For the first time, I have compiled my Top Twenty Prospects.  Unlike most prospect rankings, these prospects are not ranked one thru twenty.  Rather, they are twenty players who I believe have the highest ceilings in the organization.  That doesn't mean they all will make it to the Twins or another major league club, they won't.  Others will make it but not become regular starters and certainly not stars.  It also doesn't mean that there aren't others in the organization who may become stars, as I suspect a few will.

Rather than ranking them one through twenty, I will list these twenty players by position beginning with the player who has reached the highest level in the organization followed by next highest, etc.  These twenty, in my opinion, all have the potential to become stars at the major league level.  That is a number one or two starter, closer or multiple year all-star.  The age listed for each player was their age as of the end of this past season. 

My group consists of seven starting pitchers, four relievers, one catcher, three infielders and five outfielders.  Following is my Top 20, beginning with the starting pitchers.      

Carlos Gutierrez

Gutierrez was acquired by the Twins in the first round (27th pick overall) in the 2008 draft.  Gutierrez, 22, is a native of Miami, Florida and played for the University of Miami.  Gutierrez, who had major arm surgery during college, was the Hurricane's closer and was used in a relief role at Ft. Myers following the draft to limit his innings.  This past season, he was one of the best pitchers in the FSL prior to the all-star break and his promotion to New Britain.  While at New Britain, the innings took a toll on his arm with the Twins moving him back to the bullpen late in the year.  Yet, the Twins appear determined to keep him as a starter.  

Gutierrez should begin the 2010 season back at New Britain, with his arrival in Minnesota late in 2011 or 2012.

2009   Ft. Myers          2-3   11g   10gs   54.2ip   1.32 ERA   1.08 WHIP   33K/22BB  

2009   New Britain       1-3   22g     6gs   52.1ip   6.19 ERA   1.64 WHIP   32K/24BB

David Bromberg

Bromberg was acquired in the 32nd round of the 2005 draft.  Bromberg, 21, is a Los Angeles native who was drafted as a draft and follow after one year at Santa Ana Junior College.  Bromberg had a 9-10 record with a 4.44 ERA at Beloit in 2008.  While at Beloit, he had 177 strikeouts in 150.0 innings which was more strikeouts than any other minor league pitcher.  This past season, Bromberg was the Twins Pitcher of the Year and the FSL Pitcher of the Year.  Bromberg finished his season with the Miracle with the most strikeouts of any pitcher in the FSL, the second most wins in the league, the fourth best ERA and the ninth best WHIP.  

Bromberg should move up to New Britain next spring.  Assuming he meets the challenge in AA, look for Bromberg to join the Twins sometime in 2011.

2009   Ft. Myers        13-4   27g   26gs   153.1ip   2.70 ERA   1.23 WHIP   148K/63BB

B.J. Hermsen

Hermsen was drafted by the Twins in the sixth round of the 2008 draft.  Hermsen, 19, is a Manchester, Iowa native who was signed shortly before the August deadline following his Iowa High School summer league.  Hermsen, who began his professional career last fall in the Instructional League, was assigned to the GCL Twins this spring.  Hermsen finished his rookie season with the Gulf Coast League's best WHIP and third best ERA. 

Hermsen should move up to Elizabethton next spring, yet a strong spring training could get him a spot with Beloit.  The earliest he could make it to the Twins is sometime in 2013.

2009   GCL Twins      6-2   10g   10gs     53.1ip   1.35 ERA   0.68 WHIP   42K/4BB

Adrian Salcedo

Salcedo was signed as a free agent by the Twins in November, 2007.  Salcedo, 18, is a native of Moca, Dominican Republic who moved onto the Twins radar with a stellar 2008 DSL season when he had a 4-4 record with a 1.65 ERA and 50K/8BB in 65.1 innings.  Salcedo joined Hermsen as one of the top pitchers in the GCL this past summer where he had the league's fifth most innings pitched, seventh best ERA, third most strikeouts, seventh best ERA, eighth best WHIP and an incredibly low three walks (0.44 walks/9 innings).  Scouts who have seen him pitch have indicated that he may have the highest upside of all the young pitchers in the lower levels of the organization.

