Several highly respected sources have said good things about the winner of round 43, Nate Roberts. He collected 48 of 135 votes (35%), with Matt Bashore second with 20 votes. Dropped from the next round will be four players who received six or less votes, Jose Gonzalez, Anderson Hidalgo, Jair Fernandez and Edgar Ibarra.
In the next round we will bring back several players who we have previously seen, Logan Darnell, Kennys Vargas, and Brandon Roberts. We will also add Brad Stillings and an exciting hitter who probably should have been included sooner, Yangervis Solarte.
Darnell was last year's sixth round pick out of the University of Kentucky. Signing late, he joined the Elizabethton Twins where he put up similar numbers to our 28th selection, Pat Dean. Darnell appeared in 11 games (34.2 innings) with a 2.08 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 32 strikeouts and only 6 walks. Kennys Vargas was my eighth ranked hitter in the organization after putting up huge numbers as the GCL Twins top hitter at .324/.388/.507 with a team high 15 doubles and 26 RBI. Brandon Roberts is no longer a young prospect, however, the player received in the Juan Castro trade was finally healthy, hitting .333/.386/.425 at Rochester with 22 stolen bases in 25 attempts in 2010.
Brad Stillings was one of Beloit's go to starters after Hendriks and Osterbrock moved on to Florida. Stillings had a 8-4 record with a 3.40 ERA in nineteen starts (98.0 innings). I don't know why I haven't included Yangervis Solarte sooner. My Bad as this young man should certainly have been included a long time ago. Although there is some question just where he fits defensively, Solarte can certainly hit. He hit .320/.371/.419 in 172 at bats for the Miracle while also being one of AA New Britain's top hitters at .276/.290/.417. Solarte was the lone Twin position player seeing significant playing time with Aragua in his native Venezuela this winter, hitting .268/.342/.361 in 97 at bats.
I will be returning to the cold and snow tomorrow, so this round will remain open through Noon, Super Bowl Sunday, February 6th. Please continue to leave comments about your favorite players who have yet to be voted on.