Twins prospect list 25-21

I will be continuing my look at the top 50 prospects in the Twins organization. Today, I will look at prospects 25-21 as I work my way down all the way to number one. I hope all enjoy and it will create a discussion if you agree or disagree with me. Check out my previous lists of 50-46, 45-41, 40-36, 35-31, and 30-26. If you have any comments or questions you can either leave a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

• 25. Steve Singleton 2b/ss (9/12/1985) 24

2009 stats: .277 avg 6 homeruns 57 rbi's along with 26 doubles, 11 triples and 7 stolen bases in 126 games. Walked 30 times while striking out 49 times in 455 at bats. Had a .326/.422/.748 split.

2009 teams: Fort Myers Miracle and New Britain Rockcats

• Steve Singleton got off to a slow start in 2009, but overall had a very good 2009 season in the Twins organization. Singleton started out at Fort Myers and in 80 games he hit .269 with 5 homeruns and 39 rbi's along with 15 doubles and 8 triples. That led to a late season promotion to New Britain where he put up the same type of numbers. In 46 games Singleton hit .291 with 1 homerun and 18 rbi's along with 11 doubles and 3 triples. I thought Singleton had an up and down 2009 season as he did some very good things, but at the same time struggled with other things. On a positive Singleton had 43 xtra base hits which is very impressive. Which is up from the 40 he had in 2008 as some of his singles are now becoming doubles and triples. He also had a very impressive 11 triples which is a very high number as he only had 4 in 2008. His defense also seems to improving as his throwing arm is getting stronger and stronger after gong through shoulder surgery a couple years ago. The fact that he played some shortstop in 2009 just shows you how good his arm is feeling now and how much arm strengh he is getting back. There are two things that Singleton has going against them with one of them and one there is nothing he can do about. First, Singelton had a career worst .326 on base percentage in 2009. Steve Singleton is not a homerun hitter so he needs his on base percentage to be in the .350 range. He is too good of a hitter to not be in that range and I really expect him to be back at that range again. Secondly, he is 24 years old and just getting to AA and if he doesn't get to AAA this year he will be known as old. His age is not a problem right now, but if he doesn't get to AAA it will be a problem. Overall, Steve Singleton has established himself as the top 2nd base prospect in the organization and if he can improve his OBP and continue to gain arm strength he could be a future 2nd baseman for the Twins.



• 2010 projection: Spend season playing 2nd base at New Britain



• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2011

• 24. Alex Burnett RP (7/26/1987) 22

2009 stats: 3-3 1.85 era in 58 games including 13 saves. Worked 78 innings while walking 26 batters and struck out 78. Held opponents to a .183 average.

2009 teams: Fort Myers Miracle and New Britain Rockcats

• There was no prospect in the whole Twins organization that had a bigger 2009 than Alex Burnett. Going into 2009 Burnett was known as an alright starting pitcher who usually ended being the ace of every staff he was on. He was a middling prospect because there are a lot of guys just like him in the organization as a starter. However, the Twins had other plans for Burnett in 2009 as they turned him into a reliever and later he became the top closing prospect in the Organization. Burnett began his breakout season in Fort Myers with the Miracle. Alex worked in 18 games and went 2-1 with an excellent 1.99 era along with four saves as he worked on transitioning to a relief pitcher. After doing excellent with the Miracle he moved up to New Britain and that is where he took off. In 40 appearances with the Rockcats, Burnett went 1-2 with a miniscule 1.79 era along with 9 saves. He worked 55.1 innings for the Rockcats mostly as the setup man to Anthony Slama. When Slama moved up to Rochester, Burnett became the closer and did not disappoint. It is quite amazing to me seeing the change in Burnett as you always knew he had the stuff to be a good pitcher, you just did not know he could be this good. There are times in prospects where they just figure it out and take off. I believe we saw that out of Alex Burnett as he took on a relief job and did not pout about not starting, but embraced the relief role and flourished in it. Going forward Burnett can not get complacent because there are other quality closing prospects in the organization so he needs to keep working hard. If he can keep getting better he will be just fine. Burnett has a good low 90's fastball and excellent breaking pitches. Burnett improved his strikeout total as he was able to record 78 strikeouts in 78 innings so 9 strikeouts per 9 innings which was big for him because at the lower levels he did not record many strikeouts. He continued to not walk batters which is a big thing as he only walked 26 batters in 78 innings of work. The bottom line at age 22 Alex Burnett has all the tools and if he can just keep improving he has a future in the bullpen for the Twins for years to come.


• 2010 projection: Start season in New Britain and then join Rochester mid season.


• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2011

• 23. Carlos Gutierrez P (9/22/1986) 23

2009 stats: 3-6 3.70 era in 33 games including 16 starts. Worked 107 innings along with 46 walks and 65 strikeouts. Held opponents to a .248 batting average.

2009 teams: Fort Myers Miracle and New Britain Rockcats

• Carlos Gutierrez had a tale of two seasons in 2009 as he was totally dominant in Fort Myers and really bad in New Britain. In his first full season in the organization Gutierrez put up phenomenal numbers at Fort Myers. In 11 games including 10 starts Gutierrez went 2-3 with a miniscule 1.32 era. In 54.2 innings Carlos walked 22 while striking out 33. With those numbers it earned him a promotion to AA New Britain and it did not work very well. Gutierrez went 1-3 with a terrible 6.19 era in 22 games including 6 starts as they tried to limit his innings in New Britain as it was his first full season as a professional. The problem at New Britain had some to do with running out of gas after pitching more than he had before. It was also just not some good pitching and sometimes you have to call a spade a spade and he didn't get the job done. Going forward the question has to be asked is Carlos Gutierrez the dominant starting pitcher he was in Fort Myers or was it the hittable Gutierrez they saw in New Britain. The question also needs to be asked about whether Gutierrez is a starting pitcher or a reliever. When he is right he is a ground ball machine who in a 7 inning game will get 16-17 out of 21 outs on the ground. His future probably is in the bullpen as he was a closer his last year at Miami and first season with Fort Myers. He has a quality sinker, but he has not developed a quality second pitch and you can get away with that in the bullpen. However, in the rotation you will get drilled without that second pitch as he found out at New Britain. Something else he needs to work on is his walk totals as he walked 46 batters in 107 innings of work which is way too much. Which is just over 4 walks per 9 innings which will not get it done. Overall, Gutierrez has a lot of talent and if he can get the walk total under control and find his niche in the bullpen he has a promising future. 2010 is going to be a big year for Gutierrez as he tries to establish himself as a top prospect and I think he can do it.


• 2010 projection: work out of the bullpen for New Britain


• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2011

• 22. Danny Rams C/DH (12/19/1988) 21

2009 stats: .264 avg 13 homeruns 49 rbi's in 69 games along with 23 doubles and a triple. Walked only 27 times and struck out an incredible 102 times in 250 at bats.

2009 teams: Elizabethton Twins, Beloit Snappers, and Fort Myers Miracle

• Danny Rams had an up and down 2009 season for the Twins as he did some very good things, but there are also some things that he is going to need to correct if he is going to become a bigger prospect. Danny started out in Elizabethton and in a word dominated the league. In 16 games Rams hit .355 with 6 homeruns and 23 rbi's in 62 at bats. He moved on to Beloit and really struggled there. In 48 games with the Snappers Rams hit .229 with 7 homeruns and 23 rbi's. The positives about Danny Rams year was he hit 13 homeruns in 250 at bats which was a very solid number over a full season of at bats. Also he had 37 xtra base hits which were also very good. The bottom line though if he doesn't fix one thing he is not going to have a very long career. In 250 at bats he struck out a whopping 102 times which is over half his at bats. If he doesn't correct that it doesn't matter what else he does that is good it won't matter. He is too good of a hitter to strike out at that rate. I really believe he can change that about his game. He probably needs to cut it in half to be in the range that the Twins need him to be. Another problem is he really does not have a position as his catching abilities are not good enough to be an every day player at Catcher. Going forward he will probably be a DH and that is ok if he continues to hit and cuts his strikeouts down. Danny Rams has a good future as long as he cuts down his strikeout total. If he doesn't he will have a short career. 2010 will be a big year for Rams to see if he can make the changes that are necessary for him to move up in the organization.
• 2010 projection: C/1b/DH for Beloit
• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2015

• 21. Max Keppler OF (2/10/1993) 16

2009 stats: none (played in Germany)

2009 teams: played in Germany

• I don't know much about Max Keppler except that the Twins gave him 800,000 to sign and that is quite a chunk of change for the Twins to give up. That tells me that he must be a pretty good prospect. At age 16 it is very hard to figure out if he is going to be a top prospect. All I know is they are saying he is the top prospect to every come out of Europe. I don't know how much that means, but it is impressive non the least. He will start off in the GCL as a centerfielder and it will be interesting to see how he does. Twins fans should not get to excited either way if he has a good season or a bad season in 2010 as he has many years many promotions before we know what he is all about. He is definately someone that we should all keep an eye on going forward.
• 2010 projection: playing centerfield for the GCL Twins
• Estimated Time of Arrival: Hard to Say

Twins prospect list: 30-26

I will be continuing my look at the top 50 prospects in the Twins organization. Today, I will look at prospects 30-26 as I work my way down all the way to number one. I hope all enjoy and it will create a discussion if you agree with me or disagree with me. Check out my previous lists of 50-46, 45-41, 40-36, and 35-31. If you have any comments or questions you can either leave a comment in the comment box or email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Hope you all enjoy and have a great day.

• 30. Brian Dinkelman 2b/of (11/10/1983) 26

2009 stats: .296 avg 8 hr 65 rbi's in 129 games. Also had 38 doubles and 2 triples in 459 at bats. Walked 55 times while striking out 73 times. Had a .383/.440/.824 split.

