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If you want to compare Arraez to a former Twin, how about Chuck Knoblauch - a fellow second-baseman? In Knobby's seven years with the Twins, he won Rookie of the Year, led the league in doubles and triples once each, went to the All-Star game 4 times and scored over 100 runs 4 times as well. He finished his great 1996 season by batting .341. He also never hit more than 13 HR as a Twin. Everyone was fine with that.

You can get away with a light hitting player like Revere or Arraez when you have a lineup that legitimately just set the new record for HRs and they added another 30+ HR guy. I have no problem if Arraez collects singles and walks if the others will be busy hitting him in. And, as the article mentioned, Revere hit a lot of groundballs, and Arraez hit more line drives, so I think Arraez's performance can be more sustainable if that keeps up.

@Moderator it was me ^ I compared Josh Donaldson to Jesus.

I can’t imagine someone comparing Josh Donaldson to Jesus. What a tool.

I mean, if the deal doesn't work out he'll be crucified on here sooooooooo....

Nope, it's WAR, OPS+, wOBA, wRC+, and BABIP. You can hit .276 with 32 HR and 109 RBI while batting cleanup on a 100+ win team - doesn't matter. You'll be considered a by many on this thread to be a below-average player who needs to be replaced by a guy who's never taken a MLB at bat. As for your thoughts on Arraez, I couldn't agree more. Let's be happy with what we have. He's got plenty of room to grow, and having a high-average slap-hitting singles/doubles guy at the top of this lineup isn't a bad thing.

I agree that the Revere comparison is a stretch, but this is a good analysis of *why* As for comparing to Knoblauch, you have to remember his value (and his batting statistics) were greatly enhanced by his speed and extremely intelligent baserunning. Arraez is not in that class.

Ted, love your work and appreciate the OP, but find it a bit strange to compare a CF and 2B 10yrs apart in the beginning of their careers. Despite changes in philosophy over the years, especially defensive shifts, Arraez nips Revere in every quad split during their milb career. And while it is a very SSS, Arraez EASILY eclipses Revere in those same quad splits for their rookie season. There is a difference in making contact and making successful contact. It would appear, to this point, that Arraez has better bat control, a better approach, and just a better "hit" factor overall. His eye and control leans to better sustainability and a much better OB%. None of this is to say he will or will not continue what he showed as a rookie. But it sure appears they are very different players and hitters, as the OP points out in various numbers. I just don't think they are really comparable despite a few similarities.

Only if he can do a somersault on the base paths while running out a triple.

A few comments after LMAO at Nash's comments. 1] I should copy and paste my comments on the 3B depth post, but won't. Shouldn't have to. NOBODY who has a very good 3B has a plug and play alternative. The Twins have depth in Marwin and Adrianza. Maybe Astudillo if the 2018 and non-injured 2019 version fighting to get back in to a groove after showing some production when healthy and not chasing the way outside pitch version of himself returns. (Whew!) Sano can also still be decent/passable if something dreadful happens. (I need wood to knock on!) Oh crap I AM repeating myself! 2] There is NO REASON why Lewis can't be a future 3B option, since it was brought up. He has tremendous skills to be harnessed, and all the ability to play 3B. In fact, if you can play SS, unless your reactions are slow, you should be able to play 3B at least decently. Arm strength is similar. Again, Lewis's first introduction to MLB may be as an injury call up. Which is why, like all milb players, and to develop versatility, he should play other positions besides just SS. Referencing depth in the system, Miranda is not a singular option. What if the young, talented Polanco continues to improve defensively? What if he proves his new throwing motion and continued game experience turns him in to at least an average ML SS? What's wrong with Lewis becoming a future stud at 3B? I've mentioned that a time or two and been told it would be a waste of his talent. How so? It is complete and utter hyperbole at this point to compare HOF players, but that's like saying A-Rod was somehow "wasted" playing 3B for the Yankees while Jeter played SS. Hyperbole, yes, but the argument is still similar. 3] While I was never as down as some regarding Sano at 3B and his potential there, no doubt this move makes the Twins better, offensively and defensively. It may even help Polanco. I will not anoint Sano any sort of Gold Glove, but I think with some time, he has all the ability and experience as a former SS, 3B, to take his skills to be at worst a solid 1B defensively. Especially considering his new-found dedication and willingness to move and improve himself and the team. 4] The undervalued and unexpected contributions of Donaldson. I was NEVER against his signing by any means. But you heard whispers, gossip, about him. But from his press conference to his first days of ST, all we have heard and seen is a guy who wants to play and perform and contribute. He is already becoming a team leader for the club and imparting experience and knowledge to the prospects. Remind you of anyone? Cruz perhaps? I am becoming more and more enamored with our FO and the choices they make. All of the moves they have made from the top on down, including manager, coaches, etc, they have also brought on board 2 different but highly productive ML veterans who make a huge difference with their performance on the field, but who might be making as big of a difference with the rest ofntbe roster and those who are getting ready to contribute.