Salcedo is very young, thus he will likely move up to Elizabethton next spring with his earliest promotion to the Twins also sometime in 2013.

2009   GCL Twins      3-2   11g   10gs     61.2ip   1.46 ERA   1.01 WHIP   58K/3BB

Shooter Hunt

Hunt was drafted by the Twins with a first round sandwich pick in the 2008 draft.  Hunt, 23, is a native of Westwood, New Jersey who pitched collegiately for Tulane University.  Prior to the draft, Hunt was considered a top prospect who dropped to the Twins because of concerns with his control.  He was promoted to Beloit early in his rookie season where concerns about his control became an issue.  This past season, Hunt, began back at Beloit where the number of walks, hit batters and wild pitches caused the Twins to send him down to the GCL when their season began.  Control issues continued, causing the Twins to place Hunt on the DL while he deals with whatever psychological issues he must conquer.  Hunt's selection in the Top 20 is a reach, yet, this young man continues to have the ability to be a front line pitcher if he can come to grips with whatever is causing him to not be able to throw the ball over the plate.

Hunt could begin the 2010 season anywhere from Ft. Myers to the Disabled List.  Assuming he can put his problems behind him, Hunt could be with the Twins as early as sometime late in 2012.

2009   Beloit      0-1     7g     5gs     17.2ip   10.70 ERA   2.72 WHIP  18K/33BB                                                     

2009   GCL       0-4     7g     5gs     15.0ip     9.60 ERA   2.33 WHIP     8K/25BB

Cesar Ciurcina

Ciurcina was signed as a free agent in August, 2007.  Ciurcina, 18, is a native of Caracas, Venezuela who had a wonderful rookie season in the DSL in 2008 when he had a 3-2 record with a 3.68 ERA.  This past season, Ciurcina put his name on the Twins prospect list with a season similar to or better than Adrian Salcedo had his last season with the DSL Twins.  Ciurcina had the league's best WHIP, eighth best ERA and eighth most innings pitched.  With many of the pitchers ahead of Ciurcina in league stats a year older, indications are that Ciurcina could be the pitcher for the GCL Twins in 2010 that Salcedo was this past year.

Ciurcina should move up to the GCL Twins next spring with his earliest trip to the Twins in 2014 or 2015.

2009   DSL Twins      9-2   15g   13gs   84.0ip   1.39 ERA   0.69 WHIP   72K/8BB

Kyle Gibson

Gibson was drafted by the Twins with their first round pick (22nd overall) this past June.  Gibson, 21, was drafted out of the University of Missouri where he was considered by many to be a Top 5 pick prior to a stress fracture in his right forearm.  Because of the injury, Gibson dropped to the Twins and they were able to sign him hours before the August deadline when they split the difference between the dollars slotted for a 22nd pick and what he would have received for being a Top 10 selection.  Gibson completed his summer rehabbing his injury before joining the Twins Fall Instructional League in September.  Reports from Ft. Myers indicate that as the short fall camp ended, Gibson was everything the Twins hoped he was when drafted.

Gibson will make his professional debut next spring in either Beloit of Ft. Myers.  He certainly has Ace potential and the Twins will have him on the fast track once they have confirmed all injury concerns are behind him.  Look for Gibson to join the Twins as early as late, 2011.

The relief pitchers included in the Top 20 include:

Anthony Slama

Slama was drafted by the Twins in the 39th round of the 2006 draft.  Slama, 25, is a native of Orange, California who was drafted while at the University of San Diego.  Slama showed that he had star potential beginning with his brief stay at Elizabethton following the draft.  In 2008, Slama had a 4-1 record with a 1.01 ERA and 25 saves for the Ft. Myers Miracle to earn the 2008 Jim Rantz award as the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year.  This past season, Slama led the Eastern League with 25 saves with his 29 saves more than any other pitcher in the minor league system.  Slama didn't allow an earned run in nine of his eleven appearances, yet, his ERA is a bit misleading because of one outing when he allowed five of his six earned runs with the Red Wings. 

