I thought it would be fun to put the top 10 Twins prospects currently. I will do an official top 50 next week, but I thought it would be fun to see what everyone else thinks. If you want you can put your own top 10's and see how we differ.
1. Miguel Sano- Had a monster year at the plate needs to cut down on the strikeouts and if he is going to remain at 3rd base he needs to shore that part up as well as he had over 40 errors at 3rd.
2. Byron Buxton- After getting off to a rough start in Pro Ball he is really raking now and showing the speed and ability that made him the number two pick in the draft.
3. Aaron Hicks- After some struggles in previous years it appears that Aaron Hicks has figured it out. A term that is used in basketball is perfect for him as he is a stat stuffer. Hicks had over 30 steals, 20 doubles, 10 triples, 10 hrs and 90 runs scored. Very likely Twins fans will see him roaming the outfield in Target Field sometime in 2013.
4. Oswaldo Arcia- Arcia is another guy that has put it all together after struggling at Fort Myers in 2011 after his monster start in Beloit. He is likely going to be the Twins minor league hitter of the year after hitting 15hr and 91 rbi's between Fort Myers and New Britain with an OPS over .900. The best comp I see from him is Jason Kubel with a little less power, but I think all Twins fans would take that.
5. Eddie Rosario- Rosario would have been right in the discussion for Twins minor league hitter of the year if he hadn't missed about a month with an injury. He is hitting over .300 with 12hr and 70 rbi's with another 20+ doubles. His play at 2nd base has been hit and miss with 17 errors on the year. It is still to be determined if he is going to be a 2nd baseman or a centerfielder, but his bat will make sure he is in the lineup one of those places every day.
6. Kyle Gibson- Gibson was the feel good story of the year coming back from Tommy John Surgery in July of 2011. The fact that he got all the way up to AAA this year was a testament to the hard work Kyle put in to get back and he should be commended for that. To add to that he picked up 1 or 2 ticks on his fastball which is really good as now he sits 92-93 instead of 90-91. Gibson will be given a few weeks off now and then head to instructionals and then to Spring Training where he will be given an opportunity to make the Twins rotation in 2013.
7. Jose Berrios- Berrios was taken with a supp pick this year for the Twins and he has dominated. In 11 games as a professional including 4 starts Berrios has gone 3-0 with a 1.17era. In 30.2 innings he has given up just 4 runs on just 15 hits. However, the stat that just blows my mind is he has only walked four guys while striking out a whopping 49 batters. He did that at just 18 years old. The sky is the limit for this kid he has by far the most upside in the organization and it will be interesting to see what the Twins do with him in 2013 whether they send him to Beloit or if they send him to extended and see what happens.
8. Max Kepler- Kepler has put together in 2012 his best year of his professional career even though we sometimes forget he is only 19 years old being that it is his 3rd year already. After taking his first two years to get used to America Kepler put up really good numbers in 2012. Kepler hit .297 with 10hr and 49rbi along with 16 doubles and 5 triples for an OPS of .925. The sky is the limit for Kepler who will head up to Beloit for his first year in fullseason ball in 2013.
9. Travis Harrison- Harrison has had a good, but not great rookie campaign for E-Town, but it is also important to keep in mind he is just 19 years old. Harrison hit for good average hitting over .300 in his first year with five homeruns and 27 rbi's along with 12 doubles and 4 triples for a OPS of .845. Those are very good numbers for your first professional year, but I was a little disappointed he did not hit for more power because he is a big powerful kid who will hit for power. The key is to be patient with him as the power will come. The bigger question is what is his postion really going to be as he committed 24 errors at 3rd base. If he wants to remain at 3rd he is going to have to improve that defense. I think he likely will return to E-town for another year, but it would not shock me to see him up in Beloit in 2013.
10. Kennys Vargas- After missing the beginning of the year serving his MLB suspension Vargas came on like wildfire and has skyrocketed up prospect lists. Vargas has the looks of a young David Ortiz and has performed like him since returning. Vargas is hitting .320 with 11hr and 36 rbi's along with 10 doubles and a triple for an OPS of 1.047. Vargas has taken the step from being a guy with talent to being a legit top 10 prospect who has the ability to be a major leaguer someday. He will likely go up to Fort Myers in 2013 to see if he continue to improve.
