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

Here is part 6 of my prospect list I hope you enjoyed the earlier parts. Today I will be bringing you prospects 25-21. 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. 25. J.T. Chargois RP 12/3/90 23 2nd round pick of 2012 draft from Rice 2013 stats: DNP 2013 teams: Extended Spring Training 2014 team: Extended Spring Training ETA: 2016 JT Chargois was a 2nd round pick for the Twins in 2012 out of Rice and he stepped on the scene and dominated the rest of 2012. However, 2013 was a whitewash for him as he had elbow issues from the start. They tried the rest and rehab approach to get him healthy and like usual that approach did not work. Therefore, in late July or early August, Chargois went under the knife and had the dreaded Tommy John surgery so he did not appear in 2013. Rehabbing this injury is usually 9-12 months so he will miss most if not all of 2014. So he will appear in 2015 as a 24 year old reliever. His prospect status will be determined by how he comes back from the injury as some come back with more velocity and some with less. Usually the first year back is a struggle and it is not till the 2nd year back that you see the old stuff again. However, when healthy, Chargois has a big arm that can touch 99 and usually hitting in the mid 90’s. He has a slider that is not great, but when he is able to control it can be quite nasty. He only has 2 pitches so he is definately going to be a back end of the pen guy. If he can regain his velocity there is no reason that he can’t fly through the system as he is the power arm that Twins fans want to see. If he can become a little more consistant with his slider and be able to throw it in any count then he has the ability to be special. 2014 is not going to be a year you hear much about Chargois, but Twins fans should keep him in the back of their head because I precict big things for JT Chargois. 24. Amaurys Minier SS/3b 1/30/96 18 Signed as Free Agent in 2012 from DR 2013 stats: 31 games .214 6 hr 17 rbi 5 doubles 2 triples 10runs 6bb 29k .252/.455/.707 2013 team: GCL Twins 2014 team: GCL Twins ETA: 2019 The Twins signed Minier out of the Dominican Republic in 2012 for a bonus of 1.4 million dollars so much was expected. To put it kindly Minier was horrible in 2013, but there are a few things that Twins fans need to take into account. First, this was his first year playing professional ball in the United States. Second, Minier played the year at only 17 years old and when the Twins signed him the reports were that he was very raw and those reports were correct. He will likely repeat the GCL in 2014 and the hope that he will show improvement. A good comparison was Jorge Polanco who came to the United States and his first year he was equally as bad if not worse. What people need to realize is he won’t turn 18 until the end of the month. At this point people need to be patient with him and let his talents come out as there are plenty of that or you don’t get 1.4. Minier is very talented and as a switch hitter has great power from both sides of the plate. Like most 17 year olds if you throw him a fastball he will mash it. However, also like most 17 year olds if you throw him off speed pitches he will struggle with it. The Twins signed him as a shortstop, but everyone knew he would end up at 3b as he doesn’t have the quickness to play shortstop. He struggled at 3b this year as he had six errors in 23 games at 3b, but in time I think he will be a solid 3b. Let’s be honest though the tool that the Twins coveted when they signed him was his power potential. The Twins view him as a possible 25-30 hr a year guy and you say that with thirteen extra base hits in just 31 games. I am very excited about the potential of Minier and although he is not the class of Miguel Sano I think he can be a big time prospect in time. The key word that Twins need to practice with him is patience as it is going to take him a while to figure it out. 23. Fernando Romero SP 12/24/94 19 Signed as a Free Agent in 2011 out of DR 2013 stats: 2-0 1.60era 12 games 6 starts 45 innings 32 hits 13bb 47k 2013 team: GCL Twins 2014 team: Elizabethton ETA: 2019 When the Twins signed Fernando Romero out of the Dominican Republic in 2011 the team paid 240,000 so there was not a ton of expections for the righty. He has turned into one of more intriguing prospects in the system. He did nothing to convince the Twins that he was a big prospect in 2012 while playing in the Dominican Summer League when he had a 4.65 era in 31 innings. The decision was made to bring him over to the United States as a 18 year old and boy did they not regret that decision. Romero went 2-0 with a 1.60 era in 45 innings for the GCL Twins. More impressive than that though was in those 45 innings he only gave up 32 hits and struck out 47. At six foot 210lbs, Romero can throw the ball quite hard consistantly in the mid 90’s. He has a very good breaking ball that he gets his strikeouts on. The only question going forward is whether Romero is going to be a starting pitcher or a reliever. If he was a reliever he could throw in the high 90’s as he wouldn’t have to save any gas in the tank. With that said a pitcher is much more valuable as a starter versus a reliever. The determining factor is his changeup. To be a quality starting pitcher you need to throw three pitches that you can throw for strikes. Romero can already throw his fastball and breaking balls for strikes as he only walked 13 guys in those 45 innings. The key is his changeup that right now is a work in progress. If he can consistantly throw his changeup for strikes to get guys off his fastball than he will be a starter. If he cannot he will be a shutdown reliever for the Twins. The big thing with him is he has huge potential as he is only 19 and has more talent than anyone in the organization. I really feel that 23 is too low for him, but I have not seen enough to put him any higher. If he can develop his changeup I think he will be a borderline top ten prospect. He is definately someone Twins fans should keep their eye on as he is part of the future with the Twins. 22. Michael Tonkin RP 11/19/89 24 30th round pick in 2008 draft out of CA HS 2013 stats: 2-4 3.04 era 61 games 21 saves 68.1 inn 63 hits 19bb 76k 2013 teams: New Britain, Rochester, Minnesota 2014 team: Rochester ETA: 2014 Michael Tonkin took his spot as a huge part of the future of the Twins bullpen. Tonkin had kind of been hanging around in the organization until he moved to the bullpen full time in 2011. Tonkin was drafted in the 30th round as a starting pitcher and struggled mightily as a starter. Then in 2011 the Twins made the decision to move Tonkin to the bullpen and that decision has come up gold. He did alright in 2011 pitching to a 3.87 era in 76.2 innings. The improvement really came in 2012 when he had a 2.08 era in 69.1 innings and improved his strikeout rate as he had 97 strikeouts in those 69 plus innings. So going into the 2013 season Tonkin was on the map and started the season back at New Britain where he dominated. Tonkin had a 2.22 era in 24.1 innings with 30 strikeouts with the Rockcats. He then moved to Rochester and although the results were not as good as you would have liked it was good experience. Tonkin had a 4.41 era in 32.2 innings for the Red Wings. Tonkin has a smooth delivery for someone that is 6’7. Tonkin can touch 97 with his fastball, but in the mid 90’s most of the time. The good thing about Tonkin is that through his height he gets good sink on his fastball because he uses a good downward plane which leads to plenty of groundballs. He gets his strikeouts with a sharp slider that can be downright nasty. The slider can be inconsistant sometimes so if he wants to be a late inning guy for the Twins he needs to develop more consistancy with that slider. He is a 2 pitch pitcher which limits him to bullpen work. However with his mid 90’s fastball and nasty slider those two pitches can be quite effective. I look for him to start the 2014 season closing back in Rochester, but it won’t be long until he is up with the Twins. Eventually I think he ends up setting up for Glen Perkins in the Twins pen and has a long career as a setup guy who could end up closing down the road. 