Twins Organizational Depth Chart: Outfielders (Part 2)

Ft. Myers Miracle

Jason Kanzler spent the majority of his season with Cedar Rapids, but he was instrumental in the Ft. Myers championship run. The 24-year-old combined to hit .282/.344/.444 (.788) with 11 doubles, nine triples and 12 home runs. He also stole 27 bases. In college, he won two Gold Glove Awards and is a tremendous defensive outfielder.

Adam Brett Walker spent the full season as a 22-year-old in the Florida State League. He played in right field and is a very good athlete. He hit .246/.307/.436 (.743) with 19 doubles, 25 homers and 94 RBI. He has tremendous power and has been a very good run producer since signing as the Twins third round pick in 2012.

Travis Harrison was a supplemental first round pick in 2011 out of high school in California. He turned 22 following the 2013 season. He hit .269/.361/.365 (.726) with 33 doubles and three home runs. Despite the lack of home runs, Harrison has big-time power potential. He made the move from third base to left field in 2014.

Max Kepler continued to play some first base in 2014 with the Miracle. However, he also played 61 games in centerfield, 18 games in right field and eight games in left. In the AFL, he has played in right field. He missed some games early and struggled in the first half, but he really came on as the season went on. In 102 games, he hit .264/.333/.393 (.726) with 20 doubles, six triples and five home runs. He will turn 22 years old before spring training.

Tyler Grimes played everywhere for the Miracle in 2014 including 12 games in centerfield and five games in right field. He moved to catcher before the 2013 season, and he also played a lot of second base. The 24-year-old hit .232/.313/.335 (.648) with 14 doubles, two triples and three home runs.

New Britain Rock Cats

Of course, the Twins moved their AA affiliate from New Britain to Chattanooga following the season, but we’ll leave the header as is.

Byron Buxton remains the organization’s top prospect despite a long, frustrating, injury-plagued season. He played in just one game with the Rock Cats this year after rehabbing with the Miracle and got hurt in it. He returned to the AFL where he again was hurt after about three weeks of playing time. He remains as bright a prospect as there is in baseball. He just needs to get healthy this offseason and get back to developing.

Eddie Rosario missed 50 games at the beginning of the season with his suspension. After a short stint in Ft. Myers, he returned to New Britain in early June and spent the rest of the season there. The 23-year-old hit .243/.386/.387 (.674) in 87 total games. He has been one of the better hitters in the Arizona Fall League while playing exclusively in the outfield.

Reynaldo Rodriguez could have been a free agent again after the season, but he chose to sign back with the Twins for a third season. He made the move from first base to the outfield in 2014. It didn’t affect his bat. He hit a robust .286/.344/.510 (.854) in 126 games with New Britain. He also played ten games with Rochester. He is 28 years old.

Mike Kvasnicka came to the Twins before spring training of 2013 for Gonzalo Sanudo. In 2014, he advanced to New Britain where he hit .257/.303/.400 (.703). The 25-year-old from Minnesota hit 23 doubles and ten home runs. He played 57 games in right field, 36 games in left field and even 16 games in centerfield.

Tony Thomas played 27 games in left field and 12 more in right field. The 28-year-old hit .241/.302/.411 with 29 doubles, six triples and 12 home runs. He also stole 14 bases. He primarily played second base until Rosario came back to New Britain. He too could have been a free agent after the World Series, but he chose to re-sign with the Twins.

Corey Wimberly joined the Twins as a minor league free agent before spring training. He played in just 72 games for the Rock Cats due to a hamstring injury and hit .252/.307/.346 (.653) with 13 doubles and five triples. The speedster also stole 17 bases. He turned 31 after the season and became a free agent.

Rochester Red Wings

Wilkin Ramirez returned to the Red Wings in 2014 and played in 107 games. He hit .262/.305/.368 (.672) with 23 doubles, three triples and four home runs. He turned 29 after the season and is currently a free agent.

Chris Rahl came to the Twins before the 2014 season and was invited to big league camp. The 30-year-old veteran played in 104 games and hit .259/.272/.380 (.652) with 17 doubles and seven homers. He played 51 games in left field, 40 games in right field and 21 games in centerfield. He became a free agent following the season.

Danny Ortiz was the Twins 4^th round pick in 2008 out of Puerto Rico. He began the season in New Britain where he played in 49 games. He was promoted to Rochester for another 73 games. The 24-year-old combined to hit .285/.308/.462 (.770) with 29 doubles, five triples and 12 home runs. He has average range, but he can play all three outfield positions. He too could have become a minor league free agent after the World Series, but he quickly signed with the Twins.

Minnesota Twins

The one given to be playing in the Minnesota Twins outfield in 2015 is Oswaldo Arcia. The 6-0, 220 pound outfielder hit .231/.300/.452 (.752) which produced an OPS+ of 108. He added 16 doubles, three triples and 20 home runs. He strikes out a lot, doesn’t hit lefties real well, and isn’t a threat to win a Gold Glove, but he can hit the ball a long way. He’s also younger than most outfielders in the upper levels and patience will be important.

Danny Santana played 71 games for the Twins in centerfield in 2014 and did fairly well considering he had played only a few games in the outfield earlier in his minor league career. He’s got good speed though the organization has made it clear that he will be given every opportunity to play shortstop in 2015. In 101 games, he hit .319/.353/.472 (.824) with 27 doubles, seven triples and seven home runs. He also stole 20 bases.

Aaron Hicks has been the opening day centerfielder the last two years. In 2014, he was sent down to play in AA New Britain for about six weeks, then spent a month in Rochester before returning to the Twins in September. In 69 games with the Twins, he hit .215 with a .274 slugging percentage. He did manage to get on base 34% of the time. He’ll get another opportunity, most likely, in 2015, though maybe not in centerfield.

Chris Parmelee has been up and down with the Twins since his September call-up in 2011. He was out of options. So when he did not make the opening day Twins roster, he went through waivers. He was unclaimed and went to Rochester where he played great and soon was called back to the Twins. In 87 games with the Twins, he hit .256/.307/.384 (.691) with 11 doubles and seven home runs. He played some first base. He also played 42 games in right field and 22 games in left field. He also played three games in centerfield.

Jordan Schafer came to the Twins after being designated for assignment by Atlanta. In 31 games with the Twins, he hit .285/.345/.362 (.707) with five doubles, a triple and a homer. He also stole 15 bases. He plays a good left field and could be a platoon option.

Chris Herrmann caught quite a bit in the minors but with the Twins he was used as a fifth outfielder. He played 13 games in left field and 12 games in right. Eduardo Nunez played 16 games in left field, and Chris Colabello played 21 games in right field.

SUMMARY

Oswaldo Arcia still has star potential despite some flaws. His youth and power potential mean that he should be a staple in right field for the Twins for several years. Danny Santana played centerfield for the Twins in 2014, and would be considered a building block at the position for most teams. With the Twins, he will move to shortstop. That means that the Twins have two positions that should be open in the outfield.

At some time, the future involves Byron Buxton. Eddie Rosario seems to be putting himself back on the prospect map with his performance in the Arizona Fall League. Max Kepler’s second half and Fall League performances, along with his tool set, continue to make him an intriguing piece for the future. Travis Harrison and Adam Brett Walker provide serious power potential, though each has a little further to go.

Previous Organizational Depth Charts:

· Outfielders – Part 1 (Lower Levels)

· Middle Infielders

· Third Base

· First Base

· Catchers