SB Nation User Blog: roger13

Organization Review (Center fielders)

roger13 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:10:07 -0000

Although the top prospect in the organization probably is a catcher and the best power prospect a first baseman/corner outfielder, center field is clearly the top position in the organization. Not only are the following Top Ten the strongest group of any position, the organization has two very good players capable of playing center field who were included with the corner outfielders...Joe Benson and Rene Tosoni.

The tenth ranked center fielder is a young man taken on the thirty-third round of this year's draft, Nick Freitas. Freitas is a college selection who began his career with the GCL Twins where he hit a respectable .246/.336/.347 in 118 at bats. Freitas, who stole 6 bases in 6 attempts, is my 70th ranked player.

Ranked ninth is Herbert Lara. Lara moved up 15 spots in this year's ranking to 57th following a season at Elizabethton where he hit .218/.288/.240 in 147 at bats following his rookie season in 2008 with the GCL Twins where he hit .281/.329/.349 in 146 at bats.

The eighth ranked center fielder is a young man who shared playing time with Lara, Jonathan Goncalves. Goncalves also moved up from the GCL Twins where he hit .261/.385/.330 in 88 at bats to rank #68 in 2008. This season, Goncalves hit .256/.303/.366 in 172 at bats to move up 12 spots to #56.

The seventh ranked center fielder was this year's DSL Twins lone position player who was an all-star. Romy Trinidad would have been my 52nd ranked player had I included DSL players in the ranking. Trinidad hit .312/.443/.363 in 157 at bats with 1 home run and 15 stolen bases in 20 attempts. Trinidad, who turned 18 shortly before the DSL season began, should move up to the GCL next spring.

The top hitter early this season for the GCL Twins was Wang-Wei Lin who was hitting .364/.432/.545 in 33 at bats when he went down with a season ending injury. After getting only 10 at bats in 2008, Lin's work to improve appeared to have paid dividends when his season came to a sudden end. Lin had 3 doubles and a home run amongst his 12 hits with 2 stolen bases. Lin was my sixth ranked centerfielder and ranked 32nd overall based on only 33 at bats.

The fifth ranked center fielder is a young player many consider to have the highest ceiling of any player in the organization. Aaron Hicks, who was the Twins first round pick in 2008, went on to to hit .318/.409/.491 in 173 GCL at bats. Hicks had 10 doubles, 4 triples, 4 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts to rank as my 25th best player with Baseball America ranking him as the Top Prospect in the GCL. Baseball America again ranked him as the Top Prospect in the MidWest League this year following a season that began in EST before hitting .251/.353/.382 in 251 at bats at Beloit. Hicks, who is a disciplined hitter with 40 walks and 55 strikeouts, had 15 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 18 attempts for the Snappers. A 5-tool player most believe can become a superstar, Hicks moved up one spot in my ranking to #24.

Fourth ranked is a player the Twins received from Cincinnati in a trade a few years ago for Juan Castro. Brandon Roberts hit .316/.370/.396 with 27 steals (stole 50 bases for the entire season) in 71 games following his 2006 all-star break trade. The following year he moved up to AA where he hit .293/.355/.374 in 389 at bats with only 14 steals in 21 attempts. In 2008 Roberts returned to New Britain where he was my 50th ranked player mostly because he missed much of the season with an injury which limited him to only 95 at bats, hitting .200/.269/.253. Roberts was healthy for most of 2009 and responded by hitting .287/.352/.365 in 397 at bats with 21 steals in 28 attempts to be ranked as my 22nd best player. If he is with the Twins next year, Roberts should move up to Rochester where he will be one plane ride away from making his major league debut.

Third ranked is a center fielder some believe has a higher ceiling than Hicks, Angel Morales. Although Morales was drafted in the third round a year earlier out of Puerto Rico, he is about two months younger than Hicks and won't turn 20 until later this month. Morales opened eyes with his phenominal season at Elizabethton in 2008 where he hit .301/.413/.623 in 183 at bats with 12 doubles, 1 triple, a league high 15 home runs and 28 RBI. Morales also stole 7 bases in 9 attempts to rank as my 19th best player. This season began very slowly for Morales at Beloit, yet he made the necessary adjustments and played like the star many believe he will become during the second half. Morales, who played through an injury during much of June, finished his first full-season hitting .266/.329/.455 in 376 at bats with 22 doubles, 5 triples, a team high 13 home runs and 62 RBI with 19 stolen bases in 25 attempts. The only knock against Morales are his struggles to hit some breaking balls and that he strikes out to often. He did make progress this season, however, with 104 strikeouts (27.7%) against better pitching versus a 39.3% strike out rate last year in the Appy League. People who have seen him play comment that the ball explodes off his bat and that Morales could become a superstar at the major league level. Morales was my 20th ranked player this season, however, played as well as anyone in the organization post all-star break. I look for him to blossom as a star next year in the FSL by reducing his strikeout rate to around 20%, hit 20 home runs with an average approaching .300. He should move up to AA as a 21 year old the following year and don't be surprised if you see him called up in September, 2011.

The second ranked center fielder and my 18th ranked player this year is Jason Pridie. Pridie, who was part of the Bartlett/Garza/Young trade, has been up with the Twins several times and certainly is in the mix to battle for the fifth outfield spot on the roster next spring. Pridie was my 15th ranked player in 2008 when he hit .270/.305/.435 in 559 at bats at Rochester with 21 doubles, a league best 16 triples, 13 home runs and 61 RBI. Pridie also stole 25 bases in 34 attempts and was named the International League's best defensive outfielder. Like the entire Red Wing team, Pridie's production dropped off this year. In 513 at bats he hit .265/.295/.382 with 23 doubles, 5 triples, 9 home runs, 53 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 32 attempts. After making his first appearance with the Twins in 2008, Pridie didn't appear in any games for the Twins during this season and wasn't a September callup. Whether or not that is an indication of what Twins plans are for him in 2010 isn't known, however, he appears to be a candidate to claim that last roster spot.

The top ranked center fielder and my #1 ranked player this year has taken almost as much criticism since being drafted as the Twins current center fielder. A common reaction to his selection in the first round was that many believed he should have been a second or third round pick and the Twins were being cheap when they drafted Ben Revere. He doesn't play good defense and doesn't hit for power are other common criticisms. Even though Revere hit .325/.388/.481 in 191 at bats in his rookie season with the GCL Twins the criticism continued. Last year Revere remained in EST to work on his defense before moving up to Beloit. And if he hadn't been injured in late July, wouldn't it have been fun for Beloit fans to watch him try to become the first minor league player in a long time to flirt with a .400 Average? Unfortunately, his leg injury limited his play until the Twins eventually shut him down with minor knee surgery. He didn't have enough at bats to qualify for the league batting championship which he would have easily won at .379/.433/.497 in 340 at bats with 17 doubles, 10 triples, 51 runs scored and 44 stolen bases in 57 attempts to rank #12 in my post season ranking.

Some still weren't believers. What would it take for Revere to earn their respect in the pitcher friendly FSL? After missing the FSL batting championship by two points.....Revere has impressed me and should have quieted many of his critics. Reports that I have read indicate that Revere has made progress in his defensive game. At the plate, he hit .311/.372/.369 in 466 at bats with the league's most hits (145), third most runs scored (75), third most steals (45 in 62 attempts) and fourth best OBP (.372). Revere, who took more walks (40) than strikeouts (34), still has some aspects of his game that needs work, however, I believe my top ranked player in 2009 is a special player who will be an exciting addition to the Twins beginning sometime in 2011.

Ben Revere, Angel Morales, Aaron Hicks, Joe Benson and Rene Tosoni are all solid or better center fielders. Perhaps the biggest problem the Twins will have in a couple years is deciding which has the highest upside as they certainly won't be able to keep all five in the organization.....or can they?