21. Zack Jones RP 12/4/90 23 4th round pick in 2012 draft out of San Jose St. 2013 stats: 4-3 1.85 era 39 games 14 saves 48.2 innings 28 hits 28bb 70k 2013 team: Fort Myers 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2015 Zack Jones has established himself as the top relief pitching prospect in the organization with his big arm. After getting drafted in the 4th round in 2012, Jones split the year between Elizabethton and Beloit in very limited action. He only worked 20 innings so it is hard to tell how he was. I saw him in Beloit in July of 2012 and came away so impressed with him. He has the gas that Twins fans have been longing for as he consistantly was in the high 90’s and even touching 100. I remember telling Seth Stohs that Jones was the pitcher I was most impressed with seeing as he was dominant. There is a special noise the ball makes when it hits the catcher’s mitt when you are throwing really hard and Jones fastball has that pop. Jones spent all of 2013 up in Fort Myers and had a pretty good, but not great year. He went 4-3 with a 1.85 era in 48.2 innings with 70 strikeouts. The problem and the only thing that I can think that would prevent him from making it to the big leagues is his control. Which is a big deal because throwing hard and having electic stuff are no good if you can’t throw strikes. He walked 28 batters in 48+ innings which is not good. What made it worse is he walked just as many hitters as he gave up hits too. The crazy thing is guys did not hit him, but he had a lot of guys on base because of his lack of control. Jones can consistantly hit 99-100 with his fastball and generally sits in the mid 90’s with it. He also throws a cutter that is in the low 90’s. He throws three different fastballs at different speeds. He also throws a hard slider in the high 80’s and has been working on a curveball, but that curveball is a work in progress and there is no telling if he will continue to throw that pitch. The bottom line in my opinion is if could control his pitches better he could pitch in the big leagues right now. The fact that he struggles so much with his control leaves his future in doubt. If he figures out his control he will be the Twins closer for years to come. If he doesn’t I have a hard time seeing him having much if any future with the Twins. It doesn’t matter how hard you throw if you cannot place your pitches. So in my opinion Zack Jones is in a fork in the road and his control will determine which direction he goes. Twins Prospects: 50-46 Twins Prospects 45-41 Twins Prospects 40-36 Twins Prospects 35-31 Twins Prospects 30-26

Carr is a top 10 quality pick. There are 4 quarterbacks that are 1st round quality and it just happens they both go in first round. Is it a reach slightly i would say as most have him in top 20 overall player regardless of position. If I am vikings i try to trade back and hope to get him at 13-14, but he is not a reach like Ponder and TJax was.

1. Houston- Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville 2. St. Louis- Jake Matthews OT Texas A&M 3. Jacksonville- Blake Bortles QB Central Florida 4. Cleveland- Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M 5. Oakland- Jadeveon Clowney DE South Carolina 6. Atlanta- Greg Robinson OT Auburn 7. Tampa Bay- Anthony Barr LB UCLA 8. Minnesota- Derek Carr QB Fresno State 9. Buffalo- Khalil Mack LB Buffalo 10. Detroit- Darqueze Dennard CB Michigan State 11. Tennessee- CJ Mosely LB Alabama 12. New York Giants- Eric Ebron TE North Carolina 13. St. Louis- Sammy Watkins WR Clemson 14. Chicago- Louis Nix III DT Notre Dame 15. Pittsburgh- Taylor Lewin OT Michigan 16. Baltimore- Mike Evans WR Texas A&M 17. Dallas- Ha Ha Clinton-Dix S Alabama 18. New York Jets- Jace Amaro TE Texas Tech 19. Miami- Cyrus Kouandjio OT Alabama 20. Arizona- Cedric Ogbuehi OT Texas A&M 21. Green Bay- Kony Ealy DE Missouri 22. Philadelphia- Justin Gilbert CB Oklahoma State 23. Kansas City- Marqise Lee WR USC 24. Cincinnati- Jason Verrett CB TCU 25. San Diego- Ryan Shazier LB Ohio State 26. Cleveland- Kelvin Benjamin WR Florida State 27. New Orleans- Ra’shede Hageman DT Minnesota 28. New England- Zack Martin OG Notre Dame 29. San Francisco- Stephon Tuitt DE Notre Dame 30. Carolina- Odell Beckham WR LSU 31. Denver- Cameron Erving OT Florida State 32. Seattle- Davante Adams WR Fresno State * picks 21-32 subject to change based on how teams do in playoffs

Here is part 5 of my prospect list I hope you enjoyed parts 1, 2, 3, and 4. Today I will be bringing you prospects 30-26. 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. 30. Dalton Hicks 1B 4/2/90 23 17th round pick in 2012 draft out of Central Florida 2013 stats: .289 avg 17 hr 110 rbi 39 doubles 68 runs scored 56bb 123k .358/.468/.826 2013 teams: Cedar Rapids, Fort Myers 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2016 When the Twins drafted Dalton Hicks out of Central Florida in the 17th round in 2012 there were not many Twins fans that expected this kind of production. He has been dominant at to different levels first at Elizabethton in 2012 where he hit .270 and had 25 rbi’s in 31 games. The thing though is he really dominated in 2013 especially at Cedar Rapids. In 89 games with the Kernels, Hicks hit .297 with 13 home runs and a whopping 82 rbi’s and a OPS of .850. His 110 rbi’s on the season led the Twins organization. I know rbi’s are not the be all end all stat as it is based on things you can’t control, but maybe I am old school, but 110 rbi’s to me is very impressive. Hicks is not a power hitter as he only hit 17 home runs on the season as he is more a doubles hitter as he hit 39 of them. He can hit from gap to gap and was equally consistant vs left handed pitching versus right handed pitching. Hicks is a big guy at 6’5 and weighing over 230 lbs. His main problem is he has a long swing that as he goes higher in the organization could be exposed if he doesn’t cut it down a bit and make it more compact. He is a very good defensive first baseman as he can move good to either side which is surprising considering his size. A big thing also he needs to cut down on are his strikeouts as he struck out 123 times in 2013. As he moves through the system that will only increase unless he makes some changes. Overall, though Dalton Hicks has established himself as a prospect someone that if he can remain consistant has a chance to make it up to the Twins time will tell. 29. Randy Rosario SP 5/18/94 19 Signed by Twins as Free Agent in 2010 out of DR 2013 stats: 4-3 2.82 era 9 starts 44.2 innings 42 hits 18bb 37k 2013 team: Elizabethton 2014 team: Cedar Rapids ETA: 2017 The young righthander out of the Dominican Republic made a very good impression in 2013. Rosario was one of the big 3 in Elizabethton along with Yorman Landa and Felix Jorge that many are projecting to be the future for the Twins when it comes to starting pitching. The southpaw since coming over to the United States at age 18 has been very good. He had a 1.64 era in just over 38 innings in 2012 with the GCL Twins. Some have a hard time adjusting from the GCL when they go to Elizabethton, but Rosario had no problem. He went 4-3 with an outstanding 2.82 era in just under 45 innings and about 8 strikeouts per nine innings. He gave up more hits than a guy with his talent should, but you got to remember most guys in the Appalacian League are 22-23 years old and Rosario was only 19. He is not very big as he is only six feet tall and weighing a thin 160 lbs so he definately needs to bulk up. I don’t think that will be a problem as he is a tremendous athlete. He sits in the low 90’s, but has been known to hit 94-95 and if he can strengthen up I think he can consistantly hit that so velocity will be a strength for him. He has a nice curveball and a changeup that he keeps hitters off balance with. Both his curveball and his changeup are ever improving and the harder he throws the fastball the more his change up will keep guys off balance. I really like him and think by this time next year he will be a borderline top 10 prospect for the Twins. The big thing with him is to bulk up and get more experience. He will go to Cedar Rapids and start the year at only 19 years old so Twins fans need to be patient and I think the patience will be worth it. 