Puckett’s Pond Top 20 Minnesota Twins Prospects: Others To Know
A-ball pitchers
Eduardo Del Rosario, RHP, Cedar Rapids – A favorite of 2080 ball this spring, Del Rosario has an excellent fastball/change combo with two workable breaking pitches that give him a starter’s repertoire, though his slight build has led to concerns about his ability to go deep into games. He’s averaging roughly 5 2/3 innings pitched per start this season, but he’s found some control issues that he’s not encountered previously. If he can get those under control, this is a very impressive overall package.
Thomas Hackimer, RHP, Fort Myers – Drafted in the 4th round out of college at St. Johns University in New York last season, Hackimer has shown well as a reliever and is likely to move up yet another level by the end of this season the way he’s been pitching, with a 1.28 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 11/45 BB/ over 42 2/3 innings across low-A and high-A this season.
Griffin Jax, RHP, Cedar Rapids – An impressive pitcher to write up a scouting report on, Jax’s military commitment will likely keep him to roughly a month of availability to the Twins each summer while he completes his military commitment over the next two years, but his stuff is quality enough to make him worth the wait.
Sean Poppen, RHP, Fort Myers – A Harvard guy, selected in the 19th round from the prestigious university in the 2016 draft, Poppen has been defeating hitters on the mound with his arm as much as his mind. He won’t reach triple digits, but he has excellent control of his entire arsenal and works in the low-90s with good movement on the fastball.
Alex Robinson, LHP, Fort Myers – Drafted by the Twins in the 5th round of the 2015 draft out of the University of Maryland, Robinson struggled to gain a foothold in the minors, especially with his command. Working up to the upper 90s and with a nasty slider when it’s on, Robinson has late-inning stuff if he can keep up the improvements he’s seen in his control this season, walking only 15 over 41 innings and striking out 57.
Michael Theofanopoulos, LHP, Fort Myers – A guy to cheer for because of the effort to sew his name on the back of a jersey and the fact that he was a 30th round selection in 2014, Theofanopoulos has had an excellent season this year, albeit with some more hittability than he’s used to. He’s continued to show a strong strikeout rate, with 50 in 43 innings.
Andrew Vasquez, LHP, Fort Myers – A 32nd round selection in 2015 may turn out to be an absolute gem of a find for the Twins as Vasquez has been absolutely dominant in his first two full seasons in the Twins system. This year, he’s split time between low-A and high-A, with a 0.92 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and an insane 13/62 BB/K ratio over 39 innings.
Lachlan Wells, LHP, Fort Myers – The Aussie lefty has struggled some with injury, but is finally back to working healthy this season. While the strikeout numbers haven’t been amazing, he keeps a low walk rate and generally has kept the ball in the park, though that has been his downfall in his numbers this season, as a career 0.5-0.6 HR/9 rate is at 1.4 HR/9 this season for Fort Myers, which makes it fitting that his xFIP is roughly a half run lower than his ERA.
Tyler Wells, RHP, Cedar Rapids – Big, strong (6’8, 265 pounds) righty out of Cal State-San Bernardino was drafted in the 15th round in 2016 and has really made a big impression ever since joining the system. Wells was injured and hasn’t pitched since June 26th, but previous to that, he had a 2.21 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and a 16/82 BB/K ratio over 61 innings on the season!