Minor League Report...November 7, 2009

roger13 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:35:30 -0000

A couple items of note this week include the Twins outrighting Brian Buscher to Rochester. This cleared a 40-man roster spot before the five free agents are removed in the next week. Why this was done at this time remains a mystery? My best guess is that the Twins were in discussion on some deal from which they may have needed an open spot on their roster. It turned out to not be the case with the J.J. Hardy deal. Maybe during the Hardy discussions there were other players under consideration or there could have been another deal (perhaps Tampa) being discussed that would have required an extra roster spot.

On a more serious note, Seth Stohs reported yesterday that Wilson Ramos injured his knee in Thursday's game in Venezuela. I had noted when reviewing the boxscore that he was removed from the game in the bottom of the fourth inning after drawing a walk. He finished the game with a 1-1 night, a walk, double and 2 runs scored. So whatever the injury was either happened on a play at the plate or he ran the bases, scored and then was removed. I believe that Ramos is a Top 10 prospect and I don't mean in the Twins organization, rather, in all of baseball. He was hitting better than anyone in the VWL (.403/.460/.766 with a league high 6 home runs and 23 RBI in 77 at bats) and getting him healthy for spring training is the most important concern the Twins have this winter....well, maybe second most important behind signing another catcher to a contract extension!

They say when you go to an Arizona Fall League game it is like going to a minor league all-star game. That makes today's AFL Rising Stars Showcase a special day for prospect junkies and scouts. This year's Number 1 overall pick, Stephen Strasburg, has been scratched from appearing in this game because of a strained arm. Strasburg has a 3-1 record in four starts with a 5.28ERA, 15.1 innings and 17K/5BB. The lone Twins representative in this game will be outfielder Rene Tosoni.

Mesa was 4-2 this week to improve their record to 9-12 and move into a tie for second place, 3.5 games out of first in their three team division. Rene Tosoni was 4-18 and is now hitting .254/.338/.390 in 59 at bats. Chris Parmalee was 2-12 this week, yet continues to lead the Solar Sox with 3 home runs and 16 RBI in 53 at bats. Steve Singleton was 4-11 and is hitting .300/.302/.440 in 50 at bats. Steve Hirschfield had his best outing of the fall in last night's 11-1 win, allowing 1 hit in 3.0 shutout innings with 2K/0BB. Hirschfield lowered his ERA to 11.17 with 11K/3BB. It will take all fall to get his ERA down to a good number after giving up 6 earned runs in 0.1 inning on October 20th. Spencer Steedley pitched 2 shutout innings to lower his ERA to 5.00 in 8 games, 9.0 innings with 6K/12BB. Alex Burnett has appeared in 7 games with 6.2 innings, 6K/7BB and 4.05ERA. Michael McCardell has pitched 8.2 innings with a 7.27ERA and 11K/5BB.

Armando Gabino made his first appearance this week for Aguilas in the DWL, pitching 0.2 inning with 1 strikeout. Estarlin De Los Santos didn't play a lot last year for Gigante and didn't get a lot of hits when he did. This is not unusual for a young player in a veteran winter league like the DWL. Although most of the major league players haven't arrived De Los Santos is playing regularly early this year, hitting .277/.320/.319 with a 2-7 week in 2 games this week.

Juan Morillo did not appear in any of Toros games this week, however, Jose Lugo appeared in two. Lugo has been one of his teams better relievers having appeared in 8 games, 8.0 innings with a 2-1 record, 3.38ERA and 7K/3BB. Over in Venezuela, Winston Marquez did not make any appearances this week.

Aragua improved their record to 9-14, moving into a fifth place tie 8.5 games out of first. Frank Mata has been one of their better relievers with a 2-1 record in 10 games, 16.1 innings with 10K/5BB. Mata's 3.31ERA is the best on the staff of any pitchers with over 4 innings of work. Justin Huber hit his second and third home runs with 5 RBI last night in the Tigres 9-6 win. Hopefully Huber, who is hitting .300/.400/.517 in 60 at bats with 14 RBI, will be back with the Twins next season.

With Carlos Gomez gone it will be interesting to see who will be the Twins extra outfielder next spring. Many assume it will be Jason Pridie but Dustin Martin may have something to say about that. After an excellent spring training last year Martin had what must be considered a disappointing season at Rochester. Any chance he has to earn that spot next spring begins with his performance this winter in Venezuela. After a slow first week or so, Martin has raised his average to .293/.400/.467 with 3 home runs and 16 RBI in 75 at bats. With all the top center fielders in the organization at least a couple years from being ready to help the Twins, Martin may be an option to fill a reserve spot next spring.

Organization Review (Corner Outfielders)

roger13 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:40:26 -0000

With all the positions reviewed to date, there aren't many more than ten players in the organization playing at each position. Doing the corner outfielders together means that the top ten will include more prospects that have a legitimate chance of someday playing with the Twins. As with all the previous reviews this isn't meant to be a prospect ranking, rather, it is a ranking of the top ten corner outfielders based on their play this past season.

The Tenth ranked corner outfielder is a former first round pick, Matt Moses. Since being the 21st overall pick in 2003, Matt moved through the system the first few years at a pace expected of a first round selection. His best year was 2005 when he hit .306/.376/.453 with 7 home runs in 265 at bats for the Ft. Myers Miracle. That excellent start earned Moses a promotion to New Britain where he hit .210/.275/.366 in 186 at bats. With the exception of a brief move up to Rochester in 2007 when he hit .224 Average in 174 at bats, Matt has been in New Britain for the past four plus years. This season Moses hit .224/.274/.353 in 255 at bats to be the 47th ranked player in the organization after ranking 45th in 2008. Moses is again a six year minor league free agent and with several outfielders moving up from Ft. Myers, it is unlikely that he will return to the Twins next year.

The ninth ranked outfielder has a name Twins fans are very familiar with, Steve Liddle. Steve was the Twins 15th round selection in this year's draft out of Vanderbilt University. The nephew of the Twins bench coach with the same name, Liddle was the Elizabethton Twins leading hitter following his signing the last month of their season at .360/.441/.520 in 50 at bats with 2 home runs. Liddle's excellent short season earned him my #38 ranking in his first year of professional ball.

The eighth ranked outfielder is a young man who attended college in Mankato, Mark Dolenc. Dolenc, who was the Twins 15th round selection in 2006, began his career in the GCL with promotions of one level each year. Last season Dolenc hit .260/.338/.347 in 389 at bats for Beloit to rank as my 46th best position player. This season Mark moved up another level to Ft. Myers where he had his best season, hitting .288/.332/.394 in 386 at bats with 27 stolen bases in 33 attempts. Dolenc, who moved up 12 spots in this year's ranking to #34, should move up another level next year to New Britain and if he again shows improvement he is someone the Twins will begin to consider as a player who just might join the major league club some time a few years in the future.

The seventh best corner outfielder is a young man who was with the DSL Twins in 2008, Oswaldo Arcia. Arcia was one of the top two hitters for the DSL Twins last year, hitting .293/.343/.432 in 229 at bats. This season Arcia came to the U.S. in late March and went on to be one of the GCL top hitters. Arcia hit .275/.337/.455 in 167 at bats with a team best 11 doubles and 5 home runs which also tied for ninth best in the league. This young man, who turned 18 this past May, ranked as my 30th best player and is another name we will hear a lot of over the next few years when talking about all the top outfield prospects in the organization.

The sixth best corner outfielder was the Twins tenth round pick in 2008 out of Dallas Baptist University, Evan Bigley. Bigley had an excellent rookie season at Elizabethton where he hit .300/.360/.587 in 213 at bats with a league second best 14 home runs and 47 RBI. That perofrmance for the championship Elizabethton Twins earned Bigley my 28th ranking. This season Bigley moved up a level to Beloit where he hit .307/.340/.446 in 101 at bats, earning a mid-season promotion to Ft. Myers. Bigley continued to hit very well for the Miracle, .280/.336/.405 in 328 at bats to move up a spot to #29 this year. Look for Bigley to return to Ft. Myers next spring, however, any improvement should earn him another mid-season promotion to AA.