28. Yorman Landa SP 6/11/94 19 Signed as Free Agent in 2010 from Venezuela 2013 stats: 3-4 2.78 era 12 starts 55 innings 46 hits 29 walks 46 strikeouts 2013 team: Elizabethon 2014 team: Cedar Rapids ETA: 2017 Yorman Landa much like his teammate Randy Rosario is just 19 years old and is part of the big three that Twins fans should be excited about. Landa made his United States debut in 2012 in the GCL and pitched to a 2.43 era in just over 33 innings. He moved up to E-town in 2013 and continued his strong pitching as he had a 2.78 era in 55 innings. He walked a few too many batters in 2013 so that is something that he is going to have to work on as he walked 20 in 33 innings in 2012. He followed that up with 29 walks in 55 innings in 2013. What I really like about him along with being so young is his ground ball rate. He is a ground ball machine and that is going to be huge for him going forward. He struck out about eight batters per nine innings much like Rosario, but if he can get guys to bang the ball into the ground that is another weapon at his disposal. Just like Rosario, Landa has some growing to do as he is six foot tall, but only 175 lbs. He sits in the low 90’s, but again when he gets more strength that should improve as he has touched 94 and I think he can sit there consistantly once he gets stronger. He has a solid curveball that is solid, but he needs to work on getting it over for strikes more often. He has a nice changeup that he can improve to being a dominant pitch. I really think that Landa has the stuff to be a dominant pitcher it just is he needs to work at it. Randy Rosario for being the same age is more advanced, but in my opinion Landa has higher upside. I think Landa if he reaches his potential can be a one or a two going forward. The key with him is getting stronger, walking fewer guys, and improving his secondary pitches because he has all the tools to be dominant. That is the key with most young players is turning those tools into skills. If Landa can work on those things I really think he is another high upside guy that can be really good. 27. Niko Goodrum SS 2/28/92 21 2nd round pick in 2010 draft from HS in Georgia 2013 stats: .260 avg 4hr 45rbi 22doubles 4trip 62runs 20sb 60bb 105k .364/.369/.732 2013 team: Cedar Rapids 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2016 The 21 year old shortstop from Fayetteville, Georgia had a very solid 2013 for Cedar Rapids. He has proven to be a high on base guy as he has moved forward. When he was drafted in the 2nd round in 2010 the Twins knew they were getting a very raw shortstop, but someone that has lots of potential. After struggling in the GCL he moved up to Elizabethton in 2011 did ok hitting .275 with an obp of .352. Those kind of numbers you would think would get you a promotion to Beloit for the 2012 season. However, the Twins decided to send him back to E-town and he struggled offensively there hitting only .245 although he got on base at a .349 clip. The Twins moved him up to Cedar Rapids for 2013 and he had a very good year drawing an incredible 60 walks and stealing 20 bases with his .364 obp. He missed some time to injuries that hampered his season, but overall he did very well when he was on field. There is a couple things that he did struggle with that needs to be corrected. He struck out 105 times which is way too many times for someone that is not a homerun hitter. The other thing is his defense as he committed 27 errors mostly at shortstop who also can play second base. The defense is something he needs to improve on the most as he has the skills to be a very good shortstop, but he needs to make the plays. Goodrum displays solid range for his size with a very good arm. There are questions whether he will be able to stay at shortstop, but for my money there is no reason to think that he can’t stay at shortstop. As a switch hitter he hits equally well left handed as right handed so that definately is a plus. What I like about him most is his disciplined approach at the plate as he walks a ton and gets on base which can mask a lower batting average. His total in 2012 in E-Town was a good example of this when he hit just .242 but had a obp of .349 which is very good. He has decent power, but I would not call it homerun power, but moreso gap power and as he continues to get stronger I think his doubles totals will go up. If Goodrum can lower his strikeouts and keep his walk total solid he will be good. The big thing for him is his defense if he can cut the errors in half there is no reason to think that Goodrum won’t be the Twins shortstop of the future. In a couple years I think he will be battling Danny Santana for the starting shortstop job for the Twins and my money is on Goodrum. 26. Taylor Rogers SP 12/17/90 23 11th round pick in 2012 draft out of Kentucky 2013 stats: 11-7 2.88 era 24 starts 3CG 2SO 140.2 inn 133 hits 36bb 93k 2013 teams: Cedar Rapids, Fort Myers 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2015 When the Twins drafted Taylor Rogers in the 11th round of the 2012 draft they had no idea the University of Kentucky alum would be this good. After doing well in 2012 as he went 4-3 with a 2.27 era in 63.1 innings most thought he was headed for Fort Myers to start the 2013 season. The Twins decided otherwise and started him at Cedar Rapids, but he did not last there long. After just three starts with the Kernels that were not very good he got promoted up to Fort Myers. It was there where Rogers became absolutely dominant going 11-7 with a 2.88 era. It was those numbers that would earn him Twins minor league pitcher of the year for 2013. The question becomes how did a guy this good drop to the 11th round in the 2012 draft? The answer to that is he doesn’t have lights out stuff and as a college guy he was thought to be older than most prospects. Another reason he dropped so far is he doesn’t light up a radar gun and teams covet velocity, but he sits in the 90-91 range with good movement. He is 6’3 and only 175 lbs so he is tall and lanky that can lead to a herky jerky delivery. The key to his success though is his ability to keep the ball down because when you don’t throw in the mid 90’s if you get the ball up you get hurt so thats what makes him effective is his ability to keep the ball down. He has a nice changeup and a very good curveball. He throws the changeup to righty’s and his curveball to lefty’s. He is exactly the type of pitcher that the Twins love as he works quick and has good control who keeps his defense active. He is very smart on the mound and knows how to pitch and how to get guys out. I think his future will be better served in the bullpen eventually. However, for right now I think the right decision was to keep him starting. He will eventually hit that wall and then move into the bullpen, but right now starting is the right move. Also who knows if he can keep the ball down like he did in 2013 maybe he will prove the naysayers wrong that a soft tossing lefty cannot be successful as a starter. At worst case he can be an effective loogy out of the bullpen. I really believe he has a chance to make it with the Twins and Twins fans should see how he does in 2014 against tougher competition. Twins Prospects: 50-46 Twins Prospects 45-41 Twins Prospects 40-36 Twins Prospects 35-31

