Shane Wahl

Bashore is a really strange release. I don't understand that move at all.

Great stuff, thanks a lot. I am really excited about Kepler this year.

I have been asking this again and again to people. Trading Span leaves the leadoff spot for . . . ? People only focus on the defensive aspect of Span's ability, but not the fact that the Twins are lost without a good leadoff hitter.

This is just ridiculous. This team has no business bringing in someone like that. Hollimon and Florimon are here and Nick Punto would also take away from Brian Dozier's career at this point.

Yeah, I still commend this highly. That is a lot of red for the players. The pitching is better than expected. I was wondering if there was a way to weight it against a simple bad day's performance. One bad day is possible for everyone and anyone, so Brendan Wise takes a big hit after today, but his proximity (now) to Dumatrait seems to not account for the difference in performance. Maybe. I am being *extremely* nitpicky here, but given how people have these *reactions* to one bad day for pitchers and players, maybe, even if just in the qualitative analysis and not in the quantitative analysis, you can make distinctions between players if they arise. It hasn't really happened yet, but I can see where it could end up being a bit misleading (esp. Doyle).

I wonder if NB will have Hicks-Herrmann 1-2 in the lineup? That is some serious isolated discipline (though maybe they could swing a bit more).

Prospect rankings don't only account for statistics. They also consider projected ceilings (Hicks' ceiling is very high, obviously) and how they play. Still, the statistics aren't that bad, especially his career OBP. That's coupled with stellar defense.

I like the things Valencia has said this spring. That hitting line would be nice. That's a big jump from last year, but it seems to be about middling between 2010 and 2011. In a more perfect world, Valencia semi-platoons with Burroughs.

There are few Twins prospects who frustrate Twins fans as much as Aaron Hicks. He was extremely highly regarded when he was drafted and he has not performed at the level he was expected to, even at a young age. But upon examining Hicks in more detail, it seems clear that people need to hold off on the criticism--he's about right where he needs to be and there is a recent precedent for a breakout career. Aaron Hicks: switch hitter, 6'2", 185, DOB: 10/2/89 (Age: 22.5) Aaron Hick minor league statistics: 2008: GCL: 204 PA, .318/.409/.491, 10 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, 12/2 SB/CS, 28/32 BB/SO 2009: Beloit: 297 PA, .251/.353/.382, 15 doubles 3 triples, 4 homers, 10/8 SB/CS, 40/55 BB/SO 2010: Beloit: 518 PA, .279/.401/.428, 27 doubles, 6 triples, 8 homers, 21/11 SB/CS, 88/112 BB/SO 2011: Fort Myers: 528 PA, .242/.354/.368, 31 doubles, 5 triples, 5 homers, 17/9 SB/CS, 78/110 BB/SO 2011: Arizona Fall League: 120 (AB+BB) PA, .294/.400/.559, 8 doubles, 5, triples, 3 homers, 5/4 SB/CS, 18/21 BB/SO Defensively, Aaron Hicks is regarded as basically ready for MLB in center field. Hicks was drafted with a lot of acclaim and a lot of hope was placed in his potential to be the next Kirby Puckett or Torii Hunter. Then, 2009 happened. Hope was restored in 2010 as he repeated a level. Overall those are pretty good numbers for a 20-year-old in Beloit playing stellar defense. 2011 was a frustrating year for Twins fans who were previously enamored with Hicks' potential. The extra base hits look good, but there isn't a lot of homer power. A lot of Twins fans probably didn't look into what happened in the Arizona Fall League. The AFL is regarded as an offensive paradise for prospects at AA and AAA. That being the case, Hicks' AFL performance might not seem too important. But, he wasn't a AA or AAA player last year and it is possible that he starts this year in Fort Myers again. The hitting in that league is always overhyped because it is a hitters' league, but Hicks was a single-A player playing in a AA/AAA prospect league. He struggled early, but then was dominant . . . in his last ten games his OPS was 1.268. Hicks is much better at the plate from the right side, so much so that there have been murmurings about him shifting to hitting right-handed only. This is a doubtful move at this point in his career, and obviously there isn't much of a comparison to be made between Hicks vs. righties as a LH hitter and as a RH hitter. For the doubters about his performance, one only needs to look to the minor league career of Torii Hunter who put up very pedestrian numbers until he was 23. An important appeal to Hicks' potential is the fact that there is no one else in the system that highly regarded who is really a leadoff hitter. Hicks looks to be Denard Span's eventual replacement. And speaking of Span, Hicks appears to project as a kind of Span/Hunter hybrid. He will play excellent defense, strikeout a lot, walk a lot, and hit 10-15 home runs a year. Even if he starts the year in Fort Myers, I would be surprised if he doesn't finish in New Britain, perhaps splitting time 50/50. This is a big season for Hicks, and I will be disappointed if he doesn't have a strong season. But I won't be totally dismayed until he actually starts to regress. It appears that a clear directive can be given to him to help substantially: swing the bat more!

There are few Twins prospects who frustrate Twins fans as much as Aaron Hicks. He was extremely highly regarded when he was drafted and he has not performed at the level he was expected to, even at a young age. But upon examining Hicks in more detail, it seems clear that people need to hold off on the criticism--he's about right where he needs to be and there is a recent precedent for a breakout career. Aaron Hicks: switch hitter, 6'2", 185, DOB: 10/2/89 (Age: 22.5) Aaron Hick minor league statistics: 2008: GCL: 204 PA, .318/.409/.491, 10 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, 12/2 SB/CS, 28/32 BB/SO 2009: Beloit: 297 PA, .251/.353/.382, 15 doubles 3 triples, 4 homers, 10/8 SB/CS, 40/55 BB/SO 2010: Beloit: 518 PA, .279/.401/.428, 27 doubles, 6 triples, 8 homers, 21/11 SB/CS, 88/112 BB/SO 2011: Fort Myers: 528 PA, .242/.354/.368, 31 doubles, 5 triples, 5 homers, 17/9 SB/CS, 78/110 BB/SO 2011: Arizona Fall League: 120 (AB+BB) PA, .294/.400/.559, 8 doubles, 5, triples, 3 homers, 5/4 SB/CS, 18/21 BB/SO Defensively, Aaron Hicks is regarded as basically ready for MLB in center field. Hicks was drafted with a lot of acclaim and a lot of hope was placed in his potential to be the next Kirby Puckett or Torii Hunter. Then, 2009 happened. Hope was restored in 2010 as he repeated a level. Overall those are pretty good numbers for a 20-year-old in Beloit playing stellar defense. 2011 was a frustrating year for Twins fans who were previously enamored with Hicks' potential. The extra base hits look good, but there isn't a lot of homer power. A lot of Twins fans probably didn't look into what happened in the Arizona Fall League. The AFL is regarded as an offensive paradise for prospects at AA and AAA. That being the case, Hicks' AFL performance might not seem too important. But, he wasn't a AA or AAA player last year and it is possible that he starts this year in Fort Myers again. The hitting in that league is always overhyped because it is a hitters' league, but Hicks was a single-A player playing in a AA/AAA prospect league. He struggled early, but then was dominant . . . in his last ten games his OPS was 1.268. Hicks is much better at the plate from the right side, so much so that there have been murmurings about him shifting to hitting right-handed only. This is a doubtful move at this point in his career, and obviously there isn't much of a comparison to be made between Hicks vs. righties as a LH hitter and as a RH hitter. For the doubters about his performance, one only needs to look to the minor league career of Torii Hunter who put up very pedestrian numbers until he was 23. An important appeal to Hicks' potential is the fact that there is no one else in the system that highly regarded who is really a leadoff hitter. Hicks looks to be Denard Span's eventual replacement. And speaking of Span, Hicks appears to project as a kind of Span/Hunter hybrid. He will play excellent defense, strikeout a lot, walk a lot, and hit 10-15 home runs a year. Even if he starts the year in Fort Myers, I would be surprised if he doesn't finish in New Britain, perhaps splitting time 50/50. This is a big season for Hicks, and I will be disappointed if he doesn't have a strong season. But I won't be totally dismayed until he actually starts to regress. It appears that a clear directive can be given to him to help substantially: swing the bat more!

