to keep him back at New Britain. Expected start: Rochester. ETA: a big range from Sept. 2013 to Sept. 2015. 22. Danny Santana (DOB: 11-7-90), SH middle infielder: It’s a good sign to see someone move up a level and then add 68 points to his OPS. It’s even better when this is a middle infielder. Santana has a good glove, great speed, and surprising pop. His 21 doubles, 8 triples, and 9 homers in 547 plate appearances in the Florida State League are very impressive. He doesn’t walk much at all, but he cut the strikeouts down a lot in 2012 while raising his batting average 39 points. He is another guy to watch in 2013 and it will be interesting to see how middle infield time might be divided in New Britain between he and Beresford, assuming the Twins don’t make the mistake of keeping him in Fort Myers. If Santana can maintain this offensive production and fine-tune his defense, he is a promising middle infielder for the Twins soon. Expected start: New Britain. ETA: 2014-2015. 21. Josh Burris (DOB: 11-28-91), RH reliever: Burris pitched 36 innings for Elizabethon, striking out 40 and walking 21. This control issue is not strange for Burris, but that is actually an improvement from his 2011 college numbers. He can hit the mid 90s and has a good curveball. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Twins will be converting his talents and stuff towards being a starting pitcher. I would think that they might experiment some with that later in the season, but certainly have to start increasing his innings load. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: 2015-2016 as reliever, 2016-2017 as starter.

I could have used a little more info here, thrylos! Do you think he has A: added a third pitch, and B: this could mean an eventual move to being a starter?

The manager doesn't pay attention to OBP and the GM signed Kevin Correia. That is the status of respect for statistics in this organization.

Yes to Webb because why not? Deduno or DeVries available for 1/10 the cost and probably the exact same result as Correia. I agree that it is much easier to get 4 starters out of this bunch than 6.

The Twins showing a modicum of interest in the two Cubans is the only good note to note. The rest involves freaking Brandon Inge, Scott Podsednik, not even offering anything to Myers, and being involved in Cleveland talks about Jeanmar Gomez.

A few things: Gardenhire is never doing anything besides a traditional rotation, but that aside . . . I don't think the 6-8 pitchers (or more) up for this are equal. Diamond would have to regress pretty damn far for that, and Worley is certainly up there with him. After that it drops to Correia aside from improvements from Hendrik, Deduno, Walter, BLACKBURN, Vasquez, and DeVries, or a hopeful breakout from Hernandez. All until Pelfrey (who, again, isn't good by any means) and Gibson, who is in the first group and might be at the top. It would seem that a 4-man rotation is a better idea, especially given pitch counts . . . and that fact that aside from the first inning debacle, Twins pitching seem to break down around inning 5 and 6 (though Liriano was a big culprit for both). This would add to the bullpen and create for more situational matchups which might actually be good. Now if someone is really cruising along and goes deep into or completes a game, they just get an extra day. I am not sure how a team struggling to come up with 5 legitimate starters would INCREASE the size of the rotation instead of decreasing it to create more lefty/righty situations.

Haha. I like that a lot.

I don't understand the idea of not signing a good pitcher to three years right now. One such pitcher makes the rotation look dramatically better in 2013, the team should be better in 2014 and could be great by 2015 . . . and quality pitching would be a part of that, and the payroll is going to drop significantly starting next year. Spending money on quality pitching can always lead to deadline trades for prospects. Maybe Marcum wants a one-year deal to improve his chances for a bigger contract after next season. The Twins have $10 million devoted to Blackburn and Correia, for the love of god. Why not spend $10 million to sign a good pitcher who might be tradeable for good value in the season?

Are we even sure that Pelfrey is going to be ready to go at the beginning of the year? His surgery was May 1. I just don't think it would be wise to start him in February to be ready by opening day. Even if he is recovered in 10 months, that is March 1 and he would be a bit behind schedule. On Gibson: since he is going to be limited to 140-150 innings, why on earth start the season with him anywhere but AAA? He should still be starting, but they can really limit his innings until June. Give him 4 starts at 3 innings, 4 at 4 innings, and 2 at 5 innings in AAA to get him ready for 100-110 innings with the Twins from June onward. Let lefty Andrew Albers (who I am cheering for this year to sneak into the Twins bullpen at some point) be his personal reliever in Rochester. Diamond, Worley, Correia, Hendriks, Harden/Deduno/DeVries/Hernandez/BLACKBURN/Vasquez/Walters will likely be the starting rotation barring any additions or injuries. I guess I am not sure why teams keep trotting Harden out as a starter when he could be a setup man. Of course I am not sure why the Twins would bother with him in the bullpen unless there is an injury to Burton or Perkins. Also, of course, using Harden in a setup role might be productive for him and might draw interest from teams at the deadline. I like Hendriks and think he improved at the end of the season last year. Unfortunately I predict a disaster for Correia this year, so Hendriks and eventually Gibson and Pelfrey are going to need to step up.

His defense at third was bad, but of course he could practice at the position to get better. It certainly would benefit his chances greatly. Personally, I would like to see him on the roster soon into the season as a bench bat. And he could stay there for a couple years. He also provides more depth there, making a Morneau trade more likely.

Guthrie is not good at all but he is better than Correia and is going to provide 180-210 innings of 4.5 ERA. Worley is clearly better than that, though.

That's a good list, Brandon. I think Worley is good. Santana on a good year is better, but the average is about the same. The problem is still the bottom. The Twins made good moves aside from the Correia signing. It IS a terrible signing and will kill Shaun Marcum's signing, probably, but it still is the only mistake.

