The Minnesota Twins Most Valuable Blogger » Angel Morales http://twinsmvb.com Sun, 05 Sep 2010 06:14:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Top 15 Prospects: Status Report, April 21 http://twinsmvb.com/2010/04/top-15-prospects-status-report-april-21/ http://twinsmvb.com/2010/04/top-15-prospects-status-report-april-21/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:00:46 +0000 andrew http://twinsmvb.com/?p=2158

15. Deolis Guerra, RH-SP, New Britain

Guerra has made two starts so far this season, and has a 4.91 ERA through 11 innings. His WHIP is just above 1, but he isn’t striking out as many as he had in the past. Guerra ended last season with the Rock Cats, and pitched 62.2 innings with a 5.17 ERA and seven strikeouts per nine innings. This year, though, Guerra has yet to walk a batter.

14. Tyler Robertson, LH-SP, New Britain

Robertson is making his first appearance in the Florida State League this year, and has made two less-than-stellar starts so far. His ERA is 5.40, his WHIP 1.500, and he has managed to last a combined total of just 6.2 innings. It’s early, but Robertson has struck out just two batters, and opponents are hitting .333 off him. Robertson has induced more fly-outs than ground-outs, which is troubling.

13. Rene Tosoni, OF, New Britain

Tosoni has had a monster start to the season, and is hitting .432/.488/.649 in the first ten games of his second year at Double-A. On Monday, Tosoni went 4-4 with a double, home run, and stolen base. The sample-size is obviously very small, but Tosoni has hit equally well against both right- and left-handers. His inability to hit against southpaws throughout his career is probably his biggest drawback. If he can figure out left-handers, there is no reason why he can’t be a candidate for a late-season call-up.

12. BJ Hermsen, RH-SP, EST

Hermsen hasn’t compiled any stats so far this year, which could be because he is participating in Extended Spring Training. After EST, Hermsen could either go back to the Gulf Coast League, or advance to the Beloit rotation.

11. David Bromberg, RH-SP, New Britain

In his two starts so far this season, Bromberg has looked great. He has just 11 innings under his belt, but Bromberg has an ERA of 0.82, and opponents are hitting just .139 off him. This is Bromberg’s first year of Double-A, and he is limiting his base-runners while striking out plenty.

10. Miguel Angel Sano, SS/3B/OF, EST?

Sano will most likely play for the GCL Twins this season. They haven’t started playing games yet.

9. Joe Benson, OF, New Britain Rock Cats

Benson performed well in the Florida State League last year, and made the jump to Double-A this season. Through ten games, Bromberg is hitting .216/.326/.351 with one home run, and he has four stolen bases. As Benson gets accustomed to the environs of Double-A, his production will greatly improve.

8. Chris Parmelee, 1B/DH, New Britain

Parmelee was given a relatively unexpected promotion to New Britain to start the 2010 season, and has shown his power right out of the gate. Through ten games, Parmelee is hitting .250/.304/.475 with two home runs and three doubles. We’ve yet to see how his defense looks, which is the biggest issue with Parmelee. Should he prove capable of playing adequate first base or corner outfield defense, his value as a prospect will shoot up.

7. Adrian Salcedo, RH-SP, EST

Like Hermsen, Salcedo will likely start the year in Extended Spring Training before joining the Beloit rotation. He hasn’t thrown a competitive pitch yet this year.

6. Wilson Ramos, C, Rochester

After the Twins opted to give Ramos consistent playing time over a back-up catcher role with the big-league club, Ramos has hit .189/.211/.297 in nine games. He has one home run, but has a 10/1 K/BB ratio. This is his first year of Triple-A, and he clearly needs some time to re-gain his footing.

5. Kyle Gibson, RH-SP, Fort Myers

Gibson has made three starts so far this year for the Miracle, and has looked exceptional. He is striking out an average of 9.7 batters per nine innings, and has an ERA of 2.70. He has struck out 18 opposing batters, and given a free pass to just three. After a few more starts like these, Gibson could find his way to New Britain very soon.

4. Danny Valencia, 3B, Rochester

Valencia finished last season with the Red Wings, and is hitting .188/.250/.250 in his nine games in Rochester in 2010. The season is still very young, and he will get the hang of things eventually. When he does, Valencia stands a very good chance to make the big-league squad and attempt to take playing time away from Nick Punto and Brendan Harris at the hot corner.