Parker commented on his delivery the other day, saying that his front leg goes up and down and too much stress is likely put on his arm . . .

Thanks. You can tell by the end that the fatigue had set in. Blogging is somehow tiring.

Twins fans who have a curiosity about how things are "down on the farm" may look at top 10 prospect lists or maybe merely look at those players who are September call-ups and judge the state of the Twins system accordingly. Seth Stohs does more than enough to provide fans with a wealth of information about minor leaguers, but I thought that I would take things a step further and look at the movement of players, by position, on some select prospect lists for 2011-2012. This does a number of things. First, one can get a picture of the depth of the system as a whole. Second, one can see how the 2011 draft was either satisfactory or not in addressing team needs. Third, we can project potential targeted positions for the 2012 draft. Finally, one can see how players have risen and fallen over the past year to see how the health of the system breaks down by position. Contrary to much popular belief, especially what passes for "belief" on the Star Tribune comment section, the Twins have a good minor league system, with many good-to-great prospects. Methodology: I constructed a composite list of top 50 prospects from Twinkie Town, Seth Speaks, and my own list for 2011 and 2012. I compared lists by position and by placement on the lists (top 5, top 15, top 25, top 35, top 50). There are some interesting conclusions to draw and some clear directions the Twins should take in the upcoming draft and in minor league free agent signings. Composite lists are found here: http://fieldoftwins.blogspot.com/201...2011-2012.html Prospect movement, by position, the number of players at each positions at various levels (Revere is excluded): OF 2011: Top 5: 2 (Hicks, Benson) Top 15: 7 (Morales, Arcia, Kepler, Parmelee, Rosario) Top 25: 10 (Tosoni, Ortiz, Goodrum) Top 35: 11 (N. Roberts) Top 50: 14 (Herrmann, Bigley, Ray) OF 2012: Top 5: 4 (Rosario, Arcia, Hicks, Benson) Top 15: 7 (Parmelee, Kepler, Morales) Top 25: 8 (Goodrum) Top 35: 11 (Williams, Roberts, Perez) Top 50: 15 (Ray, Rams, Ortiz, Bigley) Outfield analysis: There has been movement upward, and this is on top of Ben Revere and Rene Tosoni being out of 2012 consideration due to MLB playing time). While Rosario may move to 2B, some players down the list farther may be moving to the OF (Goodrum, Perez, Rams). The depth has remained roughly the same while there is a movement from the top-middle to the top. ROCH: Benson, Parmelee, Bigley eventually. NBR: Hicks, Morales, Bigley, Rams and Perez eventually). FTM: Arcia, Roberts, Perez, Ray, Rams, and Ortiz eventually), BEL: Rosario, Kepler, Goodrum, Williams, Ortiz. C 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 1 (Rams) Top 50: 2 (Herrmann) C 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 1 (Herrmann) Top 25: 1 Top 35: 1 Top 50: 2 (Rams) Catcher analysis: Herrmann and Rams are going in opposite directions, and Rams may be moving to the outfield anyway). Herrmann hopefully will be an adequate defensive catcher while providing depth at other positions to keep is on base bat in the lineup. Danny Lehmann, Danny Rohlfing, and Josmil Pinto will be guys to watch at the mid-upper levels this year to try to provide depth at this position. At the lower levels, Matthew Koch and Phillip Chapman need to develop. This is a big area for the Twins to look at in the 2012 draft. ROCH: Butera/Towles, Rivera, Lehmann and Herrmann eventually). NBR: Lehmann, Herrmann, Rams eventually, Rohlfing eventually. FTM: Rams, Rohlfing, Pinto, Chapman eventually. BEL: Chapman, Koch. 1B 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 1 (Parmelee) Top 25: 1 Top 35: 2 (Hughes) Top 50: 4 (Ray, Vargas) 1B 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 2 (Parmelee, Harrison) Top 25: 2 Top 35: 2 Top 50: 3 (Ray, lost Hughes and Vargas) 1B analysis: Chris Parmelee has moved up the list and if Travis Harrison moves from 3B to 1B, the Twins may have bolstered the depth at this position. Ray and Michael Gonzales are worthy of watching at Fort Myers this year. ROCH: Parmelee, Pearce, Bates. NBR: Hanson, Colabello. FTM: Gonzalez, Ray. BEL: Rory Rhodes, Vargas, Harrison eventually). 2B 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 1 (Goodrum) Top 35: 4 (Beresford, Hughes, Dozier) Top 50: 5 (Santana) 2B 2012: Top 5: 1 (Rosario) Top 15: 2 (Dozier) Top 25: 4 (Goodrum and Michael) Top 35: 4 Top 50: 6 (Santana and Beresford) 2B analysis: With the potential switch from the OF for Rosario, it would change the entire power structure of the Twins system. That kind of talent in the middle infield is enormous. Let's say, however, that the switch is a bit shaky this year, the addition of Dozier and Michael to the upper half is great). The depth is climbing to the top at 2B. 3B 2011: Top 5: 1 (Sano) Top 15: 1 Top 25: 2 (Goodrum) Top 35: 3 (Hughes) Top 50: 4 (Hidalgo) 3B 2012: Top 5: 1 (Sano) Top 15: 2 (Harrison) Top 25: 2 Top 35: 3 (Perez, if he stays at 3B, Hughes no longer prospect) Top 50: 4 (Hidalgo) 3B analysis: Very little movement and that is a problem. It may be that neither Sano nor Harrison can really stick at 3B (and the same for Perez and