mnfanforlife

This kid is a great example of why arm strength is so important for moving up in baseball. If Dereck didn't have a good arm, it's tough to imagine him playing for a MLB affiliate right now. Work on your arm strength, kids. Even college teams will keep an arm that throws 80-85. Dereck is obviously a great athlete, who's versatility has allowed him to continue playing pro ball. Sincerely hope to see him pitching in the big leagues someday.

It was Ival Goodman in 1935 with the Reds. Eddie had a bunch of awesome stats that no rookie has matched in literally 80 years. Rosario is an obvious starter for just about any major league outfield. I really dont care about his strikeout rates...or Sano's for that matter.

Besides Eddie Rosario, only 1 other rookie since 1900 has had a season with 11+ HR, 14+ 3B, 11+ SB & 15+ OF assists. Who was it?

Download attachment: buxton1.jpg When I look at how fortunate the Twins were last June in the draft, it’s hard to imagine this organization not returning to some level of major league competency soon. The organization picked up two teenagers with high ceilings with their first two picks of 2012, and both showed extreme promise after signing quickly and making their pro debuts. Byron Buxton was somewhat of a surprise to be available to the Twins at #2 overall. I feel the need to analyze what kind of player landed in the Twins lap with Buxton. The real Georgia Peach was Ty Cobb, who was a “snarling wildcat” by his own admission. Cobb was a true gem of a player, and posted a career .367/.433/.512 during a legacy played mostly in the “dead ball” era. Buxton is a gem of a prospect, and the fact that both Ty and Byron are from Georgia and play centerfield is where the comparison ends. But we all know the Twins have a 5-tool-potential guy here that was called a hybrid of the talented Upton brothers. So its safe to say, Minnesota got a “peach” of a player in the Georgia high-school senior. Download attachment: buxton.JPG Buxton was named the top prospect (by Baseball America) in the Gulf Coast League last summer. After he “graduated” and played a lil bit in Elizabethton (with our other gem J.O. Berrios), Buxton was awarded with the #1 prospect billing in the Appalachian League as well! How did he accomplish that after hitting just .248 in 48 games at both levels, and struggling mightily out-the-gate? Look closer, and we see that he had a .344 OB% and a .448 SLG%. Not bad at all for a guy that is supposed to be more speedy than powerful on offense (he also stole 11 of 14 bases). No wonder he was BA’s top pick in every league he played in 2012. I saw a grading scale that was out before the last draft that had each player's current rating/potential rating listed in the following categories: Hit, Power, Speed, Field, Arm (the five tools on a 20-80 scale). Buxton was rated the following: 45/60, 45/60, 70/75, 55/70, 70/75. Those projections sound a lot more like B.J. than Justin Upton to me. Let’s just conclude that his upside is outstanding. If you haven't already, check out a nice video of the prize of the 2012 draft taking some BP for the E-Twins here: I predict Buxton is going to have more power than B.J. (like Justin), but be able to cover ground and stick in center field the way B.J. has. I earlier predicted that Buxton would hit 10-15 home-runs in a full season at Cedar Rapids next season, but I just have this feeling that he could mature into power quickly. Maybe he hits 20 HR’s during a full season at the low-A level, or at least keeps his SLG% near .500. Download attachment: ByronBuxtonTwinsSmile.jpg Anyhow, Bux should continue to be productive and maintain his status as the “best of the best” prospect at every level he graces within the Minor Leagues. What are the chances he uses those tools to be a 20 HR/50 SB guy with Gold-Glove style CF defense in Minnesota? He most certainly will not get a look until 2015 or later. Your thoughts… Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Oswaldo.jpg As I look out any window, I am blinded by the results of several recent blizzards that have left Dakota Territory with an ultra-reflective blanket of glaring white snow. Nothing makes me miss Minnesota Twins baseball more. I close my eyes, but it’s not blackness. An orange-ish haze is all see, due to the sunlight attempting to breach my lightly-closed eyelids. Despite the overflow of natural light, I am able to envision big things for the Twins in my mind’s eye. A Venezuelan outfielder, Oswaldo Arcia, appears to be a mighty storm of a player. He will be ready to blow through the American League soon. Just how intense will the “Blizzard of Oz” be? [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Twins signed Arcia as a 16-year-old back in 2007. His numbers as a 17-year-old in the GCL were very similar to Miguel Sano’s at the same age. He has sustained that production successfully up to the AA level. He really has nothing left to prove at any level but AAA. Download attachment: Arcia, Oswaldo 02.jpg He has slow-cooked to perfection and will start his sixth year with the organization on the cusp of forcing a big-league call-up. Please take a look at the things he was doing in New Britain last year. Arcia’s accomplishments label him as a pure baller, and he will be a nice addition to the big club very soon. There is no need to rush him to the Major Leagues. But we could see a path cleared for Oswaldo mid-summer in 2013. His arrival would feel like a “Coors Light Blizzard” during the swelter of July and August (refreshing). And that will feel like Venezuela in February. This ain't HD, but listen to the wonderful sound Arcia's bat speed creates. Click here to view the article

