After four rounds as the runner-up Chris Vallimont finally won an election. Expect to see him pitching in Double-A Wichita this summer.

Twinkie Town 2021 Prospect Voting Results

1. Alex Kirilloff 68% (Lewis 19%, Balazovic 9%, Larnach 5%)
2. Royce Lewis 65% (Larnach 17%, Balazovic 16%, Duran 2%)
3. Trevor Larnach 37% (Balazovic 37%, Jeffers 21%, Duran 5%)
4. Jordan Balazovic 73% (Jeffers 18%, Duran 7%, Sabato 3%)
5. Ryan Jeffers 45% (Duran 43%, Sabato 6%, Canterino 6%)
6. Jhoan Duran 79% (Canterino 9%, Sabato 5%, Celestino 4%, Cavaco 2%)
7. Brent Rooker 47% (Canterino 26%, Sabato 15%, Celestino 8%, Cavaco 4%)
8. Matt Canterino 39% (Sabato 32%, Celestino 15%, Enlow 12%, Cavaco 2%)
9. Aaron Sabato 43% (Enlow 21%, Celestino 21%, Cavaco 10%, Urbina 6%)
10. Gilberto Celestino 36% (Enlow 33%, Cavaco 17%, Urbina 8%, Wallner 6%)
11. Blayne Enlow 41% (Winder 20%, Cavaco 19%, Urbina 15%, Wallner 5%)
12. Keoni Cavaco 29% (Winder 25%, Urbina 20%, Sands 14%, Wallner 11%)
13. Josh Winder 33% (Urbina 28%, Sands 19%, Wallner 13%, Miranda 7%)
14. Misael Urbina 42% (Colina 28%, Sands 17%, Wallner 12%, Miranda 1%)
15. Edwar Colina 35% (Sands 35%, Wallner 20%, Rodriguez 7%, Miranda 3%)
16. Cole Sands 47% (Wallner 27%, Vallimont 11%, Rodriguez 8%, Miranda 7%)
17. Matt Wallner 47% (Vallimont 20%, Rortvedt 15%, Rodriguez 11%, Miranda 6%)
18. Ben Rortvedt 32% (Vallimont 26%, Miranda 17%, Rodriguez 14%, Soularie 10%)
19. Travis Blankenhorn 29% (Vallimont 25%, Rodriguez 18%, Soularie 15%, Miranda 13%)
20. Bailey Ober 32% (Vallimont 28%, Rodriguez 16%, Miranda 13%, Soularie 11%)
21. Chris Vallimont 46% (Miranda 19%, Rodriguez 16%, Soularie 14%, De Andrade 4%)

I will add a pitcher this round to make sure we continue to have a pitcher on the ballot. This pitcher was a pick in the 2020 draft.

Jose Miranda, IF

2021 Age: 23

2019 High Level: Pensacola (AA)

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. The Twins sent him back to Fort Myers and in 2019 and he continued to split time at 2B and 3B with a little SS for good measure. His swing is designed to get the ball over the fence but Fort Myers is a difficult place to hit dingers and Miranda hit only 8 HR while slashing .248/.299/.364. He played 1 game in Pensacola to end the season and I would expect him to start 2021 back at Double-A. Miranda played a few games in the Puerto Rican Winter League and helped his team advance to the Caribbean Series. 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.

Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF

2021 Age: 18

2019 High Level: N/A

The Twins made Emmanuel Rodriguez their top international free agent signing of 2019 with a $2.7M bonus. The Dominican outfielder was ranked 10th on MLB’s list of international free agent prospects and 19th by Fangraphs. The 5’10” outfielder has a good approach at the plate and his left-handed swing has drawn favorable comparisons to Eddie Rosario. He will probably start his career as a CF and move to a corner as he gets closer to the majors. He is considered a good base runner and, also like Rosario, has a strong outfield arm. He will probably make his professional debut this summer in a foreign rookie league and is unlikely to be a Twin before 2024.

Alerick Soularie, LF/2B

2021 Age: 22

2020 High Level: NCAA

The Minnesota Twins selected Alerick Soularie in the second round (59th pick) of the 2020 MLB Draft. The junior from the University of Tennessee was the leading hitter for the Volunteers while playing 1B, 2B and all outfield positions. He started his college career at San Jacinto Junior College and was named a third team junior college All-American after his freshman season. He transferred to Tennessee for his sophomore year, led the team in batting average, OBP and SLG and was named All-SEC. His junior season in 2020 was cut short but he still managed to hit 5 HR in 60 AB. He also went 10 for 11 stealing bases as a Volunteer. The Twins gave him a $900,000 bonus to forgo his senior year and become a professional. It looks like the Twins will try to see if they can develop him as a second baseman but left field is a more likely future position. Expect to see Soularie skip the rookie leagues and play A-ball in Fort Myers this summer.

Danny De Andrade, SS

2021 Age: 16

2020 High Level: N/A

The international signing period opened recently and the Twins immediately closed a $2.2 million deal with Venezuelan shortstop Danny De Andrade. The 6 foot 160 lb infielder ranked 16th on MLB’s list of all international free agents in this signing period. The scouts like his bat speed and ability to drive the ball to all fields. They believe he can develop power and also think he can stick on the left side of the infield. De Andrade was training in the Dominican Republic because American scouts cannot go to Venezuela to evaluate players. Like all international free agent teenagers he is a long ways away from the major leagues. Expect him to get his first at-bats as a professional in the Dominican rookie league.

Marco Raya, P

2021 Age: 18

2020 High Level: N/A

The Twins selected Marco Raya with the 128th pick in the 2020 draft from United South High School in Laredo, TX. The Twins gave him a $410,000 signing bonus to get him to break his commitment to Texas Tech. He has four pitches including a fastball in the lower 90s with a lot of spin. At 6’0”, 170 lbs he’s not as big as most pitching prospects but is considered a good athlete and has shown repeatable mechanics. He was a young senior, only 17 years old at the time of the draft. Expect Raya to spend a lot of time at extended spring training with a debut for the Gulf Coast Twins this summer.