Hidalgo!). Joe Mauer start fielding grounders at the hot corner . . . and the Twins need to focus on this position in the system. ROCH: Chang, Burroughs. NBR: Deibinson Romero, Hidalgo. FTM: Perez . . . Grimes, perhaps BEL: Harrison eventually, fill-ins . . . SS 2011: Top 5: 1 (Sano) Top 15: 1 Top 25: 3 (Goodrum, Plouffe) Top 35: 5 (Beresford, Dozier) Top 50: 7 (Polanco, Santana) SS 2012: Top 5: 0 (Sano moves to 3B) Top 15: 1 (Dozier) Top 25: 3 (Goodrum, Michael, Plouffe no longer prospect) Top 35: 3 (Beresford dropped) Top 50: 5 (Santana, Beresford, Polanco dropped off) Shortstop analysis: Sano is likely done at short, but Dozier's rise helps this position immensely, as does the drafting of Michael. If they both can stay at SS, this is a great development at a problematic position. Daniel Santana will be someone very important to watch this year, and one hopes that Beresford and Polanco can turn it around. I would think that all goes well at this position this year. ROCH: Nishioka (ideally), Florimon, Chang, Dozier eventually. NBR: Dozier, Beresford. FTM: Santana, Grimes, Michael eventually. BEL: Michael, Bryant, Goodrum, eventually. RHS 2011: Top 5: 2 (Gibson, Wimmers) Top 15: 6 (Hendriks, Bromberg, Salcedo, Soliman) Top 25: 9 (Hermsen, Holbrooks, Guerra) Top 35: 11 (Stuifbergen, Lanigan) Top 50: 12 (Munoz) RHS 2012: Top 5: 0 (Gibson, Wimmers drop) Top 15: 4 (Hendriks, Gibson, Salcedo, Wimmers, Soliman likely converts to RHR in 2012) Top 25: 10 (Boyd, Boer, Hermsen, Stuifbergen, Bromberg, Hauser, Guerra converted to RHR) Top 35: 11 (Doyle) Top 50: 14 (Mata, Shibuya, Lanigan) Right-handed starter analysis: Liam Hendriks emerged as a true middle of the rotation caliber pitcher and he has the brain for pitching as well. 2011 was a mess in that Gibson and Bromberg were injured, Wimmers lost his control, and Guerra had to convert to a relief role. Soliman is likely to join him as well. So there is movement down towards the middle of the prospect list at this position, but at the same time the 2011 draft provided a lot of depth at the position with Boyd, Boer, Mata, and Shibuya). Wimmers is the key here, and Bromberg is right behind, but keep an eye on Stuifbergen, Hauser, and Boer as well). ROCH: Hendriks, Manship, Suarez, Bromberg eventually, Wimmers eventually, Stuifbergen eventually. NBR: Bromberg, Stuifbergen, Wimmers, Popham, Lanigan. FTM: Hermsen, Salcedo, Achter, Shibuya eventually, Boer eventually. BEL: Shibuya, Boer, Atherton, Christensen. RHR 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 1 (Gutierrez) Top 25: 3 (Slama, Waldrop) Top 35: 5 (Watts, Pugh) Top 50: 8 (Oliveros, Jacobson, Tonkin) RHR 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 2 (Soliman conversion, Gutierrez) Top 35: 4 (Guerra, Summers) Top 50: 6 (Watts, DeVries) Right-handed reliever analysis: The position is bolstered by the conversion from starter of Soliman and Guerra, otherwise this is a deeply problematic position. Lester Oliveros will be an integral part of this depth chart. While it is one thing to simply convert starters into relievers, gearing relievers to be relievers seems to be more likley to produce good relief pitching. There is a movement toward the middle and toward the bottom here. This will be a vital need for the Twins in the 2012 draft. That means hard-throwers. ROCH: Gutierrez, Slama, Guerra, Oliveros, DeVries, Burton, Bulger, Vasquez, etc. A whole bunch of guys. LHS 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 2 (Dean, Diamond) Top 35: 2 Top 50: 4 (Darnell, Osterbrock) LHS 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 3 (Darnell, Dean, Diamond) Top 50: 3 LHS analysis: Logan Darnell's rise is promising. Pat Dean and Scott Diamond need bounce-back seasons. This is another key area for the 2012 draft. ROCH: Diamond, A. Thompson. NBR: Darnell, Osterbrock. FTM: Dean, O'Rourke. BEL: Tomshaw. LHR 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 0 Top 50: 3 (Ibarra, Bashore, Davis) LHR 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 1 (C. Williams) Top 50: (Tyler Robertson, Matt Bashore, Ibarra and Davis drop) Left-handed reliever analysis: This is a weak area for the Twins, to say the least. Robertson and Williams are vital to the depth here. Bashore and Davis are coming back from injury. Ibarra is not someone that I personally believe to be a legitimate prospect. ROCH: Robertson, Maloney, Dumatrait, Albers eventually. NBR: Albers, Davis, Nelson, Steedley. FTM: Carter, Gonzales, Ibarra. BEL: Williams, Gruver, Hurlbut, Wheeler. This was meant to provide an overview of the direction of the farm system. It is an undervalued system, but there are some gaping holes. The Twins need to draft intelligently like they did last year. I do not propose that the MLB draft be positional, since there is and would be great value in simply taking the best guy available, but there are some areas of need to focus on. They are: LHP in general, RHR, C, and 3B. Of the first 25 picks, I would base my expectations around 6 LHP, 5 RHR, 4 3B, 3C, 2 1B, 2 OF, 2 MI draft. The future direction of the team is up to the reader. This post was meant to point out some expectations and limitations on players. The future is not bleak, and neither may be the future. Lefty pitching, hard-throwing rights, catcher, and 3B are vital right now.

