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I write this blog entry when I was expecting to do other things. I am in Fort Myers in 80 degree weather with just a hint of a breeze on a nice Thursday afternoon. What could be wrong? Well, actually, plenty. My significant other and I made plans for the rest of winter sometime in January. Because we had made an extended trip of the Christmas/New Year holidays and because we were planning a family gathering for the summer, we decided to stay in Minnesota for the rest of January and I decided I would stay in February until I could make it to spring training for my favorite baseball team. The plan was for me to drive to Florida by way of my daughter's residence in Indiana. I would be in Fort Myers by myself until she was on semester break and then we could enjoy a week together in Florida--baseball, beaches, warm weather--before driving back together so that she could be ready for college to start up again. Things often don't go as you plan them. The expensive ticket for her flight could now be purchased for pennies on the dollar. The Minnesota Twins and all of major league baseball have cancelled the remainder of spring training games. The Final Four won't happen, to quote a song "Broadway is dark tonight" and I would expect more cancellations going forward. This has brought me to think about what is important and what isn't. Having something like baseball to occupy my time is important. Filling that gap is essential. Having health is really crucial. I am thankful to be in good health at this time and I certainly don't want to get the coronavirus, even though it likely wouldn't effect me long term. Many people could die needlessly if measures aren't taken to diminish the acceleration of exposure. I'll do what I can to avoid getting the virus and spreading it to others. Oh yes. I did get to watch the future of the Minnesota Twins (IMHO). On Tuesday, in Clearwater, the starting lineup included Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Brent Rooker and Royce Lewis. They all impressed me, particularly Lewis, who homered and made an outstanding defensive play at shortstop. If two or three of these prospects pan out, the pipeline will be intact and the Twins should be able to have a first-division lineup for most of the next decade. Today, before MLB's announcement suspending exhibition games, I watched Twins minor leaguers play. I saw Duran throwing absolute gas, Matt Wallner (big kid--6'5") looking good, but not making contact and I found out about a Twins prospect Seth Gray (4th round draft choice from Wright State) from his dad. I'll be a Gray fan now. Seems like a nice kid. Finally, as I was walking back to my car I saw a man walking over to a somewhat elderly guy wearing a Twins hat. Tony-O!. I waited until the conversation was over and asked Tony if I could take a picture. He said that we should make it a selfie, but that he couldn't sign autographs--bosses orders. I asked Tony how old he really was and he said something to the effect of "in America, I'm 81" with a chuckle. According to BB Reference, that is his correct age FWIW. I got back to my room excited about spending more days like today at the spring training complex, meeting icons and nice people from Twins Territory, and now it seems it is over almost before it started. Since I started writing this entry, Disneyland announced they were closing and March Madness was cancelled. This is serious stuff folks.

With the 2018 MLB Draft less than a week away, it is time to reveal my top ten prospects that are available in this year’s draft. While it’s hard to envision most of these guys being available when the Twins make their pick at 20, as it always the case with the MLB Draft a couple of these guys will likely slip and could be available when the Twins make their selection. So, let’s dive in and learn a little more about the top of the draft board.10. Nolan Gorman, Sandra Day O’Connor (AZ) Pos: 3B | B/T: L/R | Height: 6’1” | Weight: 210 | Age: 18 Commitment: Arizona Scouting Grades Hit: 50 Power: 70 Run: 40 Arm: 55 Field: 50 Overall: 55 If you are looking for a player with raw power potential, then Nolan Gorman is your guy. He tore up the high school circuit last summer putting on an excellent showcase of power in numerous home run derbies. There is a fair amount of swing and miss in his game, and Gorman has shown some signs of struggling against breaking pitches so far this spring. There is also some debate around his ability to stay at third long term or if he will need to move to first. Though Gorman isn’t quite as big, Joey Gallo seems like a good comp for Nolan Gorman. Gorman’s home run and strikeout numbers shouldn’t ever be as extreme as Gallo’s, but he is absolutely a player a team will have to learn to live with the strikeouts in exchange for the production in the power department. 9. Shane McClanahan, South Florida Pos: LHP | Height: 6’1” | Weight: 185 | Age: 21 Previously Drafted: 26th Round, 2015 (NYM) Scouting Grades Fastball: 70 Slider: 50 Changeup: 60 Control: 50 Overall: 55 You don’t often find many left-handed pitchers with as much stuff as Shane McClanahan. He has one of the most electric fastballs of any college pitcher in this year’s draft as he can reach back and hit as high as 100 mph with it. McClanahan also has an average to slightly above-average slider along with an excellent changeup. This combination of stuff has lead him to striking out 38.5% of opposing batters this spring. The concern with McClanahan is with his delivery as he throws from more of a three-quarters slot and he has a lot of effort in his motion. This has created some control issues for McClanahan who is walking 5.55 batters per nine innings this season. The team that selects McClanahan is one that believes they can work with him on his delivery and bring down his walk rate in the minors. If they are successful you are looking at a top of the rotation starter. If not, McClanahan could still wind up as an effective piece in the back end of a bullpen. 