Wednesday

Good Morning! Today I will be catching a flight to the cities at 6:30 a.m. I will spend the entire day there and won't fly back until 7:30 tonight. So, hopefully I will be home by about 9:00 tonight. I hope you enjoy the posting. Hopefully we can get just as many comments as we did yesterday.

Today, I am going to jump right back into my Top 50 Twins Prospect series with part three. Last Friday, I posted my choices for prospects #36-50, and yesterday my choices for #21-35 were posted. Today, I am back with my selections for numbers 11-20. Before making my selections, I will remind you of who my choices were for numbers 21-50. Again, don't take this as anything other than a fun look at several of the Twins prospects. I enjoy following the Twins system and think that it is important, as a Twins fan, to understand what is going on with the minor league system. Think it doesn't matter? Look at the 2006 Minnesota Twins roster this season and tell me that developing a strong minor league system isn't important to the big league club!

If you have any questions or comments on any of these players or their rankings, I would love to hear your thoughts. The final part of this list will be posted tomorrow. It will be my Top 10 list on Friday. If you have thoughts, or if you have a Top 10, 20, 30, or 50 Prospect list, I would love to see it and share it with other Twins fans, so please e-mail me or leave Comments below.

#50 – Dan Leatherman – RHP – 21

#49 – Caleb Moore – C – 23

#48 – Adam Hawes – RHP – 23

#47 – Tyler Robertson – LHP – 18

#46 – Steve Singleton – SS/2B – 21

#45 – Tristan Crawford – RHP – 24

#44 – Juan Portes – IF/OF – 20

#43 – Justin Jones – LHP – 21

#42 – Loek Van Mil – RHP – 22

#41 – Felix Molina – SS – 23

#40 – Zach Ward – RHP – 22

#39 – Errol Simonitsch – LHP – 24

#38 – Matt Tolbert – SS/2B – 24

#37 – Greg Yersich – C – 19

#36 – Garrett Jones – 1B/DH – 25

#35 – Brian Dinkelman – 2B – 22

#34 – Brian Kirwan – RHP – 19

#33 – Garrett Olson – 3B – 21

#32 – Alex Burnett – RHP – 19

#31 – Andrew Thompson – 2B – 19

#30 – Doug Deeds – OF/1B – 24

#29 – Danny Santiesteban – OF – 21

#28 – Yohan Pino – RHP – 22

#27 – Erik Lis – 1B – 22

#26 – Oswaldo Sosa – RHP – 21

#25 – Eli Tintor – OF – 22

#24 – Danny Valencia – 1B/3B – 22

#23 – Paul Kelly – SS – 19

#22 – Whitney Robbins – 3B/1B – 22

#21 – Garrett Guzman – OF – 25

#20 – Joe Benson – OF– 18

2006 Team: GCL Twins/Beloit Snappers

Acquired: Twins 2nd round pick in 2006 out of Joliet (IL) High School

Benson is a great athlete. He was drafted as a catcher, but the Twins immediately put him into centerfield. It was surprising that he signed so quickly as he had a full football scholarship to Purdue. Once he signed, he immediately started hitting for the GCL Twins. He hit plenty of extra base hits. He did slow down as the season continued. In 52 games for the GCL, he hit .260/.335/.444 with 11 doubles, five triples and five home runs. He stole nine bases, but he has some work to do in that category as he was caught ten times. At the end of the GCL season, he was given a promotion to Beloit and played some for the Snappers. He had five hits in 19 at bats.

2007 Projection: Probably learning the OF in Beloit.

Potential: a good power/speed guy

Could be in Minnesota in: 2011

#19 – Trevor Plouffe – SS – 20

2006 Teams: Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: Twins 1st round pick in 2004 out of Crespi Carmelite H.S. (CA)

Plouffe jumped a level in 2006, moving up to Ft. Myers. His 2006 season nearly mirrored his 2005 season. He got off to a very poor start with the bat, so much so that he is often overlooked. But, in August, Plouffe hit .304/.385/.361. For the season, he hit just .246/.333/.347 with 26 doubles, four triples and four home runs. You have to be impressed with his Isolated Discipline of .087, but some thought that he was taking too many pitches. The Florida State League is a tough league to hit in, so for a 20 year old to hold his own is really very good. That said, there is still a lot of room for improvement. I am told that he hits the ball the other way very well, and does have good power when he does pull the ball. Defensively, we hear he has great range and a very strong arm, but often-times he has errors on the routine plays. It's not unusual, and I think that Plouffe could be one of those guys that comes into his own in 2007. I do think that a return to Ft. Myers, for at least a half season, might be in his best interest.

2007 Projection: playing SS in Ft. Myers again

Potential: good glove, good bat SS

Could be in Minnesota in: 2009

#18 – Jay Rainville – RHP – 21

2006 Team: Did Not Play

Acquired: Twins 2nd round pick in 2004 out of Bishop Hendrickson H.S. in Rhode Island

Rainville missed the entire season instead having shoulder surgery. Rainville had a surprisingly great year in 2005. He was not even supposed to play in full season ball, but because of an injury, he got a chance in Beloit and did so well that he earned a promotion to Ft. Myers. As has been mentioned before, his ceiling/comparison is to Roger Clemens. Rainville doesn't throw as hard, but he does have the build. Of course with any arm injury, there is concern, but many times, it ends up making a young pitcher even better.