Twins fans who have a curiosity about how things are "down on the farm" may look at top 10 prospect lists or maybe merely look at those players who are September call-ups and judge the state of the Twins system accordingly. Seth Stohs does more than enough to provide fans with a wealth of information about minor leaguers, but I thought that I would take things a step further and look at the movement of players, by position, on some select prospect lists for 2011-2012. This does a number of things. First, one can get a picture of the depth of the system as a whole. Second, one can see how the 2011 draft was either satisfactory or not in addressing team needs. Third, we can project potential targeted positions for the 2012 draft. Finally, one can see how players have risen and fallen over the past year to see how the health of the system breaks down by position. Contrary to much popular belief, especially what passes for "belief" on the Star Tribune comment section, the Twins have a good minor league system, with many good-to-great prospects. Methodology: I constructed a composite list of top 50 prospects from Twinkie Town, Seth Speaks, and my own list for 2011 and 2012. I compared lists by position and by placement on the lists (top 5, top 15, top 25, top 35, top 50). There are some interesting conclusions to draw and some clear directions the Twins should take in the upcoming draft and in minor league free agent signings. Composite lists are found here: http://fieldoftwins.blogspot.com/201...2011-2012.html Prospect movement, by position, the number of players at each positions at various levels (Revere is excluded): OF 2011: Top 5: 2 (Hicks, Benson) Top 15: 7 (Morales, Arcia, Kepler, Parmelee, Rosario) Top 25: 10 (Tosoni, Ortiz, Goodrum) Top 35: 11 (N. Roberts) Top 50: 14 (Herrmann, Bigley, Ray) OF 2012: Top 5: 4 (Rosario, Arcia, Hicks, Benson) Top 15: 7 (Parmelee, Kepler, Morales) Top 25: 8 (Goodrum) Top 35: 11 (Williams, Roberts, Perez) Top 50: 15 (Ray, Rams, Ortiz, Bigley) Outfield analysis: There has been movement upward, and this is on top of Ben Revere and Rene Tosoni being out of 2012 consideration due to MLB playing time). While Rosario may move to 2B, some players down the list farther may be moving to the OF (Goodrum, Perez, Rams). The depth has remained roughly the same while there is a movement from the top-middle to the top. ROCH: Benson, Parmelee, Bigley eventually. NBR: Hicks, Morales, Bigley, Rams and Perez eventually). FTM: Arcia, Roberts, Perez, Ray, Rams, and Ortiz eventually), BEL: Rosario, Kepler, Goodrum, Williams, Ortiz. C 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 1 (Rams) Top 50: 2 (Herrmann) C 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 1 (Herrmann) Top 25: 1 Top 35: 1 Top 50: 2 (Rams) Catcher analysis: Herrmann and Rams are going in opposite directions, and Rams may be moving to the outfield anyway). Herrmann hopefully will be an adequate defensive catcher while providing depth at other positions to keep is on base bat in the lineup. Danny Lehmann, Danny Rohlfing, and Josmil Pinto will be guys to watch at the mid-upper levels this year to try to provide depth at this position. At the lower levels, Matthew Koch and Phillip Chapman need to develop. This is a big area for the Twins to look at in the 2012 draft. ROCH: Butera/Towles, Rivera, Lehmann and Herrmann eventually). NBR: Lehmann, Herrmann, Rams eventually, Rohlfing eventually. FTM: Rams, Rohlfing, Pinto, Chapman eventually. BEL: Chapman, Koch. 1B 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 1 (Parmelee) Top 25: 1 Top 35: 2 (Hughes) Top 50: 4 (Ray, Vargas) 1B 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 2 (Parmelee, Harrison) Top 25: 2 Top 35: 2 Top 50: 3 (Ray, lost Hughes and Vargas) 1B analysis: Chris Parmelee has moved up the list and if Travis Harrison moves from 3B to 1B, the Twins may have bolstered the depth at this position. Ray and Michael Gonzales are worthy of watching at Fort Myers this year. ROCH: Parmelee, Pearce, Bates. NBR: Hanson, Colabello. FTM: Gonzalez, Ray. BEL: Rory Rhodes, Vargas, Harrison eventually). 2B 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 1 (Goodrum) Top 35: 4 (Beresford, Hughes, Dozier) Top 50: 5 (Santana) 2B 2012: Top 5: 1 (Rosario) Top 15: 2 (Dozier) Top 25: 4 (Goodrum and Michael) Top 35: 4 Top 50: 6 (Santana and Beresford) 2B analysis: With the potential switch from the OF for Rosario, it would change the entire power structure of the Twins system. That kind of talent in the middle infield is enormous. Let's say, however, that the switch is a bit shaky this year, the addition of Dozier and Michael to the upper half is great). The depth is climbing to the top at 2B. 3B 2011: Top 5: 1 (Sano) Top 15: 1 Top 25: 2 (Goodrum) Top 35: 3 (Hughes) Top 50: 4 (Hidalgo) 3B 2012: Top 5: 1 (Sano) Top 15: 2 (Harrison) Top 25: 2 Top 35: 3 (Perez, if he stays at 3B, Hughes no longer prospect) Top 50: 4 (Hidalgo) 3B analysis: Very little movement and that is a problem. It may be that neither Sano nor Harrison can really stick at 3B (and the same for Perez and Hidalgo!). Joe Mauer start fielding grounders at the hot corner . . . and the Twins need to focus on this position in the system. ROCH: Chang, Burroughs. NBR: Deibinson Romero, Hidalgo. FTM: Perez . . . Grimes, perhaps BEL: Harrison eventually, fill-ins . . . SS 2011: Top 5: 1 (Sano) Top 15: 1 Top 25: 3 (Goodrum, Plouffe) Top 35: 5 (Beresford, Dozier) Top 50: 7 (Polanco, Santana) SS 2012: Top 5: 0 (Sano moves to 3B) Top 15: 1 (Dozier) Top 25: 3 (Goodrum, Michael, Plouffe no longer prospect) Top 35: 3 (Beresford dropped) Top 50: 5 (Santana, Beresford, Polanco dropped off) Shortstop analysis: Sano is likely done at short, but Dozier's rise helps this position immensely, as does the drafting of Michael. If they both can stay at SS, this is a great development at a problematic position. Daniel Santana will be someone very important to watch this year, and one hopes that Beresford and Polanco can turn it around. I would think that all goes well at this position this year. ROCH: Nishioka (ideally), Florimon, Chang, Dozier eventually. NBR: Dozier, Beresford. FTM: Santana, Grimes, Michael eventually. BEL: Michael, Bryant, Goodrum, eventually. RHS 2011: Top 5: 2 (Gibson, Wimmers) Top 15: 6 (Hendriks, Bromberg, Salcedo, Soliman) Top 25: 9 (Hermsen, Holbrooks, Guerra) Top 35: 11 (Stuifbergen, Lanigan) Top 50: 12 (Munoz) RHS 2012: Top 5: 0 (Gibson, Wimmers drop) Top 15: 4 (Hendriks, Gibson, Salcedo, Wimmers, Soliman likely converts to RHR in 2012) Top 25: 10 (Boyd, Boer, Hermsen, Stuifbergen, Bromberg, Hauser, Guerra converted to RHR) Top 35: 11 (Doyle) Top 50: 14 (Mata, Shibuya, Lanigan) Right-handed starter analysis: Liam Hendriks emerged as a true middle of the rotation caliber pitcher and he has the brain for pitching as well. 2011 was a mess in that Gibson and Bromberg were injured, Wimmers lost his control, and Guerra had to convert to a relief role. Soliman is likely to join him as well. So there is movement down towards the middle of the prospect list at this position, but at the same time the 2011 draft provided a lot of depth at the position with Boyd, Boer, Mata, and Shibuya). Wimmers is the key here, and Bromberg is right behind, but keep an eye on Stuifbergen, Hauser, and Boer as well). ROCH: Hendriks, Manship, Suarez, Bromberg eventually, Wimmers eventually, Stuifbergen eventually. NBR: Bromberg, Stuifbergen, Wimmers, Popham, Lanigan. FTM: Hermsen, Salcedo, Achter, Shibuya eventually, Boer eventually. BEL: Shibuya, Boer, Atherton, Christensen. RHR 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 1 (Gutierrez) Top 25: 3 (Slama, Waldrop) Top 35: 5 (Watts, Pugh) Top 50: 8 (Oliveros, Jacobson, Tonkin) RHR 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 2 (Soliman conversion, Gutierrez) Top 35: 4 (Guerra, Summers) Top 50: 6 (Watts, DeVries) Right-handed reliever analysis: The position is bolstered by the conversion from starter of Soliman and Guerra, otherwise this is a deeply problematic position. Lester Oliveros will be an integral part of this depth chart. While it is one thing to simply convert starters into relievers, gearing relievers to be relievers seems to be more likley to produce good relief pitching. There is a movement toward the middle and toward the bottom here. This will be a vital need for the Twins in the 2012 draft. That means hard-throwers. ROCH: Gutierrez, Slama, Guerra, Oliveros, DeVries, Burton, Bulger, Vasquez, etc. A whole bunch of guys. LHS 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 2 (Dean, Diamond) Top 35: 2 Top 50: 4 (Darnell, Osterbrock) LHS 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 3 (Darnell, Dean, Diamond) Top 50: 3 LHS analysis: Logan Darnell's rise is promising. Pat Dean and Scott Diamond need bounce-back seasons. This is another key area for the 2012 draft. ROCH: Diamond, A. Thompson. NBR: Darnell, Osterbrock. FTM: Dean, O'Rourke. BEL: Tomshaw. LHR 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 0 Top 50: 3 (Ibarra, Bashore, Davis) LHR 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 1 (C. Williams) Top 50: (Tyler Robertson, Matt Bashore, Ibarra and Davis drop) Left-handed reliever analysis: This is a weak area for the Twins, to say the least. Robertson and Williams are vital to the depth here. Bashore and Davis are coming back from injury. Ibarra is not someone that I personally believe to be a legitimate prospect. ROCH: Robertson, Maloney, Dumatrait, Albers eventually. NBR: Albers, Davis, Nelson, Steedley. FTM: Carter, Gonzales, Ibarra. BEL: Williams, Gruver, Hurlbut, Wheeler. This was meant to provide an overview of the direction of the farm system. It is an undervalued system, but there are some gaping holes. The Twins need to draft intelligently like they did last year. I do not propose that the MLB draft be positional, since there is and would be great value in simply taking the best guy available, but there are some areas of need to focus on. They are: LHP in general, RHR, C, and 3B. Of the first 25 picks, I would base my expectations around 6 LHP, 5 RHR, 4 3B, 3C, 2 1B, 2 OF, 2 MI draft. The future direction of the team is up to the reader. This post was meant to point out some expectations and limitations on players. The future is not bleak, and neither may be the future. Lefty pitching, hard-throwing rights, catcher, and 3B are vital right now.

