Before I get into the list, I need to point out a few things about the list. You can call it my Disclaimer... or just my thoughts on prospect lists. The first thing that I have to say is that, if they haven't played in the major leagues, I probably haven't seen them play, at least not more than a spring training at bat or two. So, my thoughts are really very opinion based. However, it is certainly more than that. Those who have been to this site the last few seasons know that I have posted highlights of all of the Twins minor league affiliates throughout their seasons. Looking at the box scores daily and following the player's stats and promotions, etc., I feel that I at least have some idea of what type of player each is. But I am also a firm believer that some subjectivity needs to go into scouting, and I don't have that. It isn't necessary all about numbers at the minor league levels.

 

A few other factors matter when coming up with this list. For pitchers, I will look at strikeouts, walks and hits per inning. Obviously I prefer pitchers who can rack up some strikeouts without walking very many. It may be unfair, but generally, I will rank starting pitchers higher than relievers simply because I know that the Twins have a philosophy to keep their best prospects starting, unless their names are Jesse Crain or Pat Neshek.

 

For hitters, I will look at power numbers. In the minor leagues, that does not necessarily mean home runs. I am a big fan of doubles. I will also look at their strikeout and walk numbers. Remember in my past prospect lists, I included Luis Rodriguez. He may not have a high ceiling, but I looked highly upon him because he has always walked more than he struck out.

 

For any player, though, I will look at their age in relation to their level of play. A player may hit just .250 in a season, but if he is just 19 years old and playing in Hi-A ball, I will likely have him higher up on the list than a guy hitting .300 in Low A at age 23.

 

But in the end, these prospects lists can be defined by three words... Just a Guess. I don't know. We don't know. Things like injuries or trades happen and alter the lists. There are late bloomers who will contribute to the Twins. Some of the high-level pitching prospects may never get out of AA ball. Fact is, trying to determine a list of which players will have the biggest impact at the major league level is very difficult. It may look like I have a good list, or there may be some rankings that you disagree with, but we won't know how "right" I was for another five to eight, to even ten years down the line.

 

So, to summarize, please don't take this list of prospects as anything too serious. It is simply a list of Twins prospects in an order that I feel is most right, right now. Remember, I last did a Top 50 prospect list right before the season started. Before that, the most recent one was last September, right after the season ended. Really, what it amounts to is a fun list to create some discussion. Ultimately, as someone who follows the Twins minor leagues, I feel that all fifty of the players that I rank  deserve mention. They deserve a little recognition among Twins fans.

 

That is enough of an introduction, right? Let's get to the list! You will see that for each player, I will give their name, position and age. I will note which team or teams they have played for in 2007. I will mention how the team acquired him. I will share a few thoughts on the player. I will try to guess where he will end the 2007 season, and finally, I will project when the player could make a major league debut. This is, of course, assuming that the player will eventually make the major leagues. Of course, there is no way to know that, and many from this list will probably not get there. And just as important, there will likely be several others that are not on this list will make the Twins active roster at some point.