Supfin99

I wasn't upset last week when Buxton wasn't promoted because I thought it made sense. The Kernels hadn't clinched until the middle of the week and then when they did it was too late. Fort Myers was off all weekend for the Florida St All Star Game. Why would you promote somebody so they could sit around all weekend. Then when you had to wait till Monday you might as well as let him play in the all star game. I kept waiting all day yesterday to hear news about the promotion. Still waiting. There is no reason now for Buxton to still be in CR. He is leading or second in the Midwest in most offensive categories. I usually give Terry the benefit of the doubt and I try not to be a shrieking violet like too many on this website but I really think they are being too conservative here. Buxton, Hicks, Williams and Polanco all should be on their way to Fort Myers right now. The Kernels now have 4 outfielders for 3 spots in Walker, Williams, Buxton and Kepler. Well played Twins, well played.

I guess I will clarify for geniuses like USAF, in my original point I said next SPRING. I am not saying to sign him right now. But if he dominates AA like he just did High A he will be knocking on the door for a spot on the Twins next Spring. What would you rather do in April, play games and keep Sano in Rochester till June, and then just go year to year and end up paying him 15 in yr 4? Or be proactive in April and sign him to an 8 yr deal that allows you to play him on opening day? Mark my words guys, if Sano is as good as we think, the Twins and fans like you will be wishing we had signed him to this deal in April of 14. Instead you will be complaining in 2017 that the 25 million he is making is ridiculous. Just like you complain about Mauers deal. Mauer being an excellent point, if the Twins had been more proactive with him he'd be making about 15 mil a year right now instead of 23.

Ozzie and orange I don't think you really get the concept. If you wait until a Potential stud player is already producing in the majors it is too late. Plus you have to play games with them like keeping them in AAA until mid June. The longoria contract was the most team friendly deal in baseball for about 6 years. There is risk but also huge potential reward. The opposite is like the angels who will be paying Mike Trout 15 mil a season by his 4th year.

I was pretty close on some of these but I never expected Buxton ans Sano to dominate this month. I would change it a little. 1. Buxton 2. Sano 3. Meyer 4. Stewart 5. Rosario 6. Berrios 7. Vargas 8. Polanco 9. Harrison 10. Eades. This is assuming Gibson and Arcia lose prospect status.

Isn't the point with these type of offers, to be early? The rays signed longoria in April of his rookie year. Sano is actually ahead of Arcia's pace and Arcia is going to spend a big chunk of this season in the majors. If you wait 2 years Sano could be well on his way to Super 2 status ans has no reason to sign a team friendly contract. As I said this is a conversation for next spring, then Super 2 becomes a moot point and Sano can break camp for Minneapolis instead of Rochester.

Now that Sano is in New Britain I thought we start speculating on how the Twins should handle him. I would love to see the Twins be proactive with him like the Rays were with Longoria. I think you go this agent next Spring and offer something like this. 8 years 40 Million 3 Million signing bonus up front Year 1 500K Year 2 500K Year 3 1 Mil Year 4 3 Mil Year 5 5 Mil Year 6 7 Mil Year 7 9 Mil Year 8 11 Mil 4 option s totaling 55 Mil, with the annual breakdown being 12, 13, 15 and 15 Mil. This works for both sides. The Twins get a very team friendly contract that keep Sano here for at least 8 years and buys out 2 FA seasons. Sano gets 3 mil up front and 40 mil guaranteed. This way Sano can start next season at 3rd and not wait until June. The option years might be tough for the agent to swallow but I would push for them. What does everyone think?

Now that Sano is in New Britain I thought we start speculating on how the Twins should handle him. I would love to see the Twins be proactive with him like the Rays were with Longoria. I think you go this agent next Spring and offer something like this. 8 years 40 Million 3 Million signing bonus up front Year 1 500K Year 2 500K Year 3 1 Mil Year 4 3 Mil Year 5 5 Mil Year 6 7 Mil Year 7 9 Mil Year 8 11 Mil 4 option s totaling 55 Mil, with the annual breakdown being 12, 13, 15 and 15 Mil. This works for both sides. The Twins get a very team friendly contract that keep Sano here for at least 8 years and buys out 2 FA seasons. Sano gets 3 mil up front and 40 mil guaranteed. This way Sano can start next season at 3rd and not wait until June. The option years might be tough for the agent to swallow but I would push for them. What does everyone think?

