Tuesday

Good Morning! The Twins used Johan to get another win last night. For more Twins Thoughts, mostly on Johan, look below.

The rest of this week, I will post a four-part look at my Top 50 Twins prospects. After looking at Prospect 36-50 yesterday, I will take a look at my selections for #21-35 today. Tomorrow, I'll announce my picks for #11-20. And finally on Friday, you will see the Top 10 Twins Prospects according to SethSpeaks.

If you have any questions or comments on any of these players or their rankings, I would love to hear your thoughts. Also, on Friday, I would like to post a mailbag following my Top 10 Twins Prospects of your thoughts on these lists. 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.

By the way, if you want to read some of my thoughts on how I go about ranking these players, click here:

Let's got caught up on Numbers 50-36. For more detail, be sure to check it out here.

#50 – Josh Rabe – OF – 26

#49 – JR Taylor – SS – 23

#48 – Justin Olson – RHP – 25

#47 – Brock Peterson – 1B – 21

#46 – Erik Lis – 1B – 21

#45 – Scott Tyler – RHP – 23

#44 – Ricky Barrett – LHP – 24

#43 – Adam Hawes – RHP – 22

#42 – Colby Miller – RHP – 23

#41 – Johnny Woodard – 1B – 21

#40 – Kevin West – OF – 25

#39 – Deacon Burns – OF – 22

#38 – Jason Miller – LH RP – 23

#37 – Drew Thompson – SS – 18

#36 – Danny Matienzo – DH – 25

And here are Prospects 35-21:

#35 – Brian Duensing – LHP – 22

2005 Teams: University of Nebraska/Elizabethton Twins

Acquired: Twins 3rd round pick in 2005

Made 10 starts (in 23 appearances) at Nebraska and led the team to the College World Series. He went 8-0 this spring with a 3.00 ERA. It was a good season after he had Tommy John surgery and missed most of 2003 and the entire 2004 college seasons. He signed quickly and went to E-Town and was part of their championship team. He made nine starts (in 12 appearances) and was 4-3 with a 2.32 ERA. In 50.1 innings, he struck out 55 and walked just 16. The strikeout numbers are a bit questionable to me because in 84 college innings, he struck out just 52.

2006 Projection: starting at Beloit

Potential: 5th starter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2009

#34 – Kyle Aselton – LHP – 22

2005 Team: Beloit Snappers

Acquired: Twins 11th round draft pick in 2004 out of Oregon State

Aselton started this season in the Snappers bullpen. Late in the season, he entered the starting rotation and made 10 starts. In his first few starts, he struggled with his control. By the end of the season, he was dominant. He was the Game 1 starter for the Snappers playoff series against Wisconsin. Overall, in 41 games, he went 6-2 with two saves and a 2.49 ERA. In 112 innings, he struck out 113. Again, the problem was that he also walked 63. The way he ended the season gives us an idea of just how good the 6-5 lefty can be. Hopefully he can build on that next season.

2006 Projection: In the Ft. Myers starting rotation.

Potential: did very well as a starter, but I think he could be a great left-handed reliever

Could be in Minnesota in: 2009

#33 – Henry Sanchez – 1B – 18

2005 Team: High School/GCL Twins

Acquired: Twins Supplemental 1st round pick in 2005

Sanchez might be the most difficult person on the list to rank. If we go by what we have read about his high school prowess, Sanchez could become a huge, power hitting 1B. But, what do we really know about him? He had a big decision to make after the Twins drafted him this summer. His other option was to play for Tony Gwynn at San Diego State. So, he did not sign until very late in the summer and played in just 21 games. When he did arrive, he didn't hit much at all. We can blame the adjustment to the wood bat for that, but he also struck out 28 times in 77 plate appearances. Late, he started hitting for power. He had two doubles and two homers. It is possible that Sanchez is the player furthest from the big leagues right now. It is also possible that he could be the biggest impact player of them all.

2006 Projection: Possibly 1B/DH at Beloit with Lis, but probably Elizabethton

Potential: 40 home run hitter, "potential" being they key word with him.

