|
Twins may have most arms in Minors 03/28/2006 10:02 AM ETBy Jason Ratliff / MLB.com
The future success of every Major League team lies in its Minor League system. With that in mind, MiLB.com takes a top-to-bottom look at all 30 organizations, from top prospects to recent draft picks.
Once again the Twins organization is loaded with pitching prospects, from MiLB.com 2005 Pitcher of the Year Francisco Liriano, at the top, to a bevy of young hurlers like Matt Garza, Adam Harben, Jay Rainville, Anthony Swarzak, Kevin Slowey, Eduardo Morlan and Adam Hawes, just to name a few.
The Twins' scouting and player development departments have typically been acclaimed for enabling their small market team to compete year after year, but if there has been one knock against them, it has been that they've hyperfocused on pitching while failing to develop high-impact hitters. To be fair, their recent top hitting prospects -- Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel -- have all incurred injuries at the onset of their Major League careers, but a glance at their system once again reveals a relative scarcity of offensive weapons.
Matt Moses and Denard Span are being tabbed as Minnesota's third baseman and center fielder of the future, respectively, and recent drafts have yielded a trio of promising shortstop prospects in Trevor Plouffe, Paul Kelly and Drew Thompson, but none of the five has played a full season above Class A. The organization's 2005 offensive player of the year, David Winfree has put his star on the map after being taken in the 13th round in 2003, but is just 19. As is the one true power-hitting prospect in the system, 6-foot-3, 260-pound Henri Sanchez, who is coming off a rookie season in which he hit .229 with two homers while struggling with the transition to a wooden bat.
In short, it appears that any significant offensive help is going to have to come from outside the organization in the next few years, while the pitching stable looks to be loaded for the foreseeable future.
Five Faves
Five prospects whose names you should know:
Francisco Liriano, LHP
Johan Santana comparisons became increasingly prevalent and accurate as the 2005 season wore on for the Twins' young left-hander. Liriano put up solid, if unspectacular, numbers in 13 starts at Double-A New Britain (3-5, 3.64 ERA, 92 K in 76.2 IP), but it was his stint at Triple-A Rochester that earned him three MiLB.com year-end awards. At just 21, the 6-foot-2 Dominican went 9-2 with a 1.78 ERA and .177 OPP AVG in 14 starts for the Red Wings, walking just 24 while striking out 112 in 91 innings. Down the stretch, he had four games of 10 or more strikeouts, including back-to-back outings in which he allowed a total of just two hits and three walks while striking out 23 over 15 innings. Liriano got a well-earned promotion in September and aside from being hurt by the long ball (4 HR in 24 IP) pitched well, holding opponents to a .221 average while striking out 33. He looks to have lost out on the No. 5 spot in the Twins rotation to start the 2006 season and will either stick with Minnesota as a reliever, a la Santana (if manager Ron Gardenhire gets his way), or will return to Rochester so he can pitch every fifth day (if general manager Terry Ryan gets his). Either way, it appears the former outfielder is a year away from claiming his spot in the Twins' rotation.
 Video: Liriano fans Conor Jackson at Futures Game
| 2005 Organizational Record |
LEVEL
AAA
AA
A (Adv)
A
R
R
|
LEAGUE
INT
EAS
FSL
MID
APP
GCL
|
TEAM
Rochester
New Britain
Fort Myers
Beloit
Elizabethton*
Twins
TOTAL:
|
W
75
70
74
69
48
28
364
|
L
69
72
59
71
19
26
316
|
PCT
.521
.493
.556
.493
.716
.519
.535 |
| * Won the Appalachian League Championship |
Matt Moses, 3B
Limited to just 48 games in his first two pro seasons, 2005 was effectively Moses' first full Minor League season. And whether due to the grind of playing in 139 games (including 18 in the Arizona Fall League) or the fact that the Twins asked him to remodel his swing, the 21-year-old third baseman tapered off after an All-Star first half in the Florida State League. The former first-round pick hit .306/.376/.453 with seven homers, 42 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 73 games for Class A Fort Myers before struggling through 48 games at New Britain. Not only did his average drop nearly 100 points to .210, but his walk-to-strikeout ratio jumped from 1:2 to nearly 1:4. And it only got worse in the hitter-friendly AFL, where he walked just once while striking out 16 times in 69 at-bats while batting .275. He'll get another crack at Eastern League pitching in '06 and, with a good showing, could be in line for the Twins' third base job after Tony Batista's one-year deal expires.
