Tuesday, September 30, 2008

SethSpeaks.net Top 50 Twins Prospects 

Part 2 - (#s 21-30)

 

QUICK PODCAST UPDATE – The podcast went well last night. I posted this over at TalkinTwinsBB.blogspot.com:

  1. Just finished the SethSpeaks.net Twins Podcast. Rays reliever Grant Balfour was on for about the first 25 minutes and it was really fun talking to him about his team, the Rays, and the dominant bullpen that he pitches in. We talked about similarities between his 2008 Rays team and the 2004 Twins team that he played on. We talked about his signing with the Twins from Australia, and his big league debut with the Twins in 2001 after being called up from New Britain. He talked about pitching in the Dome versus pitching in the Trop. Basically, it was a good chat. I really enjoyed it, and Grant is just a very good guy.

At that point, Josh Johnson from Josh’s Thoughts called in and we talked for about 20 minutes about this current Twins team. And finally I had a few nuggets to share and answered some questions from the chat room for the final ten minutes.

I even shared a little bit of inside information on Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer…

Check it out, and if you do, please e-mail me your thoughts.

 

Today we continue the SethSpeaks.net Top 50 Twins Prospects series with Part 2, numbers 21-30. Yesterday, we looked at Prospects 31-50. Again, I want to encourage discussion of this list. Feel free to e-mail me at SethSpeaksNet@hotmail.com or Comment here. For information on the purpose of this list and some of the criteria used to develop it, click here. 

So, with all that, let’s get to today’s Twins Prospects:

SethSpeaks Top 50 Twins Prospects

 

 

Burnett Card.jpg#30 – Alex Burnett – RHP – 21 (7/26/87)

2008 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: Twins 12th round pick in 2005 from Huntington Beach, CA

Alex Burnett is an interesting prospect. He is young for his level of competition, but was drafted very young, so has quality minor league experience. He doesn’t record a lot of strikeouts which is alarming. But again this year, he was his team’s workhorse. He led the team with 143.1 innings pitched. Lack of strikeouts. He was 8-6 with a 3.76 ERA. His ERA was under 4.00 in four out of five months. He has remained durable. It will be interesting to see if they continue to push him forward. I think he’s ready. 

2009 Projection: starter at New Britain

Potential: potential to be a #4-5 starter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2012

 

 

#29 – Daniel Ortiz – OF – 18 (1/5/90)

2008 Teams: GCL Twins

Acquired: Twins 4th round pick in 2008 out of Puerto Rico H.S.

Ortiz can thank 2007 third round pick Angel Morales for this ranking. Ortiz was the Twins 4th round pick in 2008, also out of Puerto Rico. Ortiz is another guy with the term “five-tool potential” associated to him. Will it all develop? Of course, it is far too early to tell. But he had a very nice start to his career with the GCL Twins. He led the team in at bats and hit .272/.327/.418 with 11 doubles, a team-hit five triples and two home runs. He struck out less than once every six at bats, which is solid. He certainly has a long ways to go to be big league ready. In fact, I would expect that next year, we won’t see him until the start of the Appalachian League season. But he is yet another high ceiling type of player in the lower levels of their system.

2009 Projection: Expect he’ll stay in Extended Spring Training and head to Elizabethton for the short season

Potential: 5-tool potential, but does need to get bigger.

Could be in Minnesota in: 2014

 

 

#Singleton Card.jpg28 – Steve Singleton – 2B – 23 (9/12/85)

2008 Teams: Beloit Snappers, Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: Twins 11th round pick in 2006 out of U. of San Diego

Singleton may have been the Twins minor league prospect who improved the most from 2007 to 2008. He came into in to the 2007 season hardly able to throw a baseball, but  did play most of the season. He began the 2008 season back at Beloit, but he was a much different player. With the Snappers, he hit .302 with 14 extra base hits in 235 at bats. He moved up to Ft. Myers after the All Star break where he hit .295/.371/.452 with 26 extra base hits in 245 at bats. He also walked 26 times and struck out just 24 times. All of his numbers improved. In fact, I think he may be ready to start the 2009 season at New Britain. Defensively, he is excellent.  Offensively, he had a very strong season at two levels and appears to be ready for the next level. Another solid season and he could move quickly up this list. With more arm strength, maybe he is a shortstop of the future option.  By the way, check out the following statistical comparison:

·         Steve Singleton (2nd Half in Ft. Myers) - .295/.371/.452 with 19-2B, 2-3B, 5 HR, 26 BB, 24 K.

·         Brian Dinkelman (1st Half in Ft. Myers) - .293/.391/.414 with 18-2B, 2-3B, 2 HR, 33 BB, 28 K.

Pretty similar, huh? Slight edge maybe to Singleton? Now note that Singleton is nearly two years younger than Dinkelman. Now you may better understand why I have Singleton ranked ahead of Dinkleman.

