With names like Buxton, Rosario and Sano cruising through the Gulf Coast League in recent years, have the Twins got any big-time-pitching prospects cooking in the tropics? Has anyone flown under the radar (perhaps flying through the near-by Bermuda triangle), that us Twins fans should expect to possibly contribute someday in Minnesota? I've got names and numbers, so enjoy this ride through the electric-fog wormhole that is Twinsdaily.com.....

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(Montanez)

1. Josue Montanez - LHP This guy was a 2011--15th round pick as a junior college starter out of Miami Dade CC, where he put up solid numbers (66 innings, 70 K's, 2.59 ERA). He struggled a bit in his first season in the GCL after signing, but turned things around in a big-left-handed-way in 2012. He pitched 25 innings and had 30 K's with only 13 hits and 8 walks surrendered. Josue gave up one earned run last year and held opponents to a .149 average. Major potential for the 20-year-old. Check him out in the Puerto Rican league this winter.

2. Randy Rosario - LHP He's a skinny lefty that was signed in 2010 as a 16-year-old outta the Dominican Republic. "Rosario 2.0" showed he has the pitching production to be able to move up the minor league ranks after a very effective year as a 17-year-old in the Domincan Summer League. As an 18-year-old in the GCL in 2012, Randy played pro-ball in the USA for the first time and posted awesome numbers overall. He gave up only 19 hits in 38+ innings and K'd 42 with a 1.64 ERA (.147 BAA). Look for him to start in Elizabethton and hopefully finish in A ball, over the course of 2013. But hey, as a 19-year-old, he may get a short season and then a long break over the following winter.

3. Felix Jorge - RHP This kid is also ridiculously young and playing at a high level as a rookie in USA-pro-ball. While 18, and playing in the GCL last year, the D.R. product posted above-average numbers with his low-90's gas and plus breaker. He kept his ERA down to 2.34 in 34.2 innings. His 37/12 K/BB ratio was just fine, and his upside is crazy considering he looks like he is about 15. Look for this guy to make big Caribbean waves moving forward and maybe end up on the top 20 prospects list in 2-3 years.

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(Jorge)

4. Kuo Hua Lo - RHP Take a look at what this Taiwanese 20-year-old did in the GCL last year. He didn't necessarily overpower hitters with mid to upper-90's stuff, but he is said to be able to sit in the low-90's with excellent command. His numbers sure were dominant-looking, even if he isn't going to be a dominant type moving forward. His WHIP was 0.78...!! and his BB/9 innings is at 1.59...! The best stat for me is this: 1.13 ERA in 39.2 innings. I think about baseball a lot, and ERA is the MOST important stat for a pitcher in my opinion. Your starter's ERA is what you're facing, on average, as an offense (until or if the starter exits, obviously). So Lo's 1.13 ERA is outstanding, to say the least.

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(Lo)

There are plenty of other arms that had great seasons in the GCL for the Twins. Check em out and let us know why they should be on this list.

I really like all four of these guys. What's encouraging is all four of these guys throw 92ish, with Rosario often hitting 94/95.

It might be fun to compare them to that 2009 (?) GCL Twins team that had Salcedo, Hermsen, Tonkin and Weller. Or that 2004 GCL Twins team that had Waldrop, Swarzak, Rainville.

Nice comparisons Seth. How bout the Taiwan kid eh? Must have insane command with those numbers.

"ERA is the MOST important stat for a pitcher"

It is the most important stat for evaluating current performance, but it is not the best indicator for future performance, especially as a player moves up levels. Even at the major league level, K/W is a better indicator of future ERA than current ERA is.

I haven't really kept up on the predictive value of the newer metrics, but the rules "there's no such thing as a pitching prospect" and "there's no such thing as a prospect below AA" both apply. They had nice years, but I'm not holding my breath waiting for them (yet.)

Yeah, i know ERA can fluctuate quite a bit from year to year for relievers (and starters too for that matter). But the ERA crown often takes home the Cy Young in most cases. So, its a tough stat to keep very low throughout an entire season. Can't wait to see what these guys can do in a full season league. All of them made starts last year at some point.

Nine of the ten pitchers with the most innings pitched (25.0+) had ERA's of 2.43 or less. Montanez was best at 0.36 with Lo and Rosario both under 1.65. But Sanudo, Gibbons, Jorge, Landa, Minnesota's own Austin Malinowski, and De La Cruz were all between 2.00 and 2.43. Incredible group of young arms.

Will they all make it? Of course not. But with nine exciting young arms one would think at least a couple will someday be pitching at Target Field.

True that barely any of these guys will make it to Minnesota, if any at all. But it is nice to have a bunch of promotable guys starting somewhat together

"

Nine of the ten pitchers with the most innings pitched (25.0+) had ERA's of 2.43 or less. Montanez was best at 0.36 with Lo and Rosario both under 1.65. But Sanudo, Gibbons, Jorge, Landa, Minnesota's own Austin Malinowski, and De La Cruz were all between 2.00 and 2.43. Incredible group of young arms. "

 

Montanez gave up 1 earned run all year. Thats amazing. The others you mentioned are just as worthy of promotions this coming summer. I picked my top 4 and went with it...but none of my 4 may ever play in the major leagues.

Will any of these four guys pitch in Cedar rapids this coming summer?