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Article: Seth's Preliminary Top 50 Twins Prospects: Part 6 (11-15)

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Seth Stohs

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We continue to look at and recognize Minnesota Twins prospects. We've already discussed many Twins prospects. Today, we discuss five more, my choices for Twins prospects 11 through 15.

 

When we get to this point, it comes with prospects where you can try to start envisioning their future. Again, there are a couple of guys that we could see in 2017. There is a power hitter, and another hitter with a tremendous approach at the plate. There’s another hard-throwing reliever, and a strike-throwing machine who has risen these rankings over the last couple of years. And there’s a flame-throwing teenager with upside, but a long ways to go.

 

If you've missed any of the previous installments, check them out here:

 

Part 1 (41-50)

Part 2 (31-40)

Part 3 (26-30)

Part 4 (21-25)

Part 5 (16-20)

 

And then feel free to join the conversation. Ask questions, start thinking about your Top 30 or Top 50 list.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 11-15

 

#15 – Nick Burdi - 23 – RH RP – Chattanooga Lookouts

 

Burdi was the Twins second-round pick in 2014 out of Louisville. That summer, he pitched in Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He began 2015 in Chattanooga but struggled enough to be sent back to Ft. Myers. He walked three and struck out 29 in 20 innings for the Miracle before moving back up to the Lookouts where he and JT Chargois shut the door in the late innings of their Southern League championship run. He went to the Arizona Fall League where he walked one and struck out 11 in eight scoreless innings. Burdi was invited to big league spring training and really impressed the coaching staff. He went to minor league camp and was shut down with some forearm soreness. He returned and threw in three games for the Lookouts before being shut down with a bone bruise near his elbow. He didn’t return. But the 23-year-old remains a top relief pitching prospect because of a big, upper-90s fastball and a terrific slider. With health, we should see him in a Twins uniform in 2017.

 

#14 – LaMonte Wade - 23 – OF – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle

 

Wade was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2015 out of the University of Maryland. After signing, he went to Elizabethton where he hit .312/.428/.506 (.934) with eight doubles, five triples and nine home runs. What stood out is that he walked 46 times and struck out just 34 times. He ended the season with four games in Cedar Rapids, which is where he started the 2016 season. He was a Midwest League All-Star after hitting .280/.410/.396 (.806) with 13 extra base hits. He walked 44 times with just 27 strikeouts. After the game, he was promoted to the Miracle. In the Florida State League, he hit .318/.386/.518 (.904) before his season came to an end with an injury. While he played center field throughout most of the 2016, he likely profiles more as a left fielder. Wade has an extremely professional approach at the plate. He’s solid all-around and people are most impressed with his makeup. He can hit and has gap-to-gap power that could develop more into home run power. He’s got average outfield speed and runs the bases well. None of his tools jump out when you watch him once, but over time, one can notice that he really doesn’t have a weakness in his game.

 

#13 – Huascar Ynoa - 18 – RHP – GCL Twins

 

Ynoa was the Twins biggest international signing in July of 2014, signing for about $800,000. He made his professional debut in 2015 in the DSL where he went 2-5 but posted a 2.70 ERA in 56.2 innings. He came to the States for the 2016 season and pitched for the GCL Twins. He went 3-5 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. In 51 innings, he walked 12 and struck out 51. Ynoa’s brother, Michael, was originally signed by the A’s for $4.25 million but debuted in the White Sox bullpen in 2016. Michael is 6-7 and 210 pounds. Huascar is 6-3 and about 215 pounds. Huascar throws 90 to 95 mph with movement. He’s still working on his secondary pitches. He has the ability to be nasty, but as you would expect of an 18-year-old, he’ll need to be more consistent.

 

#12 – Felix Jorge - 22 – RHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts

 

Jorge signed with the Twins in 2010 as a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic. He spent a season in the DSL. He came to the States in 2012 and pitched in the GCL. He moved up to Elizabethton in 2013. He began the 2014 season in Cedar Rapids, but after a month of struggling, he went back to EST. He pitched for the E-Twins again and was the Appy League Pitcher of the Year. He returned to Cedar Rapids in 2015 as a different pitcher. He went 6-7 with a 2.79 ERA. He began 2016 in the vaunted Miracle starting rotation. According to some reports, he was the best of the group in Ft. Myers. He went 9-3 with a 1.55 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP in 93 innings. He moved up to AA Chattanooga where he experienced some issues. In 11 starts, he went 3-5 with a 4.12 and a 1.28 WHIP. Overall, he walked just 1.2 per nine innings. In Ft. Myers, he struck out 7.5 per nine, but that dropped to just 3.9 per nine over his 74.1 innings in AA. He ended the season with a complete game, one-run game against Jackson. And in reality, he gave up more than three runs in just two of his 11 starts for the Lookouts. He also worked five or more innings in all 11 starts, and he worked into the seventh inning in seven of 11 starts because he keeps the pitch count down. Jorge attacks the zone with a fastball that touches the 94-95 range at times. He throws a ton of strikes, generally keeping the ball on the ground. Jorge could have been selected in the Rule 5 draft last offseason. Will the Twins add him this November?

