UCL tear.

Sounds like he won't need Tommy John, although never know down the future he might, although it seems common place these days.

Is there too much potential here, to pass on in the top 3?

How do you think major league teams and Giolitos camp will play this? I know he has a strong commitment to UCLA, and has no problem going there. However, on the flip side would a pro team spend 5 mill + for a guy coming off an injury. I think they have seen enough game tape and know enough about his make up they would.

What say you?

1.) Kyle Gibson - #2 upside

2.) Miguel Angel Sano- Superstar upside, very young though, im just basing this on long term raw potential

3.) Oswaldo Arcia- Yes, I'm higher on him than hicks.  I see a 30 HR bat 100 rbi from the corner spot who can hit for average.

4.) Aaron Hicks- Toolsy player, who came on during 2nd half of the year, should have spans job someday

5) Alex Wimmers- Loved him at Ohio state, and love him as a Twins pitcher, I think he can be a 2-3.  He's got stuff, he's not just some crafty pitcher.

6.) Joe Benson- Big time power, gap hitter, can steal bases, great arm.  That being said he needs to cut down on the K's, and take better at bats.  His potential is pretty large though.

7.) Liam Hendriks- He has legit stuff, 92mph heat, great control, and good offspeed stuff. The miracle announcer who saw both him and Gibson said, he thought Hendriks was the better pitcher.  Was pretty dominant at both Beloit and FM. 

8.) Ben Revere- He's a nice player, he will probably hit .290'ish in the bigs, he can steal some bags.  He likely won't develop much power, he doesn't have a big arm.  I see him as more trade bait down the line.

9.) Adrian Salcedo- Very promising pitcher, who did pretty well in E-town for the Twins, after struggling a bit with Beloit.  Big tall, projectable kid, who is one to watch.

10.) Angel Morales- He had a solid year, but the power sort of went away at Fort Myers especially.  I look for him to start with FM next year, and end up in AA.  Next year will be a big year for him.

11.)  Max Kepler- One word- Projectable.  6"4 185 lbs, and still so so young.  He showed he could hit for decent average in the GCL, once his frame fills out he could put up some power numbers.  He could very well be much higher on this list next year.

12.) David Bromberg- He has been very solid at just about every level of the minors, and can make bats miss at a respectable rate.  He won't be a top of the rotation starter.  But I could see him being a mid-backend starter and giving lots of innings.

13) Pat Dean- Good lefty, who brings it about 92mph.  He has a nice 12/6 curveball which is a out pitch for him.  I know everyone and their mother tends to compare him to Perkins.  However Duensing is another lefty who isn't big who tops out around 91/92 and has had great success in the bigs.  Will he be Duensing or Perkins?  We'll find out.

14) Eddie Rosario- 4th round draft pick this year, out of Puerto Rico.  He can hit for average, has some pop in his bat and can run.  It will be fun to see what he does next year in Beloit.

15.) Billy Bullock- Had a pretty nice year in FM and NB last year.  He can really miss bats, and throws hard.  He should be a staple in a MLB bullpen for a long time. 

16) Bruce Pugh- I'm pretty high on him for a couple reasons.  1) He's a strike out pitcher 2) he can bring it mid 90's.  He has stuff.  He needs to work on his control a bit, sometimes he gets a bit erratic.  He's a boom or bust prospect.

17) Nate Roberts- I love this pick.  He started a bit slow in E-town, but after a couple weeks he just took off.  He ended the year on fire, he has considerable pop in his bat, speed.  Twins feel he could be a impact bat.

18) Manuel Soliman- Etown pitcher, who used to be a hitter, he converted.  Baseball America really likes him, and I can see why.  He like Pugh, strikes hitters out, and has a nice slider.  It will be interesting to see if he projects more as a RP or starter at the higher levels.

19.) James Beresford- Slick fielding Aussie SS who had a good year at Beloit this year.  He hit around .300 and scored lots of runs.  The kid will probably never be a masher, but I could see him being a great utility IF type.

20) Kane Holbrooks- This guy had a monster year.  He is pretty filthy, batters don't hit for average against him, and he puts up K's.  Reports have him throwing mid to upper 90's, but I'm not sure if it's true. 