2009 Projection: Ft. Myers infield, but should move up to New Britain in second half

Potential: utility infielder with bat and glove to be regular 2B

Could be in Minnesota in: 2011

 

 

#27 – Anthony Slama – RHP – 24 (1/6/84)

2008 Teams: Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: Twins 39th round pick in 2006 out of San Diego

 

Absolute dominance. That might be the best way to describe the 2008 season of Anthony Slama. In 51 games with Ft. Myers, he pitched 71 innings in 51 games. He was 4-1 with 25 saves and a 1.01 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. In those 71 innings, he struck out an insane 110 batters. He gave up just 43 hits and walked 24 batters. So, how can a guy who put up numbers like that be this far down the list? In part, you have to blame the Twins organization. How he spent the entire season, at age 24, in the Florida State League is beyond me. I rationalized it after the All-Star break saying that he could get a few weeks or a month as The Closer, but obviously he still didn’t move up. By the end of the year, with New Britain out of playoff contention and the Miracle in the playoffs, you could justify it by saying that he could help them in the playoffs. Again, just an excuse really. He had absolutely nothing to prove in Hi-A ball. Secondly, his is 24 years old, and will be 25 well before the next spring training. As dominant as he was, he is a relief pitcher who likely won’t pitch more than 75 innings in a season, and he is very old for his level of competition. That said, I fully expect Slama to get invited to spring training and start the season in New Britain. It is possible that he could move up to the big leagues as early as next year as well. First things first, it will be interesting to see how he does against the competition in the Arizona Fall League.

 

2009 Projection: Likely start the season in New Britain. Could be promoted quickly ‘09 to make up for not being promoted in ‘08.

Potential: Very solid set up man

Could be in Minnesota in: 2010

 

 

Lis Card.jpg#26 – Erik Lis – DH – 24 (3/8/84)

2008 Team: New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: Twins 9th round pick in 2005 out of U. of Evansville

In my mind, Erik Lis seems to be just a natural hitter. He seems like a guy who could wake up and hit… Unless he gets hurt, which unfortunately derailed his season about a month early. He has always been fairly old for his level of competition, but he spent 2008 at 24 years old in AA New Britain. He hit .277/.318/.462 with a team-high 36 doubles. Now, the 0.41 Isolated Discipline isn’t great at all. But he is an absolute doubles machine and this year, and this year he added 11 home runs. Of course, the question remains, what position could he play at the big league level? He has struggled defensively at 1B, and he continues to play out in left field now. In reality, he may be a DH option.

2009 Projection: he can hit in Rochester, but could start season in New Britain

Potential: big league bat, could DH

Could be in Minnesota in: 2010

 

 

DavidBrombergCard.jpg#25 – David Bromberg – RHP – 21 (9/14/87)

2008 Team: Beloit Snappers

Acquired: Twins 32nd round pick in 2005 out of Pacific Palisades (CA) HS

 

Bromberg was the Appalachian League pitcher of the year in 2007. Although his 9-10 win-loss record is not great, and neither is his 4.44 ERA, he remains a very solid prospect. The biggest reason he’s a big prospect though is the organizational leading 177 strikeouts in 150 innings. He gave up 149 hits. He walked 54, which is still a little bit high, but a significant improvement from previous years. Unafraid to pitch inside, Bromberg also hit 18 batters. In an interview with Beloit Media Relations Director Erik VanDyck said that he would not be surprised if Bromberg were to become a closer. He still has a lot of work to do, but he will spend the entire 2009 season at just 21 years of age, likely pitching in Ft. Myers. He is on the right path.

 

2009 Projection: Ft. Myers rotation all year

Potential: better control would make him a potential #2 starter, could be a closer

Could be in Minnesota in: 2012

 

 

#24 – Rob Delaney – RHP – 24 (9/8/84)

2008 Teams: Ft. Myers Miracle, New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: Non-Drafted Free Agent from St. John’s University in 2006

Although it is not like the Twins to promote a player, particularly a pitcher, very quickly, a very strong argument could have been made for Delaney being a September call up to the Twins. Delaney started the season with the Ft. Myers Miracle. In 31.2 innings, he went 1-2 with a 1.42 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. He had 13 saves. He had four walks and 34 strikeouts. After pitching in the Florida State All-Star game, he was promoted to New Britain where he continued to dominate. In 34.1 innings, he went 2-1 with a 1.05 ERA and 0.79 WHIP. He walked just seven batters while striking out 38. So, he doesn’t strikeout quite as many as Slama, but he still is averaging more than one strikeout per inning. However, the fact that he doesn’t hurt himself with walks really helps. I would suspect that Delaney will be invited to spring training. He’ll likely not make the roster out of camp, but with any bullpen struggles next season, we should see Delaney. It will also be good to see how he does in the Arizona Fall league.