Most every hardcore Twins fan is well aware of the Puerto Rican 18-year-old we picked up in last June's draft (Jose Orlando Berrios! for the rest of you). After dominating both rookie levels in 2012, this kid is screaming fast-track potential. Where can we expect this guy to finish the 2013 season? Download attachment: berrios.jpg J.O. is what they are gonna call him. And he should certainly get to pick his nickname after averaging 14.4 K's/9 innings as a minor-league-rookie.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] That is ridiculous, and 2013 will show if he can keep those numbers up as a starting pitcher. He pitched 30.2 innings with 49 K's in 2012, and opponents hit .140. Holy moly! This guy is only 6-foot-nothing, a-hundred-eighty-nothing (short and scrawny). But he generates tremendous force behind his pitches. Before the draft, the numbers and reports the Twins had on him were this: 90-93 fastball with 3/4 arm slot creating tail...78 on the slurve with hard break down and away from RHH...79 on the Change-up with heavy action in to a RHH. He was praised for his command of the off-speed stuff, especially the change-up. After checking out a few videos on youtube, I see that this kid really has an electric fastball. A low 90's fastball isn't all that impressive by itself. But J.O. has a very deliberate motion toward the plate and hides the ball extremely well, making that low 90's heat feel like mid 90's to the hitter. His breaking ball is "as advertised" and shall be an out pitch for the talented right-hander. The change-up looks like filth to me, and should prove to keep many pro-hitters from guessing on the fastball. So the real question now is this: Will the organization fast-track this kid in 2013, and allow him to move multiple levels? I am sure his performance will determine this, but the guy will only be 19. So, perhaps the organization will play it safe and limit his innings and appearances? Berrios has been described as physically mature beyond his age (whatever that means), so maybe he gets a heavier workload than someone else his age. Download attachment: berrios 2.jpg I predict: Berrios shows how his hard working attitude can produce crazy good numbers. Reports from the end of last summer had him hitting 94-96 on the gun, so he's got serious MLB potential. He may start in Elizabethton, but I see him definitely playing A ball before the season ends. If it was up to me, I would start him in Cedar Rapids and play it by ear from there. He is oh-so-ready for the low-A level, and you know it. Please leave your opinion on Berrios below. Thanks! Click here to view the article