Here is part 5 of my prospect list I hope you enjoyed parts 1, 2, 3, and 4. Today I will be bringing you prospects 30-26. 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. 30. Dalton Hicks 1B 4/2/90 23 17th round pick in 2012 draft out of Central Florida 2013 stats: .289 avg 17 hr 110 rbi 39 doubles 68 runs scored 56bb 123k .358/.468/.826 2013 teams: Cedar Rapids, Fort Myers 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2016 When the Twins drafted Dalton Hicks out of Central Florida in the 17th round in 2012 there were not many Twins fans that expected this kind of production. He has been dominant at to different levels first at Elizabethton in 2012 where he hit .270 and had 25 rbi’s in 31 games. The thing though is he really dominated in 2013 especially at Cedar Rapids. In 89 games with the Kernels, Hicks hit .297 with 13 home runs and a whopping 82 rbi’s and a OPS of .850. His 110 rbi’s on the season led the Twins organization. I know rbi’s are not the be all end all stat as it is based on things you can’t control, but maybe I am old school, but 110 rbi’s to me is very impressive. Hicks is not a power hitter as he only hit 17 home runs on the season as he is more a doubles hitter as he hit 39 of them. He can hit from gap to gap and was equally consistant vs left handed pitching versus right handed pitching. Hicks is a big guy at 6’5 and weighing over 230 lbs. His main problem is he has a long swing that as he goes higher in the organization could be exposed if he doesn’t cut it down a bit and make it more compact. He is a very good defensive first baseman as he can move good to either side which is surprising considering his size. A big thing also he needs to cut down on are his strikeouts as he struck out 123 times in 2013. As he moves through the system that will only increase unless he makes some changes. Overall, though Dalton Hicks has established himself as a prospect someone that if he can remain consistant has a chance to make it up to the Twins time will tell. 29. Randy Rosario SP 5/18/94 19 Signed by Twins as Free Agent in 2010 out of DR 2013 stats: 4-3 2.82 era 9 starts 44.2 innings 42 hits 18bb 37k 2013 team: Elizabethton 2014 team: Cedar Rapids ETA: 2017 The young righthander out of the Dominican Republic made a very good impression in 2013. Rosario was one of the big 3 in Elizabethton along with Yorman Landa and Felix Jorge that many are projecting to be the future for the Twins when it comes to starting pitching. The southpaw since coming over to the United States at age 18 has been very good. He had a 1.64 era in just over 38 innings in 2012 with the GCL Twins. Some have a hard time adjusting from the GCL when they go to Elizabethton, but Rosario had no problem. He went 4-3 with an outstanding 2.82 era in just under 45 innings and about 8 strikeouts per nine innings. He gave up more hits than a guy with his talent should, but you got to remember most guys in the Appalacian League are 22-23 years old and Rosario was only 19. He is not very big as he is only six feet tall and weighing a thin 160 lbs so he definately needs to bulk up. I don’t think that will be a problem as he is a tremendous athlete. He sits in the low 90’s, but has been known to hit 94-95 and if he can strengthen up I think he can consistantly hit that so velocity will be a strength for him. He has a nice curveball and a changeup that he keeps hitters off balance with. Both his curveball and his changeup are ever improving and the harder he throws the fastball the more his change up will keep guys off balance. I really like him and think by this time next year he will be a borderline top 10 prospect for the Twins. The big thing with him is to bulk up and get more experience. He will go to Cedar Rapids and start the year at only 19 years old so Twins fans need to be patient and I think the patience will be worth it. 28. Yorman Landa SP 6/11/94 19 Signed as Free Agent in 2010 from Venezuela 2013 stats: 3-4 2.78 era 12 starts 55 innings 46 hits 29 walks 46 strikeouts 2013 team: Elizabethon 2014 team: Cedar Rapids ETA: 2017 Yorman Landa much like his teammate Randy Rosario is just 19 years old and is part of the big three that Twins fans should be excited about. Landa made his United States debut in 2012 in the GCL and pitched to a 2.43 era in just over 33 innings. He moved up to E-town in 2013 and continued his strong pitching as he had a 2.78 era in 55 innings. He walked a few too many batters in 2013 so that is something that he is going to have to work on as he walked 20 in 33 innings in 2012. He followed that up with 29 walks in 55 innings in 2013. What I really like about him along with being so young is his ground ball rate. He is a ground ball machine and that is going to be huge for him going forward. He struck out about eight batters per nine innings much like Rosario, but if he can get guys to bang the ball into the ground that is another weapon at his disposal. Just like Rosario, Landa has some growing to do as he is six foot tall, but only 175 lbs. He sits in the low 90’s, but again when he gets more strength that should improve as he has touched 94 and I think he can sit there consistantly once he gets stronger. He has a solid curveball that is solid, but he needs to work on getting it over for strikes more often. He has a nice changeup that he can improve to being a dominant pitch. I really think that Landa has the stuff to be a dominant pitcher it just is he needs to work at it. Randy Rosario for being the same age is more advanced, but in my opinion Landa has higher upside. I think Landa if he reaches his potential can be a one or a two going forward. The key with him is getting stronger, walking fewer guys, and improving his secondary pitches because he has all the tools to be dominant. That is the key with most young players is turning those tools into skills. If Landa can work on those things I really think he is another high upside guy that can be really good. 27. Niko Goodrum SS 2/28/92 21 2nd round pick in 2010 draft from HS in Georgia 2013 stats: .260 avg 4hr 45rbi 22doubles 4trip 62runs 20sb 60bb 105k .364/.369/.732 2013 team: Cedar Rapids 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2016 The 21 year old shortstop from Fayetteville, Georgia had a very solid 2013 for Cedar Rapids. He has proven to be a high on base guy as he has moved forward. When he was drafted in the 2nd round in 2010 the Twins knew they were getting a very raw shortstop, but someone that has lots of potential. After struggling in the GCL he moved up to Elizabethton in 2011 did ok hitting .275 with an obp of .352. Those kind of numbers you would think would get you a promotion to Beloit for the 2012 season. However, the Twins decided to send him back to E-town and he struggled offensively there hitting only .245 although he got on base at a .349 clip. The Twins moved him up to Cedar Rapids for 2013 and he had a very good year drawing an incredible 60 walks and stealing 20 bases with his .364 obp. He missed some time to injuries that hampered his season, but overall he did very well when he was on field. There is a couple things that he did struggle with that needs to be corrected. He struck out 105 times which is way too many times for someone that is not a homerun hitter. The other thing is his defense as he committed 27 errors mostly at shortstop who also can play second base. The defense is something he needs to improve on the most as he has the skills to be a very good shortstop, but he needs to make the plays. Goodrum displays solid range for his size with a very good arm. There are questions whether he will be able to stay at shortstop, but for my money there is no reason to think that he can’t stay at shortstop. As a switch hitter he hits equally well left handed as right handed so that definately is a plus. What I like about him most is his disciplined approach at the plate as he walks a ton and gets on base which can mask a lower batting average. His total in 2012 in E-Town was a good example of this when he hit just .242 but had a obp of .349 which is very good. He has decent power, but I would not call it homerun power, but moreso gap power and as he continues to get stronger I think his doubles totals will go up. If Goodrum can lower his strikeouts and keep his walk total solid he will be good. The big thing for him is his defense if he can cut the errors in half there is no reason to think that Goodrum won’t be the Twins shortstop of the future. In a couple years I think he will be battling Danny Santana for the starting shortstop job for the Twins and my money is on Goodrum. 