Bailey Ober won our election in round 35. We are excited to see him pitch this summer, assuming we get to see people pitch this summer.

Twinkie Town 2020 Prospect Voting Results

1. Alex Kirilloff 40% (Lewis 28%, Graterol 24%, Larnach 8%)
2. Royce Lewis 48% (Graterol 29%, Balazovic 12%, Larnach 12%)
3. Trevor Larnach 48% (Balazovic 43%, Duran 8%, Cavaco 1%)
4. Jordan Balazovic 78% (Duran 11%, Rooker 9%, Jeffers 2%, Cavaco 0%)
5. Jhoan Duran 52% (Rooker 19%, Thorpe 16%, Jeffers 10%, Cavaco 3%)
6. Brent Rooker 37% (Jeffers 28%, Thorpe 24%, Urbina 6%, Cavaco 5%)
7. Ryan Jeffers 47% (Thorpe 34%, Cavaco 10%, Celestino 5%, Urbina 3%)
8. Lewis Thorpe 58% (Urbina 12%, Canterino 11%, Cavaco 10%, Celestino 9%)
9. Matt Canterino 27% (Celestino 23%, Cavaco 22%, Urbina 19%, Wallner 9%)
10. Keoni Cavaco 33% (Celestino 29%, Urbina 18%, Sands 15%, Wallner 9%)
11. Gilberto Celestino 36% (Gordon 26%, Urbina 19%, Wallner 12%, Sands 7%)
12. Nick Gordon 35% (Urbina 28%, Enlow 21%, Wallner 9%, Sands 8%)
13. Misael Urbina 36% (Enlow 24%, Sands 20%, Wallner 10%, Javier 9%)
14. Blayne Enlow 31% (Colina 29%, Sands 19%, Wallner 12%, Javier 9%)
15. Edwar Colina 42% (Wallner 20%, Sands 20%, Javier 15%, Miranda 1%)
16. Cole Sands 31% (Wallner 26%, Javier 20%, Blankenhorn 20%, Miranda 3%)
17. Matt Wallner 35% (Smeltzer 31%, Javier 18%, Blankenhorn 11%, Miranda 4%)
18. Devin Smeltzer 48% (Javier 24%, Blankenhorn 18%, Miranda 5%, Rodriguez 5%)
19. Wander Javier 32% (Alcala 30%, Blankenhorn 27%, Rodriguez 6%, Miranda 5%)
20. Jorge Alcala 45% (Blankenhorn 27%, Rodriguez 13%, Rortvedt 13%, Miranda 3%)
21. Randy Dobnak 65% (Blankenhorn 14%, Rortvedt 8%, Rodriguez 7%, Miranda 6%)
22. Travis Blankenhorn 49% (Rortvedt 31%, Rodriguez 9%, Miranda 7%, Rijo 4%)
23. Ben Rortvedt 44% (Baddoo 24%, Miranda 16%, Rodriguez 10%, Rijo 6%)
24. Akil Baddoo 35% (Vallimont 25%, Miranda 17%, Rodriguez 16%, Rijo 6%)
25. Jose Miranda 27% (Vallimont 26%, Jax 23%, Rodriguez 18%, Rijo 6%)
26. Chris Vallimont 42% (Jax 21%, Rodriguez 19%, Severino 10%, Rijo 8%)
27. Cody Stashak 42% (Rodriguez 21%, Jax 13%, Winder 10%, Severino 10%, Rijo 5%)
28. Emmanuel Rodriguez 29% (Jax, 27%, Winder 26%, Severino 11%, Rijo 7%)
29. Josh Winder 30% (Jax 29%, Wade 18%, Severino 14%, Rijo 9%)
30. Griffin Jax 33% (Severino 22%, Rijo 19%, Wade 18%, Holland 9%)
31. Dakota Chalmers 33% (Severino 28%, Rijo 19%, Wade 19%, Holland 2%)
32. Yunior Severino 40% (Wells 23%, Rijo 17%, Wade 12%, Holland 7%)
33. Luis Rijo 37% (Wells 26%, Wade 17%, Holland 10%, Steer 10%)
34. Tyler Wells 29% (Ober 25%, Wade 19%, Steer 19%, Holland 7%)
35. Bailey Ober 37% (Poppen 22%, Steer 20%, Wade 11%, Holland 10%)

We have elected three pitchers in a row now, six of our last seven and 8 of our last 10. We keep electing pitchers so I will keep adding them.