 

#11 – Daniel Palka - 24 – OF – Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings

 

Last November, Terry Ryan traded Chris Herrmann to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In return, the team received OF/1B Daniel Palka. Until then, few Twins fans knew of Palka. However, we all checked out his stats and found that last year in High-A Visalia, he hit .280/.352/.532 (.885) with 36 doubles, three triples, 29 home runs, 90 RBI and 24 stolen bases. This for Chris Herrmann, who was out of options and not likely to stick with the Twins in 2016. Palka reported to Twins minor league spring training. He got an opportunity to play in a big league game, and he hit home runs in his first two at-bats. He added another two days later in a big league game. It was a sign of things to come for Palka in 2016. He began the season in Chattanooga where he hit .270/.348/.547 (.894) with 12 doubles, four triples, 21 homers and 65 RBI in 79 games. He was a Southern League All-Star and later was promoted to AAA Rochester. In 54 games with the Miracle, he hit .232/.296/.483 (.779) with 12 doubles, 13 homers and 25 home runs. In AA, he struck out 29% of the time. In AAA, he struck out 39% of the time. Palka has Sano and Walker power. Like Walker, he’ll have to cut down his strikeout rate to have big league success, but sometime in 2017, he will get an opportunity. He has to be added to the Twins 40-man roster in November or risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft.

 

So there you have it, my choices for Twins prospects 11-15. We’ll be back tomorrow with Part 7, Prospects 6-10.

 

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big dog GCL Twins

big dog

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Thanks for the writeup.  I thought I had missed something incredible about Palka until I realized that

 

"He began the season in Chattanooga where he hit .270/.348/.547 (.894) with 24 doubles, four triples, 34 homers and 65 RBI in 79 games."  

 

actually cites his season-long statistics, not just his Chattanooga stats.  Still, a really good year and I hope he gets a taste in 2017.

 

You make me wonder if Wade could be fast-tracked to the majors.  

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Seth Stohs GOAT

Seth Stohs

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Thanks for the writeup.  I thought I had missed something incredible about Palka until I realized that

 

"He began the season in Chattanooga where he hit .270/.348/.547 (.894) with 24 doubles, four triples, 34 homers and 65 RBI in 79 games."  

 

actually cites his season-long statistics, not just his Chattanooga stats.  Still, a really good year and I hope he gets a taste in 2017.

 

You make me wonder if Wade could be fast-tracked to the majors.  

 

Thanks for pointing this out. I have corrected it. Yes, a season with 12 more doubles and 13 more homers would have been pretty remarkable for Palka, and he'd likely not be written about today... probably tomorrow.

 

I don't know about fast-tracking Wade. I mean, I can see him starting next year in Ft. Myers since he only played 32 games there before missing August with an injury. But I can also see him getting to Chattanooga relatively quickly as well. Sounds great, but if you've got Rosario, Buxton and Kepler as your regular outfielders in 2017 and Grossman and his .380 OBP as a 4th OF, and guys like Palka and Walker and Granite for depth in Rochester, there's no reason to push Wade. He'll be 23 in 2017 (January 1st), and if he ends the season in Chattanooga, he's on a good pace. I think he just needs to stay healthy and play a lot and that will dictate his pace.

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JaleelWhite FanClub Draft Eligible

JaleelWhite FanClub

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I can neither confirm nor deny this guess. Ha!

 

Seth, I'm curious where you would have Chih-Wei Hu on the list if he was still around. He had a real solid year at AA for Montgomery. I think he's basically a clone of Jorge with a tad more K-potential.

 

Last time I saw he was in the 6-8 range for the Rays organization.

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Mike Sixel Cooperstown

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Fangraphs recently said projecting Hu as a three was agressive, but that his slider was amazing, so who knows....

 

Seth, I'd have Garver over both Burdi and Palka.....maybe over Wade also. Actually, yes, over all three. So, there you have it, my answer from yesterday. Burdi needs to be healthy for me to rank him this high. Palka, I don't know if the can cut the strikeouts...how is his defense?

 

Wade I really like, and think he has a chance for sure, a good chance, but he's not been young for his league yet. I'd probably have Garver around 9-11, and then Wade ahead of Burdi and Palka. But, I'm no expert at all...

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Seth Stohs GOAT

Seth Stohs

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Seth, I'm curious where you would have Chih-Wei Hu on the list if he was still around. He had a real solid year at AA for Montgomery. I think he's basically a clone of Jorge with a tad more K-potential.

 

Last time I saw he was in the 6-8 range for the Rays organization.

 

I think he'd be in that range in the Twins organization too. I don't think I could have put him in the top 5, but 6 is possible.  