The difference between a .315 and a .360 woba is the differnce between a burger at a cafeteria that has sat in a steamer for hours versus thr burger that was at Victory 44. Arraez can improve his fielding, Revere went backwards in the batting. There really is not a similarity

Revere had a career because of his defense and base running. Arraez will only have a career if his bat is much better than Revere’s.

more than one strength; dude also gets a lot of walks for someone who collects that many hits. He controls the strike zone, which is another strength.

One other thing, initially Kirby didn't have power, he developed it. I have high hopes Luis can do the same. If not, I'm extremely happy with a .333 hitting second baseman that wins multiple batting championships.

When FM station 102.9 The Wolf acquired the rights to simulcast Minnesota baseball games, it seemed like a win for radio listeners and the team. A tragic misunderstanding leaves many wondering if it’s worth it.Gloria Runnells knew something was wrong immediately. “We’ve been coming to Fort Myers for Spring Training games for years,” said the Little Falls retiree. “We always sit by the play-by-play booth, Dan Gladden will wave at us, it’s a real fun time. When we got there on Thursday, there was debris everywhere, people yelling, and what looked like claw marks?” Those marks were courtesy of Luna, a 4-year-old grey wolf that was mistakenly sent to the CenturyLink Sports Complex. “It appears that there was a regrettable breakdown in communication between the Twins organization and stadium staff,” said a spokesperson for Fort Myers Animal Control. “The Twins requested that they save a spot in the press box for The Wolf, a Minneapolis radio station. Stadium authorities misunderstood the request and reached out to Orlando’s Wilderness Safari and Topless Frozen Yogurt Bar to procure Luna instead. The resulting bloodshed was substantial.” Authorities say at least 17 people were injured in the lupine rampage. When Luna was loosed into the press box by her handlers, witnesses say she bypassed the chair, microphone, and headset that was set aside for her and immediately went to town on assorted media members. “We turned around and saw this wolf gnawing on what I think was LaVelle (Neal, Star Tribune beat writer, who was treated and released from a Sarasota hospital with assorted cuts and bruises),” said Runnells. “She looked up and spotted Perk at Play (KARE sportscaster Eric Perkins, listed in stable condition with localized gouging) and pretty much flew right at him.” Animal Control officials were able to sedate Luna, but not before she flung one media member (believed to be The Athletic’s Dan Hayes) at a half-dozen other press box visitors and “knocked them down like bowling pins before feasting on them,” according to one official. “Honestly it was pretty cool.” The Athletic released a statement saying all their employees were accounted for and in good shape and also thanked Fort Myers EMTs for transporting the injured to the hospital after an unidentified Athletic employee was unable to rent a car due to an expired license. They added that readers could use the code WOLFATTACK to get 30% off a one-year subscription through the weekend. (Image license here.) Click here to view the article

Should we ignore the 4th percentile hard hit rate or 19th percentile exit velocity? I don’t think it is wise to jump to only lack of home runs from there. Are there any other players who have consistently been better than league average hitters at those ranks? I don’t know the answer to that question but it can’t be many. It will be interesting to see how teams pitch and defend Arraez differently this year and then how he adjusts.

I believe how we handled Hicks and Buxton was a terrible short sighted mistake, I believe that all front offices should avoid repeating this mistake at all costs. Yet... We kept repeating the same mistake over and over again in CF. Hicks and Buxton were shoved into the opening day lineup with no Plan B should they fail. They failed and the Twins kept trying and they kept failing. With this so fresh in our memories... I don't understand how people can just say... Next Year Kiriloff will start in LF and we can trade others to accommodate. It is so much better to debut your minor league talent in the middle of the season surrounded by talent who can absorb struggles from the newly promoted minor league talent. And if the minor league talent performs... like many are these days. Continue to incorporate them into the mix. When people see a roster full of talent... many think "Blocked". I don't think "blocked"... I think it's the perfect opportunity to let others show what they can do when injuries occur. The team is protected if they fail. If they fail... send them back down. If they succeed... You've improved your lineup and you've found a cheap option for next years roster which can free up cash to improve somewhere else in the lineup. All you have to do... is give them a chance to win a job. Let them play if they win it... Send them down if they don't perform. Depth is a good thing. If you don't play your depth... you don't have it.