The fifth best outfielder is a young man the Twins obtained from the Mets in the Luis Castillo trade, Dustin Martin. Martin had an excellent season in 2008 at New Britain, hitting .290/.355/.447 in 510 at bats with 34 doubles, 8 triples, 10 home runs, 72 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 33 attempts. Martin went on to play for the AFL champion Phoenix Desert Dogs where he hit .314/.397/.449 in 118 at bats. Martin's excellent 2008 was rewarded by the Twins with an invitation to join them in spring training. Martin had an excellent spring with the Twins, yet, didn't have the season many expected with Rochester where he hit .254/.319/.351 in 422 at bats. Martin, who did have a team high 26 stolen bases in 34 attempts, finished his season as my 25th ranked player after being ranked 12th best last year. Martin is playing winter ball with the Aragua Tigres in the VWL, where he is off to an excellent start at .311/.419/.525 in 61 at bats.

Ranking fourth best is the Twins second round pick in 2006, Joe Benson. A young man who could also be a center fielder, Benson was a highly recruited running back out of Joliet Catholic with all indications that he would now be at Purdue if he hadn't signed with the Twins. Benson hadn't played a lot of baseball when drafted and has always been considered a "raw" prospect who many believe has the physical ability to develop into a "five tool" player. After solid but unspectacular seasons at Beloit in 2007 and 2008, some were surprised that the Twins promoted Benson to Ft. Myers this year. Last season Benson missed nearly half of his season at Beloit with a back injury after hitting .248/.326/.382 in 254 at bats with 16 doubles and 17 stolen bases in 28 attempts to rank as my 48th player. Benson was off to a tremendous start this season when he broke his hand hitting the dugout following an at bat in a game that he already had multi hits. Even though Benson missed about two months, he finished his season hitting .285/.414/.403 in 263 at bats with 5 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 21 attempts. Benson took a big step forward this years towards becomming the type of player the Twins have always believed he could be. Moving up 25 spots in this year's ranking to #23, I look for Benson to move up to New Britain next year where he will continue his development so that he is ready to join the Twins sometime in 2011.

The third best outfielder is a young man who was also very raw when drafted by the Twins in the 15th round of the 2004 draft (what is it about drafting outfielders in the 15th round?). Juan Portes was selected out of a Boston area high school as a middle infielder. He played a lot of second and third base, however, with questions about his defense he moved to the outfield in 2008 at Ft. Myers. After hitting .327 Average for the GCL Twins in 2004, Portes had several solid seasons at Elizabethton, Beloit and Ft. Myers in 2005-2007. Portes repeated at Ft. Myers in 2008 where he hit .270/.319/.395 in 456 at bats with 21 doubles, 12 home runs and 54 RBI, finishing as my 29th ranked player. Portes was promoted to New Britain this year and rewarded the Twins by being the Rock Cats second best hitter. Portes hit .297/.366/.434 in 327 at bats with 21 doubles, 3 triples, 6 home runs and 7 stolen bases in 10 attempts...moving up 10 spots to #19 this year. Portes, who is playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic this winter with Aguilas, has played six years in the minor leagues and will be a free agent. Although it is unlikely that Portes will be added to the 40-man roster, it is likely that the Twins will be interested in bringing him back for another season.

The second best corner outfielder is a young man who has also been an outfielder for only the past two seasons. David Winfree was drafted as a third baseman in the 13th round of the 2003 draft. Winfree had several lows in his Twins career including a period in 2006 when he left the team for personal reasons with the high being named the Twins Minor League Player of the year in 2005 when he hit .294 Average at Beloit with 16 home runs and an organization high 101 RBI. Winfree moved to right field in 2008 at New Britain where he hit .252/.319/.450 in 453 at bats with 27 doubles, 19 home runs and 87 RBI. Winfree was invited to spring training this year where he played very well. Winfree was promoted to Rochester this year where he was one of the best players on a team that had a disappointing season. Winfree hit .273/.317/.460 in 422 at bats with a team high 31 doubles, 14 home runs and 61 RBI. After finishing 2008 as my 13th ranked player, Winfree's excellent season at Rochester moved him up five spots to #8. Winfree is another player that likely is on the bubble of those being considered for the 40-man roster. Will he be gone if not added is the question? If not, look for Winfree to return to Rochester next season with a callup to the Twins likely when a powerful right handed bat is needed.

The top ranked corner outfielder is a young man who has played a lot of baseball this year, Rene Tosoni. This young Canadian began his season in New Britain following a year at Ft. Myers where he was the Miracle's leading hitter when he broke his foot and missed nearly two-thirds of the season. Even though Tosoni had played less than half a season of baseball beyond Elizabethton (2007), Tosoni's promotion from a Twins organization that does not rush players tells us a lot about what they think of his abilities. Their evaluation was confirmed when Tosoni was selected as the Twins lone representative in this summer's Futures All-Star game.

Tosoni, who turned 23 this July, hit .300/.408/.414 in 140 at bats for Ft. Myers in 2008 to rank as my 17th ranked player. Tosoni began this season at New Britain in a much publicized slump, yet, made the necessary adjustments to finish at .271/.360/.454 with 25 doubles, 4 triples, 15 home runs and 71 RBI in 425 at bats. Tosoni left the Rock Cats a few days before their play-offs to join Team Canada in the World Cup where he was one of his teams top hitters. Tosoni then joined the Mesa Solar Sox where he is now playing in the prestigious Arizona Fall League. Ranking as the #3 player this season, Rene Tosoni appears to be a prospect who will have an excellent career with the Minnesota Twins beginning some time after September, 2010.

Minor League Report...October 31, 2009

roger13 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:38:47 -0000

Good morning from beautiful South Carolina. Every week this time of year we find a few more Twins organization players reporting to their winter teams, although players who were with the Twins won't be reporting for several more weeks.

Following a few year's when the Twins representatives in the AFL played with the top team in the league, this year's version of the Mesa Solar Sox are struggling with a 5-10 record and find themselves in last place in their three team division. After a 0-10 start, Chris Parmalee is hitting .268/.360/.634 in 41 at bats while leading the Solar Sox with 3 home runs and 15 RBI. By comparison, Boston's Ryan Kalish (some may remember his name as one of several players talked about in the various Santana scenarios) is second on the team with 8 RBI. Rene Tosoni is hitting .268/.367/.439 while leading the team with 2 triples. After a hot start, Steven Singleton is hitting .282/.293/.436. Michael McCardell has made 3 starts (8.2 ip) with an ERA that shot up to 7.27 following his last outing when he gave up 5 earned runs. Spencer Steedley has struggled with his control in his first 6 games (6.0 ip) with 3K/10BB for a 6.00ERA. Alex Burnett appeared in 5 games (4.2ip) with a 5.79ERA and 4K/5BB. Steve Hirschfield, who was one of the top pitchers in the organization this year, has pitched 4.1 innings in 5 games with 7K/2BB and a 20.77ERA.

Wilson Ramos continues to hit like a man with a mission with last night's 2-4 game becomming the norm. Early this season, Ramos is 25-62 with 18 runs scored, 21 RBI, 6 doubles, a triple and 5 home runs. Ramos is responsible for 34 of Aragua's 109 runs. After a slow start Dustin Martin has been hitting much better of late at .264/.385/.453 in 53 at bats. Martin is second on the team with 14 RBI. Justin Huber is hitting .283/.377/.348 while Jonathan Goncalves is 2-11. Jason Jones has a 5.00ERA in 4 starts with 18.0 innings. Frank Mata has been great, with a 2-1 record and 3.18ERA in 7 games (11.1 innings). Oswaldo Sosa has a 5.40ERA in 1.2 innings while Edgar Ibarra did not appear in any games this week. After a terrible first week, Aragua has improved to 7-10 and moved up to sixth place in an eight team league.

