Twins Daily Top 20 Prospect Countdown: 11-15

15. Taylor Rogers - LHP

Age: 24

2014 Stats (AA): 145 IP, 11-6, 3.29 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 113/37 K/BB

ETA: 2016

You won't often see Rogers mentioned among the system's most promising young arms, because he lacks the high-end velocity and gaudy strikeout numbers of some others, but if you ask folks within the organization about pitchers who can help the Twins in the near future, his name is going to come up. The lefty was an 11th-round pick out of the University of Kentucky in 2011, and he continues to advance through the minor-league ranks while showing exceptional poise and polish on the mound. Many questioned how Rogers would perform at the higher levels, but he showed a lot in the Eastern League last year by allowing only four homers in 145 innings while boosting his K-rate. The biggest question is whether his high-80s arsenal will prove too hittable in the majors, especially against right-handed batters.

14. Adam B. Walker - OF

Age: 23

2014 Stats (A+): .246/.307/.436, 25 HR, 94 RBI, 78 R, 9/14 SB

ETA: 2016

In terms of pure power, Walker ranks with the likes of sluggers such as Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas. He hit some legendary moonshots last year in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, and won the league's All-Star Home Run Derby contest in June. His father was an NFL running back and his mother was a star college athlete, so the muscular 6'4" Walker has the bloodlines and build that you love to see. Unfortunately, while stepping up to High-A ball, the outfielder saw drops in batting average, OBP and slugging, which many anticipated due to his poor strike zone control and high whiff rate. He'll need to become a more complete hitter in order to have a future as a big-league regular, but the pure power alone makes him worth tracking.

13. Stephen Gonsalves - LHP

Age: 20

2014 Stats (Rk/A): 65.2 IP, 4-3, 3.02 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 70/21 K/BB

ETA: 2018

In 94 professional innings, Gonsalves has struck out 109 hitters and allowed only 72 hits. It's safe to say that the big 6'5" left-hander has been overwhelming the opposition at the lower levels of the minors, and he doesn't even turn 21 until July. There's not much to quibble about with his results so far, and as a tall southpaw with improving velocity, his projectibility is off the charts. So really, all that's holding Gonsalves back at this point is his limited sample size. If he can put in a full season and maintain his performance in High-A, he'll surely vault into the Top 10 next year and maybe even the Top 5.

12. Max Kepler - OF/1B

Age: 22

2014 Stats (A+): .264/.333/.393, 5 HR, 59 RBI, 53 R, 6/8 SB

ETA: 2017

When the Twins signed the Berlin native as a 16-year-old back in 2009 with an $800,000 bonus, Kepler was considered to be perhaps the best baseball talent ever to come over from Europe. But it was always known that developing him into a big-league player was going to be a long process. Kepler needed to adapt to living and playing in the United States, and sure enough, he's had his growing pains while rising through the minors. All along, though, he has managed to post solid numbers, and 2014 was another step in the right direction. Although his production was less than dazzling, his AVG/OBP/SLG were all above the Florida State League averages (.257/.325/.371), and the overall numbers mask his second-half improvement: From July 1st through the end of the season, Kepler hit .303/.359/.442 with 19 of his 31 extra-base hits. The biggest stride for the young outfielder was his success against lefty pitchers -- after hitting .117 with a hideous .365 OPS versus southpaws in 2013, he improved to .273 and .691 last year.

11. Lewis Thorpe - LHP

Age: 19

2014 Stats (A): 71.2 IP, 3-2, 3.52 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 80/36 K/BB

ETA: 2018

Thorpe sneaked into our Top 10 last year, and based solely on performance, he would have found himself there again this time around. Thorpe had already established himself as a rare commodity with a mid-90s fastball whizzing in from the left side, and he further solidified his legitimacy last year by heading to the Midwest League -- where at 18 he was the youngest player to throw a pitch -- and piling up 80 strikeouts over 71 innings. Thorpe struggled a bit with his control, issuing 4.5 BB/9 to go along with five hit batsmen and eight wild pitches, but the bigger concern is his health. Thorpe felt some pain in his elbow late in the season, and an MRI revealed a UCL sprain. For now, the Twins are taking a "wait and hope for the best" approach, but as we all know, that doesn't always work out. If the young southpaw ends up needing Tommy John surgery, it would obviously set him back substantially.