I'm 100% of the Deolis Guerra bandwagon, why I don't have him here.  I hope he proves me wrong though.

Catcher- Joe Mauer ( he's locked in )

1st base- Justin Morneau  ( he loves it here )

2nd base *prospect we get for Wilson Ramos* or Brian Dinkleman

SS- Jorge Polanco ( possibly a rookie, might not be ready though) or not drafted yet

3rd base- Miguel Angel Sano ( will be a rookie or 2nd year guy )

LF- Denard Span

CF- Aarron Hicks

RF- Angel Morales/Kepler ( if ready?)

DH- Kubel ( still fairly young, and seems like a low key smaller market guy) wont have any field value prob at this time

SP- Frankie liriano

SP- Kyle Gibson

SP- Adrian Salcedo

SP- Liam Hendriks

SP- Kevin Slowey

Closer- Bullock

And yes I know i'll be wrong on 80% of this, some spects will fizzle, future drafts and signings and trades will take this for a major loop.

I was hoping Roger, the minor league expert could help me out here.  I found this online and a friend of mine told me during spring training she heard Wilson ramos interviewed and he said his brother was practicing at some twins academy at Venezuela.

I found this on Gordo's blog :

made up.

Note and Quotes from spring training
1.  I had a great conversation with Twins C Wilson Ramos.  The young Venezulan is battling Drew Butera for the back up catchers job, behind Joe Mauer.  Ramos played at AA-New Britain last year and is generally consider to be one of the top three prospects in the Twins Organization.  Ramos is a strapping young man, and possesses great hitting skills.  Many say he has to shore up his catching skills to be a bonifide major leaguer. But durring our conversation about how his spring was coming along he told me is one of 5 in his family, all boys and that his 16 year old brother is the best baseball prospect of all, even better than Wilson himself.  I hope the Twins have a bead on the younger Ramos and get a chance to sign him when he becomes eligible.  To early to tell on who is ahead in the battle between Ramos and Butera, but I am sure it will sort out as the spring progresses.

So what is the deal, does anyone know his name, what his position is, how highly regarded he is or anything? I was just curios.  Thanks.

per shooter, aka charley walters (

Max Kepler, the Twins' $800,000, 16-year-old hitting prospect from Berlin, returns from a holiday break in Germany to resume workouts Thursday at the club's Fort Myers, Fla., complex.

Another 16-year-old Twins prospect, $3.1 million infielder Miguel Sano, will play next season in the Dominican Republic summer league. 

You would think if you paid a guy 3 mill + you would want him at the florida complex, training him daily and such.  Who knows if this is true though.

If you have any insight please feel free to add it to this thread. 

I was wondering if you had an official list of players Twins signed in the International signing period.    I know of Sano 3.15 mill, Kepler 800 k roughly, and Jorge Polanco 750 k.  I know we signed some kid named Jonatan Yonojoso or something like that, another SS.  Do you know how much we paid him, and if we signed anyone else.

Also, do you think Kepler, Sano, and Polanco will all start in the GCL?  Those kids are awfully young, I remember reading Polanco was still 15, as of July 1st, had to wait to sign.   Do you think they will start Polanco in the DSL or bring him over to Florida, 750 k is quite an investment, I have the feeling they may bring him over?  Also do you have his Height/weight I can't seem to find it.

Any insight is appreciated.

1.) Aaron Hicks- 2008 1st round pick out of Highschool.  He's a very toolsy kid, plays a premium position CF and plays it well, with a well above average arm, and a good approach at the plate.

2.) Miguel Angel Sano- Recent Latin signee, out of the DR.   He's 16 or 17 years of age, and probably projects as a 3rd basemen or corner outfielder.  He's drawn some lofty comparisons but again, he's so far away from the bigs.

Would u rather have Hicks, who is a bit more proven/polished with a huge upside in his own right or take a gamble on Sano?

1. Jared Mitchell- 1st round pick 2009 by the White sox.  He has speed for days, looks to be a top of the order type hitter.  Pretty good outfielder, can play the CF or corner spots. 

2. Aaron Hicks- A little bit younger than Mitchell.  He may have more "tools" better arm and probably more projection as a hitter, but not quite the speed of a Mitchell.

Which player do you build around if you can pick 1.

Thanks!