Twins fans who have a curiosity about how things are "down on the farm" may look at top 10 prospect lists or maybe merely look at those players who are September call-ups and judge the state of the Twins system accordingly. Seth Stohs does more than enough to provide fans with a wealth of information about minor leaguers, but I thought that I would take things a step further and look at the movement of players, by position, on some select prospect lists for 2011-2012. This does a number of things. First, one can get a picture of the depth of the system as a whole. Second, one can see how the 2011 draft was either satisfactory or not in addressing team needs. Third, we can project potential targeted positions for the 2012 draft. Finally, one can see how players have risen and fallen over the past year to see how the health of the system breaks down by position. Contrary to much popular belief, especially what passes for "belief" on the Star Tribune comment section, the Twins have a good minor league system, with many good-to-great prospects. Methodology: I constructed a composite list of top 50 prospects from Twinkie Town, Seth Speaks, and my own list for 2011 and 2012. I compared lists by position and by placement on the lists (top 5, top 15, top 25, top 35, top 50). There are some interesting conclusions to draw and some clear directions the Twins should take in the upcoming draft and in minor league free agent signings. Composite lists are found here: http://fieldoftwins.blogspot.com/2012/03/composite-prospect-lists-2011-2012.html Prospect movement, by position, the number of players at each positions at various levels (Revere is excluded): OF 2011: Top 5: 2 (Hicks, Benson) Top 15: 7 (Morales, Arcia, Kepler, Parmelee, Rosario) Top 25: 10 (Tosoni, Ortiz, Goodrum) Top 35: 11 (N. Roberts) Top 50: 14 (Herrmann, Bigley, Ray) OF 2012: Top 5: 4 (Rosario, Arcia, Hicks, Benson) Top 15: 7 (Parmelee, Kepler, Morales) Top 25: 8 (Goodrum) Top 35: 11 (Williams, Roberts, Perez) Top 50: 15 (Ray, Rams, Ortiz, Bigley) Outfield analysis: There has been movement upward, and this is on top of Ben Revere and Rene Tosoni being out of 2012 consideration due to MLB playing time). While Rosario may move to 2B, some players down the list farther may be moving to the OF (Goodrum, Perez, Rams). The depth has remained roughly the same while there is a movement from the top-middle to the top. ROCH: Benson, Parmelee, Bigley eventually. NBR: Hicks, Morales, Bigley, Rams and Perez eventually). FTM: Arcia, Roberts, Perez, Ray, Rams, and Ortiz eventually), BEL: Rosario, Kepler, Goodrum, Williams, Ortiz. C 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 1 (Rams) Top 50: 2 (Herrmann) C 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 1 (Herrmann) Top 25: 1 Top 35: 1 Top 50: 2 (Rams) Catcher analysis: Herrmann and Rams are going in opposite directions, and Rams may be moving to the outfield anyway). Herrmann hopefully will be an adequate defensive catcher while providing depth at other positions to keep is on base bat in the lineup. Danny Lehmann, Danny Rohlfing, and Josmil Pinto will be guys to watch at the mid-upper levels this year to try to provide depth at this position. At the lower levels, Matthew Koch and Phillip Chapman need to develop. This is a big area for the Twins to look at in the 2012 draft. ROCH: Butera/Towles, Rivera, Lehmann and Herrmann eventually). NBR: Lehmann, Herrmann, Rams eventually, Rohlfing eventually. FTM: Rams, Rohlfing, Pinto, Chapman eventually. BEL: Chapman, Koch. 1B 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 1 (Parmelee) Top 25: 1 Top 35: 2 (Hughes) Top 50: 4 (Ray, Vargas) 1B 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 2 (Parmelee, Harrison) Top 25: 2 Top 35: 2 Top 50: 3 (Ray, lost Hughes and Vargas) 1B analysis: Chris Parmelee has moved up the list and if Travis Harrison moves from 3B to 1B, the Twins may have bolstered the depth at this position. Ray and Michael Gonzales are worthy of watching at Fort Myers this year. ROCH: Parmelee, Pearce, Bates. NBR: Hanson, Colabello. FTM: Gonzalez, Ray. BEL: Rory Rhodes, Vargas, Harrison eventually). 2B 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 1 (Goodrum) Top 35: 4 (Beresford, Hughes, Dozier) Top 50: 5 (Santana) 2B 2012: Top 5: 1 (Rosario) Top 15: 2 (Dozier) Top 25: 4 (Goodrum and Michael) Top 35: 4 Top 50: 6 (Santana and Beresford) 2B analysis: With the potential switch from the OF for Rosario, it would change the entire power structure of the Twins system. That kind of talent in the middle infield is enormous. Let's say, however, that the switch is a bit shaky this year, the addition of Dozier and Michael to the upper half is great). The depth is climbing to the top at 2B. 3B 2011: Top 5: 1 (Sano) Top 15: 1 Top 25: 2 (Goodrum) Top 35: 3 (Hughes) Top 50: 4 (Hidalgo) 3B 2012: Top 5: 1 (Sano) Top 15: 2 (Harrison) Top 25: 2 Top 35: 3 (Perez, if he stays at 3B, Hughes no longer prospect) Top 50: 4 (Hidalgo) 3B analysis: Very little movement and that is a problem. It may be that neither Sano nor Harrison can really stick at 3B (and the same for Perez and Hidalgo!). Joe Mauer start fielding grounders at the hot corner . . . and the Twins need to focus on this position in the system. ROCH: Chang, Burroughs. NBR: Deibinson Romero, Hidalgo. FTM: Perez . . . Grimes, perhaps BEL: Harrison eventually, fill-ins . . . SS 2011: Top 5: 1 (Sano) Top 15: 1 Top 25: 3 (Goodrum, Plouffe) Top 35: 5 (Beresford, Dozier) Top 50: 7 (Polanco, Santana) SS 2012: Top 5: 0 (Sano moves to 3B) Top 15: 1 (Dozier) Top 25: 3 (Goodrum, Michael, Plouffe no longer prospect) Top 35: 3 (Beresford dropped) Top 50: 5 (Santana, Beresford, Polanco dropped off) Shortstop analysis: Sano is likely done at short, but Dozier's rise helps this position immensely, as does the drafting of Michael. If they both can stay at SS, this is a great development at a problematic position. Daniel Santana will be someone very important to watch this year, and one hopes that Beresford and Polanco can turn it around. I would think that all goes well at this position this year. ROCH: Nishioka (ideally), Florimon, Chang, Dozier eventually. NBR: Dozier, Beresford. FTM: Santana, Grimes, Michael eventually. BEL: Michael, Bryant, Goodrum, eventually. RHS 2011: Top 5: 2 (Gibson, Wimmers) Top 15: 6 (Hendriks, Bromberg, Salcedo, Soliman) Top 25: 9 (Hermsen, Holbrooks, Guerra) Top 35: 11 (Stuifbergen, Lanigan) Top 50: 12 (Munoz) RHS 2012: Top 5: 0 (Gibson, Wimmers drop) Top 15: 4 (Hendriks, Gibson, Salcedo, Wimmers, Soliman likely converts to RHR in 2012) Top 25: 10 (Boyd, Boer, Hermsen, Stuifbergen, Bromberg, Hauser, Guerra converted to RHR) Top 35: 11 (Doyle) Top 50: 14 (Mata, Shibuya, Lanigan) Right-handed starter analysis: Liam Hendriks emerged as a true middle of the rotation caliber pitcher and he has the brain for pitching as well. 2011 was a mess in that Gibson and Bromberg were injured, Wimmers lost his control, and Guerra had to convert to a relief role. Soliman is likely to join him as well. So there is movement down towards the middle of the prospect list at this position, but at the same time the 2011 draft provided a lot of depth at the position with Boyd, Boer, Mata, and Shibuya). Wimmers is the key here, and Bromberg is right behind, but keep an eye on Stuifbergen, Hauser, and Boer as well). ROCH: Hendriks, Manship, Suarez, Bromberg eventually, Wimmers eventually, Stuifbergen eventually. NBR: Bromberg, Stuifbergen, Wimmers, Popham, Lanigan. FTM: Hermsen, Salcedo, Achter, Shibuya eventually, Boer eventually. BEL: Shibuya, Boer, Atherton, Christensen. RHR 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 1 (Gutierrez) Top 25: 3 (Slama, Waldrop) Top 35: 5 (Watts, Pugh) Top 50: 8 (Oliveros, Jacobson, Tonkin) RHR 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 2 (Soliman conversion, Gutierrez) Top 35: 4 (Guerra, Summers) Top 50: 6 (Watts, DeVries) Right-handed reliever analysis: The position is bolstered by the conversion from starter of Soliman and Guerra, otherwise this is a deeply problematic position. Lester Oliveros will be an integral part of this depth chart. While it is one thing to simply convert starters into relievers, gearing relievers to be relievers seems to be more likley to produce good relief pitching. There is a movement toward the middle and toward the bottom here. This will be a vital need for the Twins in the 2012 draft. That means hard-throwers. ROCH: Gutierrez, Slama, Guerra, Oliveros, DeVries, Burton, Bulger, Vasquez, etc. A whole bunch of guys. LHS 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 2 (Dean, Diamond) Top 35: 2 Top 50: 4 (Darnell, Osterbrock) LHS 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 3 (Darnell, Dean, Diamond) Top 50: 3 LHS analysis: Logan Darnell's rise is promising. Pat Dean and Scott Diamond need bounce-back seasons. This is another key area for the 2012 draft. ROCH: Diamond, A. Thompson. NBR: Darnell, Osterbrock. FTM: Dean, O'Rourke. BEL: Tomshaw. LHR 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 0 Top 50: 3 (Ibarra, Bashore, Davis) LHR 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 1 (C. Williams) Top 50: (Tyler Robertson, Matt Bashore, Ibarra and Davis drop) Left-handed reliever analysis: This is a weak area for the Twins, to say the least. Robertson and Williams are vital to the depth here. Bashore and Davis are coming back from injury. Ibarra is not someone that I personally believe to be a legitimate prospect. ROCH: Robertson, Maloney, Dumatrait, Albers eventually. NBR: Albers, Davis, Nelson, Steedley. FTM: Carter, Gonzales, Ibarra. BEL: Williams, Gruver, Hurlbut, Wheeler. This was meant to provide an overview of the direction of the farm system. It is an undervalued system, but there are some gaping holes. The Twins need to draft intelligently like they did last year. I do not propose that the MLB draft be positional, since there is and would be great value in simply taking the best guy available, but there are some areas of need to focus on. They are: LHP in general, RHR, C, and 3B. Of the first 25 picks, I would base my expectations around 6 LHP, 5 RHR, 4 3B, 3C, 2 1B, 2 OF, 2 MI draft. The future direction of the team is up to the reader. This post was meant to point out some expectations and limitations on players. The future is not bleak, and neither may be the future. Lefty pitching, hard-throwing rights, catcher, and 3B are vital right now.

