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Prospect Vote Face-Off: Jose Berrios vs Josmil Pinto

With a separation of just six votes, right-handed pitcher Jose Berrios and catcher Josmil Pinto face a head-to-head matchup for the honor of prospect number six. The loser goes back onto the ballot for the next round of voting.

By Jesse Lund
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Prospect face-offs are a magical time. Not because they literally take each other's faces off and slip into roles as Nicholas Cage and John Travolta, though. But that would be awesome, right?

Probably not.

Tell us who you like in this matchup. Do you like the pitcher who leads the second tier of pitching prospects, behind Alex Meyer and Kohl Stewart? Or do you prefer going with the player who is Major League ready at a position of need? Both players have talent. How you prioritize those talents will make the difference on this ballot.

Jose Berrios, RHP
2014 Age: 20
2013 High Level: Cedar Rapids, 103.2 IP (Single-A)

    Year Age Tm Lev W L ERA G GS IP WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9
    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
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
    Generated 11/12/2013.

    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.

    Josmil Pinto, C
    2014 Age: 25
    2013 High Level: Minnesota Twins, 83 PA (MLB)

    Year Age Lev G PA 2B HR BB SO BA OBP SLG
    2006 17 FRk 53 224 7 3 25 27 .251 .336 .344
    2007 18 FRk 54 210 8 1 29 23 .193 .327 .269
    2008 19 Rk 24 94 9 1 9 14 .329 .394 .541
    2009 20 Rk 53 230 14 13 19 39 .332 .387 .610
    2010 21 A 100 392 21 10 32 67 .225 .295 .378
    2011 22 A+-A 73 272 14 6 14 46 .261 .301 .395
    2012 23 A+-AA 105 445 26 14 43 73 .295 .362 .482
    2013 24 AA 107 453 23 14 64 71 .308 .411 .482
    2013 24 AAA 19 75 9 1 2 12 .314 .333 .486
    8 Seasons 588 2395 131 63 237 372 .275 .351 .439
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
    Generated 11/21/2013.

    Getting his time in September has helped Pinto to retain his prospect status, which is something he's guaranteed to lose this year. He positively raked in his cup of coffee (.342/.398/.566), getting everyone excited about the future of the catcher position. Joe Mauer's permanent move to first base solidifies his role as one of the Twins' catchers in 2014, at least right away, and depending on his performance he could earn an everyday job before season's end. That's the best-case scenario, however, and is more unlikely than we'd like it to be.

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