Are we at a point where HRs are the only measure of a players value? I have no idea if the famous sophomore slump will hit Luis, or if he will simply regress, but I am also a big fan of his and would like to give him some more playing time before we start reaching for comps and attacking what I think is a really great skill set for this lineup. Go Arraez.

Arraez put up a wRC+ of 125 last year. Revere’s career wRC+ was 82. They’re not even remotely close.

I thought cuddyer was great. But when I see kep play I think he will be greater.

With Mookie moved to the NL only Judge really stands in his way as the most notable opponent for a GG. Given Judge's health history I think Max has a good shot at it!

All they have to do is force the issue and magically a spot will appear.

We won 101 games last year. Prospects should be held back!

Honestly, I don’t know why people keep reacting to ZIPS projections for minor leaguers. Everyone is flabbergasted about how they project our best guys to, basically, suck if they make it to the majors this year.....when literally ZIPS says this every year! Everyone know that’s ZIPS is just a statistical tool, right? Basically put, statistics assume that everyone will regress to their mean; which is is why every guy who has a breakout is expected to regress the next year....and every guy who had an off year (unless he’s old enough for the statistics to suggest natural age-related regression) will bounce back the next year. I don’t know ZIPS’ algorithms, but I know stats. Also stats doesn’t work well when there isn’t a lot of data (it generally can’t be trusted until there is a bit of history to play off), so the ZIPS folks must be using another method to “water down the numbers” from a guy’s minor league results to estimate how they will do upon reaching the majors. I’m sure that they’ve compared the records of a ton of guys to do this. The problem is that stats don’t know what to do when a guy like Arraez comes in right away and starts raking....so 2019 “came out of the blue”, despite his established hitting and OBP tools. It just made assumptions that had been established for young guys with similar minor league numbers. The same thing goes with the other young guys; the stats are just cookie-cutting them into the algorithm. They will only be trusted once they have a few years in the majors to guide the stats. The bottom line is that ZIPS, and other tools, are they are just a predictor; don’t panic and either throw out the numbers......or put too much stock in them.

I just noticed they actually still keep track of wins and RBIs, so that's good news.

Quick…what do Shane Bieber, Mike Clevinger, Trevor Bauer, Corey Kluber, Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac, and Adam Plutko have in common? Yes, they all pitched for Cleveland last season. But more relevant to today’s article is the fact that they are all college arms who were drafted by, acquired, or pitched for the Tribe during Derrek Falvey’s time in Cleveland.Cleveland is renowned for their ability to continually churn out high-quality starting pitching and the majority of their success stories have been college pitchers, except Carlos Carrasco. Falvey’s known as an expert in the area of pitcher development and he undoubtably played a big role in Cleveland’s success in that area. The question remains as to what it means for the Minnesota Twins? A quick glance at Twins Daily’s top prospect list will show that the Twins top three pitching prospects are not college pitchers. Number five prospect, Jordan Balazovic, was drafted as a high schooler out of Canada by the previous regime, while Jhoan Duran (#6), who was acquired in the Eduardo Escobar trade, was an international signing and Blayne Enlow (#10) was a high schooler picked by Falvey and company. However, if we look beyond the trio, some intriguing collagen arms begin to emerge. Let’s start with Matt Canterino. The 6’2” 222 lb. righty was the Twins second-round pick in the 2019 draft. He only pitched 25 innings between rookie ball and Cedar Rapids due to his heavy workload coming out of Rice University, but as expected, he pitched very well. Canterino sits in the low 90s, topping out at around 95, and possesses two good breaking pitches, a slider and curve, along with a changeup. He brings plenty of funk in his delivery and has the potential to be a fast riser. If all goes well he could end up being a mid-rotation starter, and his fastball/slider combo gives him a solid floor as a reliever. He ranks as Twins Daily’s #15 prospect, while FanGraphs has him at #13 and MLB.com at #11. Here’s a closer look at Canterino from Twins Daily’s Tom Froemming: A slight jump down on the Twins Daily prospect list and we find another intriguing 22-year-old collegian righty in Cole Sands, who comes in at #19 (FanGraphs #15, mlb.com #19). Sands was a fifth-round pick in 2018 (signed over-slot for 600K) but didn’t debut until last year due to some injuries. He dealt with a blister issue and a calf strain in 2019 but no arm injuries and had great results. Over three levels and 18 starts (culminating in one final AA start) Sands pitched 91.1 innings to a 2.68 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 108 strikeouts and just 19 walks. Cole has a three-pitch mix featuring a tailing fastball that can reach the mid-90s along with a good curveball and changeup, which all have the potential to be above-average pitches. Like Canterino in 2019, Sands was the first pitcher selected by Minnesota in the 2018 draft. from our writers— Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

