Thursday, June
4, 2009
SethSpeaks.net
Top 50
Minnesota Twins
Prospects
Part 3: Prospects
11-20
After looking at Twins prospects 36-50
Tuesday, and 21-35 yesterday, we will look at my
choices for the Twins Prospects 21-35. Again, let me know what you think. In
the next days, I will continue to work my way up the Twins prospect list until
finally giving you my selections for the Top 10 Twins prospects. I hope you
enjoy this and again, please feel
free to comment.
#20 – Trevor Plouffe – SS – 22 (6/15/86)
2009 Teams: Rochester Red Wings
Acquired: Twins 1st round pick in 2004 out of Crespi Carmelite H.S. (CA)
There
are a lot of question marks about what Trevor Plouffe
is and what he can become. There is no question that he is a terrific person, a
great athlete and a very good baseball player. On the season, he is hitting
.229/.279/.371 with six doubles, two triples and five home runs (including his
called walk off shot on Tuesday night!). But for the most part, the offensive
game remains a struggle. He can be a very smooth fielding shortstop, but he
also has struggled with leaving his offensive struggles bother him and affect
his glove work. There is question about whether he can play SS at the major
league level due to range. He’s got a very strong arm, so maybe 3B is an
option. Or maybe he is a future utility player. Again, he is so young, and
there is a tremendous amount of talent, it’s just got to all come together. I
think the second half of this season will tell us a lot more about what we can
expect from Trevor.
2009 Projection: With Tolleson now up, he may see more time at 3B and 2B at Rochester
Potential: good glove, solid bat SS
Could be in Minnesota in: 2009
#19 – Anthony Slama – RHP – 25 (1/6/84)
2009 Teams: New Britain Rockcats
Acquired: Twins 39th round pick in 2006 out of San Diego
Slama was inexplicably held
back at Ft. Myers last year. We all know that. Everyone knows that. Let’s move
on. You can’t let the mistakes of last year become mistakes this year, and that
is why I am very much comfortable with Slama still
being at AA. In mid May, Slama had a couple straight
games with two walks, and that made his walk numbers look bad. Since then, he
has walked just one in his last eight outings, so that’s great. However, in his
last six outings, which covers 6.1 innings, he has
given up 12 hits. His April ERA was 0.84. His May ERA was 4.41. Right-handed
batters hit just .190 against him, but left-handers have hit .306 while ten of
his 15 walks have come against lefties. Yes, the strikeouts are great. He’s got
44 strikeouts in 29.2 innings. He’s also given up 26 hits and 15 walks. So, I
do think Slama will be a very good big league
pitcher, but let’s not pretend that he’s ready to do that today and that he is
without blemishes. Let’s see him correct a couple more issues, and hopefully
this year the team will get him to AAA Rochester to see what he can do there.
2009 Projection: Could be closing in Rochester in the near future
Potential: Very solid set up man
Could be in Minnesota in: 2010
#18 – Jeff Manship – RHP – 24 (1/16/85)
2009 Team: New Britain Rockcats
Acquired: Twins 14th round pick in 2006 out of Notre Dame University
On
the season, Manship is 4-4 with a 4.94 ERA and a 1.33
WHIP. In 62 innings (over 11 starts), he has given up 64 hits, walked just 16
and struck out 38. Although his ERA is higher this season than in his second
half stint with the Rockcats a year ago, his ‘other’
numbers are better. The WHIP is improved, the walks are down. One concern is
that the strikeouts are also down. People forget though that even at the AA
level, there are still adjustments being made and new things added. A year ago,
Manship knew he had to work on further developing his
changeup. He has done that, and now feels comfortable throwing it at any time
in the count. Has Manship turned a corner? In his
last three starts, he is 1-1 with a 2.11 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. Consistency the
rest of the season will be something to watch. Having seen him pitch in the
championship game of the Arizona Fall League, it was interesting to watch his
delivery. It could be described as maximum effort. That begs the question about
whether Manship could be a bullpen guy down the road
somewhere if needed. I think someone this talented should remain a starter as
long as possible, but a guy like this who throws pretty hard and has three very
good pitches could absolutely dominate over one of two innings. That’s not a
decision for now, but something to be considered.
