Minnesota Twins Top 20 Prospects: Honorable Mentions
Puckett’s Pond presents our Top 20 Minnesota Twins prospects. We begin with the honorable mentions
The Minnesota Twins possess one of the strongest farm systems in baseball. The Twins have six players on MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects list (with 30 teams, that’s nearly twice the expected average). Minnesota has another wave of young talent ready to graduate from prospect status to major leaguer.
We asked each of our writers to rank their top 20 Twins prospects and then averaged all seven lists together to create this final list, which represents Puckett’s Pond as a whole. Obviously, there were discrepancies and disagreements between our writers on the order of the list. So, we expect there to be discord between our final list and the inclinations of our readers. That’s the intrigue of prospect lists; some see mediocrity and others greatness in the same player.
More from Puckett's Pond
- Minnesota Twins: 2022 Year in Review for Twins Baseball
- Minnesota Twins: Making the Case for the Current 2023 Rotation
- Minnesota Twins: Does the MLB or the Twins have a Spending Problem?
- Minnesota Twins: 2 Possible Free Agent Reunions for 2023
- Minnesota Twins: Holiday Wish List for the rest of the Offseason
The only unifying truth that we all share in regards to prospects is that no one knows for sure. Some meet/exceed expectations (Mike Trout) and some “sure-fire” prospects flame out (Billy Beane). You get the picture. It’s an imperfect science at best and a crapshoot at worst.
The requirements for inclusion on this list are the same that MLB.com uses: “…a player must have rookie eligibility…a player must not have exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues, or accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the 25-player limit period, excluding time on the disabled list or in military service…Players who are at least 23 years old and played in leagues deemed to be professional (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cuba) are not eligible.”
This, of course, means that Byung-ho Park is not eligible for inclusion on this list though he has rookie eligibility. Byron Buxton is eligible as he did not exceed 130 at-bats in his debut season.
Before we get to our first Top 20 prospect, we’ll rundown the players who nearly made the cut.
Next: Honorable Mentions
Honorable mentions:
Name: Engelb Vielma
Position: SS Age: 21
Height: 5’11” Weight: 150 lbs.
Throws: Right Bats: Both
Acquired: Signed as an amateur free agent in 2011
Name: Levi Michael
Position: 2B Age: 24
Height: 5’10” Weight: 180 lbs.
Throws: Right Bats: Both
Acquired: Drafted 30th overall in 2011
Name: Yorman Landa
Position: RP Age: 21
Height: 6’0” Weight: 175 lbs.
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Acquired: Signed as an amateur free agent in 2010
Name: Mitch Garver
Position: C Age: 25
Height: 6’1” Weight: 220 lbs.
Throws: Right Bats: Both
Acquired: 9th round draft pick in 2013
Name: Travis Harrison
Position: 3B Age: 23
Height: 6’1” Weight: 215 lbs.
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Acquired: Drafted 50th overall in 2011
The fact that these five players aren’t in the top 20 is a testament to the strength of the Twins’ system. Most other clubs would love to be so deep. The Twins also possess many talented and exciting prospects who aren’t on our top 20 list and who weren’t mentioned here. The honorable mentions list could have been much longer but we decided to only list those players who received top 20 votes.
We will begin our Top 20 Prospect countdown in earnest tomorrow. Check back here for #20.