Could be in Minnesota in: 2010

#32 – Alexander Smit – LHP – 19

2005 Team: Beloit Snappers/Elizabethton Twins

Acquired: Signed as a Free Agent from the Netherlands in 2002

OK, Smit might be the second most difficult person to rank on this list. Smit is still very young. He was one of just four 19 year olds on the Elizabethton team this year. He started the season at Beloit, in their starting rotation. He made ten starts and four relief appearances for the Snappers. He went 1-9 with a 5.98 ERA. In 48.1 innings, he struck out 54. But he also walked 28. Another big problem was the nine home runs he allowed. When the Elizabethton team started in June, Smit went back down and pitched out of the bullpen the rest of the season, well, until he had to join the Netherlands National Team. Back at E-Town, he absolutely dominated again! In 21 games and 45.2 innings, he struck out an amazing 86 hitters while walking just 12 hitters. He was 6-1 with a 1.97 ERA. Next season, he will have to show that he can throw strikes and control the strike zone a lot better. But the Twins can, and should be patient with the very young, tall, lefty with amazing stuff.

2006 Projection: Bullpen at Beloit

Potential: Could be a dominant lefty reliever

Could be in Minnesota in: 2009

#31 – Paul Kelly – SS/2B – 18

2005 Teams: High School/GCL Twins/Beloit Snappers

Acquired: Twins 2nd round pick in 2005

Unlike Sanchez, Paul Kelly signed quickly after the draft. He started his career in the Gulf Coast League. Actually, he started out rather slowly too. But I would attribute that to the wood bat adjustment because he struck out just once every five at bats. That isn't good by any means, however, as the season went on, Kelly started hitting a lot better. He frequently had two hit games. Overall, in 40 games, he hit .277/.358/.365 with six doubles, two homers and 20 RBI. When the GCL season ended, he moved up to Beloit to replace Steven Tolleson at 2B. He did well at that level, although admittedly in just five games. He hit .313/368/.625 with two doubles, a homer and 4 RBI. It will be interesting to see how Kelly and Drew Thompson work together in the coming years.

2006 Projection: SS or 2B at Beloit

Potential: Could be a solid major league middle infielder with some power

Could be in Minnesota in: 2009

#30 – Jose Mijares – LHP – 20

2005 Team: Beloit Snappers/Fort Myers Miracle

Acquired: Signed as a free agent by Twins, out of Venezuela

Mijares really went under the radar before this year. As much as I pay attention to the Twins minor leagues, I didn't realize that in 2004 with the GCL Twins, he pitched in 19 games out of the bullpen. He went 4-0 with a 2.43 ERA. In 29.2 innings, he struck out a solid 25, but he also walked 15. A little while into the 2005 season, Mijares made his debut in Beloit. In 20 games (6 starts), he went 6-3 with a 4.31 ERA. In 54.1 innings, he struck out an incredible 78 hitters (12.9 K/9). He did walk 40, which is not good. He then moved up to Fort Myers where he pitched in five games. In 12 innings, he struck out 17 hitters (and walked five). Then final game of the year, he got a start and threw five perfect innings. A game like that will will get you noticed! Let's see, a young left-hander from Venezuela who, as Baseball America's Jim Callis wrote the other day, "has a low-90s fastball that hits 94 and a plus breaking ball." Who would that remind Twins fans of????

2006 Projection: Probably in the Ft. Myers starting rotation

Potential: #3 starter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2008

#29 – Luis Maza – 2B/3B – 25

2005 Teams: New Britain Rockcats/Rochester Red Wings

Acquired: Signed by Twins as a free agent from Venezuela

Maza had an incredible 2004 season at New Britain. He hit .311/.365/.470 with 26 doubles, 8 triples, 12 homers and 66 RBI. He played 9 games at Rochester and the assumption in spring training was that he would spend this season at Rochester. Because the Twins signed so many minor league free agents, Maza spent the first 49 games of the year back and New Britain. I was disappointed, so I can only imagine how disappointed he must have been. And it showed. My assumption was that Maza was probably told to add more power. Well, in doing so, his numbers dropped. He hit just .249/.299/.386 but he did have nine double and six homers. With all the Twins injuries and call ups, Maza finally moved up to Rochester and again hit like we knew he could. In 76 games, he hit .291/.318/.476 with 14 doubles, 11 homers and 34 RBI. He did that while playing three infield positions and some left field. I personally believe that Maza could be a major league regular right now. He is this far down on the list for two reasons. He is already 25 years old, and I don't think that the Twins seem to see him as anything more than a utility player.

