Minnesota Twins Prospect #9 (Poll)

by SethSpeaks on Oct 15, 2008 4:40 PM EDT Comment 20 comments

Despite injury concerns, we voted for Tyler Robertson (handily) as the Twins #8 prospect. So, it's time to continue and figure out our choice for Prospect #9. So, keep discussing your choices:

Danny Valencia, 3B
Ben Revere, OF
Aaron Hicks, OF
Angel Morales, OF
Wilson Ramos, C
Jose Mijares, LH RP
Anthony Swarzak, RHP
Tyler Robertson, LHP

Off the ballot (for this round) - Dustin Martin, Rene Tosoni, Steve Tolleson

On the ballot - Carlos Gutierrez, Jeff Manship, Trevor Plouffe (back on), Shooter Hunt

Again, please vote for the player that you think is the Twins top prospect among those remaining on the ballot. Poll will be up for approximately 24 hours. Please vote, but also discuss your selection and the players available.

Again, if you have any questions or want to do some research on any of the prospects mentioned, one starting point might be http://www.sethspeaks.net/100208.htm. That is my personal Top 10 list, and it has links to all of my top 50 choices.

Poll

Who is the Twins #9 Prospect?

Rob Delaney

14 votes

Deolis Guerra

33 votes

Carlos Gutierrez

4 votes

Luke Hughes

30 votes

Shooter Hunt

26 votes

Jeff Manship

16 votes

Michael McCardell

20 votes

Kevin Mulvey

22 votes

Trevor Plouffe

13 votes

Anthony Slama

7 votes

185 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 20 comments

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Comments

Mulvey

I did vote for Robertson last time because his upside was the highest, even with injury concerns… and he was the highest on my list. I’m kind of doing the same this time. I had Kevin Mulvey ranked 8th on my list, and I think he had a very solid AAA season and is still young.

by SethSpeaks on Oct 15, 2008 4:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Man, this is difficult stuff.

It all goes back to that key question.

Mulvey is hard to ignore, but he could be with the team next year. His control wasn’t the best, and he needs to have a solid season in AAA before I can put him in my “mental” top 10. I have to give the nod to Deolis Guerra. He didn’t have the best season in 2008 either, but his extreme youth makes up for it in my opinion. I wondered why he wasn’t getting tons of attention when the Santana trade went down, and I still think he has the possibility of being the best player of those who were traded for the superstar.

I also thought of Plouffe and Manship, but they are considerably older than Guerra. And at the end of 2009 Guerra, Plouffe, and Manship could potentially all be within one level of each other. (AA, AAA, AA – respectably)

I gotta go with the highest ceiling — and Guerra also happens to be the youngest.

Viking Vigil
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Twins Fix
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by Andersklasen on Oct 15, 2008 5:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This is getting tight here.

I went for Hughes, because he had a great year. I think there are fair cases for a lot of these kids, but Hughes was a great hitter this year, and it’ll be fun to see if he’s able to breech the majors next year if he can keep on a roll in triple-A.

by Jesse on Oct 15, 2008 7:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That's what she said

Progress always involves taking risks. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first. ~ Frederick B. Wilcox

by Joshs Thoughts on Oct 16, 2008 3:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ummm...

Josh, No More Commenting at 3:18 in the morning!

by SethSpeaks on Oct 16, 2008 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Haha

No more commenting at 9:25 in the morning! You should be in bed then! Haha

Progress always involves taking risks. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first. ~ Frederick B. Wilcox

by Joshs Thoughts on Oct 16, 2008 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I smell a five-way playoff. Crazy.

Viking Vigil
http://www.vikingvigil.com
Twins Fix
http://www.twinsfix.com

by Andersklasen on Oct 15, 2008 7:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I went

I went Hughes again. I definitely don’t think it should be Guerra. He has a lot of upside, but he didn’t do so great this year and has a long way to go in terms of mechanics, progression, etc.

"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane

by AdamOnFirst on Oct 15, 2008 9:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well..

Sure he has a lot to work on, but he is only 19 years old and was playing with kids three years older than him.

I guess it all goes back to what you think defines a prospect. Guerra definitely has a lot of upside and a very high ceiling. He could also be a huge bust, though.

Viking Vigil
http://www.vikingvigil.com
Twins Fix
http://www.twinsfix.com

by Andersklasen on Oct 15, 2008 11:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Guerra

I still think he’s a good prospect, and I’ll be happy to vote for him after Hughes Manship and Mulvey are off the board, putting him solidly somewhere in the top 15, but he had some troubles this year and all that work to do before he’s even ready to start excelling in the low minors makes me think he can wait before he cracks the very top of our lists. Keep in mind, I did vote for some young guys like Hicks and Revere on top, so I’m not dead set against guys in the low minors, but those guys put up insane production along with their huge scout rep, and Guerra didn’t do that. Plus, any time I hear about mechanical changes being made, it worries me, because that can be a big process and delay his rise quite a bit.

by AdamOnFirst on Oct 16, 2008 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I didn't say you were...