As of right now he's at .431 and will soon qualify for enough at bats to be league leader in batting average.   This guy has one of the purest swings, and best plate approaches I've ever seen at the professional level.  He simply will not take many bad pitches, he makes the pitcher work. 

Also his ability to go opposite field is just amazing, and now that he's put on the "man muscles" those long fly ball outs are leaving the park, going slightly over the left field wall.

I for one think he will fall short, for a few factors, as the season wears on, especially for catchers there is more wear and tear on the body, and temperatures get hotter and so forth.  I realistically think he can hit around .365 though.  What are your thoughts, is it possible or a pipe dream?

So the draft is only a few weeks away now, and the twins have the #22 pick in the 1st round and the 46th pick in the supplemntal round for Fatty Reyes.

It's silly to guess what the twins will do in the draft, because they almost always surprise us, and pick someone you wouldn't expect.

I think we should stay away from High School pitching early on at least.  Look at the track record.   ( baker, slowey, blackburn, perkins) 4 of our drafted starters all are college pitchers, who had good polish.  Guys like JD Durbin, Tyler Robertson, Jay Rainville and Kyle Waldrop all didn't work out so well.......  Anthony Swarzak is the one HS pitcher drafted recently who has a chip and a chair to be a pretty decent option as a future Twins SP.   We will have to see what this pitcher from Iowa does that we drafted last year, I forget his name, gave him 600k well oer slot.  But overall high school pitching just seems to risky, unless it's a porcello and we aren't goin to pay that kind of money if someone slips of that caliber.

Some players I would look at....

- Bobby Borchering - 6"4 3rd basemen out of HS, many say he's the best prep bat int he draft, a real masher, needs to work on D.  He'd be 3-4 years off at least.

- Max Stassi- A very polished young catcher. Yes i know it's not the biggest need, but by all accounts this kids a pure player, born to play baseball, with a good bat and very good behind the plate.  You never know if mauer will forsure stay and you don't know how ramos will pan out.  You can never have enough good catchers.

- Mychael Givens-  HS SS/Pitcher ...Something about him screams twins pick to me...  He's pretty toolsy and he can also throw mid 90's from the mound. 

- If we go college pitchers, maybe look at a guy like Mike Leake, james paxton, eric arnett, mike minor.

Also, I think the twins would be well served to grab a bullpen arm possibly with the 46th pick, if there is a good one out there, possibly a guy who would be ready later this year or next year to come in and get some outs from the pen.  There are some out there in this years draft,.

So you always take BPA of course, but Twins should definitley lean towards college pitching, middle infielders and im convinced you can never have enough catching.   Outfield/1st base in my opinion are positions we don't really need to address early, of course unless someone really jumps off the page.

I'll admit I don't know much about this stat, and it's impact on a pitchers performance.

Does anyone have any examples of pitchers in the history of MLB with threat GO/AO rates.? 

Are they usually sinkerball pitchers.?

Can a high GO/AO every be a bad thing?

I know Twins prospect Carlos Guttierrez has about a 5+ ratio of Ground balls to fly outs.  I'm not sure if that's good or bad....

Basically I'm just asking if GO/AO is a stat people put much value on, or is strike outs much more important, or how do you view it.

I remember this generating a lot of posts last year, and early this year.  They are similar pitchers who rely on control, and both had good minor league numbers.

Andy Sonnanstine  (13-7)

IP 175

197 hits allowed, 30 bb, 108 k's

4.47 era, 1.3 whip, .285 opponent batting average

Kevin Slowey  (12-9)

IP 146 ( missed a little time with injury)

140 hits allowed, 19 bb, 111 k's

3.63 era, 1.09 whip, .250 opponent batting average

It's safe to say that Sloweys numbers across the board in every category except wins have been better, and wins are usually team based.  This is not meant to rip Andy Sonnanstine, as I think he's a quality pitcher, and the Drays have had a better year than the twins.  I just think Slowey has clearly put himself in a better class than Sonnanstine.  His K ratio is marketably better, as is his hits per inning.

I think slowey is making a case for a #2 type SP in the AL, while Andy Sonnanstine projects more as a #4.

He was a third round draft pick by Minnesota in 2007, he is from Puerto Rico.  He's a speedy CF who is 6"1 about 180.  Before the draft most the publications said he lacked power.