2007 Projection: working his way back in Ft. Myers

Potential: #2 starter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2009

#17 – Brock Peterson – 1B – 22

2006 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: Twins 49th round pick in 2002 out of Chehalis (WA) high school

Because of the log jam at 1B at the upper levels of the Twins system, Peterson returned to Ft. Myers. As with Matienzo, I was disappointed that Peterson didn't get moved up to New Britain. In retrospect, the Twins were right. I really think that the return to the Miracle was the best thing for him. He had a good 2005 season, but he was even better in 2006. He still needs work on breaking balls, but he made huge strides. In 121 games, he hit a respectable .291/.356/.497 with 21 doubles, four triples and 21 homers.

2007 Projection: 1B/DH in Ft. Myers

Potential: big league bat, could DH

Could be in Minnesota in: 2009

#16 – Kyle Waldrop – RHP – 20

2006 Team: Beloit Snappers/Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: Twins 1st round pick in 2004 out of Farragut (Knoxville, TN) high school

Through three weeks, Waldrop is leading our NFL "Expert" Panelists. But Waldrop is more than just a great football prognosticator, he is a pretty good pitching prospect. He returned to Beloit this season, and as with Peterson, it was probably a good move for him. In 18 starts, he was able to shave over a run off of his ERA. He went 6-3 with a 3.85 ERA. In 110 innings, he struck out just 62, but he walked just 17. He then pitched in eight games for Ft. Myers and went 3-2 with a 3.57 ERA. In 45.1 innings, he struck out just 25, and he walked an uncharacteristic 17. To this point, Waldrop is not getting many strikeouts, which is a concern. Fortunately, until his stint with Ft. Myers, control has never been an issue. I expect that Waldrop will have a very strong 2007 season.

2007 Projection: starting in Ft. Myers

Potential: potential #3 starter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2009

#15 – Matt Moses – 3B – 21

2006 Team: New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: Twins 1st round pick in 2003 out Miles Godwin HS (Richmond, VA)

It is already known that Matt Moses is not a very good defensive 3B, but in the past, that has been acceptable as long as he was working hard and as long as he was hitting. He has been touted as a great hitter, and this year, it just didn't happen. After hitting .318 in April, Moses never hit over .275 in any other month. In 125 games, he hit .249/.303/.386 with 16 doubles, 2 triples, and 15 home runs. That is a decent home run total. Also, at just 21 years of age in the Eastern League, he did not do badly. However, for how highly thought of he is thought of and considering he spent 1/2 of the 2005 season in New Britain, I think much more was expected. He will be playing in the Arizona Fall League and hopefully will be able to take a step forward.

2007 Projection: could return to New Britain to start the season, or could be pushed to Rochester

Potential: big league DH with a big bat

Could be in Minnesota in: 2007

#14 – Brandon Roberts – OF – 22

2006 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: Acquired from Reds in 2006 for Juan Castro, 7th round pick in 2005 out of Cal Poly

To Twins fans, Roberts was a guy that the Twins got to get rid of Castro. He was a Florida State League All-Star for Sarasota, but he had hit just .267/.325/.308 in 60 games for them. Once with Ft. Myers, he played in 71 more games and hit .316/.370/.396 with 12 doubles and three homers. Speed is certainly his forte, and he went a combined 50-64 in stolen base attempts for the year. He is also a good outfielder who obviously has a lot of range, but his arm is below average.

2007 Projection: playing OF at Ft Myers

Potential: base stealing centerfielder

Could be in Minnesota in: 2009

#13 – Brian Duensing – LHP – 23

2006 Teams: Beloit Snappers/Ft. Myers Miracle/New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: Twins 3rd round draft pick in 2005 out U of Nebraska

Based on numbers and "stuff", I probably would not have Duensing rated quite this high. However, the fact that he was a 2005 draft pick and he moved from Beloit to Ft. Myers and quickly up to New Britain this season means a couple of things. One, the Twins would not just move him up if they didn't think that he would handle it physically or mentally. Secondly, the Twins must feel that he is fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery that he had in college. Duensing does not throw very hard, but he has good offspeed stuff and great control.

2007 Projection: starting in New Britain

Potential: good #3 or #4 pitcher

Could be in Minnesota in: 2008

#12 – Denard Span – OF – 22

2006 Teams: New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: Twins 1st round pick in 2002 out of Tampa Catholic

Like Matt Moses, Denard Span also moved up to New Britain in 2005 and then spent all of 2006 with the Rockcats as well. Unlike Moses, Span at least remained steady and probably did improve a little bit in areas that the Twins would want him to. In 134 games, Span hit .285/.340/.349 with 16 doubles, six triples and two home runs. Speed is his game and he stole 24 bases in 34 attempts. Although 68% is not great, and more improvement is needed, it was a little better than he had been in his career. Span will never be a power hitter, so for him to have even a .700 OPS, he will have to get on base about 37% of the time. Span is still not ready, but according to our friend Roger's statistical ranking of prospects, Span finished second in the organization to only Alexi Casilla. So, although none of his numbers really stand out, Span was solid, and at 22 years old and because he will only be put on the 40 man roster this winter, the team can and should continue to be patient with him. Unlike Moses, all reports are that Span is a good teammate and well respected.