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Seth Stohs GOAT

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Fangraphs recently said projecting Hu as a three was agressive, but that his slider was amazing, so who knows....

 

Seth, I'd have Garver over both Burdi and Palka.....maybe over Wade also. Actually, yes, over all three. So, there you have it, my answer from yesterday. Burdi needs to be healthy for me to rank him this high. Palka, I don't know if the can cut the strikeouts...how is his defense?

 

Wade I really like, and think he has a chance for sure, a good chance, but he's not been young for his league yet. I'd probably have Garver around 9-11, and then Wade ahead of Burdi and Palka. But, I'm no expert at all...

 

We're all just throwing opinions. I don't know if the word "expert" really ever applies to prospect rankings. There's no 'right" (or wrong) way to do it.

 

I can't argue with you too vehemently on Garver. Maybe he is too low. Burdi's potential to be an elite late-innings guy is still there, but you're right, he has to stay healthy. Palka's power (And Walker's) just can't be ignored too much. They're both about a year younger than Garver. They're probably more boom-or-bust though whereas Garver, at worst, should be a solid backup catcher in MLB with a chance to be an alright starter, if he's given a chance. Wade's one great asset is his plate approach. That should raise his floor. His ceiling probably isn't as high as some others, but there aren't many weaknesses, so he's certainly one to watch too.

 

I admit, this is a tough group to rank... I would argue that maybe 8-18 are all fairly close. None would be Top 150 types, but all have attributes that make them intriguing going forward. 

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clutterheart First Round Pick

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Palka - 

 

Like Walker, he’ll have to cut down his strikeout rate to have big league success, but sometime in 2017, he will get an opportunity.

 

I wonder about that.  Will the new regime look at his K rate and deem him as someone who doesn't need to be protected?  The current player development staff is likely to be replaced (hopefully) so the Twins might be evaluating guys differently going into the 2017 season.    

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Mike Sixel Cooperstown

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We're all just throwing opinions. I don't know if the word "expert" really ever applies to prospect rankings. There's no 'right" (or wrong) way to do it.

 

I can't argue with you too vehemently on Garver. Maybe he is too low. Burdi's potential to be an elite late-innings guy is still there, but you're right, he has to stay healthy. Palka's power (And Walker's) just can't be ignored too much. They're both about a year younger than Garver. They're probably more boom-or-bust though whereas Garver, at worst, should be a solid backup catcher in MLB with a chance to be an alright starter, if he's given a chance. Wade's one great asset is his plate approach. That should raise his floor. His ceiling probably isn't as high as some others, but there aren't many weaknesses, so he's certainly one to watch too.

 

I admit, this is a tough group to rank... I would argue that maybe 8-18 are all fairly close. None would be Top 150 types, but all have attributes that make them intriguing going forward. 

 

Agreed, at this part of the list, I don't think anyone is "wrong"...just tiny differences.

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gunnarthor All-Star

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I liked the Burdi pick but until he can remain healthy, he's really nothing.  I don't like that he missed the entire season and didn't need surgery.  That seems like maybe we missed something and next year he will need surgery.  Hope that doesn't happen.

 

I like Wade.  He gets on base a lot.  That's a good thing.  Ynoa is exciting and should be fun to watch develop.  He's far away but could be a real stud.

 

I'm far less enthusiastic about Jorge.  I think you have him ranked too high.  And Palka's a nice lottery ticket.  Like Walker, he probably can't get the strike outs under control but if he does... wow.  

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drivlikejehu

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Burdi has had both health and performance issues, plus is a reliever, so I'd have him lower.

 

I'm not really high on Jorge either but there's a chance his stuff could play up in the bullpen, so I wouldn't be surprised if he ultimately makes it in that role. 

 

I would have Wade higher. He appears to be a late bloomer that continues improving, and his strike zone control + contact ability is intriguing.

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I can't believe how much higher wade is than arruiz(sp?) and vielma. Have those two on top of wade

Well Luis Arraez can't field and Vielma can't hit. Lamonte Wade looks like he's a player who has a complete game that you can envision translating into success in the MLB.

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Seth Stohs GOAT

Seth Stohs

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Well Luis Arraez can't field and Vielma can't hit. Lamonte Wade looks like he's a player who has a complete game that you can envision translating into success in the MLB.

 

I agree with this... I also would say that Arraez, at 19, could grow, get stronger, add some speed/athleticism over the next few years... So, I have Arraez at 19 now, but he's got a chance to move up. 

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drivlikejehu First Round Pick

drivlikejehu

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There's no way Turner should be in the top 10, but I'm also really surprised he's not in the top 50 either.

 

Prospect implies potential value beyond replacement level - Turner is a classic, glove-only AAAA catcher . . . there are plenty of those guys around, and while that is certainly OK from a depth perspective, there's not enough upside to justify prospect status.

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