Glen Perkins, LHP
Like Moses and Span, Perkins started out like gangbusters at Class A Fort Myers before dropping off in the second half at New Britain and then finishing the season in the Arizona Fall League. The 6-foot left-hander was 3-2 with a 2.13 ERA, .205 OPP AVG and 66 strikeouts in 55 innings for the Miracle before going 4-4 with a 4.90 ERA for the Rock Cats, with Eastern League hitters batting .263 off him. Perhaps the most impressive portion of Perkins' season was in the Arizona Fall League, where he was one of only six pitchers to record an ERA below 3.00 and led the circuit in strikeouts with 39 in 32 innings. He was working with the Triple-A team as Spring Training came to a close, but where he starts the 2006 season will be determined by how the rest of the pitching situation shakes out, from the top down.
| 2005 Organizational Leaders |
Average
Home Runs
RBIs
Stolen Bases
ERA
Wins
Strikeouts
Saves
|
.318
24
101
25
1.53
14
204
24
|
Richard Sojo
Garrett Jones
David Winfree
Scott Whitrock
Adam Hawes
Errol Simonitsch
Francisco Liriano
Patrick Neshek
|
Complete MiLB statistics |
Jason Kubel, OF
Within a one-year period, a trio of the Twins' top hitting prospects suffered injuries that derailed their rookie seasons in the Major Leagues. Catcher Joe Mauer went down with a knee injury on April 6, 2004, first baseman Justin Morneau was hit in the head with a pitch on the same date in 2005 and Kubel tore his anterior cruciate ligament at almost exactly the midpoint in between. Mauer and Mourneau have re-established themselves as part of Minnesota's future, while Kubel will be looking to do the same this year after missing the entire 2005 season. The former 12th-round pick has been given ample opportunity in Spring Training, racking up more trips to the plate than any other Twin, with just six games remaining before the regular season begins. He has been expectedly rusty, hitting .234/.315/.319, and it would make sense for him to get some at-bats under his belt at Triple-A, where he led the International League in hitting in 2004. If he can return to his old form, the right-field job in Minnesota isn't exactly out of reach with Michael Cuddyer and Lew Ford penciled in there.
Denard Span, OF
Span almost assuredly will never put up 20-plus home runs in a season like Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter did regularly over the past two decades combined, but he seems to be the heir apparent to the Twins' center field job. And even though he's gone deep only twice in 900 professional at-bats, his predecessors have shown that a lack of power in the Minors doesn't necessarily mean it can't be developed later down the road. Not that power is, or needs to be, a key component of Span's game. The 22-year-old speedster is generally considered the fastest and most athletic player in the Twins' system and is also an excellent defensive outfielder. His speed has translated into effective base stealing, though, and he needs to continue working on his jumps and reads. Twins brass have tempered their expectations and would be happy if he could steal 25-30 bases at the Major League level. Though he's likely ticketed for Double-A New Britain, Span's arrival in Minneapolis could be accelerated, depending on how long Hunter is around.
