LaMonte Wade won round 19 in his first attempt. I hope we see him make his debut in 2019. Also, I’m really glad that spring training has started and there will be more photos of prospects!

1. Royce Lewis 52% (Kirilloff 44%, Graterol 4%)
2. Alex Kirilloff 90% (Graterol 4%, Gordon 4%, Larnach 2%)
3. Brusdar Graterol 56% (Gordon 19%, Larnach 12%, Thorpe 8%, Gonsalves 5%)
4. Trevor Larnach 42% (Thorpe 25%, Gordon 21%, Gonsalves 12%)
5. Lewis Thorpe 31% (Gordon 30%, Rooker 14%, Javier 13%, Gonsalves 11%)
6. Nick Gordon 39% (Rooker 20%, Gonsalves 18%, Javier 17%, Alcala 5%)
7. Stephen Gonsalves 35% (Rooker 28%, Javier 28%, Alcala 5%, Baddoo 4%)
8. Brent Rooker 43% (Javier 41%, Baddoo 6%, Enlow 6%, Alcala 4%)
9. Wander Javier 70% (Baddoo 12%, Enlow 7%, Alcala 7%, Duran 4%)
10. Jorge Alcala 32% (Baddoo 28%, Enlow 23%, Duran 14%, Celestino 3%)
11. Jhoan Duran 39% (Enlow 31%, Baddoo 25%, Severino 3%, Celestino 2%)
12. Zack Littell 56% (Enlow 28%, Baddoo 11%, Severino 2%, Celestino 2%)
13. Blayne Enlow 50% (Baddoo 33%, Balazovic 10%, Severino 4%, Celestino 3%)
14. Akil Baddoo 54% (Balazovic 13%, Jeffers 12%, Rortvedt 11%, Severino 8%, Celestino 4%)
15. Ryan Jeffers 34% (Balazovic 31%, Severino 12%, Rortvedt 12%, Celestino 10%)
16. Jordan Balazovic 63% (Rortvedt 13%, Severino 11%, Celestino 10%, Urbina 3%)
17. Ben Rortvedt 33% (Severino 23%, Celestino 20%, Wells 17%, Urbina 6%)
18. Gilberto Celestino 36% (Severino 30%, Miranda 19%, Wells 11%, Urbina 4%)
19. LaMonte Wade 31% (Severino 30%, Miranda 22%, Wells 11%, Urbina 6%)

For this round I am adding another player who should contribute to the Twins in 2019.

Yunior Severino, 2B

2019 Age: 19

2018 High Level: Elizabethton (Rookie)

Yunior Severino was part of the Braves high profile class of international free agent signings headed by Kevin Maitan in 2016. Unfortunately for the Braves those signings became even more high profile when MLB voided the signings and made most of the players free agents again last winter. Severino originally signed a $1.9M contract with the Braves and he gets to keep all of that money. The Twins were able to sign him for $2.5M so the young man has done quite well already. Severino is a switch hitting second baseman from the Dominican Republic. He was promoted after 10 games from the Braves’ Dominican Rookie team to the GCL team and hit .286/.345/.444 in his debut. Scouts believe he has power and he has shown it, albeit inconsistently. He is considered a bat-first infielder who is learning how to play 2B and some scouts think he may need to move to 3B or 1B if he grows significantly. Severino stayed in extended spring training working on fundamentals until Elizabethton started their season last summer. He hit .263/.321/.424 and started off hot but faded as the season went on. His fielding at 2B was solid but he struggled in a few games at SS. As a switch hitter he will be taking lots of extra batting practice to improve on his offense in 2019.

Misael Urbina, OF

2019 Age: 17

2018 High Level: Did not play professionally

Misael “Misa” Urbina was the top international free agent signed by the Twins last summer costing them a $2.75M bonus with an additional $300k for college. He ranked #5 among international free agents who were available in the 2018 signing period. He comes to the Twins from Venezuela where he has been participating in the Venezuelan Winter League development program for young players. This has allowed him to play against players with professional experience. Scouts like his hit tool and his plus speed. He is considered an advanced defender in the outfield with the range for centerfield but his arm may keep him in left. He is very young so anything can happen but the Twins have done well with international free agents lately. He should make his professional debut this summer in a foreign rookie league but his Twins debut is unlikely before 2023.

