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Will second the above comments thanking you for doing this, Seth. Will also admit that I was a bit surprised to see Canterino at #1. But after thinking about what he has accomplished when pitching, understand he may have the best chance of all of these to become that true ACE. Personally, would put Winder higher on this list. On the other hand, see there are arguments for each of the four above him to be there. Is this the best Top 5 Twins pitching prospects you can recall? Sure seems like it to me.

What an excellent group to build a team around. Excellent defense, good speed and five top hitters. All five are mostly youngish with lots of team control Only negative(s) I see are: 1) There aren't any pitchers in this group, and 2) Will Kirilloff's wrist be a problem of the past, and not the future? Thanks for this series, Nick. Is somewhat enlightening and tells us the future may not be as bleak as it felt last summer.

Exciting group, Seth. And of this group, I am most excited about Julien. Man, that OBP is unbelievable. Hopefully, this kid will rocket up the ladder and arrive in Minnesota by mid-2023.

I love everything Arraez brings to the Twins. But your post offers very interesting questions, Nick, as usual. Thanks! If the Twins were mine, I would want to keep Arraez as a primary DH who is the #1 backup at second and third. He should be in left field, IMO, only in emergencies. But I also want his bat at the top of the order 140 or 150 games a year. But then I appreciate people getting on base more so than others. If traded will I be disappointed? Yes. And if they do, he better be part of a package that brings back one heck of a young starting pitcher with at least three years of team control.

Way too much talk in these comments about the 'International Draft.' There isn't a draft, guys. Rather it is a process in which teams identify and recruit players over several years, often beginning when they are 12-13-14 years old. Many of these players work with instructors who are very involved with their development and eventual signing by a big league club. It is these relationships, scout and instructor, that often dictate where a kid signs. So it is a lot more like colleges recruiting athletes to come play for them than the annual MLB or NFL drafts. Although I forget the name of it, there was an excellent movie (documentary) tied to the signing of Miguel Sano and one other kid. The name was Pot or Port something, which may be the Spanish word for baseball. Probably is still available on one of the streaming services.

Thanks, Jamie. will be exciting to see who the Twins sign later this week. I am of the opinion that they should go more for quantity than the biggest names/dollars. Get lots of guys in the $100k to $500k slot.

Love the upside of this entire group, Seth. Have a feeling if we went back a couple years, several of these would be near the top of any pitcher ranking. As for each individual, don't know much about either of the lefties drafted last year. Should be exciting to see them out on the hill come April. Could the Twins be so fortunate to have one of these guys be a quick mover to the big leagues and dominate? Loved Raya when they picked him, also eager to see him get his career started. So often rehabbing an elbow injury just delays the eventual TJ surgery. Sounds like you hear that isn't the case for Duran? Is that correct?

Was thinking you had Jeffers too high, until reading the last sentence. I believe Rortvedt has a future on this team, but it makes a ton of sense to keep Jeffers around for at least another year. At some point the Twins are gonna have to move on from either Garver or Jeffers, unless Garver sees a lot of time at first base.

Fantastic article, Jamie. Couldn't agree with it more. My only two comments would be that I believe Bailey Ober will be more successful than you believe. When talking about the other guys approaching the Twins, I would begin with Winder who I believe is going to be special, very special.

Very interesting group, Seth, especially including the three young kids. I guess Javier is no longer all that young, but understand your sticking with him based on his raw talent. Was encouraged last year when he had several short streaks of hitting well, unlike previous seasons in which he was either out all year or didn't hit a lick. Haven't been that high on Wallner, but am warming to his being a better version of Rooker/Sabato. His play in the AFL was encouraging, very encouraging. You said he is solid defensively, is his speed good or just good for a power guy? Unlike some, I am not concerned with Urbina's bat last summer. The kid went from the DSL to an off year to the Miracle/Mighty whatever. That's a heck of a jump with a year of doing nothing in between.

I'll go with other. Say that in part because I remain doubtful about Sabato and believe Martin is too highly thought of to be a Miranda type break-out player. Also have reservations about Severino, although he did progress nicely last summer. Not a clue as to who, but expect 2022's surprise will be some kid who finally gets it. Not certain if you intended to limit this to hitters, but would think it more likely that a Miranda type move could come from one of several talented pitchers.

Will second the above comments, Seth. With Enlow (#11), Sands (#13) and Strotman (#15), the top 10 is going to be one heck of a group. Especially considering that two of them were recently added to the 40-man. I understand that us fans aren't always patient, especially after a year like 2021. But the FO is doing exactly what they were brought in to do, ie, build a pitching pipeline. And we need to remember that doing so takes time. None of us want to fast forward and wish away 2022, especially us old guys, but I have a feeling that the Twins pitching come 2023 is going to be better than good. And a big part of it will be home grown and young!

