rgvtwinstalk

I can't see Anderson making the team just can't. I also think they go 13/13 instead of 12/14. I have Kirilloff making the team with Cave becoming 4th outfielder and Rooker as a bench bat.

1. Houston- Blake Bortles QB Central Florida 2. St. Louis- Greg Robinson OT Auburn 3. Jacksonville- Jadeveon Clowney DE South Carolina 4. Cleveland- Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville 5. Oakland- Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M 6. Atlanta- Jake Matthews OT Texas A&M 7. Tampa Bay- Khalil Mack LB Buffalo 8. Minnesota- CJ Mosely LB Alabama 9. Buffalo- Taylor Lewan OT Michigan 10. Detroit- Sammy Watkins WR Texas A&M 11. Tennessee- Darqueeze DennardCB Michigan State 12. New York Giants- Eric Ebron TE North Carolina 13. St. Louis- Mike Evans WR Texas A&M 14. Chicago- Timmy Jernigan DT Florida State 15. Pittsburgh- Justin Gilbert CB Oklahoma St. 16. Dallas- Aaron Donald DT Pittsburgh 17. Baltimore- Marqise Lee WR USC 18. New York Jets- Marcus Roberson CB Florida 19. Miami- Zack Martin OT Notre Dame 20. Arizona- Derek Carr QB Fresno State 21. Green Bay- Ra’shede HagemanDT Minnesota 22. Philadelphia- Kelvin BenjaminWR Florida State 23. Kansas City- Brandin Cooks WR Oregon State 24. Cincinnati- Dee Ford DE Auburn 25. San Diego- Bradley Roby CB Ohio State 26. Cleveland- Cyrus Kouandjio OT Alabama 27. New Orleans- Ryan Shazier LB Ohio State 28. Carolina- Stephon Tuitt DE Notre Dame 29. New England- Davante AdamsWR Fresno State 30. San Francisco- Jason Verrett CB TCU 31. Denver- Chris Borland LB Wisconsin 32. Seattle- Louis Nix III DT Notre Dame

i have a guy that many would not have going 8 to Vikings, but if the vikings truly take the best player available I can truly see the Vikings taking Wide Receiver Sammy Watkins. I know the Vikings have Greg Jennings, Patterson, Jarius Wright, and possibly Simpson. However, Simpson is a free agent who likely will not be resigned. The real reason though is Watkins is a stud who is compared to AJ Green and Julio Jones. I have him going 7 to Tampa Bay, but receivers rarely go in top 10 and I think he would be a rare ocurance. I know he is not a big need but if the 3 qb's are gone i think he is definately worth considering. What does everybody else think.

i could see the vikings do what they normally do and trade back into 1st round and take a qb. But i don't project trades. A couple names to think about is AJ Mccarron, Aaron Murray, and Zack Mettenberger. I see Mccarron as a 2nd round talent but someone will take him in the first round. Murray and Mettenberger are 3rd/4th round picks that could be targets. You have Vick as Vikings 2014 starter and I think it will be Matt Schaub.

1. Houston- Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville 2. St. Louis- Jadeveon Clowney DE South Carolina 3. Jacksonville- Blake Bortles QB Central Florida 4. Cleveland- Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M 5. Oakland- Jake Matthews OT Texas A&M 6. Atlanta- Greg Robinson OT Auburn 7. Tampa Bay- Sammy Watkins WR Clemson 8. Minnesota- Khalil Mack LB Buffalo 9. Buffalo- Anthony Barr LB UCLA 10. Detroit- Darqueeze Denard CB Michigan State 11. Tennessee- CJ Mosely LB Alabama 12. New York Giants- Taylor Lewan OT Michigan 13. St. Louis- Ha Ha Clinton-Dix S Alabama 14. Chicago- Kony Ealy DE Missouri 15. Pittsburgh- Louis Nix III DT Notre Dame 16. Dallas- Timmy Jernigan DT Florida State 17. Baltimore- Mike Evans WR Texas A&M 18. New York Jets- Eric Ebron TE North Carolina 19. Miami- Cyrus Kouandjio OT Alabama 20. Arizona- Derek Carr QB Fresno State 21. Green Bay- Justin Gilbert CB Oklahoma State 22. Philadelphia- Ra’Shede Hageman DT Minnesota 23. Kansas City- Marqise Lee WR USC 24. Cincinnati- Aaron Donald DT Pittsburgh 25. San Diego- Marcus Roberson CB Florida 26. Cleveland- Kelvin Benjamin WR Florida State 27. New Orleans- Ryan Shazier LB Ohio State 28. Carolina- Stephon Tuitt DE Notre Dame 29. New England- Jace Amaro TE Texas Tech 30. San Francisco- Bradley Roby CB Ohio State 31. Denver- Dee Ford LB Auburn 32. Seattle- David Yankey OG Stanford

thank you i appreciate you reading my work it makes me want to write more and have you let me know what you like and what you dont like so thank you.

Shane- Thanks for reading but i still believe he has room to grow physically as 215 is not that heavy for that height so i expect him to end up in that 230 range. When it comes to meyer he throws a pretty straight fastball when he doesn't get on top of it and with his height that will always be a challenge for him. I am so excited about his potential, but like I wrote there are questions about him that he needs to answer.