2009 Projection: Likely spend full season in New Britain rotation
Potential: #4 starter
Could be in Minnesota in: 2010
#17 – Dustin Martin – OF – 25 (4/4/84)
2009
Teams:
Rochester Red Wings
Acquired: in July 30, 2007 trade with New York Mets for Luis Castillo
Dustin Martin burst on the scene in 2007 at New Britain where he hit .290/.355/.447 with 34 doubles, eight triples, ten home runs and 22 stolen bases. Then he was invited to the Arizona Fall League where he really impressed. He was invited to spring training with the big league club and did well in his opportunities, well enough that he was sent to Rochester to start the 2009 season. He got off to a very fast start. He hit .281 in April but a week into May he was hitting .315. Since then, it has been a struggle for the already-25 year old. In his last ten games, he has hit .242 and is now hitting .258/.322/.339. He can play CF, but has primarily played in LF where a .661 OPS just doesn’t play real well. His OPS against left-handed pitching is just .467. The league has adjusted to Martin. Now it is his turn to make the adjustment back to them. How he does in that adjustment will tell us a lot about his future.
2009
Projection:
OF in Rochester
Potential: 4th OF that could start, solid all-around
Could be in Minnesota in: 2010
#16 – Mike McCardell - RHP – 24 (4/13/85)
2009 Teams: Ft. Myers Miracle
Acquired: Twins 6th round pick in 2007 out of Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
After
spending all of the 2008 season asking why McCardell
hadn’t been promoted to Ft. Myers, he got off to a fairly slow start with the
Miracle this season. But he has been very good of late, so soon we will need to
start wondering why he hasn’t been promoted to New Britain! On the season, he
is 6-3 with a 3.97 ERA. He has just nine walks and 47 strikeouts in 54 innings
of work. The lone concern is that he has also given up nine home runs. He is a
fly ball pitcher, so he could be prone to the long ball. The fact
that he doesn’t walk many limit the damage as many are solo home runs.
He has three good pitches, the best of which may be a slow curveball. If he
were two years younger, he would be a top ten prospect. I do believe that he
may be ready to compete at the AA level if an opening arises.
2009 Projection: Start Season in Ft. Myers, should move up to New Britain at some point if an opening.
Potential: #3 starter
Could be in Minnesota in: 2011
#15 – Chris Parmelee – OF/1B – 21 (2/24/88)
2009 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle
Acquired: Twins 1st round pick in 2006 out of Chino Hills (CA) High School
I
am still intrigued by the potential of Parmelee. He
has shown in his still-young career that he probably will never hit for batting
average. He has also shown an ability to take walks. Last
year at Beloit, his Isolated Discipline last year of .146. This year,
that number is down to a more pedestrian (but still good) .076. He does have six
doubles and five home runs on the year, but he hasn’t hit a homer in weeks. 41
strikeouts in 180 plate appearances is actually very
good for him. The FSL is known as a pitcher’s league, but it will be
interesting to see if Parmelee makes some more adjustments
in the second half. Although he has a great eye, some would like to see him be
a little more aggressive early in the count when he gets his pitch.
2009 Projection: full season in Ft. Myers
Potential: home run, strikeout or
walk type in the big leagues
Could be in Minnesota in: 2011
#14 – Rob Delaney – RHP – 24 (9/8/84)
2009 Teams: New Britain Rockcats, Rochester Red Wings
Acquired: Non-Drafted Free Agent from St. John’s University in 2006
With
Delaney’s promotion to AAA Rochester this week, I believe the phrase I have
heard most frequently is “About time.” As you know, I generally agree with not
rushing prospects and in many cases I can fully justify the Twins decisions to
not promote players. Rob Delaney, in my opinion, has been the hardest to
justify. He was the top relief pitcher in minor league baseball in 2008
(according to MiLB.com). He spent the second half of the season with the Rockcats, posting a 1.05 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP while striking
out 38 batters (and walking just 7) in 34.1 innings. This year, in 36.1 AA
innings, his ERA was 2.00, his WHIP was 1.06 and he struck out 40 while walking
just six. The increases WHIP was caused by a H/9 rate
increase from 5.2 to 8.0. Still excellent numbers and very
much deserving of the promotion. I am very interested in seeing how he
does over the next month to see if he could be ready to help the Twins this
season.
2009 Projection: Likely to spend the rest of the 2009 season in Rochester, but could see a September call-up since he will have to be added to the 40 man roster after the season anyway.
