Article: Seth's Preliminary Top 50 Twins Prospects: Part 2 (31-40)

[Seth Stohs]

Today, I’m sharing Part 2 of my prospect countdown, prospects 31-40. In Part 1, welooked at my choices for prospects 41-50. This is an interesting group of prospects as well. There are a couple of starting pitchers who have produced numbers as they’ve moved up the ladder without being credited with great stuff. There are a couple of starting pitchers and relievers who have electric stuff and have either struggled some or been injured. There is a hitter who really struggled in 2016 and ended the season injured. It is another group where there are some future big leaguers. In fact, there is a current big leaguer on the list too.Players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2017. That is to say, hitters with less than 130 at-bats and pitchers with less than 50 innings. (The list is preliminary. Following research for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2017 - which Cody Christie, Jeremy Nygaard and I are working on - I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.)

 

Top Prospects 31-40

 

#40 – Cody Stashak - 22 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle

 

Stashak was the Twins 13th-round pick in 2015 out of St. Johns (NY). He went 5-2 in ten starts in Elizabethton. He began the 2016 season at extended spring but was quickly promoted to Cedar Rapids. There, he went 8-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 18 games (17 starts). Late in the season, he was promoted to Ft. Myers where he 2-0 with a 0.54 ERA in 16.2 innings for the Miracle. Stashak fits into the mold of Twins starter in the last decade. He’s not real tall and he’s thin. He throws 90-92 and has good command of a three-pitch mix.

 

#39 – Eduardo Del Rosario - 21 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels

 

The Twins signed the very skinny Del Rosario in 2012 out of the Dominican Republic. He spent a year in the DSL. He pitched out of the GCL bullpen in 2014. He returned to the GCL in 2015 to start, nearly doubling his innings count. He ended the season with one start in Elizabethton. He began 2016 in extended spring but he was promoted to the Kernels in early June. In his first six Kernels starts he went 0-2 with a 6.25 ERA and opponents hit .314 (.882) off of him. Then he figured something out. Over his final 10 starts, he went 6-0 with a 2.09 ERA. In 51.2 innings in those starts, he walked 20, but he struck out 64. He is 6-0 all and 170 pounds. He throws a good fastball and is mixing in some improving secondary pitches as well.

 

#38 – Jordan Balazovic - 18 – RHP - GCL Twins

 

Balazovic was committed to Auburn, but the Twins' fifth-round pick is out of high school in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He was one of the last 2016 picks to sign, and when he did, he reported to Ft. Myers to play in the GCL. While the organization was obviously, wisely, very cautious with him in his debut, Balazovic pitched quite well. In 32 innings over eight games (six starts), he went 2-1 with a 1.97 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. He struck out just 16 batters but the youngster (just turned 18 after the season) worked on just throwing strikes with an upper-80s fastball (touching 90-91). His breaking pitches have a way to go also. But size (6-4) and mechanics indicate that he has a ton of potential.

 

#37 – Jaylin Davis - 22 – OF – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels

 

Davis was the Twins 24th-round draft pick in 2015 out of Appalachian State. He fell in the draft because he was injured and, in fact, didn’t play in the Twins rookie leagues at all last year. He began this season in extended spring training and actually ended up starting his playing season in Elizabethton. He spent just 12 games there and hit seven home runs before moving up to Cedar Rapids for the remainder of the season. With the Kernels, he hit .250/.339/.469 (.808) with 13 doubles, a triple and nine home runs. At 6-1 and nearly 200 pounds, Davis’s best tool is clearly his power. He has the potential to strike out a lot, walk a bit, display some speed and hit a lot of home runs.

 

#36 – Edgar Corcino - 24 – OF – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts

 

Corcino was originally the 26th-round pick of the Detroit Tigers in 2009. He remained in that organization through the 2012 season. He spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons playing independent league ball. The Twins signed the Puerto Rican before the 2015 season. After spending some time in EST, he spent the final three months of the season in Cedar Rapids where he displayed tremendous defense all around the outfield. He began 2016 in Ft. Myers. In 74 games, he hit .266 (.760) with 24 extra base hits. He was promoted to Chattanooga and played in 50 games. He hit .280 (.754) with 15 extra base hits. He’s got good speed and makes a ton of web gems.