2009 teams: New Britain Rockcats

• Brian Dinkelman had a phenomenal 2009 season for the Rockcats and got himself back on the map as a prospect. His struggles at New Britain to end the 2008 season left many myself including wondering if that was going to be the end of the road for the hard working 2nd baseman out of Centralia, Illinois. He proved us all wrong by coming out and having probably the best season of anyone in the organization at 2nd base. He hit for average as he was hovering a little above or a little below .300 all season long. He showed that he has gap power by pounding out 48 xtra base hits including a team high 38 doubles which including Mr. double himself Erik Lis. He also showed his versatility as he played a lot of left field when the team promoted Steve Singelton to AA. He plays a very steady 2nd base as he does not have the range of other 2nd basemen, but when the ball is hit to him and he can get to it he more often than not makes the play. The biggest reason he is not a lot higher on this list is his age because that is the only thing in my mind that is holding him back. At 26 years old when 2010 begins he is behind the eight ball so to speak as most teams look at his age and then move past him. I think that is a mistake because he is a very good player and he will move up to AAA this year and if he can make his debut in 2010 he still has 5-6 years of his prime that he could give the Twins. I definately am high on him and feel the Twins were very fortunate that he was not taken in the Rule V draft a few weeks ago because he is very talented and I feel still has a bright future.
• 2010 projection: Play left field and 2nd base at Rochester
• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2011

• 29. Josmil Pinto C/DH (3/31/1989) 20

2009 stats: .332 avg 13 hr 55 rbi in 53 games. Also had 14 doubles and 2 triples in 205 at bats. Walked 19 times while striking out 39 times. Had a .387/.610/.997 split.

2009 teams: Elizabethton Twins

• Josmil Pinto was signed by the Twins as a free agent out of Venezuela in 2007. In 2009 Pinto put quite an offensive season together at E-town as he hit .332 with 13 homeruns and 55 rbi's in onl 53 games. That homerun total was very impressive as he connected for a homerun 1 out of every 15 times he comes up. His 55 rbi's meant that he averaged an rbi a game for the entire season. His .387/.610/.997 stat line was out of this world as he had 29 xtra base hits on the season. I know I know a person should not get to excited about someone's stats until they get to a full season team, but man that year was pretty impressive and makes you take notice of the promise he has offensively. The only thing I can find wrong with him is his defense. He is a catcher, but not a very good one as he made only 24 starts at catcher and the rest of the games were as a designated hitter. That is likely where he is going to stay as he moves up because defensively he just is not strong enough to trust out there. However, just because he can't catch doesn't mean he doesn't have a great future because he does as long as he continues to hit like this he will find his way into the lineup. He should continue to improve offensively and will continue to move through the sytem and up prospect charts.
• 2010 projection: Serve as DH for Beloit
• Estimated time of Arrival: 2015

• 28. Anthony Slama RP (1/6/1984) 25

2009 stats: 4-4 2.67 era in 62 games including 29 saves. Worked 81 innings while walking 40 batters and struck out 112. Most impressive was he held opponents to a .203 average.

2009 teams: New Britain Rockcats and Rochester Red Wings

• Anthony Slama followed up his great 2008 with an even better 2009 season for the Twins. His 2.67 era was very good and led the organization in saves for the 2nd straight year with 29. Slama started the season back in New Britain where he went 4-2 with a 2.48 era in 51 games with 25 saves. He worked 65.1 innings and walked 32 while striking out an incredible 93 batters. That led to a late season promotion up to Rochester where he did pretty well also. Slama went 0-2 with a very respectable 3.45 era in 11 games along with 4 saves for the Red Wings. He worked 15.2 innings while walking 8 and striking out 19 batters. Anthony Slama does not have a 99 mile per hour fastball, but his low 90's fastball has good movement and with a plus breaking pitch he is able to get a lot of swings and misses. In his career he has 271 strikeouts in just over 183 innings which equals out to just over 10 strikeouts per 9 innings which is very good. There are two issues that make you question how good is he going to be. They are first his walk total as this year he walked 40 batters in 81 innings which is over 4 walks per 9 innings and that is not bad for a starting pitcher, but for a reliever that is way to many. He has good stuff so I believe he can correct that because that is something he is going to have to correct if he wants to make it and stay at the major leagues because the Twins won't put up with a lot of walks. The second thing going against him is his age as he will be 26 when the season starts and he is not even in the majors yet. It is not terrible because he is at AAA and very well could make the Twins out of spring training this year and more than likely will be the first pitcher called up if there is a need in the bullpen early in the season. Overall, Anthony Slama has put himself in position where a lot of minor league pitchers want to be and that is knocking on the major league door and if he can limit his walks early in the season he might just knock it in.
• 2010 projection: start season in Rochester and then get called up to the Twins
• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2010

• 27. Mike Mccardell P (4/13/1985) 24

2009 stats: 14-8 3.98 era in 26 starts including 1 complete game. Worked 142.1 innings and walked 32 while striking out 118. Held opponents to a .247 average.

2009 teams: Fort Myers Miracle and New Britain Rockcats

• After struggling a little bit in 2008 dealing with injuries and inconsistancy Mike Mccardell really stepped up in 2009. Being a college guy there was some doubt if he had much of a future in the Twins organization and those questions were answered in 2009. Mike started and spent most of the season in the Fort Myers rotation and did very well. Mccardell went 9-6 with a 3.93 era in 17 starts with the Miracle. He worked 96 innings and walked 16 and struck out 76 batters. Being one of the most consistant pitchers on the staff earned Mike a late season callup to New Britain and he responded to that challenge as well. In 9 starts for the Rockcats Mccardell went 5-2 with a 4.10 era in 48.1 innings of work. He walked 16 while striking out 40. At the end of the season Mccardell was the top pitcher on the New Britain staff and was the ace going into the playoffs for the Rockcats. Mike showed that he just knows how to get batters out with a good fastball and a nice breaking pitch. His pinpoint control was the thing that really stood out to me in that he only 32 in 148 innings of work. He will also get his fair share of strikeouts as he had 118 k's on the season. The big thing for Mike is just keep improving and work on being a better pitcher every time out because the talent is there he just has to continue getting better. The only thing that concerns me is his age as a college player he will be 25 in April and only at AA. That is something he is going to overcome because unless you know something I don't know that age thing doesn't go backwards. However, if he keeps getting better it won't matter how old he is because good pitchers are good pitchers no matter how old they are and if he can be in the bigs by 27 he can have a nice long career with the Twins.
• 2010 projection: Spend first half starting at New Britain and get promotion to Rochester
• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2012

• 26. Bobby Lanigan P (5/5/1987) 22

2009 stats: 11-7 4.54 era in 29 games including 24 starts and 1 complete game. Worked 138.2 innings while walking 33 and striking out 116. Held opponents to a .272 average.

2009 teams: Beloit Snappers and Fort Myers Miracle

• Bobby Lanigan was a 3rd round draft pick in the 2008 draft out of Adelphi College. Bobby started out the 2009 season in Beloit where he went 10-7 with a 4.52 era in 22 starts. He worked 123.1 innings while walking 29 and striking out 120. Lanigan was rewarded with a late season promotion to Fort Myers and went 1-0 with a 4.70 era in 7 games including 2 starts for the Miracle. I thought Bobby Lanigan had an alright 2009 season, but not what I expected out him. You are wondering why I have him so high with those numbers and the reason is very simple his upside is very high. There are some guys that get all they can squeeze out of their talent and there are guys like Bobby Lanigan who can be just about as good as anyone in the organization if he works for it. He has all the tools you look for in a top prospect as he has a good low 90's fastball and good breaking pitches. He doesn't walk many and strikes out plenty. He pitches to contact, but can also strikeout a guy when he really needs to do that. I really feel he is a better pitcher than a 4.54 era would show. 2010 is a big year for Lanigan because if he puts up similiar numbers in 2010 his star will start to be darkened. However, if he pitches in 2010 like I really believe he is capable of he will skyrocket up prospect charts and be dang near the top 10 a year from now. It is all up to Bobby Lanigan to find out how bad he really wants it because truly it is all up to him where his career goes from here.
• 2010 projection: Begin season in Fort Myers and then join New Britain in 2nd half
• Estimated Time of arrival: 2013

Twins prospect list: 35-31

I will be continuing my look at the Twins top 50 prospects in the organization. Today, I will look at prospects 35-31 as I work my way all the way down to number one. I hope all enjoy and check out prospects 50-46, 45-41, and 40-36. If you have any comments or questions you can leave a comment in the comment box or by emailing me at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Hope all enjoy and have a great day.

• 35. Billy Bulluck RP (2/27/1988) 21

2009 stats: 4-0 2.41 era in 33 games along with 11 saves. Worked 33.2 inn and walked 13 batters while striking out 45 batters. Held opponents to a .228 batting average.

2009 teams: Elizabethton Twins and Beloit Snappers

• Billy Bulluck was a 2nd round draft by the Twins in the 2009 draft out of the University of Florida. Billy had a phenomenal rookie year with the Twins as he showed why he was drafted as high as he was. You have to be a pretty good prospect to be drafted in the second round as a relief pitcher. Bulluck started his career with Elizabethton and was dominant. Bulluck worked 7 games and went 1-0 with a 1.23 era with 1 walk and 10 strikeouts in 7.1 innings. He then was promoted to class A Beloit where he was good also. He went 3-0 with a very good 2.73 era in 26 games along with 8 more saves. Bulluck has a plus fastball that can overpower hitters at times and if he can keep his walk total down he can be downright dominant. The big thing with him is just to keep improving and getting better as he continues through the organization. I truly look at Billy Bulluck as a future closer for the Twins as he has all the tools you look for in a quality closer. Being a college guy also he will probably move through the organization quickly. When Joe Nathan either retires or moves on to another organization I look for Billy Bulluck to be that guy to take his spot and blow hitters away for the next 10-15 years.