Slama will begin his season next spring back with the Red Wings before joining the Twins sometime during the 2010 season.

2009   New Britain       4-2   51g   65.1ip   25 saves   2.48 ERA        1.19 WHIP 93K/32BB                                                

2009   Rochester         0-2   11g   15.2ip     4 saves   3.45 ERA      1.21 WHIP   19K/8BB

Alex Burnett

Burnett was drafted by the Twins in the 12th round of the 2005 draft.  Burnett, 22, is a native of Anaheim, California who was drafted out of Ocean View High School.  Burnett, who had been one of the organizations brightest young starters, was converted to a short reliever in the 2008 Fall Instructional League following a season when he was one of the Miracle's starters with an 8-6 record and 3.76 ERA in 143.2 innings.  Burnett returned to Ft. Myers in 2009, however, as a short reliever.  He earned a mid-season promotion to New Britain and rather than struggling when exposed to AA hitters, Burnett excelled.  Burnett, who was ranked as my top pitcher in the organization, is definitely a pitcher with the potential to be a future Twins closer.

Burnett will likely begin the season back at New Britain with a move up to Rochester tied to whenever the Twins need to bring a reliever (likely Slama) up to the big club.  Look for Slama to join the Twins in 2011 if not as a September callup next season.

2009   Ft. Myers           2-1   18g   22.2ip      4 saves   1.99 ERA     0.93 WHIP 26K/7BB                                                   

2009   New Britain      1-2   40g   55.1ip      9 saves   1.79 ERA   0.99 WHIP   52K/19BB

Billy Bullock

Bullock was drafted by the Twins in the second round of the 2009 draft.  Bullock, 21, gained attention as a top prospect while pitching in the 2008 Cape Cod League.  Like Gibson, Bullock dropped to the Twins because of health concerns during his 2009 college season.  Bullock is a hard throwing reliever who began his professional career with a brief stay in Elizabethton prior to a promotion to Beloit.

Look for Bullock to also move quickly through the system beginning at Ft. Myers next spring.  He should make his Twins debut sometime after September, 2011.

2009   Elizabethton    1-0     7g      7.1ip     3 saves   1.23 ERA     0.55 WHIP 10K/1BB                                                 

2009   Beloit                 3-0   26g   26.1ip     8 saves   2.73 ERA   1.41 WHIP   35K/12BB

Andrey Lobanov

Lobanov was signed as a non-drafted free agent in August, 2007.  Lobanov, 19, is a native of Moscow, Russia who made his professional debut with the GCL Twins in 2008 when he had a 3-1 record and 3.54 ERA in 20.1 innings.  As one would expect of someone with limited baseball experience, this young lefty returned to the GCL Twins this past season where he was nearly perfect as the Twins closer.  Any pitcher with a Dominance Ratio of 2.333 must be considered a future star, even one pitching in the lowest rookie league with a limited baseball background. 

Lobanov should move up to Elizabethton next spring with his earliest appearance in a Twins uniform sometime in 2014.

2009   GCL Twins       2-1   15g   22.0ip     7 saves   0.82 ERA   0.68 WHIP   35K/1BB

There is one catcher amongst the Top Twenty:

Wilson Ramos was signed by the Twins as a free agent in July, 2004.  Ramos, 22, had a breakout season after joining the Beloit Snappers out of EST early in their 2007 season when he was the Snappers best hitter the last half of the season.  Ramos went on to become one of the Miracle's top hitters the following season when he was a FSL post season all-star.  His star began to glow this past winter when he was one of the Caribbean Champion Aragua Tigres best players throughout the winter before being named the Caribbean Championship Series MVP.  Ramos began his 2009 season on fire at New Britain before a series of injuries (broken finger followed by hamstring injury) caused him to miss much of the 2009 season.  He did finish the season with the highest average of any Rock Cat player and is again leading the Aragua Tigres in hitting (.351/.417/.597) where he currently has the sixth best average, second best slugging percentage and fourth most home runs in the VWL.  Ramos, who has one of the best arms of any catcher in minor league baseball, should become a premium defensive catcher.  If I were ranking players 1-20, Ramos would be the number one ranked prospect in the organization.