 

#35 – Aaron Slegers - 24 – RHP – Chattanooga Lookouts

 

Slegers was the Big 10 Pitcher of the Year in 2013, his junior season at Indiana. Following the college season, he was the Twins fifth-round pick. He has consistently moved up one level each year. In 2016, he spent the full season in Chattanooga. He went 10-7 with a 3.41 ERA. In 145.1 innings, he walked 46 and struck out 104 (6.4 per nine). From mid-May until just after July 4th, he posted nine straight quality starts. Unfortunately, he then went on the disabled list and missed about three weeks. He did end the season strong. At 6-10, we all are aware that he doesn’t throw real hard, topping out at about 91-92. But he knows out to pitch and has improved each year.

 

#34 – Pat Light - 25 – RHP – Pawtucket Paw Sox/Boston Red Sox/Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins

 

The Twins finally got the guy they drafted seven years earlier. Late in the 2009 draft, the Twins selected Light out of high school. He wisely chose to go to college and three years later, he was a supplemental first-round pick of the Red Sox. He worked his way up the ladder there, first as a starter, but more quickly as a reliever. Blessed with a fastball that can reach into triple-digits at times, he came to the Twins at the July trade deadline in exchange for Fernando Abad, who has an ERA over six since joining the Red Sox. In Rochester, he was still hitting 100 mph with regularity, but with the Twins, he’s been sitting 93-96. Could just be tiring at the end of a season, but his struggles and the velocity drop have me a little nervous. He struggles with command and control, but he does have the ability to miss bats, so it would be silly to give up on him at this point.

 

#33 – Mason Melotakis - 25 – LHP – Chattanooga Lookouts

 

Melotakis was the Twins’ second-round pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State University of Louisiana. The hard-throwing left-hander spent about a year given the opportunity to start, but he was moved back to the bullpen (which is where he performed in college). Unfortunately, he had Tommy John surgery and missed the 2015 season. He came back for Instructs and was throwing in the upper 90s. Wisely, the Twins were patient and cautious with “Melo” during the 2016 season. He struggled early, and then spent seven days on the DL. When he returned, he pitched much better. He spent one more stint on the disabled list later in the season, but they were able to get him through the season healthy. And he pitched fairly well for the most part. In 33.1 innings (over 36 games), he posted a 2.97 ERA, walked 12 and struck out 42. He is now essentially where JT Chargois was a year ago at this time. Look for Melotakis to start next season in Chattanooga with the opportunity to quickly get up to Rochester before getting an opportunity with the Twins.

 

#32 – Jermaine Palacios - 20 – SS – Cedar Rapids Kernels

 

Palacios came into the 2016 season as one of the most interesting, intriguing prospects in the Twins minor league system. He came to the States in 2015 and put on an offensive display in the rookie leagues. In the GCL, he hit .421 in 26 games before moving up to Elizabethton where he hit .336 in 31 games. At 19, he moved up to Cedar Rapids in 2016 and to call it a struggle might be putting it kindly. Palacios got off to a slow start in the cold weather and saw his batting average hover around the Mendoza line. He ended at .222/.276/.287 (.564) thanks to his final ten games of his season when he hit .349. Unfortunately, his season came to an end when he was hit in the wrist by a pitch on July 16. His defense is still suspect, though he has the ability to improve. I wouldn’t give up on him. I suspect he’ll return to Cedar Rapids in 2017, still just 20. He has a chance to move back up this list quickly due to the lumps he took in 2016.

 

#31 – Randy Rosario - 22 – LHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts

 

The Twins signed Rosario out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old in 2010. He has gradually moved up the ladder. As he continued to grow, his velocity continued to rise. Unfortunately, early in 2014, Rosario hurt his elbow and had Tommy John surgery early in the 2014 season. He returned to the Kernels midway through the 2015 season, and he was throwing hard, touching 97 at times. He was added to the 40-man roster following the 2015 season and went to spring training with the big league club in 2016. He started the season in the vaunted Ft. Myers rotation and had some ups and downs, but in 21 games (16 starts), he went 6-6 with a 3.34 ERA. In 94.1 innings, he walked 34 and struck out 68. He ended the season with four relief appearances in Chattanooga. In his first outing, he gave up two hits and walked two before leaving the game without recording an out. He threw two shutout innings in each of his next two appearances for the Lookouts before another tough one in his fourth and final outing. Rosario has electric stuff so I believe he has a chance to make a big jump forward in 2017. He’ll head to the Arizona Fall League next month for an opportunity to keep working on things.