Here is part 10 and final installment of my prospect list I hope you enjoyed the earlier parts. Today I will be bringing you prospects 5-1. I brought you 5 a day until we got all the way to number one. This took awhile so I hope you kept checking back here for daily looks at who I had in certain spots and what I think of them. I am sure you disagreed with some and if so by all means leave me a comment in the comment section. If you prefer you can also shoot me an email at travis.aune@gmail.com. Also if you prefer you can hit me up on twitter @texastwinsfan so whichever way you prefer let me know what you think of my list. List can also be seen at rgvtwinsfan@blogspot.com 5. Lewis Thorpe LHP 11/23/95 18 Signed as a Free Agent in 2012 out of Australia 2013 stats: 4-1 2.05 era 12 games 8 starts 44 inn 32 hits 6bb 64k 2013 team: Gulf Coast League Twins 2014 team: Elizabethton ETA: 2017 The left handed fireballer from Australia really came out of nowhere in 2013 after being signed as a free agent for 500,000 in July of 2012. The Twins have had some really good luck out of Australia as they got major leaguers in Luke Hughes and Liam Hendriks from the land down under. If you just look at pure upside he is best player ever signed out of Australia. The problem with projecting someone this high is he is so far away as he would likely need five promotions to make it to the Twins. He also has so young and so limited experience that we don’t know if 2013 was a fluke or if it was just the tip of the iceberg because he only pitched in 44 innings so far as a professional. The reason I don’t have a problem projecting him this high is because of all the experience he has in the Australian Baseball League which he has a ton of experience in. The other reason I don’t have a problem with it is prospect lists are all about projections and his upside is that of an ace and as Twins fans well know that is hard to find. In 2013 Thorpe went 4-1 with a 2.05 era in 44 innings in which he just gave up 32 hits. The most impressive thing was he had just the six walks in those 44 innings while striking out an impressive 64 guys. Thorpe is young and continues to grow as he is 6’1 and a razor thin 160 pounds so he needs to get stronger. He has picked up velocity on his fastball as he normally hits 92-93 and touches 95. He has a really good changeup and also throws a curve ball and a slider. Right now he is getting by with his fastball that he can blow guys away with. This year and especially when he gets to full season he is going to need to improve that curveball and slider as starting pitchers can’t get by only having two pitches. The curve and slider show potential and is something he needs to work on. I look for him to throw 95-96 consistantly as he gets stronger and stronger and if he can develop those breaking pitches he has the chance to be special. Being he is so far away it is a work in process as he has a ton of things he needs to improve on. One thing I love about him is his control as he only walked six batters in those 44 innings which is unheard of. I don’t expect the walk totals to be that low going forward, but if he can limit it to 2-3 walks per nine innings he will have much success. I have not been this excited about a pitching prospect in a long time. If Twins fans can be patient with him they won’t be sorry as I view he is the future for Twins pitching as I feel he is an ace in the making and Twins fans should keep an eye on the stud pitcher. 4. Kohl Stewart RHP 10/7/94 19 1st round pick in 2012 out of HS in Texas 2013 stats: 0-0 1.35 era 7 games 4 starts 20 innings 13 hits 4bb 24k 2013 teams: GCL Twins, Elizabethton 2014 team: Cedar Rapids ETA: 2017 When the Twins drafted Kohl Stewart with the fourth pick in the 2013 draft there was excitement about his upside, but there was a question of signablity as he had a full ride playing quarterback at Texas A&M. The questions about signing him disapated on draft night when in an interview the Houston native stated how excited he was to be part of the Twins organization and how he planned on signing. That took a lot of the pressure off both sides and they were able to come up with a figure that worked for both sides. The two sides ended up coming up with a figure of just over 4.5 million or just about slot to get the big right hander signed with the Twins. He did not pitch much in 2013 due to protecting his arm and also have a freak accident where he just his foot on a rock that cost him some time. He started out in the GCL and in 16 innings he gave up three runs on twelve hits along with three walks and sixteen strikeouts for a 1.69 era. Late in the season he got a callup to Elizabethton where he got one start and pitched four shutout innings on just one hit with a walk and eight strikeouts. Overall, he worked just 20 innings for the Twins after work 40 during the high school season. The Twins are going to be very careful with him as they are going to watch his innings very aggresively. I think he likely starts the season in extended spring training and then when the weather warms up he goes up to Cedar Rapids. He might start the year in Cedar Rapids, but what i am sure about is I don’t expect to see him pitch much more than 100 innings in 2014 and will probably skip him from time to time to save his arm. Stewart’s best quality in my opinion is his atheticism as he can do everything you want out of a pitcher. Stewart has a cockiness about him that scouts love because he believes no body can get a hit off of him and me personally I love that about him. He throws his fastball in the 92-94 range, but keep in mind he has never worked soley on baseball before so when he works on mechanics and he gets stronger I expect his velocity to get up to the 96-97 range. His best pitch is his slider that can be nasty at times. He also throws a changeup and a curve ball that have some work to be done on. He is also experimenting with a sinker that if he can perfect can create more ground balls. Stewart is so young, but also so talented that has the ability to be a top of the line starter. The problem is he is so far away that things can happen so there is really no way to know how good he can be. I am really excited to see how he does in Cedar Rapids this year to see how he responds to some tribulations for the first time. I really think barring injury that Kohl Stewart has big time starter written all over him and it will be exciting to see him develop for the Twins. 3. Alex Meyer RHP 1/3/90 24 1st round pick by Wash in 2011 draft from Kentucky. Acquired by Twins in 2012 for Denard Span 2013 stats: 4-3 2.99 era 16 starts 78.1 inn 67 hits 32bb 100k 2013 teams: GCL Twins, New Britain 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2014 When the Twins traded Denard Span to the Nationals after the 2012 season most people when they heard the return for Span they were like Alex who? Well a year later just about every Twins fan knows exactly who Alex Meyer is. I can tell you exactly who Alex Myer is in two words I would say the future. That is exactly what Alex Meyer is for the Twins as he is the future for what the Twins want to become. If the Twins are going to remain competitive with the Tigers they need to be able to compete in the pitching staff. Alex Meyer has it all and is turning the tools into skills and figuring out what it takes to become a top of the line starter. When the Twins acquired Meyer there were some questions if he could throw enough strikes in order to be effective. Even though he missed a couple months due to a shoulder injury, but he showed in Arizona that he has figured everything out. In 2013 he went 4-3 with a 2.99 era in 78.1 innings. In just over 78 innings he gave up just 67 hits so that is a good indication that he does something that not many Twins starters have done since Johan Santana left and that is miss bats. He did walk 32 guys in 2013, which needs to improve to be successful. Being 6’9 it can be hard sometimes to repeat his motion so that will always be a problem, but if he can limit his walks to 2-3 walks per nine innings then he will be fine. In a word Alex Meyer throws gas as he generally sits between 95-98 with an occasional 100. He throws a nasty slider that can be at times unhittable. He also throws a nice curve ball that is very good and a change up that is ever improving. He has four above average pitches and he is gaining more and more control over those pitches which will only help him. As much as those other pitches are important his fastball is his bread and butter pitch and there are a lot of hitters that will be blown away by it. However, once he gets to the majors a straight fastball will not be enough for him. That is why those breaking pitches are so important in order to get guys off his fastball. If he can develop his change up it will make his fastball look like 110. At 6’9 he has long arms and legs that fly at you when he is in his delivery which can be overwhelming. Alex Meyer has to keep up with what he is doing and continue to work hard. I look for Meyer to be up with the Twins by mid season and don’t look for him to leave Minnesota again and that is exciting to think about. The future for Alex Meyer is so bright and it won’t be long till Twins fans won’t have to dream about it as it will happen period. 