• 2010 projection: Closer for Fort Myers in First half and then Move to New Britain


• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2011

• 34. Michael Tonkin P (11/19/1989) 20

2009 stats: 3-4 3.62 era in 11 games including 9 starts. Worked 54.2 innings while walking only 9 and striking out 60. Held opponents to a very good .258 average.

2009 teams: GCL Twins

• Michael Tonkin was selected by the Twins in the 30th round of the 2008 draft. Tonkin had a very solid 2009 with a very good 3.62 era in 54.2 innings of work. It doesn't hurt that Tonkin has a famous relative in that he has Jason Kubel as a brother in law. However, Tonkin showed why the Twins drafted him with a very good year. With all high school to pro athletes it takes time to adjust to the pro game. For him to have that solid of a year in his first year of pro ball just shows you how big of an upside he has. Tonkin has the potential to be a very good prospect. He had a good fastball and good breaking pitches. He has good control as his 9 walks in 54.2 innings would attest too. Really he has all the tools to be an excellent pitcher. The big thing for him is to just keep getting better the higher he gets in the organization. He will get a big challenge when he moves up to Elizabethton and I am pretty confident that he will meet that challenge just like he did when he became a professional.
• 2010 projection: Extended Spring Training and then start at Elizabethton
• Estimated time of arrival: 2014

• 33. Santos Arias P (3/17/1987) 22

2009 stats: 6-3 2.15 era in 38 games including 9 starts along with 3 saves. Worked 100.2 innings with 27 walks and 72 strikeouts. Held opponents to a .243 average.

2009 teams: Fort Myers Miracle

• Santos Arias really put himself on the map in 2009 as at the end of the season he was probably pitching as good as any pitcher in the whole organization. The rail thin Santos at 5 foot 11 inches and 162 lbs is able to get incredible velocity for a man his size. After joining the Miracle starting staff after Carlos Gutierrez joined New Britain he took off and did not look back. His 2.15 era last year for the Miracle was the best on the team that included such stars as Minor League Pitcher of the Year David Bromberg, Deolis Guerra, and Tyler Robertson. He has a plus fastball with some decent breaking pitches that seem to only be getting better. I have heard him compared to a young Pedro Martinez the way that the ball just jumps out of his hand. If his career turns into anything remotely close to Martinez then we have a winner. I think his career sits in late innings in the bullpen, but I am glad he is getting a chance to start as that will help him when they try him in late game situations. I am very high on Santos and really think he has a future with the Twins. I really think a year from now he will be twice as high in the prospect lists and one day you will see his name on a Minnesota Twins uniform.
• 2010 projection: Start season in Fort Myers rotation and finish year in New Britain bullpen.
• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2012

• 32. Steve Tolleson INF (11/1/1983) 26

2009 stats: .264 avg 8 hr 40 rbi's in 130 games along with 27 doubles and 3 triples and 13 stolen bases. He 52 walks and 72 strikeouts in 503 at bats. Had a .341/.383/.724 splits.

2009 teams: New Britain Rockcats and Rochester Red Wings

• After getting off to a horrible start to the season in New Britain Steve Tolleson really bounced back which got him a promotion and more playing time and had a very solid season for the Twins. The big thing with Tolleson is his versatility as he played games at 2nd base, Shortstop, 3rd base, and the outfield. He can do them fairly well so that is a marketable still. He is a pretty good hitter who is a gap type hitter as his 38 extra base hits would attest to. There are two things really working against him as he tries to take that next step and make it to the big leagues. One, is his age as at age 26 not many people look at people like that as prospects anymore and move on to the next guy. It is not fair, but that is the way a majority of baseball people think. Secondly, and most important in my assesment is his defense. He did not play a very good 2nd base and that is why they had him moving around to different positions. The Twins had to look at different options last year with Alexi Casilla's struggles because they felt that Steve Tolleson did not play good enough defense. Overall, though his ability to play all over I think will hide some of his deficiencies and I believe when it is all said and done this spring Steve Tolleson will make the Twins as a utility infielder.
• 2010 projection: Utility infielder for Twins
• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2010

• 31. Tom Stuifbergen P (9/26/1988) 21

2009 stats: 5-2 3.50 era 14 starts including 1 complete game. Worked 82.1 innings and here is the impressive stat 7 walks and 72 strikeouts. Held opponents to a .263 batting average.

2009 teams: Elizabethton Twins and Fort Myers Miracle

• Tom Stuifbergen's 2009 has to be looked at as a total and utter success after missing the 2008 season due to arm surgery. Stuifbergen put up a very good season up as he dominated the Appalacian League. He really reestablished himself as a top notch prospect in the organization. The key is how does he respond to a full season of wear and tear after dominating in the short season. The best stat to show his domination was he only walked 7 batters in 82.1 innings while striking out a staggering 72 which is about a 10:1 ratio of strikeouts to walks. He will not be as dominant as he moves up to Beloit this year, but I look for him to keep getting better and better as he gets more and more confidence in that arm. It will be interesting to see how his arm reacts to the cold weather in Wisconsin in April and May. If Tom has the kind of season in 2010 as he had in 2009 he will be jumping up the prospect lists and will become what he was pre injury and that is one of the top pitching prospects in the organization.
• 2010 projection: Starting pitcher at Beloit
• Estimated Time of arrival: 2014

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast

I did a podcast tonight my maiden voyage about everything about Minnesota sports including the Vikings, Twins, Wolves, and the Gophers. I welcome you to listen to archive of the show and leaving a comment in the comment box or emailing me at travis_aune@yahoo.com. To listen to the episode go here. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk/2009/12/21/travistalks-weekly-minnesota-sports-podcast

Twins prospect list: 40-36

I will be continuing my look at the Twins top 50 prospects in the organization. Today, I wll look at prospects 40-36 as I work my way down all the way to number one. I hope all enjoy and check out prospects 50-46 and also 45-41. If you have any comments or questions you can leave a comment in the comment box or you can shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Hope all enjoy and have a great day.

• 40. Brad Tippett P (2/11/1988) 21

2009 stats: 9-8 3.21 era in 25 games including 24 starts. He worked 146 inn and only walked 25 batters while striking out 107. Held opponents to a very good .239 batting average.

2009 teams: Beloit Snappers

• Brad Tippett had one of the best years of anyone in the organization and I don't think he gets the credit that he deserves. He was the staff ace for Beloit last year and really noone is talking about him as a prospect. I get why as he doesn't throw real hard only in the mid 80's which as he goes forward may not be good enough. However, in my opinion you need to respect the season Tippett put up in 2009 as he was Beloit's best pitcher and besides David Bromberg he might of had the next best season by a pitcher in the whole Twins organization last year. He has pinpoint control as his 25 walks in 146 innings would attest to. He is just a very solid pitcher in that he finds a way to get hitters out. There are guys that have more talent than he is, but they struggle and Tippett continues to get better and better as he moves through the organization. I look for Brad to have another good and solid season in 2010 as he will join the Fort Myers pitching staff and with all the room in FSL outfields he should be able to continue putting zero's on the board. I look forward to seeing if Tippett can develop a solid second pitch to go with his control to make him a prospect to watch. The way it is right now he relies on his guile and control to get guys out, but if he could develop a very good second pitch he could be dominant.
• 2010 projection: Starting pitcher at Fort Myers
• Estimated time of Arrival: 2013

• 39. Brian Dozier SS (5/15/1987) 22

2009 stats: .349 avg 0 hr 14 rbi in 58 games. Along with 17 doubles and 3 stolen bases. Walked 25 and struck out 27. A very good .414/.422/.837 splits.

2009 teams: GCL Twins and Elizabethton Twins

• Brian Dozier had a very solid first year in the Twins organization as he was a 8th round pick out of Southern Mississippi. As most college guys that end up in Elizabethton do Dozier dominated the competion as was shown by his .349 average. However, we should not look past that as it is hard to hit .349 at any level and he should be commended for doing that along with a very good .414 on base percentage. The question is how much credit should you give him as almost everyone he played against was younger than him. Dozier played a very good shortstop for the Twins and showed some extra base power with 17 doubles even though he did not have a homerun. He showed very good plate discipline with only 27 strikeouts in 232 at bats along with 25 walks. 2010 is going to tell a lot about Dozier as he will move up to Beloit and the question was his 2009 a start of a very good career or was 2009 a by product of being a college guy. That is something that is hard to judge until he plays against some better competition so it will be interesting to see what happens.
• 2010 projection: Play shortstop at Beloit
• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2013

• 38. Rob Delaney RP (9/8/1984) 25

2009 stats: 8-4 3.44 era in 62 games and 7 saves. Worked 83.2 inn and walked 21 while striking out 78. Held opponents to a very good .241 batting average.