 

 

So what do you think of Part 2, Prospects 31-40? Next up will be prospects 26-30.

 

Click here to view the article

[Cory Engelhardt]

I have a feeling that Randy Rosario is much further down on your top 50 than he would be on others. Otherwise, great list and fun to read about all of the players.

[clutterheart]

 

I have a feeling that Randy Rosario is much further down on your top 50 than he would be on others. Otherwise, great list and fun to read about all of the players.

Maybe but I think the Twins putting him the 40 man increased his profile.  I  think that was a case of bad self scouting and the Twins shouldn't have been so aggressive.  He is looking like a bullpen guy at this point but as Seth says he has good stuff so he might turn into something more valuable.  

[Thrylos]

I kinda have to believe that Light is fixable.  With the Twins has been like Jim Hoey with a lesser fastball, but what we see does not tell the whole story.  He has been relieving only for 2 seasons.  And has started both those seasons pretty well as far as BB/9 and WHIP go, and finished all over the place.  Could be fatigue.  Still has a couple of options left so no reason to give up on him.

 

Slegers has Loek Van Mil written all over him.  I bet the Twins will try to turn him into a reliever and when he is not dominating, they will trade him for Brian Fuentes or something.  

 

Speaking of relievers Melotakis and Rosario (because that's where I see him end up) are too low I think.  They both can be in the Twins pen next season and be an improvement over the likes of Boshers, O'Rourke, and Perkins's ghost.

[Seth Stohs]

I think most people will have Rosario easily in the Top 30, maybe even top 20. I may have him in the Top 20 after researching and writing the prospect handbook. He's got some really good stuff. He should be better in 2017. But obviously, there are enough question marks still.

[Seth Stohs]

 

I kinda have to believe that Light is fixable.  With the Twins has been like Jim Hoey with a lesser fastball, but what we see does not tell the whole story.  He has been relieving only for 2 seasons.  And has started both those seasons pretty well as far as BB/9 and WHIP go, and finished all over the place.  Could be fatigue.  Still has a couple of options left so no reason to give up on him.

 

Slegers has Loek Van Mil written all over him.  I bet the Twins will try to turn him into a reliever and when he is not dominating, they will trade him for Brian Fuentes or something. 

 

Regarding Light, I'm pretty certain I have him too low, and probably have been watching too much of him on TV to have a fair opinion right now. It's likely he'll figure things out, like Chargois has in September, at some point. And, I'm certain worrying about what a guy is doing this late in the season isn't fair.

 

Regarding Slegers, I can guarantee they won't trade him for Brian Fuentes!

[PDX Twin]

A couple of questions on ages:

 

Can Slegers really be 21 if he was drafted in 2013 after his junior year of college? He would have had to start college at 15.

 

And if Rosario was drafted as a 16-year old in 2010, shouldn't that make him 22 now, not 24?

[Seth Stohs]

 

A couple of questions on ages:

 

Can Slegers really be 21 if he was drafted in 2013 after his junior year of college? He would have had to start college at 15.

 

And if Rosario was drafted as a 16-year old in 2010, shouldn't that make him 22 now, not 24?

 

Thank you for catching that. Slegers just turned 24 in the last month. Rosario is 22. I have edited the article to correct those errors. 

[belker]

 

A couple of questions on ages:

 

Can Slegers really be 21 if he was drafted in 2013 after his junior year of college? He would have had to start college at 15.

 

And if Rosario was drafted as a 16-year old in 2010, shouldn't that make him 22 now, not 24?

And Balazovich has 23 for age in the title, but just turned 18 in the descriptive paragraph....

[gunnarthor]

Balazovic is the obvious guy in this group.  I really liked last years draft - lots of really young HS players.  It'll be fun to see them develop.