2007 Projection: playing CF in Rochester

Potential: light-hitting, #9 hitter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2007

#11 – Chris Parmalee – OF/1B – 18

2006 Team: GCL Twins/Beloit Snappers

Acquired: Twins 1st round pick in 2006 out of Chino Hills (CA) High School

The Twins top pick just this summer really put together a solid first season showing the types of skills that you would want from a high school hitter. Like Moses, Parmalee was very highly touted as a hitter coming out of high school. In 45 GCL games, he hit .279/.369/.532 with seven doubles, four triples and eight home runs. What I look for in a hitter is a good approach at the plate, frequently evidenced by Isolated Discipline. Parmalee walked a lot. I also look at extra base hits, and in 154 at bats, Parmalee had 19 of those, including eight home runs. The lone negative is that he had 47 strikeouts. He was also moved up to Beloit to finish the season. There he hit .227/.370/.273 with a double in 22 at bats. Again, despite the low average, he did take some walks. Of course, he struck out nine times too. So, clearly he has a long road ahead of him and a lot of work to do, but I saw enough in what he could be capable of to be quite high on him.

2007 Projection: playing some 1B and some OF in Beloit.

Potential: middle of the lineup run producer

Could be in Minnesota in: 2010

Any thoughts on Prospects 11-20, let me know. E-mail me. Be sure to check back tomorrow for Prospects #1-10! Who will make the list, and in what order? Leave some comments.

Twins Thoughts

The Twins had a chance to end the day yesterday in a tie with the Tigers. Detroit lost to Toronto, but unfortunately, Carlos Silva pitched like he has most of the year, and Mark Redman again quieted the Twins bats. Here are some Twins thoughts:

Brad Radke is set to start tonight's Twins game, and when he does, he will garner even more of my respect. I have always felt like a Radke apologist. So many people say things like "he's just a .500 pitcher" and other dumb things like that. Truth is, he has been a very solid big league pitcher for a dozen years now. This year, he was incredible in July and August and it turns out that he was pitching with a torn labrum and a broken bone in his shoulder. Imagine the pain. Instead of just taking the rest of the year off and coasting into retirement, Radke has made it back. I hope that he can go four or five innings tomorrow. I would be happy if he were the Twins Game 3 starter in the playoffs. I hope that however many fans show up at the game today, they will give Radke the biggest standing ovation ever!
I know it is completely wrong, but a hope that the Twins finish with the Wild Card. I guess that I much prefer taking my chances against the Yankees in the Division Series, a best of five series, than in the Championship Series, a best of seven series. Why? Because Johan Santana could get two starts against that potent offense. Of course, the other side of that is winning the division, and if they do that, they would play Oakland in the first round, and maybe the Tigers can upset the Yankees so the Twins don't even have to worry about them.
I like that Lew Ford is getting some playing time. On Tuesday, he started in LF. Last night, he started in RF, allowing Michael Cuddyer to get a day at DH. Cuddyer has not had a day off since being inserted as the team's starting RF, so a partial day off is good.
What I would also like to see if Alexi Casilla get some time if he is on the playoff roster. Since the Twins are playing at home the rest of the regular season, I think that Luis Castillo should get a day off or even two. Last night, Luis Rodriguez got the starting nod at 2B, which likely tells me that Casilla is not on the playoff roster. I also think that Jason Bartlett deserves a day off too since he has not had one yet since his mid-June call up. I am not advocating a usage of backups or just coasting to the end of the season. I am thinking that, with four games remaining, one or two starters could get a day off, and be replaced by someone. It doesn't mean you're not trying to win, just trying to win while trying to give key parts a rest.
Joe Mauer went 2-4 with an RBI double off the wall in CF and a bunt single. He is now hitting .350. In the Yankees 16-5 win over the Orioles last night, Robinson Cano went 1-3 with a homer. Derek Jeter was 1-4 with a walk. Cano is hitting .343. Jeter is hitting .340.
In that game, Chien-Ming Wang, who will be the Yankees Game 1 starter in the playoffs, won his 19th game of the year. Like Johan Santana, he has a record of 19-6. However, his ERA of 3.63 is nearly a run more per nine innings than Santana's 2.77. That said, I would advocate a second place vote in the Cy Young ballot for Wang over Roy Halladay.
Pat Neshek updated his site yesterday, so be sure to check out some of his thoughts.
The Futility Infielder lists Five Cool Things About Pat Neshek.
Which Twins pitching prospect was named the pitching prospect of the year by John Sickels?

Have yourself a great day! If you have any thoughts, opinions, comments, critiques, or ideas on anything, please e-mail me, or let's get a discussion going in the Comments. Have a great weekend!