2. Miguel Sano 3b 5/11/93 20 Signed as a Free Agent in 2009 from DR 2013 stats:.280 avg 35hr 103rbi 30doub 5trip 11sb 86 runs 65bb 142k .382/.610/.992 2013 teams: Fort Myers, New Britain 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2014 Miguel Sano was going to be one or two on just about everybody’s list and would be number one on just about every other organizations top ten. There was a prediction of greatness even before the Twins signed him for 3.15 million in 2009. He is probably the most powerful hitter prospect in all of minor league baseball. He is very athletic and has quietly started to quiet his critics about his defense through hard work. He has started to get more selective as pitchers quit pitching to him. In the past he would chase pitches out of the strike zone and help out the pitchers, but he is starting to stop chasing those pitches. He still strikes out at an alarming rate, but he has developed an eye to go with it. After signed after the 2009 season he split the 2010 season between the DSL Twins and the GCL Twins and hit .307 with seven homeruns and a .870 OPS. In 2011 he moved on to Elizabethton and put up huge numbers. He hit .292 with 20 home runs with a impressive .988 OPS. He moved on to Beloit in 2012 and hit 28 homeruns with 100 rbi’s and a .893 OPS. Then he ramped that up in 2013, but he struggled a bit in New Britain after dominating in Fort Myers. At Fort Myers he hit .330 with 16 homeruns and a 1.079 OPS. He moved up to New Britain and continued to hit for power but his average suffered. The 142 strikeouts that he had in 2013 was a problem, but the 65 walks was similiar to what he did in 2012. Sano is a big guy at 6’4 and 250 pounds so he is not going to be the most nimble guy defensively. I saw him live when he was in Beloit in 2012 and was impressed with the athleticism he showed for a guy his size. Most of the errors are mental not physical because he would make plays that are difficult and then will boot an easy one. He also has a very strong arm and is finally being able to control it as most of his errors were throwing errors compared to the fielding variety. For a guy his size he runs pretty good and can hit some triples that you don’t expect of someone his size. Earlier in his career he had problems with maturity and even last year he was benched in New Britain for a week for showing up a former teammate. However, Sano is going to always be a little cocky the thing is he needs to respect his opponents a little bit better. Sano will always hit for power as he hit 19 homeruns in New Britain while only hitting .236. He needs to cutdown on his strikeouts, but because of the type of swings he makes he will always strikeout atleast 100 times, but the key is getting close to 100 walks a year to go with that. There is no denying that Sano has superstar written all over him and will in all likelyhood be a future All-Star. Sano will likely start 2014 in New Britain and by July I expect him to be back in Minnesota looking to make an impact. I can’t be more excited about a prospect than I am about him as I see Miguel Cabera type of power without the hitting abilities that Cabrera has. I think he will be a perrenial 30-35 homerun guy who will a few times hit in the 40’s. Twins fans should be really excited about him as we have been waiting for him for years it seems and finally the future appears to be arriving. 1. Byron Buxton CF 12/18/93 20 1st round pick in 2012 draft out of HS in GA 2013 stats:.334 avg 12hr 77rbi 19doub 18trip 109runs 55sb 76bb 105k .424/.520/.944 2013 teams: Cedar Rapids, Fort Myers 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2015 When the Twins had the number two overall selection in the 2012 draft the smart money was that the Twins should take a pitcher with Denard Span and Ben Revere in their 20’s and controlling center field and uber prospect Aaron Hicks knocking on the door. However, the Twins have always taken who they feel is the best player available and they did that again when they selected Buxton out of a small high school in Georgia. Things got interesting when Houston passed on Buxton to take Carlos Correa due to saving money for later even though most felt Buxton was the most talented player in this draft. The Twins had no problem taking Buxton as they said it will all work itself out. Well less than two years later Span and Revere are no longer in the organization and Hicks is not a sure thing and if he makes it he will be a corner outfielder. The reason for that is because of Buxton who is pretty much the number one prospect in all of baseball no matter what list you read. He is a true five tool player as he can hit for average, steal bases, good arm, good defense, and developing power. There was no way to know how quickly he would pick it up as he did not face a ton of bigtime competition in high school. After signing in 2012 he split the season between the GCL Twins and Elizabethton and was not that exciting. He hit .248 wiht a .344 obp which is nothing to sneeze about, but nothing to get incredibly excited about. Then 2013 happened and Byron Buxton took how like a rocket and dominated minor league baseball unlike anything I have ever seen. In between Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers he hit .334 with 59 xtra base hits including 12 homeruns. He also stole 55 bases to boot and had a slash line of .424/.520/.944. With that performance he rose like nothing anyone had ever seen and became the clear cut number one prospect in all of baseball. He does everything really well and has a good head on his shoulders so when i critique I feel like i am nitpicking as he is so good already and he is just 20 years old. A couple things I would like to see him improve on is although he walks a ton and has a great eye at the plate he also strikes out more than I would like as he struck out 105 times in 2013. As a likely leadoff man you would like to see his strikeouts go down 25 percent from what it was in 2013 and I believe it will. The other thing is for him to become a better basestealer and that seems like crazy talk for someone that stole 55 bases last year, but he did get caught 19 times. Just as important to a basestealer as stolen bases is his success rate as you don’t want to ruin too many innings by getting thrown out. Those are minor fixes that I think he will make. I expect him to start 2014 in New Britain and regardless if he gets up to Minnesota this year or not I expect him to begin 2015 as the Twins opening day center fielder. He has all the tools to be special and the drive to acheive it. I really have very little doubt that Buxton is going to be a superstar at the major league level. Twins fans should get used to seeing him at Target Field as he is going to be patrolling center field for a long time and help bring back a World Series title to Minnesota. I hope everyone enjoyed my look back from 50 until 1 and I don’t expect you to agree with me on all the picks but i hope you leave me a comment what you thought of the list overall or shoot me an email at travis_aune@gmail.com or tweet me at @texastwinsfan Thanks for reading and have a great day.