Thanks, Nick, love this series. Count me among those who love Arraez and what he brings to the Twins. My question, does his playing left field increase the wear on his knees? Would he have less, or more, knee problems if he stayed in the infield and as DH part of the time? I guess not seeing him pitch at all last year and the risk, in my eyes, of more serious elbow problems would have Duran lower on this list. Or perhaps not even on it. Hope I am wrong. AS for Larnach, I just don't know what to expect. The start to his big league career was so exciting, until it wasn't.

None of us know what the FO is thinking as they prepare for 2022. Have they had discussions with Team X and will pull the plug on an Odorizzi type trade after the lockout ends? Are they near an agreement with Pineda that will be signed at that time? Do they have reports that Maeda's recovery is ahead of schedule and he could/should be back by July 4th? Add Pineda and a solid Odorizzi level starter together with the young guns and you have the making of a decent rotation. Are they planning on piggy backing young arms for a couple spots in the rotation? Considering the innings most of the kids threw last year, that could make sense. So many posts, including this one, blame the Twins FO for doing little prior to the lockout. It seems many of you think they went out for dinner or drinking in early November and failed to get back to work prior to December. I doubt that was the case. The truth is that we don't know what their plan is, although likely have one. Not doing what most of us would like, isn't necessarily a failure.

Want to second and thank Dman for his comments. Especially, his thanking Buxton for the stance he took during these long negotiations. Will disagree with your comments a bit, Cody. I think the chances of a career altering or ending injury is no greater for Buxton than any other player. Yes, his history indicates he is more likely to get short-term injuries than most, but career ending seems to be the same as anyone else, at least in my eyes.

Very interesting group, Seth. Perhaps even exciting! Agree that catching is so important and like all three of these kids. Will be interesting to see if you have any other catchers included between #16 and #1? (Rortvedt has enough big league time to not be included in this analysis, right?) Have liked Soularie since he was drafted and will be looking to follow him closely this summer. Perhaps the biggest question with Severino is whether or not he has done a good job of investing his $4.5M. That is what he got if you combine what Atlanta paid him with the amount he signed with the Twins? To be honest, I don't recall Severino doing as well last summer as his numbers indicate, especially at Cedar Rapids. Should be interesting to see if he gets thru the Rule 5, I would think so, assuming there is a draft when baseball gets going again. Thanks for this series, Seth.

Thanks, Seth. Considering these five were 16-20, really looking forward to the next group(s). Will agree with the above comments that I just don't know what to expect from Vallimont. Excited for the young trio, knowing they are a long way off. Have my fingers crossed that Moran is the real deal and he confirms that with his play in 2022.

Love that four of these five are pitchers, pitchers with very high ceilings. Will second what saviking said.

Watched a lot of Winder's games at Wichita on MiLB tv last summer. The pitcher I saw was as good or better than any of the other Twins high prospect. Yes, Balazovic had that five game run where he was nearly perfect, but over the course of the summer Winder was the better of the two at Wichita. Loved seeing this piece. My only comment would be that like a few above, I see him developing into a better pitcher than a #3. To be honest, I cringe when I see anyone telling us the ceiling of any player as those results are up to the player becoming the best he can be, or not.

Thanks for the meaningful comment, Brock. Unfortunately, many of us are looking at a 2022 season where we again won't be able to watch our Twins on television. That is if there is a season. So yes, I expect like most here I appreciate your comments. But?

Interesting how the headline is about the Twins lineup, yet their best overall hitter and guy with the highest average don't get a mention...Polanco and Arraez. Assume a couple of these guys will perform better than last year and couple about the same and a couple will disappoint. Not a clue who will do what. The good news is that the lineup should be strong. Its those guys throwing off the mound that will decide what type of year it is.

The most interesting point is the 4.0 gpa from Rice. Isn't Rice one of the top engineering and tech schools in the country? Was so very excited about what he was doing last year, and equally disappointed when he was shut down. Can anyone tell me if elbow tendinitis is a precursor for TJ surgery? Hope like heck it isn't, because this young man could be the best of the best of this crop of young guns approaching Target Field.

Thanks, Nick. Looks like you had nice seats in KC, win or lose is a great city to visit. What are your thoughts on the timing of when they get serious? Will they sit down to serious negotiations before February? What is your estimate on a new CBA before the opening of spring training? Opening Day? I put it at 25% probable for spring training and 50/50 for opening day.

Thanks. Good example of why it takes years to determine the outcome of some trades. This one could be very good for the Twins, but it may take seven or eight years to know.

Interesting topic and discussion. One factor that wasn’t discussed is just how bad the stadium is. I have never been there, but have been led to believe it has terrible access in addition to being a dump. But what I am curious about is why so many of you crucify them for not spending more on player payroll. Isn’t their objective to win? They are doing that, better than most and arguably in baseball’s toughest division. How much they spend shouldn’t be a factor if they win more than most, should it? As someone who spent my life watching pennies in my businesses, I admire them.