Now that Sano is in New Britain I thought we start speculating on how the Twins should handle him. I would love to see the Twins be proactive with him like the Rays were with Longoria. I think you go this agent next Spring and offer something like this. 8 years 40 Million 3 Million signing bonus up front Year 1 500K Year 2 500K Year 3 1 Mil Year 4 3 Mil Year 5 5 Mil Year 6 7 Mil Year 7 9 Mil Year 8 11 Mil 4 option s totaling 55 Mil, with the annual breakdown being 12, 13, 15 and 15 Mil. This works for both sides. The Twins get a very team friendly contract that keep Sano here for at least 8 years and buys out 2 FA seasons. Sano gets 3 mil up front and 40 mil guaranteed. This way Sano can start next season at 3rd and not wait until June. The option years might be tough for the agent to swallow but I would push for them. What does everyone think?

Now that Sano is in New Britain I thought we start speculating on how the Twins should handle him. I would love to see the Twins be proactive with him like the Rays were with Longoria. I think you go this agent next Spring and offer something like this. 8 years 40 Million 3 Million signing bonus up front Year 1 500K Year 2 500K Year 3 1 Mil Year 4 3 Mil Year 5 5 Mil Year 6 7 Mil Year 7 9 Mil Year 8 11 Mil 4 option s totaling 55 Mil, with the annual breakdown being 12, 13, 15 and 15 Mil. This works for both sides. The Twins get a very team friendly contract that keep Sano here for at least 8 years and buys out 2 FA seasons. Sano gets 3 mil up front and 40 mil guaranteed. This way Sano can start next season at 3rd and not wait until June. The option years might be tough for the agent to swallow but I would push for them. What does everyone think?

Thanks Seth, like yourself I could talk prospects all day long. So you think Wimmers will bounce back huh?