After eating Jonathan Schoop’s lunch last season Luis Arraez went on to draw comparisons to players like Tony Gwynn and Rod Carew. PECOTA recently projected him to win a batting title in 2020, and he’s quickly vaulted into the hearts of Twins fans everywhere. What if he’s Ben Revere though?Twins Daily’s Nick Nelson recently workshopped a couple of ideas on Twitter regarding the Minnesota second basemen. Chief among them was that his hard-hit rate was in the 4th percentile, he posted a 19th percentile exit velo, and he didn’t cover the inside part of the plate. Coupled with defensive questions, and those exist to the tune of a -8 DRS at second, you’ve got a light-hitting combination of mediocrity. An immediate response would be to look at the track record of Arraez in the minors. He posted a career .799 OPS formed almost entirely by average and on-base skills. That same line of thinking could be applied to Ben Revere, who posted a .777 OPS across nearly 2,000 minor league plate appearances. The parallels are more than evident from a production standpoint, but their athletic profiles begged us to dig a bit deeper. Before we get to the good stuff it’s worth noting that results had similar parallels at the big-league level as well. Although we’re working with just 366 MLB plate appearances for Arraez, he posted a 7.9% strikeout rate, 2.8% whiff rate, and 26.9% chase rate last year. Revere was at 9.2%, 3.4%, and 26.8% over the course of his career. Again, nearly identical. Looking for a differentiator, it’s time to turn results on their head and look at process (which also would incorporate athletic style). In his final two seasons Revere averaged just north of 27 feet per second on the basepaths. Arraez held his own at 26.9 ft/sec last year but has never been considered the burner Ben was early on in his career. Couple the thought process with approach and this is where the paths change. Revere posted just a 17.9% hard hit rate over his career while generating line drives only one-fifth of the time and hitting ground balls a whopping 61.3% of the time. Conversely, Arraez owned a 34.7% hard hit rate, 29.4% line drive rate, and only a 41.5% ground ball rate in 2019. In short, Luis understands that the path to success is solid contact on an upward trajectory. Download attachment: Luis Arraez.png Although Arraez hasn’t yet developed into much more than a contact hitter, Matthew Taylor recently outlined why that isn’t a narrative to be shocked by should it come to fruition. Despite his lighter hitting profile, Arraez generated a .336 xwOBA in 2019 while Revere’s best season (2015) produced a .305 mark. Further exemplifying his desire to lift baseballs, Arraez owned an 11.4-degree launch angle last season, while Revere never was above 4.4-degree dating back to Statcast’s inception in 2015. There won’t be any point in Arraez’s career that he becomes the second base version of Miguel Sano. He’s also not the swinging bunt player that the Twins traded to acquire Trevor May. Ben Revere and Luis Arraez posted nearly identical slash lines during their time on the farm, but the how they got there couldn’t be more different. Obviously the 100th percentile of Arraez is in reaching the heights of those to whom he’s been compared. What he’s done from a statistical measure is much more than the comparison to Revere however, and that floor (Revere) is one he should remain well clear of, barring significant change. Ben Revere was a tough guy to get it past, but Arraez is a disciplined bat with a workable plan that can be implemented and projected for consistent success many years into the future. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