Look for Ramos to begin his season in Rochester and join the Twins by September, 2010 at the latest.

2009   New Britain        205 ab   .317/.341/.454   31 Runs   29 RBI   16-2B   4 HR   0 SB

Three Infielders:

Chris Parmalee (first base/right field)

Parmalee was drafted by the Twins in the first round (20th overall) of the 2006 draft.  Parmalee, 21, was considered one of the top power hitters in the draft when the Long Beach, California native was drafted out of Chino Hills High School.  The Twins moved Parmalee up to Beloit in 2007 with a return to the Snappers in 2008 where he was a league leader in home runs when he went on the disabled list in early summer with a broken hand.  This past season Parmalee was again one of the top power hitters in the FSL where he had the third most home runs and second most RBI while tying for the league lead with 65 walks.

Parmalee should move up to New Britain next spring with an appearance with the Twins sometime in 2011.

2009   Ft. Myers            422 ab   .258/.359/.441   61 Runs   73 RBI   27-2B   16 HR   2 SB

Wander Guillen (third base)

Guillen joined the DSL Twins this past July when he was sixteen years old.  Guillen immediately became one of the top hitters on the team as he finished with the team's top average while tying with outfielder Romy Trinidad for the team's best on base percentage.  Had he had enough at bats to qualify, Guillen would have been amongst the league's five best averages and on base percentages.

Because he will be only 17 years old, Guillen could return to the DSL next spring although it is more likely he will move to Florida with the GCL Twins. 

2009   DSL Twins         110 ab   .336/.443/.409   15 Runs   19 RBI     3-2B   1 HR   2 SB

Miguel Jean (shortstop)

Miguel Jean (fka Miguel Angel Sano) may be the most talked about Twins signing in a long time...or ever!  Jean, who appears to be 16 years old was signed by the Twins, however, the signing was put on hold by major league baseball while they and the Twins completed an extensive investigation to confirm that this brilliant young prospect was sixteen.  In September the league finally ruled that they were unable to prove he wasn't and the Twins announced they had signed the young star to a contract with a reported $3,150,000 signing bonus. 

The Twins have indicated that Jean will begin his professional career as a seventeen year old with the GCL Twins.  If he is the star everyone expects, Jean should move rapidly through the system and could join the Twins as early as 2013.

Five outfielders:

Rene Tosoni

Tosoni was drafted by the Twins in the 34th round of the 2004 draft and again in the 35th round of the 2005 draft.  Tosoni, 23, is a native of British Columbia (he was born in Toronto, Ontario) who was drafted a second time out of Chipola Junior College.  Tosoni didn't sign with the Twins until 2006 and didn't make his professional debut until 2007 when he immediately became a player to watch following a season at Elizabethton when he hit .301/.407/.428.  Tosoni played a few games in the playoffs with Beloit late in the 2007 season before skipping Beloit and moving directly to Ft. Myers in 2008.  Tosoni broke a foot and missed much of the 2008 season, yet finished as one of their top hitters at .300/.408/.414 in only 140 at bats.  In an organization known to move prospects slowly, the Twins promoted Tosoni to AA New Britain this spring after only 44 games higher than rookie league ball.  As one would expect, Tosoni struggled the first few months before making the necessary adjustments to finish amongst the team leaders in home runs and doubles with the most RBI.  Tosoni left the Rock Cats early to participate in the World Cup where he was one of Canada's top hitters before moving on to the Arizona Fall League.  A highlite of this season was his appearance as the Twins only representative in the Futures All-Star game.

