This is the time when people often make some wild trade speculations. I try not to do that here, but to propose who could be traded and what is realistic to get in return. The Twins can do very well here if they are willing to be sellers.
The Twins are going to have to make some key decisions about who to keep and what they can get for 2014 and beyond. In what follows, I lay out some moves that could be made for the short and long term as the Twins try to figure out 2014 and the future.
In the 2011 season, the New Britain Rock Cats featured a dynamic lineup for the second half of the season which consisted primarily of Brian Dozier (SS), Chris Herrmann (C/LF), Chris Parmelee (1B/RF), Joe Benson (CF), and Yangervis Solarte (2B/LF). None of these five would see any AAA time in 2011 and only Parmelee and Benson saw September action with the Twins. After the season, the Twins committed to Brian Dozier going forward and Yangervis Solarte left as a minor league free agent, signing with
In judging my ability to note appropriate "minor" minor leaguers to watch, the first update must address the fundamental question: are these guys still worthy of keeping an eye on. I think the answer for each is yes, though I am starting to be concerned about a couple of these guys. With that, here is the update:
Dereck Rodriguez (EST, E-Town or CR): Dereck is likely going to be in E-Town as soon as that season starts.
J.D. Williams (CR): J.D. is in a slump at
Here is my updated prospect list as the Twins head into the draft. I do this in order to provide context for my post-draft list. The post-draft list will be in detail (pre-season ranking in parentheses).
1. Byron Buxton (4)
2. Miguel Sano (1)
3. Oswaldo Arcia (3)
4. Kyle Gibson (8)
5. Alex Meyer (5)
6. Eddie Rosario (6)
7. Jose Berrios (7)
8. Jorge Polanco (28)
9. Trevor May (10)
10. Max Kepler (9)
11. Travis Harrison (12)
Second base is a problem area for the Twins and has been since Luis Castillo. Here's a look at the state of the system from top to bottom, in detail:
Minnesota:
Brian Dozier: RH, DOB: 5-15-87. STATS: .205/.250/.279 (.529), 2/2/1, 8-29, 3-3.
I was a fan of Brian Dozier up until May of this year. I worry about his ability to be a competent player in the major leagues at this point. His defense at second is good, but he is abysmal at the plate. His walk/strikeout