know I am a little bit late from other bloggers, but I am on holiday vacation and thought this would be a good time to do my top 50 prospect list. Starting today I will be bringing you five prospects a day with a quick scouting reports and a ETA when I think they will be ready to come up. My list is by no means supposed to be in the league of the great Seth Stohs and you should definately order his 2014 Twins prospect handbook along with Jeremy Nygaard and Cody Christie. However, this is my list so I hope you enjoy and if you disagree leave me a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis.aune@gmail.com or tweet me at @texastwinsfan. So hope you enjoy the list.
50. Ryan Walker SS 3/26/92 21 18th round pick 2013 draft
2013 stats: .265 avg 1hr 16rbi 5 doubles in 48 games
2013 teams: E-town, Cedar Rapids
2014 team: Cedar Rapids
ETA: 2018
Walker had a pretty good 2013 season after being drafted from the University of Texas-Arlington in the 18th round. He is a pretty good defensive SS who got the majority of the playing time in E-town before getting a late promotion to Cedar Rapids do to injuries up there. He is a defensive first SS who can hit a little bit. He will go up to Cedar Rapids in 2014 and should play every day so it will be interesting to see how he develops. He is someone Twins fans should keep their eyes on.
49. Levi Michael SS/2b 2/9/91 22 1st round pick 2011 draft
2013 stats: .229 avg 4hr 28rbi 15 doubles, 4 triples 21sb .331/.340/.670
2013 teams: Fort Myers
2014 team: New Britain
ETA: 2016
There is no way to say this without being mean, but so far Michael has been a disappointment after being drafted in first round in 2011 out of North Carolina. What makes him still a prospect is he can play multiple positions and he is still quite young as he will only be 23 through the 2014 season. He was thought to have been a reach when he was taken in 2011 and really hasn’t taken a step forward. His main problem is staying on the field as he has only played in 211 out of a possible 280 games. The one positive I can see is that his OBP is quite high for how low his batting average has been. If he can stay on the field and bring his batting average up to the .270 range he can be a decent middle infielder or more likely a utility guy. I am not giving up on Michael who I believe has potential and Twins fans should keep their eye on him to see if he can reach that potential.
48. Aaron Slegers SP 9/4/92 21 5th round pick 2013 draft
2013 stats: 0.47era 9games 3saves 19inn 16hits 2bb 18k
2013 teams: Elizabethton
2014 team: Cedar Rapids
ETA: 2016
Slegers was quite impressive in very little work after getting drafted in the 5th round of the 2013 draft out of Indiana. He is the typical Twins pitcher who throws a lot of strikes and does not walk many batters. The thing that surprises many is that Slegers is six foot ten, but does not throw that hard. He typically throws around 90, but has touched 95. He does not strikeout many batters and is typically a sinkerball pitcher. He will be a solid pitcher and should move quickly through the system. I view him as a solid starter who will count on getting groundballs to survive much like other Twins starters.
47. Zach Larson OF 10/8/93 20 20th round pick 2012 draft
2013 stats: .311 avg 5hr 30rbi 11 doubles, 1 triple, 39 runs scored 12sb .392/.456/.848
2013 teams: GCL Twins, Elizabethton
2014 team: Cedar Rapids or Elizabethton
ETA: 2018
Larson was not drafted until the 20th round based on signability issues or he likely would have been a top 10 round pick. He is another toolsy outfielder the Twins like to take. He has a solid frame at 6’2 185lbs who I think will grow into his body. After signing after 2012 draft he played in only 15 games for the GCL Twins so there were questions what the Twins had in him. He improved immensely in 2013 when he played in 55 games between GCL and Elizabethton. He started to show the tools that made the Twins so excited about him. He has a lot of potential as I think he will hit for average and power along with steal some bases. I am excited to see how he does in full season, but that may have to wait. I have him going to Cedar Rapids, but I could see Twins being patient with him as he is only 20 and having him start season in EST and then going back to Elizabethton. I see some Joe Benson in him and am excited to see if he can turn these tools into skills so Twins fans should keep an eye on him.
46. Josue Montanez P 1/15/92 21 15th round pick 2011 draft
2013 stats: 7-5 3.97era 26 games 12 starts 1save 90.2inn 88 hits 30bb 55k
2013 team: Cedar Rapids
2014 team: Cedar Rapids
ETA: 2017
Montanez is a very versatile left handed pitcher as he can start or relieve. He is a strike thrower and does not pick up many strikeouts. After being selected in 15th round out of Puerto Rico Montanez has had an up and down career. He didn’t get up to Cedar Rapids until June and has shown some potential as a starter. He is only 21 years old and the old saying true if your left handed and breathing you have a chance. Montanez does not have classic velocity and the fact he struck out only 55 batters in almost 91 innings should tell you he is a soft tossing lefty. I think he could continue to start as he moves up, but his career path probably at some point turns him into a LOOGY and I think he can excel at that as his off speed pitches are above average. It will be interesting how 2014 goes as I view it as a big year for Montanez in his development.
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