Potential: Very good set up man
Could be in Minnesota in: 2009
#13 – Joe Benson – OF– 21 (3/5/88)
2009 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle
Acquired: Twins 2nd round pick in 2006 out of Joliet (IL) High School
On
May 11th, Joe Benson was finishing up his second straight two hit
night. In his final at bat, he didn’t like a call and when he got back to the
dugout, he hit the wall, and he hasn’t played since due to a broken hand. Some,
including many in the Twins front office, could be very upset at this, and for
good reason. I’m only upset at it because Benson was really starting to show
some of the promise that caused the Twins to draft him in the 2nd
round in 2006. In 28 games, Benson was hitting .297. He was taking walks at a
great rate, with and OBP of .413, and he had eight extra base hits, including
three home runs. He was the best surprise in the farm system to that point. I
would really like to have seen what his numbers would look like now, if not for
the injury. But again, I’m not going to reduce what he has done by being upset.
I like a player that is a fierce competitor, that wants to do well at all times. Was it dumb? Of course. But
I don’t think we want to take away that fire from Joe Benson. That type of
fire, coupled with his amazing athleticism and talent that was starting to show
on the baseball field, is some of the stuff that makes a player great. I have a
feeling that he won’t be punching walls anymore. Lesson learned. Now hopefully
he can get back on the field soon, keep producing and move further up this
list.
2009 Projection: Should spend the season in Ft. Myers
Potential: a 30/30 type of hitter, with a gold glove
Could be in Minnesota in: 2012
#12 – Tyler Robertson – LHP – 21 (12/23/87)
2009 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle
Acquired: Twins 3rd round pick in 2006 from Citrus Heights, CA
Following
the 2007 season, I surprised a lot of people by naming Robertson my choice for
the team’s #1 prospect. He was supposed to start the season that year in
Extended Spring Training, but an injury gave him an opportunity in Beloit, and
he ran with it. He moved up to Ft. Myers last year and was very good for 15
starts, posting a 2.72 ERA. But then he missed most of the second half of the
season with tendonitis in his pitching arm. That meant a return trip to Ft.
Myers to start this season. Unfortunately, Robertson is not yet back to his
pre-arm issue form. He is 3-2 with a good 3.97 ERA. His WHIP, however, is 1.45.
He is giving up a hit an inning but 23 walks in 48.1 innings is something he
will need to continue to improve. Also, his K-Rate has dropped from 10.8 in
Beloit in 2007, to 7.9 in Ft. Myers last year, to 6.3 in Ft. Myers this year.
Left-handers are hitting just .169 against him while right-handed bats are
hitting .301. Many still have concerns about his delivery. I just think he
needs to work more innings to regain his form and strength. Robertson is a
great kid, with “plus-plus makeup.” He has a great baseball acumen and
understands all aspects of the game.. Add to that a
fastball that will get back to 90+, a very good curveball and a very good
changeup, and I still believe he can be a very good big league starter.
2009 Projection: starter at Ft. Myers for likely the full season
Potential: potential #3 starter
Could be in Minnesota in: 2012
#11 – Luke Hughes – 3B/2B/CF – 24 (8/2/84)
2009 Team: Rochester Red Wings
Acquired: signed as free agent
in 2002 out of Australia
Hughes
has been out of the lineup since May 22nd with back spasms or an
oblique muscle strain, depending on the source. Hopefully he won’t be out for
too long. Who knows? If he was healthy when Michael Cuddyer
injures his finger, maybe he would have been promoted and Cuddyer
DLd? Luke Hughes is another very intriguing Twins
prospect to many. The power that he showed last year in New Britain was new and
impressive. In 134 at bats this year at AAA, he already had eight doubles, two
triples and six home runs. On the year, he is hitting .261/.346/.485 (.831).
That tells you how good his season start was since he was just hitting .194
with four extra base hits over his last ten games. Against lefties, Hughes is
hitting .370/.400/.926 (OPS = 1.326). Those are Mauer-like
numbers! But you have to realize that is in just 29 plate appearances, so
reality would have to set in at some point. His .707 OPS in 123 plate
appearances against righties says a lot more. The other thing to remember is
Hughes’ defensive reputation. With Danny Valencia looming behind him, I would think
that his career as a super-utility/DH/PH will be starting soon. I think Hughes
could be a very nice contributor to the Twins lineup in time. He can provide
power, maybe as a platoon at DH against lefties.
2009 Projection: I expect him to play all over in Rochester, infield and outfield, and could move up to the Twins
Potential: likely utility infielder/outfielder who won't hurt the Twins if he has to start for an extended period.
Could be in Minnesota in: 2009
So there you have it, my
selections for Twins prospects 11-20. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my
choices for the Top Ten Twins Prospects. If you have any feedback, comments,
opinions or suggestions, please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave
your questions or comments here.