 Audio: Span doubles in Arizona Fall League action
Others to watch: Kyle Aselton, LHP; Deacon Burns, OF; Doug Deeds, OF; Steven Duguay, RHP; Adam Harben, RHP; Adam Hawes, RHP; J.D. Durbin, RHP; Jason Grove, OF; Garrett Jones, 1B; Justin Jones, LHP; Tim Lahey, RHP; Jonathan Martinez, RHP; Danny Matienzo, 1B; Jose Mijares, LHP; Eduardo Morlan, RHP; Jeremy Pickrel, OF; Johan Pino, RHP; Trevor Plouffe, SS; Juan Portes; 2B/OF; Jay Rainville, RHP; Alex Romero, OF; Danny Santiesteban, OF; Errol Simonitsch, LHP; Alexander Smit, LHP; Anthony Swarzak, RHP; Kyle Waldrop, RHP; David Winfree, 3B
Video: Durbin keeps his shutout alive with a strikeout
Audio: Durbin discusses his comeback from shoulder surgery
Audio: Garrett Jones has a big day in the AFL
Audio: Garrett Jones goes deep despite being jammed
Video: Romero doubles for New Britain
Listen to Winfree go yard for Beloit
Cinderella Story
Tim Lahey, RHP
It didn't take an Ivy League education to see that Lahey's future in baseball was more likely to be on the mound than behind the plate. Or, then again, maybe it did. After batting .202 in his pro debut in 2004, the Princeton-educated catcher discerned that his cannon of an arm and 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame might be better suited for pitching. The Twins acquiesced, and Lahey responded to the opportunity by making 15 appearances without allowing an earned run to start the 2005 season at Elizabethton. At one point in late July, he strung together eight innings in which he allowed just one hit and two walks. The Twins' closer stumbled in August, posting an 8.18 ERA, but overall racked up 15 saves and a 3.55 ERA in 26 games, striking out 30 in 25 1/3 innings while holding opponents to a .212 average. Lahey's bright idea salvaged his career and has put him on the map as a prospect in the Twins' rich system. He'll get his first taste of full-season ball in 2006.
Primed for breakout in 2006
Trevor Plouffe, SS
One of several young shortstops in Minnesota's system, Plouffe showed improvement over the course of the 2005 season at Beloit, batting .099 in April, .219 in May, .250 in June and .292 in July. He dropped back down to .228 in August, but also had four of his 13 homers and 12 of his 60 RBIs in the final month. His .223 average in the Midwest League combined with a jump to the Florida State League in 2006 isn't exactly the recipe for a breakout season, but the Twins are anticipating good things from their 2004 top pick, and he may respond positively to the presence of two young shortstops -- Paul Kelly and Drew Thompson -- below him.
Audio: Plouffe hits one of his 16 home runs for Beloit
2005 draft recap
1. (25) Matt Garza, RHP
4-4, 3.57 ERA, 75.2 IP, 21 BB, 89 K
Garza was a bit of an oddity in that he didn't hit the wall late in his pro debut, despite pitching a full season for Fresno St. before being drafted. The big (6-foot-4, 190-pound) right-hander overpowered Appalachian and Midwest League hitters with his mid-90s fastball and hard slider, racking up 89 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings. His numbers were largely the same between Rookie-level Elizabethton and Low-A Beloit, as he went 1-1 with a 3.66 ERA for the Twins and 3-3 with a 3.54 ERA for the Snappers. Garza was generally consistent for Beloit, allowing two or fewer runs in seven of his 10 starts. He got into four games during big league Spring Training and held the opposition to just one run on four hits in 7 1/3 innings. He'll take the next step up the ladder and start for Frot Myers in '06.
1s. (39) Henri Sanchez, 1B
.229-2-11, .300 OBP, .343 SLG
The Twins' 6-foot-3, 260-pound man-child got off to an extremely slow start as an 18-year-old in the Gulf Coast League, hitting .109 with no homers, five RBIs and 21 strikeouts in his first 14 games. But after a five-day break, he went 11-for-24 with four multi-hit games, two homers and six RBIs in his final seven games. He apparently did not take well to serving as the team's designated hitter, as he went 0-for-19 in that role. Sanchez seemed destined to return to the GCL in 2006, but a strong showing in Spring Training has given Minnesota's player development department reason to think he can hold his own at Beloit.
2. (54) Paul Kelly, SS
.281-3-24, .360 OBP, .392 SLG
Coming out of Texas' Flower Mound High School, Kelly was compared to Jesse Crain as a pitcher and Michael Young as a shortstop. He got his druthers when the Twins elected to try him at shortstop despite his impressive pitching repertoire, which included a mid-90s fastball. The 6-foot, 185-pound infielder had a rocky transition, hitting .206 in his first 20 games in the GCL but then turned it around and hit .338-2-12 in his final 20 games there before moving up to Beloit, where he acquitted himself well, going 5-for-16 (.313) with two doubles, a home run and four RBIs in five games. He's a step ahead of second-round sandwich pick Drew Thompson and will get the starting nod as Beloit's Opening Day shortstop.
