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Reminders: This list is preliminary. Following research for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015, as well as your feedback, I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list. Players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2015. That is to say, hitters with less than 130 at bats and pitchers with less than 50 innings.
Top Prospects 11-20
#20 – Amaurys Minier – 18 – OF – GCL Twins
Although Minier showed good power in his GCL debut as a 17-year-old in 2013 (5-2B, 6-HR), he hit just .214 and got on base just 25% of the time. He had offseason surgery on his shoulder, so he returned to the GCL Twins spending extended spring training doing more rehabbing. He improved his numbers drastically--as you would hope--, hitting .292/.405/.520 with 11 doubles and eight home runs. He is not known for his defense and never will be, but his power potential is real. He moved from third base to the outfield. He often started games in left field and finished them at first base where he also got more than a dozen starts.
#19 – Zack Jones – 23 – RH RP – Ft. Myers Miracle/GCL Twins (rehab)
It was a long, frustrating year for Zack Jones. He was shut down from the Arizona Fall League when he was experiencing coolness in his fingertips. After the New Year, they found that he had an aneurysm in his right shoulder. He had surgery, but soon after, a blood clot was found in his leg. When that was taken care of, he returned to Ft. Myers where he rehabbed for a couple of months before getting a half-dozen appearances with the GCL. He joined the Miracle for the final two weeks and reclaimed his closer’s role. In five appearances and five innings, he did not allow a run. In the playoffs, he was again hitting 98 mph. Despite a lost year, he ends the season on a very high note, and for me, a high ranking on this list. With Mason Melotakis out of the AFL, Jones will return to the league again.
#18 – Travis Harrison – 21 – OF – Ft. Myers Miracle
Harrison was the Twins first supplemental first-round draft pick in 2011, out of high school in California. At 6-1 and 215 pounds, he is very strong and has a lot of power potential. Truth be told, he did not show that power in 2014. After hitting 15 homers in 537 plate appearances in Cedar Rapids in 2013, he had just three home runs in 537 plate appearances for the Miracle this year. His walk rate remained about the same while he greatly reduced his strikeout rate, from 23.3% to 16.0%). He also moved from third base to left field where he had just two errors in 98 games and showed improvement through the year. I personally believe that Harrison has the power to become a legit home run hitter which is why I will keep him this high in my rankings.
#17 – Chih-Wei Hu – 20 – RHP – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels
Hu was signed by the Twins out of Taiwan where he was one of the best young players. He was a known commodity in the Asia for his international play. He debuted in the GCL in 2013. He returned to extended spring training to start 2014. He made three starts for Elizabethton and posted a 16:2 K:BB ratio in 16 innings. He advanced to Cedar Rapids where he made another nine starts (10 appearances). He went 7-2 with a 2.29 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. In 55 innings, he walked 13 and struck out 48. Hu has a full mix of good pitches: curveball, change-up and palmball, along with a moving fastball that touches 94.
#16 – Max Kepler – 21 – OF/1B – Ft. Myers Miracle
Kepler signed with the Twins way back in July of 2009. It’s almost hard to believe that he has yet to turn 22 years old. He was added to the 40 man roster last offseason, and at the All-Star break, the argument could have been made to remove him. However, a strong second half gave him solid overall numbers for the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. He hit .264/.333/.393 (.726) with 20 doubles, six triples and five home runs. At 6-4 and 220 pounds, he has big power potential, but he also has very good speed. Though he played primarily right field, he has the speed to play centerfield in the minors. In the big leagues, he’ll be at a corner.
#15 – Tyler Duffey – 23 – RHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/New Britain Rock Cats/Rochester Red Wings
Duffey was the Twins fifth-round pick in 2012 out of Rice where he pitched in the bullpen. He made 25 starts this season and completed 149.2 innings. Overall, he went 13-3 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He began with four starts in Ft. Myers and went 3-0 with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He moved up to New Britain where he went 8-3 with a 3.80 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He ended his season with three starts at Rochester where he went 2-0 with a 3.94 ERA. As he moved up the system, he began striking out more batters. He also walked less than two batters per game. He was able to hit 94 and 95 at times as a starter. He also has really good curveball and a much-improved changeup.
#14 – Stephen Gonsalves – 20 – LHP – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels
Gonsalves was the team’s fourth-round draft pick in 2013 out of high school in California. He had a strong showing in his pro debut with the GCL and Elizabethton Twins. He began the 2014 season at extended spring training. He made six starts for Elizabethton and went 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA. He moved up to Cedar Rapids where he went 2-3 with a 3.19 ERA. However, he gave up six earned runs in 3.2 innings which bumped up his ERA from 1.91. Overall, he worked 65.2 innings and struck out 70 batters while walking 21. The 6-5 left-hander has a fastball in the upper 80s and low 90s with a solid curveball and changeup.
#13 – Adam Brett Walker – 22 – OF – Ft. Myers Miracle
Walker was the Twins third-round pick in 2012 out of Jacksonville University. He has been one of minor league baseball’s most productive hitters, one of the biggest run producers. He hit 14 homers in 58 games with Elizabethton in 2012. He hit 31 doubles, 27 homers and drove in 109 runs in 2013 in Cedar Rapids. In 2014, he hit 19 doubles, 25 homers and drove in 94 runs. He hit .246/.307/.436 (.743). He struck out 156 times in 554 plate appearances (28%), but he walked 44 times (8.0%). So, there is still improvement to be made, but the 6-4, 225 pound outfielder has the potential to move up and hit for a lot of power.
#12 – Eddie Rosario – 23 – OF/2B – Ft. Myers Miracle/New Britain Rock Cats
Rosario just turned 23 on Sunday and he is set to return to the Arizona Fall League where he played last year. It’s been an interesting twelve months for the Puerto Rican. Following his showing in the AFL, it came out that he would soon receive a 50-game suspension. When spring training came, he did not show up. He was given an excused absence from the Twins. He went through the 50 games suspension and then played in eight game for the Miracle before moving back to New Britain where he had concluded the 2013 season. He hit just .237/.277/.396 (.672) with 31 extra base hits in 336 plate appearances. Was it rust? Probably. Rosario has a quick bat, average speed and good gap-to-gap power. His best power is to the opposite field. His prospect status does drop due to the off-field issues and general concerns about his attitude, but I believe that he will hit. He spent some time at second base, where few believed he would stick, but with the emergence of Brian Dozier and Jorge Polanco, he primarily played in the outfield, where he is above average in the corners and about average in centerfield.
#11 – Lewis Thorpe – 18 – LHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels
The Twins signed Thorpe out of Australia in 2012. He made his debut last year in the GCL where he went 4-1 with a 2.05 ERA. In 44 innings, he gave up just 32 hits, walked six and struck out 64 before joining Team Australia in the World Cup tournament. He was clocked at 95 by a couple of radar guns and flew up prospect rankings. This spring, he began the season at extended spring training. However, he was promoted to Cedar Rapids in early June. He got off to a slow start and surprisingly struggled with his control. He quickly turned things around. He was on a pitch count, so he rarely worked as deep as the sixth inning. In 71.2 innings, he gave up 62 hits. He walked 36 and struck out 80. He has a good fastball that touched 94, though it sat 91-92 most of the time. He has a good curveball at a couple of different speeds and a solid changeup. If healthy, he will likely begin 2015 in Cedar Rapids again. He also ended the season with trips to Minneapolis where they found that he has a UCL sprain. He has been working out in Ft. Myers and hopefully will be able to avoid surgery.
So, what do you think of Part 4, Prospects 11-20? Next up will be my choices for the Top 10 Twins Prospects.
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