2006 Projection: Starting at 2B/SS/3B/OF for Rochester

Potential: a better bat than Luis Rodriguez, but probably still a utility infielder

Could be in Minnesota in: 2006

#28 – Errol Simonitsch – LHP – 23

2005 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle/New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: Twins 6th round pick in 2003 out of Gonzaga

Simonitsch started the season pitching wonderfully at Ft. Myers. He made 13 starts and went 8-3 with a 2.69 ERA. In 80.1 innings, he walked 12 and struck out 72. He was the promoted, with Glen Perkins, to New Britain. He got to make 14 more starts there and found the going a little tougher. He went 6-5 with an ERA of 4.12. In 78.2 innings, he struck out just 52 and walked 29. The tall lefty does have a future with the Twins despite not being a hard thrower. Assuming he regains his control, I think that he would compare to a Brad Radke, except he's left-handed. This season, he pledged $10 for every strikeout he recorded, and gave it to the US Troops. That's $1,440!

2006 Projection: Should be in the starting rotation at New Britain, with a chance to move up to Rochester later

Potential: #4 starter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2007

#27 – Trent Oeltjen – OF – 22

2005 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: Signed by the Twins as Free Agent in 2001 from Australia

Two years ago, Jason Kubel was playing in the Ft. Myers outfield. Last year, it was Alex Romero who put up those kinds of numbers there, the kind of numbers that get me excited about a prospect. I suspected that this year, Trent Oeltjen would put up those kinds of numbers at Ft. Myers. He's been a favorite prospect of mine for a couple of years ago. This season almost didn't happen for Oeltjen. In spring training, he was standing behind the batting cage watching another batter. The batter swung and his bat splintered. A chunk of the bat came back and pierced Oeltjen, just below his eye. He had to have some face surgery, and is very lucky. He came back to play 98 games for the Miracle and really came on near the end. Overall, he hit .289/.369/.396 with 17 doubles, four triples, four homers and 43 RBI. He also stole 21 of 30 bases. I think that the Australian can really be a very good player.

2006 Projection: Probably starting in the New Britain outfield

Potential: solid bat, good speed starting outfielder. Maybe like Grady Sizemore.

Could be in Minnesota in: 2008

#26 – Pat Neshek – RH RP – 25

2005 Team: New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: Twins 6th round pick in 2002 out of Butler

Neshek was the closer at New Britain. Of course, Closers in the Twins organization are not all used like Joe Nathan is. Nathan comes in usually to get three outs in the ninth. Neshek frequently came in in the 7th and 8th innings and got 2 or 3 inning saves. In 55 games this year, he went 6-4 with 24 saves and a 2.19 ERA. In 82.1 innings, he walked 21 and struck out 95 (10.4 K/9). Many may hear about Neshek's funky delivery and assume that he isn't a hard thrower (ala Shigetoshi Hasegawa, or Shingo Takatsu), but that is far from reality. Neshek throws his fastball, with movement, between 91 and 94 mph. He also has other pitches. Neshek is a reliever, but he is this high on the list because I think that he could be ready to contribute to the Twins soon, and in any number of bullpen roles. Unfortunately for him (and probably good for the Twins), their bullpen is stacked.

2006 Projection: Should be the closer at Rochester, or at least setting up for Bowyer, if he starts the season at AAA

Potential: potential 7th or 8th inning reliever

Could be in Minnesota in: 2006

#25 – Garrett Jones – 1B – 24

2005 Team: Rochester Red Wings

Acquired: Twins signed as minor league free agent in 2003. Braves 14th round pick in 1999.

Garrett Jones had a huge 2004 season at New Britain where he hit .311 with 30 homers. He had never had such success at any other minor league level. Because of that, I ranked him in my Top 10 Twins prospects after last season, and admit that was probably way too high. But, the Twins system is not full of 30 HR types of guys. This year, he made his AAA debut at Rochester. He hit just .242/.297/.445 with 22 doubles, 24 homers and 72 RBI. So, the power numbers were good, however, the other numbers leave much to be desired and cause some concern. He struck out 109 times and walked just 39. In other words, he did not put together a lot of quality at bats. He probably was swinging early in the count as he didn't walk, but he still struck out that many times which means very little bat control. I'm not ready to give up on Jones yet by any means. He is still just 24 and will be for much of the 2006 season. He is plenty young to make some adjustments yet. Next year will be a big season for him though.

