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In a three-way battle for spot number three on our Minnesota Twins 2014 prospect list, Alex Meyer scorched the field by taking home 77% of the vote. Meyer's high-end potential and impressive performances between Double-A and the Arizona Fall League have people taking notice, and with good reason. It's easy to see him debuting for the Twins later in the 2014 season.
Twinkie Town Top Prospects for 2014
- Byron Buxton, CF
- Miguel Sano, 3B
- Alex Meyer, RHP
- For each round, a certain number of players will be presented with statistical history, a brief overview, and other basic information such as age and level.
- Once on a ballot, players will remain on the ballot until they eventually win a vote. Barring something drastic, like a trade.
- Sometimes no players will be added to subsequent ballots. Sometimes more than one player will be added. Early rounds will have fewer players for which to vote, and later rounds are more likely to have more.
- Share with your friends! Let's get as many votes as possible.
- A general list has already been assembled, and players are slated to join the voting at a specified time, but you are welcome to recommend players that you think should be added in the following round.
Players Up in Round 3: Eddie Rosario, Kohl Stewart, Jose Berrios, Lewis Thorpe
Eddie Rosario, 2B/OF
2014 Age: 22
2013 Top Level: New Britain, 313 PA (Double-A)
| Year | Age | Lev | G | PA | H | 2B | HR | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 18 | Rk | 51 | 213 | 57 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 28 | .294 | .343 | .438 |
| 2011 | 19 | Rk | 67 | 298 | 91 | 9 | 21 | 27 | 60 | .337 | .397 | .670 |
| 2012 | 20 | Rk | 5 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .368 | .400 | .684 |
| 2012 | 20 | A | 95 | 429 | 116 | 32 | 12 | 31 | 69 | .296 | .345 | .490 |
| 2013 | 21 | A+ | 52 | 231 | 68 | 13 | 6 | 17 | 29 | .329 | .377 | .527 |
| 2013 | 21 | AA | 70 | 313 | 82 | 19 | 4 | 21 | 67 | .284 | .330 | .412 |
| 4 Seasons | 340 | 1504 | 421 | 85 | 49 | 113 | 255 | .307 | .358 | .510 | ||
When it comes to the quasi-glut of middle infield prospects with which the Twins suddenly find themselves, Rosario's bat is the best. Of course, at this point we don't really know whether he'll continue on at second base or if the Twins will try to move him back to the outfield; Assistant General Manager Rob Antony mentioned moving Rosario as a possibility due to the emergence of Brian Dozier. He's a better fit in the outfield defensively, but with the way he hits his bat will play anywhere. 2014 will be another exciting year for the prep selection out of Puerto Rico, because another good season probably means his Twins introduction in 2015.
Kohl Stewart, RHP
2014 Age: 19
2013 Top Level: Elizabethton, 4 IP (Rookie)
| Year | Age | Lg | Lev | G | GS | IP | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 18 | GULF | Rk | 1.69 | 6 | 3 | 16.0 | 0.938 | 6.8 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 9.0 |
| 2013 | 18 | APPY | Rk | 0.00 | 1 | 1 | 4.0 | 0.500 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 18.0 |
| 1 Season | 1.35 | 7 | 4 | 20.0 | 0.850 | 5.8 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 10.8 | |||
That's not a lot to go on for anyone, much less a guy who's only being introduced to the system, but his fastball and slider are already considered to be plus offerings. The fourth overall pick in this year's draft was shut down at the end of the season due to some shoulder soreness, but it wasn't anything serious and he'll be ready to ramp it up again come February. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Twins start him with Elizabethton to start the season, but a good year would see him finish with Single-A Cedar Rapids - provided the organization thinks his arm could handle a full season.
Jose Berrios, RHP
2014 Age: 20
2013 High Level: Cedar Rapids, 103.2 IP (Single-A)
| Year | Age | Tm | Lev | W | L | G | GS | IP | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 18 | Elizabethton | Rk | 2 | 0 | 1.29 | 3 | 3 | 14.0 | 0.643 | 5.1 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 14.1 |
| 2012 | 18 | Twins | Rk | 1 | 0 | 1.08 | 8 | 1 | 16.2 | 0.600 | 3.8 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 14.6 |
| 2013 | 19 | Cedar Rapids | A | 7 | 7 | 3.99 | 19 | 19 | 103.2 | 1.399 | 9.1 | 0.5 | 3.5 | 8.7 |
| 2 Seasons | 10 | 7 | 3.35 | 30 | 23 | 134.1 | 1.221 | 8.0 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 10.0 | |||
With Berrios facing his first full-length season as a professional, he understandably slowed a bit at the end of the season. In spite of that he still put forward a pretty solid season for a 19-year old at Single-A. This season will be very telling, as it's likely that he'll spend most (if not all) of his season with Fort Myers; some pundits thought he projected as a reliever when he was drafted, yet the Twins will continue to use him as a starter until he proves he can't be effective doing it. Can he continue to strike batters out at an above average rate and can he continue to be an efficient and productive starter? Let's find out.
Lewis Thorpe, LHP
2014 Age: 18
2013 High Level: GCL Twins, 44.0 IP (Rookie)
It might seem a bit premature to throw international signing Lewis Thorpe into the voting fray so early, but we're doing it. In spite of his age, in spite of his distance from the Majors, in spite of his small sample size, Thorpe absolutely dominated with the GCL Twins in eight starts and four relief appearances. The Twins will no doubt keep him in rookie ball this season, possibly with Elizabethton, but another blistering performance like this might tempt the Twins into seeing how he does in Cedar Rapids at the end of the season. Scouts mostly seem to think he has mid-rotation upside, but it's easy to dream on the Australian 17-year old lefty with amazing strikeout rates.