I just read the ESPN prospect ratings by Kiley McDaniels and is was an interesting look from a new perspective. Riley came over from FanGraphs and he has a different style than Law and others I have read. What interests me is the Twins prospects ratings, of course, and he challenged some ideas. https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/28820713/kiley-mcdaniel-top-100-prospects-2020 First of all he has Royce Lewis rated the highest at number 15 - a surprisingly high rating in my mind, but he also lists him as a CF. "His hitting mechanics still need a little work in terms of timing and quieting his hand movement, but scouts rave about his makeup, and the raw power and speed are still elite. I'm betting on Lewis figuring things out and becoming an above-average everyday player with some chance to become a star, possibly in the infield" Jhoan Duran was #54 - "The maturity and command look to be in place for a ground-ball-focused rotation workhorse with swing-and-miss stuff." This is really nice to see, I expected Balazovic to be above him. #58 Trevor Larnach, "He's a slightly better bet in my book than Alex Kirilloff to be an above-average everyday player, but they're in roughly the same area." So the argument about who is number one - Kiriloff or Lewis has a new twist. #63 is Alex Kiriloff, "Kirilloff's pitch selection leaves a bit to be desired, while he's moving down the defensive spectrum to first base and his wrist has been giving him trouble." #93 Jordan Balazovic, "He also doesn't have a bunch of plus pitches that he's learning to harness, rather a number of above-average offerings that he already has a good feel for mixing." It appears on all the lists that the top five prospects is the same (Graterol by the way is #92 "his command might be enough to start, but it's legit closer stuff"). Of course the question remains - who is the not on any list prospect who will be the next Arraez and throw the rankings out of the window. The second question - is it better to suddenly appear on the list and shoot to the top or to start your career with high expectations and high rating and then slowly slide down the list?

Great article!

Really? Luis Arraez has a career (93 games) .334/ .399/ .439 line with an 123 OPS+ Ben Revere never had 93 games with anything close. His career line is .284/.319/.343 with 83 OPS+ And 7 HRs in a total of 857 games. Arraez has 4 in those 93. They both made the majors at 22. Arraez hit that, Revere hit .179/ .233 /.179 Not.even.close.

The second choice was the Patriot 107.5 so this is still acceptable.

It is possible, but only if Buxton is healthy enough to allow Das Wunderkind to spend most of his time playing right field.

For starters, Revere really wasn't that bad. In fact, if my memory serves, he was good enough that there was some dismay when he was traded. Weak arm and low power were the knocks. I always said if his OBP was near .350 he would be very useful. Didn't happen. As pointed out earlier, their minor league stats were similar but not identical. Arraez has him beat on every stat I looked at. Still, the same standard applies. Get on base near .350 is acceptable. Higher than .350 is plenty to keep him in the majors and an asset on a power team. Not to mention, in a tight spot late in the game where you needed a hit or just to put bat on the ball, it wasn't Polanco, Kepler or even Cruz that I wanted up there. Last year late it was Arraez.

a simply 'no' would have been easier than the few hundred words you pushed out here. Better yet, how about not doing comparisons between players that have very little in common.

I don't buy it either. If one of our prospects was ready, the front office would have put them in the plans for this year. It is up to the prospects to force the front office's hand, just like Arraez did last year. Maybe Adrianza gets hurt and Gordon seizes that opportunity. For Kirrilloff or Lanarch to make big contributions this year with the big club, we will need them to have a great season and a big injury with the big club.

Very interesting article and discussion. Thanks.

When Arraez came up last season there was an immediate 'WOW" factor. His base hits, plate presence, and of course batting average. I never once experienced that factor watching Revere.

I thought T. Blankenhorn was a third baseman and highly regarded prospect.

2020 is a Win-Now year. That means the roster must be filled with guys that are at or near their very best, NOW. In order to have a chance of beating teams like the Astros, Nats, Dodgers, etc, you best bring your top-level game. Twins can't be a team trying to baby-sit the superstars of two years from now. Much as I like Lewis, Larnach, Rooker, Kirilloff, etc, these guys are all a couple to three years from nearing their peak level of performance. Meanwhile, the outfield of today is composed of guys that each have some years of experience. Rosy, Buck and Kep each have seen enough pitchers that nothing really surprises them. They know how to play balls off the Green Monster and all the other odd quirks of various stadiums. Crowd noise no longer bothers them. They now ignore catcalls and slurs. The Yankees are just another team full of tough bastards. So are the Twins, at this point. It's no knock on Royce Lewis to say he's not ready to play at Buxton's level. Same with the rest of the prospects. The Show is a tough place to exist, and the guys there now have earned their places. You want to force your way onto this squad? Bat .400 for half a season in AA or AAA. Dominate hitters with amazing pitching. Otherwise, the guy there now is still probably better than you. Best advice to the top prospects: Dominate. Your fielding routes better be efficient. Your throws best be right on target. Your at-bats better look professional. When you pounce on a pitching mistake, you better make that pitcher pay. If you see the defense let down just a bit, you better take that extra base. The Minnesota Twins have turned a corner, they're one of the best teams in baseball now. If your game isn't quite sharp, stay where you are and improve. Last year, Luis Arraez forced his way onto the roster with great at-bats and solid fielding. Dobnak forced his way into the rotation with fearless command. That's what it takes. Your can't just play okay at the major league level. Your play has to lift the team a little higher than it is now. Otherwise, no reason to make a change.

