Minnesota Twins 2015 Prospect Vote: Round 28

In spite of a strong charge from newcomer Huascar Ynoa, hard-throwing relief prospect J.T. Chargois carried enough promise to carry a simple majority and the victory. Two rounds and out? Not bad, Chargois. He should be a part of a very dangerous and talented bullpen in Chattanooga for the Lookouts.

Up next? Manuel Guzman. Brandon Peterson and Tanner English are still the favorites for adds in rounds 29 and 30.

Twins Top 30 prospects for 2015

1. Byron Buxton, CF (Buxton 72%, Sano 28%)
2. Miguel Sano, 3B (Sano 56%, Berrios 44%)
3. Jose Berrios, RHP (Berrios 73%, Meyer 16%, Stewart 4%, Gordon 4%, Polanco 3%)
4. Alex Meyer, RHP (Meyer 63%, Stewart 17%, Polanco 10%, Gordon 10%)
5. Kohl Stewart, RHP (Stewart 56%, Polanco 26%, Gordon 18%)
6. Trevor May, RHP (May 28%, Gordon 27%, Polanco 21%, Rosario 20%, Thorpe 4%)
7. Nick Gordon, SS (Gordon 35%, Polanco 30%, Rosario 29%, Thorpe 6%)
8. Nick Burdi, RHP (Burdi 38%, Polanco 31%, Rosario 23%, Thorpe 8%)
9. Jorge Polanco, SS/2B (Polanco 51%, Rosario 36%, Thorpe 13%)
10. Eddie Rosario, OF/2B (Rosario 72%, Thorpe 18%, Gonsalves 4%, Reed 3%, Duffey 2%, Rogers 0%)
11. Lewis Thorpe, LHP (Thorpe 48%, Kepler 21%, Reed 10%, Gonsalves 9%, Duffey 5%, Walker 4%, Turner 1%, Harrison 1%, Rogers 1%)
12. Max Kepler, CF/1B (Kepler 30%, Gonsalves 27%, Reed 18%, Walker 13%, Turner 5%, Duffey 5%, Harrison 1%, Rogers 1%)
13. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP (Gonsalves 47%, Reed 32%, Walker 21%)
14. Jake Reed, RHP (Reed 49%, Walker 24%, Turner 12%, Duffey 7%, Harrison 5%, Rogers 3%)
15. Adam Walker, RF (Walker 47%, Turner 22%, Duffey 16%, Rogers 7%, Harrison 7%)
16. Amaurys Minier, LF/1B (Minier 24%, Turner 18%, Hu 17%, Duffey 15%, Garver 10%, Harrison 6%, Jones 4%, Graham 3%, Rogers 2%)
17. Stuart Turner, C (Turner 26%, Hu 25%, Garver 14%, Duffey 13%, Harrison 7%, Jones 5%, Rogers 5%, Graham 5%)
18. Chih-Wei Hu (Hu 58%, Duffey 22%, Garver 19%)
19. Mitch Garver, C (Garver 31%, Duffey 28%, Harrison 16%, Jones 13%, Rogers 8%, Graham 5%)
20. Tyler Duffey, RHP (Duffey 41%, Harrison 26%, Jones 17%, Rogers 12%, Graham 5%)
21. Travis Harrison, LF (Harrison 32%, Jones 24%, Rogers 19%, Graham 13%, Cederoth 12%)
22. Taylor Rogers, LHP (Rogers 29%, Jones 27%, Diaz 18%, Cederoth 16%, Graham 10%)
23. Zack Jones, RHP (Jones 26%, Diaz 23%, Cederoth 17%, Graham 17%, Murphy 16%)
24. Lewin Diaz, 1B (Diaz 33%, Cederoth 25%, Graham 24%, Murphy 18%)
25. Michael Cederoth, RHP (Cederoth 29%, Graham 28%, Michael 23%, Murphy 20%)
26. J.R. Graham, RHP (Graham 43%, Chargois 20%, Michael 20%, Murphy 17%)
27. J.T. Chargois, RHP (Chargois 32%, Ynoa 29%, Michael 24%, Murphy 15%)