…dead set against guys in the low minors, but you can put these guys in any order through 15 and I’d probably be happy. :D

Viking Vigil
http://www.vikingvigil.com
Twins Fix
http://www.twinsfix.com

by Andersklasen on Oct 16, 2008 2:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

None of us know...

…the extent of the changes they were making with his mechanics. The fact remains however, that lack of control is one of the big problems he faced in 2008…and getting the ball over the plate has little to do with the age of the players he was playing against. He could end up being a star, but until he shows us something on the field (other than a major step backwards last summer) he shouldn’t be a Top 20 in my opinion. Also Seth, thought that Tosoni got enough votes that he should have stayed in this hunt. He would have been my selection again if he had remained on the list as he did put up better numbers (less games because of the injury) than Ramos with significantly less professional experience.

by roger13 on Oct 16, 2008 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Guerra

I’d still be happy with Hughes or Mulvey. Upside wins out, that’s why my vote landed on Deolis.
By the way, if the Twins do trade for 3rd base help, Hughes is going to find himself blocked, rather quickly. Even with his versatility, most his positions have players already entrenched.

"I couldn't do that. Could you do that? Why can they do it? Who are those guys?"

by maxisagod on Oct 15, 2008 9:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Hughes

….has a long way before he can be considered a true 3B. His fielding % at 3B this year was below .900. Yes he had a good year at the plate, but the fact he “plays” different positions is quit misleading because he didn’t really play any position that well. I am probably the only one that thinks this but I can ‘t really consider Hughes a true prospect for the fact he doesn’t have a set position and seems to be projected as a utility player, which the Twins have enough of.

by ahope on Oct 15, 2008 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Defense

I’m not so worried about this if he can hit. Honestly, we’re in the AL, even if he can’t play any D, we can try to find a way to get him on the team to DH. Maybe if we committed to sticking him at third, he could work hard and improve enough to find a home there. He could even end up like Cuddyer, once comfortable in the field, more comfortable at the plate.

by AdamOnFirst on Oct 16, 2008 2:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, this should be obvious

from my moniker, but I was a big Star Wars fan growing up. I like the idea of having a ‘Luke’ from a far off, deserty land, and if he can just learn to trust his instincts he’s got the potential to be great.

Seriously, I know nothing about what baseball is like in places like Australia or the Netherlands. It has certainly taken Balfour (injuries notwithstanding) a bit longer to develop. At any rate, I always liked Balfour, and I think (stereotyping here) it is a good idea to have an Aussie on the team, as they are laid back and fun-loving, but steady in tough situations.

Did I just write that? That doesn’t seem to fit Balfour at all, at least not the other night.

by Han Joelo on Oct 16, 2008 10:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I went with Guerra....

because I don’t think Hughes stands a good chance to be anything more than a utility guy.

Honestly, I think I’d vote for about 4-5 more guys before Hughes.

Guerra is not much different than Robertson at all to me in terms of ceiling, etc. He’s easily the guy I’d choose now.

Mulvey’s interesting, and I really like the Guttierez thought. I may go for him right after Mulvey.

by DJSkillz on Oct 16, 2008 10:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I actually did vote Mulvey

He just seems like a guy who isn’t going to be flashy but will be effective.

My first thought of a utility guy is good, if not great, defense at several positions, but not necessarily much of a hitter. However, I just read a write up about Willie Aybar—now there is the type of utility player a team needs. Who knows, maybe that can be Hughes.

I am pretty intrigued by Guttierez as well—the ‘reach’ in this year’s draft, like Revere before him. Obviously the Twins scouts saw something they really liked. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him move quickly up the ladder.

As far as pitching upside, how about Shooter Hunt? I know about the wildness, but the wicked stuff is there, no?

by Han Joelo on Oct 16, 2008 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rob Delaney Good reliever

Deolis Guerra potential ace with serious mechanical adjustments

Luke Hughes break out season useful big leaguer

Shooter Hunt too soon

Jeff Manship right behind Mulvey

Michael McCardell I’m guessing #3 starter potential

Kevin Mulvey almost ready #4 starter Guessing Garland as comp

Trevor Plouffe

Anthony Slama set up man/ closer potential

My order goes something like this:
Mulvey
Manship
McCardell
Slama
Delaney
Tosini
Hughes
Plouffe
Guterez/ Hunt

I have to admit that I do give pitchers more points than hitters cause we seem to be good at devloping pitchers.

Also, I know there has already been some work done to put this together, but does anyone have some of the players info such as age/ where played/ stats/ and or scouting stuff. that would be better than going off of memory . Just a thought.

by doofus on Oct 16, 2008 12:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs