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Great comments about Celestino. My memory has a gap, he arrived in one of those 2019 deadline trades, didn’t he? Which was it?

Very interesting. Perhaps the best grade overall was the fact eight young prospects got their feet wet and offer encouragement for the future (didn't include Gordon or Barnes in that group). We can all quibble with grading, however, believe your grades for both Rortvedt and Celestino were too low. Neither should have been in MLB before late last year at the earliest, thus, we should have expected their bats to be quiet. Considering that only Kirilloff was the only one who was a Top 5 prospect (Larnach wasn't top 5 last year, was he?), 2022 and beyond should be exciting for Twins fans.

Will always remember going to that spring training game with my son and his friend who were both in their early teens. Was puzzling when it was announced that Kirby was a scratch. Little did we know that the game we saw the day before was his last. His career, like his life, ended way too early.

Thanks for the update, Cody. If the Twins are going to be competitive, they will need a strong pen. On the surface, this group could be that, especially if they find the next Wisler from among that 'on the farm' group. Still would like to see them go out and sign someone good, knowing that someone good last year might be not so good this year. But in the end, a lot is going to depend on Rogers' finger, Alcala taking that final step and Moran's changeup. Should all three of those results be positive, the pen could be very good. Have been as big a fan of Thorpe as you will find on this site. But after the last two years, his star is tarnished in my eyes. Would love for him to show up in spring training and be that better than average starter he appeared destined to become back when he was 17 or 18. Perhaps the best return for the Twins would be if they got some value from him together with another prospect in an Odorizzi like trade.

Love your last comment about Dobber. Have been saying that since last summer. Gotta believe that he will be very solid, assuming the Twins put him in the starting rotation in spring training and don't mess around like last spring.

Totally agree with not spending big on long-term contracts with pitchers, see MLR's comment as the answer why. Expect they will sign one more free agent, whenever the lockout is over. Probably Pineda, or someone like him. Could also complete a Odorizzi type trade, or not. Personally, have no problem with them going into the season with Pineda/pitcher X, Bundy, Ober, Ryan and one of Dobnak, Jax, or another rookie like Winder/Strotman/etc. When Pineda or Bundy is injured or ineffective, replacements will come from the Dobnak, Jax, etc. group. Is this a staff that wins or even gets to the World Series? No, not in 2022. But with the guys that should start coming later in 2022, they just might be good enough come 2023 or moreso in 2024. I want to add that the Front Office's moves the past year plus confirm the point Doc Munson is making, ie, they have a plan and are sticking to it. Trading Cruz for two top starters who are close. Then following that move by trading their top starter, Berrios, for two very high prospects including one who is very young. In addition to confirming they are adverse to signing any pitcher to a big long-term contract, they added three excellent prospects to an already strong pipeline. Unfortunately, it means we have to sit back and probably suffer through one more mediocre season before some of those kids are performing at Target Field.

And Merry Christmas to everyone at TD and everyone who comes here every day. Enjoy your holiday and the new year.

Interesting group, Seth. Considering these are your 21-25 ranked pitchers means they are probably somewhere in the top 40 overall....very interesting. Gore and Cano are two great stories. Both are older, yet, could help the Twins pen by the end of the year. That's assuming there is a 2022 season.

Couldn't watch the Twins, Doc, so I got the MiLB package. Watched a lot of the Wind Surge games, especially when both Winder and Balazovic were starting. Must say that when Balazovic was in his stretch of what was it, five games, without allowing a run he looked like what you expect an ACE to look like. Then for whatever reason he seemed to lose his command a bit and wasn't as dominant. While there, Winder was nearly as dominant as Balazovic at his best for the entire time he was there. So I can see either developing into that long sought after ACE, knowing there aren't any guarantees that either will.

Agree with everything you said, Doc. Would add that after seeing lots of his starts at Wichita, I would rank Winder as the top pitching prospect.

Add me to the growing list of those who cringe every time I read the comment, "Minnesota has a surplus of corner outfielders." Yet, the more I think about it, you are technically correct. There is a surplus of corner outfielders, however, other than Kepler, Larnach and Kirilloff all have lots of tarnish on their star or are far away from being major league ready.. And many of you will debate whether Kepler should or shouldn't remain with the Twins. Add the fact that Kirilloff is headed to first base and you have Larnach as the only top level prospect who is close. I don't know about the rest of you, but I hope we never again see Arraez, who I see as a tremendous asset for the Twins, or Rooker in left field again. Should Rooker's bat return to what it was pre-broken wrist, let him be the primary DH.

Two thoughts, Seth, as I read about Palacios. First was your using the word 'fantastic' when describing his defense. Is he really that good defensively? He can't be the next Ozzie Smith, but is he Simmons good? My second thought went back to the Odorizzi trade. I really hope the FO has been working on another deal that would bring in someone solid like Odor in exchange for say a mid-teen prospect...not Noah Miller, but around there. Thanks, Seth.