LaMonte Wade, OF

2020 Age: 26

2019 High Level: Twins (MLB)

LaMonte Wade Jr was the Twins 9th round pick in the 2015 draft from the University of Maryland. The Twins sent him to Elizabethton that summer and he impressed everyone with a 904 OPS, earning an Appy League All-Star nod and a late season look at Cedar Rapids. In 2016 he did well at Cedar Rapids earning a midseason All-Star appearance and even better after a mid-season promotion to Fort Myers producing (again) a 904 OPS at that level. Wade spent 2017 at Chattanooga and hit .292/.397/.408 while getting time at all three outfield positions. He earned a Southern League All-Star spot in 2017, continuing that trend. The Twins sent him to the Arizona Fall League and Wade hit .238/.351/.413 until a scary collision ended his season with a concussion. He started 2018 back at Double-A and hit .298/.393/.444 in 46 games before earning a promotion to Triple-A. At Rochester he hit his first speed bump on the way to the big leagues as his offensive production dropped to .229/.337/.336 over 74 games. He had consistently been able to draw more walks than strikeouts but that trend ended at the Triple-A level. He spent most of 2019 at Triple-A Rochester and slashed .246/.392/.356 maintaining a good OBP but with little power in a season where everyone hit for power. He made his big league debut June 28 and spent all of September with the Twins but hit just .196/.348/.375. Wade has average physical tools for a big league corner outfielder but he makes the most of them with a good batting eye and solid outfield fundamentals. He is good depth to have on a 40 man roster but is likely to be passed up hotter prospects.

Will Holland, SS

2020 Age: 22

2019 High Level: Elizabethton (Rookie)

Will Holland played his college baseball at Auburn University. He was ranked as a preseason top 20 college talent after a promising sophomore year which included playing for the USA Baseball Collegiate National team. Despite a trip to the College World Series his 2019 junior year was ultimately disappointing as he slashed just .246/.376/.401 and dropped to the fifth round of the draft. The Twins signed him for an above-slot $575,000 bonus and sent him to Elizabethton. At Elizabethton he hit .192/.299/.376 in 146 plate appearances which continued his disappointing 2019 at the plate. Holland has good hands and defensive range at SS. On offense he has good power, a good eye and plus speed with 20HR/20SB potential but he needs to work on making consistent contact. If he can get the bat on the ball he could move quickly through the minors.

Spencer Steer, IF

2020 Age: 22

2019 High Level: Cedar Rapids (A)

Spencer Steer played his college baseball for the Oregon Ducks. His college highlights include being named First-Team All-Pac-12 Conference and Pac-12 Conference All-Defensive Team as well as holding many school batting records. The Twins picked him in the 3rd round of the 2019 draft and signed him with a $575,000 bonus. He started his professional career at Elizabethton and earned a promotion to Cedar Rapids after just 20 games by hitting .325/.442/.506. He finished his season at Cedar Rapids hitting .260/.358/.387 in 44 games. He won his all-conference defensive honors playing 3B for Oregon but has split time between 2B and 3B in the minors for the Twins. Despite the defensive accolades the scouts project him as a bat-first infield prospect at 2B or 3B. If he keeps hitting he could move quickly up the ladder.

Sean Poppen, P

2020 Age: 26

2019 High Level: Twins (MLB)

Sean Poppen played his college baseball for the Harvard Crimson and majored in Chemistry and Physics so he might be the smartest player available. He was drafted after his senior year in the 19th round of the 2016 draft. He pitched quite well in his pro debut that summer but as a college senior was quite a bit older than many of the other players. In the minors he has worked mainly as a starter and has pitched well enough to earn mid-season promotions nearly every season as he advanced from Single-A in 2017 to Triple-A in 2019. His 2019 minor league performance included a lot of strikeouts (10.7 K/9) and a lot of walks (4.4 BB/9) leading to a 4.52 RA9. Despite the lackluster numbers Poppen made his debut for the Twins pitching in 4 games with a 7.56 ERA before being placed on the injured list with an elbow bruise. Poppen throws a mid-90s fastball with good movement and an upper 80s slider with good movement in the opposite direction. He also throws a changeup but it is not as good as the fastball and slider. This means his future in the pros is likely to be as a middle reliever if he can get better command of his fastball and slider.

Yennier Cano, P

2020 Age: 26

2019 High Level: Fort Myers (A+)

Yennier Cano has played professionally in Cuba for his hometown team Ciego de Avila since he was 19 years old. He pitched on the Caribbean Series team in the winter of 2015-16 but only made two appearances in the bullpen. He defected from Cuba and was eligible to be signed as an international free agent in 2018. He was ranked as the #2 international prospect in his signing period by MLB.com. The Twins signed him for a $750,000 bonus at the end of the 2018-19 signing deadline. Cano was used mainly as a reliever in Cuba and it is expected he would stay in the bullpen in the USA. He throws five different pitches: a fastball, splitter, slider, curve and changeup. He only pitched 15 innings last summer - all in Fort Myers but split between the Gulf Coast League and Florida State League. He was able to get people out but walked 14 batters in those 15 innings. As a reliever his upside is limited but his age and past experience suggests he could contribute sooner rather than later.