it’s 100 miles, he could almost live at home and commute

Around the horn - C) Garver is not a kid, and plays a position that wears guys down overnight (ahem, Joe Mauer). No long-term deal. 2B) Arreaz has just over a half season in the bigs. A nice bat but not much defense shown. And No long-term analysis can be done. No deal, but check again at end of the year to see if first season is a harbinger or a fluke. 1B 3B RF and SS are looked up. Rosario is a tough one. Puts up some nice numbers (and they seem to improve year over year barring injury) and will undoubtedly give max effort and play hurt. Too bad he'll also play injured and do himself and the team no good. He is also a bit of a air-head in the field, but does have the "tools" to be a top-notch defender. If you say he is "easy to replace", remember that he is the best LF the Twins have had since Delmond Young! (remember that dumpster fire? That should have been EASY to upgrade, but it took YEARS to do). I say make a fair offer to him to lock him up, but simply refuse to go too high - there are outfield prospects galore in the Twins system, and they are close to being ML-ready. Kiraloff (sp?), Larnach or even one of the middle infield prospects (as a bridge to a real OF prospect) can fill his shoes for at least one of his plusses (Contract hitting, power hitting, glove, arm), and maybe more. Hate to say this but Buxton gets NO offer beyond a one year deal. And that would have to be HEAVILY incentive laden with a low base salary. We all know why - he plays less than half the schedule. And he doesn't get "hurt", he gets "INJURED". Badly injured. Every year. Even in 2017 (his good year) he missed over a months' worth of games. He has to prove that his entire ML career (injury-wise) has been a fluke. Tall order. Sign Berios. Long term. At whatever cost. Period. If his arm is sound, lock him up. He isn't an elite pitcher (yet) and may never be a top-5 starter, but he is a high quality starter who is reasonably durable and he works HARD to improve himself. To replace him in the free agency market, you'll need to sign one of the top (if not the top) free-agent starter when he leaves. That means outbidding the Yankees, Dodgers, Phillies, Cubs, Angels, Red Sox.... well you get the picture. Feel confident in replacing Berios tby that route? Really think you'll see someone better in a Twins uniform? Yeah... My opinion is that you NEVER sign bullpen guys (closer excepted) to long term deals. Too variable year to year and decent/good relievers are always available, be it in free agency or at the trade deadline. Even the Twins can get them! And whatever you do don't give Duffy a long-term deal of ANY sort. He has stunk too bad far too recently to make me believe that last year is his new normal. Hope it is, but... my dad said put hope in one hand and sh*t in the other and see which one fill first.

I'm also curious how opposing teams are going to go after him considering the lineup around him. They can't nibble because then they're just gonna put him on base in front of somebody like Nelly or Migs. They'll eventually have to put something over the plate and he's gonna pound them.

"Destined for less than 100 wins" ??? Where does this destiny come from with a MLB Roster so loaded that top prospects are held back?

You didn't read the article did you? Nowhere in the article is it claimed that Kepler is underpaid or getting screwed.

We've had to rush prospects in the past because we didn't have major league players on our roster. Now we have them. Stop thinking about the future and look at the present folks. We have good players NOW. Let's enjoy this.

I included a bit of video of Garry Jr. in this video, starting around the 3:20 mark.

Buy a vowel...

So today we learned that Riverbrian in the real world is named Kent....

I have high hopes! I know there are one year mirages, but he sure sold me on his approach last year.

I mean it's not like they stand on the bags so we're ballparking it here. (Has that phrase ever been used more appropriately?)