The thing about my mocks is i don't include trades and i expect either houston or st. louis is going to trade out of their spots so it will change depends on who is in spots. The vikings have needs on defense as well so i don't see them trading up if anything I could see the Vikings trading down to get more picks.

Manziel is going to be a stud i would put my reputation on the line on that.

1. Houston- Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M 2. St. Louis- Jadeveon Clowney DE South Carolina 3. Jacksonville- Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville 4. Cleveland- Blake Bortles QB Central Florida 5. Oakland- Derek Carr QB Fresno State 6. Atlanta- Jake Matthews OT Texas A&M 7. Tampa Bay- Greg Robinson OT Auburn 8. Minnesota- Sammy Watkins WR Clemson Vikings stay with their plan and take Best Player Available 9. Buffalo- Anthony Barr LB UCLA 10. Detroit- Darqueeze Dennard CB Michigan State 11. Tennessee- CJ Mosely LB Alabama 12. NY Giants- Eric Ebron TE North Carolina 13. St. Louis- Taylor Lewin OT Michigan 14. Chicago- Justin Gilbert CB Oklahoma State 15. Pittsburgh- Khalil Mack LB Buffalo 16. Baltimore- Mike Evans WR Texas A&M 17. Dallas- Louis Nix III DT Notre Dame 18. NY Jets- Marqise Lee WR USC 19. Miami- Cyrus Kouandijo OT Alabama 20. Arizona- Kony Ealy DE Missouri 21. Green Bay- Ha Ha Clinton Dix S Alabama 22. Philadelphia- Ra’Shede Hageman DT Minnesota 23. Kansas City- Ifo Ekpre Olumu CB Oregon 24. Cincinnati- Bradley Roby CB Ohio State 25. San Diego- Marcus Roberson CB Florida 26. Cleveland- Kelvin Benjamin WR Florida State 27. New Orleans- Ryan Shazier LB Ohio State 28. Carolina- Brandin Cooks WR Oregon State 29. New England- Jace Amaro TE Texas Tech 30. San Francisco- Davante Adams WR Fresno State 31. Seattle- Timmy Jernigan DT Florida State 32. Denver- Cyril Richardson G Baylor