[Seth Stohs]

 

And Balazovich has 23 for age in the title, but just turned 18 in the descriptive paragraph....

 

Also corrected... thank you!

[Seth Stohs]

 

Balazovic is the obvious guy in this group.  I really liked last years draft - lots of really young HS players.  It'll be fun to see them develop.

 

He's the one that has the potential to move up this a ton in 2018 or so... but it's hard to put him up any higher quite yet. 

[DocBauer]

Really, for most of the guys on this list the only "problem" is youth and service time. Seems like half of these guys were signed/drafted in just the past couple of seasons. But there does appear to be some real potential there.

 

I'm kind of a sucker when it comes to LH pitching, so Melotakis and Rosario are two guys I have my eyes on. If Melotakis could pull a Chargois like season out and be with the Twins for all or some of the second half of '17 that would be awesome.

[mikelink45]

As a result of the call ups this year, the list is filled with more names that I do not know, except for the great minor league reports, but somehow this list, so far, lacks the pizazz that I would like.  I am not a fan of Light - big arm, but the Hoey comparison is still apt - I hope he turns it around.  

 

I hope that Melotakis can regain form and move up quickly, he is the most intriguing in this set of ten. 

[goulik]

I was really disappointed by Palacios all season but he still seems like someone with a ton of potential. Needs to stay healthy.

 

Light has to be higher...He has already been called up. Can't get much closer to being ready than getting a call up. Hopefully he starts in AAA for a month or so next Spring and reaches his potential quickly.

 

The 31-50 crowd doesn't have me excited yet but seeing Rosario and Melotakis this low says there is a lot of promise yet to come on this list!

[bluechipper]

 

I think most people will have Rosario easily in the Top 30, maybe even top 20. I may have him in the Top 20 after researching and writing the prospect handbook. He's got some really good stuff. He should be better in 2017. But obviously, there are enough question marks still.

I'd call Rosario's 2016 a slight disappointment. Apparently he's got the stuff, but 9.7 H/9 and only 6.5 K/9 in the FSL isn't anything to write home about.

 

Maybe when he makes the transition to reliever full time, we'll see better results.

[bluechipper]

I'm going to call Jordan Balazovic the Canadian Kohl Stewart, at least until his K rate proves otherwise.

[Bob Sacamento]

 

I'm kind of a sucker when it comes to LH pitching, so Melotakis and Rosario are two guys I have my eyes on. If Melotakis could pull a Chargois like season out and be with the Twins for all or some of the second half of '17 that would be awesome.

Doesn't make you a sucker Doc, looking an eye on the LHPs in the minors is always a good thing.  Even if they struggle in a starting role, they can often show the flashes of plus bullpen arms.  As a Cubs fan, Rob Zastryzny is the most recent example I can think of.  A decent milb LHSP at best but plays up as a LHRP much better; added FB velocity, sharper breaking ball, and flash a third/fourth pitch to keep hitters honest.  If they do move Rosario to fulltime pen, I can see him going that way in 2017.

[Monkeypaws]

Burdi, Light, Chargois, Melotakis, Pressly: the bullpen could be getting warmer and warmer.

[Bob Sacamento]

 

I'm going to call Jordan Balazovic the Canadian Kohl Stewart, at least until his K rate proves otherwise.

ouch, I will say Jordan is very lithe but he's the prototype pitcher (18yo, 6'4, 175lb) in a scout's eye as you can see him adding velo the more he develops physically due to the fact that he'll likely add 20-30lbs to his frame by the time he's done maturing.  Having seen him start 3 games in the GCL, the kid produced alot of weak contact and was never hit hard.  He did appear to be pitching not throwing which is nice for a youngster.  His changeup looks further developed than his curve at this time which makes his 88mph fastball play up.  Lot of room to grow but gotta love the "scoutable projection".

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux3Uov4ZXPk

[bluechipper]

 

Burdi, Light, Chargois, Melotakis, Pressly: the bullpen could be getting warmer and warmer.

Don't forget Jake Reed and Trevor Hildenberger.

[Deduno Abides]

Pretty sad when three spots on the other 40 man roster are filled by low ranking veteran minor league relievers.