New Page 1

Good Morning! Not much for Twins thoughts. I decided to go to bed after Jason Kubel caught Vlad Guerrero's fly ball in the left centerfield gap to preserve the shutout. Sleep is good. Probably not as good as Francisco Liriano. He had a no-hitter through five innings, and really, the only hit he gave up was a gift infield single to Orlando Cabrera. He walked four, but clearly he was being squeezed. That is unfortunate because he was really dealing. Hopefully the bullpen will be able to keep the door shut, and Liriano can come out of this with a win.

That is the tough part about these west coast games though. They don't start until 9:05 central time and usually don't get over with until after midnight. I can't even imagine how little I would probably sleep if I lived on the East Coast when my favorite team played out west! Oh well, such is life. Let's get to today's posting.

Finally today, I will unveil my Top 10 Twins prospects list. I know, it's all subjective. I mean, aside from a plate appearance or two in the spring, I have not seen any of these guys play. So, my rankings are based on several things including stats and observing box scores, tendencies, other articles and other very subjective things. As with any Prospect list, it is really just a guess. I am trying to predict which players will have the biggest futures. Some may get to the big leagues as a role player. Others may have the potential to be an All-Star and never get there. But, it is definitely fun to follow the Twins minor leaguers and watch them work their way up toward the Minnesota Twins.

If you have any questions or comments on any of these players or their rankings, I would love to hear your thoughts. If you have thoughts, or if you have a Top 10, 20, 30, or 50 Prospect list, I would love to see it and share it with other Twins fans, so please e-mail me or leave Comments down below.

#50 – Adam Hawes – RHP – 23

#49 – Ricky Barrett – LHP – 25

#48 – Deacon Burns – OF – 23

#47 – Felix Molina – SS/2B – 23

#46 – Johnny Woodard – 1B – 21

#45 – Brock Peterson – 1B – 22

#44 – Josh Rabe – OF – 27

#43 – Allan de san Miguel – C – 18

#42 – Kevin Cameron – RH RP – 26

#41 – Alexander Smit – LH RP – 20

#40 – Jason Miller – LH RP – 23

#39 – Danny Matienzo – DH – 25

#38 – Luis Maza – RHP – 25

#37 – Eli Tintor – OF – 21

#36 – Caleb Moore – RHP – 22

#35 – Doug Deeds – OF – 23

#34 – Nick Blackburn – RHP – 24

#33 – Tarrence Patterson – OF – 21

#32 – Garrett Jones – 1B – 24

#31 – Garrett Guzman – OF – 22

#30 – JD Durbin – RHP – 24

#29 – Juan Portes – IF/OF – 20

#28 – Andrew Thompson – 2B – 19

#27 – Ryan Mullins – LHP – 22

#26 – Henry Sanchez – 1B – 19

#25 – Jose Mijares – LHP – 21

#24 – Trent Oeltjen – OF – 23

#23 – Kyle Aselton – LHP – 23

#22 – Errol Simonitsch – LHP – 23

#21 – Brian Duensing – LHP – 23

#20 – Kyle Waldrop – RHP – 20

#19 – Justin Jones – LHP – 21

#18 – Trevor Plouffe – SS – 19

#17 – David Winfree – 3B – 20

#16 – Erik Lis – 1B – 22

#15 – Paul Kelly – SS – 19

#14 – Adam Harben – RHP – 22

#13 – Pat Neshek – RH RP – 25

#12 – Boof Bonser – RHP – 24

#11 – Jay Rainville – RHP – 20

#10 – Denard Span – OF – 22

Last Sept. Ranking: 8

2006 Team: New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: Twins 1st round draft pick in 2002 out of Tampa Catholic High School

Span got off to a great start in April causing many to believe that he might truly be the heir-apparent to Torii Hunter, but May was not as good for Span. The lefty is now hitting .284/.332/.342. He hit a home run in his first at bat of the year, and has not hit any more since. He has just seven extra base hits in 190 at bats. Span is clearly an excellent athlete with incredible speed, so the main number I will watch with him is the on-base percentage, and .332 is not good. Also, I would like to see him try to steal more bases, although this year he is 10-14 which is an improvement. I still think that he can be a solid leadoff type hitter for the Twins, but I am unsure that his ceiling is real high.

2006 Projection: I think he would be best served to remain at New Britain the full season

Potential: more Juan Pierre than Kenny Lofton, but without the SBs

Could be in Minnesota in: 2007

#9 – Anthony Swarzak – RHP – 21

Last Sept. Ranking: 4

2006 Team: New Britain Rockcats/Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: Twins 2nd Round Pick in 2004 out of Davie (FL) High School

Swarzak had an excellent season in 2005. The young righty started the year at Beloit and moved up quickly to Ft. Myers. where he continued to pitch well. He made two very nice starts at the beginning of the season and we were thinking a quick move to New Britain might be in line. But it has been a struggle in his second year in the Florida State League. Even with last night's six innings of shutout work, he is now 3-3 with a 4.35 ERA.