First we need to decide who will drop off the list after this season. Hicks and Gibson are locks to lose their prospect status. I also think Arcia will play enough games this year for the Twins to no longer be a prospect. So that opens 3 spots on the top 10. I also needed to account for a player or 2 not playing wel and dropping (see Benson, Joe). Speaking of Benson, I also think he is going to spend a large chunk of the season at Target Field an no longer be considered a prospect. So I needed to generate a list of possibles that could make the jump to top 10. Let's look at what I consider the locks for next years top 10. Sano, Buxton, Rosario, Meyer, Kepler, and Berrios. I think Trevor May will pitch very well for New Britain and also make the list. So 3 spots are available and 1 is a lock to goto the #4 pick in the draft in June. I am going to go on record right now and say that I want Sean Manaea to be the pick. The Twins have done a nice job of adding to the pitching prospect with last years draft and the 2 trades this winter. When you look at Meyer, May, Berrios and even some of the guys who aren't as high like Summers, Hermsen, Hauser, Salcedo, Boyd and Bard they all have one thing in common, they are right handed. In the system we have one southpaw that might get a chance to start and it is Melotakis. Most people would agree that he is almost assuredly going to wind up in the bullpen. Adding a top lefty like Manaea to the list really starts to round it out. So now we have 2 spots left. I wanted to pair the list down to 4 or 5 guys that could do it. I am looking at guys who were just out of the top 10 this year or had the talent and ability to make a big jump. Position players that I came up with were, Nate Roberts, Jorge Polanco, Adam Walker, Kennys Vargas, Daniel Santana, Travis Harrison and Niko Goodrum. Pitchers it was Luke Bard, Hudson Boyd, Adrian Salcedo and Mason Melotakis. That is 11 that I came up with. The first thing that strikes me is how much deeper the Twins minor league system has gotten the last 2 years. Niko Goodrum has more upside than guys who were top 5 prospects in years past and may struggle to make the top 20 next year. I then pared that list down to 5 and nione of the pitchers made it. 3 of the 4, Bard, Melotakis and Boyd , are probably going to end up in the pen which drives their prospect value down. If it was 2 years ago, Salcedo probably makes this list, but he has been hurt and ineffective and is still not pitched above high A. Out of the position players I dropped Walker and Vargas. I really like the power potential that both show but the large strikeout totals scared me off. Also Vargas just hasn't played enough and has been old for his league. That leaves us with Nate Stache, Polanco, Santana, Harrison and Goodrum. This was really hard because I really like all 5. In the end I went with Polanco and Harrison. Polanco put up even better stats than Goodrum and he is 17 months younger. Santana has OBP issues that concern me as he moves up. I love Stache and I hope the Twins put him at New Britain to start this year and he tears up the Eastern League they way he did the Arizone Fall. We now have the top 10 and I need to put them in order. 