Monday September 15, 2003

Check out the “Expert” Football Picks, updated through Sunday’s games. After having the best record last week, see how I’m faring this week with my picks and the up-to-date standings for all nine “experts.”

TWINS THOUGHTS

VIKINGS THOUGHTS

NFL THOUGHTS

Twins Prospects: Mauer… and More

At the end of last week, Twins prospect Joe Mauer was named the 2003 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year. (If you happen to be a subscriber to the Baseball America site, check this extended Joe Mauer story out.) 

But Joe Mauer was certainly not the only bright light in the Twins organization. A number of their big prospects have moved to the major leagues. Others progressed nicely through the system. Others, well, shall we say, struggled. But that’s how it works with prospects; some make it, some don’t. Today, now that the minor league seasons are complete, I’m going to again discuss the Baseball America Top 10 Twins Prospects, as well as some other minor leaguers who may have made a name for themselves with the Twins brass.

#1 - Joe Mauer, C

The Minnesota native, Mauer appears to be major league-ready already. Just two years after being taken by the Twins first overall in the 2001 draft, Mauer is the best hitting prospect in all of baseball. Look at his offensive numbers, they’re great! But what coaches, teammates, and maybe most importantly GM Terry Ryan and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, notice is his ability to catch; to call pitches, to intimidate base runners, to handle a pitching staff. Mauer will be headed to the Arizona Fall League in October. Expect Mauer to start the 2004 season at AAA Rochester, but if he continues to progress, he could be in the majors by midseason, forcing the Twins to make a decision on All-Star catcher AJ Pierzynski. If not for AJ, Mauer probably would be in the lineup already!

#2 - Justin Morneau, 1B/DH

The Canadian Morneau lit up Double-A ball before being summoned to the Triple-A International League. When he got to Rochester, Morneau instantly became a star, homering with incredible frequency. In early June, Morneau forced the Twins to call him up with his performance. He came up and had an immediate impact on the Twins. However, he quickly struggled and was not given a chance to make adjustments. After sitting the pine for too long, the Twins finally sent him back to Rochester where he continued to struggle.  Morneau was recalled when the rosters expanded for September. Given the chance (which, with Gardy at the helm I wonder if he will be (see here, here or here), Morneau could become one of the league’s special players!

#3 - Michael Cuddyer, OF

After being the Twins primary RF last September and into the ALCS, Cuddyer’s “question mark” was his defensive abilities out there. It was believed that all it would take to improve was playing out there in the Metrodome. His hitting has never been an issue.  Well, this spring, the Twins left spring training with Cuddyer as their starting RF. He, like the rest of the Twins, was struggling in April, and after starting for a couple weeks, he was benched. After a couple weeks of rarely playing, they finally sent him back down to AAA. He mashed the ball there before pulling his hamstring. He came back from that too quickly and re-injured the hamstring. This time they kept him out for awhile. He finally came back and continued to hit. He was called up to the Twins on August 31, so that he could be on the post-season roster.  I still see Michael Cuddyer as a future All-Star caliber player. Will it be as a Twin?  Somehow, I doubt it.

#4 - Michael Restovich, OF

Michael Restovich actually stalled this season at AAA. He had solid, but unspectacular numbers before he was called up to the Twins in July. He actually was thrown out in RF and started about 10 games in a row and in that time, he his over .300 and his on-base percentage was above .400 while his strikeout rate was actually pretty good. But, that wasn’t good enough for Gardy, so he sat Resto and had the great Scott Ullger work. That’s like the Vikings bringing back John Randle to show Daunte Culpepper how to be a QB!  Anyway, Restovich went back to AAA and did well, and on September 1, he was added to the Twins roster. Although I don’t think Restovich’s ceiling is as high as the above three, I think he could be a solid major league outfielder, given the chance.

#5 - Denard Span, OF

2002 Twins #1 pick, Span signed late last year and didn’t play at all. This season, they kept him in extended spring training until the Rookie League season started. He played pretty well for Elizabethton, unfortunately shortly into the season, Span had an injury and was out for a few weeks. As you can see by the numbers, Span will not be a power hitter. He is always compared to Kenny Lofton. If he becomes that good, the Twins should be very happy!

#6 - Scott Tyler, RHP

A second-round pick in 2001, Tyler is big and throws hard. Control has been his big problem in the low-minor leagues so far. His strikeout numbers are good, but his walk numbers are alarming. This is not unusual for big pitchers taken out of high school. IF Tyler can harness his control, he could be a good one!

#7 - JD Durbin, RHP