3. Ben Revere, OF, New Britain

After a great showing in Spring Training, Revere started the 2010 season in New Britain. This is his first season in Double-A, and he is hitting .214/.353/.214 through eight games. He has two stolen bases in as many attempts. If he can get his bat working for him, Revere could find his way to Rochester by the end of the season.

2. Angel Morales, OF, Beloit Snappers

After hitting .266/.329/.455 with 40 extra-base hits at Beloit last season, Morales was denied a promotion to High-A and was sentenced to repeat Low-A and work on his very high strikeout rate. So far this year, not much has improved. Morales has struck out 12 times, while only drawing two walks. He’s still just 20 years old, though, and has plenty of time to develop plate discipline, which will be the main focus of 2010 for Morales.

1. Aaron Hicks, OF, Beloit

Hicks spent last season in Beloit, and wasn’t very impressive at the plate. This season, as a 20-year old, Hicks has hit .108/.233/.216 through ten games. The athleticism, speed, and plate discipline are all very advanced for Hicks, but the bat has yet to come around.

]]> http://twinsmvb.com/2010/04/top-15-prospects-status-report-april-21/feed/ 1 Anticipating an Outfield Jam http://twinsmvb.com/2010/01/anticipating-an-outfield-jam/ http://twinsmvb.com/2010/01/anticipating-an-outfield-jam/#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:32:11 +0000 andrew http://twinsmvb.com/?p=2009

While we sit and wait for some meaningful news to float out of the Twins’ offices in Target Field, anticipating the future is one of the best ways to pass time.

As we saw last week, the Minnesota Twins have no shortage of elite outfield prospects. From the stars like Aaron Hicks and Ben Revere to the lesser-known Joe Benson, Angel Morales, Max Kepler, and Rene Tosoni, there is plenty of outfield talent in the Twins’ system.

Most of these guys are still quite a ways away from breaking into the major leagues, but by 2012, the Minnesota outfield could conceivably be bursting at the seams.

Currently, Denard Span and Michael Cuddyer are the best outfielders on the active roster, with Delmon Young and Jason Kubel close behind. Cuddyer is nearing the end of his contract, and will most likely finish his career with the Twins before Hicks reaches the Bigs. And Kubel is obviously better-suited for the role of a designated hitter.

That leaves Span and Young as the outfielders of the future, along with the hordes of minor league talent. Will all of these prospects find regular playing time? If so, where?

Most probably, Revere will be an offensive-minded corner outfielder with average defense. Hicks should be above-average both offensively and defensively, which makes him an ideal candidate for center field. Morales and Benson also have great defense, but their size and power may eventually push them to a corner. Tosoni’s lack of defense will relegate  him to a corner, while Kepler is a complete wild card as this point.

(As a side note, you won’t necessarily see these guys playing in their designated/predicted spots this year in the minor leagues. I’m sure Hicks will get some time in the corner, while Revere, Morales, and maybe even Tosoni could get some reps in center field.

As a minor-leaguer, Span played almost exclusively in center field, but had to learn a corner position when he was promoted to the Twins because of the presence of Carlos Gomez. Hopefully Minnesota learned their lesson.)

The estimated-times-of-arrival for these players vary. Revere and Benson will beat Hicks and Morales to the major leagues by a year,  Tosoni could be a September call-up as early as this season, while Kepler’s primary objective should be to finish his junior year of high school.

Outside of Tosoni, none of these prospects should be ready by the 2011 season, which very well could be Cuddyer’s last. Minnesota will most likely be forced to deal with an extremely crowded outfield for the 2012 season.

Span will most likely be shifted to the corner position opposite Revere, while Hicks will roam center field in Target Field in 2012. Admittedly, I have no idea what will happen with Young during these upcoming years. He could very well use the momentum he finished the 2009 campaign with and exceed all expectations, but he could just as easily fall flat on his face.

I do know, however, that not all prospects will pan out as expected. The scenario I just presented (an outfield of Revere/Hicks/Span) leaves out Morales, Benson, and Tosoni.

While they have serious issues to work out (strikeouts for Morales, left-handed pitchers for Tosoni) they are incredibly talented and could be potential trade chips.

This over-crowded outfield is certainly a good problem for the Twins.  If one prospect gets injured or simply doesn’t live up to expectations, another one will be waiting in the wings.

What will the Minnesota outfield look like in 2012? Which top prospect am I too high on? Which one am I under-valuing? Be sure to let your voice be heard in the comment section!

]]> http://twinsmvb.com/2010/01/anticipating-an-outfield-jam/feed/ 2