Here is part 9 of my prospect list I hope you enjoyed the earlier parts. Today I will be bringing you prospects 10-6. I will be bringing you 5 a day until we get all the way to number one. This will take awhile so keep checking back here for daily looks at who I have in certain spots and what I think of them. I am sure you will disagree with some and if so by all means leave me a comment in the comment section. If you prefer you can also shoot me an email at travis.aune@gmail.com. Also if you prefer you can hit me up on twitter @texastwinsfan so whichever way you prefer let me know what you think of my list. 10. Max Kepler OF/1b 2/10/93 20 Signed as a free agent in 2009 from Germany 2013 stats:.237 avg 9 hr 40 rbi 11 doub 3 trip 61 games 24bb 43k 2sb .312/.424/.736 2013 team: Cedar Rapids 2014 team: Cedar Rapids ETA: 2016 When the Twins inked Max Kepler in 2009 out of Germany he was thought of as the biggest prospect ever signed out of Europe when the Twins gave him 800,000. When the Twins signed him at age 16 they knew he would be a project as he was not as far along as fellow 2009 free agent Miguel Sano. He has been a bit of a project not only because of taking a while to find his stroke, but he has struggled through injuries. Most recently he missed the first half of the 2013 season because of an elbow injury. So staying on the field has been a bit of a problem for the left handed outfielder. He is definately the kind of toolsy outfielder that the Twins crave. When he is on he has a power to all fields, can hit for average, has got speed, can play all three outfield spots and really do just about everything on the baseball thing. The big thing with him just like most toolsy outfielders is turning these tools into skills and not being able to stay on the field has not helped him. In 2010 he had a very good .346 obp at the GCL. Then in 2011 he moved up to Elizabethton where he had a very good .347 obp. The decision was made to have him repeat E-town and for the first time he dominated. In 59 games he hit .297 with 10 homeruns and a OPS of .925. There was tremendous excitement about Kepler after the 2012 season and was the reason why most had him a top 10 prospect after that big 2012 season. That is why the elbow injury disappointed Twins fans as they were not able to see the real Max Kepler in 2013. Even after he came back they did not see the hitter that people that saw him were raving about. He hit just .237 with a .312 obp and a .736 OPS. He still showed the power that Twins fans were so excited about as he hit nine homeruns along with eleven doubles and three triples for 23 extra base hits. Kepler is a big guy at 6’4 and between 200-220 pounds who is growing into his body. Kepler played some 1st base and there are some that believe as he continues to grow that he eventually will be a 1st baseman. The biggest thing with Kepler is he needs time to adjust and basically just needs to play after being injured in 2013. I am looking for a breakout year from Kepler both in power, but I expect him to start to hit left handed pitchers better after struggling with them in 2013. I expect Max Kepler to be a top 5 prospect a year from now because he has all the tools and I fully expect some of those tools will start to turn into skills. 9. Jorge Polanco 2b/SS 7/5/93 20 Signed as a Free Agent in 2009 from DR 2013 stats: .308 avg 5 hr 78 rbi 32 doub 10 tri 76 runs 4 sb 42bb 59k .362/.452/.813 2013 team: Cedar Rapids 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2016 When Jorge Polanco signed for 800,000 in 2009 there was much expected out of middle infielder from the Dominican Republic. It took him a little while to figure out how to hit, but when he figured it out he flourished. He repeated the GCL in 2010 and 2011 and did not show much offense. In 2010 he split the year between the Dominican Summer League and the GCL and hit just .233 in 52 games. He spent the whole 2011 season in the United States and hit .250 for the GCL. He moved up to Elizabethton in 2012 and exploded offensively as he hit .318 with a .388 obp. He then moved up to Cedar Rapids for the 2013 season and kept it going offensively by hitting .308 with a .362 obp. So he has improved offensively every season since he has been a pro. He has always been really good defensively, but the big question was is he a shortstop or is he a 2nd baseman. Well that answer is still unanswered, but my opinion he doesn’t have the range to play shortstop on a every day basis. I think he fits way better at 2nd base. Some will want to force him to fit into shortstop even though he has a much better chance to make it at second. He played mostly second in 2013 when Niko Goodrum was not injured. Polanco continues to fill out on his 5’11 frame and close to 170 lbs right now. He has power potential and is not a slap hitter as he makes really good cotact with the bat. I don’t think he will ever hit many homeruns, but I think he has the chance to be a doubles machine as he continues to get stronger and bulks up. What I really like about him is he is aggressive, but makes contact doesn’t strike out a ton as he knows the strike zone so well. He walks some, but I would like to see him walk more because for someone with such a keen knowledge of the strike zone he doesn’t walk enough. He had a .362 obp, but I think he can do better than that if he walked more. I know Brian Dozier is there right now and some think of others as the 2nd baseman of the future, but for my money I think Polanco will eventually be that guy and someone Twins fans can start getting excited about as he will be playing at Target Field soon enough. 8. Josmil Pinto C 3/31/89 24 Signed as Free Agent in 2006 out of VZ 2013 stats: minors .309 avg 15 hr 74 rbi 32 doub 1tri 65 runs 66bb 83k .400/.482/.882 majors: .342avg 4hr 12rbi 21games 5doub 10 runs 6bb 22k .398/.566/.963 2013 teams: New Britain, Rochester, Minnesota 2014 team: Minnesota ETA: 2013 Josmil Pinto has come a long ways from when the Twins signed him 2006 out of Venezuela to likely being the Twins opening day starting catcher in 2014. He was signed for his bat and for quite a bit of time in his minor league career he was a DH. Therefore his defense is not where the Twins want it to be. Therefore, if he struggles in spring training don’t be shocked if he starts back in Rochester with Eric Fryer backing up Kurt Suzuki. With that said with Joe Mauer moving to first base Josmil Pinto is the future behind the plate for the Twins. Whether it is in March or in July the thing is Pinto is the catcher of the future and the future is bright. After signing with the Twins in 2006 he did not come over to the United States till the 2008 season in the GCL. In 2008 he hit .329 with a .935 OPS in just 24 games. He moved up to Elizabethton in 2009 where he tore the Appalacian League up by hitting .332 with 13 homeruns and 55 rbis with a .997 OPS in 53 games. After that season everyone was excited about his potential and thought he would skyrocket up prospect charts. However, like most prospects do he ran into trouble in 2010 and 2011. In 2010 he hit just .225 with a .672 OPS in 100 games. However, he did show a bit of power as he hit 10 homeruns and had 32 xtra base hits in those 100 games. In 2011 he started the season back in Beloit, but only appeared in nine games before he moved up to Fort Myers. He hit .261 with a .697 OPS in just 73 games between the two stops. Therefore, Josmil Pinto was at a crossroads in his career as he played as a backup. He needed to improve and do it then if he wanted to be the guy that the Twins wanted him to. He split 2012 between Fort Myers and New Britain and had a big bounceback year. He hit .295 with 14 homeruns and 60 rbi’s with a much better .844 OPS. Then he obliterated those numbers in 2013 and even got a few at bats with the Twins in September. Josmil Pinto has the ability to be an every day catcher in my opinion the thing is he needs to improve his defense. He doesn’t frame pitches well, his throwing can be erratic, and he can be lazy behind the plate. He needs to improve each of those as I truly believe he is going to hit at the major league level, but I don’t think he can hit well enough to be a DH so his value is that of a catcher. So it is up to him to improve his catching skills which I think he will. Josmil Pinto in my opinion will start opening day behind the plate for the Twins and will be a fixture for years to come so Twins fans should get used to seeing him behind the plate. 7. Eddie Rosario 2b/OF 9/28/91 22 4th round pick in 2010 draft from PR 2013 stats: .302 avg 10 hr 73 rbi 32 doub 8 trip 10 sb 38bb 96k .350/.460/.810 2013 teams: Fort Myers, New Britain 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2015 When the Twins selected Eddie Rosario in the 4th round out of Puerto Rico in 2010 the Twins really did not know what they had in Rosario. He has proven through the first four years that he is talented and that he can hit. However, he also has shown a brashness and cockiness that has gotten him benched for games in the minor leagues. Now add to that a 50 game suspension that he will have to serve to start the 2014 season for a second violation of the MLB drug policy and there is some risk to it. Less because it is not believed to be PED’s and recreational drugs are not tested once you are added to the 40 man roster which should happen next winter at the latest. I am not saying that Rosario’s suspension is not a concern, because it is, but I think he will learn from this to become more mature. After Rosario was drafted in 2010 he signed quickly and hit .294 with a .343 obp and 22 stolen bases in 51 games with the GCL Twins. He moved on to Elizabethton for the 2011 season and exploded and put up one of the greatest individual seasons in E-Town history. He hit .337 with 21 homeruns and 39 xtra base hits. He also stole 21 bases with a 1.068 OPS to put the icing on the cake. He moved up to Beloit for the 2012 season and battled injuries where he was hit in the face that limited him to just 95 games. In those games he hit .299 with 13 hr and 74 rbi along with an impressive 52 xtra base hits and a .846 OPS. He moved up to Fort Myers and ended up in New Britain and did very well in Fort Myers before suffering growing pains in New Britain. Overall, he hit .302 with 10 hr and 73 rbi with a .810 OPS even though he hit just a .742 OPS in New Britain compared to .903 in Fort Myers. Rosario has proven that he can hit as he has compiled three straight years of a .800 OPS. Rosario has quick hands that leads to good line drive power as he is more of a doubles hitter than a home run hitter. He does not walk at all which is a problem and he doesn’t strike out a ton, but considering that he doesn’t walk its hard to have a high obp when you don’t walk. Before the 2012 season the Twins decided to move Rosario to 2nd base and it has been hit and miss. With Brian Dozier seemingly coming along there is some thought of moving him back to the outfield as he is ok at 2nd but he is a much better outfielder. I look for him to eventually be the Twins left fielder as he has quickness in the outfield and a strong arm. I think he could be an ok 2nd baseman, but I think he can be a quality outfielder. Either way I think he will be known for his offense as he can hit to all fields and hit for power and average. He has speed, but does not steal a ton of bases. Rosario seems to have a chip on his shoulder so it will be very interesting to see if he can put this suspension behind him and make the most of his talent. I think he goes back to New Britain when his suspension is over and possibly get up late in 2014 or early 2015, but make no mistake he is a big part of the Twins future. 6. Jose Berrios RHP 5/27/94 19 1st round pick in 2012 draft from PR 2013 stats: 7-7 3.99 era 19 starts 103.2 inn 105 hits 40bb 100k 2013 team: Cedar Rapids 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2016 When the Twins tabbed Berrios with a supplemental 1st round pick in the 2012 draft there was some excitement especially with his high upside and the Twins luck from Puerto Rico. He is a high upside starting pitcher who will pitch the first couple months at just 19 years old so there is excitement about his upside. That is not to say he is a finished product because he is not as he gets hit more than he should based on the stuff he has. After signing quickly, Berrios split the season between the GCL Twins and Elizabethton where he went 3-0 with a 1.17 era in eleven games including four starts. He pitched 30.2 innings and gave up just 15 hits including a mind boggling 4 walks and 49 strikeouts. He moved on to full season in 2013 with Cedar Rapids and had his struggles as he gave up more hits than innings pitched and walked four ever 10 innings. The split is that he got off to a great start in April and May going a 2.31 and 2.63 era’s respectively in those two months. He struggled awfully in June and July with era’s of 4.41 and in July he was really bad at 5.68. Berrios is so young that it is hard to judge how he is doing based on how young he is. He throws a fastball in the 93-95 range although it is very straight. If he can develop his cutter that could really help him as he needs to get some movement on his pitches. His best pitch right now is his fastball, but his change up has the abilty to be big time. He throws a curve ball that is ok, but he needs to improve it if he is going to be the starter we hope he can be. If he can develop that cutter and the curve ball into quality pitches he has the chance to be special. I view him as a solid number two pitcher going forward if he can develop those pitches. He also needs to show better control as he has a tendency of not being aggressive which makes him walk more guys than he should. I really like Berrios and think he has potential to be quite good, but the key is developing those other pitches and getting more aggressive. I view him as one of the highest upside guys in the organization and has potential to be a big time pitcher for the Twins. It will take a few years for him to figure it out, but he definately is worth the patience that Twins fans are going to need him to follow. Twins Prospects 50-46 Twins Prospects 45-41 Twins Prospects 40-36 Twins Prospects 35-31 Twins Prospects 30-26 Twins Prospects 25-21 Twins Prospects 20-16 Twins Prospects 15-11

Here is part 8 of my prospect list I hope you enjoyed the earlier parts. Today I will be bringing you prospects 15-10. I will be bringing you 5 a day until we get all the way to number one. This will take awhile so keep checking back here for daily looks at who I have in certain spots and what I think of them. I am sure you will disagree with some and if so by all means leave me a comment in the comment section. If you prefer you can also shoot me an email at travis.aune@gmail.com. Also if you prefer you can hit me up on twitter @texastwinsfan so whichever way you prefer let me know what you think of my list. 15. Danny Santana SS 11/7/90 23 Signed as Free Agent in 2007 out of DR 2013 stats: .297 avg 2 hr 45 rbi 22 doubles 10 triples 24bb 94k 30sb .333/.386/.719 2013 team: New Britain 2014 team: Rochester ETA: 2014 Danny Santana has slowly, but surely made his way through the Twins organization. It is hard to believe that he was signed as a free agent back in 2007 out of the Dominican Republic at 17 years old. The 5’11 173 pound shortstop has slowly made his way onto the Twins 40 man roster and many are calling him the Twins shortstop of the future, which may occur as early as 2014. With the Twins not set at shortstop it is fair to consider him as an option at argubably the most important position on the field. There is one huge elephant in the room that is keeping him from taking that next step and that is his defense. To put it bluntly, Santana has not been a very good defensive shortstop at any stop. The thing about Pedro Florimon is although he can’t hit a lick he is excellent defensively and most teams can look past bad offense at shortstop if you play good defense. Santana committed 32 errors in 2013 in New Britain, 26 errors in 2012 in Fort Myers, and 28 errors in 2011 in Beloit. That is a combined 86 errors in the last three years. That is something you just can’t look past and the reason he will be held back. Santana is very talented and smooth at shortstop so I can’t figure out why he committs so many errors. He has great range and a very strong arm which is the positives, but he continually makes errors on the routine balls. Therefore it is not physical, but mental which are things you would think are correctable. You can’t overcome lack of range or a weak arm, but there is hope you can overcome mental lapses. Thats the thing for him to become the guy the Twins really need him to be, he needs to overcome these mental lapses. Offensively he is immensely talented with extra base power and excellent speed. The problem is he refuses to take a walk and he strikeouts too much. There is definatly some hope that Santana can be the shortstop of the future for the Twins. However, there is a lot of things he needs to improve if he wants to make it with the Twins. He is just not good enough yet and the Twins will need to see immense improvement if they are going to give him the job. With that said when you have a guy as talented as Santana you continue to be patient with him hoping that he eventually will figure it oiut and be the shortstop of the future. 14. Adam Brett Walker II OF 10/18/91 22 3rd rounder in 2012 draft from Jacksonville 2013 stats: .278 avg 27hr 109rbi 31doub 7tri 83runs 10sb 31bb 115k .319/.526/.844 2013 team: Cedar Rapids 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2016 When the Twins drafted Adam Brett Walker in the 3rd round of the 2012 draft out of Jacksonville University there was not a lot known about him. They knew he was a big powerful guy who they thought could produce some power numbers and boy they were right. If he develops the way the Twins are hoping he will then he will be a steal for the 3rd round. In just 187 professional games for the Twins, Walker already has 41 homeruns. He started his career in 2012 in Elizabethton and hit 14 homeruns with an OPS of .805. He then moved up to Cedar Rapids for the 2013 season and bettered those numbers. In 129 games he hit 27 homeruns and drove in 109 runs. He also had an incredible 65 xtra base hits in those 129 games for an OPS of .844 and just as incredible a .526 slugging percentage. To put that in perspective Miguel Sano who is thought of as the best power hitter in the game had a slugging percentage of .521 at Beloit in 2012. So Walker has Miguel Sano type of power. The problem is that Walker has an aversion to walking as he only walked 31 times in 508 at bats. Something also troubling is Walker along with not walking also struck out 115 times. There is no denying that Walker has the power to be a big time prospect, but unless he cuts down his strikeouts and walks a little more he will have a hard time progressing. He is a mostly pull hitter who has the power to hit it out of the ball park to all fields. He is very athletic who will be able to stay in right field going forward. The thing that is keeping him from being a top 5 guy for right now is his lacks of walks and too many strikeouts. Right now he is Miguel Sano lite as he has the 2nd most power in the organization and puts up similar numbers as Sano. If he can walk a little bit more and cut down on his strikeouts he will skyrocket up the rankings. 13. Travis Harrison 3b 10/17/92 21 1st round pick in 2011 draft from HS in Cal 2013 stats: .253 avg 15 hr 59 rbi 28 doubles 66 runs 68bb 125k 2sb .366/.416/.782 The much talked about 1st round pick out of high school in Aliso Viejo, California in the 2012 draft has started to reach his promise. When the Twins drafted Harrison there was talk he was one of the best power bats in the draft, but that he was a little raw. There was also talk that even though he has great athleticism there were questions whether he could stay at third base. Those questions about him are still very much a factor, but he was much improved in 2013 and began to answer some of those questions. The biggest question I was asked about Harrison is his defense which in a word in 2012 was awful. In 2012 he committed 24 errors in just 59 games for a fielding percentage of just .832. In all honesty that is one of the worst defensive years I have ever seen. However, in 2013 he came back strong and although not great defensively it was very much improved. In 2013, Harrison committed 26 errors only two more in 112 games for a fielding percentage of .915. That is quite an improvement over 2012 and left me with a little more confidence that he can stay at third base. You need to remember that Miguel Sano was just about as bad in his first two years defensively. Do I know for sure that he will be able to remain at third base, but he has earned more time to keep working on it. I am more hopeful that he can stay at third than I was a year ago at this time, so lets just wait and see how 2014 goes before passing judgement. Offensively, there was never much concern about his power and that continues to be the case. After not showing much power in 2012 at E-town he bounced back and had an outstanding 2013 year at Cedar Rapids. After having just five homeruns in 2012, he bounced back to have 15 in 2013. What made his power numbers more impressive is you can’t just look at homeruns look at the 28 doubles that he also added for a extra base hit total of 43. However, his most impressive stat during 2013 is his 68 walks and his Isod of .113 which is awesome. To have a .366 OBP is quite impressive for someone who just hit .253. Offensively, the one thing that he needs to improve is his strikeout total as he struck out 125 times in his 450 at bats. That is like one strikeout for every four at bats and if he is going to move forward he needs to cut that down. However, he is a power guy and power guys are power guys because they take big cuts and he will always strike out more than a Joe Mauer type. Travis Harrison is incredibly exciting to think about because he has huge power potential and the potential to be a huge prospect if he keeps improving. I expect Harrison to be a top 10 prospect a year from now and actually closer to a top five prospect as he has all the tools and seems to be putting it together. 12. Ryan Eades RHP 12/15/91 22 2nd round pick in 2013 draft out of LSU 2013 stats: 0-0 4.60 era 10 games 15.2 innings 13 hits 12bb 13k 2013 team: Elizabethton 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2015 When the Twins drafted Ryan Eades in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft out of LSU there was some head scratching. Eades had tommy john surgery in high school and was not really that dominant at LSU. He was the number two pitcher at LSU, which is a college baseball hotbed pitching in the talent rich SEC. He pitched a lot of baseball during the SEC season so it is not surprising he struggled a bit with Elizabethton. He only pitched in 15.2 innings so it is not enough to make any judgements either good or bad. He has mid rotation stuff that could be a fast mover for the Twins. I expect him to go to Fort Myers to start year and if he has a good first half could see him get up to New Britain. He started and relieved at LSU, but I view him as starting stuff, but if he struggles as a starter there is the option of moving to the bullpen. To be honest the big thing with Eades is he just needs to pitch and get some innings under him before we can judge what kind of stuff he has. Eades struggled with his mechanics when he was in Elizabethton, but after a winter of rest I think he will get those mechanics back. He throws in the 91-92 range who topped out at 94 which is plenty fast enough if he can control the fastball. His control was off in E-town, but he was a strike thrower in college so I don’t expect that to be a problem. He does a very good job changing speeds especially with his curveball as he can throw a slow curveball and a tighter one that is a little bit harder. He also throws a changeup that is a work in progress. If he can improve that changeup and control his fastball more consistantly I see him as a 2-3 in a solid rotation. What I like too is he has the pedigree after pitching in big games at LSU to move through the system quickly. I could easily see him up with the Twins by September 2015. He doesn’t have the huge upside that some have, but his consistancy is big for the Twins as he has the stuff, the makeup, and the presence to be a Twins starting pitcher for the next ten years. 11. Trevor May RHP 9/23/89 24 Traded by Phillies to Twins in December, 2012 2013 stats: 9-9 4.51 era 27 starts 2CG 2 shutouts 151.2 inn 149 hits 67bb 159k 2013 team: New Britain 2014 team: Rochester ETA: 2014 When the Twins made the trade on December 6, 2012 that sent outfielder Ben Revere to the Phillies for Vance Worley and pitching prospect Trevor May there were questions about why the Phillies would trade May. As early as 2011, May was a big prospect for the Phillies and a year later they were willing to trade him. So when the trade happened I was hesitant to jump on board with him as I wondered why the Phillies traded him. So 2013 was about evaluating what May had and after 2013 I am just as confused as ever. He showed the dominance that created over nine strikeouts per nine innings. On the other side he walked 67 guys in those almost 152 innings. He also gave up 149 hits which is way too many for a guy with May’s stuff and his 4.51 is way too high. He has proven durable as he make 27 starts for New Britain and has blow away stuff when he can find the strikezone. All too often though he would fall behind in the count and have to come back with the fastball and get hurt as AA hitters can hit a fastball when they know its coming. I think eventually he will be a shutdown reliever as he has overpowering stuff in short bursts. The Twins will continue to try to start him and the big thing is if he can control the fastball because if he can do a better job of that he definately can be a top of the rotation starter. May is a big guy at 6’5 215 so it is important for him to get that downward plane to keep the ball down in the strike zone. May has a big time fastball as he throws 93-95 as a starter, which could go up to 97-98 as a reliever. He throws a slider and a slurve along with a cutter, but his best pitch is his changeup. He can throw it at any count. The big thing is if May can control his pitches because he has the stuff to be a top of the rotation starter or a dominant reliever. 2014 is a big year for May who likely will make his debut with the Twins as they try to determine if he is a starter or a reliever. I thin his future is as a dominant reliever where he could feature a high 90’s fastball with his dominant changeup. The key for any role is his control so that will be definately interesting if he can gain command of his fastball. Twins Prospects 50-46 Twins Prospects 45-41 Twins Prospects 40-36 Twins Prospects 35-31 Twins Prospects 30-26 Twins Prospects 25-21 Twins Prospects 20-16