Pedro Guerra (Ace of this year's DSL Twins) has been very good for Lara in the VWL, appearing in 5 games this week with 7 hits, 5 runs (2 earned) and 6K/5BB in 7 innings. Guerra has a 4.09ERA early this season. Winston Marquez had been outstanding for Lara until last night's start that they lost 11-1. Marquez gave up 6 hits and 4 runs in 5.0 innings to raise his ERA to 5.40 for the season. He has started 4 games with 12K/6BB in 21.0 innings.

Juan Portes has appeared in one game for Aguilas of the DWL. Estarlin De Los Santos is hitting .250/.314/.313 in 32 at bats for Gigantes of the DWL. Juan Morillo didn't make any appearances this week while Jose Lugo appeared in 2 games (2.2 innings) with 2 hits, 2 runs and 1K/1BB.

Will be travelling the next few days so it will be mid-week before I get back to the position reviews with the corner outfielders. Will also be completing my first ever Top 20 after I have completed all the position reviews.

Minor League Report...October 24, 2009

roger13 — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:58:14 -0000

Gonna be heading to the airport at 5am tomorrow, so will try to get something out this afternoon. As of now, we all are aware of the minor league manager changes announced this week. Tom Nieto fresh off his playoff season in New Britain is moving up to Rochester. Jeff Smith off two wonderful winning seasons in Ft. Myers moves up to New Britain with Jake Mauer moving across the parking lot from the GCL Twins to the Miracle. The managers in Elizabethton and Beloit appear to be staying put. No announcement that I have seen on who will take over the GCL Twins...but my best guess is that it will be local favorite Tommy Watkins (I have no knowledge that this will happen, merely a guess).

The defending Caribbean champion Aragua Tigres are off to a tough start after losing three of five this week for a 3-8 record. Wilson Ramos had hits in all five games with three 2-hit games and one 3-hit game. At 18-48, Ramos is now hitting .375/.434/.771 with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 14 runs scored and 15 RBI. He also has struck out 9 times with 4 walks. Justin Huber is hitting .357/.471/.429 in 28 at basts with 2 doubles and 4 RBI. Dustin Martin is hitting .182/.317/.273 in 33 at bats with a home run and 4 RBI. Pitcher Jason Jones has started three games with 13.1 innings and a 4.73ERA with 7K/2BB. Short reliever Frank Mata has a 2-0 record in 5 games, 8.1 innings with a 2.16ERA and 3K/4BB. Oswaldo Sosa, who is back from his nearly season long injury, has appeared in two games with 1.2 innings and a 5.40ERA. Edgar Ibarra has appeared in two games with 0.1 inning, 0.00ERA and 1K/0BB.

The Mesa Solar Dogs aren't doing much better in the AFL with a 3-6 record. Steve Singleton leads the Twins representatives, hitting .273/.273/.500 in 22 at bats with 2 doubles, a home run and 3 RBI. Rene Tosoni is hitting .238/.333/.571 in 21 at bats with 2 triples, a home run, 2 RBI and 4 runs scored. After going hitless in his first ten at bats, Chris Parmalee is hitting .190/.308/.429 in 21 at bats with 2 doubles, a home run and 3 RBI. Of the four Twins pitchers, only Michael McCardell is off to a good start with 5.0 innings and a 3.60ERA with 7K/4BB. Steve Hirschfield has appeared in 3 games (2.1ip) with a 27.00ERA and 5K/1BB. Alex Burnett has also appeared in 3 games (two were very good) with 2.2 innings and a 10.12ERA and 4K/5BB. Spencer Steedley has appeared in 4 games with 4.0 innings and a 6.75ERA and 2K/9BB. It is very early for the pitchers, but it is also a very short fall season.

Juan Morrillo has appeared in three games for Toros in the DWL, pitching 1.1 inning with a 0-1 record and 13.50ERA with 1K/1BB. Jose Lugo has also appeared in three games for the same team, pitching 3.1 innings with a 1-0 record, 2.70ERA and 3K/2BB. Estarlin De Los Santos is playing a lot of shortstop for Gigantes and is currently hitting .313Average in his first 16 at bats. Alexi Casilla is also on Gigantes roster (hasn't played as of yet) as is catcher, Alexander Soto. DSL Twins Ace Pedro Guerra is pitching for LaGuaira in the Venezuelan league, appearing in four games this week with 5.2 innings, 9 hits, 6 runs (4 earned) and 7K/3BB.

Is Wilson Ramos making a statement that he is ready to play for the Twins in 2010?

Organization Review (Third Base)

roger13 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:43:04 -0000

Tonight we will close out the infield with a look at the top ten third basemen in the organization. Like the middle infield spots, third base is another position of immediate need for the Twins. Is there someone in the organization who can be expected to fill that spot in 2010?

The tenth ranked third baseman in the organization is Juan Richardson. A native of the Dominican Republic, Richardson was signed as a 20 year old non-drafted free agent in the winter of 2007. Richardson, who also catches when needed, began his Twins career in the GCL where he hit .317/.364/.401 in 202 at bats. He spent most of 2008 at Elizabethton with a late season callup to Beloit where he hit .206/.268/.230 in 126 at bats to rank as my 89th player in 2008. Richardson spent much of this season on the DL, however, hit .271/.317/.288 in 59 at bats at Beloit before closing out his season by hitting .210/.231/.226 in 62 at bats for the Miracle. Although his play was limited, his solid start at Beloit moved Richardson up nine spots to #80 in this year's ranking.

The ninth ranked third baseman is a young man from Australia who didn't turn 18 until the end of July. Rory Rhodes began his professional career with the GCL Twins as a third baseman, however, at 6'7 there may be some question whether he remains at that position. In a year where everything was a first for this young man, he hit .198/.264/.272 in 116 at bats. The 74th ranked player in the organization will likely return to the GCL for a second season and it is also likely he will be a much improved player in 2010.

The eighth ranked third baseman is former Gopher, Nate Hanson. Hanson began his career with the Twins following the 2008 draft by hitting .215/.348/.344 in 93 at bats for the Elizabethton Twins to rank as my 86th ranked player. This season Nate moved up to Beloit where he showed considerable improvement, hitting .253/.322/.353 in 360 at bats to move up 32 spots to the #54 ranking.

A young man, who would have broken the top 50 had I included players from the DSL Twins, is Wander Guillen. Ranked as the seventh best third baseman in the organization, Guillen didn't begin play for the DSL Twins until shortly after the July 2nd International signing date. This young man didn't turn 17 until late August, yet, led the DSL Twins in Average (.336) while tying all-star Romy Trinidad for a team best .443 OBP. Guillen appeared in 31 games with 110 at bats while showing tremendous discipline for a young player by striking out only 23 times with 19 walks. By comparison, one of the Twins top young prospects for the GCL Twins this year, Oswaldo Arcia, hit .293/.343/.432 for the DSL Twins as a 17 year old in 2008. Although the Twins don't announce who they promote to the GCL each year until after the big league club leaves Ft. Myers, look for this young man to move up to the GCL next spring.

The sixth ranked third baseman is a prospect the Twins added to their 40-man roster following an injury plagued 2008 season at Beloit. After hitting .316/.406/.506 for the Elizabethton Twins in 2007, D.J. Romero moved up to Beloit last year with high expectations. After a slow start, Romero battled several injuries before showing improvement at mid-season when he broke his leg while falling into a dugout going after a foul ball. Romero finished his season at Beloit hitting .268/.309/.396, yet the Twins showed us their opinion by protecting him from the Rule V draft. After a solid spring training with the Twins, Romero was assigned to Ft. Myers where he showed spurts of the player the Twins believe he can be. He too often found himself overmatched by the strong pitching of the FSL however, finishing his season with .222/.308/.314. Although his average wasn't great, he was producteive with 18 doubles, 3 triples and 5 home runs with 56 RBI in 424 at bats. Romero moved up 20 spots in this year's ranking to #47 and likely will return to Ft. Myers in 2010.