2009 teams: New Britain Rockcats and Rochester Red Wings

• Rob Delaney had another outstanding year in 2009 for the Twins as he worked his way up to Rochester after starting the season with AA New Britain. Even though he struggled a bit when he got to Rochester overall he had another outstanding season. A very good 3.44 era in his two stops is the type of numbers that a person wants to see out of him. With his awesome month of July Delaney proved that he can get hitters out of that caliber. In July, Rob worked 12 games and 15 innings while only giving up 3 earned runs. He had his struggles, but is at the point now that he is ready to make an impact with the Twins. After the 2009 season Rob got a feather in his cap as he was added to the 40 man roster for the Twins so you know they think of him very highly. Rob has 3 very solid pitches and continues to get better and better for the Twins. He will battle in spring training for a spot with the Twins coming out of Spring Training and even if he doesn't make the team he will return to Rochester after learning a lot. The experience that he learns this spring will help him when he returns to Rochester if he does as he will be facing big league hitters and learn how to get them out. If he is smart he will pick the brain of Joe Nathan on some of the things he does to get hitters out. The future for Delaney is very bright, but the only thing about him that concerns me is does of have powerful enough stuff to get major league hitters out. He does not have lights out stuff so he needs to get by on guile and his control. Overall, I think Rob Delaney is a solid relief prospect, but does not have the upside guys like Anthony Slama, Alex Burnett, or Billy Bulluck possess and will end up a middle reliever in the big leagues while the others will be late inning guys. Overall, though Rob Delaney is someone that is worth keeping an eye and don't be shocked to see him on your Opening Day Minnesota Twins roster.
• 2010 projection: Relief pitcher for Rochester and probably make debut with Twins.
• Estimated time of Arrival: 2010

• 37. Ramon Santana INF (6/20/1986) 23

2009 stats: .295 avg 9 hr 61 rbi's along with 26 doubles and 3 triples in 386 at bats. Stole 8 bases in 107 games. Walked 51 times while striking out 97 times. Had a .383/.448/.831 split

2009 teams: Beloit Snappers and New Britain Rockcats

• Ramon Santana, a freakishly small 5 foot 9 152 lb, infielder put up a very good 2009 season up at Beloit and New Britain. For being as small as he is Santana has quite a bit of power as his 38 extra base hits would attest to. A guy that small you would not think would be able to formulate that type of power, but he does. He got off to a unbelievable start and continued it pretty much all season as he hit .295 and had a very good .383 on base percentage. He struggled a bit in the 2nd half only hitting .267 after hitting about .400 in the first half. You ask with all the good things about him that I mentioned why is he not higher on the lists and there are 2 major reasons why. First, his defense is not real great as he played 2nd, short, 3rd, and a little outfield and did not play great defense at any of the positions. Second, is with his size injuries hit him alot as he had a hamstring injury which cost him a few weeks and forced him into DH duty when he came back. Another thing that brings him down is his strikeout total is he struck out 97 times in 386 at bats which is about 33% of the times he came up he struck out which is terrible. If he doesn't figure that out the rest of his game will be forgotten. With that being said I think he has a decent future and a good future if he can stay healthy. So if he can stay healthy and cut his strikeouts down in half in 2010 I look for Ramon Santana to shoot up the prospect charts in 2010.
• 2010 projection: Play shortstop at Fort Myers
• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2014

• 36. Liam Hendricks P (2/10/1989) 20

2009 stats: 5-5 3.55 era in 14 starts. Worked 83.2 innings and walked 16 batters while striking out 75 batters. Held opponents to a very good .276 batting average.

2009 teams: Elizabethton Twins and Beloit Snappers

• Liam Hendricks had a very nice bounce back season in 2009 after missing the 2008 season due to Spine issues. He did very well at Elizabethton before getting the call up to Beloit and doing well there too. At only 20 years old he is very young for his level. He started out at Elizabethton and went 2-0 with a 3.71 era in 3 starts for the Twins. He then moved up to Beloit where he did well there also going 3-5 with a very good 3.51 era in 11 starts. He has all the tools to be a very good pitcher and it will be interesting to see after getting back out there in 2009 if he takes the next step in 2010 and become the very good pitcher we all know he can be. He has all the tools all he needs to do is stay healthy. I think what helped him last year was pitching on the Australian national team and gaining that experience. I really look for Liam to be a guy that is going to take a jump in 2010 as I look for him to spend first half in Beloit and put up good numbers and then move up to Fort Myers where he will be very good as well. Liam Hendricks is one everyone should keep an eye on for the future.
• 2010 projection: Start in Beloit and midseason move up to Fort Myers
• Estimated time of arrival: 2013

Podcast: Monday 6pm

I have decided to start something new and fresh and I welcome all my loyal readers to join me on my initial podcast over at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk. I will be talking about the Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Gopher Basketball or anything in sports my listeners want to talk about. I welcome questions out of the chat room so see you all tommorrow night at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk Tommorrow at 6pm and if you have and questions about it just shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

Twins prospect list: Prospects 45-41

I will be continuing my look at the Twins top 50 prospects in the organization. Today I will look at prospects 45-41 as I work my way all the way down to number 1. I hope you all enjoy and check out who i had for prospects 46-50. If you have any comments or questions you can leave it in the comment box or email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Hope you all enjoy and have a great day.

• 45. Deibinson Romero 3b (9/24/1986) 23

2009 stats: .225 avg 5 hr 56 rbi's, along with 18 doubles and 3 triples. He walked 50 times while striking out 102 times along with 3 stolen bases. He had a .311/.319/.630 split.



2009 teams: Fort Myers Miracle

• Deibinson Romero had what you would call a what the heck happened 2009 season for Fort Myers. He got off to a decent start hitting .257 in april, but slumped to .163 in May highlighted by a 1-35 stretch. That stretch of bad hitting did not get much better the rest of the season. Along with the fact that his defense has continued to get worse and worse makes a person wonder how good is this kid really. You hear about all the tools that he has and having the ability to be a everyday 3rd baseman in the major leagues. However, on the field he has not shown that as he is a .268 career hitter and in the last two years he is only hitter a meager .247 hitter. Not the type of numbers you expect out of the so called 3rd baseman of the future. You add that with the fact that the Twins decided to remove him from the 40 man roster after the season so that puts his future in doubt. With that being said he has all the talent in the world and I really hope he can turn it around because at age 23 he is still a young guy for his level and he can still get to where we all thought he would be at when it is all said and done. He needs to work on his defense and offensively he needs to cut down his strikeouts and be more consistant. Look at his monthly totals and it was it was feast or famine with the guy. If he can be more consistant at the plate and improve defensively he still has the potential to be very good. The only difference is it doesn't seem like such a sure thing anymore.
• 2010 projection: Spend first half in Fort Myers and then move up to New Britain playing 3rd base.


• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2013

• 44. Derek Mccallum 2b (3/22/1988) 21

2009 stats: .241 avg 5 hr 38 rbi's in 57 games. along with 11 doubles and 3 triples. He walked 23 times while striking out 55 times. he had a .310/.382/.692 splits.

2009 teams: Elizabethton Twins

• When the Twins drafted Mccallum in the 4th round out of Minnesota there was a belief that he could become the next great infielder in the Twins organization based on how high he was drafted. Derek had an up and down rookie season in E-town as he only hit .241 and only had a .310 obp. However, he has all the tools to become a good one. I really expect a move to Beloit this spring we will see the real Derek Mccallum. He plays a very good 2nd base with a strong arm with speed. I expect Mccallum to really bust out this year and sky rocket up the prospect charts for the Twins. He needs to work on his strikeout rate as he struck out 55 times in only 228 at bats. Which is 1 strikeout every 4 at bats so that is something he needs to get better at. I look for him to improve that and become the prospect that we all think he can be.


• 2010 projection: play 2nd base at Beloit


• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2014

• 43. Chris Hermann OF (11/24/1987) 22

2009 stats: .297 avg 7 hr 30 rbi's in 59 games. He also had 14 doubles and a triple along with 2 stolen bases. He walked 33 times while striking out 40 times in 236 at bats. He had a .391/.453/.845 split.

2009 teams: Elizabethton Twins

• Chris Hermann came to the Twins last year as a 6th round pick and really established himself as a future star for the Twins. Hermann got off to a good start hitting .400 in six June games after signing with the Twins. He struggled a bit in July, but picked it up again in August to probably be the most consistant hitter on the E-town Twins team. He does not bring a lot defensively so he will probably end up as a DH. He is not a bad outfielder, but not on course with other outfielders in the organization. The funny thing is he was a catcher in college and the Twins turned him into an outfielder. That .391 on base percentage is awesome and it is unlikely that he will do that again because that is getting on base 4 out of 10 times he comes up. He is a good hitter who also has a good eye at the plate. With his lack of power he needs to continue to take walks and find ways to get on base and not strike out because without power you can't handle it. Chris Hermann is one of those guys that we should all keep an eye on as I think he could be one of those guys that is on the fast track.


• 2010 projection: play outfield for Beloit


• Estimated time of Arrival: 2013

42. Steve Hirschfeld P (9/8/1985) 24

2009 stats: 7-7 2.23 era in 32 games including 17 starts. Worked 117 inn along with 31 walks and 86 strikeouts. Held opponents to a .215 batting average.

2009 teams: Fort Myers Miracle

• Steve Hirschfeld really had a pretty phenomenal year this year with the Miracle. Hirschfeld started out in the bullpen and pitched very effectively for the Miracle. Then wen Carlos Gutierrez was promoted to New Britain Hirschfeld got his chance in the starting rotation for Fort Myers and he did not disappoint. With a 2.23 era it really showed that he is a quality pitcher that just knows how to get guys out. His stuff is not overpowering, but he just puts zero's on the board. He doesn't strike out many, but he also does not walk people so if you are going to beat him you are going to do it with the bats as he does you no favors. As last season showed even though you know you are going to get your whacks in does not mean that you can hit him by his .215 opponents batting average would attest to. The question is without overpowering stuff and being 24 years old when the 2010 season starts what kind of future does he have. The best comparision i can give him is a better version of Cole Devries who has made himself into a quality pitcher. I think if Hirschfeld keeps his walk total down and keeps improving you could see him in a Twins uniform in a few years as a long reliever. He is definately someone worth keeping an eye on to see if he can fufill his promise.
• 2010 projection: work out of the bullpen for New Britain
• Estimated time of Arrival: 2012

• 41. Reggie Williams INF (11/5/1988) 21

2009 stats: .271 avg 7 hr 27 rbi in 46 games along with 10 doubles and 2 triples. He walked 15 times while striking out 32 times in 166 at bats. He had a .339/482/.821 splits.

