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Great read, thanks Jim. In addition to creating some interesting day dreaming, liked that you have Rosario back in left field.

Thanks Seth. After seeing how this pipeline is developing, have taken a look at their young pitchers several times.

Wonderful read Nick. And what a realistic way of looking at the coming spring. As you stated, three of the in house group are out of options (Deduno, Diamond and Worley...I believe Hendiks has one more option). If they do sign Pelfrey or someone else, I expect one of these three will be dealt in advance to open a spot on the 40-man roster. If not, they will let them battle it out for two spots in spring then trade one if one isn't on the DL. But you hit it square on the head, they will have wonderful depth heading into spring training. And with Hendriks, Gibson, Meyer, May, Albers and Johnson all at Rochester, the Red Wings should have a legitimate chance to have a very good season. And I really like the prospects of having Gibson in Rochester ready to move up when a starter goes down.

Are you sure about Fryer? I am not certain of this rule, however, Fryer was added in September which seems different to me.

They need to make one move to add both Nolasco and Hughes. If they want to participate in the Rule 5 draft, that goes up to two. Look for them to do nothing with Fryer until they sign a catcher. When/if they do, Fryer will be outrighted to Rochester. The next 72 hours should be interesting, although I won't be surprised if they take a pass on this year's Rule 5 draft.

Great topic Seth, My first choice will be Thorpe, who I believe will begin in EST before joining Cedar Rapids in late April/May 1. There is a small chance he moves up to Fort Myers for the last month of the season. Yes, he will be only 18 years old...but he just turned 18 last week and will be pitching to A+, AA and some AAA guys all winter down under. My second pitcher is D. J. Baxendale, who has a chance to become what he was at A+ last year at AA this summer. If he does, a late season promotion to AAA could be in the cards. My third pitcher is Matt Summers. Look for the Twins to return Matt to the bullpen where he will be lights out with a season as good as any of the top bullpen prospects in the organization. As for position players, my leading candidate will be Jorge Polanco. Don't know if he really qualifies as the last two years were very good. Anyway, I expect him to have another bigger year at Fort Myers in 2014. I look for a big year also from middle infielder Aderlin Mejia, who was awfully good at Fort Myers in 2013. Look for him to continue hitting for a high average as he moves from the Miracle to New Britain. My final player to have a break-out year is Minnetonka's own A. J. Pettersen. After battling through his wrist injury last year, A.J. will report to spring training healthy and ready to prove he has a future with the Twins. Look for him to return to New Britain as he moves up the ladder as a valuable utility player.

Thanks Seth. Since first seeing your reference to the correction, I have been using Jorge Felix in all my comments over at TT. Also, giving you credit for clarifying our collective mistake. Hopefully, in time we will all get it correct!

Seth...a while ago you indicated that the correct name for Felix, was Jorge Felix. Since, you have often used Felix Jorge, although today was Felix (last name). Which is it?

There is another reason why Molina would be a great fit, at least if the Twins believe Pinto will be with the Twins while finishing his education. Yes, Molina is the great veteran defensive catcher to work with Pinto. But he also is a spanish speaker who could better communicate with the young Latin catcher. As for the quick turnaround regarding this decision. I expect Terry Ryan has known since August that he needed to get Mauer away from behind the plate. Can't pay one player $23mm and have him miss a good chunk of most seasons and be so beat up other times that he isn't at his best with the bat. But Mr. Ryan is also wise enough to know that it had to be Mauer's decision. Mauer had to be on board if this was going to work. I expect they had several discussions at the end of the season, leading to Joe meeting/discussing this with his and team doctors as well as his bride. In the end, Joe made the decision. But Mr. Ryan led the horse to water!

Listened to it this morning. Thanks for doing this, it is appreciated!

OK Seth, it is time for you to sit in for Mr. Ryan for a few days. Even though they were only at low A last year, Polanco and Kepler are both eligible for the Rule 5 draft because they were signed as 16 year olds (something I believe the league needs to fix). Do you add them to the 40-man roster over the next few weeks? And if you don't, do you expect they will be taken in the draft?