The Fifth ranked third baseman is a young man who was the Twins fourth round pick in 2007, Reggie Williams. Although Williams plays several positions, he split time in Elizabethton this year where he hit .250/.316/.462 in 156 at bats with 7 home runs and 25 RBI. Williams moved up 31 spots to a #40 ranking this year after a 2008 season with the GCL Twins where he hit a solid .286/.358/.440 in 84 at bats playing mostly second base. Considered a raw but exciting player when drafted out of the Los Angeles inner city programs, Williams had nearly half of his hits go for extra bases this season.

The Fourth ranked third baseman is the player that Williams shared time with at Elizabethton, Anderson Hidalgo. Signed as a free agent out of Venezuela prior to the 2006 season, Hidalgo hit for averages of .310 and .305 in his first two seasons in the VSL and DSL before leading the 2008 GCL Twins with a .364/.448/.466 season. Unfortunately, his 88 at bats were a few short of the minimum needed to qualify or he would have been the GCL leading hitter. His numbers were good enough however to rank him #38 in my year end rankings. This season Hidalgo moved up to Elizabethton where he hit . 291/.379/.469 in 175 at bats with 6 home runs to again rank as the #38 player in 2009.

A few years ago the Twins acquired a young man from the Colorado Rockies in a late season trade. They had drafted Matt Macri out of high school, however, he chose to attend Notre Dame University. They maintained their interest in him and picked him up in a late 2007 trade. Macri played briefly for the Twins in 2008, hitting .324/.361/.441 in 34 at bats during a season when he would be my 22nd ranked player after hitting .259/.323/.466 for the Red Wings. Matt was one of the players who the Red Wings were counting on this season, however, it wasn't meant to be for either he or the Wings. Macri finished 2009 by hitting .225/.296/.400 in 365 at bats in what had to be a disappointing season and a year that would not have his name called for a return to the Twins. Matt is the 26th ranked player this year and the third ranked third baseman in the organization.

Our second ranked third baseman is Luke Hughes who was the organizaiton's #4 ranked player in 2008 following a season that saw him hit 18 home runs at New Britain and Rochester while missing about a month in the middle of the season. After a torrid start at New Britain, .319/.385/.551 with 15 home runs in 285 at bats, Hughes went on the DL then later moved up to Rochester where he hit .283/.325/.453 in 106 at bats with 3 home runs. Hughes didn't get off to a good start this spring as he missed parts of the first few weeks of spring training then left the Twins for the WBC. When he returned, he was assigned to Rochester where he hit .259/.344/.481 in 135 at bats with 6 home runs. Luke again battled an injury that put him on the DL. The Twins had moved Danny Valencia up to Rochester while Hughes was out so when he returned they assigned him to New Britain where he would be able to play every day. Hughes closed out his season by hitting .250/.320/.445 in 200 at bats with 6 home runs to drop 10 spots in this seasons ranking. There is no question that this young Australian has significant power in his right handed bat. The question has always been about his defense and what his best defensive position is. I have recently read several reports that indicate that his defense at third base isn't as bad as many feared and with his power he certainly should have a major league career ahead of him. The bigger question may be whether or not it will be with the Twins?

The top ranked third baseman is a young man who many still wonder why he was available for the Twins to draft in the 19th round of the 2006 draft. After battling several nagging injuries his first few seasons with the Twins, Danny Valencia made everyone take notice when he was the leading hiter in the FSL at the all-star break last year at .336/.402/.518 in 220 at bats with 5 home runs and 44 RBI. Valencia was promoted to New Britain and after beginning very slowly, finsighed with a respectable .289/.334/.485 in 266 at bats with 10 home runs and 32 RBI to rank as the 6th best player in the organization. This season began back at New Britain where he hit much as he did in 2008, .284/.373/.482 with 7 home runs and 29 RBI in 218 at bats. When Luke Hughes was injured, the Twins promoted Valencia to Rochester where he hit .360/.372/.573 in 75 at bats before the all-star break. That start had everyone clamoring for him to be called up to the Twins to the point that Ron Gardenhire commented on several occassions that he wasn't ready for that final promotion. Valencia cooled and many have been critical of him for doing poorly during the second half. Yet, the truth is that he hit for averages of .287 and .283 in July and August before going into a slump in September when the team played only 8 games. Valencia finished his season by hitting .286/.331/.424 in 269 at bats for the Red Wings with 7 home runs and 41 RBI to drop a spot to the 7th ranked player this year. Danny continued to not strike out to much (37 in 269 at bats), however, the bigger question is why did he draw only 8 walks after having 31 walks compared with 40 strikeouts in 218 at bats in New Britain. Is it the change to a new environment? Was it a different level of pitching? It remains to be seen as are the Twins plans for him in 2010.

Danny Valencia and Luke Hughes are both close to being major league ready and both appear to be hitters who will have some success at that level. Although Valencia is considered a solid defensive third baseman, there are questions about Hughes defensive abilities. Is one of the two ready to man the hot corner full time in 2010? The answer to that is unknown, however, it is unlikely that the Twins will want to pin their hopes on a potential championship season on the performance of an untested rookie. Thus, it is likely the Twins will sign someone over the winter while they take a second look at both of these young players again next spring before sending them out for more seasoning.

A year ago the Twins were telling us they were very high on a third baseman further down in the organizaiton, D. J. Romero. Moved up a level following a low A season at Beloit that he missed much of with injuries may have been to big of a step. Expectations of Romero's future aren't what they were last year, yet, a very good 2010 could put him right back on the Twins radar as a top prospect. The player that I see as someone that we need to watch very closely however, is a young 17 year old who had a tremendous season in the Dominican Republic this year, Wander Guillen. It's a long way from the Twins Dominican academy to Target Field, however, this young man is someone who just might make that journey.

Organization Review (The Shortstops)

roger13 — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:38:30 -0000

With the winter leagues beginning play, continuing the review of each position will make the Saturday reports a bit long. So it may be best to continue them as individual reports. I will review the shortstops today then continue with another position once or twice a week until they are completed late next month.

Shortstop is a position of immediate need in the Twins organization. Is there a shortstop capable of helping the Twins next year? Is there someone lurking in the lower levels of the minors who has shown that they could become a future star?

Many of the shortstops in the organization also played several other positions including the tenth ranked shortstop, Brian Bistagne. Bistagne, 21 was signed as a free agent this past spring following his senior season at Lee University where he holds the all-time record for being hit by pitches (33 times in two years). Bistagne won the 2008 NAIA World Series Gold Glove and was considered by Twins scouts to have the "whole package: speed, arm and quickness." Bistagne played both second base and shortstop for the GCL Twins, hitting .228/.278/.289 in 114 at bats. Bistagne was my 78th ranked player in 2009.

Jairo Perez, 21, moved up to the GCL Twins this season following a 2008 season when he led the DSL Twins in hitting at .338/.437/.525 and doubles (18) while tying for the team lead in home runs (4) and RBI (36). Perez, who played both shortstop and third base, had a solid rookie season for the GCL Twins hitting .217/.324/.317 in 120 at bats to rank as the 69th best player and ninth ranked shortstop in the organization.

Our eighth ranked shortstop is the ultimate utility player who played nearly every position this season for the New Britain Rock Cats, Toby Gardenhire. Gardenhire was my 58th ranked player in 2008 following an excellent season at New Britain where he hit .261/.348/.292 in 284 at bats. Although Gardenhire's numbers improved slightly this season to .265/.326/.305 in 200 at bats, his ranking dropped seven spots to #65.

The seventh ranked shortstop would rank significantly higher if we were only considering defense. Likely the top defensive shortstop in the system, Yancarlos Ortiz had a solid season with his bat at Ft. Myers where he hit .251/.308/.292 in 343 at bats to rank #76 in 2008. He moved up to New Britain this year where he was the Rock Cats starting shortstop much of the season. Making only 16 errors in 106 games, Ortiz hit .223/.307/.260 in 327 at bats to move up thirteen spots to #63 this year.