2009 teams: Elizabethton Twins and Beloit Snappers

• Reggie Williams was a 4th round pick in 2007 out of a high school in California and has been slow to develop. At only a .276 career hitter at this point in his career you ask why is he even on the rankings and the answer is potential. Williams was a speedster coming out of high school and has all the tools to be a very good player. Last year with E-town he was used more as a utility player than a starter as his 166 at bats would attest to. Maybe I am in the minority on him, but I think he can do more than be a minor league utility player. I would like to see him play every day at Beloit this year and see what he can do. His .339 on base percentage in limited duty with E-town this year was decent and with more playing time I think it would improve. Look at former Twin Tyler Ladendorf who struggled right away and given playing time he developed into a nice prospect before being traded. Williams was not given that opprotunity with E-town last year and I sincerely hope he is given that opprotunity in 2010 with Beloit. I think he can be a very good 2nd baseman for the Twins who will steal bases and has gap power who will hit a few homeruns and be a terror on the bases. In essence all Reggie Williams needs is an opprotunity and I really hope he gets that chance in 2010.
• 2010 projection: Start at 3rd base for Beloit
• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2014

Year End Twins Prospect List 50-46

I will bringing to you for the next week to a week and a half my Minnesota Twins year end prospect list. The Twins have added some quality prospects in the last 2 years so it made it really tough on who made it and who just missed the cut. Three years ago the Twins minor league system had fallen to the bottom third in the league. However, the Twins would not put up with that and with three good drafts in a row along with some high profile international signings have the Twins back up where they belong in the top third in the league in prospects. As good as the Twins have played the last month to win their 5th Central Division Championship in 8 years I am just as excited in the prospects the Twins have added since June's draft. That is because as great as the players are now the guys coming up have a chance to be even better. Along with your stars in Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Denard Span, and Jason Kubel there will be a new line of stars to help the Twins possibly win another World Series.

• 50. James Beresford SS/2b (1/19/89) 20

2009 Stats: .289 0hr 38 rbi's 15-26 stolen base attempts 11 doubles .342/.313/.656 (OB/Slug/OPS) 34bb 70k

2009 team: Beloit Snappers

• James Beresford had an outstanding season for the Snappers as he hit for a good average all year hitting near .300 pretty much all year. He missed some time due to injury, but offensively had a very solid year. He doesn't hit for any power as he had 130 hits and only 11 of them were for extra bases. So if you are looking for power you are looking at the wrong guy as he is a singles hitter that will have alot of them. On the negative side James really needs to work on his defense as he committed over 20 errors for the 2nd consecutive year. When you do not hit for a lot of power the team really needs you to play great defense at shortstop. The thing though that is working for him though is he is only 20 years old and has already proven that he can hit the ball and I truly believe the defense will come in time. He has alreay played in some high profile games as he played in the WBC and also in the World Cup for his home country of Australia. I look for that to help out alot in his development as an infielder and I truly believe the future is bright for him as I believe he will get his errors down and if he could hit for a little bit more power the Twins might have something in him.


• 2010 projection: play shortstop again for Beloit and possibly midseason promotion to Fort Myers.



• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2013

• 49. Esterlin De Los Santos SS (1/20/87) 22

2009 Stats: .290 average 1 hr 23 rbi's 11-15 Stolen Base Attempts 11 doubles 7 triples .330/.397/.727 13 bb 49 k 68 games
2009 Team: Fort Myers Miracle

• Esterlin De Los Santos has everything you are looking for in a shortstop. His only problem is for some reason he can not stay healthy. De Los Santos only played in 68 games in 2009 because of knee problems. If you look at his history that is the problem as the 68 games he played in this year were a career high and really that is only half a season. If he can't find a way to stay healthy all the promise that he posseses will be for naught. On the field there might not be a better shortstop offensively and defensively in the organization. He is a speedy guy that is capable to stealing 30-40 bases a year if he could stay on the field. Offensively, he hit the ball this year when he was in there to hit a career .290 at the plate. Defensively, he is very smooth, but makes some careless mistakes that creates errors. He missed half the season and still led the team in errors which is saying something. The bottom line is he is so smooth that if he stayed healthy for a whole year you would see his errors plummet and his batting average rise along with his stolen bases. The bottom line is if De Los Santos can stay healthy his career will rise and if he can't his career will fall.
• 2010 projection: Start season playing shortstop at Fort Myers and get midseason promotion to New Britain.


• Estimated Tim of Arrival: 2012

• 48. Cole Devries SP (2/12/1985) 24

2009 stats: 7-14 4.84 era in 26 starts including 1 complete game. 137.2 inn, 46 walks while striking out 90 batters. Opponents hit .291 off of Devries.


2009 team: New Britain Rockcats

• Cole really got off to a fast start for the Rockcats and really carried them through the first half of the season. He had a 3.53 in the first half, however as he got tired from the innings and teams started to figure him out he got hit pretty bad in the second half to a tune of a 7.43 era in 9 second half starts. The positives with Cole is he gives the team a chance to win just about every time out there. Honestly, as a undrafted free agent he has no business getting as far as he has for the Twins so what he has already done has to be looked at as a success. However, going forward I think it is going to be hard for Devries to continue to get guys out. I really hope I am wrong because Cole Devries is a great story for the Twins in that he has worked his butt off and has gradually rised through the organization and done a good job everywhere he has been. The thing about it is he doesn't throw hard enough and doesn't really have an out pitch and the better quality hitters he faces the more that will be exposed. I don't see alot of upside in Cole, but like I said what he has done his whole career is prove guys like me wrong and hopefully he can continue to do it again.


• 2010 projection: Work out of the bullpen for New Britain



• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2012

• 47. Juan Portes OF (11/26/1985) 24

2009 stats: .297 avg with 6 homeruns and 40 rbi's in 100 games and 327 at bats. He also had 21 doubles and 3 triples. He walked 34 times while striking out only 45 times. He had a .366/.434/.800 splits.

2009 teams: New Britain Rockcats

• Juan Portes really had a breakout year in 2009 for the Rockcats after toiling for 2 years in Fort Myers there was a general feeling that he was at the end of the line. They decided to move him up to New Britain even though his numbers at Fort Myers in 2007 and 2008 did not speak promotion. He rewarded the organization for the faith in him with his best season of his career. I will admit freely that I did not see this coming as I saw Juan Portes as a 4th outfielder who can play some third base. With the glut of outfielders in the Twins organization I really thought he would not be with the organization in 2010. Boy did he prove me wrong as he put up his finest season as a professional. He showed the great plate discipline we are used to seeing out of him, but added some extra base power with 30 extra base hits and a very good average. He showed his versatility by playing some at 3rd base when the injury bug hit the Rockcats and proved to be a very valuable member of the Rockcats playoff team. Going forward Juan does not have very much power as his 6 homeruns would attest to, however if he can get on base as much as he did in 2009 he will continue to hang around. I forsee him as a 4th or 5th outfielder and if he continues to improve that could be with the Twins in the future.


• 2010 projection: Start in left field for New Britain


• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2013

• 46. Evan Bigley OF (3/9/1987) 22

2009 stats: Beloit- .307 avg, 2hr 22 rbi along with 6 doubles and a triple in 25 games and 101 at bats. With a .340/.446/.785 splits.

Fort Myers- .280 avg, 5hr 46 rbi along with 22 doubles and 2 triples in 95 games and 328 at bats. With a .336/.405/.742 splits.

2009 teams: Beloit Snappers and Fort Myers Miracle

• Evan Bigley had a pretty decent 2nd year with the Twins as he combined to hit .294 with 7 homeruns and 68 rbi's along with 28 doubles and 3 triples. Evan will not bring a lot of power to the plate, but he finds a way to get on base and do all the little things that every team needs. Without much power he needs to keep his on base percentage high so he needs to keep taking walks and working the count. He is a decent defensive outfielder with a good arm. Evan is one of those guys that just quietly goes about his business and then all of a sudden you see him in AAA with a chance to make it to the big leagues. The thing that he really needs to work on is not striking out so much. In 429 at bats in 2009 Evan struck out 90 times which is approximately 25% of the time he comes up which is obviously way too much. If he doesn't take care of that problem he will struggle because he doesn't hit a lot of homeruns so you can't look past the strikeouts. If he can cut those strikeouts in half Evan Bigley will have an outstanding 2010 season and continue his path to the big leagues.


• 2010 projection: Play left field in Fort Myers


• Estimated Time of Arrival

Those are my 50-46 picks and i will be back tommorrow with 45-41 and another 5 every day until I get to number 1. Hope you all enjoy and I welcome you to leave your comments and questions either in the comment box or by emailing me at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading.

Is Wilson Ramos ready for the major leagues

I think I would do something that is on a lot of Twins fans minds and what i get asked a lot is super prospect Wilson Ramos ready for the major leagues. In this I will give the positive and the negative for Wilson Ramos being ready for the majors and finally give my opinion. So the hypothetical question is if the Twins couldn't sign Joe Mauer and decided the best course of action was to trade him do you think Wilson Ramos is ready to take over the full time starting catcher duties for the Twins.

• Reason for Wilson Ramos being ready for the big leagues: Wilson Ramos is a stud by anyone's definition. Ramos has transformed the Eastern League playoffs into the Wilson Ramos show as he is hitting .538 in the 3 games so far going 7-13 with a homerun and 4 rbi's. Ramos' defensive game is unbelievable as he threw out an incredible 42 percent of runners attempting to steal off of him. The only negative about him is his injury history as he was limited to 54 games because of a broken finger and a pulled hamstring. However, those are freak injuries and I believe he will be fine. When he is on the field though he is a stud as he hit .317 with 4 homeruns and 29 rbi's along with 16 doubles in the 54 games he has played in. Listening to the games on the radio you year the respect has for him and when the game is on the line the other team wants nothing to do with him. He has good size and he is getting better every day. He would be the perfect replacement for Mauer as there is an aura about him that players want to be around him because they feel he is going to make them better. Given the fact that he is only 22 years old it just shows you that he is gifted way beyond his years. His offensive game is getting better and better and with the Twins he can rely on his defense until his offense comes around. I really view him as a star in the making.