10. Travis Harrison 300/375/475. Cedar Rapids He didn't hit with as much power as I thought he would but the tools are there. I doubt he can stay at 3rd but the bat will play. I think he will go to Cedar Rapids and rake while showing a bit more power. He will continue to play 3B and will still pile up plenty of errors. 9. Jorge Polanco 310/370/450 Cedar Rapids Jorge busted out huge last year and won't turn 20 until halfway they this season. He doesn't get talked about nearly as much as some other guys but I think this is the year that more people start to take notice. He came up as SS so playing a good 2B should be no problem. 8. Trevor May. 160 IP 165 SO 57 BB 158 hits New Britain May will start the season in NB but will be promoted to Rochester by the all star break and will get a a few starts for the Twins inSeptember. He will be in the Twins rotation at the start of 2014. 7. JO Berrios. 125 IP 135 SO 38 BB 105 hits. Cedar Rapids Berrios has an electric arm and could easily make it to Fort Myers this year. But I think the Twins will leave him in extended spring training for a little while to reduce his innings and and not have him pitch in the cold spring up north. In past years, Berrrios is probably the top pitching prospect in the system, now he's third. 6. Max Kepler 300/400/525. Cedar Rapids Like Keith Law, I love this kid. I think he is going to be a star. He will have a huge year , bat .300, 20 plus homers, more walks than strikeouts. The year Kepler is going have would have him as the #1 prospect for several other teams but is our #6. 5. Eddie Rosario. 320/350/490 Fort Myers Eddie is having a huge winter and Peter Gammons just called him one of the most impressive prospects in the Puerto Rican winter league. Rosario will continue to improve at 2B. He has too much athletic ability to not do well there. He will join Sano at New Britain before the season is over. 4. Alex Meyer 140 IP 147 SO 54 BB 128 hits New Britain Meet another member of the 2014 rotation. Meyer will start the year in NB and like May will get a start at Targer Field in September. 3. Sean Manaea 60 IP 85 SO 17 BB 42 hits Fort Meyers Left handed and can bring it. This guy will fit perfectly between Meyer and Gibson in the 2015 rotation. He dominated the Cape Cod league last year and my biggest worry is that he will be too good this year and be gone by the time we pick. 2. Byron Buxton 285/345/450 By the way how much fun is it going to be watching Cedar Rapids play this year. An infield with Harrison, Goodrum, and Polanco then Kepler and Buxton in the OF. Buxton will start to show all that talent this year by playing spectacular CF and showing off some power. 1. Miguel Sano 275/380/545 Sano is going to crush the Florida state league and will be in NB by the all star break. Think Arcia type stats with worse average but more power. So that is my top 10 for this time next year. The Twins will have a rotation of Meyer, Gibson, May, Hendricks and someone, please not Correa. Arcia and Hicks will be entering their first full season. Sano and Rosario will be a few months from making their debuts. Manaea and Berrios will be a year from joining Meyer and Gibson. The bullpen will be stacked with guys that throw mid 90's from both sides like Bard, Zach Jones, Chargois, Corey Williams and Melotakis.