2006 Projection: probably spend the full season at Ft. Myers

Potential: #3-type pitcher

Could be in Minnesota in: 2008

#8 – Alexi Casilla – 2B – 21

Last Sept. Ranking: NR (with Angels organization)

2006 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: In Trade from Angels for JC Romero

Alexi Casilla came to the Twins in the offseason. I know Roger did a nice analysis of Casilla's numbers last year in the Midwest League compared to how the Twins hitters in Beloit did. Casilla's numbers were far and away the best. He has continued to really play well and consistently for the Miracle. He is hitting for average, showing some extra base power and stealing a lot of bases. I think that Casilla has the potential to be a Chone Figgins/Luis Castillo exciting type of player.

2006 Projection: could move up to New Britain after the draft

Potential: Luis Castillo with a little bit of pop

Could be in Minnesota in: 2008

#7 – Eduardo Morlan – RHP – 20

Last Sept. Ranking: 21

2006 Team: Beloit Snappers

Acquired: Twins 3rd round pick in 2004 out of a Miami (FL) High School

The Cuban-born righty throws hard. He is currently starting for Beloit, and likely will continue to start throughout most of his minor league career. But I can see Morlan being a big-time closer type. He has shown a great ability to get strikeouts. He may walk a few too many, but he usually makes up for it. Of all of the 2004 high school drafted pitchers the Twins took, his ceiling may be the highest. That said, he may be the furthest away.

2006 Projection: starting in Beloit, could make a handful of starts in Ft. Myers

Potential: #1 or #2 starter, or a dominant closer

Could be in Minnesota in: 2010

#6 – Alex Romero – OF – 22

Last Sept. Ranking: 7

2006 Teams: Rochester Red Wings/New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: signed as free agent from Venezuela in 2002

Romero started the season in the Rochester outfield, but once Jason Kubel was returned, Romero lost playing time and quickly moved back down to New Britain. He has been a very hot hitter of late, both for average and showing great on-base skills. Going into last night, he was hitting .294/.384/.492 with nine doubles, two triples and four homers. After last night, he is now hitting .300. He is even showing surprising speed with 12 stolen bases.

2006 Projection: should have stayed and played in Rochester, should get back there

Potential: solid big league hitter, average corner OF

Could be in Minnesota in: 2007

#5 – Glen Perkins – LHP – 23

Last Sept. Ranking: 14

2006 Teams: New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: Twins 1st round pick in 2004 out of University of Minnesota

Part of this ranking is due to his tremendous Arizona Fall League. With minor league pitchers, it is even more important not to look at the Win-Loss record to see how well a pitcher is pitching. Perkins currently is just 1-5 on the season. However, in 51.1 innings, he has a 3.33 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Both are not spectacular, but they are well better than the record would indicate. He also has 58 strikeouts, but 19 walks. Probably the main problem he has had is with consistency from start to start.

2006 Projection: Will likely move up to Rochester after the draft

Potential: decent 3rd of 4th starter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2007

#4 – Matt Moses – 3B – 21

Last Sept. Ranking: 5

2006 Team: New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: Twins 1st round pick in 2003 out of a Richmond (VA) high school

Like Span, Moses got off to a fast start. His batting average has trickled down, but he is still showing some excellent power. He is now hitting .283/.324/.462 with seven doubles, eight homers and 25 RBI. I think that is the type of player that Moses can be. Obviously we would like to see him walk more and strike out less, but that is not unusual. And, his defense continues to be a work in progress. But he can hit, and he will hit. It is just a matter of being patient.

2006 Projection: should spend full season at New Britain, probably get a few at bats at Rochester

Potential: a future #4 or #5 hitter in the big leagues

Could be in Minnesota in: 2007

#3 – Kevin Slowey – RHP – 25

Last Sept. Ranking: 9

2006 Teams: Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: Twins 2nd round pick in 2005 out of Winthrop University

I have been tracking the statistics of 2005 draft picks Slowey and Garza on the left of this screen. I again encourage everyone to note how similar their numbers really are. Of course, the Walk to Strikeout ratio of Slowey is out of this world, and that is after his three walk outing last week. Slowey's record is another case of W-L record meaning very little when it comes to how well a pitcher is throwing. Maybe he doesn't have the velocity of other pitchers, but something is working. Now I am intrigued to see how it translates to the AA level.

2006 Projection: should be in New Britain already, just a matter of when.

Potential: I think that the Mike Mussina comparisons sound fair.

Could be in Minnesota in: 2008

#2 – Jason Kubel – OF – 24

Last Sept. Ranking: 3

2006 Team: Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins

Acquired: Twins 12th round pick in 2000 out of Palmdale (CA) high school

Kubel remains one of the top hitting prospects in all of baseball. Some project hitters to have power, others to hit for average. I think that Kubel has the ability to do both. He should be a .300 hitter, but I can also see him being a 20-25 homer guy as well. He got a 16 at bat tryout in April before being sent down to Rochester. Shannon Stewart's injury has him back on the roster, and hopefully this time he will really get a chance to play.