• Argument for Wilson Ramos not being ready for the majors: The bottom line is Wilson Ramos has gotten injured 2 years in a row and 3 of the last 4 so there is no reason to think he is going to stay injury free at the major league level. Even though he is very advanced he is still only barely 22 years old and could use another year in the minors to develop his offense and defense. He will be much more ready after a year in AAA next year to help the Twins in 2011. With this much talent whats the rush as we all know he will be good so why rush him to the major and all that you would be doing by rushing him to the majors is hurt his confidence when he struggles and he will struggle because not very many people go from AA to the majors. So let him develop at AAA next year and in 2011 bring him up and let him be the player we know he can.

• My Feelings: I am really really high on Wilson Ramos as I think he has it all good defense, can hit for average, hit for power, has a cannon for an arm, is a doubles machine, and puts fear in the pitchers head. If the Twins lose Mauer the Twins fans need hope and that is exactly what Ramos can bring to the Twins. Is he as good as Mauer of course not and probably won't ever be, but that doesn't mean he can't be a All-Star catcher because all Twins fans know there is only 1 Joe Mauer. However, I do think another year in the minors for Ramos would do him good as he can get that injury prone label off of him and put up a huge year at AAA before coming up in September. You could start Jose Morales and sign a veteran backup or even Drew Butera and let Ramos dominate at AAA. That being said I think Wilson Ramos is going to be a superstar and someone in 10 years we are going to say yeah i thought he would be good.
• I want to say though that I would not trade Joe Mauer because he is too valuable to the future of the Twins, but if he wants crazy amounts of money I would not pay him 25 million a year or something like that. I am just throwing out there a hypothetical because my hope in 2011 the Twins have the best combo in the league in Joe Mauer and Wilson Ramos.

Yearly Awards: Fort Myers Miracle

• With the minor league season coming to an end I thought I would continue my year end awards and hand out 5 awards to each team. I will continue with the Fort Myers Miracle who have had a great season as they went 80-58 which was good enough for first place in both halves of the season. The awards that I will be giving out are hitter of the year, pitcher of the the year, Rookie of the year and the only prerequisite is you couldn't have spent any time at High A previously. Also the most surprising player and the most disappointing player of the year. I welcome everyone's thoughts on the players I have chosen and you can either leave me a comment in the comment box or send me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.
  
  
  
  Hitter of the Year: Ben Revere- Ben Revere built on his great season in Beloit last year with another monster season in Fort Myers. Last year at Beloit he hit .379 in 83 games for the Snappers and there was some question whether he would be able to follow that up with another good year. If there were any doubts about Revere's longevity and if he could keep it going he answered that with another great year. He did not hit .379 again, but he should not of been expected to because of the rise in competition and the fact that the Florida State League is more of a pitchers league so you don't see the offensive stats that you see in the Midwest League. Revere hit a very good .311 in 121 games for the Miracle with 2 homeruns and 48 rbi's along with a career high 45 stolen bases along with 13 doubles and 4 triples. He showed very good plate discipline because he had more walks than strikeouts with 40 walks and only 34 strikeouts in 466 at bats. Ben had a very good .372 on base percentage which is very good for a leadoff hitter. Revere only had a .369 slugging percentage, but that should not be surprising because by and large Revere is a singles hitter who does not get many extra base hits and as he keeps developing you would like to see some more extra base hits. Revere had a .741 OPS which is pretty good for a leadoff hitter. With that being said there are things that Revere needs to work on and one of the big things is Stolen Base percentage as he gets thrown out alot. Revere had 45 stolen bases but it was on 62 attempts which is only a 73% percentage. He needs to get that up to 80-85 percent as he moves forward. Overall, Ben Revere showed he was not a 1 year thing and I look for him to move up to New Britain for the 2010 and continue his success as I think he will be a member of the Twins come September 2011

• Pitcher of the Year: David Bromberg- David Bromberg really picked it up this year after a so so last year. Not only did he win my award as Fort Myers pitcher of the year, but he also won the Florida State League Pitcher of the Year award. That is quite an accomplishment for a guy that kind of struggled last year in Beloit. He was not bad at Beloit, but nothing compared to the year he had this year in Fort Myers. After going 9-10 with a 4.44 era in 27 starts last year in Beloit. He pitched 150 inn and struck out an organization high 177 batters, but also walked 54 batters. Those numbers are pretty average and nothing in those numbers show the type of season he had this year. Bromberg moved up to Fort Myers this year and put up a heck of a season. Bromberg went 13-4 with an incredible 2.70 era in 26 starts. What an improvement as he won 4 more games and cut almost 2 runs off his era. In 153.1 innings Bromberg only gave up 52 earned runs compared to 81 last year. His walk to strikeout total even improved as he struck out 148 batters while walking 63 batters. David Bromberg has improved himself from a average pitcher to probably the best pitching prospect in the organization. It is quite unbelievable the changes that Bromberg has made this year. Look for Bromberg to start next season in New Britain pitching for the Rockcats and make his major league debut September 2011 and be a fixture in the Twins rotation for years to come.

• Rookie of the Year: Santos Arias- Santos Arias really stepped up this year after getting promoted to Fort Myers after spending last year with Beloit. Arias split last year between the bullpen and the starting rotation. He had a solid year in the rotation, but they moved him to the bullpen to protect his arm because he is razor thin as he is only 5'11 162 lbs. Last year in 30 games Arias went 5-6 with a very good 3.27 era along with 29 walks and an impressive 91 strikeouts in 110 innings. With his size and his strikeout rate when it was decided to move Arias up to Fort Myers this spring they decided to send him to the bullpen and have him as a good setup man. When Mike Mccardell was promoted to New Britain it opened a spot in the rotation and the Miracle decided that Arias was the right guy for the job and he really showed that they were right. Santos Arias went 6-3 with a very good 2.15 era in 38 games including 9 starts for the Miracle. In 100.2 innings of work Arias walked only 27 and struck out 72. Santos Arias showed that you can't judge the book by his cover because all he does is get people out and that is all that should matter not how big he is or how hard he throws. If Arias can stay healthy I look for him to continue starting going into next year and if he has a good start at Fort Myers he should be up in New Britain very soon.

• Most Surprising Player: Rene Leveret- Going into the season I did not know much about Leveret after he split last season between Elizabethton and Beloit. Last year in 58 games Leveret hit .289 with 5 homeruns and 40 rbi's along with 12 doubles and a .361/.413/.773 line last year which is very average. Not bad, but also nothing to make you think he is capable of great numbers either. Leveret moved up to Fort Myers this year and even though he cooled off in the last month or 2 there was a time during the year that Leveret really carried the Miracle when the Miracle really were not scoring very many runs so that should not be forgotten. Overall, Leveret hit .286 with 5 homeruns and 38 rbi's in 92 games and 301 at bats along with 17 doubles and a triple. His line was .363/.399/.762 which was decent once again. Overall, it was not a great year for Leveret, but it definately was unexpected for me because I did not expect hardly anything from Leveret this year and there was a time that he carried the Miracle. He will likely start next season back in Fort Myers splitting time between Dh and 1st base and should have another solid year for the Miracle and it would not surprise me to see him get a promotion to New Britain sometime next year.

• Most Disappointing player: Deibinson Romero- Going into the year I expected a bigtime bounceback performance from Romero after a injury filled 2008 season. The Twins added him to the 40 man roster and he was promoted to Fort Myers. I really expect big things out of Romero and he really did not get the job done. He got off to a good start, but went through a 1-30 streak in June and never was really to recover from it. In all Romero hit just .222 with 5 homeruns and 56 rbi's in 120 games along with 18 doubles and 3 triples in 424 at bats. His line was not very good either hitting .308/.314/.622 for the year. To make things worse Romero committed a organization high 25 errors at third base. After the season there are some that are going to wonder if it was a mistake to put Romero on the 40 man roster and there will be some that will have to rethink their plans of having Romero as 3rd baseman of the future. There are a lot more questions about Romero now than there was going into the season. He will be back at Fort Myers next year and hope that he can reestablish himself next year and make people forget about this year or he could be looking for a job with another organization. I still have some hopes that Romero can turn it around, but my hopes for him are not what they were before and I could not tell you what he is going to do next year.