First we need to decide who will drop off the list after this season. Hicks and Gibson are locks to lose their prospect status. I also think Arcia will play enough games this year for the Twins to no longer be a prospect. So that opens 3 spots on the top 10. I also needed to account for a player or 2 not playing wel and dropping (see Benson, Joe). Speaking of Benson, I also think he is going to spend a large chunk of the season at Target Field an no longer be considered a prospect. So I needed to generate a list of possibles that could make the jump to top 10. Let's look at what I consider the locks for next years top 10. Sano, Buxton, Rosario, Meyer, Kepler, and Berrios. I think Trevor May will pitch very well for New Britain and also make the list. So 3 spots are available and 1 is a lock to goto the #4 pick in the draft in June. I am going to go on record right now and say that I want Sean Manaea to be the pick. The Twins have done a nice job of adding to the pitching prospect with last years draft and the 2 trades this winter. When you look at Meyer, May, Berrios and even some of the guys who aren't as high like Summers, Hermsen, Hauser, Salcedo, Boyd and Bard they all have one thing in common, they are right handed. In the system we have one southpaw that might get a chance to start and it is Melotakis. Most people would agree that he is almost assuredly going to wind up in the bullpen. Adding a top lefty like Manaea to the list really starts to round it out. So now we have 2 spots left. I wanted to pair the list down to 4 or 5 guys that could do it. I am looking at guys who were just out of the top 10 this year or had the talent and ability to make a big jump. Position players that I came up with were, Nate Roberts, Jorge Polanco, Adam Walker, Kennys Vargas, Daniel Santana, Travis Harrison and Niko Goodrum. Pitchers it was Luke Bard, Hudson Boyd, Adrian Salcedo and Mason Melotakis. That is 11 that I came up with. The first thing that strikes me is how much deeper the Twins minor league system has gotten the last 2 years. Niko Goodrum has more upside than guys who were top 5 prospects in years past and may struggle to make the top 20 next year. I then pared that list down to 5 and nione of the pitchers made it. 3 of the 4, Bard, Melotakis and Boyd , are probably going to end up in the pen which drives their prospect value down. If it was 2 years ago, Salcedo probably makes this list, but he has been hurt and ineffective and is still not pitched above high A. Out of the position players I dropped Walker and Vargas. I really like the power potential that both show but the large strikeout totals scared me off. Also Vargas just hasn't played enough and has been old for his league. That leaves us with Nate Stache, Polanco, Santana, Harrison and Goodrum. This was really hard because I really like all 5. In the end I went with Polanco and Harrison. Polanco put up even better stats than Goodrum and he is 17 months younger. Santana has OBP issues that concern me as he moves up. I love Stache and I hope the Twins put him at New Britain to start this year and he tears up the Eastern League they way he did the Arizone Fall. We now have the top 10 and I need to put them in order. 10. Travis Harrison 300/375/475. Cedar Rapids He didn't hit with as much power as I thought he would but the tools are there. I doubt he can stay at 3rd but the bat will play. I think he will go to Cedar Rapids and rake while showing a bit more power. He will continue to play 3B and will still pile up plenty of errors. 9. Jorge Polanco 310/370/450 Cedar Rapids Jorge busted out huge last year and won't turn 20 until halfway they this season. He doesn't get talked about nearly as much as some other guys but I think this is the year that more people start to take notice. He came up as SS so playing a good 2B should be no problem. 8. Trevor May. 160 IP 165 SO 57 BB 158 hits New Britain May will start the season in NB but will be promoted to Rochester by the all star break and will get a a few starts for the Twins inSeptember. He will be in the Twins rotation at the start of 2014. 7. JO Berrios. 125 IP 135 SO 38 BB 105 hits. Cedar Rapids Berrios has an electric arm and could easily make it to Fort Myers this year. But I think the Twins will leave him in extended spring training for a little while to reduce his innings and and not have him pitch in the cold spring up north. In past years, Berrrios is probably the top pitching prospect in the system, now he's third. 6. Max Kepler 300/400/525. Cedar Rapids Like Keith Law, I love this kid. I think he is going to be a star. He will have a huge year , bat .300, 20 plus homers, more walks than strikeouts. The year Kepler is going have would have him as the #1 prospect for several other teams but is our #6. 5. Eddie Rosario. 320/350/490 Fort Myers Eddie is having a huge winter and Peter Gammons just called him one of the most impressive prospects in the Puerto Rican winter league. Rosario will continue to improve at 2B. He has too much athletic ability to not do well there. He will join Sano at New Britain before the season is over. 4. Alex Meyer 140 IP 147 SO 54 BB 128 hits New Britain Meet another member of the 2014 rotation. Meyer will start the year in NB and like May will get a start at Targer Field in September. 3. Sean Manaea 60 IP 85 SO 17 BB 42 hits Fort Meyers Left handed and can bring it. This guy will fit perfectly between Meyer and Gibson in the 2015 rotation. He dominated the Cape Cod league last year and my biggest worry is that he will be too good this year and be gone by the time we pick. 2. Byron Buxton 285/345/450 By the way how much fun is it going to be watching Cedar Rapids play this year. An infield with Harrison, Goodrum, and Polanco then Kepler and Buxton in the OF. Buxton will start to show all that talent this year by playing spectacular CF and showing off some power. 1. Miguel Sano 275/380/545 Sano is going to crush the Florida state league and will be in NB by the all star break. Think Arcia type stats with worse average but more power. So that is my top 10 for this time next year. The Twins will have a rotation of Meyer, Gibson, May, Hendricks and someone, please not Correa. Arcia and Hicks will be entering their first full season. Sano and Rosario will be a few months from making their debuts. Manaea and Berrios will be a year from joining Meyer and Gibson. The bullpen will be stacked with guys that throw mid 90's from both sides like Bard, Zach Jones, Chargois, Corey Williams and Melotakis.