Twins fans who have a curiosity about how things are "down on the farm" may look at top 10 prospect lists or maybe merely look at those players who are September call-ups and judge the state of the Twins system accordingly. Seth Stohs does more than enough to provide fans with a wealth of information about minor leaguers, but I thought that I would take things a step further and look at the movement of players, by position, on some select prospect lists for 2011-2012. This does a number of things. First, one can get a picture of the depth of the system as a whole. Second, one can see how the 2011 draft was either satisfactory or not in addressing team needs. Third, we can project potential targeted positions for the 2012 draft. Finally, one can see how players have risen and fallen over the past year to see how the health of the system breaks down by position. Contrary to much popular belief, especially what passes for "belief" on the Star Tribune comment section, the Twins have a good minor league system, with many good-to-great prospects. Methodology: I constructed a composite list of top 50 prospects from Twinkie Town, Seth Speaks, and my own list for 2011 and 2012. I compared lists by position and by placement on the lists (top 5, top 15, top 25, top 35, top 50). There are some interesting conclusions to draw and some clear directions the Twins should take in the upcoming draft and in minor league free agent signings. Composite lists are found here: http://fieldoftwins.blogspot.com/2012/03/composite-prospect-lists-2011-2012.html Prospect movement, by position, the number of players at each positions at various levels (Revere is excluded): OF 2011: Top 5: 2 (Hicks, Benson) Top 15: 7 (Morales, Arcia, Kepler, Parmelee, Rosario) Top 25: 10 (Tosoni, Ortiz, Goodrum) Top 35: 11 (N. Roberts) Top 50: 14 (Herrmann, Bigley, Ray) OF 2012: Top 5: 4 (Rosario, Arcia, Hicks, Benson) Top 15: 7 (Parmelee, Kepler, Morales) Top 25: 8 (Goodrum) Top 35: 11 (Williams, Roberts, Perez) Top 50: 15 (Ray, Rams, Ortiz, Bigley) Outfield analysis: There has been movement upward, and this is on top of Ben Revere and Rene Tosoni being out of 2012 consideration due to MLB playing time). While Rosario may move to 2B, some players down the list farther may be moving to the OF (Goodrum, Perez, Rams). The depth has remained roughly the same while there is a movement from the top-middle to the top. ROCH: Benson, Parmelee, Bigley eventually. NBR: Hicks, Morales, Bigley, Rams and Perez eventually). FTM: Arcia, Roberts, Perez, Ray, Rams, and Ortiz eventually), BEL: Rosario, Kepler, Goodrum, Williams, Ortiz. C 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 1 (Rams) Top 50: 2 (Herrmann) C 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 1 (Herrmann) Top 25: 1 Top 35: 1 Top 50: 2 (Rams) Catcher analysis: Herrmann and Rams are going in opposite directions, and Rams may be moving to the outfield anyway). Herrmann hopefully will be an adequate defensive catcher while providing depth at other positions to keep is on base bat in the lineup. Danny Lehmann, Danny Rohlfing, and Josmil Pinto will be guys to watch at the mid-upper levels this year to try to provide depth at this position. At the lower levels, Matthew Koch and Phillip Chapman need to develop. This is a big area for the Twins to look at in the 2012 draft. ROCH: Butera/Towles, Rivera, Lehmann and Herrmann eventually). NBR: Lehmann, Herrmann, Rams eventually, Rohlfing eventually. FTM: Rams, Rohlfing, Pinto, Chapman eventually. BEL: Chapman, Koch. 1B 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 1 (Parmelee) Top 25: 1 Top 35: 2 (Hughes) Top 50: 4 (Ray, Vargas) 1B 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 2 (Parmelee, Harrison) Top 25: 2 Top 35: 2 Top 50: 3 (Ray, lost Hughes and Vargas) 1B analysis: Chris Parmelee has moved up the list and if Travis Harrison moves from 3B to 1B, the Twins may have bolstered the depth at this position. Ray and Michael Gonzales are worthy of watching at Fort Myers this year. ROCH: Parmelee, Pearce, Bates. NBR: Hanson, Colabello. FTM: Gonzalez, Ray. BEL: Rory Rhodes, Vargas, Harrison eventually). 2B 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 1 (Goodrum) Top 35: 4 (Beresford, Hughes, Dozier) Top 50: 5 (Santana) 2B 2012: Top 5: 1 (Rosario) Top 15: 2 (Dozier) Top 25: 4 (Goodrum and Michael) Top 35: 4 Top 50: 6 (Santana and Beresford) 2B analysis: With the potential switch from the OF for Rosario, it would change the entire power structure of the Twins system. That kind of talent in the middle infield is enormous. Let's say, however, that the switch is a bit shaky this year, the addition of Dozier and Michael to the upper half is great). The depth is climbing to the top at 2B. 3B 2011: Top 5: 1 (Sano) Top 15: 1 Top 25: 2 (Goodrum) Top 35: 3 (Hughes) Top 50: 4 (Hidalgo) 3B 2012: Top 5: 1 (Sano) Top 15: 2 (Harrison) Top 25: 2 Top 35: 3 (Perez, if he stays at 3B, Hughes no longer prospect) Top 50: 4 (Hidalgo) 3B analysis: Very little movement and that is a problem. It may be that neither Sano nor Harrison can really stick at 3B (and the same for Perez and Hidalgo!). Joe Mauer start fielding grounders at the hot corner . . . and the Twins need to focus