Angel who is only 18 years of age, in the Appy League, one of the younger guys in the league now leads the league in Home runs with 15, after hitting 4 Homers in his past 3 games, including 2 tonight.   He has had some problems with strikeouts but still maintains a .420 on base % and .330 average.

The twins must be thrilled with this pick so far, if he can clean up his strikeouts a bit he looks to have unlimited potential as 5 tool prospect.

Twins depth in CF is pretty nice in the minors ( ben revere, angel morales, aaron hicks) all in the lower levels.  Watch out Carlos Gomez.....

and yes i know it will look nothing like Johns.

1.) Ben Revere - Hitting roughly .400, very good contact hitter good speed, future lead off.

2.) Shooter Hunt- Yes I know we just drafted him, but I see him being the next big Twins pitcher. I loved him before the draft, and was stoked to see us land him. He hasn't let me down at all with his hot start.

3.) Aaron Hicks- This pick is based more on potential. He's a terror on the bases, he has some pop and is considered by all to be a 5 tool talent. With a unlimited upside. He's doing well in GCL ball.

4.) Michael Mccardell- Big tall, righty who is with Beloit. I got the chance to see him live this year and he just dominated. A solid fast ball, with devestating off speed stuff. I'm telling you this kid is one to keep your eye on.

5.) Anthony Slama- He has been virtually unhittable as the closer for Fort Myers. Baseballamerica rated him top closer recently in minors so far this year. His stat line is just silly.

6.) Luke Hughes- He really has emerged as a prospect this year. He hit a big homer at the all star game for AA tonight, and has really come on this year. Twins will give a look next year i'd imagine. We could use an Aussie!

7.) Tyler Robertson- He's currently injured but this kids really good. He is repeating the success he had last year, with another big season. He is tall, and a lefty and projectable. We could see him in 2010 or 2011.

8.) Carlos Gutierrez- Twins just drafted this kid out of Miami where he had a excellent career. He could either be a future RP or a SP. He throws 93-94 with great sink. He could be fast paced to the bigs

9.) Jonathan Waltenbury- Big Canadian 1st basemen....hmmm we've done okay with those! This kid can hit too, he's hitting around .350 in Appy ball and showing some doubles/HR power. Twins brass is said to be very high on this kid as a hitter also. Possibly a future DH as well.

10.) Dan Valencia- I've always been high on this kid. 3rd basemen who tore up FSL this year and is holding his own in New Britain, he's got pretty hot as of late. I think he could push for a position next year possibly.

11. ) Kevin Mulvey- . I see him as a back of the rotation starter, who can give you innings. We all know he came over in the Johan trade. He's not exactly dominating AAA, but he's doing okay.

12.) Angel Morales- We drafted him the other year out of Puerto Rico I believe it was. He's another one who plays CF but probably projects more to LF. He is in the Appy league this year, and surprisingly is showing major pop with 6 Hr's already and a great batting average. He needs to cut down on his K's a bit, but looks promising forsure.

13. ) Trevor Plouffe- This kid is still young. Former first round draft pick back in 2004 I believe it was. He's now in AAA and holding his own. I think he will have a legit chance at some point next year to make the twins. He's not exceptional at anything, but very solid in most aspects of the game. I think he'll have a long MLB career, maybe with many teams, but he'll play ball somewhere.

14.) Wilson Ramos- He plays catcher for the Miracle. He is great defensively. He needs some work at the dish, his average is only around .250 but he does have some pop with 8 homers or so. I can see him making a future great back up catcher with Mauer of course the main guy. It would be nice to keep the great defensive catcher tandems going.

15.) Deolis guerra- Another SP we got in the trade for Johan. He is currently in Fort Myers, with the miracle. He's having a solid year, but not spectacular. He's been inconsisent. Shows lots of flashes. People need to remember he was born in 1989, so he's a very young kid still. I think he could pan out, he may not be the ace some thought, but should be a MLB pitcher.

16. ) Chris Parmelee- This kid really needs to get going. He does show lots of pop, but K's too much. He has around 15 hr's this year in Beloit. He could be a future DH type, but by no means is he going to have a career at 1st base where he currently plays. I still hold out hope for him, but he needs to fire it up soon.