26. Taylor Rogers SP 12/17/90 23 11th round pick in 2012 draft out of Kentucky 2013 stats: 11-7 2.88 era 24 starts 3CG 2SO 140.2 inn 133 hits 36bb 93k 2013 teams: Cedar Rapids, Fort Myers 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2015 When the Twins drafted Taylor Rogers in the 11th round of the 2012 draft they had no idea the University of Kentucky alum would be this good. After doing well in 2012 as he went 4-3 with a 2.27 era in 63.1 innings most thought he was headed for Fort Myers to start the 2013 season. The Twins decided otherwise and started him at Cedar Rapids, but he did not last there long. After just three starts with the Kernels that were not very good he got promoted up to Fort Myers. It was there where Rogers became absolutely dominant going 11-7 with a 2.88 era. It was those numbers that would earn him Twins minor league pitcher of the year for 2013. The question becomes how did a guy this good drop to the 11th round in the 2012 draft? The answer to that is he doesn’t have lights out stuff and as a college guy he was thought to be older than most prospects. Another reason he dropped so far is he doesn’t light up a radar gun and teams covet velocity, but he sits in the 90-91 range with good movement. He is 6’3 and only 175 lbs so he is tall and lanky that can lead to a herky jerky delivery. The key to his success though is his ability to keep the ball down because when you don’t throw in the mid 90’s if you get the ball up you get hurt so thats what makes him effective is his ability to keep the ball down. He has a nice changeup and a very good curveball. He throws the changeup to righty’s and his curveball to lefty’s. He is exactly the type of pitcher that the Twins love as he works quick and has good control who keeps his defense active. He is very smart on the mound and knows how to pitch and how to get guys out. I think his future will be better served in the bullpen eventually. However, for right now I think the right decision was to keep him starting. He will eventually hit that wall and then move into the bullpen, but right now starting is the right move. Also who knows if he can keep the ball down like he did in 2013 maybe he will prove the naysayers wrong that a soft tossing lefty cannot be successful as a starter. At worst case he can be an effective loogy out of the bullpen. I really believe he has a chance to make it with the Twins and Twins fans should see how he does in 2014 against tougher competition. Twins Prospects: 50-46 Twins Prospects 45-41 Twins Prospects 40-36 Twins Prospects 35-31

Here is part 4 of my prospect list I hope you enjoyed parts 1, 2, and 3. Today I will be bringing you prospects 35-31. 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. 35. JD Williams 11/20/90 23 10th round pick in 2010 draft from HS in Tampa, Florida 2013 stats: .265 avg 9 hr 58 rbi 17 doubles 6 triples 26sb 82 runs .372/.403/.775 2013 teams: Cedar Rapids, Fort Myers 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2016 JD Williams is the typical toolsy outfielder that the Twins love to take. When the Twins drafted Williams in the 10th round in 2010 out of high school in Florida he was very raw. It took him a while to figure it out. He struggled his rookie year in the GCL hitting only .214 in 37 games. He moved up to Elizabethton for 2011 and did very well hitting .324 in 50 games. That led him to move up to Beloit in 2012 and I was excited to see him and see how he would do. I came away disappointed because I did not see anything exciting in him. He struggled in 2012 with the Snappers hitting only .234 in 97 games with Beloit. Going into the 2013 there were real questions if he could turn it around and be someone or if he was an also ran prospect that did not have much of a future. He came back in 2013 with a vengence especially in Cedar Rapids where he hit .281 with a .852 OPS. Williams is fast as he was named fastest runner in organization in 2012 so he needs to use his speed to his advantage. The thing about J.D. is he is such a tremendous athlete that his athleticism is ahead of his baseball skills right now. There are some guys that are good baseball players that are athletic and others that are great athletes that play baseball and that is where JD falls into. He has a quick bat that allows him to make good contact. He has gap power, but sometimes he tries he hit homeruns. I think when at his best he will hit the ball on the ground and beat it out. He has tremendous potential that it will be interesting to see if he can live up to that potential. JD is definately someone who could fly up this prospect list if he can turn his tools into skills as he is that talented. 34. Luke Bard 11/13/90 23 1st round pick in 2012 draft out of Georgia Tech 2013 stats: 1-0 3.65 era 12 games 12.1 innings 7 hits 9bb 9k 2013 teams: GCL Twins, Elizabethton, Fort Myers 2014 team: Cedar Rapids ETA: 2016 Luke Bard was a risk when he was drafted because he first started getting injured while still in college. With that risk in mind the Twins decided to draft Bard in the first round of the 2012 draft from Georgia Tech. The injury bug followed him to the Twins as he was limited to 19 innings in his first two pro seasons. He has dealt with bicep tendinitis and shoulder soreness, but the positive is to the best of my knowledge he hasn’t had surgeries which is a big deal for a pitcher. If the injuries are muscular instead of structural there is no reason to believe that he can’t overcome the injuries. When healthy Bard has first round pick type of stuff as he hits 93-94 with movement. The comparable that I have heard if he can get healthy is Derek Lowe and that would be awesome if he can get to that level. Put that with a very good slider and you can see why Twins were excited about him. The key to him being a starter instead of a reliever is if he can control and improve his curveball. If he can do that he has every abilty to stay a starting pitcher. At the worst case he turns into a reliever who can throw 96-97 with a hard slider. Of any of the college relievers the Twins took in 2012 I really think Bard is the one who has the best chance to remain a starter. His slider and curveball are already pretty good and if he can remain healthy and keep his command there is no reason he can’t start. I look for Bard to fly up the prospect lists this summer because he is that talented. 33. Brett Lee 9/20/90 23 10th round pick in 2011 draft out of St. Petersburg College 2013 stats: 8-4 2.95 era 23 games 19 starts 2CG 116 inn 117 hits 26bb 89k 2013 team: Cedar Rapids 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2016 Brett Lee was not someone that Twins fans were that excited about going into the 2013 season. He had been a 10th round pick out of St. Petersburg College not exactly known as a baseball hotbed. That is why you don’t base guys on scouting reports as he has been excellent in every spot he has been at so far. After pitching to a 2.68 era in just under 44 innings in Elizabethton in 2012 there were questions if this was a fluke or if he was a prospect. Lee followed it up with an even better 2013 season as he went 8-4 with a 2.95 era at Cedar Rapids. Lee is a pitch to contact pitcher as he gives up about a hit an inning and that could be his undoing going forward. He throws between 88-92 with very good control and has very good movement. He gets a ton of ground balls as his movement is unbelievable. The comparable I have is someone that Twins fans are not fond of now, but was a very solid starting pitcher for quite a while and that is Nick Blackburn. I think that would be a very good comparable for Lee. He also throws a very good curveball that he gets his strikeouts on. He also throws an ever improving changeup that he needs to improve if he is going to remain a starting pitcher. Its big for him because he doesn’t have the big arm that would play well in the bullpen. His value is that as a starting pitcher so it is big that his changeup continues to improve and he becomes the three pitch pitcher they are counting on. 2014 will be a big year for Lee as he moves up to Fort Myers and sees a new challenge. I really think he can be a major league pitcher if he can improve that changeup and continue to get ground balls with his cutter. It will be interesting to see how Lee does in 2014. 