Are you referring to Lahey (forgot his first name)? Was a catcher drafted out of Princeton and made it all the way to being the closer at Rochester.

Mr. Goin, There are many here and on other sites that continually bash Mr. Ryan and the Twins organization for being old fashioned and behind some teams as far as advanced analysis is concerned. Do you believe that the Twins are at a disadvantage insofar as the newer advanced stats are concerned? And if not, is it a recent change or have the Twins been using these type of stats for some time? Thanks!

Achter as actually the 46th round pick in 2010.

Good morning Seth. I would ask that you look back five or six years and think about where players such as this group would have been ranked. I expect they would have been much higher. But how much higher? When Summers joined the organization that first summer, I was convinced that he would become a top late inning reliever (if I recall, his strikeout rate was much higher out of the pen). I thought he was the best of the three pitchers taken high that year (Boer, Summers and Williams). After going through the process of starting for a few years, I still believe that is his fate. The only problem I see is that the Twins have an abundence of quality relievers led by the Joneses, Zach and Tyler. What would be of interest to me is that when this is over, you do a separate listing of the ten relievers you believe are most likely to contribute to the Twins. Would love to see you include your best guess of what role each will fill. Have a great day...its going to be around 70 degrees on the South Carolina coast again today!

Off topic question Seth, What has happened to Nate Roberts? After last year's wonderful AFL, he began this season again on the DL. I know he played a couple games mid-season for Fort Myers and then went back on the DL. Is his career done?

Hey Seth, Although I am not surprised that you chose a reliever as your Rookie of the Year, will this carry over to your rankings? Will minor league relievers begin getting more favorable treatment in your rankings?

I agree that Mauer should be moved to first base, full time. I understand his previous statements about being a catcher and that is where he will play. With this concussion lingering, much like Morneau, at some point he is going to have to understand that his future both on and off the field is at risk if he goes behind the plate...even for part of one game as an emergency option. Mauer is now married with a wife and Twin daughters. At some point this winter he is going to have to come to the understanding that his health and future as a husband and father dictate that he no longer risks his future health by catching. The Twins are fine without Mauer behind the plate, even in an emergency situation. Doumit and Pinto can share catching and DH with Herrmann a good bench option who catches a game every now and them. If they trade Doumit at some point, Pinto is the starter and they need to find a backup or emergency catcher.

I would only disagree with one statement in your entire post...that being Aaron Hicks in left field of next year's September lineup. I am of the opinion until he proves he can hit, anywhere, his future is very much in doubt. Yes, he was pushed up to the Twins before he was ready. However, his results in AAA may have indicated he may never be ready. Other than a good rookie season in the GCL, one solid season at AA in 2012 and a great stay in the AFL, he has never hit for an acceptable average (for a top prospect that we all seem to annoint him as). Until he proves he can, I won't be including him in any future plans.

I think the telling part is that by the Twins telling Jeff Smith they want him to split time...tells us the Twins are starting to think about their options. As they look to put their best nine on the field everyday next year, at some point that is going to include both Dozier and Rosario.

Off the subject Seth, but did you see the STrib today where they were talking about Rosario splitting time in the AFL at second and in the outfield?

Seth, I know how much work you have to meet every day's deadline. Yet, I also know how much you enjoy it. Thanks for a great year. Enjoy your off-season and just think, spring training is only a bit more than five months away!

Red Wings win, 13-3. Begin the playoffs Wednesday night against the Pawtuckett Red Sox. Speculation is that Cole DeVries will get the start.

Top of the 9th in Rochester, Wings winning 13-3. Norfolk lost 1-0...three outs and the Red Wings are in the playoffs.

I enjoyed having these reviews all year, coupled with a quick link to box scores. Became an early morning stop as I reviewed what interests me in the world of baseball and BIG football. Thanks for doing this Seth, I understand how much work it can be. But it is appreciated!