Twins Daily 2022 Top 20 Prospects: Recap

Picking Hajjar to click (I think they will unlock his velocity)

Roughly 4-5 of our top 20 probably list 2nd base as their best position.  That is unfortunate.  My guess is that MANY other teams have a similar 2nd baseman glut(?)   I do like to see all of those pitchers though!

5 minutes ago, miracleb said:

Roughly 4-5 of our top 20 probably list 2nd base as their best position.  That is unfortunate.  My guess is that MANY other teams have a similar 2nd baseman glut(?)   I do like to see all of those pitchers though!

I had the same thought.  However, I count 4 only if you consider Miranda's best position 2B and I think his future is 3B with the flexibility of playing 2B & 1B.  Also, and maybe I have the wrong impression, but Steer's value is that he can play multiple positions.  Julien's best position probably is 2nd but he is not great defensively at any position.  It would seem his value will be defensive flexibility as well.  The bigger IF dilemma IMO is more immediate in the form of Arraez.  Polanco has 2B covered for the next 3 years with a 4th year option and there is a good chance Miranda will man 3rd for the next several years and Martin will be here soon.  

One problem that this summary points out is that 2B does not seem very hard to fill.  We have Polanco, Arraez, Miranda, Gordon already on the potential roster for next year and more in the minors.  Does every team have this kind of situation?  If so that makes 2B the least valuable position in terms of trades. Maybe Arraez, for example, is not as valuable a trade chip as we have talked about in the off season.

I find it interesting you have Wallner in top 20, but not Sabato.  I am not huge on Sabato, but both are bat first, or bat only guys.  Sabato is younger, put up better numbers at same level then Wallner did, in a much smaller sample size, but the point is I think it is odd a guy like Wallner is ranked so much higher than Sabato.  It will be intersting to see how Sabato does starting in CR and not in FM. 

Super summary!

What is our goal for SS, keeping in mind that it’s the most important defensive position on the field (even more so given our young pitching staff)?

If the least acceptable answer is a consistently above average, reliable defensive player with an average bat, then I’d agree the rankings confirm a huge hole at SS within our organization. It’s true, sadly.

At the moment, it would appear that it is unlikely that we could fill SS with someone matching that description for at least four years, and even then, the jury hasn’t even begun to deliberate, let alone still be out, on our one true hope, Miller. But by the time he’s ready, we might already be talking about our next window.

Sign Story and declare SS victory. We have the $, but if we had to move JD to get it done, so be it. For the 2023-2026 Twins, Story >>> Donaldson - it’s not even close.

Once our SS hole has been filled, the promise and depth (not only in terms of talent, but also, importantly, cost and control) of these top 20 prospects really becomes apparent.

But the SS hole is gaping and could be our greatest Achilles heel holding us back if not resolved. 

My choice for who most clicks in 2022 is Cole Sands. My choice for who least clicks is SWR.  

1 hour ago, miracleb said:

Roughly 4-5 of our top 20 probably list 2nd base as their best position.  That is unfortunate.  My guess is that MANY other teams have a similar 2nd baseman glut(?)   I do like to see all of those pitchers though!

That's where the outfielders will come from

Surprised to see no votes at all for Danny DeAndrade. Guess we can call him a sleeper.

Picks to click:

Probably the most similar narratively to Miranda would be Misael Urbina, who put up plate discipline numbers far above his overall numbers.  He's different in that he really needs to develop just any semblance of power rather than tap into what he has more effectively.  The rest of the tools are there though to make a big jump if he can add some strength and hit the ball with more authority.

As more of a sleeper I'll take Jeferson Morales, whose offensive performance last year still seems pretty unappreciated.  He'll have to show the chops to stick at catcher to really rocket up the rankings, which is probably my biggest reservation.

For pitchers I really can't pretend to have any sort of special insight, but I'll take Cade Povich.  He seemed to take to the Twins' coaching in instructs exceptionally quickly, so hopefully that will bode well for his development going forward.  He could be the lefty to supplement that big group of right handers.

I'll also buy Sabato's late power surge and predict he can work his way back to top-ten bubble status.  Hard for him to really rank much higher though as a RH 1B only type.

Great prospect summaries.  Thanks to all the TD gang who worked on them.  I can't wait to see how Raya does.  I hope you are right on him, Seth.

57 minutes ago, Trov said:

I find it interesting you have Wallner in top 20, but not Sabato.  I am not huge on Sabato, but both are bat first, or bat only guys.  Sabato is younger, put up better numbers at same level then Wallner did, in a much smaller sample size, but the point is I think it is odd a guy like Wallner is ranked so much higher than Sabato.  It will be intersting to see how Sabato does starting in CR and not in FM. 

I think the separation for many would probably be that Wallner can probably play a passible corner outfield and is also left-handed, which could make him the bigger half of a platoon.

The K% numbers for Wallner are especially scary though, so I would tend to agree with you.  Not that Sabato's numbers are that much better, but I would still give him a slightly better chance of being able to handle high level pitching at this point.

3 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

With shifts and better positioning 2B has become probably the lowest rung on the defensive ladder.

I agree, 2B has become much less demanding than 3B. 

P/C/SS/CF/3B/RF/2B/LF/1B

Second base stays ahead of LF because they have to be able to turn the double play.

One consequence of the universal DH is average defense at 1B and LF will increase slightly. The 15 worst fielders who could hit well enough to play those positions will move to DH. They will be replaced by 15 players who field better than them.

Picks to click?

I'd love to select Urbina or Rodriguez as super talented young players, but I'm really looking for them to still adjust and grow and not necessarily breaking out. 

So I have a couple:

POSITION PLAYER:

1] Severino. He started to grow in 2021. I think he's ready to take the next step. 

1A] Will Holland. He's a 5th round pick who looked like a top prospect before a poor junior season but signed after 2019. He barely played when signed and then missed 2020 like everyone else. He had a mediocre 2021 at best. He could make a real jump in 2022.

3] Wander Javier. It could be easy for him to say WTH, and move on. But I don't see that with him. I think he's grown in to his body and the baseball gods are going to shine on him and he's going to be healthy. I ALMOST want him to be #1, but I can't due to history. But I have a feeling where talent, time, work, and just time/luck is going to shine on him.

PITCHER:

I just can't pick Hajjar because hes a 2nd round pick who hasn't debuted yet.

But I have 4 guys that are PRIMED to "click".  And that's a GOOD THING!

1] Canterino. If he's healthy, he's on a rocket to finish at AAA if not a ML appearance. Limited IP makes him "elgible" for this list.

2] SWR. He's been bounced around and had the whole Olympic thing disrupt his development. Unless something happens unexpectedly, he's going to be able to get good coaching, settle down, and just PITCH and develop with some stability for the 1st time in a couple years. He'll probably throw at Wichita for the full season and that's OK. He needs that. Doesn't mean he doesn't break out.

3A] Povich was a surprise to me, even as a Husker fan. I think the Twins saw control and the ability to fill out physically, and add velocity, and maintain  control. But I was surprised by reports of new velocity. Early returns are more than I expected. I don't think he can be dismissed .

3B] Raya. Truth be told, I WANT to put this kid #1 on my pitcher list. He was my favorite 2020 draft choice because I just 'felt" there was "something" there besides pitching in big games and numbers. Something about his stuff and attitude reminded me of Berrios, right or wrong. I thought we drafted a HS pitcher, always a big risk, that had the stuff and makeup to succeed. I was so disappointed he didn't pitch in 2021. But then I hear  how good he looked in IL and I'm starting to think he and Petty might be a great duo at Ft Myers to begin 2022.

DARK HORSE:

Legumina and Mooney could surprise.