A Look ahead to 2010

With the Twins struggles of late and the Detroit Tigers finding their groove I am ready to do something that I was hoping I would not have to do till the playoffs and that is close the book on the 2009 season. The Twins trail the Tigers by 7 games with only 27 games left so it would take an absolute collapse by the Tigers and unbelievable baseball for the Twins to catch them but realistically we all know it is not going to happen. Losing 3 starting pitchers because of injuries and Justin Morneau going into the tank once again was too big of a pill to swallow. So for this purpose I am looking forward to next year and who I expect to be on the opening day roster and the probable payroll going into the season. I will write a little bit about every player. So everyone let me know what you think if you disagree with me or agree with me. You can either leave me a comment in the comment box or send me a email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

• C- Joe Mauer- I project the Twins will sign Mauer to a 6 year 126 million contract with an option of 25 million for 2016. 2010 salary: 21 million

• 1b Justin Morneau- I think Justin will come back better next year and be what he has always been for the Twins. 2010 salary: 14 million

• 2b Alexi Casilla- The second half for Casilla has gotten him his job back at 2nd base as he has hit .208 compared to .180, but that is only have the story as his defense has been much better and I still look for him to hit. 2010 salary: 450,000

• SS Orlando Cabrera- I project the Twins to sign Cabrera to a 2 year 11 million dollar contract in the offseason. Cabrera has not been the offensive force he was in the first half, but the Twins like the affect he has had on Alexi Casilla and Carlos Gomez and their other options are not real appealing either. 2010 salary: 5.5 million

• 3b Brendan Harris- I project the Twins to start top prospect Danny Valencia in AAA to start the season so the majority of the time at 3rd will go to Harris who has done a decent job at 3rd this year when the many times Joe Crede has been unavailable. I look for Valencia to be up with the Twins at some point next season, but I look for Harris to be the starter on opening day. 2010 salary: 950,000

• Left Field: Denard Span- Denard Span has been everything we have been expecting out of him this year hitting .300 stealing 20+ bases and playing phenomenal defense in all 3 outfield spots. 2010 salary: 450,000

• Center Field: Carlos Gomez- With the Twins decision to keep Gomez up with the Twins all year he will be a super 2 and eligible for arbitration this winter. That being said he remains inconsistant at the plate and his plate discipline is something that he is going to have to work on to be a consistantly good hitter, but his defense continues to be awesome and he just might be the best centerfielder in the major leagues and should continue to get better as he is only 23 years old. 2010 salary: 750,000

• Right Field: Michael Cuddyer- I admit I was wrong over the winter when I said the Twins should trade Cuddyer as he has had a phenomenal not only at the plate, but also in the field as his arm scares teams from attempting to take the extra base. Even though Cuddyer is 31 years old I would keep him next year and depending on how he does next year picking up his 2011 option. 2010 salary: 8.5 million

• Designated Hitter: Jason Kubel- Jason Kubel has put together a career year this year and established himself as one of the top dh's in the league and when Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau need a DH day I am ok with putting him in the outfield because we need his bat in lineup every day. The Twins signed him cheaply this winter and if he was available this winter he would get double what the Twins paid him, but I look for him to have another big year next year. 2010 salary: 4.1 million

• Delmon Young- Delmon Young has really not done much to establish himself as a starter at this level with that being said he has shown how powerful he can be when given a chance. I look for more out of the same out of him next year as they will have a platoon between Young and Carlos Gomez going forward. 2010 salary: 1.4 million

• Nick Punto- Nick Punto is not a starter and nor should he be and his salary says he should be a starter. However, the Twins signed him to a bad contract last offseason so no team is going to take him so Punto will return to his old role of utility player where he belongs if he is going to be on the team. 2010 salary: 4 million

• Steve Tolleson- I project Steve Tolleson to beat out Matt Tolbert, Brian Buscher and others for a utility role on the team. I look for Tolleson to play 2nd base, Shortstop and maybe a little bit of outfield. 2010 salary: 390,000

• Jose Morales- I think it is safe to say that the Mike Redmond era will come to an end at the end of the month and Morales will back up Joe Mauer. Morales has some work to do defensively and he is not as good of a hitter as he is showing right now but I believe he will be a solid backup for the Twins. 2010 salary: 395,000

• Starting Pitcher: Scott Baker- In the second half Baker has established himself as the ace of the Twins by going 6-0 with a 2.64 era in 10 starts. Baker is living up to the contract that the Twins gave him this spring and will anchor the starting rotation going into Target Field next year. 2010 salary: 3 million

• Starting Pitcher: Kevin Slowey- Slowey was on pace for a career year before a bone chip in his wrist ended his season prematurely. I look for Slowey to come back next year and be the horse that we know he can be. 2010 salary : 480,000

• Starting Pitcher: Nick Blackburn- Blackburn had a terrific first half and has struggled in the second half, but he is a solid 3/4 starter who keeps you in the game most games and will be a solid pitcher in 2010. 2010 salary: 480,000

• Starting Pitcher: Francisco Liriano- I am still a believer in Liriano even though he did nothing to show that he can be The Franchise again. However, he has too much talent to give up on and I look for a bounceback performance in 2010. 2010 salary: 850,000

• Starting Pitcher: Jeff Manship- I look for Manship to win a tough hard fought battle in Spring Training for the 5th starter job over Brian Duensing and Anthony Swarzak. I think Manship has the highest ceiling of those 3 and will do a terrific job in that role for next season. 2010 salary: 410,000

• Bullpen: Joe Nathan- Joe Nathan had another very good year for the Twins and will be back anchoring the back of the bullpen for the Twins. 2010 salary: 11.25 million

• Bullpen: Matt Guerrier- Guerrier has really established himself as a very good setup man for the Twins and I look for him to get a 2 year extention for 6 million with an option for 2012 at 4 million. 2010 salary: 3 million

• Bullpen: Jose Mijares- Jose Mijares has had his ups and downs with walks and coming to camp out of shape. If he comes to camp in shape next year he will be the top left handed setup guy if not the Twins won't be pleased. 2010 salary: 430,000

• Bullpen: Jon Rauch- Rauch will be the 7th inning guy for the Twins next year and be a solid contributer to the bullpen. 2010 salary: 2.9 million

• Bullpen: Jesse Crain- This is where I have trouble because Crain has not had a good year, but he has pulled it together since his demotion to AAA. I look for him to get a paycut this year to stay with the Twins and wouldn't be surprised to see him traded this offseason if he doesn't want to take a paycut. 2010 salary: 1.5 million

• Bullpen: Boof Bonser- Boof is coming off of shoulder surgery so the Twins will take it easy with Boof and start him in long relief to see how he is coming off the major surgery, but as he becomes more comfortable they will put him in tougher situations. I look for Boof to be a big contributer next year. 2010 Salary: 455,000

• Bullpen: Brian Duensing- I look for Duensing after losing out to Jeff Manship in the rotation to find a nice niche as the second lefthander in the Twins bullpen next year and be a good spot starter if there is an injury. 2010 salary: 400,000

• According to my projections I view the Twins parting ways with Mike Redmond, Ron Mahey, and Carl Pavano. I also view the Twins taking their time with Pat Neshek and start him in Fort Myers for the first month or so while it is cold in Minnesota. Those are my picks let me know what you think.

• 2010 projected Payroll: 87 million dollars- that may be too high and if they need to cut corners it may be replacing Jesse Crain and Orlando Cabrera with Matt Tolbert and Anthony Slama which would get it down to around 80 million which is more what I think the Twins are willing to spend. Let me know what you think.

Yearly Awards: New Britain Rockcats

With the Minor League season coming to the end this weekend I thought it would be interesting to hand out 5 awards for every team in the Twins organization. I will continue with the New Britain Rockcats who have had an up and down season going 70-69 which is good enough for 2nd place 11.5 games behind first place Connecticut. However, thanks to the wildcard they have a chance to make the playoffs. They lead third place Trenton by 1 game with 2 games left against Trenton with only needing to win 1 of those to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. The awards I will be giving out are Hitter of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year(prerequisite never spent a day in AA before this year), Most surprising player of the year, and most disappointing player of the year. I welcome everyone's thoughts on the players I have chosen and you can either leave me a comment in the comment box or send me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Thanks and enjoy.

• Hitter of the Year: Brian Dinkelman- With the Rockcats most talented hitter Wilson Ramos only playing 53 games the Rockcats needed someone to step up and Brian Dinkelman really stepped up. After struggling last year after his promotion from Fort Myers Dinkelman really stepped up this year. Brian showed his versatility as he not only played 2nd base for the Rockcats, but also spent quite a bit of time in the outfield. Offensively, Dinkelman hit a very good .297 with 8 homeruns and 65 rbi's along with an organization high 38 doubles and 2 triples. He has shown a very good eye at the plate as he had 55 walks while only striking out 73 times in 455 at bats. Dinkelman had a very good .385 on base percentage. He also had a .442 slugging percentage which should not be surprising considering he is not a homerun hitter. That being said his doubles bring his slugging percentage up and brought a very good .826 ops for a top of the order hitter. There were some doubt about his future going into the season after he hit .247 in 52 games with the Rockcats last year. His season has gotten him back on prospect lists where I look for Dinkelman to start next season up at AAA and if there is an injury or ineffectiveness at 2nd base with the Twins you would see Dinkelman making his major league debut next year with the Twins. The reason most people are down on Dinkelman is his age as he is 25 and will be 26 by the start of next season. I think Brian Dinkelman future is still bright and I look for him to reach the Twins next year and be there for stay and wouldn't surprise me if he is the starting 2nd baseman for the Twins sometime next year.

• Pitcher of the Year: Matt Fox- Matt Fox has turned around his career around with a very good season this year for the Rockcats. Going into the season there was some concern if Fox was ever going to make it because of arm surgery in 2005 and his slow progression through the system. Last year he made 14 starts with Fort Myers and went 7-7 with a 3.37 era. Going into the season this year some said it was a make or break season for Fox as he moved up to AA and got the chance to pitch in the starting rotation for the Rockcats and he did not disappoint. Fox made 26 starts and went 9-9 with a very good 3.58 era in 151 innings. He showed good control walking only 56 batters while striking out an impressive 120 batters. Matt Fox has reestablished himself as a prospect in the Twins organization and should get the promotion to AAA next spring. His future is probably as a reliever with the Twins so I think he would be best to work out of the Rochester bullpen next year. I think that he has a chance to make it to the big leagues if he continues to get better. Because the bottom line is Matt Fox has the stuff to pitch in the big leagues and you can tell he works hard based on the fact that he came back from an injury that many guys have to retire from. His age doesn't help the factor because he will be 27 when next season starts, but after the things Matt Fox has been through I will not put anything past him and I will look forward to seeing him in a Twins uniform.