​This is a little bit risky. But I have to draw attention to this comparison I am about to make. When the Twins signed Miguel Sano as a 16-ish shortstop from the Dominican Republic back in 2009, he was regarded as the "jewel" of the International Signing Period that year......... Download attachment: sano2.jpg Download attachment: sano3.jpg Just one short year later, the Nationals drafted and signed a 17-year-old Bryce Harper. Sano is just a tick younger (about 7 months) than Harper. But both were highly-touted-blue-chipper types. Harper started his pro career in class A ball where he tore it up. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] They skipped him up to AA ball, bypassing A+ to finish his first season as a pro. The next season, in 2012 the organization started him in AAA without much statistic success, but quickly promoted him to the bigs where he held his own despite his underwhelming performance at AAA. Miguel Sano started his pro career one year before Harper in 2010 at the lowest level the Twins have stateside (GCL), despite his reputation as a true baller. He tore up the GCL as a 17-year old, then went bonkers at Elizabethton in 2011 with a .637 SLG%. So, while Harper was struggling through his promotion to AA, Sano was destroying short-season Rookie league. In 2012 Sano played an entire year in low-A ball and absolutely destroyed pitchers' ERA's often. He drove in 100 runs and squared-up 28 homers. His batting average does not matter after hearing the HR and RBI numbers. He was again unimpressive on defense, but showed the tools to be effective eventually. While Sano was bashing around in the Midwest League, Harper was playing for the NL All-Star squad. While Harper was hitting .243 in AAA in 2012, I would imagine that Harper's AAA coaches were saying things like, "I don't care what his stats are, this guy is a PLAYER!" "This guy is on another level." "This guy is ready to produce." Harper was most likely lining balls all over the place, diving and catching, throwing out sleepers, and hustling his tail off. Now I am not saying that Sano is as good as Bryce Harper, or that he plays as hard as Harper, etc. But I am categorizing Sano as an elite-blue-chipper that is expected to produce at an accelerated rate immediately. Not play his 3rd pro season in its entirety at low-A ball......! Can we please allow someone that produces at the rate of Sano or Rosario the opportunity to start their Major League professional career at an extremely young age? After all, this is a young man's game, and its not too late to let Sano move quickly in 2013 (meaning multiple level advancement!). Harper was able to contribute to his team winning the NL East, while Sano could only muster a Midwest League play-off run. To me, MLB experience at a very young age will only help the player develop in the long run. Certain players are special and should be started at a level that reflects their advanced skills. Not coddled at the lower levels for years while they put up dominating, productive numbers that could be helping a higher level succeed. And ultimately, special players should be rushed to Minnesota in a hurried fashion, if you wanna follow the Nationals way of dealing with Harper. Just to be clear: the Nationals allowed Bryce to use his talents for about 1.2 seasons in the minor leagues before succumbing to the fan base and bringing him up to the Show. Miguel Sano appears to be on the 6-year-plan. Well hey, at least he will hit a ton of minor league homers! And make people happy if he's the beer batter! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: nickpuntobig.jpg Every team's gotta have one. A guy that can play anywhere on the infield, and be placed in the outfield if need be. This is the guy you put behind the plate in a catcher emergency (like if Mauer, Doumit, and Butera all have to use the restroom, together). He is a bench guy, but would be a terrific regular if he is needed. The Minnesota Twins have had some dandy utility guys in years past. The first one that comes to mind is Denny Hocking. There have been many more, but none may have defined the job better than the recent Twin named Nick Punto. "Nicky" could play outstanding defense anywhere, and come up with a big single late in the game. Then he'd steal second and later score. He was scrappy, and I really miss him. He could play 3B too: http://mlb.mlb.com/v...361101&c_id=mlb Jamey Carroll is the guy most likely to fill the utility role this coming season. After 2013, its anybody's guess. So let me introduce my first choice to be a long-term solution for the club's utility role...my #9 prospect, Jorge Polanco. Download attachment: jorge.jpg Download attachment: jorge 2.jpg Download attachment: Polanco.jpg Check out Jorge in the Appy League: I know - the 19-year-old who played in Elizabethton last year is still at least three years away. But he played every position save for pitcher, catcher and first-base in 2011, including 10 error-free games in the outfield. His infield defense in 2012 was outstanding at 2B, and adequate at SS. And unlike Punto, Polanco can hit! The Domincan switch-hitter out-slugged fellow Twins prospects Adam Walker and Travis Harrison (and most of the Appy League) in 2012. Not bad at all for a guy listed at 5'11 165 lbs. If he reproduces numbers like 2012 at the higher minor league levels, then we could be talking about an everyday guy in Minnesota. In order to pertain to my title, I am going to predict that Polanco breaks in with the big-league club as a utility infielder in 2016. He will be playing behind Eddie Rosario at 2B and Daniel Santana at SS, but will find plenty of AB's by spelling any infielder that needs a breather. Imagine that Twins fans...a utility guy with a mind to do damage offensively! Click here to view the article

The expectations going into last year were so low that nobody could have had their hopes up at all. I think the same can be said for 2014, but there will be a lot of activity this winter by TR. Ultimately, I hope the activity produces some excitement and higher expectations than in 2013. Maybe we will make a big splash on the free agent market and bring back Jamey Carroll?

Did you hear Paul Molitor's comments? Sounds like Buxton could force a call-up next year if he tears up AA-AAA to start 2014...

goo