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Minnesota Twins Top 100 Prospects: The Top Twenty

By Benjamin Chase

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 05: A view of baseball gloves prior to the game between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Minnesota Twins on Opening Day at Angel Stadium on April 5, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 05: A view of baseball gloves prior to the game between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Minnesota Twins on Opening Day at Angel Stadium on April 5, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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15. LaMonte Wade, OF, Chattanooga

Born: 1/1/1994
2017 Stats: .292/.397/.408, 7 HR, 9 SB, 76/71 BB/K
Info: Considered a “senior sign” out of Maryland in the 9th round in 2015, Wade showed much better than that, displaying an incredibly adept eye at the plate to allow him to play up immediately, and he’s pushed his stock forward each season with the organization. Wade is not likely to be a superstar in the field or at the plate, but he has tremendous zone and pitch recognition, enough power to put balls in the gap and enough speed to threaten on the base paths and be a positive base runner. Defensively, Wade is a consistent defender, though he’s likely best used in a corner. Wade uses his baseball smarts to position himself well to get the most out of his average arm from the outfield, allowing him to work in right or left field. Wade profiles as a guy who could lead off, getting on base at a high clip and running the bases well, even if he doesn’t steal many bases. He’s spending time in the Arizona Fall League this winter and likely will open with AAA Rochester in 2018.

14. Jermaine Palacios, SS, Cedar Rapids/Fort Myers

Born: 7/19/1996
2017 Stats: .296/.333/.454, 10 3B, 13 HR, 20 SB, 22/99 BB/K
Info: Jumping out at the start of the season, the 2013 signee out of Venezuela got a lot of Twins fans very excited with his early season production with Cedar Rapids, but he ran into a wall to some degree with Fort Myers. Palacios has developed gap power as he has filled into his 6′ tall frame. Palacios has a plus arm that would allow him to play anywhere around the infield. He has kept up his above-average speed as he has filled out, which allows him to be a stolen base threat, though his feel for stealing is only average. Palacios has longer legs than you’d think at just 6′, and that allows him to really run the bases well, and it does lead to some thought that he could work well in left field if he’s moved off shortstop. The Twins will likely want to keep Palacios moving, but whether he starts at Fort Myers or Chattanooga will be interesting to see next spring. He could also be a guy who draws trade interest this offseason, and with a host of shortstops working up the system, moving Palacios in the right move might end up making sense.

13. Mitch Garver, C, Rochester/MLB

Born: 1/15/1991
2017 Stats: Minors: .291/.387/.541, 17 HR, 2 SB, 50/85 BB/K; Majors: .196/.288/.348, 3 3B, 6/15 BB/K
Info: Many would look at Garver’s age and immediately dismiss him due to that, but that would be a significant mistake. Catchers typically have a longer development track, and especially college catchers usually find their way to the major leagues at a later age than other prospects. Garver has shown well behind the plate ever since being the third catcher drafted by the Twins in the 2013 draft. He got his first shot at the major leagues in 2017, and he did show well, though his batting average wasn’t pretty. Garver has legit above-average power with above-average zone recognition at the plate, which allows him to put up good batting averages in the minor leagues. Behind the plate, he’s not perfect, but he’s got a strong arm and blocks pitches very well. He could very well end up paired with Jason Castro behind the plate for the Twins in 2018.

12. Felix Jorge, RHP, Chattanooga/Rochester/MLB

Born: 1/2/1994
2017 Stats: Minors: 149 IP, 3.68 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 40/108 BB/K; Majors: 7 2/3 IP, 10.57 ERA, 2.09 WHIP, 2/4 BB/K
Info: Jorge has always shown the velocity since the Twins signed him in 2011, but he’s seemingly struggled to translate that raw stuff into swing and miss. The 2017 season was much of the same, flashing a fastball that could top 95 with an easy delivery and heavy sink and late movement low in the zone. His change works well low as well, with excellent arm deception. His slider could be a swing and miss pitch if he even got consistent average break on the pitch, but all too often he’ll throw three sliders with three different degrees of sharpness to them. Jorge’s likely a back end starter, but he’s reached that level, and he saw the major leagues in 2017. He should get more work in 2018, though likely as a guy who makes plenty of trips between Rochester and Minnesota.

11. Blayne Enlow, RHP, GCL

Born: 3/21/1999
2017 Stats: 20 1/3 IP, 1.33 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 4/19 BB/K
Info: Enlow received notice as having very possibly the best curveball in the entire prep class in the 2017 draft class. Many assumed he was going to be going to LSU unless he was drafted in the first round, so when the Twins opened the second day of the draft by selecting Enlow in the 3rd round, many were curious if they could get him signed, and they certainly did. Enlow then went about showing that he definitely deserved that first round consideration. Enlow is still raw in his frame, needing to fill out into his 6’3″ stature, but he has a plus fastball that can run up to mid-90s and sits 91-94 and his curve is a very pretty pitch to watch. His control is incredibly mature for his level of experience as well, which should allow him to move quickly, especially as he fills into his frame, possibly even adding another tick or two to his velocity.

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