17.) Jeff Manship- Had a pretty good year at High A ball, with the Miracle, however is struggling a bit in AA, but that's too be expected. I think he'll turn it around.

18.) Michael Gonzalez- Big 6"6 Juco kid drafted this year, from California area. He's only hitting .450 + with the GCL team. He's one to watch!

19.) Bradley Tippet- Starting pitcher for the Appy team. Has some pretty dominant numbers so far this year, and twins brass I've heard likes him a lot as well.

20.) diebenson romero. 3rd basemen from Beloit. Has a pret

his last 2 starts he has shown signs of dominance.

Last start he went 7 innings, 3 hits, 9 k's with a walk, 0 runs

Today he went 6 innings, 3 hits, 7k's, 0 runs

This would be big for the Twins down the stretch if his arm is indeed ready.  They could trade that slug Livan Hernandez who is on pace to give up like 280 hits this year.  Yeah I know his record looks okay, he's just lucky he's got some pretty good run support.

Baker, slowey, blackburn, liriano, perkins could be pretty good.  Lets hope Liriano has no setbacks this time!!!!

Hit a homer, then a triple, then double then single....did it backwards.

It's safe to say this kid is a keeper and minnesota fans are liking the trade more and more. 

He's fun to watch, last twins player to hit for the cycle since the deceased Kirby Puckett. I think he can become a 20 homer guy who hits around .300 and also scores 100 runs with 60 + sb's a year.  He's going to have his ups and downs of course, but in his prime he could be a special talent.

Congrats Carlos

I was researching the Snappers pitching staff a bit and was a little blown away with how tall on average their pitchers were.

Can anyone find me a staff of pitchers ( beloits 14 pitchers ) that were as a group taller in the majors or minors.

1.) Loek Van Mil - 7"1

2) Mike Tarsi - 6"8

3.) Dan Berlind- 6"7

4.) Henry Reyes- 6"7

5.-8 David Bromberg/Brian Kirwan, steven hirschfield/mike mccarddell - 6"5

9 ) 6"3

10-13 - 4 guys at 6"2

14) 6"1

Sorry if this is a dumb post, but this looks like a freaking basketball roster to me.

Kevin slowey
Kevin mulvey
Anthony swarzak
Nick Blackburn
Scott Baker ( i know he's more then a spect )
Phil Humber

I rate Tyler robertson and Deolis guerrera at the top of the pack as far as potential goes.

Also, what kind of pitcher is Kevin Mulvey? Can any mets fans add something here? Is he a "smart" pitcher like Slowey, who doesn't have unreal stuff but can get batters out.  Does he have a out pitch or what.

I know about Deolis, he's young, projectable great fastball and change up, but wayyyyy off.  I'm trying to get a feel on Mulvey..

it clearly seems the writing is on the wall and he will be dealt fairly soon.

Is it the Yankees, they got some pieces with young talent like Cano, Hughes, Joba, Kennedy and the twins could even use a guy like Melky....

Is it the Boston Red Sox....Pair Johan with Beckett and whoever else and they will go on a patriots type run.  Boston has some young talent in Ellsbury, bucholz, bowden, and a few others of course.

Is it the Dodgers?  Torre I'm sure would love to have this guy, and they must counter the Angels big spending, to keep the fans.  Johan would be a great fit.  Dodgers have a ton of young pieces...  Kemp, Looney, kershaw, billingsley....

What is your vote...

first off I'm a huge twins fan, and I'll miss Hunter ( at least the contract year torii ) dohhhh

But wow, 18 mill a year for Hunter, ummmmm yeahhhh......thats absurd.

I'm glad he signed with angels and not chisox or texas...better draft pick compensation!

Goodby mr. Hunter

filler filler filler

in 2010, the year of the new ballpark.

C- Joe Mauer
1- Justin morneau
2nd- Alexi Casilla
SS- Trevor Plouffe
3rd- Deibenson Romero or valencia RF- Michael Cuddyer
CF- Ben Revere
LF- Chris Parmeele
DH- Ozzie Lewis/Rene Leveret Utility man- Brian Dinkleman

SP's
1.) Johan Santana - lefty (ace of aces)
2.) Franky Liriano  -lefty ( pure ace if healthy)
3.) Matty Garza - #1 type stuff, good #2
4.) Anthony Swarzak  - Doing well in AA
5.) Tyler Robertson -lefty  loads of upside/doing well in Beloit

Bullpen

Cl- Pat Neshek
#1 set up- Eduardo Morlan
**lefty reliever- Glen Perkins

and a million other pitchers i could list for SP and RP candidates will go unmentioned.

