Welcome to the Twinkie Town community prospect vote for 2019! 2018 saw four prospects graduate and several new faces were added in the draft and via trade. If more talent is added during the voting I will add them to the next available round. We will start round one with a trio of talent from Fort Myers with 2020 vision.

Royce Lewis, SS

2019 Age: 20

2018 High Level: Fort Myers (A+)

Drafted first overall in 2017, Royce Lewis did his best to live up to those lofty expectations. In 2017 he was aggressively promoted to Cedar Rapids after performing well at Rookie ball and hit to a .296/.363/.394 line despite being 3 years younger than competition. He followed that up in 2018 hitting .315/.368/.485 before a midyear promotion to Fort Myers. In Fort Myers his batting average dropped to .255 but he kept drawing walks (.327 OBP) and hitting the ball relatively hard. He has impressive speed with 46 steals in two seasons but his 6/4 SB/CS ratio in A+ level Fort Myers shows that he still has some work to do on the bases. Scouts like his range at SS but he is still learning the position. Everyone places him at SS/2B or CF long term as his speed will play at any of those positions. The question for Lewis is how aggressively they promote him and whether he stays at SS or shifts to a different position long term. He should start next season again at Fort Myers but could move quickly to Double-A Pensacola. His Twins debut is unlikely to happen before 2020.

Alex Kirilloff, RF

2019 Age: 21

2018 High Level: Fort Myers (A+)

Alex was the Twins first round pick in 2016. He was drafted #15 overall for his lefthanded bat. Kirilloff was sent to advanced rookie ball at Elizabethton straight out of high school and he did so well that he was named the league MVP. In late August of 2016 he suffered an elbow injury to his left (throwing) elbow. In spring of 2017 the doctors determined ligament replacement surgery was the best option and he missed the 2017 season. He started 2018 at Cedar Rapids and dominated that level with a .362/.393/.550 batting line. He was promoted midseason to Fort Myers and may have been the best hitter in the Florida State League slugging .333/.391/.607. He played in the MLB Futures game, was named Twins minor league Player of the Year and has been named a top 100 prospect on several lists this winter. Expect him to start next season at Double-A Pensacola and in a Twins uniform by 2020.

Brusdar Graterol, SP

2019 Age: 20

2018 High Level: Fort Myers (A+)

Graterol was signed as international free agent from Venezuela in 2014 for a modest bonus. Just a few games into the 2015 Dominican Summer League season he was injured and needed ligament replacemet surgery (Tommy John). He came back from the surgery throwing his fastball 93-98MPH with a nice upper 80s slider. Toward the end of the season he was clocked throwing 100MPH and everyone noticed. He finished 2017 in advanced rookie ball and posted a 10.9 K/9, 3.9 BB/9 and 3.92 RA in five games. Since he only pitched 40 competitive innings there were a lot of question marks about his 2018. Consider the questions answered. He started 2018 in Cedar Rapids and posted a 2.18ERA with an 11.1 K/9 against just 2.0 BB/9 in 41-1/3 innings. This dominance earned him a mid-season promotion to Fort Myers where he pitched 60 innings with a 8.3K/9 2.8BB/9 and 3.12 ERA. His surgically repaired arm responded as well as could be expected with 100 innings pitched and no issues as the season ended. He continues to throw his fastball in the high 90s, occasionally hitting 100 MPH, with good command and without a max-effort delivery. That dominant fastball has some people projecting him as an elite bullpen arm but he has the potential to be an ace starting pitcher if he continues to develop his off-speed pitches. Graterol could start 2019 in Fort Myers but don’t expect him to stay there for long. A 2020 Twins debut is possible.