8. Carter Stewart, Eau Gallie (FL) Pos: RHP | Height: 6’6” | Weight: 200 | Age: 18 Commitment: Mississippi State Scouting Grades Fastball: 65 Curveball: 75 Changeup: 50 Control: 50 Overall: 55 Last summer while I was an intern for TrackMan Baseball, there was one player whose radar data seemed to stick out above the rest, and that was Florida high school right-hander Carter Stewart. So, what makes this kid so special? It just so happens to be that Carter Stewart’s curveball has the highest spin rate on a pitch that TrackMan has ever recorded. This includes all Major League games and Minor League games, along with numerous other games tracked in Japan, Korea and at the collegiate and amateur levels. Not only does his curveball have tremendous spin, but Stewart has shown that he has good control for the pitch as well. Stewart has also elevated his fastball velocity this spring from the low 90’s it was at last summer to the mid-to-upper 90’s it is at now. This is what has helped Stewart separate himself from the other high school right-handers in this class. Based on pure potential, Stewart might have the highest ceiling of any pitcher in this class, and I originally had him ranked a little higher than eighth. However, due to the overwhelming lack of success that high school right-handed pitchers have had over the last 10 to 15 years, along with the fact that Stewart still hasn’t shown much of an ability to throw a changeup, I decided to move him down to number eight as the risk profile on him is still quite high. 7. Jonathan India, Florida Pos: 3B | B/T: R/R | Height: 6’1” | Weight: 195 | Age: 21 Previously Drafted: 26th Round, 2015 (MIL) Scouting Grades Hit: 55 Power: 55 Run: 55 Arm: 55 Field: 55 Overall: 55 It is hard to argue that there is another player that has done more to elevate his draft stock this year than Jonathan India. Coming into this season, India was thought of as second or third round pick at best, but now he has put himself firmly into the discussion as a top ten pick. India has had a monster season for the number one ranked and defending national champion Florida Gators. India currently holds a .362/.502/.723 slash line with 17 home runs. He currently leads the SEC in both on-base percentage and slugging-percentage, and both stats rank in the top seven nationally. India is also 11 for 13 on stolen base attempts this season. Another thing India has going for him is he is an excellent defender at third. Coming out of high school, India was actually a shortstop, and only moved over to third in college because Florida already had an elite defensive shortstop in Dalton Guthrie. Now that Guthrie is gone, India has spent some time at short this year and looked good, but if he winds up staying at third he will be a plus defender there. 6. Matthew Liberatore, Mountain Ridge (AZ) Pos: LHP | Height: 6’5” | Weight: 200 | Age: 18 Committed: Arizona Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 Curveball: 55 Slider: 50 Changeup: 55 Control: 55 Overall: 55 Capping off the list of superbly talented high school pitchers in this year’s class is left-hander Matthew Liberatore. Much like the top high school left-hander in last year’s draft, MacKenzie Gore, Liberatore has shown the ability to throw an assortment of plus secondary offerings with excellent control. However, Liberatore doesn’t quite have as electric of a fastball or curveball as Gore did, so he is down a peg from the guy I had as my second ranked player in last year’s draft. Liberatore has everything that scouts are looking for when they are evaluating a young pitcher. He has a projectable frame that could conceivable add a couple ticks to his 91-94 mph fastball. He has a clean delivery that allows him to have such great control of his pitches. Liberatore is also a guy who has learned how to pitch with four different pitches and not just sit back and say here hit this. While I have Liberatore ranked sixth, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if one of the teams with a top five pick absolutely falls in love with him and takes him off the board early. If not, I do not see Liberatore falling much past that and will almost certainly be off the board long before the Twins pick at 20. 5. Nick Madrigal, Oregon State Pos: 2B | B/T: R/R | Height: 5’8” | Weight: 165 | Age: 21 Previously Drafted: 17th Round, 2015 (CLE) Scouting Grades Hit: 65 Power: 40 Run: 60 Arm: 50 Field: 55 Overall: 55 There is almost no denying that Nick Madrigal has the best pure hit tool of any player available in the draft. After hitting .333 in his freshman season at Oregon State, Madrigal has backed that up by hitting .380 in 2017 and .395 so far this year. Madrigal is also an incredibly difficult hitter to strikeout, having done so just 5.5 percent of the time in his college career and just 3.7 percent of the time this season. Nick Madrigal has been drawing a lot of comparisons to the defending AL MVP Jose Altuve. Much of this stems from Madrigal’s size and hitting ability combination that is rarely seen. Madrigal also has a leg kick where he has a slight pause before bringing it back to the ground, much like Altuve does. However, one difference between the two is Madrigal will most likely never develop the 20-25 homer power that Altuve has. There are some scouts who believe that Madrigal has the range and fielding ability to make it as a shortstop, however there is some doubt that he has the arm to make it there. I would assume that Madrigal will be drafted as a second baseman, where he could be both a plus defender and plus hitter at the position. 