I was looking at several current and fromer players to see who some of our top prospects would compare to, maybe get a glimpse of what they might look like in a few years if everything went right. Would an infield featuring Adrian Beltre (Sano) and Robinson Cano (Rosario) excite you? How about an outfield Devon White, Magglio Ordonez, Kenny Lofton and Shawn Green Now Beltre made the majors at 19 and was full time in the majors for his age 20 season. Beltre is about 2 years ahead of Sano's timeline. Beltre did very well in the minors, posting 900 plus OPS at every stop. But a case can also be made that he was rushed to the majors. Beltre did OK in the majors in his first couple years, especially considering he wasn't able to buy a beer yet. Then is in years 3-5 he kind of struggled, posting low 700 OPS for all 3 years. Would Beltre have been better off spending another year in the minors to mature physically and emotionally? Also of interest, Beltre committed 37 errors at age 18 in 121 games at A+. The big difference in their minor league stats, besides the age difference, is the strikeouts. Beltre showed much better bat control and recognition, walking as much as he struck out as 19 year old in AA. Sano had huge strikeouts last year as a 19 year old in A. Beltre is a thicker than average 3rd baseman but isn't nearly as tall as Sano. So Sano is definitely behind Beltre's timeline and has struck out more often but there are similarities. Rosario to Cano is a bit more of a stretch as I don't see Rosario developing the power that Cano has shown. But Cano's minor league stats did not predict this kind of power either. Cano started his age 20 season at A+ and then was promoted to AA towards the end of the season. So time line wise Cano is ahead of Rosario same as Beltre was ahead of Sano. You can also make the arguement that Cano was too aggressively promoted. At the time of his promotion to AA Cano had sub 700 OPS thru 90 games. In his age 21 season he started to show a little of what he would become, posting a 301/356/497 slash with 35 extra base hits in half a season at A+. A season very similar to Rosario's age 20 season last year at A, 296/345/490. Sano came up a SS and has spent his whole life as an infielder. That is a much easier transition than Rosario's form an outfielder but Rosario has better quickness. Rosario has a lot of work ahead of him to be successfuk at 2B but he has the tools to succeed. Aaron Hicks just reminds me a lot of Devo, a bigger CFer that just looks like he is gliding out there. They both cover a ton of ground without looking like they are really flying. Devo had a good arm but Hicks' arm is special, being a 70 or an 80 depending on which scout you're looking at. Devo struggled in his 1st few years before putting up a 296/384/412 at AA in a half season at age 22. Hicks' age 22 season at AA was even better with a 286/384/460 slash. They both repeated a full season in A ball at age 20 with Devo having a 738 OPS and Hicks having an 829. Devo struggled in his first few years in the majors. He post a 700+ OPS just once in his 1st four full seasons. But after the trade to Toronto, he took off abd became one of the better centerfielders in baseball. He posted OPS in the upper 700s every year except 1, hit double digit home runs and won 5 straight gold gloves. I think Hicks covers as much ground, has a better arm and better plate discipline. I know that Magglio Ordonez bats RH and Arcia bats left but they look alike. Their swings are also similar, albeit from opposite sides. The first thing that jumped out at me about Oronez is that he did post an OPS above 800 until he hit 840 as a 23 yr old in AAA. Arcia on the other had has a career OPS of 905 thus far. Ordonez was good right from the start in the majors and soon developed into a star. Mags would have 4 straight season with OPS above 900 from age 26-29 and would make 3 AS games, finish top 20 in MVP 3 times and win a Silver Slugger award in that stretch. Oswaldo I can't wait to see if that is what you can be. When I 1st saw Max Kepler I immediatley thought of Shawn Green. Their build is almost identical with Green listed at 6'4" 190 and Kelper at 6'4" 180. Green was drafted in the 1st round out of high school but surprisingly was sent to high A where he predictably, struggled posting a 665 OPS. He only hit 1 homer in 417 at bats. That was enough to earn a promotion at age 20 to AA where he improved, slightly. He put up a 706 OPS with 4 HR's in 360 AB's. Green would then blossom in his 3rd year posting a 344/401/510 in AAA at age 21. Green was solid from the start in the majors putting up an 835 OPS as a rookie. He would develop big time power, averaging nearly 40 home runs a year in a 5 year stretch from age 25-29. Kepler is a few years behind Green's timeline, but like Green, took off in his 3rd year. Kepler hit 10 homers in 269 AB's last year after only hitting 1 in his first 374 professional at bats. Max is considered a better outfielder who can handle center if needed. I am a big fan of Kepler's and I think he will be flying up prospect lists as the year goes on. The last one is all about projection as Buxton barely got his feet wet in the minors last year. Lofton was drafted out of college so his timeline will look a little different than the path that Buxton will take. Lofton was much more a SB threat when he came up, than Buxton might be, leading the majors in SB's for 5 straight years form age 25-29. Kenny did develop decent power hitting double digit home runs 7 times in a 10 year stretch from age 27-36. Lofton was a 3 time Gold Glove winner. I think Buxton is slightly better version of Lofton with a stronger arm, more power but won't steal as many bases. I know comparisons are never spot on and can be unfair to both players sometimes. But they are also fun to look at. Will these 5 prospects turn into exactly these 5 guys, of course not. But we can dream, and in some insatnces they might even be better.