2006 Projection: 1B at Rochester again

Potential: backup 1B/pinch hitter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2006

#24 – Doug Deeds – OF – 23

2005 Team: New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: Twins 9th round pick in 2003 out of Ohio State University

If you look at the New Britain outfield at the end of the season, there was Denard Span and Alex Romero, both top caliber prospects who had fine seasons. Then there was Doug Deeds. The other two got all the glory, and deserved it, but Deeds was probably the team's most consistent contributor throughout the entire season. All told, he hit .304/.382/.479 with 34 doubles, 16 homers and 82 RBI in 133 games. He has a good eye, and good power. He has some speed as well. His lone problem seems to be making contact. In about 550 plate appearances, he struck out 119 times. I think that he is ready for Rochester next season, and if he can find a way to make more contact, a trip to Minneapolis is definitely a possibility.

2006 Projection: starting in the Rochester outfield

Potential: 4th outfielder, could start

Could be in Minnesota in: 2007 (2006 possible)

#23 – Ryan Mullins – LHP – 21

2005 Teams: Vanderbilt/Elizabethton Twins

Acquired: Twins 3rd round draft pick in 2005 out of Vanderbilt

The 6-6 Mullins likely would have been drafted higher if not for an off-field incident last year. However, the Twins should feel very lucky to get a talent like this so late. He signed relatively quickly, and actually took a discounted signing bonus so that he could miss the Instructional League this fall and go back to school. In 12 starts this spring, he went 6-1 with a 3.62 ERA. He was actually better as a sophomore when he went 9-2 with a 2.58 ERA. Like the other college pitchers drafted, he went to Elizabethton after signing. He made 11 starts and went 3-0 with a 2.18 ERA. In 53.2 innings, he had 60 strikeouts and just 13 walks. In his playoff start, he struck out 13 batters in five innings. At 6-6, he has room to grow, and I think his ceiling could be quite high!

2006 Projection: I think he'll start in the Beloit rotation with a chance to move up to Ft. Myers quickly.

Potential: A very good #2 or #3 starter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2008

#22 – JD Durbin – RHP – 23

2005 Teams: Rochester Red Wings

Acquired: Twins 2nd round pick in 2000 out of Scottsdale, AZ

It was a very rough season for Durbin this year. After such a strong 2004 season in which he made his big league debut, expectations and hopes were high for him in 2005. He came to training camp as a possible fifth starter. And it was almost all downhill from there. In five spring games, he walked 10 hitters in just eight innings. He was sent back to Rochester and control remained a problem. In 104 innings this year, he had 51 walks, many of them early in the year. Was his problem more physical (he was shut down for a month or so because of his shoulder again) or mental? Either way, remember that Durbin is still just 23 years old, and he still has the potential and the stuff to be a very good big league pitcher... if he can get his head on straight.

2006 Projection: competing for a bullpen spot with the Twins, or starting in Rochester... or traded?

Potential: still has the stuff to be a #2 or #3 pitcher

Could be in Minnesota in: 2006

#21 – Eduardo Morlan – RHP – 19

2005 Team: Elizabethton Twins/Beloit Snappers

Acquired: Twins 3rd round pick in 2004 out of high school in Miami, FL

The Twins had a great draft in 2004, picking Trevor Plouffe to go with pitchers Glen Perkins, Kyle Waldrop, Jay Rainville, Anthony Swarzak, Kyle Aselton, Juan Portes... and you can certainly add young Eduardo Morlan to that list too. He is probably the least known or talked about of the 2004 draft class. He started this season by making four starts at E-Town. He was 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA. In 22 innings, he gave up just SIX hits and six walks. He also struck out 30. That kind of dominance earned him a promotion to Beloit. In 10 starts, he went 4-4 with a 4.38 ERA. In 51.2 innings, he struck out 55 hitters, but he also walked 31 (which is too high). It is interesting to see how many more walks are given up at Beloit than in Elizabethton. Is the strike zone smaller or do hitters lay off more pitches? Anyway, Morlan can now be classified right with those other 2004 picks.

2006 Projection: starting in Beloit probably.

Potential: a solid #4 type pitcher

Could be in Minnesota in: 2010

By the way, be sure to check out Baseball America's Top 20 players from the Florida State League. Three Fort Myers Miracle players made the top 20. Matt Moses (6), Denard Span (7), and Adam Harben (16) each made the list. I think it's great. Since Rainville and Swarzak appeared in the Midwest League rankings, they likely were not eligible for the Florida State League. It would be interesting to see how they would rank here.

Any thoughts, let me know. E-mail me. Be sure to check back tomorrow for Prospects #21-35!

And on that note, I will call it a day. I certainly hope that you have found some things that were worth reading and are finding the Prospect countdown enjoyable. I hope you'll be back tomorrow to see the next 10 top Twins prospects! If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me.