The bulk of the money in this lineup will go to santana/morneau/mauer is locked up through 2010, neshek could be well paid, and possibly garza and liriano although they got some time left, cuddy will do alright also.

I think Nathan will be dealt and Hunter will be either signed and traded in the coming years, or leave in FA.  

Pitchers like Silva, baker, bonser, slowey...all have value so there might be some solid return if they decide to move those players.

This kid puts up era's in the 1's at every level so far....

He's somewhat similar to slowey in that he doesn't throw mid 90's ...sits around 89-90 but has great control and just gets batters out.

His career statistics throughout the minor leagues are amazing.

I'd say a promotion to AA ball is coming soon in his future, he has mastered the High A level.  Time for a bigger challenge for Mr. PIno. Last 3 starts 7 innings no runs 8 innings no runs 7 innings no runs.... Kids on a serious roll

6"2 225 lb kid out from st. marten I believe.  I've heard this kid had some ability and power but wow...

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Leveret%2520%25201B&pos=&sid=milb& amp;t=p_pbp&pid=470481

25 at bats, 15 rbi's lol?

Twins appy league team is just killing the ball, averaging over 10 runs per game as they are 6-0.  It's a long ways off from the show, but maybe this kid can be their long awaited DH of the future, whaddya say!!!

hey we did it for timmy right!!!

ok i'll start off...

7 innings
6 hits
2 ER's
0 walks
4 k's

Lets hear yours.  I don't think he will be too rattled in all being his first major league start.  Seems like a very poised kid who wont be too nervous , might even help being in a road setting.

filler filler filler filler filler

And will start on Friday.  Ramon Ortiz will move to the bullpen.

Slowey has had a dominant minor league career with pinpoint accuracy and a 91-92mph fastball.  It will be interesting to see if he can carry this over to the major leagues and become a good MLB starter.  

I think he's gonna be legit, but we shall find out.

After giving up 2 runs...

Looks like he hurt his arm on the mound, hopefully its nothing serious, maybe just a strain or something, lets hope its not liriano part 2.  His command was horrible tonight and he couldn't locate at all.

Of course he was still throwing 98mph.  Twins odds of winning this game, just got a lot better.

too bad for m's fans and felix.

Brandon Erbe- Big boy from the Orioles.

or...

Will Inman - Brewers

Both of these guys have displayed great stuff at the minor league levels, albeit a lower level.  Do you think they can become good MLB pitchers, and which one do you like more and why?

Ceilings?

Inmans numbers look particularly dominant, is he on the fast track such as say, Gallardo, or is he not that caliber of prospect?

Best

Top 5

Top 10...

This is the best I can ever remember as a twins fan

#3.  Joe Mauer- Batting champ, doubles machine, with developing power,  .330+ hitter.

#4.  Michael Cuddyer- 100 Rbi's + last year, lots of runs, good homers/doubles.  .280+ average guy

#5.  Justin Morneau- MVP of league, .320 + average 120 rbi every year potential with 40 hr ability.

Could it be the best 3/4/5 in baseball this year?  Or tell me what teams you see having better ones.

Thanks!

A) Come back to his form of his rookie season, be unreal, possibly even add velocity to his heater and be a cy caliber player.

B) Be a solid, #2 type pitcher, with a ERA around 4.00, around a K per inning.  

C) Be Horrendous and get laughed off the mound.

D) Will get re-injured

E) Other-explain.

Twins:

1. Matt Garza-SP  
   
2. Kevin Slowey-SP
   
3. Glen perkins- SP
   
4. Alexi Casilla- 2nd Base
   
5. Anthony Swarzak - SP
   
6. Chris Parmelee- OF
   
7. Eduardo Morlan- SP
   
8. David Winfree- 3rd base
   
9. Alexander Smit- SP
   
10. Erik Lis- 1st base