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Minnesota Twins 2014 Prospect Vote: Round 1

And so, it begins.

By Jesse Lund
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to the opening ballot of the 2014 Twinkie Town community prospect vote. As we get underway this year, it's important to set a few ground rules. Here is how the voting will work.

  • 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 Graduated from 2013 List: Oswaldo Arcia (#2, MLB), Aaron Hicks (#5, MLB), Kyle Gibson (#7, MLB), Joe Benson (#11, Trade), Chris Herrmann (#21, MLB)

Players Up in Round 1: Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano


We're keeping Round 1 to just two players because, let's be honest, nobody else deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as these two guys. They're two of the three top prospects in the game right now, they grade out as As on a scale that sees exceptionally few A-grade players every season, and then just looking at the numbers it's easy to see there isn't much of a contest. Because of their unique stature, the winner of this ballot will be our #1 prospect for 2014, and the other player will be the #2 prospect, meaning out next ballot will be for #3.

With that, here we go!

Byron Buxton, CF
2014 Age: 20
2013 High Level: Fort Myers, 253 PA (Advanced-A)

Year Age Lev G PA AB H 2B 3B HR SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
2012 18 Rk 27 102 88 19 4 3 4 4 3 11 26 .216 .324 .466 .789
2012 18 Rk 21 87 77 22 6 1 1 7 0 8 15 .286 .368 .429 .796
2013 19 A 68 321 270 92 15 10 8 32 11 44 56 .341 .431 .559 .990
2013 19 A+ 57 253 218 71 4 8 4 23 8 32 49 .326 .415 .472 .887
2 Seasons 173 763 653 204 29 22 17 66 22 95 146 .312 .404 .502 .906
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/4/2013.


Buxton's 2013 was incredible, leaving Baseball America to name him their top prospect in the game in their mid-season rankings up date. At the end of the season, he was also ranked by BA as the best prospect in both leagues in which he played (Midwest and Florida State leagues) in spite of spending roughly half a season in each location. His approach to hitting is advanced for someone his age, he is one of the fastest players in the league, he has strong command of the strike zone, he looks built for power, and his skills in the field - from his reads to his range to his arm - all are netting top reviews. If he doesn't make his MLB debut late in 2014, he will certainly make it at some point in 2015.

Miguel Sano, 3B
2014 Age: 21
2013 High Level: New Britain, 276 PA (Double-A)

Year Age Lev G PA AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
2010 17 FRk 20 80 64 22 2 1 3 14 17 .344 .463 .547 1.009
2010 17 Rk 41 161 148 43 14 0 4 10 43 .291 .338 .466 .804
2011 18 Rk 66 293 267 78 18 7 20 23 77 .292 .352 .637 .988
2012 19 A 129 553 457 118 28 4 28 80 144 .258 .373 .521 .893
2013 20 A+ 56 243 206 68 15 2 16 29 61 .330 .424 .655 1.079
2013 20 AA 67 276 233 55 15 3 19 36 81 .236 .344 .571 .915
4 Seasons 379 1606 1375 384 92 17 90 192 423 .279 .373 .567 .940
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/4/2013.


In 2013, Sano was one of the most powerful prospects in the game. While Buxton was ranked the #1 guy at the Single-A and Advance-A levels, Sano was ranked #2 in both the Advanced-A and Double-A levels. Once again, not bad for a guy who spent roughly half of a season in each location. And how lucky were the folks in Fort Myers this season? Sano's power is a truly elite and special asset, and is what makes him stand apart from other offensive-minded, young third basemen with strong arms. Unlike Buxton, Sano is more likely than not to make his debut at some point near the end of the 2014 campaign.

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