4. Brady Singer, Florida Pos: RHP | Height: 6’5” | Weight: 180 | Age: 21 Previously Drafted: 2nd Round, 2015 (TOR) Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 Slider: 60 Changeup: 50 Control: 55 Overall: 55 Twins fans are probably more familiar with Jackson Kowar, who has been linked to the Twins in a few mock drafts of late, but what you might not realize is Kowar isn’t even the best pitcher on his own team in college. That title belongs to Brady Singer, who was recently named the SEC Pitcher of the Year. Singer’s fastball doesn’t top out at as high of a velocity as Kowar’s, as Singer will sit more 92-94 mph with it. However, what makes Singer’s fastball so effective is the extreme arm side run that he gets with it. I would venture to say that Singer’s fastball rivals that of Fernando Romero’s in terms of movement, though he has much better control of the pitch. Singer also complements his fastball with an excellent slider and an average changeup. One of the knocks on Singer is despite his 6’5” frame, he delivers the ball from a low three-quarters arm slot. While this plays a part in why he has so much movement on his fastball, teams are worried that it could potentially lead to injuries or control issues down the road. 3. Alec Bohm, Wichita State Pos: 3B | B/T: R/R | Height: 6’5” | Weight: 240 | Age: 21 Previously Drafted: Never Scouting Grades Hit: 55 Power: 60 Run: 45 Arm: 50 Field: 50 Overall: 55 Alec Bohm is a hitter that has always produced big numbers throughout his time in college. In all three of his seasons at Wichita State, Bohm has hit over .300 and has collected 33 home runs during that span. Bohm also had success in the Cape Cod League last summer where he finished second in the league with a .351 batting average and was in the top ten in the league with five home runs. Bohm has a big frame and uses it well with a pure stroke that helps him generate a lot of bat speed through the zone. This also give Bohm the rare ability to hit for power without striking out a lot. So far this season Bohm has drawn more walks (39) than he has strikeouts (28). There is some concern that Bohm lacks the athleticism and arm strength to stick at third long term. However, Bohm is a guy who has mostly filled out his body already, so he shouldn’t lose much for range, if any at all, as he develops through the minors. 2. Joey Bart, Georgia Tech Pos: C | B/T: R/R | Height: 6’3” | Weight: 225 | Age: 21 Previously Drafted: 27th Round, 2015 (TB) Scouting Grades Hit: 55 Power: 55 Run: 35 Arm: 60 Field: 55 Overall: 60 There isn’t a lot of debate over who is the best player in this draft, but if there is one other player I might consider taking with the first overall pick it is Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart. As Twins fans, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how big of an impact a game changing catcher can have on your organization, and that is exactly what Joey Bart is. Bart is a big and physical catcher whose bat profiles more as a corner infielder than a catcher. Bart has been a .300 hitter ever since he stepped on campus and this year he has taken his game to a whole new level with a .359/.471/.632 slash line. Another encouraging thing about Bart is he has grown into his power during the last few years. After hitting just one home run in his freshman season, Bart belted 13 home runs last year and has hit 16 more this season. What makes Bart so special is he isn’t just great standing beside the plate, he does an excellent job squatting behind the plate as well. Despite his large frame, Bart is pretty athletic behind the dish and has a cannon of an arm that keeps the run game in check. Bart is a rare exception in this day in age at the college level, in that he calls his own pitches as opposed to taking signs from one of the coaches. All of this helped Bart earn the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award this season. 1. Casey Mize, Auburn Pos: RHP | Height: 6’3” | Weight: 210 | Age: 21 Previously Drafted: Never Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 Slider: 60 Splitter: 70 Control: 65 Overall: 60 Unlike last year’s draft when the Twins could have chosen any of five different guys with the first overall pick, there is an almost unanimous opinion that Casey Mize will be the Tiger’s choice with the first pick in the draft. When breaking down Mize it is hard not to find something to dislike about him. He has a fastball that he throws in the mid-90’s, along with a slider that can be a wipeout pitch for him at times. However, his best pitch is his splitter that at times is unhittable. The one scare team’s have with him is a back injury that cause him to miss some time last season, but he has come back strong this year showing that he is healthy. Mize’s numbers at Auburn over the last couple of seasons have been gaudy to say the least. In 186 1/3 combined innings pitched, Mize has a 2.61 ERA. While this is impressive in it own right, the part that sticks out is his 249 strikeouts with only 19 walks. That is a strikeout to walk ratio of more than 13 to 1 over the course of a full major league season’s worth of innings and he has done it pitching in the best conference in college baseball. Previous Rankings 2018 MLB Draft Top 50 Prospects: 11-20 2018 MLB Draft Top 50 Prospects: 21-30 2018 MLB Draft Top 50 Prospect: 31-40 2018 MLB Draft Top 50 Prospects: 41-50 Click here to view the article