The sixth ranked shortstop is another player who played several positions for the Ft. Myers Miracle, Chris Cates. Often referred to as the shortest man in baseball (Cates is listed at 5'3"), the former University of Louisville star moved up two spots this year to rank as the 52nd best position player in the organization. Cates hit .251/.317/.278 in 370 at bats with 34 walks and only 27 strikeouts. Last season at Beloit, Cates hit .252/.330/.284 in 408 at bats with 45 walks and 41 strikeouts.

Our fifth ranked shortstop takes us back to the GCL Twins for another player who moved up this year from the DSL Twins, 18-year old Daniel Santana. Santana hit a respectable .274/.343/.426 in 190 at bats in 2008 with a team high 10 triples while stealing 15 bases in 19 attempts. This year Santana was my 50th ranked player, hitting .265/.302/.418 in 170 at bats for the GCL Twins.

The fourth ranked shortstop is Brian Dozier, who was the Twins eighth round pick in the 2009 draft. Dozier played a few games for the GCL Twins (he was 4-14) before moving up to Elizabethton where he took over the regular shortstop job after the Twins traded Tyler Ladendorf to the Oakland A's. Ladendorf's trade gave Dozier an opportunity he didn't waste as he went on to be the Appy League's second best hitter, .353/.417/.431 in 218 at bats with a league second best on base percentage and number of hits (77), tied for tenth most runs (38), and sixth most doubles (17) with 23 walks and only 26 strike outs. Dozier's excellent season at Elizabethton earned him my #41 ranking. Will he be able to maintain this level of performance next summer at Beloit?

My Number 40 ranked player is our third best shortstop, Estarlin De Los Santos. De Los Santos moved up 39 spots following a 2008 season when he was the #79 ranked player after he hit .242/.304/.309 in 236 at bats with 15 stolen bases for the Beloit Snappers. Although he missed part of the 2009 season on the disabled list De Los Santos had what may prove to be his breakout year, hitting .290/.330/.397 in 262 at bats with 11 stolen bases in 15 attempts. Should he continue to hit like this year next season at New Britain, Twins fans will have to start watching him as he just might be someone who will battle for a role with the Twins a few years from now.

Our second ranked shortstop is another player who took a huge step forward this year moving up thirty four spots to my #28 ranking. Because he is 23 years old, many discounted Ramon Santana's performance this year when he hit ..296/.384/.453 in 371 at bats for the Beloit Snappers before going 4-15 in a brief late season promotion to the New Britain Rock Cats. Regardless of his age, his perfomance at Beloit had to be rewarding for Santana after hitting .241/.316/.404 for the Snappers in 2008.

Our top ranked shortstop is a name we are all familiar with, 2004 first round pick Trevor Plouffe. Plouffe returned to Rochester this season following a half year stay in AAA last year when he hit .256/.292/.420 in 259 at bats with 17 doubles, 3 triples, 6 home runs and 39 RBI. Combined with his .269/.325/.410 in 227 at bats at New Britain, Trevor was my 16th ranked player. Plouffe, who didn't turn 23 until mid season, returned to Rochester this year where he put up numbers similar to last year at .260/.313/.407 in 430 at bats with 23 doubles, 5 triples and 10 home runs. Plouffe's defense is debated by many as he is often referred to as having excellent defensive abilities, yet, usually has a lot of errors (26 in 2009 following 18 in 2008 at Rochester and New Britain). Plouffe is my twelfth ranked player this year.

After earning praise from Ron Gardenhire in spring training last year, Plouffe is certainly a player the Twins are talking about at their organizational meetings in Ft. Myers this week. He hasn't put up offensive numbers like Jason Bartlett did at Rochester, yet, is Plouffe someone the Twins believe could battle for the starting shortstop job next spring? Perhaps the most intriguing prospect is Yancarlos Ortiz who is considered the organization's best defensive shortstop. A special defensive shortstop can be an asset without being a great hitter. Can Ortiz improve his hitting enough so that his bat won't keep his glove from earning a spot with the Twins?

Although Brian Dozier was in his first season of professional ball, his performance at Elizabethton was so good that he could become a special player some day for the Twins. However, we all must remember that he was in the Appy League and we need to see him repeat his performance in a full season league next summer. Can Estarlin De Los Santos follow his break out season with another similar year at New Britain?

Although there are several shortstops who could continue their development to earn a spot with the Twins, the most exciting shortstops in the organization will both be at Ft. Myers next summer playing in the GCL. Although recent International signees Jorge Polanco and Miguel Angel Sano have yet to play their first professional game, both sixteen year olds are considered the type of prospects who could some day be superstars. With these recent signings, shortstop may have gone from one of the organization's weaker positions to one of its strongest.

Minor League Report...October 17, 2009

roger13 — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:33:34 -0000

I am in Madison for the Iowa-Wisconsin game, thus today's report will be abbreviated. I will also be travelling the next two Saturdays which means I won't get back to my positional rankings for three weeks when I will review the organization's top ten shortstops.

The Twins handed out awards this week to the top hitter and pitcher in the organization. Ben Revere was the top hitter making him the first player to win the award in back-to-back years since LaTroy Hawkins. With my final adjustments completed, Revere edged out Wilson Ramos to also rank as my top player this season. David Bromberg was selected as the top pitcher in the organization. I had Bromberg ranked second behind closer Alex Burnett.

One interesting note from my year end rankings is that I have never had a GCL pitcher rank in the top ten. This year I have two with B. J. Hermsen ranking eighth and Adrian Salcedo ranking ninth. Baseball America had Salcedo ranked as the sixth best prospect in the GCL with Hermsen ranked eleventh best. These two young men appear to be tremendouse young prospects. It should be exciting to follow them in future years as they move up to higher levels.

The Arizona Fall League began play this week with the Mesa Solar Sox off to a slow start with only one win in their first four games. Michael McCardell made one start for the Sox, pitching 2.0 shutout innings with 4K/1BB. Short reliever Alex Burnett made one appearance, pitching a shutout inning with 1K/3BB. Steve Hirschfield made two appearances, pitching 2.0 innings with one run allowed and 5K/0BB. Spencer Steedley also appeared in two games, pitching 2.0 innings with 2K/6BB and 2 runs allowed. Chris Parmalee, who is playing first base for the Sox, appeared in three games and is 0-10. Left fielder Rene Tosoni, who began the Sox season with a lead off home run, is 2-12 in three games. Second baseman Steve Singleton is 3-9 in two games with 2 doubles.

The defending Caribbean champion Aragua de Tigres are off to a very slow start in the Venezuelan Winter League at 1-6. That is not to say however, that Wilson Ramos hasn't done everything he can to get them more wins. Ramos has gotten hits in five of their six games including three games with two hits and his first three hit game last night. In 28 at bats, Ramos is hitting .393/.469/.821 with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 7 runs scored and 7 RBI. First baseman Justin Huber has appeared in three games, hitting .333 Average in 12 at bats. Dustin Martin is hitting .120 Average in 7 games (25 at bats) while Elizabethton outfielder Jonathan Goncalves is hitting .182 Average in 11 at bats. Former Rule V selection Jason Jones has made two starts, pitching 9.0 innings with a 5.00ERA and 4K/0BB. Reliever Frank Mata has appeared in three games (5.0ip) with a 1.80ERA and 2K/3BB. The DSL Twins Ace Pedro Guerra is pitching for LaGuaira. Guerra, who had a 7-0 record and 0.38ERA in the DSL this summer, has appeared in three games (3.1ip) with a 8.10ERA and 2K/3BB.

The Dominican Winter League begins play this weekend and the Puerto Rico Winter League doesn't start until the second week of November.