Five interesting and different prospects, Seth. Expect it would be a big win if one of this group actually makes it. And probably is a crapshoot as to which of the five it would be. Looking forward to future articles as the prospects become more familiar.

I cannot Read this without getting upset about comments like this. Who are you to say that Mr. Ryan and his team were bad? And what do you mean by bad? I thought this was the type of site where these type of comments were supposed to be kept off this site. Mr. Ryan and his team included many first rate people. And yes, I am speaking from first hand knowledge, I expect they know a hell of a lot more about baseball than anyone here, including all of your TD staff combined. No one ever sits back and tries to understand how difficult it is to project what type of player an 18 year old kid is going to be when he is 23 or 25. Did they have failures, you betcha. Show me any organization who didn’t make mistakes? I expect you will respond and rip me a new one. So be it, I can’t stand by while you disparage these fine people.

Great article, Nick, thanks. I understand the FO bristling at comments that they are entering a 'rebuild' period. At least to me, rebuild would indicate a longer period of cutting back to young kids with an eye on competing three, four or five years down the road. I understand and agree that isn't and shouldn't be the case for the Twins. Yet, that doesn't mean that 2022 won't be an off year. But do they also have information leading them to believe that the 2022 season is going to either not exist or be significantly affected by the lockout/pending strike? If so, it would be smart to focus on 2023 and beyond. If baseball does have a shutdown for part/all of 2022, the minor leagues will keep playing...right? I am not certain, but would all the 40-man roster guys also be shut down? But several of those prospects listed above aren't on the 40-man and would keep playing this summer. That would put the Twins in much better shape to fill a significant part of their rotation with some of these young arms come 2023 with guys like Canterino, Varland and SWR having a full 2022 season behind them.

Great series coming, Seth, thanks. Must say that I had never heard of two of the young kids while knowing a bit about Valdez. Must disagree a bit with one of your comments, ie, that Duran struggled. Those numbers look awfully good to me for a 18-year old kid who missed all of last year after signing in 2019. You indicated that he should see lots of playing time next year in the FCL. With all the bloody changes in teams and leagues, I assume you believe he will return to the same league he played in this year, the Florida Complex League. You don't think he will move up to the Mussels, in whatever the Florida State League is now called? Seems exciting that both Helman and Bechtold are on track to making it, even though it is likely to be as utility guys. Like how the Twins are getting Bechtold behind the plate so he might become a better version of La Tortuga. Also like your comment that Helman played in all four outfield spots. Now that's a valuable tool for this young man. Thanks for this series, Seth, and have a wonderful Christmas.

Don't you consider Moran or Stashak as potential 2022 contributors to the pen? If so, why not?

There is another side to signings like this, it isn't all about the Twins. Players like this are more likely to spend the entire year in St. Paul. Getting the best players they can to supplement the prospects is a big plus for the Saints. Unrelated to future help for the Twins, it is important to put the best team they can on the field at CHS Field. Heck, it may be the only baseball we see next year.

This staff looks bigger than what I recall, Nick. Have the number of big league coaches increased over the past few years? Or am I just imagining that? Thanks for the update, Nick. And if you aren't back next week, Merry Christmas to you and all the guys and gals at Twins Daily.

If Kepler is one of the leagues most valuable trade assets, why does everyone constantly talk about trading him. Isn’t he also that valuable to the Twins?

Someone can correct me if I am mistaken, but I believe Lewis' AFL team had three top prospects who were all shortstops. Lewis may have been the most suited to play center, thus, spent most of his time there.

Thanks for these reports, Nash. Really excited to see SWR dominate this coming year. If he does, we could see him at Target Field by mid-late season. If Rodriguez was signed in 2019, did he play in the DSL that year? If not, this past summer would have been his first experience in professional ball. Very unusual for Latin kids to break-in in the GCL/FCL league, rather than beginning in the DSL.

Interesting. Couldn't see the Twins this year on tv, so I can't speak from personal viewing. But most of the comments/articles I read here say AK is one of the better defensive first basemen in the league while being so-so in left field. They also indicate that Sano was well below average at first. With Sano at DH most of the time, you don't lose his 30+/- home runs, you just improve the overall team defense by having him on the bench. He would play first when AK needs a day off or is banged up.

Tar Heel beat me to it. Eddie-Eddie-Eddie. And let’s keep AK ar first.

On one hand, Nash, I would say Moran. Why? Because he should be a key part of the Twins 2022 pen. So he should be here now, not years away. On the other hand, would say Rosario. Why? Because the little we saw last summer suggests he could be special, really special.