Manuel Guzman, 2B/SS
2015 Age: 20
2014 High Level: Rookie

At just 5'9", Guzman is on the small side - and we know how scouts feel about players who don't fit the proverbial body type. But he's considered one of the fastest guys in the organization (if not THE fastest), and that's an asset that will make anyone turn their head. While his body needs to mature to get stronger in the field, and while he needs to do better at reading pitchers, his speed is something that will make him worth watching in 2015 both in the field and on the bases.Signed out of the Dominican Republic in May of 2013, Guzman has spent two seasons playing for Minnesota's DSL affiliate and the GCL Twins. Splitting time between second base and shortstop, he profiles like your typical middle infielder: no power to speak of, has fair contact skills and a decent eye, but it's his speed and defensive skill set that makes him interesting.

Guzman should transition to Elizabethton sooner rather than later in 2015. He's still very raw and many years from the Major Leagues. Are you ready to vote for such an unknown quantity, or are you willing to put your trust in a player who could be sporting near 80 speed?

Levi Michael, 2B
2015 Age: 24
2014 High Level: Double-A

Every time we talk about Michael, we're contractually obligated to mention the fact that he A) was a supposedly polished middle infielder who would move quickly through system, and B) struggled to find a foothold. He spent all of 2012 and 2013 in Fort Myers, posting an OPS in the mid .600s and never showing the knack for hitting that would be necessary to see him move quickly.

He found success in his third go-round however, hitting .305/.375/.395 for Doug Mientkiewicz in Fort Myers in 2014. It earned him a promotion to Double-A where he flourished in a small sample, hitting .340/.444/.358 in 15 games. Michael has shown, at times, to be very strong versus left-handed pitching, so it's worth watching to see if his splits become indicative of a platoon disposition.

Michael should start 2015 at Double-A. He does a number of things well (decent speed, good base runner, decent arm for second base, line-drive hitter), but he doesn't have a plus tool and his ceiling could be as a utility player if he doesn't continue to hit well. There are a lot of young and talented middle infielders in the organization these days (imagine saying that a few years ago), so he has his work cut out for him. Still, the Twins took him in the first round for a reason, so he'll be one to watch, and it's worth wondering whether injuries have slowed his development the last couple of years. If he stays healthy, he could flash something a bit unexpected.

Max Murphy, CF
2015 Age: 22
2014 High Level: Single-A

The Twins took Murphy in the ninth round of the 2014 draft. He was seen as a player with a number of solid tools, although none of them stood out as a big plus tool even after hitting .314/.414/.598 for Bradley University. But his ability to "flash plus tools" didn't always jive with his performance, leading analysts like Jim Callis to say Murphy "plays beneath the tools a little bit."

Murphy obviously impressed in his rookie league debut, raking and earning a promotion to Cedar Rapids at the end of the year where he struggled a little bit. His status as a prospect will depend a good deal on how he performs in 2015. Will he play up to his tools, where his athleticism and arm and power will show the kind of player he's capable of becoming? Or will he play beneath the tools?

While he's capable of playing center field, scouts believe that long-term Murphy will end up in a corner outfield spot where his arm and decent wheels will make him a fine defender. The tools are there, but until he proves it his bat will be questioned.

Huascar Ynoa, RHP
2015 Age: 17
2014 High Level: n/a

On the opening day of the international signing period last year, the Twins inked Ynoa for an $800,000 signing - a bit of a deal considering how high Ynoa's stock was earlier in the process. The Dominican right-hander ended up ranked as the #14 international prospect by Baseball America, thanks to his "three average or better pitches" and his penchant for flashing what BA's Ben Badler dubbed frontline starter potential.

But he could have been ranked much higher; potentially even as the best pitcher available. Drawbacks for Ynoa include inconsistent performance in his starts, at times looking brilliant and at times posting mediocre results and fickle mechanics. That's not unsurprising for a 16-year old, but for scouts looking to rank players and pierce the veil of the unknown future it was enough to knock him down the board a few pegs.

With a fastball that already sits around 90mph, a mid-70s curve, and a changeup that Ynoa is already quite confident in throwing, Ynoa is a long-term follow for the Twins and for Twins fans. The organization has time to even things out and get him under more control, and he should add strength and some velocity to the fastball as he matures. It's a mixed bag for the kid who may be the youngest on our prospect list this year - so the question is: are you an optimist or a pessimist?