Minor League Report...October 10, 2009 (Second Basemen)

roger13 — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:17:43 -0000

With the Arizona Fall League beginning play on the 13th, there is little to talk about today. The Tigres de Aragua roster is set for this Winter's Venezuelan League which begins this weekend. Twins players on their roster include pitchers Jhon Garcia, Edgar Ibarra, Frank Mata, Josie Mijares, Miguel Munoz, Oswaldo Sosa and former Twin Yohan Pino. Wilson Ramos is also on the roster. Aragua hosted Margarita last night, however, the boxscore isn't posted yet this morning. Wilson Ramos was also selected by Baseball America as their eighth ranked Eastern League prospect, a move that will move Ramos up to my second ranked player following my final adjustments.

Now on to the ranking of the top ten second basemen in the organization. Again it is important to mention that these are not prospect rankings, rather based on how they performed in the organization during the 2009 season.

At Number 10 is the GCL Twins second baseman, Hyeong-rok Choi. Choi was the 91st ranked player in 2008 when he hit .235/.309/.318 in 85 at bats for the GCL Twins. Choi, who turned 20 this August, returned to the GCL Twins for a second season as a much improved player, hitting .279/.359/.405 in 111 at bats. Choi, who is one of two players from South Korea who came to the Twins organization a couple years ago, ranked as the 64th best player this year and should move up to Elizabethton next summer.

The ninth ranked second baseman is Beloit's Andrew Thompson who was drafted in the second round of the 2006 draft. Thompson was my 33rd ranked player in 2006 when he was an all-star for the Beloit Snappers. Unfortunately, Thompson had a stress fracture in his back late in the 2006 season which caused him to miss all of 2007 and 2008. Andrew continued to work hard on his rehab and just being able to get back on the field had to be a rewarding accomplishment. The number that was important for Drew this summer wasn't .242/.325/.364, it was playing in 91 games with 302 at bats back at Beloit. Ranked as my 59th ranked player, the question is whether or not he will be able to again become a top prospect. Only time will tell!

The Twins drafted Derek McCallum in the fourth round of this year's draft out of the University of Minnesota. McCallum, who was one of the nation's best hitting second basemen, began his Twins career at Elizabethton where he hit .241/.310/.382 in 228 at bats with five home runs. His performance in the Appy League ranked him as the organization's 51st ranked player and eighth best second baseman.

Nick Romero was the 44th ranked player following a 2008 season when he hit .274/.338/.442 in 197 at bats with 7 home runs for the Elizabethton Twins. The Twins fifth round pick in the 2008 draft moved up a level this year to Beloit with another move to Ft. Myers during the season. Drafted as a third baseman, Romero played mostly second base for the Miracle where he hit .247/.358/.370 in 235 at bats. Romero hit .222/.286/.349 in 108 at bats for the Snappers which earned him my #49 ranking and seventh best second baseman.

The sixth ranked second baseman is a 20 year old player from Australia who had an exciting year that began in the WBC and ended in the World Cup. In between those two tournaments, James Beresford was one of the Beloit Snappers best hitters at .289/.342/.313 in 450 at bats with 15 stolen bases in 26 attempts. His play at Beloit earned him my #44 ranking which is one of the biggest moves in the rankings following his #85 ranking last season when he hit .246/.345/.285 in 179 at bats for Elizabethton.

We are all very familiar with my fifth ranked second baseman, Matt Tolbert. Following a 2008 season that began with the Twins before an extended stay on the disabled list, Tolbert spent much of 2009 moving between the Twins and Rochester. While with the Wings, Tolbert hit .288/.331/.424 in 236 at bats following a terrible start when he hit only .194/.289/.284 in 67 April at bats. Tolbert hit .307/.336/.457 following the All-Star game to earn his late season callup that led to a starting role in the playoffs. Tolbert's play with the Red Wings this summer ranked him as my 21st best player in the organization.

The fourth ranked second baseman is Steven Tolleson who began his season with a disappointing return to New Britain for a second season. After hitting .300/.382/.466 in 343 at bats at New Britain in 2008, Tolleson was one of the top hitters in the AFL last year when he hit .383/.449/.543 in 94 at bats. Tolleson was my 8th ranked player in 2008, however, his disappointing start at New Britain (hitting .258/.343/.391 in 151 at bats) caused him to move down nine spots to #17 this year. Tolleson did get a promotion to Rochester in late May where he hit .270/.338/.375 in 352 at bats. Although he is primarily a second baseman, Rochester's depth of middle infielders caused Stan Cliburn to play Tolleson at second, shortstop, third base, left field and even a few games in centerfield.

Coming in as the third ranked second baseman in the organization is Steven Singleton. Singleton, who was ranked #16 overall this season following a #18 ranking last year, moved up to New Britain following a solid start at Ft. Myers where he hit .269/.329/.424 in 297 at bats. Singleton was one of the Rock Cats top hitters following his promotion, hitting .291/.319/.418 in 158 at bats which earned him an assigment to this fall's AFL. This year followed the same format as last year when Singleton began at Beloit, hitting .302/.348/.421 in 235 at bats before moving up to Ft. Myers where he hit .295/.371/.452 in 241 at bats. An eleventh round pick from the 2006 draft, Singleton appears to be only a year or so away from taking that final step all prospects dream of.

The second ranked second baseman this year (ranked #11 overall) is Alexi Casilla who alternated with Matt Tolbert with one up with the Twins while the other was in Rochester. Casilla put up huge numbers this year at Rochester, hitting .340/.379/.449 in 156 at bats while disappointing the Twins while in Minnesota. Much has been written about Casilla's strengths and weaknesses, however, his play in Rochester clearly stated that he doesn't need to spend any more time in the minors. Whether he will be with the Twins is another quesiton that only Ron Gardenhire and Bill Smith can answer.

The top ranked second baseman is New Britain all-star Brian Dinkelman. Dinkelman was the 20th ranked player in 2008 following a supurb season when he hit .293/.399/.414 in 232 at bats at Ft. Myers followed by hitting .247/.299/.369 in 198 at bats in New Britain. Brian returned to New Britain this year where he was one of the league's best hitters at .296/.383/.440 in 459 at bats with 8 home runs to move him up 16 spots to my #4 overall ranking. Equally important was Dinkelman's excellent defensive play as he committed only 7 errors in 129 games.

Whereas catcher and first base are the Twins strongest two positions manned by MVP caliber players with future stars a couple levels away in the minors, second base has been a headache that has plagued the big league club for years. After his solid late season play, Nick Punto likely is penciled in as the regular next season. There are several candidates who can compete with Punto or serve as backups, including Matt Tolbert and Alexi Casilla. The bigger question is whether or not there is a long-term replacement to Punto in 2011 or beyond? Another question is whether or not that prospect can become a better than average major league second baseman? Dinkelman appears to have the most potential of eventually becoming that player, however, several others could take a big step next year to put their names into the mix in 2011. Although he won't be ready in spring, 2011, keep your eyes on James Beresford who just may develop into that second baseman the Twins have been searching for all these years!

Minor League Report...October 3, 2009 (The First Basemen)

roger13 — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:54:48 -0000

There are a few items that need to be mentioned prior to reviewing the Top Ten First Basemen in the organization.

The big news this week was the signing of Miguel Sano for a reported $3,150,000 bonus. The signing is subject to Sano obtaining the necessary visas and the Twins have indicated that Sano would begin his career next summer in Ft. Myers with the GCL Twins. In what is a surprise to many, the Twins will not be bringing back Rochester Manager Stan Cliburn and coach Rich Miller. There has been numerous other hints that further changes in the minor league organization will be coming this winter. Finally, we are only ten days away from the first games in the Arizona Fall League where seven Twins prospects will be playing with many of the top prospects in baseball. I also want to thank Rosterman for posting the Fall Instructional League rosters earlier this week.

