RJA

I would have to say Stewart was the biggest swing and miss as he was the highest pick that didn't make it of the group, and there were others taken after him (in first and comp rounds) in addition to Judge that have made it to the majors and performed well--Austin Meadows, Hunter Renfroe, Tim Anderson, Sean Manaea, Corey Knebel, etc. Tyler Jay would be a close second.

Thanks for the info. If he has character issues, it will be interesting to see where he ends up in the draft.

Great article as usual. I am just excited for the chance to see both these young men perform this year. Both of them have very high ceilings, and if they were to reach them in the next year or two, we can all imagine how good our lineup would be with Buxton, Polanco, Kirilloff, lewis, Martin, Garver and Miranda. Let's get this lockout over and start playing baseball.

If the American teams perform about the same this summer as last summer, and if there is a 12 team playoff structure, the Twins would likely have to win 90-93 games to be a wild card entry. That means they will have to find about 20 additional wins this summer. If you look at the roster, they will be short Berrios, Cruz, part of a season of Maeda, possibly Pineda, and a few others like Simmons and Colome who won't be missed :). Berrios is obviously the big loss. They should have more Buxton (we all pray that is the case), more Kirilloff, more Ryan, more Ober and hopefully more Taylor. Now if they had signed a Ray, Gausman or similar top arm, and added Pineda and one more solid arm through a trade, with the young kids coming up, I could see them closing the gap. But, unless they sign Rodon and trade for a second arm, I don't see how the young kids will be able to carry them to 20 more wins. I hope I am wrong.

It was not a college highlight, but the Druw Jones homerun during the chants was SOOO cool! I had seen it on another site, but the sound didn't work so I missed out on hearing the chant. It is great hearing the chant followed by the clink of the aluminum bat and everybody oohing and aahing while the pitcher puts both hands on his head in frustration. Classic moment. I am mostly watching to see how the college bats do as I think that is the most likely route the Twins will take. Lesko looks like a winner, but I don't think the Twins will take another high school righthander in the first round. You have put me on to this Joyce kid so I will definitely follow him. A 101 mph slider at the knees should be illegal! Thanks for the updates and the work you put in on them.

For a cold weather state, Minnesota has produced a lot of good ball players. Brody grew up in good baseball country--there is a lot of good town ball in that area running from Marshall south and east through Gaylord, New Ulm, Mankato and into Chaska. Plus, Minnesota State University, Mankato definitely recruits the high schools in the area well. It sounds like Brody has a good combination of stuff and deception so I sure hope he can make the bigs. You have given me another name to follow and cheer for this summer! I will watch for him on MilB TV.

Thank you for the kind response. This is a difficult issue for the reasons you outline. I grew up with no shifts, many fewer bullpen changes, no pitch clock, and more strategy. I actually liked that game better. This strikeout/homerun craziness has severely limited many of the beautiful aspects of the game--like bunting, the hit and run, base stealing, etc. Plus, the sheer number of pitching changes and the batters and pitchers taking so much time between pitches has added so much time to the game that the pace has become unbearably slow. The only reason I favor a "generous" play clock is that the games have become so long that I think something must be done to move play along. I hope it does not end up being a deal with the devil ;).

It seems like I just said the same thing about Jason Kubel, but boy, what a big "if only" attaches to Liriano due to his injury. He was absolutely devastating in 2006 and was every bit Santana's equal. Absent the injury, he would have had perennial all star attached to his name. Add me to the list of fans who think with a healthy Santana and Liriano, 2006 would have played out differently. Good topic. It is enjoyable to delve into Twins history, especially during this crazy labor negotiation. Nice job.

Travis Lee, now there is someone I haven't thought about for a long time! What a mess that situation was.

Outstanding summary of the pros and cons, Melissa. I definitely would like to see the game speed up some, so I like the pitch clock idea, but I don't want it to create an artificial pace to games. One of the beautiful parts about our favorite game is that the pace allows fans to talk during the game--what pitch will he throw, where in the stikezone, will the runners be on the move, where are the outfielders playing, should the infield be at double play depth, etc., etc.? That being said, I think the game has slowed down too much. I vote with Seth, let's have a pitch clock but not have the time so short between pitches that the game becomes robotic. BTW, you aren't old enough to have watched Camilo Pascual pitch, but he never could have played with a pitch clock. He was so slow on the mound that his infielders lost their edge in the field. Great article.

