PRE-SEASON Minnesota Twins Top 20 Prospects for 2006
Here is a review of the PRE-SEASON Twins prospect list. Let's see how these guys are doing.
1) Francisco Liriano, LHP, Grade A
6-1, 2.16 with a 67/17 K/BB in 58 innings for the Twins. Obviously pitching extremely well, exceeding even the most optimistic expectations.
2) Scott Baker, RHP, B+
2-5, 6.06 in nine starts for the Twins before being demoted to the minors. His 41/8 K/BB in 49 innings was very good, but he gave up 66 hits and 10 homers. If anything his control was too good. I think he will be fine in the long run.
3) Anthony Swarzak, RHP, B+
3-4, 4.57 in 14 starts for Class A Fort Myers, with a 73/29 K/BB in 69 innings, 78 hits allowed. Strong K/IP ratio but too hittable, similar problem to Scott Baker. Still a good long-term prospect.
4) Matt Garza, RHP, B+
Pretty much unf**cking hittable, is a combined 9-2, 1.35 in 14 starts with a 100/20 K/BB in 79 innings, allowing just 47 hits. Dominating Double-A just like Class A. One of the best pitching prospects in the game now.
5) Matt Moses, 3B, B
Hitting .243/.297/.404 in 58 games for Double-A New Britain. Does have 10 homers but overall his production is weak. Poor strike zone judgment a major problem.
6) Jason Kubel, OF, B
Hitting .289/.316/.511 in 28 games for the Twins. Doing fine when they let him play.
7) Jay Rainville, RHP, B
Out for the year due to shoulder surgery.
8) Kevin Slowey, RHP, B
4-1, 1.10 in 13 starts for Class A Fort Myers, 92/7 K/BB in 82 innings, 48 hits allowed. Will likely join Garza in Double-A soon. One of the best pitching prospects in the game.
9) Adam Harben, RHP, B
1-4, 3.45 in 12 starts for New Britain, 27/34 K/BB in 57 innings. ERA is good but his K/BB has really slipped and they need to be cautious with him.
10) Boof Bonser, RHP, B-
3-2, 2.01 in eight starts in Triple-A. 2-2, 5.81 in five starts for the Twins, with a 22/8 K/BB in 26 innings. He's given up eight homers already for the Twins and he'll have to cut down on that if he wants to stay in the rotation.
11) Jose Mijares, LHP, B-
0-5, 5.23 in 33 innings for Fort Myers, 36/18 K/BB. Still showing good stuff but his command has slipped this year, raising his ERA.
12) Alex Romero, OF, B-
Hitting a combined .262/.361/.413 between Double-A and Triple-A. Has stolen 15 bases, but power not overly impressive.
13) Glen Perkins, LHP, B-
Just 2-7 but with a 3.69 ERA in 13 starts in Double-A, 80/24 K/BB in 68 innings. Ratios are solid, main red flag is high home run rate (10 already).
14) Trevor Plouffe, SS, C+
Hitting just .216/.332/.277 in 61 games for Ft. Myers. He is drawing walks but that's about it: no power, very disappointing batting average. He is still young but he has to hit better than this to live up to status as first round pick.
15) Kyle Waldrop, RHP, C+
6-2, 3.09 ERA in 14 starts for Class A Beloit, 51/13 K/BB in 87 innings. Very good control, doing better than last year though his K/IP is not that good. Remains young and projectable.
16) Denard Span, OF, C+
Hitting .292/.339/.338 with 14 steals in Double-A. Showing speed but walk rate is below average, making his OBP very dependent on his batting average. Also lacks power.
17) Brian Duensing, LHP, C+
Combined 3-5, 3.09 between Beloit and Ft. Myers, 71/16 K/BB in 90 innings. Throwing strikes, living up to sleeper potential so far. Keep an eye on him.
18) J.D. Durbin, RHP, C+
2.35 ERA at Rochester, 70/47 K/BB in 80 innings, 60 hits allowed, just 3 homers. Control needs work but he has restored some of his prospect status and should move back up the list at least a little.
19) Ryan Mullins, LHP, C+
1-2, 4.27 in 12 starts for Beloit, 61/22 K/BB in 72 innings. Doing OK, showing good command, but not dominating the way a polished college pitcher should dominate the Midwest League.
20) Juan Portes, 2B, C+
Hitting .228/.267/.281 in 14 games for Beloit. Slow start in a limited sample size.
COMMENTS:
The Twins have pitching on the farm but the hitting is still problematic. Liriano is obviously wonderful, and I still believe that Baker and Bonser have a lot of potential, if they can reduce their home run tendencies. Garza and Slowey are also outstanding. The Twins have a solid pitching core but they really need to develop more hitters.
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