MVN - Most Valuable Network

Top 10 Prospects: Minnesota Twins

One by one I plan on taking a look at all 30 Major League Baseball teams and ranking their top ten prospects in order. As always let me know if you agree or disagree with any of my rankings.

1.) Matt Garza, RHP
Garza has very impressive stuff in his four-pitch repertoire. This includes a fastball (90-95 mph), a hard slider (82-84 mph) which complements his fastball very well, a curve (72-78 mph), and a changeup that he has been developing since college. Garza has learned that he doesn’t have to over power hitters to be effective. He is a bright spot in the future of the Twins rotation.

2.) Glen Perkins, LHP
Perkins is a master at changing speeds and is one of the three premiere pitching prospects the Twins have in their system. Between class AA and AAA last season he posted a 3.85 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and was able to secure a spot on the Twins post season roster.

3.) Chris Parmelee, 1B/OF
Parmelee was the Twins number one pick in the 2006 draft. He has solid power and is potentially a 30+ homer guy for the Twins down the road. One of the key characteristics that he possess that the Twins always covet in their hitters is his outstanding ability to hit to all fields. Looks to be a fantastic run producer for the middle of the Twins lineup for years to come.

4.) Kevin Slowey, RHP
Slowley potentially has the best command of any minor league pitcher. He has two strikeout pitches in a slider and cutter which constantly keep hitters off balance. Posted an impressive 1.88 ERA between high class A and AA last season and struck hitters out at a 6.9 K/9 clip.

5.) Anthony Swarzak, RHP
Swarzak is yet another spectacular pitching prospect in the Twins system. He possess excellent command with a 93 mph fastball and the ability to change speeds. The young righty also has a three-quarters delivery and arm action that allow him such great control of his pitches.

6.) Alexi Casilla, 2B/SS
I’ve dubbed Casilla as the second coming of Luis Castillo. Casilla booted the label of “utility-infielder” when he showed his control of the bat (hitting .318), blazing speed (50 steals) and knack for getting on base (.385 OBP) and proved he is an everyday player and future second baseman for the Twins potentially as soon as 2008. He is a great athlete who shows great range and soft hands.

7.) Eduardo Morlan, RHP
Morlan doesn’t mess around when facing hitters. He comes right after them with a 96 mph fastball and severe dropping curveball. Due to the amount of effort he exudes on the mound, he may move from a starter to a relief pitcher when he reaches the bigs in order to save (and harness) his arm.

8.) Denard Span, OF
Span displays the most speed of any prospect in the Twins system (including Casilla). He has a slap-type swing so he will never be much of a power threat, but this is ok as long as he can get himself on base. The Twins have some hopes that he can step into center once Torii Hunter moves on. While he doesn’t have Hunter’s strong arm he does have great range which is something Twins fans have become accustomed to in center.

9.) Oswaldo Sosa, RHP
Sosa does what any good sinker ball (88-94 mph) pitcher does - he keeps the ball down. Sosa also has a very solid slider to go along with his hard sinker. Sosa had a strong showing in low A ball in 2006 posting a 13-8 record, 2.60 ERA, and an impressive .224 opponents’ average.

10.) Alexander Smit, LHP
Smit has some good raw talent that he is still trying to develop fully. While he gained some velocity on his pitches and learned more of how to control his stuff, he still has some issues to work out including his delivery. Despite these obstacles, he was still able to post a 7-2 record, 2.99 ERA, and 11.7 K/9 in low A ball. He couldn’t be in a better system to get the help he needs to harness his skills.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 31st, 2007 at 3:59 pm and is filed under Top 10, Whipps' Archives, Minnesota Twins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.