Tosoni should begin 2010 at Rochester with a callup to the Twins in 2011, if not sooner.

2009   New Britain        425 ab   .271/.360/.454   64 Runs   71 RBI   25-2B   15 HR   8 SB

Ben Revere

Revere was the Twins first round pick (28th overall) in the 2007 draft.  Revere, 21, is a native of Atlanta, Georgia who was drafted out of Lexington, Kentucky Catholic High School.  Although many questioned the Twins intent or judgement when he was drafted, Revere had an excellent rookie season with the GCL Twins.  It was at Beloit in 2008, however, when Revere broke into the spotlight as a future star.  He flirted with a .400 aveage all season until a knee injury hampered his play in early August before going on the DL the last few weeks of the season.  Revere finished his 2008 season hitting .379/.433/.497 in 340 at bats with 44 stolen bases.  Revere was nearly as good this past year at Ft. Myers where he missed leading the league in hitting by .002 with the league's most hits (145), third most runs scored, third most steals and fourth best OBP.  Revere was selected by the Twins as their 2009 Minor League Player of the Year and rated as my top hitter in the organization.

Revere will begin 2010 at New Britain and should see his first action with the Twins sometime during the 2011 season. 

2009   Ft. Myers             466 ab   .311/.372/.369   75 Runs   48 RBI   13-2B     2 HR   45 SB

Angel Morales

The Twins selected Morales in the third round of the 2007 draft.  Morales, 19, is a native of Puerto Rico who was drafted out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy High School.  When drafted, there were some who said that Morales was the finest prospect to come out of Puerto Rico since Carlos Beltran.  Morales had a huge season for the Elizabethton Twins in 2008 when he led the league in several categories.  He moved up to Beloit this past season where he struggled for a month or two.  He did make the necessary adjustments to finish as the team leader in triples, home runs, RBI and stolen bases.  People who have seen him play alot say that the ball explodes off his bat.  The one criticism is that he strikes out to often, yet that is one area of his game that did improve as his strikeout rate dropped to 27.7% this past season following a 39.3% strikeout rate at Elizabethton in 2008.

A five tool player who can play all three outfield positions, look for Morales to be a corner outfielder when he makes it to the Twins sometime late in 2012 or 2013.  Morales, who didn't turn 20 until last week, should play his entire 2010 season in Ft. Myers.

2009   Beloit                  376 ab   .266/.329/.455   63 Runs   62 RBI   22-2B   13 HR   19 SB

Aaron Hicks

Hicks was the Twins first round selection in the 2008 draft.  Hicks, 19, is a native of San Pedro, California who was drafted by the Twins out of Woodrow Wilson High School.  Hicks had an excellent rookie season with the GCL Twins following which Baseball America named him the GCL Top Prospect.  Hicks began this season in EST while working on several aspects of his game.  He eventually joined the Beloit Snappers where he performed well enough for Baseball America to again name him the Number One Prospect in the Midwest League. 

Although Hicks could return to Beloit for the start of next season, he will certainly finish his season in Ft. Myers.  Hicks is another five tool prospect who should progress to the Twins sometime in 2012 or 2013.

2009   Beloit                  251 ab   .251/.353/.382   43 Runs   29 RBI   15-2B     4 HR   10 SB

Max Kepler-Rozycki

Max Kepler was signed by the Twins this past summer.  Many have called this young star the finest position player ever signed from Germany.  Much has been written about his signing and about his parents who both are amongst the finest ballerinas in the world.  Kepler, 16, has already moved with his mother to Ft. Myers where he participated in the Fall Instructional League while attending high school a few blocks from Hammond Field.  This tall young outfielder is gifted with exceptional speed and a body that should fill out so that he will have that special combination of speed and power.

Kepler-Rozycki will begin his professional career next spring with the GCL Twins.