on this position in the system. ROCH: Chang, Burroughs. NBR: Deibinson Romero, Hidalgo. FTM: Perez . . . Grimes, perhaps BEL: Harrison eventually, fill-ins . . . SS 2011: Top 5: 1 (Sano) Top 15: 1 Top 25: 3 (Goodrum, Plouffe) Top 35: 5 (Beresford, Dozier) Top 50: 7 (Polanco, Santana) SS 2012: Top 5: 0 (Sano moves to 3B) Top 15: 1 (Dozier) Top 25: 3 (Goodrum, Michael, Plouffe no longer prospect) Top 35: 3 (Beresford dropped) Top 50: 5 (Santana, Beresford, Polanco dropped off) Shortstop analysis: Sano is likely done at short, but Dozier's rise helps this position immensely, as does the drafting of Michael. If they both can stay at SS, this is a great development at a problematic position. Daniel Santana will be someone very important to watch this year, and one hopes that Beresford and Polanco can turn it around. I would think that all goes well at this position this year. ROCH: Nishioka (ideally), Florimon, Chang, Dozier eventually. NBR: Dozier, Beresford. FTM: Santana, Grimes, Michael eventually. BEL: Michael, Bryant, Goodrum, eventually. RHS 2011: Top 5: 2 (Gibson, Wimmers) Top 15: 6 (Hendriks, Bromberg, Salcedo, Soliman) Top 25: 9 (Hermsen, Holbrooks, Guerra) Top 35: 11 (Stuifbergen, Lanigan) Top 50: 12 (Munoz) RHS 2012: Top 5: 0 (Gibson, Wimmers drop) Top 15: 4 (Hendriks, Gibson, Salcedo, Wimmers, Soliman likely converts to RHR in 2012) Top 25: 10 (Boyd, Boer, Hermsen, Stuifbergen, Bromberg, Hauser, Guerra converted to RHR) Top 35: 11 (Doyle) Top 50: 14 (Mata, Shibuya, Lanigan) Right-handed starter analysis: Liam Hendriks emerged as a true middle of the rotation caliber pitcher and he has the brain for pitching as well. 2011 was a mess in that Gibson and Bromberg were injured, Wimmers lost his control, and Guerra had to convert to a relief role. Soliman is likely to join him as well. So there is movement down towards the middle of the prospect list at this position, but at the same time the 2011 draft provided a lot of depth at the position with Boyd, Boer, Mata, and Shibuya). Wimmers is the key here, and Bromberg is right behind, but keep an eye on Stuifbergen, Hauser, and Boer as well). ROCH: Hendriks, Manship, Suarez, Bromberg eventually, Wimmers eventually, Stuifbergen eventually. NBR: Bromberg, Stuifbergen, Wimmers, Popham, Lanigan. FTM: Hermsen, Salcedo, Achter, Shibuya eventually, Boer eventually. BEL: Shibuya, Boer, Atherton, Christensen. RHR 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 1 (Gutierrez) Top 25: 3 (Slama, Waldrop) Top 35: 5 (Watts, Pugh) Top 50: 8 (Oliveros, Jacobson, Tonkin) RHR 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 2 (Soliman conversion, Gutierrez) Top 35: 4 (Guerra, Summers) Top 50: 6 (Watts, DeVries) Right-handed reliever analysis: The position is bolstered by the conversion from starter of Soliman and Guerra, otherwise this is a deeply problematic position. Lester Oliveros will be an integral part of this depth chart. While it is one thing to simply convert starters into relievers, gearing relievers to be relievers seems to be more likley to produce good relief pitching. There is a movement toward the middle and toward the bottom here. This will be a vital need for the Twins in the 2012 draft. That means hard-throwers. ROCH: Gutierrez, Slama, Guerra, Oliveros, DeVries, Burton, Bulger, Vasquez, etc. A whole bunch of guys. LHS 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 2 (Dean, Diamond) Top 35: 2 Top 50: 4 (Darnell, Osterbrock) LHS 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 3 (Darnell, Dean, Diamond) Top 50: 3 LHS analysis: Logan Darnell's rise is promising. Pat Dean and Scott Diamond need bounce-back seasons. This is another key area for the 2012 draft. ROCH: Diamond, A. Thompson. NBR: Darnell, Osterbrock. FTM: Dean, O'Rourke. BEL: Tomshaw. LHR 2011: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 0 Top 50: 3 (Ibarra, Bashore, Davis) LHR 2012: Top 5: 0 Top 15: 0 Top 25: 0 Top 35: 1 (C. Williams) Top 50: (Tyler Robertson, Matt Bashore, Ibarra and Davis drop) Left-handed reliever analysis: This is a weak area for the Twins, to say the least. Robertson and Williams are vital to the depth here. Bashore and Davis are coming back from injury. Ibarra is not someone that I personally believe to be a legitimate prospect. ROCH: Robertson, Maloney, Dumatrait, Albers eventually. NBR: Albers, Davis, Nelson, Steedley. FTM: Carter, Gonzales, Ibarra. BEL: Williams, Gruver, Hurlbut, Wheeler. This was meant to provide an overview of the direction of the farm system. It is an undervalued system, but there are some gaping holes. The Twins need to draft intelligently like they did last year. I do not propose that the MLB draft be positional, since there is and would be great value in simply taking the best guy available, but there are some areas of need to focus on. They are: LHP in general, RHR, C, and 3B. Of the first 25 picks, I would base my expectations around 6 LHP, 5 RHR, 4 3B, 3C, 2 1B, 2 OF, 2 MI draft. The future direction of the team is up to the reader. This post was meant to point out some expectations and limitations on players. The future is not bleak, and neither may be the future. Lefty pitching, hard-throwing rights, catcher, and 3B are vital right now.