1. Houston- Blake Bortles QB Central Florida 2. St. Louis- Jake Matthews OT Texas A&M 3. Jacksonville- Jadeveon Clowney DE South Carolina 4. Cleveland- Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M 5. Oakland- Sammy Watkins WR Clemson 6. Atlanta- Greg Robinson OT Auburn 7. Tampa Bay- Khalil Mack LB Buffalo 8. Minnesota- Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville 9. Buffalo- Taylor Lewin OT Michigan 10. Detroit- Justin Gilbert CB Oklahoma State 11. Tennessee- Anthony Barr LB UCLA 12. New York Giants- CJ Mosley LB Alabama 13. St. Louis- Mike Evans WR Texas A&M 14. Chicago- Timmy Jernigan DT Florida State 15. Pittsburgh- Ra’Shede Hageman DT Minnesota 16. Baltimore- Eric Ebron TE North Carolina 17. Dallas- Ha Ha Clinton-Dix S Alabama 18. New York Jets- Kelvin Benjamin WR Florida State 19. Miami- Cyrus Kouandjio OT Alabama 20. Arizona- Zack Martin OT Notre Dame 21. Green Bay- Stephon Tuitt DE Notre Dame 22. Philadelphia- Marqise Lee WR USC 23. Kansas City- Brandin Cooks WR Oregon State 24. Cincinnati- Darqueze Dennard CB Michigan State 25. San Diego- Jason Verrett CB TCU 26. Cleveland- Carlos Hyde RB Ohio State 27. New Orleans- Aaron Colvin CB Oklahoma 28. Carolina- Marcus Roberson CB Florida 29. Denver- Louis Nix III DT Notre Dame 30. Seattle- Jace Amaro TE Texas Tech 31. New England- Odell Beckham JR WR LSU 32. San Francisco- Kony Ealy DE Missouri

