After my quasi-nonsensical Who's on First rip-off this morning, I'm sure you've gathered: Chih-Wei Hu won Round 18. It's a deserved spot on the list, although at this point any of these guys could come off the board and we could realistically call it a fair ranking. It's tough to have such a deep farm system, amiright?
Montanatwinsfan did bring up a fair point, which was that my player analysis could swing votes. I usually try to being fairly neutral but, as he pointed out in the comments of Round 17, I gave Hu a fairly glowing recommendation. I'll endeavor to keep things even-handed as we go forward.
For Round 19, we bring back the guys who were momentarily passed over for Round 18. For those wondering when we'll add another player or two, probably around Round 21 or 22 depending on how things shake out. Now - let's do this.
Twins Top 30 prospects for 2015
- Byron Buxton, CF (Buxton 72%, Sano 28%)
- Miguel Sano, 3B (Sano 56%, Berrios 44%)
- Jose Berrios, RHP (Berrios 73%, Meyer 16%, Stewart 4%, Gordon 4%, Polanco 3%)
- Alex Meyer, RHP (Meyer 63%, Stewart 17%, Polanco 10%, Gordon 10%)
- Kohl Stewart, RHP (Stewart 56%, Polanco 26%, Gordon 18%)
- Trevor May, RHP (May 28%, Gordon 27%, Polanco 21%, Rosario 20%, Thorpe 4%)
- Nick Gordon, SS (Gordon 35%, Polanco 30%, Rosario 29%, Thorpe 6%)
- Nick Burdi, RHP (Burdi 38%, Polanco 31%, Rosario 23%, Thorpe 8%)
- Jorge Polanco, SS/2B (Polanco 51%, Rosario 36%, Thorpe 13%)
- Eddie Rosario, OF/2B (Rosario 72%, Thorpe 18%, Gonsalves 4%, Reed 3%, Duffey 2%, Rogers 0%)
- Lewis Thorpe, LHP (Thorpe 48%, Kepler 21%, Reed 10%, Gonsalves 9%, Duffey 5%, Walker 4%, Turner 1%, Harrison 1%, Rogers 1%)
- Max Kepler, CF/1B (Kepler 30%, Gonsalves 27%, Reed 18%, Walker 13%, Turner 5%, Duffey 5%, Harrison 1%, Rogers 1%)
- Stephen Gonsalves, LHP (Gonsalves 47%, Reed 32%, Walker 21%)
- Jake Reed, RHP (Reed 49%, Walker 24%, Turner 12%, Duffey 7%, Harrison 5%, Rogers 3%)
- Adam Walker, RF (Walker 47%, Turner 22%, Duffey 16%, Rogers 7%, Harrison 7%)
- Amaurys Minier, LF/1B (Minier 24%, Turner 18%, Hu 17%, Duffey 15%, Garver 10%, Harrison 6%, Jones 4%, Graham 3%, Rogers 2%)
- Stuart Turner, C (Turner 26%, Hu 25%, Garver 14%, Duffey 13%, Harrison 7%, Jones 5%, Rogers 5%, Graham 5%)
- Chih-Wei Hu (Hu 58%, Duffey 22%, Garver 19%)
Tyler Duffey, RHP
2015 Age: 24
2014 High Level: Triple-A
Year | Age | Lvl | ERA | G | GS | IP | WHIP | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | K/9 | K:BB |
2012 | 21 | Rookie | 1.42 | 12 | 0 | 19.0 | 0.63 | 4.7 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 12.8 | 13.5 |
2013 | 22 | A+, A | 3.64 | 24 | 18 | 121.0 | 1.15 | 8.6 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 6.8 | 4.0 |
2014 | 23 | A+, AA, AAA | 3.67 | 25 | 25 | 149.2 | 1.15 | 8.5 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 6.8 | 3.8 |
3 Seasons | 3.51 | 61 | 43 | 289.2 | 1.12 | 8.3 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 7.2 | 4.2 |
Duffey is one of Minnesota's 2012 draft picks that profile as a reliever, but who has been utilized as a starter. He's been effective in that role so far, in spite of being a closer for Rice, and in 2014 he worked his way to the top echelon of the Twins' farm system.
