3 Top Twins Prospects with Something to Prove in 2023

Nobody has more to prove than Balazovic - he was expected to be a rotation piece.  Then there is Matt Cantarino who has to show us that he can stay healthy and can break the Rice jinx.  If one can be in the rotation and the other in the BP it would really help.  And then there is Blayne Enlow who has to prove he is still a prospect.  His stock is really falling fast. 

 Prielipp will be difficult to evaluate until he actually settles into pro ball. Martin is ready to take his next step and E Rod has a lot of potential which eventually will materialize. Noah Miller got pushed out of the top 10 by the new draftees & break out players. He's still young & he'll continue to be steady until he breaks out

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

 Prielipp will be difficult to evaluate until he actually settles into pro ball. Martin is ready to take his next step and E Rod has a lot of potential which eventually will materialize. Noah Miller got pushed out of the top 10 by the new draftees & break out players. He's still young & he'll continue to be steady until he breaks out

I agree with you.  I always think we need to wait to at least the all star break to rank new signees.  Everyone who signs has potential, but how do you compare College and High School to professional leagues.  I like the idea of a waiting list of those we expect to see get into the rankings..  

Interesting to see mlb.com rate the most improved systems and Cleveland is number 3 with its minor league system now ranked #3.  "Cleveland certainly has a type. It selects a college pitcher with good control in the Draft, tightens up his stuff, adds a little velo and watches him take off as a Minor League starting pitcher."

What did our FO miss in their Cleveland years?

Severino? The 2-time bonus baby started to really come on last season at A+ and AA. Not sure if he begins 2023 at AA or is ready to take that next step. Tons of potential. Is this the year he establishes himself as a top prospect? He's still only 23yo.

Festa? I could care less that he was a 13th round pick. He flashed at low A, slipped a little at high A, and then finished really strong. Is he for real? Sure looks like the stuff is, and he won't be 23yo until March.

Raya? He finally got to pitch! He looked really good in his initial season. He's still very young. Just how good can he be in season 2?

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

How many pitchers would you expect them to have "fixed" in 6 years of drafting (no player taken in the last two years is in the majors)? I'm guessing you'll see Ober, Varland, and SWR in the majors this year. Dobnak, before getting hurt, was exactly this pitcher. We all forget how good he was two years ago. Then there is Ryan. So many injuries the last few years.....Oh, and they traded one of those guys for Gray. Which clearly reduces the pipeline. 

This doesn't count Jax or Duran in the bullpen.

I suspect that I am not the only one who expected to see a really good pitcher emerge from the system.  We were installing a system throughout minors and majors - we had some good arms and they were supposed to be gaining even more with the new systems in place. "On October 3, 2016, the Minnesota Twins hired Falvey as their executive vice president and chief baseball office" (wiki).  This is not the first or second year, it is not just drafts from previous regimes.  

What were the expectations?  

Those three don't even have to be added to the 40-man in the 2023 off-season. All will be given a chance to advance, which is a plus.

The prospects I am most concerned about are Jordon Balazovic, Matt Canterino, Blayne Enlow...and in a minor way, Cole Sands and Josh Winder. Time is running out for those five pitchers who may only keep a roster spot if they pitch from the back-of-the-bullpen, but we only need one (or maybe two) if that is the situation.

I want all the names listed so far to take several steps forward in 2023. Many have been injured and all lost the covid year of development in 2020. Again Prielipp (another name I hope I need to learn to spell) has pitched in professional ball, so any step he takes is a step forward. Though mostly I'm hoping for big years from Balazovic, Enlow and Martin.

44 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

They have four drafts they could have found a pitcher. Some of that had to be used on hitting. They traded part of that for Gray, but that doesn't count. They traded for Ryan. Does anyone think TB thought Ryan would be this good, for 2.5 months of a hitter? I would hope they had one more established starter by now....but no one trusts a guy that debuted last year, so that's actually three drafts (since the last three don't count, as no one is up from the last two, and apparently we don't trust rookies, which, given the data, makes sense. Less than half of rookie starters are good more than a year or two later.....). So, how many do you expect in three years? I was hoping for 1. 

One from our own group is minimum,  Some did not have to be spent on Sabato! And FA did  not need Gallo.