I would put Worley at 6, but the point is clear. Very clear. The Twins are not *really* trying. It is likely that Bauer is going to be rushed a bit and 2013 might not be so good for him, but he is still worth it immediately. Marcum would at least make the overall Twins group look respectable (I think the White Sox are in trouble with Peavy, by the way).

I honestly do not think Gardenhire is going anywhere until the Twins in 2013 are as bad as they were in 2012.

I believe it is Larsen's perfect game.

This is the third segment in my prospect list breakdown. These ten have good-to-great upside in most cases and essentially all of them are facing crucial seasons in their development, for various reasons. 40. Angel Morales (DOB: 11-24-89), RH outfielder: After the 2010 season, I placed Morales at number 5 on my prospect list. That was a bit high for him, but he certainly made the vast majority of top 10 lists. Morales spent half of 2010 in Fort Myers and has been there ever since, battling injury in 2011 and struggling 420 plate appearances to manage a .220/.310/.328 line. He is clearly stuck in a rut, but the talent is still present and he is only 23. A move up to New Britain could mean a make or break season. Aaron Hicks benefitted from the move to New Britain as did Oswaldo Arcia. Morales is very athletic and his defense is very good with a great arm. This is about the age that Hicks and Benson took off, so hopefully the same can be said for Morales after 2013. Expected start: New Britain. ETA: 2015 or 2016. 39. Manuel Soliman (DOB: 8-11-89), RH starter/reliever: Solimon was a top prospect going into the 2012 season but was sidelined with injury and had surgery to repair a torn labrum in June. He will come back slowly this year and should be ready by June. He throws in the low 90s and has a sinker as well. If the injury takes a few ticks away, he might be moved to the bullpen. That was the likely future for him anyway, but he could be very good in that role. Like Morales, 2013 is going to be a huge year for Soliman to return to form and move up this list. Expected start: Fort Myers DL. ETA: never or 2015-2016. 38. D.J. Baxendale (DOB: 12-8-90), RH reliever/starter: Baxendale doesn’t really throw hard, but still struck out 31 batters in 18+ innings between Elizabethon and Beloit. He was selected in the 10th round of the 2012 draft and I would consider him a borderline case between the rotation and the bullpen. The Twins might want to see him as a starter, so that could be in the works for 2013. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: never or 2015-2016. 37. Matthew Summers (DOB: 8-17-89), LH starter: Summers is a guy that I thought would be shooting up this list, but he is in danger of dropping off if he doesn’t turn it around in 2013. Fresh out of college in 2011, he dominated Elizabethon. This year the K rate plummeted to 5.9, while he walked to many batters (especially in limited time at Fort Myers). He can throw hard, but that didn’t translate to strikeouts last season. He did throw almost 150 innings, so that is a good sign for 2013. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if he is in the bullpen by 2014. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: never or 2015-2016. 36. Madison Boer (DOB: 11-9-89), RH starter/reliever: Boer is another pitcher who dominated in Elizabethon in 2011 and then had a problematic season across both levels of A ball in 2012. Boer can hit the mid 90s with his fastball, but the strikeouts are not coming. His 5.4/2.6 per nine K/BB rate in 111 innings at Fort Myers is cause for concern. He also gave up 147 hits there. Expected start: Fort Myers. ETA: never or 2015-2016. 35. J.T. Chargois (DOB: 12-3-90), RH reliever: Chargois was great at Elizabethon, which doesn’t mean a whole lot for college pitchers. He has a mid 90s fastball and a good slider, however, and could be a fast-rising pitcher. Hopefully his 2013 season doesn’t lead me to saying the same thing about Chargois as I did about Boer and Summers. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: never or 2015-2016. 34. Angel Mata (DOB: 12-3-92), RH starter: Mata followed up an impressive 2011 with a solid 2012 at Elizabethon. He has control issues, but is young and strikes people out as well. He threw only 53+ innings, so one has to wonder about the number he will be limited to in 2013. While walking too many, he has managed to give up a very low number of hits the past two years (54 in over 90 innings) which says a lot about his stuff. That makeup reminds me a bit of Anthony Slama, but I will leave that alone for now. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: 2016-2017. 33. Michael Tonkin (DOB: 11-19-89), RH reliever: Tonkin finished the year in the Arizona Fall League and was fantastic prior to his last appearance when he gave up three earned runs in an inning. Tonkin between Beloit and Fort Myers struck out 97 batters in 69+ innings, with the K rate actually rising after his promotion to Fort Myers. He had a breakout year in 2012 and should be moving quickly up as the Twins clearly liked what they saw this year with him. Expected start: New Britain. ETA: 2014-2015. 32. Danny Ortiz (DOB: 1-5-90), LH outfielder: Ortiz has flown under the radar amidst the massive amount of outfield talent in the Twins system, but he has been consistently solid each year and can play all three outfield positions. This might project him into 4th OF status as the offensive output is definitely not overwhelming (career .732 OPS). That said, he has displayed doubles power each year and has kept his strikeouts fairly low. He could have a breakout season in 2013 in New Britain if the Twins are smart enough to start him there. Expected start: New Britain. ETA: September 2014-September 2015. 31. Luke Bard (DOB: 11-13-90), RH reliever/starter: A lot, in my view, will depend on whether the Twins make use of Bard as a starter or reliever. The 42nd overall pick in the draft has very good stuff with a mid 90s fastball and a fantastic slider. His stat record is so small that isn’t really worth mentioning as seven innings tells one nothing. As a starter, Bard could amount to a mid-rotation contributor. As a reliever, he could end up being a setup or closer type after the Glen Perkins era. Only time will tell. Expected start: Cedar Rapids. ETA: 2016-2017.