In Duffey's favor are his numbers as well as his body type and pitch arsenal. As a starter his fastball sits in the low 90s, compared to the upper 90s as a reliever. It's backed up by a plus curve and a developing changeup.
It will be interesting to see where the Twins place him to start the season. With so many pitchers available to fill out the rotation in Rochester, including quite probably Alex Meyer and Trevor May, it wouldn't be surprising to see Duffey begin 2015 in Double-A Chattanooga. But he's ready for Triple-A, and he should spend most of 2015 with the Red Wings. He could even see a cup of coffee with the Twins in September.
Mitch Garver, C
2015 Age: 24
2014 High Level: Single-A
Year | Age | Lvl | PA | 2B | HR | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
2013 | 22 | Rookie | 225 | 15 | 2 | 19 | 31 | .243 | .313 | .366 | .679 |
2014 | 23 | A | 504 | 29 | 16 | 61 | 65 | .298 | .399 | .481 | .880 |
2 Seasons | 729 | 44 | 18 | 80 | 96 | .280 | .372 | .445 | .817 |
The best scouting report on Garver is available from Seth Stohs in his 2015 Prospect Handbook. They named him their Hitter of the Year thanks to his offensive value, a culmination of discipline, an understanding of the strike zone, and his power.
Garver is also an apt defensive catcher, earning solid reviews from the coaches he's played with so far. He was a runner up for the award for the best collegiate catcher, which went to Stuart Turner, but the impression we're getting is that Garver is earning a reputation as an interesting talent on both sides of the ball.
In our interview with Rob Antony, he didn't put a timeline on Garver. But he believed his upside was as an above average hitter with some power, and that's great for a catcher. With a good start in Fort Myers, he could earn a promotion to Double-A Chattanooga before the year is out.
J.R. Graham, RHP
2015 Age: 25
2014 High Level: Double-A
Year | Age | Lvl | ERA | G | GS | IP | WHIP | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | K/9 | K:BB |
2011 | 21 | Rookie | 1.72 | 13 | 8 | 57.2 | 1.13 | 8.1 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 8.1 | 4.0 |
2012 | 22 | A+, AA | 2.80 | 26 | 26 | 148.0 | 1.06 | 7.5 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 6.7 | 3.2 |
2013 | 23 | AA | 4.04 | 8 | 8 | 35.2 | 1.38 | 9.8 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 7.1 | 2.8 |
2014 | 24 | AA | 5.58 | 27 | 19 | 71.0 | 1.48 | 10.0 | 0.3 | 3.3 | 6.3 | 1.9 |
4 Seasons | 3.37 | 74 | 61 | 312.1 | 1.20 | 8.4 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 6.9 | 2.9 |
Injuries have derailed what was once seen as a potential top-flight arm. His velocity is still recovering and is likely to sit somewhere between the upper-90s where it was before the injuries set in, and the low-90s where it was for parts of 2014. Some of the dip in velocity is by design, however, as Graham works through his mechanics for a more consistent delivery and better command.
Graham will have an opportunity to make the club out of spring training as a member of the bullpen. His status as a Rule 5 draft pick means that if the club doesn't take him, the Twins will need to work out a trade with Atlanta to send Graham to the minor leagues or, alternatively, just send him back to the Braves. With the array of players eligible and ready to contribute for the Twins, his spot in the bullpen isn't as secure as it may have been if he's arrived under the same circumstances in years past.
