On Thursday, the Minnesota Twins decided that the Yohan Pino experiment was over, and with Danny Santana hitting the shelf, a move needed to be made. Much unlike the customary practice of the Twins, the organization reached deep into the farm system, and pulled out Jorge Polanco.
Polanco heads to Los Angeles tonight straight from the Twins Class-A, Fort Myers Miracle, and will become the youngest player in a Twins jersey since Joe Mauer made his debut.
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Jorge Polanco has been in the Twins minor league system since 2010. Starting in the Dominican Summer League, Polanco has progressed nicely spending no more than a year at any level in affiliated ball. He started at Elizabethon at the age of 18, having already played in the Gulf Coast and Dominican Summer Leagues.
Through 72 games at Ft. Myers, Polanco has slashed .289/.363/.404 with 5 home runs, 35 RBIs, and eight stolen bases. A solid mix of power, contact, and speed, Polanco could fill in nicely for Santana should the Twins decide to run him out as more than just a replacement level player.
Regardless of whether or not this is a long-term thing, should Polanco get any sort of run to display his talents, he has a significant opportunity to make an impact on his future. Showing off some ability now, could lead to the vision and direction the Twins lay out for him in the future.
Furthermore, Polanco may lay some groundwork for similar prospects. If he succeeds, the Twins may see it as a stepping stone towards tweaking the way in which they promote young talent. As a Twins fan, it’s an exciting wait and see period.