• Rookie of the Year: Juan Portes- Going into the season Juan Portes was kind of on the fence going into the season because he really had not done a whole lot going into this season. He had kind of hit a snag in his Twins career as he had spent the last 2 years in Fort Myers and kind of wasn't going anywhere. So I was happy for Juan when he got promoted to AA for this year because I thought he is either going to sink or swim and we would have a better idea of what he is after stepping up in competition. Portes really showed that he is a Twins prospect and someone to keep an eye on. After hitting .270 with 12 homeruns and 54 rbi's with Fort Myers last year he put up good numbers this year at New Britain. Despite missing some time because of injuries Juan played in 99 games and is hitting .296 with 6 homeruns and 40 rbi's along with 21 doubles and 3 triples. He showed very good discipline at the plate with only 44 strikeouts along with 33 walks. He had a very good .365 on base percentage for a middle of the order bat. His slugging percentage is not real great at .435, but his overall OPS was very respectable .800. The 23 year old out of Boston has alot of potential as a outfielder. I view him as a extra outfielder in his future if he can hit good enough to stay in the lineup. I would like to see him hit a few more doubles and a few more homeruns, because honestly his Slugging percentage needs to come up to keep moving up. Overall though Juan Portes has had a very successful first year with the Rockcats and I look for him to start next season back with the Rockcats, but wouldn't surprise me to see him with Rochester sometime next year.

• Most Surprising Player: Alex Burnett- Alex Burnett really jumped up the prospect lists with the season he has put together this year. Going into the season he was viewed as a back of the rotation kind of starting pitcher. A bulldog type that would keep you in the game, but did not have lights out stuff. The decision this winter changed Alex's career and paved the way for him to have a career with the Twins. The decision was to move Alex to the bullpen as a late inning reliever. At first I thought why would they do that as he was a solid starting pitcher and turn him into a reliever I thought was a waste because Starting Pitchers have more value than relievers. However, I will be the first one to admit that I was wrong on this one. Burnett has established himself as one of the top relieving prospects in the organization and someone to keep track of. Burnett split the season between Fort Myers and New Britain and put up very good numbers. Between the 2 teams Burnett went 3-3 with a 1.85 era in 58 games along with 13 saves. Burnett worked 78 innings out of the bullpen and only gave up 16 earned runs. The most impressive stat for me was his walk to strikeout ratio of 26/78. With his 94 mile per hour fastball he has the stuff to get a lot of strikeouts. He held opponents to a very good .183 average. The 23 year old from Anaheim, CA has really turned heads with this season and I look for him to start next season as the closer for the Rockcats next year and probably get a midseason promotion to Rochester and wouldn't surprise me if he got a September callup next fall to the Twins. Alex Burnett is a shining star whose future appears pretty bright and I look for him to be the future at closer for the Twins.

• Most Disappointing Player: Matt Moses- This season was probably the last straw for the first round pick in 2003. Moses has played several different positions in his career starting at 3rd base and then finally in the outfield and has struggled everywhere he has played. Most people felt like this was going to be a make or break year for Moses as he probably needed to get up to AAA this year if he was going to stay in the organization. Truthfully, if he wasn't a first round pick and had been paid what he was paid he wouldn't still be in the organization. With that being said he is very talented in that he has good power at the plate and someone that has the talent to be a everyday player, but likely it will have to be with someone else. Matt Moses suffered a serious finger injury late in the year so here is hoping that he can recover from this and get a job with someone else because I expect the Twins to part ways with him after the season. Moses played 78 games with the Rockcats this year and hit just .224 with 7 homeruns and 43 rbi's along with 10 doubles and a triple. He posted a .274/.353/.627 (obp/slug/ops) line this year. I really expected Moses to take off this year with all the marbles on the table and disappointed he could not get it done, however I really hope his finger injury is not too serious and he is able to continue his career next year.
• I would like to congratulate the Rockcats on their first playoff appearance since the 2003 season and heres hoping they can bring a championship back to New Britain.

Yearly Awards: Rochester Red Wings

With the Minor League season coming to an end this weekend I thought it would be interesting to hand out 5 awards for every team in the Twins organization. I will start with the Rochester Red Wings who have underacheived to go 69-70 and in third place in the International League North division. However, you need to realize the Red Wings are the youngest team in the International League and should have a good portion of their team back next year as they should improve. The awards I will be giving out is Hitter of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Most surprising performance, and most disappointing performance. For the Rookie of the Year award the player could not of spent any time in AAA before this year. I welcome everyone's thoughts on the players I have chosen and you can either leave me a comment in the comment box or send me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Thanks and I hope you enjoy.

• Hitter of the Year: Justin Huber- Huber was signed as a minor league free agent this winter and the 27 year old from Australia did not disappoint this year. When you look at his stats this year you need to also take in consideration he missed the first 2 weeks of the season with visa problems. In 116 games with the Red Wings Huber is hitting .272 with 22 homeruns and 76 rbi's along with 21 doubles and 2 triples for an OPS of .834. The people of Rochester were really disappointed when the Twins let Garrett Jones go as a free agent this winter so they knew they needed to find someone who could replace his production and they found that guy in Huber. Huber played 1st base, DH and the Outfield and put up one of the best years of his career. I would like to see the Twins call him up for September as a bat off the bench, but we knew that was not going to happen when he accepted an invite to join the Australian National team in the World Cup this fall. He definately deserved the call for the Twins and it really is too bad for him, but I hope he does well in the World Cup. I know the Twins will try to resign Huber this winter, but I don't think it will happen and if I was Justin Huber I wouldn't resign with the Twins because his primary position is 1st base and his chances to get a recall up to the Twins are not very good. At 27 years old he needs to go to a team where he has a chance to make the big club and that team is not the Twins. What he did do this summer is won some games for the Red Wings and reestablished himself as a prospect once again and I look to see him in the Major Leagues sometime next year.

• Pitcher of the Year: Armando Gabino- Going into the season not many people had heard about Gabino because he had very average stats as he went up and as a reliever stats like his are usually overlooked. Gabino really turned his career around this year and even got a cup of coffee with the Twins. He is better served as a reliever, but has been making some starts for the Red Wings. The 26 year old from the Dominican Republic put up a very solid season for the Red Wings. Gabino has appeared in 37 games this year including 6 starts and has gone 6-3 with a 3.03 era along with 1 save and 1 complete game. Gabino worked 92 innings for the Red Wings. He showed good control with a 23/60 walk to strikeout ratio which means he doesn't strike out a lot of guys, but at the same time he also doesn't walk people. Armando Gabino has put himself on the map going into next season and he has the good fortune of being on the 40 man roster now so next year if there is injuries he will be one of the first call ups if he continues to pitch like this. I look for him to be in the Rochester rotation especially after the loss of Kevin Mulvey. He needs to work on a few things down in Rochester, but he changed quite of few peoples opinions of him with the season that he had this season. I could of chosen Anthony Swarzak, but Gabino has been there longer and to be honest he had the better season if you ask me. I expect that Twins fans will see Armando Gabino in a Twins uniform sometime next year and next time he might be here to stay.

• Rookie of the Year: David Winfree- There was actually quite a few people I could of picked for this award because of how young the Red Wings team is this year, but it was pretty obvious in my mind that the most deserving guy for this award is David Winfree. The 24 year old from Virginia really stepped up to the plate in AAA this year. After spending 2 years struggling in AA Winfree got the call up to AAA and did not disappoint. Winfree is out the rest of the year with a leg injury, but he hit .273 with 14 homeruns and 61 rbi's in 116 games. That is after hitting .252 in AA last year and it was a huge surprise that he was able to get off to such a great start. Many including myself expected Winfree to struggle much like he had at AA. I think that he has positioned himself that next year if there is an injury to one of the corner outfielders that he would get the call up to the Twins. Also he is only 24 years old which is very young for a AAA prospect so he has many years to make it to the Twins and stay there as a backup outfielder. I look for Winfree to spend 1 more year in AAA then in 2011 I expect Winfree to join the Twins and be there for the rest of his career.

• Most Disappointing player: Trevor Plouffe- Trevor Plouffe really got an opprotunity this year with the Red Wings and he really did not take advantage of it. Plouffe for many years has been viewed as the shortstop of the future for the Twins and many thought that 2009 would be his breakout year and would be the starting SS for the Twins when they opened up Target Field next year. In 2009 he really took a step backwards both at the plate and especially in the field. The 23 year old from California hit .260 with 10 homeruns and 60 rbi's along with 23 doubles and 5 triples in 116 games. Those numbers are not terrible if he had played good defense. However, Plouffe committed an unbelievable 22 errors at shortstop which obviously is way to many. His loosy goosy persona has reached the office of Ron Gardenhire and when the manager of the big league team is questioning how bad you want it theres a problem. There really is no question that the Twins want Plouffe to be the shortstop of the future and athletically there is not another shortstop in the Twins organization that can touch Plouffe, but until he shows how bad he wants it on the field the Twins are not going to trust him to be the shortstop. That said Plouffe is only 23 years old and loads of talent and plenty of time to turn it around. For the Twins going forward with the big contracts for Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan, and Michael Cuddyer as a small market team they really need Trevor to step up and be the player we all know he can be.

• Most Surprising Player: Steve Tolleson- Tolleson has a lot of talent, but what makes him a surprising player is the start he got off to in New Britain before the promotion to Rochester. It is unbelievable how he turned it on once he got to Rochester and has kept it going the rest of the season. In 38 games at New Britain this year Tolleson hit .258 with 2 homeruns and 13 rbi's. For most of the time in his stay at New Britain this year he was hovering around .200 so he was totally underacheiving. Once he got to Rochester he took off and has been pretty consistant the time he has been there. He went through a small slump, but is still hitting .276 with 6 homeruns and 26 rbi's along with 17 doubles and a triple in 87 games with the Red Wings. Tolleson is so versatile as he can play 2nd and shortstop, the outfield and I am sure he can play third as well. He is 25 years old so he is about the right age to be in AAA. I look for Tolle to compete for a utility job next spring for the Twins and if not be the second baseman for the Red Wings and at some point next season will join the Twins due to injury. Overall, Steve Tolleson has put himself back on the map in the Twins organization and I expect some big things out of Steve Tolleson in the future.