RJA

Agree, but that was not the case in 2021 as he played 1B, 2B, 3B and LF across two levels. Hopefully, they stick with the 2022 plan.

These things always work themselves out in spring training. Whoever is sent down, we all know there will be injuries, so many roster changes will be forthcoming during the summer. Honestly, aren't we all happy that there is not enough "room" for everyone? Boy, I remember down years (and last year during the injury pandemic) when we had guys on the roster that should never have been here. This will be a fun spring training.

Like others on this site, I have been a fan of Julien's potential for a couple of years. I know it will be difficult for him to crack the lineup absent an injury, but if he tears up St. Paul like he did AA, he will be here this year. I think with Correa, Polanco, and Miranda, and hopefully a healthy Kirilloff, plus Julien, Lee, Lewis, and Martin if the Twins let him be himself, all on the horizon, I would not be surprised if the Twins spring a trade, at least by the deadline. I do wish they would stick Juien at one position and let him get comfortable. Correa was right, the young talent on this team is much better than many believe. This will be a fun year both at the major league and minor league level.

Great piece. This guy is special, truly a generational talent, and more importantly, a generational leader. With he and Buck, the clubhouse is in good hands for many years to come.

This is the only kid in the system with true superstar potential, and the first since Buxton I would say (some would add Lewis but I don't think he showed as much early as this kid). I can't wait to see how he progresses. He is the number one minor league player I will be following this summer. Should be fun.

Outstanding work. My three favorites: always my first choice, match Maeda in heaven, and you Rocco my world. What about Falvey--I'm Falvey in love with you.

The FO may be right that the bullpen is fine, and I certainly hope that is the case. But, I suspect Twins fans will get restless real quick if Pagan and Lopez come out and blow some games early. Hopefully, they both start out strong and Duran remains other worldly in his performance.

Great talent. I think the bat is so good that they will find a place for him sometime this summer or next year. I sometimes think that moving guys around the diamond in situations like this may not be the answer. It may work for players who are blessed with great athletic skills--like Lewis--but I question if it helps players who are not quite so naturally gifted athletically. Maybe it would be better to give him a primary position and work his tail off at that position to make him better ala Corey Koskie. Part of improving defensive play is giving a player enough reps at a position to generate some confidence, and give him a "feel" for the position. In any event, the bat will carry him one way or the other.

Good point on home run record, however I disagree with your historically overrated take. As for being historically overrated, the 2019 team had the second best winning percentage, .623, in the Twins 60 plus year history, with only the 1965 Twins winning percentage of .630 being better. In fact, if you add the Senators history to ours, in the 120 year plus history of the franchise, 2019 winning percentage rates the 4th best. How can a team with the 4th best record in the 120 plus year history of the franchise be historically overrated?

I think you need to judge each team based on the results of that particular year. The Bomba Squad won 101 games and set a major league homerun record. Yes, the ball was juiced, but it was juiced for everyone else as well. Every other team faced the exact same conditions as the Twins. For the conditions of that particular year, the Bomba Squad was not overrated. They had some success in 2020, but then the roof caved in. Just because the team did not become a dynasty, does not mean they were not exceptional in that particular year. Let's forget the 3 game sweep by the Yanks in the playoffs as that is the obvious result of some kind of curse:).

SWR is the opposite of Salas and Prielipp. Salas and Prielipp were rated where they were based on potential rather than a track record, while SWR is rated where he is based on a track record at AA and AAA rather than the overall quality of his offerings. He seems to be a bit of an overachiever. While I don't think he will be a front of the rotation type guy, his poise and demeanor, and the likelihood his stuff is likely to improve as he works on his pitches, will make him a solid mid rotation type guy. It will be interesting to see how he develops this year.

I know I sound like the Grinch after questioning where Salas was placed (Law has him 5 in his ratings, and Gleeman 8-12 in his ratings), but I have to make the same argument here. This rating is based only on potential and comes after a major surgery. I LOVE this kid's potential, but boy there is zero track record. Still, I hope and expect he will do well.

Nice prospect, but I guess I am not as high on this kid at this point as some, and would not have him in the top 10. I don't think the combination of performance and potential justifies this high of a placement on the list. He does have some defensive issues, his power has yet to manifest itself in a meaningful way, there are questions about his arm, and he is still early in his career. If he blossoms this year, as he might, he could very well earn this spot, but for now I think it is a reach. I am not saying I don't like this kid, I am just saying it is too early to put him this high. Personally, I would put him lower in the 12-15 range.

Great article, Nick. I like Varland, and I am pulling for this kid. One thing I like about him is that he seems coachable. We see so many young pitchers with great potential struggle and flame out, including some Twins picks in recent years, that it is refreshing to see someone who lacks overpowering stuff be productive and effective. Some players outperform their analytics (Varland), and some underperform their analytics (Pagan). It much like the NFL Combine--some players put up otherworldly numbers, but never make a huge impact, while others have more modest basic skills and become All Pros. It is one of the reasons that prospects are so much fun, you never really know what you have until they step on a major league diamond. That being said, until Varland has been around the league a bit and players see him more, we won't know for sure how his stuff plays in the long run.

I think we really won't know what we have until the kid plays more. It is not unusual for a prospect, even a college player, to come out of the gate a bit hesitant. He has potential, so let's see what the second year brings.