2. (73) Kevin Slowey, RHP
3-2, 1 SV, 2.12 ERA, 72 IP, 8 BB, 84 K
Slowey had some of the most impressive stats of any pitcher from the 2005 draft, posting a 2.13 ERA, a .173 OPP AVG and an incredible eight walks vs. 84 strikeouts between Elizabethton and Beloit. He struck out 15 of the 25 batters he faced in the Appy League before proceeding to the Midwest League, where he was moved into the starting rotation and allowed two or fewer runs in eight of nine starts, including a 10-strikeout one-hit shutout, in which he lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth. The Winthrop University product will join Garza and top prospects Anthony Swarzak, Jay Rainville and Kyle Waldrop in a potentially dominating rotation at Fort Myers.
Slowey strikes out the side
2s. (80) Drew Thompson, 2B/SS
.262-2-21, 6 SB, .383 OBP, .369 SLG
Thompson and Kelly were nearly identical last year -- high school infielders who had two homers and 20 RBIs in the Gulf Coast League, hit over .300 in brief stints at Class A and occasionally played out of position to allow the other to play shortstop. Even though Thompson received the greater promotion of the two in 2005 -- he went to High-A Fort Myers while Kelly went to Low-A Beloit -- it will be Kelly who starts at Beloit while Thompson opens in the short-season Appy League.
Best of the rest: LHP Brian Duensing (3rd round) was part of a stellar Elizabethton staff, going 4-3 with a 2.32 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 50.1 IP ... LHP Ryan Mullins (3rd) was 3-0 with a 2.18 ERA and .182 OPP AVG for Elizabethton, striking out 60 vs. 13 walks in 53.2 IP ... For all the success Elizabethton pitchers had, their catchers, Caleb Moore (4th) and Sean Richardson (19th) weren't bad either. Moore batted .309-3-13 for the Appy League champs, while Richardson hit .298 with seven homers and 21 RBIs ... RHP Daniel Powers (8th) was the second of five Central Missouri St. pitchers drafted in 2005; he went 3-3 with four saves, a 2.53 ERA and a .197 OPP AVG for Elizabethton ... 1B Erik Lis (9th) was the primary offensive weapon on Elizabethton's pitching-powered team, batting .315/.356/.577 with 10 homers and 41 RBIs in 49.
Listen to Lis' first pro homer -- a no-doubter
Predictions
Organization MVP: Moses. He was probably even just a mediocre Double-A stint away from challenging Winfree for the organization's player of the year award last year, but his .210 average at New Britain dropped his season mark to just .266 after he'd hit .306 at Fort Myers. Despite the precipitous drop in average, Moses showed he could hit for power at that level, hitting six homers in 48 games. He also added a new element to his game in '05, swiping 16 bases in 22 attempts. Another season in the Eastern League should result in much improved numbers for the third sacker.
Cy on the farm: Garza. With so many talented young hurlers from top to bottom in the system, this is an absolute crapshoot, but Garza figures to have success in the Florida State League after faring well in the Midwest League a year ago. Swarzak and Rainville have already pitched in the FSL and will return there, but Garza is two years older and more experienced.
Miraculous staff: The Fort Myers starting rotation should be the best in the Florida State League. In addition to Garza, Swarzak and Rainville, the Miracles' staff will include two more top right-handers, in Waldrop and Slowey. Every one of those hurlers is capable of winning 10 or more games in a full season in the FSL.
Unless Shaq pulls a Michael Jordan ...: There will be no taller professional baseball players in 2006 than right-handed pitcher Loek (pronounced Luke) Van Mil of the Netherlands. The 7-foot-1 Dutchman was signed in July and will reamain in extended Spring Training before possibly going to short-season Elizabethton, where his fellow countryman, Smit, flourished in 2005. Minnesota's longtime director of Minor Leagues, Jim Rantz, says Van Mil has shown a decent delivery, is pretty coordinated for his size, and throws the ball over plate while keeping it down.
QUOTABLE
Twins director of Minor Leagues Jim Rantz
"If I was a betting man, I think [Liriano]'s staying over there [with the big league club]. There are still a few days until the regular season begins, but I don't think he's coming back." This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
|
Print