I was looking at several current and fromer players to see who some of our top prospects would compare to, maybe get a glimpse of what they might look like in a few years if everything went right. Would an infield featuring Adrian Beltre (Sano) and Robinson Cano (Rosario) excite you? How about an outfield Devon White, Magglio Ordonez, Kenny Lofton and Shawn Green Now Beltre made the majors at 19 and was full time in the majors for his age 20 season. Beltre is about 2 years ahead of Sano's timeline. Beltre did very well in the minors, posting 900 plus OPS at every stop. But a case can also be made that he was rushed to the majors. Beltre did OK in the majors in his first couple years, especially considering he wasn't able to buy a beer yet. Then is in years 3-5 he kind of struggled, posting low 700 OPS for all 3 years. Would Beltre have been better off spending another year in the minors to mature physically and emotionally? Also of interest, Beltre committed 37 errors at age 18 in 121 games at A+. The big difference in their minor league stats, besides the age difference, is the strikeouts. Beltre showed much better bat control and recognition, walking as much as he struck out as 19 year old in AA. Sano had huge strikeouts last year as a 19 year old in A. Beltre is a thicker than average 3rd baseman but isn't nearly as tall as Sano. So Sano is definitely behind Beltre's timeline and has struck out more often but there are similarities. Rosario to Cano is a bit more of a stretch as I don't see Rosario developing the power that Cano has shown. But Cano's minor league stats did not predict this kind of power either. Cano started his age 20 season at A+ and then was promoted to AA towards the end of the season. So time line wise Cano is ahead of Rosario same as Beltre was ahead of Sano. You can also make the arguement that Cano was too aggressively promoted. At the time of his promotion to AA Cano had sub 700 OPS thru 90 games. In his age 21 season he started to show a little of what he would become, posting a 301/356/497 slash with 35 extra base hits in half a season at A+. A season very similar to Rosario's age 20 season last year at A, 296/345/490. Sano came up a SS and has spent his whole life as an infielder. That is a much easier transition than Rosario's form an outfielder but Rosario has better quickness. Rosario has a lot of work ahead of him to be successfuk at 2B but he has the tools to succeed. Aaron Hicks just reminds me a lot of Devo, a bigger CFer that just looks like he is gliding out there. They both cover a ton of ground without looking like they are really flying. Devo had a good arm but Hicks' arm is special, being a 70 or an 80 depending on which scout you're looking at. Devo struggled in his 1st few years before putting up a 296/384/412 at AA in a half season at age 22. Hicks' age 22 season at AA was even better with a 286/384/460 slash. They both repeated a full season in A ball at age 20 with Devo having a 738 OPS and Hicks having an 829. Devo struggled in his first few years in the majors. He post a 700+ OPS just once in his 1st four full seasons. But after the trade to Toronto, he took off abd became one of the better centerfielders in baseball. He posted OPS in the upper 700s every year except 1, hit double digit home runs and won 5 straight gold gloves. I think Hicks covers as much ground, has a better arm and better plate discipline. I know that Magglio Ordonez bats RH and Arcia bats left but they look alike. Their swings are also similar, albeit from opposite sides. The first thing that jumped out at me about Oronez is that he did post an OPS above 800 until he hit 840 as a 23 yr old in AAA. Arcia on the other had has a career OPS of 905 thus far. Ordonez was good right from the start in the majors and soon developed into a star. Mags would have 4 straight season with OPS above 900 from age 26-29 and would make 3 AS games, finish top 20 in MVP 3 times and win a Silver Slugger award in that stretch. Oswaldo I can't wait to see if that is what you can be. When I 1st saw Max Kepler I immediatley thought of Shawn Green. Their build is almost identical with Green listed at 6'4" 190 and Kelper at 6'4" 180. Green was drafted in the 1st round out of high school but surprisingly was sent to high A where he predictably, struggled posting a 665 OPS. He only hit 1 homer in 417 at bats. That was enough to earn a promotion at age 20 to AA where he improved, slightly. He put up a 706 OPS with 4 HR's in 360 AB's. Green would then blossom in his 3rd year posting a 344/401/510 in AAA at age 21. Green was solid from the start in the majors putting up an 835 OPS as a rookie. He would develop big time power, averaging nearly 40 home runs a year in a 5 year stretch from age 25-29. Kepler is a few years behind Green's timeline, but like Green, took off in his 3rd year. Kepler hit 10 homers in 269 AB's last year after only hitting 1 in his first 374 professional at bats. Max is considered a better outfielder who can handle center if needed. I am a big fan of Kepler's and I think he will be flying up prospect lists as the year goes on. The last one is all about projection as Buxton barely got his feet wet in the minors last year. Lofton was drafted out of college so his timeline will look a little different than the path that Buxton will take. Lofton was much more a SB threat when he came up, than Buxton might be, leading the majors in SB's for 5 straight years form age 25-29. Kenny did develop decent power hitting double digit home runs 7 times in a 10 year stretch from age 27-36. Lofton was a 3 time Gold Glove winner. I think Buxton is slightly better version of Lofton with a stronger arm, more power but won't steal as many bases. I know comparisons are never spot on and can be unfair to both players sometimes. But they are also fun to look at. Will these 5 prospects turn into exactly these 5 guys, of course not. But we can dream, and in some insatnces they might even be better.