Twins Daily Top Prospect Countdown: 15-11

Let’s get to the list, and please feel free to discuss our choices and how they may rank on your personal top 10 or top 20 lists.

15. LaMonte Wade - OF

Age: 23

2016 Stats (A/Hi-A): .293/.402/.438 (.841), 8 HR, 51 RBI, 49 R, 6/10 SB

ETA: 2019

Wade fell to the ninth round of the 2015 season, in part due to an injury that cost half of his junior season at Maryland. Since signing, he has been a very productive hitter. In 2015 in Elizabethton, he .312/.428/.506 (.934) with eight doubles, five triples and nine home runs in 62 games. He stole 12 out of 13 bases, and he walked 46 times with just 34 strikeouts.

He continued those patterns in his first full season. In 56 games in Cedar Rapids to start the season, he hit .280/.410/.396 (.806) with 13 extra-base hits. He walked 44 times with just 27 strikeouts. He was a Midwest League All Star and was moved up to Ft. Myers where he began on the DL. In 32 games with the Miracle, he hit .318/.386/.518 (.904) with 13 extra-base hits.

Wade primarily played center field throughout 2016, though he is most likely to be a corner outfielder as he moves up. Injuries curtailed his 2016, but he’s healthy and looking to take the next step in 2017.

14. Daniel Palka - OF

Age: 25

2016 Stats (AA/AAA): .254/.327/.521 (.848), 34 HR, 90 RBI, 73 R, 9/14 SB

ETA: 2017

Palka is a South Carolina native who was the third-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013 out of Georgia Tech. He had a strong 2015 season in High-A when he hit .280/.352/.532 (.885) with 36 doubles and 29 homers. Following that season, he came to the Twins in exchange for Chris Herrmann.

He made quite the impression quickly on the Twins organization. In his first big league spring training game, he hit homers in his first two at-bats. He went to Chattanooga and hit .270/.348/.547 (.894) with 12 doubles and 21 homers. In July he was promoted to AAA Rochester and hit .232/.296/.483 (.799) with 12 doubles and 13 home runs. He was added to the 40-man roster following the season.

13. JT Chargois - RH RP

Age: 26

2016 MiLB Stats (AA/AAA): 46.2 IP, 2-1, 16 Saves, 1.35 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 55/13 K/BB

2016 MLB Stats (Twins): 23.0 IP, 1-1, 0 Saves, 4.70 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 17/12 K/BB

ETA: 2016

The Twins drafted Chargois in the second round of the 2012 draft out of Rice University where he had been a closer and played some first base. He spent that summer in Elizabethton. However, he missed the 2013 and 2014 seasons due to elbow issues and Tommy John surgery.

Chargois returned in 2015 and pitched well in Ft. Myers and Chattanooga. By season’s end, he was the closer for the Lookouts through their Southern League championship run. He returned to Chattanooga to start 2016 and completely dominated before moving up to Rochester where there was more domination. He made his big league debut in June, and it didn’t go as planned. He gave up five runs on three hits and two walks in just 0.2 innings. He returned to the big leagues in mid-August. Once September came, he took off and showed the type of pitcher that he can be in the late innings… Dominant!

12. Felix Jorge - RHP

Age: 23

2016 Stats (Hi-A, AA): 167.1 IP, 12-8, 2.69 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 109/23 K/BB

ETA: 2018

Signed in February of 2011 Jorge has gradually worked his way up the Twins system. The last two years, he has turned himself from a suspect to a prospect and for his efforts he was added to the Twins 40-man roster in November.

In 2014, he was sent back to Elizabethton from Cedar Rapids after some real struggles. He was the Appy League Pitcher of the Year. In 2015, he went 6-7 with a 2.79 ERA in Cedar Rapids. He is remarkably consistent. Of his 22 starts, he worked at least six innings in 20 of them. In 2016, 13 of his 14 starts in Ft. Myers were at least six innings. He found some struggles in Chattanooga, but even then eight of 11 starts went six innings. The other three went at least five. Jorge is very aggressive in the strike zone with good stuff in the low-90s. He hits 93, but his very smooth delivery makes it jump on batters. He’s got a very good changeup and a slider that doesn’t move a lot, but enough so that hitters can’t barrel it.

11. Mitch Garver - C

Age: 26

2016 Stats (AA/AAA): .270/.342/.422 (.764), 12 HR, 74 RBI, 50 R, 1/4 SB

ETA: 2017

Garver was the Twins ninth-round draft pick in 2013 after four years at the University of New Mexico. In 2014, he was the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Year after a strong first full season in Cedar Rapids. He played in Ft. Myers in 2015. After a nice showing in the Arizona Fall League, he began 2016 in Chattanooga. For the Lookouts, he hit .257/.334/.419 (.753) with 25 doubles and 11 homers. He participated in the Southern League All-Star Game. He spent most of the final month of the season in Rochester where he hit .329/.381/.434 (.815) with five doubles and a homer in just 22 games.

Known more for his offense, Garver has worked very hard on his defense the last few years. The hard work has begun to pay off. He is now considered ready to be a quality receiver in the big leagues. His pitch framing numbers were strong, and he threw out nearly 50% of would-be base stealers. He was added to the Twins 40-man roster in November and should receive a legitimate shot to compete for an Opening Day roster spot.

Please feel free to ask questions and leave comments about Twins Daily's choices for prospects 11-15. Stop by next week when we start out Top 10 Countdown.