Here is part 7 of my prospect list I hope you enjoyed the earlier parts. Today I will be bringing you prospects 20-16. I will be bringing you 5 a day until we get all the way to number one. This will take awhile so keep checking back here for daily looks at who I have in certain spots and what I think of them. I am sure you will disagree with some and if so by all means leave me a comment in the comment section. If you prefer you can also shoot me an email at travis.aune@gmail.com. Also if you prefer you can hit me up on twitter @texastwinsfan so whichever way you prefer let me know what you think of my list. 20. Miguel Sulbaran LHP 3/19/94 19 Signed as a Free Agent in 2011 from VZ 2013 stats: 9-4 2.96 era 27 games 20 starts 1 save 112.2 inn 110 hits 32bb 101k 2013 teams: Great Lakes(LA Dodgers), Cedar Rapids 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2016 Most Twins fans were happy when they found out that Drew Butera was traded to the Dodgers last summer. However, most Twins fans were not expecting much in return for the defensive first catcher. So when they got a young pitcher with promise like Miguel Sulbaran for him I for one was like wow he is pretty good. I just didn’t value Butera to the point that they could get someone of Sulbaran’s caliber. Sulbaran pitched the 2013 season at age 19 so he is very young for his level as he will pitch in the Florida State League at the age of 20 in 2014. Sulbaran was signed in 2011 as a 16 year old kid from Venezuela by the Dodgers. He is slight of build at only 5’10 and 185lbs. He had a very consistant 2013 between Great Lakes and Cedar Rapids. He went 9-4 with a 2.96 era in a little over 112 innings although he gave up about a hit an inning and about eight strikeouts per nine innings. I see his future as a lefty reliever as he just doesn’t throw very hard. He typically sits in the high 80’s and if he was a righty he would not survive, but the fact that he is a lefty allows him to get by. He has an unbelievable changeup that is being called big league ready. He throws a slider and a curveball about the same speed that he likely is going to have to speed one up or slow one down or more likely he will have to get rid of one of them. I view him as a LOOGY that will come in and throw fastballs on the corner to get ahead and then put you away with that changeup. He is just so young and if he can develop control of that fastball to consistantly hit the corners with his fastball he can flourish. When he comes into games I think he will be a fastball-changeup pitcher who will throw an occasional offspeed pitch. Whether that is the curveball or the slider to be determined. The key for him is placing his fastball as without control of it he will get lit up, but if he does he can be very effective. Sulbaran is an interesting case as he has potential to be a bigtime relief prospect for the Twins all for Drew Butera. 19. Sean Gilmartin LHP 5/8/90 23 1st round pick in 2011 draft from Florida State 2013 stats: 4-8 5.06 era 21 games 20 starts 105 inn 117 hits 33bb 81k 2013 teams: Rome(A), Gwinnett(AAA) Atlanta organization 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2014 The Twins acquired Sean Gilmartin from the Braves earlier this offseason in a deal that sent Ryan Doumit to Atlanta. A little about him he was drafted in the 31st round of the 2008 draft out of high school by San Diego, but decided to attend Florida State. That decision turned out to be a good decision as he was a 1st round pick by the Braves in the 2011 draft. He worked his entire career as a starter and before 2013 a pretty good one. In 2011 he had a 3.09 era between the GCL and A ball. Then in 2012 he split the season between AA and AAA where he went 6-10 with a very good 3.84 era in 157 innings. Then in 2013 he struggled through a shoulder injury that limited him to just 105 innings and a 5.06 era. Gilmartin doesn’t impress with the radar gun as he consistantly throws in the high 80’s. He is the typical soft tossing lefty the Twins love to acquire. He has a good plan on the mound and when he hits his spots he can be quite effective. He throws a pretty good changeup and changes speed effectively. He also throws an alright curveball and slider, but neither of those pitches are all that great at this point. It may appear that I am not that high on Gilmartin, but that could not be further from the truth as before 2013 he got guys out. He counts on his guile and his control to get guys to chase pitches outside the strike zone. To me he is a better version of Scott Diamond because when he is on he can paint both sides of the plate and get the umpire to give him that extra six inches that guys with good control usually get. I don’t think he is going to be a stallwart for the Twins, but I do think he can make an impact and have a solid career if he gets back to being healthy and the control artist he was before 2013. Odds are he makes some starts for the Twins in 2014 as teams usually have to use more than the five they start with. So if you are looking at Sean Gilmartin my personal opinion is he can be an effective MLB pitcher if he can stay healthy. 18. Jorge Felix RHP 1/2/94 20 Signed as a Free Agent in 2011 out of DR 2013 stats: 2-2 2.95 era 12 starts 61 innings 56 hits 18bb 72k 2013 team: Elizabethton 2014 team: Cedar Rapids ETA: 2017 Jorge Felix is the final member of the big 3 of Yorman Landa, and Randy Rosario that dominated in Elizabethton in 2013. Felix in my opinion is the best of the bunch and has by far the most upside of the bunch. Felix was signed as a free agent by the Twins in 2011 out of the Dominican Republic as a 17 year old. He made his debut in the United States in 2012 where he went 0-3 with a 2.34 era in just 34.2 innings with 37 strikeouts. That just gave Twins fans a taste of how good he could be. So when he went to E-Town there was hype surrounding him as a bigtime prospect. He did not disappoint in 2013 at E-Town as he went to a 2.95 era in 61 innings along with 72 strikeouts at the age of 19. He faced guys that are two to three years older than him so it is quite impressive. He is getting about ten strikeouts per nine innings in 2013 which is very impressive. Felix is tall and skinny so he has a very projectable frame where he could pick up velocity if he gains some muscle. Felix throws in the 92-93 range which I think in time can be in the mid 90’s. He also is able to place his fastball based on the 18 walks in the 61 innings in 2013. He also has a very good curveball that he can throw for strikes. He is working on his changeup and right now it is much improved over what it was just a year ago. If he can perfect his changeup he has all the makings of a frontline starter. I think he will end up throwing in the mid 90’s with a good curve and if he can use his changeup to get guys off his fastball he will be much more dominant. What people need to remember is this kid just turned 20 so there is plenty of room for improvement. He is definately someone that I expect to be in my top 10 next year at this time and he has all the tools to be a quality Twins starter for a long time. 17. Stephen Gonsalves LHP 7/8/94 19 4th round pick in 2013 draft from HS in Cal 2013 stats: 2-1 0.95 era 8 games 5 starts 28.1 inn 18 hits 11bb 39k 2013 teams: GCL Twins, Elizabethton 2014 team: Cedar Rapids ETA: 2018 The Twins took the high upside high school lefty from San Diego, California in the 4th round in the 2013 draft. Gonsalves likely would have gone earlier in the draft, but there were some questions about signablility, but honestly the Twins did not have much trouble signing him. Gonsalves did not get much time in during the 2013 season after signing, but boy was he impressive. In just over 28 innings between the GCL and E-town Gonsalves had 39 strikeouts and just 18 hits. He is such a high upside guy the Twins will likely be careful with him. I expect him to start the season at extended spring training and then when the weather warms up he will move up to Cedar Rapids. They will watch his innings count religiously to keep the tall and lanky pitcher healthy. The crazy thing about Gonsalves is he is 6’5, but just 190 lbs which tells me he can get bigger and stronger and when that happens his velocity will increase. Right now his fastball sits in the 90-91 range, but sometimes will hit as high as 94. I really believe when he gains 20-25 lbs of muscle his fastball will rise to the 93-94 range consistantly which is plenty of gas. He is working on a breaking ball and a changeup that are alright right now. He gets by with them, but they need to be perfected as he moves into the full season teams which I have no doubt he will. His upside is limitless and I think a year from now he will be a top 10 prospect as his upside is that good. With any tall pitcher you have to wonder about control, but so far control has not been a problem as he only walked eleven guys last year. If he hits the weight room and gets stronger along with working on his offspeed pitches I think he has the potential to be a solid 2 at the major league level and that just gives me goosebumps as he is another pitcher the Twins have in their system with that type of high upside. 16. Kennys Vargas 1b/DH 8/1/90 23 Signed as a Free Agent in 2009 from PR 2013 stats: .267 avg 19 hr 93 rbi 33 dou 1 trip 68 runs 50bb 105k .344/.468/.813 2013 team: Fort Myers 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2015 When the Twins signed Kennys Vargas as a free agent in 2009 out of Puerto Rico they really did not know what they had in the 6’5 big man. Vargas was a slow mover as he spent two years in the GCL and was really not that impressive. It was not until he got to Elizabethton that he started showing the promise that the Twins saw in him. He was hitting .322 with a .865 OPS in 44 games when his season came to a screeching halt. On August 11th 2011, Vargas was hit with a 50 game suspension by Major League Baseball for using a banned substance. He likely would have started 2012 in Beloit, but since he was not on a full season roster when he was suspended he couldn’t finish the suspension on Beloit’s roster he had to wait for Elizabethton’s season to start to finish his suspension. When he did get activated by the Snappers he came back with a vengence by belting eleven homeruns and having a 1.030 in 41 games with Beloit. It was there that I saw him in person and it is uncanny he looks like a smaller version of David Ortiz enough of a resemblence that he is called baby papi. There was a kinship between Vargas and Miguel Sano as they became unseperable on the field. He was one of the guys I came away from that trip most impressed with. He moved up to Fort Myers in 2013 and belted 19 homeruns and drove in 93 rbi’s in 125 games with an incredible 53 extra base hits. What I like about him is he can take a walk as he had 50 walks in addition to the 53 extra base hits. He also did strike out 105 times so that is something he needs to improve on. Vargas is a switch hitter and has good power from both sides of the plate. Of his 19 homeruns in 2013 13 came as a left handed hitter while seven came as a right handed hitter and that should be expected as he faces more right handed pitching. The negative is he is a liability defensively that is the reason he did not join Sano in New Britain in 2013 as they wanted him to work on his defense. I believe his best position is DH and eventually he will settle into that position as he is just too big of a man in my opinion to play 1b for the foreseeable future not withstanding #7 playing first base in Minnesota. I really think Vargas is going to make an impact and eventually be the Twins every day DH. If he can stay on course and do what he is supposed to do I expect big things out of him. Twins Prospects 50-46 Twins Prospects 45-41 Twins Prospects 40-36 Twins Prospects 35-31 Twins Prospects 30-26 Twins Prospects 25-21