Travis Harrison, LF
2015 Age: 22
2014 High Level: Advanced-A
Year | Age | Lvl | PA | 2B | HR | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
2012 | 19 | Rookie | 253 | 12 | 5 | 24 | 51 | .301 | .383 | .461 | .845 |
2013 | 20 | A | 537 | 28 | 15 | 68 | 125 | .253 | .366 | .416 | .782 |
2014 | 21 | A+ | 537 | 33 | 3 | 64 | 86 | .269 | .361 | .365 | .726 |
3 Seasons | 1327 | 73 | 23 | 156 | 262 | .269 | .368 | .404 | .771 |
It was an interesting 2014 for Harrison, who shifted both his defensive position and his offensive priorities. Minnesota is making a commitment to Miguel Sano at third base, and shifted Harrison to the outfield as a result. It's not surprising, considering most scouts expected Harrison to be shifted off of third eventually. At the plate, Harrison hit just three home runs (compared to 15 in 2013) in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, but managed to post strong walk rates while cutting down significantly on the strikeouts.
By the Twins websites' own admission, Harrison doesn't have any plus tools. On the other hand, nearly all of the tools are roughly average. Numerous reports list him as a potential bench or platoon option down the line. The question is: do you believe in the tools? 2015 will be a telling year for the 50th overall pick in the 2011 draft.
Zack Jones, RHP
2015 Age: 24
2014 High Level: Advanced-A
Year | Age | Lvl | ERA | G | SV | IP | WHIP | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | K/9 |
2012 | 21 | Rookie, A | 2.25 | 18 | 4 | 20.0 | 1.10 | 5.0 | 0.4 | 5.0 | 15.3 |
2013 | 22 | A+ | 1.85 | 39 | 14 | 48.2 | 1.15 | 5.2 | 0.4 | 5.2 | 12.9 |
2014 | 23 | Rookie, A+ | 1.80 | 11 | 3 | 10.0 | 1.20 | 5.4 | 0.0 | 5.4 | 12.6 |
3 Seasons | 1.94 | 68 | 21 | 78.2 | 1.14 | 5.1 | 0.3 | 5.1 | 13.5 |
Jones lost a great deal of 2014 thanks to an aneurysm in his shoulder. It was unfortunate, because in 2013 he'd demolished hitters in the Florida State League. I felt like, with one more similar season, he'd be knocking on the door of the Major League bullpen by the start of 2015 if not the end of 2014.
As things happened, his development took a hit. He returned near the end of the season and got in 11 good appearances, and he went to the Arizona Fall League as well. He struggled with command a bit in the AFL, but for a guy who really needed that time to shake off some rust and get that muscle memory back it's not unexpected.
Rob Antony feels that Jones' number one priority should be to develop his secondary pitches. Once he does that, he could be on a fast track to the Majors. Until then, it's hard to say how close he really is. For 2015, he should see a good deal of time at Double-A.
Taylor Rogers, LHP
2015 Age: 24
2014 High Level: Double-A
Year | Age | Lvl | ERA | G | GS | IP | WHIP | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | K/9 | K:BB |
2012 | 21 | Rookie, A | 2.27 | 15 | 10 | 63.1 | 1.11 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 10.5 | 4.4 |
2013 | 22 | A, A+ | 2.88 | 25 | 24 | 140.2 | 1.20 | 8.5 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 6.0 | 2.6 |
2014 | 23 | AA | 3.29 | 24 | 24 | 145.0 | 1.29 | 9.3 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 7.0 | 3.1 |
3 Seasons | 2.94 | 64 | 58 | 349.0 | 1.22 | 8.7 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 7.2 | 3.1 |
After a fine but unspectacular 2013, Rogers delivered a solid performance as the stalwart of New Britain's rotation in 2014. He offers a low 90s fastball with a good changeup in the lower 80s and a mid 70s curve. While he isn't a strikeout pitcher, he attacks the corners with a game plan to get the batter to swing at the pitches he chooses. It works, and he gets a lot of ground balls as a result.
Right now, Rogers profiles as a fringe back-end starter. Those players are always necessary for any club, and they carry value in team-control years. With a strong 2015 it's possible that Rogers sees time with the Twins by season's end.
Rogers is in the same boat as Duffey, in that the sheer quantity of starters who should be available to fill out the rotation in Triple-A could result in him starting the year at Double-A. But he should spend most of 2015 in Triple-A, which is where he belongs.