32. D.J. Baxendale 12/8/90 23 10th round pick in 2012 draft from Arkansas 2013 stats: 12-7 3.90 era 25 starts 1CG 150 inn 144 hits 33bb 112k 2013 teams: Fort Myers, New Britain 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2015 D.J. Baxendale really came out of nowhere in 2013 after being a 10th round pick in 2012. He dominated in 2012 after being drafted, but being a college guy it was probably to be expected. In only 18 innings between Elizabethton and Beloit he only gave up two earned runs. So going into 2013 you did not know what to expect out of Baxendale. The 2013 season was a tale of two season for the right hander out of Arkansas. At Fort Myers he was absolutely dominant as in nine starts he went 7-0 with a 1.10 era. In 57.1 innings he only gave up just seven runs which is unbelievable. He moved up to New Britain and boy did Baxendale struggle for the Rockcats. Baxendale went 5-7 with a robust 5.63 at New Britain. In just under 93 innings at New Britain he gave up 110 hits. So the question becomes is he the pitcher that dominated in Fort Myers or the pitcher that struggled in New Britain? I think he is a combination of the two as he is not as good as he was in Fort Myers, but not half as bad as he was in New Britain. The thing that I love about Baxendale is he knows how to pitch and has a good ability to change speeds as it is not often that two pitches are thrown the same speed. He has a four pitch mix that helps him get guys out. He throws from different angles to get the movement that makes him effective. His four seamer goes in the low 90’s and then he has his cutter that has tremendous movement. He throws a good changeup and his slider which is his strikeout pitch is probably his best pitch. He mixes each of those pitches effectively and keeps hitters off balance. He reminds me of a righ handed version of Mark Buherle who adds and subtracts to get hitters out. I think Baxendale will do much better in 2014 with New Britain than he did in 2013 with them. I feel 2014 is a huge year to determine what the future holds for Baxendale going forward. 31. Logan Darnell 2/2/89 24 6th round pick in 2010 draft out of Kentucky 2013 stats: 10-10 3.22 era 26 starts 1CG 1SO 153.2 inn 159 hits 45bb 120k 2013 teams: New Britain, Rochester 2014 team: Rochester ETA: 2014 Logan Darnell really came on the scene in 2013 which led to him being added to the Twins 40 man roster this winter. He has always been a solid starter moving up and you kept asking yourself when is he going to hit the wall. Every season I kept asking myself well he is good, but this year he is going to get lit up. There is nothing about him that you go wow that is awesome, but he does a ton of things well. 2013 was really his breakout year as he won ten games with a very good 3.22 era between AA and AAA. He was excellent at New Britain pitching to a 2.61 era before being promoted up to Rochester. He had a few hiccups at Rochester, but for the most part he pitched very well throwing to a 4.26 era. The question now is can he make it to the big leagues and I think the answer is yes. As good as a starter as he is I think his future is as a reliever. The Twins have a dearth of left handed pitching at the upper levels and that is where he will excel. If something were to happen to Brian Duensing or Caleb Thielbar I think Darnell would be the first guy to get a call up for the Twins. The reason behind his success is his four pitch mix and the abilty to throw any for strike in any count. The reason that I view him as a reliever is he doesn’t have a big arm as he rarely hits 90 on the radar gun so its important for him to hit his spots or he will get rocked. When he doesn’t have command those are the starts that he struggles. Darnell also throws a very good slider that he can throw to leftys or righty’s. He has a nice slow curveball and an ever improving changeup. He is a strike thrower, but the biggest thing with him is command cause when he doesn’t command the strikezone its ugly, but the reason he is rated this high is he usually does command it. I really look for Darnell to make his Twins debut this year and leave a favorable impression with the Twins. Check out some of my other sections of the list Twins Prospects 50-46 Twins Prospects 45-41 Twins Prospects 40-36

Here is part 3 of my prospect list I hope you enjoyed part 1 and 2. Today I will be bringing you prospects 40-36. 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. 40. Matt Summers SP 8/17/89 24 4th round pick of 2011 draft out of UC-Irvine 2013 stats: 7-7 3.09era 27 games 26 starts 1CG 142.2inn 125 hits 46bb 100k 2013 teams: Fort Myers, New Britain 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2015 Matt Summers made a big leap in 2013 as he dominated in Fort Myers and got a shot in New Britain. In 21 starts in Fort Myers he went 6-5 with a 2.47 era for the Miracle. Things weren’t quite as kosher in New Britain as he had a robust 6.45 era, but in just six starts for the Rock Cats. His dominance in Fort Myers got everyone excited as he appeared to take it to next level after having a 4.81 era in Fort Myers in a short burst in 2012. Summers does not get a lot of strikeouts as he only had 100 in 142.2 innings in 2013. He counts on a very good sinking fastball to get guys to pound the ball into the ground. He also has a four seamer that is more straight but can get more velocity on it. He also has a hard breaking ball and one that he throws slower. He also has a changeup that is a nice change of pace to things. To be honest though he throws mostly his two fastballs and two breaking pitches to get guys out. I see him as a groundball pitcher if he is going to make it to the bigs. His four seamer he can get good velocity on but gets no movement, but with his two seamer he can get alot of movement. I am excited to see how he does with a full season in New Britain. He reminds me of a pitching version of Aaron Hicks as Summers, just like Hicks, struggles right away in a new level and then makes adjustments and does well after. I expect Summers to do really well in New Britain in 2014 and possibly get a shot late in the year at Rochester. 39. Tyler Duffey P 12/27/90 23 5th round draft pick in 2012 draft from Rice 2013 stats: 7-7 3.64 era 24 games 18 starts 121 inn 116 hits 23bb 91k 2013 teams: Cedar Rapids, Fort Myers 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2015 When the Twins drafted Tyler Duffey in the 5th round in the 2012 draft the belief was that the Rice alum would be a relief pitcher with a big arm. However, the Twins did in 2013 what they do with most college arms and that is build their arm strength up by giving them a chance to start to see if they can start or if they belong in the bullpen. Duffey dominated hitters in Cedar Rapids as he went 3-2 with a 2.78 era in nine starts with the Kernels. He then moved up to Fort Myers where he struggled a bit having a 4.45 era in 15 games including nine starts. I have always thought that Duffey’s future was in the bullpen, but I think he will start until he gets up to New Britain at the earliest. There is no reason to have him stop starting if you don’t have to. The thing that I love about Duffey is his two fastballs as he has a four seamer in which he can touch 97 out of the bullpen and low 90’s as a starter. He also throws a nice cutter that the ball moves really well with. I also love his curveball in which he gets most of his strikeouts with. He is working on a changeup that is ever improving, but is not what it needs to be in order to remain a starter. Duffey could be an alright starter or a dominant reliever and I think in the end the Twins will go with him as a dominant reliever in time. 38. Alex Wimmers SP 11/1/88 25 1st round pick of 2010 draft out of Ohio State 2013 stats: 0-1 7.20 era 6 starts 15 inn 25 hits 5bb 18k 2013 team: GCL Twins 2014 team: Extended Spring Training ETA: 2015 The thing that needs to be remembered about Alex Wimmers that in the last two seasons he has had more surgeries than wins. After the 2010 season most Twins fans thought that Alex Wimmers would join Kyle Gibson as the future top of the rotation for the Twins. Then in 2011 Wimmers hurt his elbow and after trying to rehab the injury, Wimmers had the dreaded Tommy John surgery. Wimmers missed most of the 2012 season rehabbing the surgery limited to only five innings in 2012. There was hope that 2013 would be the comeback year for Wimmers much like 2012 was for Kyle Gibson. That lasted 15 innings before Wimmers had to go back under the knife for another surgery on his elbow. The sad thing is in the last three seasons Wimmers has only pitched a total of 61 innings. Whether it is fair or not Alex Wimmers has hit the end of the road. 2014 will be a make or break year for him as he went unclaimed in the rule V draft in December. The Twins need to see him make some strides in 2014 or I can’t see them keeping him around. The key to that is just keeping him on the mound. When healthy Wimmers throws a low 90’s fastball with an excellent changeup up which is his best pitch and a workable curveball. The key to him staying with the Twins is him staying healthy and frankly that is no sure thing anymore. 