In the championship round of the World Cup, Australia beat the Netherlands, 4-1, for fifth place. Luke Hughes and James Beresford were both 1 for 3 with a walk and 1 RBI. Canada beat Puerto Rico, 6-2. Nelven Fuentes pitched 1.1 shutout inning for Puerto Rico with a strikeout and walk. Rene Tosoni was 0-2, however, had 2 walks and scored 2 runs. Trevor Plouffe was hitless (0-5) in the championship game as the USA beat Cuba, 10-5. Plouffe had a very good tournemant and did have a key at bat getting on base with an error as the lead run scored after Cuba had tied the game.

Today I will review the Top Ten First Basemen in the organization. It is important to note that these rankings are based on their play this season and not necessarily a "prospect ranking." The discussion of each player will include their preliminary ranking amongst all position players in 2009.

The tenth ranked first baseman in the organization this season was a young man from Puerto Rico who was new to the organization this year. Kennys Vargas broke into the organization as the GCL Twins regular first baseman, hitting .257/.369/.404 in 109 at bats, ranking him the 54th best position player.

Jonathan Waltenbury was ranked #35 last season following his big season for the Elizabethton Twins where he hit .319/.382/.540 in 263 at bats. The Twins seventh round pick in the 2006 draft was one of several Appy League stars from last year who struggled at Beloit this year, hitting only .236/.306/.326 in 402 at bats with 17 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs and 38 RBI. Waltenbury's ranking dropped seventeen spots to #52 making him my ninth ranked first baseman in the organization.

The eighth ranked first baseman is also the only first baseman signed from this year's draft, 49th round pick Paul Klingsberg who was my 43rd ranked player. Klingsberg began his career in the Appy League where his .320/.384/.500 would have been amongst the league leaders, however his 100 at bats where not enough to qualify. Can Klingsberg's career mirror that of Brock Peterson who also was selected in the 49th round in 2002?

In 2004 the Twins signed Rene Leveret as a minor league free agent from the tiny Caribbean Island of Saint Maartin. Since his big 2006 season in the DSL where he hit for a .331 Average, Leveret has continuously put up excellent numbers in stops at Elizabethton, Beloit and Ft. Myers. Last year Leveret returned to ETon to start his season, however, moved up to Beloit in early July where he hit .286/.351/.385 in 182 at bats, making him my 39th ranked player. Leveret moved up to Ft. Myers this year where he split time between first base and designated hitter, hitting .286/.363/.399 in 301 at bats. Leveret's performance this summer moved him up three spots to my #36 ranking and the seventh best first baseman in the organization.

After a huge season in the GCL last year the Twins 2008 ninth round pick, Michael Gonzalez, repeated his performance this summer with the Elizabethton Twins. Gonzales hit .331/.388/.492 in 130 at bats for the GCL Twins last year to earn my #42 ranking. This year, Gonzales hit .304/.364/.477 which was tenth best in the Appy League. His 8 home runs were tied for eighth best with his 43 RBI fourth best in the league. Gonzales big year at Elizabethton ranked as the 31st best in the organization and the sixth best first baseman.

Moving into the Top Five brings us to Eastern League All-Star Whit Robbins. After being drafted by the Twins in the fourth round of the 2006 draft out of Georgia Tech, Robbins was the only player assigned to a full season team going directly to the Beloit Snappers. Robbins began his professional career hitting like a future star (.304/.421/.482), however, a back injury limited his stay with the Snappers to only 112 at bats. Robbins continued to struggle with his injury which limited his playing time at Ft. Myers in 2007 and again in 2008 when he hit .268/.383/.405 in only 284 at bats, ranking #31. Robbins moved up to New Britain this season where he played more like the player he was prior to his injury. Robbins hit a solid .278/.348/.405 in 425 at bats as the Rock Cats first baseman/DH, moving up 16 spots to the #15 ranked player this season.

Our fourth ranked first baseman is Robbins teammate Erik Lis who split time at first base and designated hitter with a few games in left field. Lis, who was drafted in the ninth round of the 2005 draft out of the University of Evansville, has continously been one of the organization's top hitters, hitting .315 and .326 at his first two stops in Elizabethton and Beloit. Lis moved up to New Britain last year where he hit a respectable .277/.318/.462 in 405 at bats with 11 home runs and 51 RBI to rank #21. This season Lis returned to New Britain, where he was one of the league's top hitters at .283/.353/.462 in 459 at bats. His .462 Slugging percentage was sixth best in the Eastern League with his 29 doubles ranking twelfth best, 17 home runs seventh best and 69 RBI tenth best. His big season for the Rock Cats moved him up eight spots in this year's ranking to #13.

The third ranked first baseman is Ft. Myers Miracle All-Star Chris Parmalee. When the Twins selected Parmalee in the first round of the 2006 draft, many considered him the top high school power hitter in that draft. Parmalee began his career with the GCL Twins where he hit 8 home runs which is more than any other GCL Twins player this decade except Juan Portes who also hit 8 a year earlier. Parmalee's excellent season last year at Beloit was shortened with a mid summer injury that limited him to only 226 at bats in 69 games. Although playing just half a season, Parmalee was one of the organization leaders with 14 home runs. Hitting .239/.385/.496, his power was a major reason he ranked #26 last year. This year Parmalee had a big year for the Miracle, splitting time between right field and first base. Parmalee hit .258/.359/.441 in 422 at bats with 16 home runs that tied for third best in the pitching dominated Florida State League. His 73 RBI were tied for second best while his 65 walks were tied for the league lead moving Parmalee up fourteen spots to my #12 ranking. Parmalee's year isn't over as he is one of two Miracle players who will represent the Twins in the prestigious Arizona Fall League.

The second ranked first baseman is also one of the organization's best stories who moved up 19 spots this year to be the #5 ranked player this season. Brock Peterson was the Twins 49th round pick in the 2002 draft. Peterson's career began at Elizabethton where he hit .290 Average with 9 home runs. He moved up a level the following two years without distinguishing himself before having a break-out season his second year at Ft. Myers in 2006, hitting .291/.356/.497 in 447 at bats with a franchise best 21 home runs. That big year earned Peterson a promotion to New Britain in 2007 where he had a solid year, hitting .285/.382/.476 in 389 at bats with 15 home runs. Last year Peterson returned to New Britain, hitting .264/.330/.449 in 421 at bats with 14 home runs to rank #24. Peterson had an excellent season this year at Rochester where he hit .304/.376/.468 in only 316 at bats which were limited because he got off to a terrible start when he hit only .214 in April and .114 in May. After an excellent spring training with the Twins, Peterson's slow start was somewhat surprising and had he had enough at bats to qualify, his numbers would have included him amongst the top ten in several International League hitting categories. Peterson will again be a six year minor league free agent this year. Will he resign with the Twins or with someone else? Wherever he is playing next season, Peterson's rise from a 49th pick to the major leagues should be a special story when he steps into a big league batters box for the first time.

This past winter, the Twins signed minor league free agent Justin Huber shortly before spring training. Huber, who has played briefly with the Kansas City Royals, was their biggest off-season signing intended to supplement a Rochester roster filled with younger prospects. Although he arrived late due to VISA problems, Huber gave Rochester exactly what the organization expected as he led the organization with 22 home runs (fifth best in the IL). Huber hit .273/.356/.482 in 440 at bats with a league seventh best 76 RBI. Huber was added to the Twins 40-man roster following the Red Wings season and called up in September. Unfortunately, Huber had an oblique strain in batting practice after two at bats so we won't get a chance to see more of this prospect who was my top ranked first baseman and #3 ranked player in 2009.

The Twins are fortunate to have one of baseball's best players in first baseman Justin Morneau. They also have a veteran team leader, right fielder Michael Cuddyer, who has proven to be a solid first baseman when needed. Both Brock Peterson and Justin Huber appear to be players capable of being a reserve at the major league level. Whit Robbins and Erik Lis both are players that could work their way into either a major league reserve or AAAA situation. The one player that may become a future major league starter is a step further down the ladder, Chris Parmalee. Parmalee should join the Twins in two to three years as a backup first baseman for Morneau, reserve right fielder and left handed designated hitter with some real power.