Poll: Twins minor league catcher of the Year

I thought we'd do something a bit different this year, and hand out a few minor league awards. We'll have nominees for best catcher, infielder, outfielder, starting pitcher, and reliever of the year. Your votes will determine the winner. Here are your candidates for the Twins' minor league catcher of the year.

Darling Cuesto
2015 Age: 17
High Level: Dominican Summer League (R)

Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2014 for $250,000, Cuesto's signing was overshadowed by the club's top signing. Huascar Ynoa was the biggest international signing last year for the Twins, and apart from Jean Carlos Arias there wasn't a great deal of news on Minnesota's international signings. But 17-year old Cuesto more than held his own in the DSL, hitting for average and displaying a fair amount of plate discipline for a player so inexperienced.

A vote for Cuesto will be based purely on upside, but in an organization so thin on top-flight catcher talent he'll be a player to watch. He's likely to spend 2016 in the DSL.

Mitch Garver
2015 Age: 24
High Level: Fort Myers (A+)

Garver had a tough season, starting out slow by posting a .493 OPS in April and a .576 OPS in May. He was better the rest of the year, posting OPS marks of .836, .742, .725, and .675 through season's end. The power we saw glimpses of in 2014 never really materialized, but it certainly appears that his plus discipline at the plate is a real tool: after walking in 12.1% of his plate appearances last year, that number bumped to 13.3% this year.

With a number of looks between first base and designated hitter, the Twins were clearly keen to see as much of Garver as possible in the lineup while also bringing him along at a reasonable pace behind the plate. He'll be 25 in 2016, and so even though he's just wrapped up his second full minor league season it's likely that the organization would like to see him take a step forward next year. He should begin 2016 in Double-A Chattanooga.

Alex Swim
2015 Age: 24
High Level: Fort Myers (A+)

Like Garver, Swim was also drafted in 2013. A 22nd-round selection he's more or less shadowed Garver since their arrival into the league. They played on different rookie league teams, but both spent most of 2014 in Cedar Rapids and 2015 with the Miracle. As you can see, Garver was given significantly more starts behind that plate than Swim, who also saw time at first base, right field, and designated hitter. Still, he put in more time behind the plate than any other position.

Considered a fairly good presence behind the plate when he was drafted out of Elon University, Swim's contact skills have allowed his pedestrian walk rates to play up. He owns a career .307/.351/.354 line in the minors over 767 plate appearances. He needs to improve his catch-and-throw process to be more consistent, but his ability to hit is worth noticing - even if he's been a bit old for his level of competition. Swim, again like Garver, should see most of 2016 in Double-A.

Stuart Turner
2015 Age: 23
High Level: Chattanooga (AA)

Turner took a while longer to get going than Garver, in part because he seemed to alternate good months and bad. He posted a .498 OPS in April, an astonishing .391 OPS in June, and a .561 OPS in August, compared to a .773 mark in May, a very good .827 OPS in July, and a .697 mark in five September contests. It was enough to make his season look like two distinct halves: .184/.280/.270 in the set-up, and .262/.363/.341 in the conclusion.

On the defensive side of the equation, reports indicate that Turner's defensive skill set is more or less Major League ready. That's backed up by his playing time, which was exclusively as a catcher, and he logged the most defensive innings of any player at the position in the system in 2015. He clearly exhibits a strong understanding of the strike zone as well, posting a strong 11.9% walk rate.

The question for Turner is whether or not his bat can develop to the point where it's good enough for him to absorb 500 Major League plate appearances per season. It will be the difference between being a starter who can hit eighth or ninth, or being a Quadruple-A player like Eric Fryer. He's being promoted aggressively, but he should spend all of 2016 in Triple-A Rochester