Tyler Wells, P

2019 Age: 24

2018 High Level: Chattanooga (AA)

Tyler Wells was the Twins 15th round selection in the 2016 draft from Cal State San Bernardino. He has steadily climbed the minor league ladder posting a great strikeout rate and decent walk rate while limiting home runs allowed. He has a pretty standard fastball, changeup and slider arsenal but uses his pitches effectively. At 6’8” 265lbs he has the frame of a starting pitcher. He had some biceps tendinitis in July of 2017 but has started healthy last spring at Fort Myers. He was promoted after 16 starts at Fort Myers (8.5 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 2.91 RA) to Chattanooga where he continued to pitch well (10.7 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, 1.65 RA) in 32-2/3 innings. Wells is not a young prospect but he has performed admirably at every stop along the way. Expect him to start this year back in Double-A Pensacola with a goal of a promotion to Triple-A. He could pitch for the Twins as early as this September as he is a candidate to be added to the 40 man roster next winter.

Jose Miranda, IF

2019 Age: 21

2018 High Level: Fort Myers (A+)

Puerto Rican Jose Miranda was the 73rd overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft. He made his debut with the GCL Twins and hit .227 while playing three infield positions. In 2017 the Twins sent him to Elizabethton and had him play mostly 2B because the team had Andrew Bechtold at 3B. Miranda improved at the plate in 2017 hitting .283/.340/.484 in 247 plate appearances. In 2018 he split time defensively between second base and third. He started the season at Cedar Rapids and hit .277/.326/.434 over 104 games. He earned a late season promotion to Fort Myers and initially struggled batting .216 in 27 games to end the season but he hit .400 with two home runs in the playoff series helping the Miracle win the Florida State League championship. His swing is designed to get the ball over the fence which shows in his 27 HR over the past two minor league seasons. Twins scouts have done well in Puerto Rico finding Jose Berrios, Kennys Vargas, and Eddie Rosario in recent years. Let’s hope they found another quality player in Jose Miranda.

Kohl Stewart, P

2019 Age: 24

2018 High Level: Twins (MLB)

Kohl Stewart was the Minnesota Twins 1st round pick in the 2013 draft, 4th overall. He was signed away from a commitment to play quarterback for Texas A&M for $4.5M. When Stewart was drafted scouts noted his heavy sinking fastball and his strong athletic build. He had a great debut in the rookie leagues and made several top 100 prospect lists. He pitched well in Cedar Rapids at age 19 but his strikeout rate was not exceptional (6.4 K/9). He also continued to deal with nagging shoulder soreness. People hoped his K% would increase as he learned more about pitching and improved his offspeed offerings. Stewart was promoted to Fort Myers in 2015 and pitched 130 solid innings but his K% dropped again to 4.9 K/9. He was sent back to Fort Myers in 2016 and pitched well enough to earn a promotion to Chattanooga with an uptick in strikeouts to 7.7 K/9. Many prospects hit their first real challenge at AA and it appears Kohl Stewart is another example. His strikeout rate was awful (4.6 K/9) his walk rate rose (4.3 BB/9) in Chattanooga and he dealt with a knee injury. In 2017 he was not particularly effective and continued to rehab injuries but did pitch 5 innings at AAA. Stewart was not added to the 40 man roster in 2017 which meant he was eligible to be drafted in the Rule 5 draft. Despite his draft pedigree, Stewart was not selected. 2018 was a comeback year for Stewart as he was able to work his way back into the team’s plans. He started 2018 at Double-A Chattanooga where his peripherals (9.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9) looked better than his results (5.43 run average) and he earned a promotion to Triple-A Rochester. In 40-2/3 innings at Rochester he was okay (6.6 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 4.20 RA) but impressed someone enough to make his major league debut. In 36-2/3 major league innings he didn’t miss many bats (5.9 K/9) but managed to be moderately effective (119 ERA+). He is likely to start the year back in Triple-A Rochester but there is reason to be hopeful. The Twins have Stewart leading with his slider for the first time in his big league career. Hopefully the slider becomes the bat-missing pitch to complement his sinking fastball and help him fulfill the initial promise he showed as a top draft pick.