2006 Projection: Should spend the rest of the year in Minnesota, likely will go back to Rochester when Shannon Stewart is healthy, but he will be back.

Potential: high average, better than average power hitter.

Could be in Minnesota in: 2006

#1 – Matt Garza – RHP – 22

Last Sept. Ranking: 18

2006 Team: Injured

Acquired: Twins 1st round pick in 2005 out of Fresno State University

Last year, it was so fun to follow the starts of Francisco Liriano just to see what impressive numbers he would put up. This year, the same can be said of Matt Garza. The righty dominated the Florida State League and has now made three starts for the Rockcats. He did not allow a run in his first two outings, but struggled a little in his last one. He was not real highly regarded (as first round picks go) before last year's draft, but at this point, he has been as impressive as any from the draft class. From everything we have seen and read about him, he has tremendous work ethic and should continue to improve.

2006 Projection: Should spend the rest of the year at New Britain, but if he continues, he could move up to Rochester like Baker in 2004

Potential: Top of the rotation starter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2007

Any thoughts, let me know. E-mail me. Be sure to check back soon for the Top 10 Twins Prospects!

SethSpeaks Player of the Day - Alexi Casilla, Ft. Myers Miracle

SethSpeaks Pitcher of the Day - JD Durbin, Rochester Red Wings

Kevin West made his 2006 debut with the Rochester Red Wings last night and went 1-3 with a walk as the team's DH. To make room for him, Jason Hart was traded to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later.
Also, with the announcement that David Winfree has gone home for some personal time, we certainly want to wish him the best and hope that whatever his issues are right now, he gets worked out and can quickly return to Ft. Myers.

If you have any thoughts on the Twins system, please e-mail me.

ROCHESTER REPORT

Thursday - Red Wings 2, Syracuse 3 – Two eighth inning runs off of Bobby Korecky gave the Red Wings the loss. Mike Smith started and went a strong seven innings. He gave up just a run on eight hits and a walk. Korecky's two runs allowed were both unearned. Jason Miller struck out two in his scoreless inning. Jason Tyner was 2-5 with a double, and Gil Velazquez went 1-3 with two walks.

NEW BRITAIN NEWS

Thursday - Game 1 - Rockcats 0, Harrisburg 4 – Alex Romero led the offense with a 2-4 day. He also had a walk, stole his 12th base and scored three runs. Doug Deeds was 1-3 with a double and a walk. Felix Molina went 1-2 with two walks and his eighth stolen base. John Thomas got the starting nod and went 5.1 innings. He gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks, but he did strike out nine. Tristan Crawford went the final 3.2 innings, allowed three hits, but no runs.

Thursday - Game 2 - Rockcats 9, Harrisburg 0 – Errol Simonitsch was again the story in this game. The lanky lefty went seven shutout innings and gave up just three hits and three walks while striking out four. Jay Sawatski and Levale Speigner each went a scoreless inning in relief. Scott Whitrock scored three runs as he was 2-4 with a walk. Alex Romero was 1-2 with three walks and his tenth double. Danny Matienzo also walked three times. The Rockcats scored their nine runs on just five hits, but they also took an astonishing 12 walks in the game. Jose Morales hit his second home run.

FT MYERS MEMOS

Thursday - Miracle 5, Sarasota 0 – Anthony Swarzak finally had a start that reminded us of what he did in 2005. The righty went six shutout innings and gave up just two hits and two walks. He struck out eight. Ryan Callahan pitched a scoreless inning. Then JP Martinez came in and got the final six outs, all via the strikeout. Alexi Casilla went 2-4 with his 17th stolen base. Brock Peterson went 1-2 with two walks and his first steal. Jeremy Pickrel was 1-2 with a walk, a triple (his eighth) and two RBI.

BELOIT BITS

Tuesday - Game 1 - Snappers 3, Quad Cities 7 – Steven Tolleson went 2-4, and Eli Tintor knocked his second homer of the year. But in the seven inning game, it just was not enough. Eduardo Morlan went the first five innings and gave up four runs (3 earned) on six hits and a walk. He struck out four. Alexander Smit came in and gave up three runs on three hits.
Tuesday - Game 2 - Snappers 0, Quad Cities 3 – In the second game, Steven Tolleson had two of the team's three hits. The other was off the bat of Erik Lis. Adam Hawes made his first start since his arm injury. He went three innings and gave up two runs on six hits. Jose Lugo gave up a run in two innings. Frank Mata and Danny Vais each pitched a scoreless frame.

Do you have any further thoughts on any Twins prospects, minor leaguers, or these summaries? I would love any input, or ideas to make it better. Thanks! E-mail me, or also feel free to leave comments below.

And on that note, I will call it a day. I certainly hope that you have found some things that were worth reading. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me.