37. Mason Melotakis P 6/28/91 22 2nd round pick 2012 draft from Northwestern St. 2013 stats: 11-4 3.16 era 24 games 18 starts 1save 111 inn 106 hits 39bb 84k 2013 team: Cedar Rapids 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2016 Mason Melotakis was another power arm the Twins took in the 2012 draft. Melotakis a southpaw out of Northwestern State is someone that can be a solid starter or a power arm out of the bullpen. Much like Tyler Duffey, Melotakis will be given the opportunity to start for now, but ultimately he likely will end up in the bullpen. He had a good rookie year with the Kernels with a very good 3.16 era and winning eleven games. The difference for Melotakis between starting and relieving is velocity. As a starter he consistantly sits in the low 90’s with a good curveball that he is able to get a feel for the longer he is in the game and a changeup that is ever improving. However, as a reliever he throws in the mid 90’s who can occasionally hit 96-97. As a reliever he needs to be more consistant with his curveball and changeup as he does not have time to find the feel for the pitches. Honestly, if he is a reliever he probably won’t use both of them as most relievers are usually two pitch pitchers especially when one of your pitches is a mid 90’s fastball. He can throw all the pitches he wants, but if he remains a reliever he will rely on his fastball and be a power pitcher. I look for him to go to Fort Myers and spend most of year as a starter and do ok, but there is no doubt in my mind that his future is as a reliever. There is also no doubt in my mind that in a few years he will be a power set up guy for the Twins. 36. Tyler Jones P 9/5/89 24 11th round pick in 2011 draft out of LSU 2013 stats: 5-6 2.58 era 36 games 13 saves 52.1 inn 37 hits 20bb 66k 2013 teams: Cedar Rapids, Fort Myers 2014 team: Fort Myers ETA: 2015 If you want to talk about guys finding their niche you need look no further than Tyler Jones. I saw him pitch in Beloit in 2012 and honestly I was not that impressed. You could see the talent, but he walked too many guys and command was obviously a problem. In 2012 he walked 35 batters in 86.2 innings which led to a 4.67 era. The decision was made before 2013 to move Jones to the bullpen and boy did that work out. He was unhittable for Cedar Rapids to a 1.93 era tune in 24 appearances before moving up to Fort Myers. He was also very good up there. I could make the case that he is the best relief prospect in the whole Twins organization. He is a big guy at six foot four, but he lost some weight and it made the difference. The reason he is so good out of the bullpen is the fact that he touches 98 consistantly with a nice easy motion. He also has a nice hard slider that he uses to get his strikeouts. The difference between a reliever and a starter is a reliever only needs two quality pitches while a starter needs atleast three and the fact that Jones could not control his changeup made the decision easy to go to bullpen. The key for Jones is experience as 2013 was his first year as a reliever. With that blow away fastball and hard slider I think he could quickly move through the system. I am probably more excited about Tyler Jones as a relief prospect as anyone in the system. There is no doubt in my mind that in a couple years he will be getting big outs for the Twins bullpen so keep an eye out for the fireballer. Check out my other installments of the list Twins Prospects 50-46 Twins Prospects 45-41

Here is part 2 of my prospect list I hope you enjoyed part 1. Today I will be bringing you prospects 45-41. 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. 45. Stuart Turner C 12/27/91 22 3rd round pick 2013 draft out of Ole Miss 2013 stats: .272 average 3hr 19rbi 5 doubles 16 runs scored .345/.384/.729 2013 teams: Elizabethton, New Britain 2014 team: Cedar Rapids ETA: 2016 Coming into the 2013 draft Turner was thought of as the top collegiate catcher and with the Twins lacking high quality catching in the minors there seemed to be a match. So it came as no surprise that the Twins tabbed the Ole Miss catcher in the 3rd round. His scouting report is as a very good defensive catcher. Most think that it will be his glove not his bat that will get him to the big leagues. He only played in 35 games in 2013 so there is a lot to prove for Turner. Most don’t believe that he will be able to hit going forward, but 2014 is a good chance for him to prove his naysayer’s wrong. I believe defensively he has all the tools to make it to the big leagues. He frames pitches well, has a strong arm, and pitchers that I have talked to have said he calls a good game. I believe he is a future Twin if possibly as a backup catcher. 2014 will be a big year for Turner as he tries to prove that he can hit at a high level. That question will determine if he is a big prospect or a backup catcher. 44. AJ Achter RP 8/27/88 25 46th round pick 2010 draft out of Michigan St. 2013 stats: 3-2 2.54era 4saves 41games 60.1inn 45hits 33bb 56k 2013 teams: New Britain, Rochester 2014 team: Rochester ETA: 2014 For being a 46th round pick out of Michigan State in 2010 for Achter to get to AAA is quite amazing. I saw him when he was in Beloit in 2011 and to be honest I was not really that impressed with him. His velocity was not that impressive and his command was nothing to get excited about. After going 5-8 with a 4.52era in 2011 as the starter the Twins made the decision to turn him into a reliever for the 2012 season. That decision has worked out great as he picked up a few MPH on his fastball with good movement. He now throws in low 90’s and occasionally can hit 95. However, when he is doing well he is a ground ball pitcher with a good sinking fastball to go along with a very good changeup and a decent slider and curveball. I was a little bit surprised that he was not added to the 40 man roster this offseason and he is the example that the round you are drafted has nothing to do with your success level. The only question mark is his command as he walked 33 batters in 60.1 innings. If he throws strikes there is no reason for him not to make his debut for the Twins this summer and be a key contributer going forward. 43. Adrian Salcedo P 2/5/91 22 Signed as Free Agent out of DR in 2007 2013 stats: 6-3 3.70era 2saves 34games 58.1 innings 53 hits 15bb 54k 2013 team: Fort Myers 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2015 What a journey that Salcedo has been on the last couple years as he was in the Twins top 5 prospects just a couple years ago. However, due to injuries and ineffectiveness he has struggled the last few years. He suffered a partially torn UCL and instead of having the dreaded Tommy John surgery the Twins training staff decided on a rest and rehab approach which usually is the kiss of death for a pitcher. However, they decided to move Salcedo to the bullpen in 2013 and for the most part it worked out pretty well. The 3.70era was the 2nd lowest era he has had since 2009 when he was in the GCL. There is so much uncertainty when it comes to Salcedo because based on talent he would be in the 10-15 range. When I saw him pitch in Beloit in 2011 I came away thinking wow that guy is a stud and the future of Twins pitching. When healthy he throws 93-96, but when he backs off he can get movement. He has a quality changeup that is his strikeout pitches. He throws a slider, but it is not at the point that it can be counted on. Until he can consistantly throw his slider he is likely a bullpen arm. However, if he can learn to consistantly throw his slider and get swings and misses then he has starter capablity. For those that are giving up on Salcedo that is a mistake as he is one of the most talented pitchers in the organization and 2014 is a huge year for him to show that he is the big time prospect that he once was. 42. Daniel Ortiz OF 1/5/90 24 4th round pick 2008 draft from Puerto Rico 2013 stats: .258 average 12hr 60rbi 27 doubles 4 triples 63runs scored .301/.405/.706 2013 team: New Britain 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2015 Daniel Ortiz was a 4th round pick out of Puerto Rico in 2008 and has turned out to be a solid outfielder. There is nothing that he really excels at, but he does everthing well. He has gap power by the 43 xtra base hits would attest too. He doesn’t walk much as he only walked 27 times in 484 at bats. What I really like about him is his flexibility defensively as he can play all three defensive positions and play them very well. I see him more as a fourth outfielder in the big leagues. A interesting fact that you don’t see very often, Ortiz hit .289 against left handed pitching as opposed to just .198 against right handed pitching. That would be a normal split if he was right handed, but the fact that Ortiz bats left handed makes it interesting. If he can keep that kind of production against lefty’s and improve to league average against righty’s he will be good. He can be streaky and that can be good and bad if he wants to make it he needs to develop more consistancy. I really like Daniel Ortiz as a prospect and think he has a real chance to atleast turn into a backup player for the Twins if he can develop more consistancy. 41. Brian Navarreto C 12/29/94 19 6th round pick of 2013 draft, HS in Florida 2013 stats: .226 average 3hr 16rbi 10 doubles 15bb 35k 15 runs .318/.365/.683 2013 team: GCL Twins 2014 team: Elizabethton ETA: 2018 Navaretto came out of high school in Jacksonville, Florida and caught the Twins eye with his skill set as a good prep catcher. So it came as no suprise when the Twins tabbed the Jacksonville resident in the 6th round last June. Navaretto spent the summer with the GCL Twins where he struggled offensively and showed the skills defensively that have the Twins so excited about him. He is a big strong athletic catcher and the belief that he can improve immensly. He was only 18 years old when drafted so there is excitement about his potential. He has a strong arm and the belief is worst case scenario he can be a very good defensive catcher. Offensively, he was good in high school, but has some work to do to be an all around catcher. However, the reason I have him rated higher than Stuart Turner is although Turner is more polished Navaretto has more upside. There are some that believe that Navaretto can turn out to a major league starter he has all the tools to be good offensively and defensively. Twins fans need to give him time to develop as he will play 2014 at only 19 years old so the learning curven will be long and steep. However, if you are looking for someone who has the potential to be a good major leaguer some day then you don’t need to look any further than Brian Navaretto.

I know I am a little bit late from other bloggers, but I am on holiday vacation and thought this would be a good time to do my top 50 prospect list. Starting today I will be bringing you five prospects a day with a quick scouting reports and a ETA when I think they will be ready to come up. My list is by no means supposed to be in the league of the great Seth Stohs and you should definately order his 2014 Twins prospect handbook along with Jeremy Nygaard and Cody Christie. However, this is my list so I hope you enjoy and if you disagree leave me a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis.aune@gmail.com or tweet me at @texastwinsfan. So hope you enjoy the list. 50. Ryan Walker SS 3/26/92 21 18th round pick 2013 draft 2013 stats: .265 avg 1hr 16rbi 5 doubles in 48 games 2013 teams: E-town, Cedar Rapids 2014 team: Cedar Rapids ETA: 2018 Walker had a pretty good 2013 season after being drafted from the University of Texas-Arlington in the 18th round. He is a pretty good defensive SS who got the majority of the playing time in E-town before getting a late promotion to Cedar Rapids do to injuries up there. He is a defensive first SS who can hit a little bit. He will go up to Cedar Rapids in 2014 and should play every day so it will be interesting to see how he develops. He is someone Twins fans should keep their eyes on. 49. Levi Michael SS/2b 2/9/91 22 1st round pick 2011 draft 2013 stats: .229 avg 4hr 28rbi 15 doubles, 4 triples 21sb .331/.340/.670 2013 teams: Fort Myers 2014 team: New Britain ETA: 2016 There is no way to say this without being mean, but so far Michael has been a disappointment after being drafted in first round in 2011 out of North Carolina. What makes him still a prospect is he can play multiple positions and he is still quite young as he will only be 23 through the 2014 season. He was thought to have been a reach when he was taken in 2011 and really hasn’t taken a step forward. His main problem is staying on the field as he has only played in 211 out of a possible 280 games. The one positive I can see is that his OBP is quite high for how low his batting average has been. If he can stay on the field and bring his batting average up to the .270 range he can be a decent middle infielder or more likely a utility guy. I am not giving up on Michael who I believe has potential and Twins fans should keep their eye on him to see if he can reach that potential. 48. Aaron Slegers SP 9/4/92 21 5th round pick 2013 draft 2013 stats: 0.47era 9games 3saves 19inn 16hits 2bb 18k 2013 teams: Elizabethton 2014 team: Cedar Rapids ETA: 2016 Slegers was quite impressive in very little work after getting drafted in the 5th round of the 2013 draft out of Indiana. He is the typical Twins pitcher who throws a lot of strikes and does not walk many batters. The thing that surprises many is that Slegers is six foot ten, but does not throw that hard. He typically throws around 90, but has touched 95. He does not strikeout many batters and is typically a sinkerball pitcher. He will be a solid pitcher and should move quickly through the system. I view him as a solid starter who will count on getting groundballs to survive much like other Twins starters. 47. Zach Larson OF 10/8/93 20 20th round pick 2012 draft 2013 stats: .311 avg 5hr 30rbi 11 doubles, 1 triple, 39 runs scored 12sb .392/.456/.848 2013 teams: GCL Twins, Elizabethton 2014 team: Cedar Rapids or Elizabethton ETA: 2018 Larson was not drafted until the 20th round based on signability issues or he likely would have been a top 10 round pick. He is another toolsy outfielder the Twins like to take. He has a solid frame at 6’2 185lbs who I think will grow into his body. After signing after 2012 draft he played in only 15 games for the GCL Twins so there were questions what the Twins had in him. He improved immensely in 2013 when he played in 55 games between GCL and Elizabethton. He started to show the tools that made the Twins so excited about him. He has a lot of potential as I think he will hit for average and power along with steal some bases. I am excited to see how he does in full season, but that may have to wait. I have him going to Cedar Rapids, but I could see Twins being patient with him as he is only 20 and having him start season in EST and then going back to Elizabethton. I see some Joe Benson in him and am excited to see if he can turn these tools into skills so Twins fans should keep an eye on him. 46. Josue Montanez P 1/15/92 21 15th round pick 2011 draft 2013 stats: 7-5 3.97era 26 games 12 starts 1save 90.2inn 88 hits 30bb 55k 2013 team: Cedar Rapids 2014 team: Cedar Rapids ETA: 2017 Montanez is a very versatile left handed pitcher as he can start or relieve. He is a strike thrower and does not pick up many strikeouts. After being selected in 15th round out of Puerto Rico Montanez has had an up and down career. He didn’t get up to Cedar Rapids until June and has shown some potential as a starter. He is only 21 years old and the old saying true if your left handed and breathing you have a chance. Montanez does not have classic velocity and the fact he struck out only 55 batters in almost 91 innings should tell you he is a soft tossing lefty. I think he could continue to start as he moves up, but his career path probably at some point turns him into a LOOGY and I think he can excel at that as his off speed pitches are above average. It will be interesting how 2014 goes as I view it as a big year for Montanez in his development.