2009 Projection: Could start season as Rockcats closer with promotion to Rochester and/or the Twins

Potential: Very solid set up man

Could be in Minnesota in: 2009

 

#23 – David Winfree – 3B – 23 (8/5/85)

2008 Teams: New Britain Rockcats
Acquired: Twins 13th round pick in 2003 out of Virginia Beach (VA) H.S.

David Winfree just finished his second season at AA New Britain, and just turned 23 toward the end of the season. He also hit 27 doubles and 19 home runs, and he drove in 87 runs. How is that prospect not more highly touted? For David Winfree, it is two-fold. First, there was the time at the beginning of the 2006 season when he left the team for a month. But, the other reason is his batting average. In 2008, he ended on a hot streak to finish with a .252 average. His Isolated Discipline is a solid 0.67. He has tremendous power. And although it has a lot to do with other players getting on base in front of him, he has a knack for driving in a lot of runs. The reality is that he can play two more years at New Britain and still be the same age that Erik Lis played AA at this year. Although the batting average was down, it is important to note that Winfree cut down his strikeout rate, which is very important for him. He also had to learn a new position, as the Twins made him an OF this year. I can’t speak to his range, but he had just two errors. It will be interesting to see if the Twins put Winfree on the 40 man roster this year. They didn’t last year, and didn’t lose him, so my assumption is that they won’t protect him this year either. 

2009 Projection: should spend season in Rochester as DH and RF.
Potential: Potential power hitting big league hitter
Could be in Minnesota in: 2010

 

 

#Mijares Card.jpg22 – Jose Mijares – LHP – 23 (10/29/84)

2008 Teams: GCL Twins, Ft. Myers Miracle, New Britain Rockcats, Minnesota Twins

Acquired: signed as free agent from Venezuela in 2003

Mijares was added to the Twins 40 man roster in December of 2006. In other words, he does have options for 2009. In short, the Twins did not have to call him up in September for any reason. However, reports indicate the Terry Ryan has seen him pitch this season and deemed him ready to help the Twins down the stretch. This situation likely occurs in many organizations each year. However, this case is a little different. Before spring training started, Mijares broke his elbow in a car accident in his home country of Venezuela. Although people kept saying he might be back toward the end of the season, I thought it was a lost year for him. Well, in late June, he began his comeback with the GCL Twins. He dominated in seven games. He moved up to Ft. Myers where he pitched in five more games and again pitched very well. So, he moved up to New Britain which put him right back where he ended the 2007 season. That alone would have meant a very successful season for Mijares. But he pitched in 11 games for the Rockcats and went 1-1 with two saves and a 2.93 ERA. When Mijares was called up to the Twins for September, I think it became one of the best stories in the Twins organization this year. But Mijares is more than a story. He is a hard throwing left-handed pitcher. In his stint with the Rockcats, against left-handed hitters, they hit just .217 against him. Mijares has basically taken over 8th inning duties in September. So, with Dennys Reyes and Eddie Guardado likely gone next season, and the three lefties in Rochester (Carmen Cali, Ricky Barrett and Mariano Gomez) not considered long-term options, I expect Mijares to be given every chance to make the roster to start next year.

2009 Projection: 8th inning reliever and part-time LOOGY for the Twins

Potential: dominating reliever who can get lefties and righties out

Could be in Minnesota in: 2008

 

#21 – Dustin Martin – OF – 24 (4/4/84)

2008 Teams: New Britain Rockcats
Acquired: in July 30, 2007 trade with New York Mets for Luis Castillo

Luke Hughes got all of the glory. Steve Tolleson and Erik Lis hit very well. But Dustin Martin may have been the most consistent performer for the Rockcats all season.  Martin led the Rockcats in games played with 133 and at bats with 510. But he hit .290/.355/.485 with a very impressive 52 extra base hits including ten home runs. He also stole 22 bases in 33 attempts. He played a lot of centerfield, and may also have enough bat to play the corner positions. As we all know, he came to the Twins in last year’s Luis Castillo trade from the Mets with Drew Butera. At the time, people were upset about getting “nothing” for Castillo. But I think it is likely that both Martin and Butera will contribute at the big league level as role players.  I think Martin could be a very solid player, but in the Twins system where there are so many young, talented outfielders, it will be tough to crack the lineup. It will be good for him to be see in the Arizona Fall League this year.   

2009 Projection: OF in New Britain
Potential: 4th OF that could start, solid all-around (See Jason Pridie, less strikeouts)
Could be in Minnesota in: 2010

 

 

With that, you can anticipate Part 3 being posted in the next day or two. As you would expect, it depends on how the Twins are doing and how much time I have to get things posted. But I welcome your questions, comments, opinions, rankings or arguments. You can e-mail me at sethspeaksnet@hotmail.com or go to the WordPress Talkin’ Twins BB site and Comment there. I hope to discuss this ranking during my upcoming podcasts at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SethSpeaks as well.

 

I appreciate all comments!

 

 

 

Back to Archives           Home