Wishing you the best this season. Thanks for blogging here. It is a great idea, and you are already living up to it.

Hicks' composite numbers from FTM and the AFL were .251/.363/.404 with 39 doubles, 10 triples, and 8 homers. On top of stellar defense.

Dean struggled at Fort Myers, but was still called up to New Britain late in the year. I would expect him to end this year at New Britain again, but after maintaining his excellent K/BB rate at Fort Myers for 1/2-2/3 of the season.

Hicks still has all the tools and has made his way in 2012 to AA, one would think. He is still the best defensive OF, by far, and one cannot ignore his OBP. He also was great in the Arizona Fall League. The AFL is obviously a hitters league, but it is also a AA/AAA hitters league. He did very well there. Other than Sano, I am showing a bit of favoritism towards players who have actually made it to High-A (which is why I also am low on new draft picks who haven't played or who have barely played). Anyway, the issue with Hicks seems to be that he takes too many pitches. That is something that is easily corrected.

Very good post. I really liked this move from the beginning. He also provides depth at two other positions besides SS, which is nice. I am hoping that his slugging goes up a little bit with the Target Field gaps.

One of my fondest memories as a child is the time my dad taught me how to score a baseball game. I was 10 years old and I became obsessed with "keeping the book" while watching the Twins on television (I believe those were the Midwest Sports Channel days). My scorebook had about a dozen or so games in it before the postseason came along. I kept score for every ALCS game without a problem. Then it was the World Series. I started keeping score for every game of that series . . . and I stopped scoring around the 5th or 6th inning of every single game (I think I stopped watching game 5 altogether). I absolutely could not handle the nerves of writing simple letters and numbers in a book any longer. I remember actually throwing that book away a few years later (that was obviously a dumb thing to do) and looking back at those games and my failed attempts to complete a single game from that series with a laugh. There are a lot of memories that a lot of Twins fans have of that series: the Puckett game (6) and the Morris game (7), Ron Gant clearly throwing himself off of first base and Kent Hrbek trying to simply help stop him, etc. For me, it is when this baseball nerd became a nervous 10-year-old fan again.

One of my fondest memories as a child is the time my dad taught me how to score a baseball game. I was 10 years old and I became obsessed with "keeping the book" while watching the Twins on television (I believe those were the Midwest Sports Channel days). My scorebook had about a dozen or so games in it before the postseason came along. I kept score for every ALCS game without a problem. Then it was the World Series. I started keeping score for every game of that series . . . and I stopped scoring around the 5th or 6th inning of every single game (I think I stopped watching game 5 altogether). I absolutely could not handle the nerves of writing simple letters and numbers in a book any longer. I remember actually throwing that book away a few years later (that was obviously a dumb thing to do) and looking back at those games and my failed attempts to complete a single game from that series with a laugh. There are a lot of memories that a lot of Twins fans have of that series: the Puckett game (6) and the Morris game (7), Ron Gant clearly throwing himself off of first base and Kent Hrbek trying to simply help stop him, etc. For me, it is when this baseball nerd became a nervous 10-year-old fan again.

Burroughs as a lefty and Carson has a power bat should potentially have the edge.

Dozier and Florimon were at AA last year other than Florimon's September callup, and Chang, while possible, still is not proven at AAA either. Casilla is the other shortstop on the team who can move over if Carroll is ever hurt or pinch something for (probably doubtful), and if Casilla is out mid-game (more doubtful), then Plouffe can be the emergency SS. Calling up one of these three or Nishioka can then happen for the next game.