Good list, Nick. The only change I would make is to add Woods-Richardson as beckmt suggested. My reasoning would be that this is a bigger opportunity for him as he is closer to making an impact at the MLB level so if he impresses this spring he could move up quickly. Cavaco on the other hand is so far away that if the does well, which the Twins and all of us hope, it will not significantly affect his opportunities this year. Good topic.

My initial reaction to your list was to think about Jason Kubel and how good he might have been if it weren't for the injury. He had a fine career, but I think he would have been an all star caliber player had the knee injury not happened. My second reaction is recalling how people compared Willie Banks to Dwight Gooden when he was drafted. He was never able to harness all the talent as his lack of control killed him. Baseball America did an article about him a few years back and how he put his life back together after crashing emotionally. This article shows how hit and miss drafting truly is. "If only" applies to a lot of prospects. For every Morneau there is a McCarty.

I found myself really liking this kid, Seth. He has a healthy level of cockiness--confidence to throw any pitch at any time--but it is tempered by his willingness to be a "sponge" and soak in advice from more experienced players. And, I really liked his comment that baseball is great but it is not who he is. Like many of the young men you have interviewed, he shows a maturity beyond his years. And, like Joe Ryan and Chase Petty, I think this kid will be a great interview when he is in the bigs. I am confident that he will get the walks situation worked out, and you have to love the strike out numbers. Another excellent prospect. The Twins have a bundle of them.

Thanks Jeremy. Great article. Like virtually everyone else I love this idea. The international arena is one of the shady aspects of MLB. When you have kids growing up in tough financial situations, it is SO easy to take advantage of them and use their dream of playing in the bigs to induce them into lousy relationships with supposed agents. I think the details could be worked out--the idea is great.

Please chill, Brock. You and others obviously have a history with this guy that predates me. Your anger indicates that I must have gotten accidentally into the middle of something that has been simmering for some time . I did not know that. I am not suggesting that you don't have the right to ban someone, but simply questioning if it is the right thing to do. I would just respectfully suggest that you contact the person directly--and privately--and kick him off. That way it won't seem so arbitrary to those of us that have just become active on the site. I just was shocked by your comment because it seemed contrary to normal positive and encouraging tone of TD postings. There has been a long history of problematic behavior, I get it now. Please forgive my ignorance. I apologize if you felt I was out of line. I have no animosity toward you. I love the site.

I have to respectfully disagree. I understand your frustration, but once you start banning people it is a slippery slope. Just ignore the guy. We are all smart enough to see through comments like these. I think this topic generated a large number of quality responses from all sides. He is a mosquito. Ignore him.

In my humble opinion, you are out of line. You are not a party to the negotiations any more than the rest of us. TD should be a free marketplace of opinions, with people being able to post without a threat of being kicked off the site. My gosh, man, this isn't the war in Ukraine, it is baseball. Do you not think I am smart enough to sort out the facts on my own. I do not need you to arbitrate for me. Seth, you are a sensible man. Is this type of censorship what TD stands for? It insults all of us readers.

Nice article, Nash. Clearly you hit the nail on the head with Lewis. Of all the players anywhere in baseball, I am not sure there is another player who needs to play baseball and have a good season more than Lewis. With all the crap going on in baseball now, it sure would be a great story if Lewis hit the ground running and had a great year. He is such a good kid and has worked so hard to comeback that you have to pull for him. Let's play baseball!

Stu, why don't you put together a Twins All Time Dad's Body Team? Mijares would qualify, as would Garces, Astudillo, Sano especially a couple years back, Herbie in his later years and, of course, Bartolo Colon, the Big Sexy.

I agree, Cody, especially if he can add a bit to his fastball, which might naturally happen with a switch to the bullpen. In addition to the great slider, he has the right personality to thrive in the bullpen--he is composed and calm and does not seem to let things bother him. All that leadership training at the academy paid dividends! I suspect the FO has already penciled him in for a bullpen spot.

Great topic. As I have said many times, I find lots of fault on both sides. Since the topic of conversation is Boras, I will address the union situation. Count me in the group that thinks Boras exercises way too much control over the union. It is not an accident that so many player reps are Boras clients, and that they will carry water for Boras given the deals he has struck on their behalf. He is a brilliant, articulate and charismatic guy who makes even outlandish opinions sound sensible and rational. And, what he is pushing for is a higher competitive balance cap, more money for super 2's, no compensation for losing free agents, etc. all because it helps his big time clients get more money, and him to get bigger fees. I think if the players said they would accept a small increase in the competitive balance cap and a small bonus pool if the minimum wage went up significantly, the owners would accept it. But, that doesn't help Boras get what he wants. He wants bigger contracts for his significant clients both established like Correa and those coming up who would benefit from the bonus pool being very large. In the end, the union is pushing for items that help that elite players and does not do much for the average joe. Another problem with the union is that it is not really a traditional union. How many Teamsters, autoworkers or teachers have salary scale where the top paid union member gets 40 million a year and the lowest hundreds of thousands? Players have the ability to negotiate their own salaries, something that no union member in the non-sports industries have. Therefore, the interests of Correa and Scherzer are far different than those of Willians Astudillo and Charlie Barnes. It is difficult for any union to protect the interests of all players when such disparities in salary exist no matter how well intentioned it may be. Naturally, the famous elite players have more clout and are listened to more. And, in baseball the high tide does not raise all ships. If Correa gets 45 million it does not mean that ordinary joes get the same percentage increase. Finally, I think the fact the union turned down mediation speaks volumes about their goals in negotiation. A mediator will start with the existing contract and see what each side is asking for in the way of changes. In this process, the union's demands will look more outrageous than those of the owners. I think they knew that and turned down mediation for that reason. I think it was a mistake for them to do so. Nothing I have said means I favor the owners, not by a long shot. They used tough negotiation tactics from the beginning and tried to put time pressure on the negotiations at the end. But, my frustration with the owners will be for another post.

Thanks for keeping us updated, Jeremy. I am a draft junkie--mostly for baseball but I love to follow the NBA, NFL, WNBA and NHL as well. So feel free to pump out as many takes as you can! Everything I have read agrees with your assessment that this will be a position player heavy draft at the top end. I can't see the Twins taking another high school RHP, so I suspect they will focus on the position players, be they college or prep players. What we don't know yet of course is if any of this changes due to injuries or breakouts by some guys this spring. Getting the 8th overall pick is the ONLY, and I mean ONLY, good thing about last year. Keep up the great work.

I agree with the top 4, but after that it gets murky in my mind as Wallner's swing and miss problem is significant as it typically gets worse as you climb the ladder. But, if he can find ways to make more contact and keep the power, he could be a real asset. The same could be said about Sabato and he is two years younger than Wallner so he would be in the mix for the 5th spot, as well as Soularie and maybe Encarnacion-Strand. On the pitching side, Varland would be in the mix along with Sands and Hajjar. After you get out of the top 19 prospects, it is somewhat of a crap shoot.

I agree with you Andrew. College baseball is a blast to watch, just like minor league baseball. And, there are college teams all over the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa so it is easy for almost anyone to take in some games. I do it quite often. As for the best of these 5 collegiate players, I would go with Larnach as winning the College World Series was huge as was the big home run. In the Twins farm system, I would have to put Martin on top of the list of former collegiate hitters.

I'm with Doctor Gast. Killebrew, Oliva, Carew, and Puckett. Killebrew is the greatest power hitter the Twins have ever had and helped get them to the Series. Oliva was one of the best all around players of his era, and absent his injuries was a first ballot type candidate for the Hall. Plus, he has given his whole life to the Twins and their players and fans. Carew is one of the best pure hitters in the history of the game. Puckett was not only a fantastic player, but probably the best leader the Twins have ever had. And, a world champion. If you created a mini Mt. Rushmore, I would put Santana, Kaat, Mauer, and Blyleven on it. Best current bets 10-15 years from now--Buxton and Polanco.