Minnesota Twins: 5 prospects that saw their stock rise in 2019
The Minnesota Twins have enjoyed a great season in 2019, but their talent in the minor leagues suggest that this run could be more than a flash in the pan.
The Minnesota Twins are having a season to remember at the major league level. With an explosive team that could hit home runs at any moment and a pitching staff that could make fans break out the Tums, the Twins are getting ready for what should be a roller coaster of a postseason.
While the product at the major league level has been fun to watch, this could also be the beginning of a long window for the Twins to be competitive. In Baseball America’s midseason report, the Twins had three representatives on their Top 100 list and have several other prospects that are beginning a march to Minneapolis.
As is the case with most organizations, the Twins had several players step up in 2019 and make a huge step toward the major leagues. While some of these prospects could be another year or two away from making their debut in a Twins uniform, it’s enough to get Twins fans excited of what could come from the team known as the Bomba Squad.
Jordan Balazovic
One of the biggest question marks with the Twins’ major league product is their pitching. With the starting staff falling to shambles in the second half of the season, Twins fans may have an interest in who could be on their way to the majors in to help solve their mess either as 2020 approaches.
A name to keep an eye on as we head into next season is Jordan Balazovic. The Canadian right-hander had a tremendous season in 2019 as he looked to build off a solid 2018 (7-3, 3.94 ERA) at Low-A Cedar Rapids. Although he started the season with the Kernels, he made sure he wasn’t there long going 2-1 with a 2.18 ERA in four starts including 33 strikeouts and just four walks in 20 2/3 innings.
Once he earned a promotion to High-A Fort Myers, the fun didn’t stop there for the 21-year old. Balazovic was great for the Miracle, going 6-4 with a 2.84 ERA in 15 appearances (14 starts). While his absurd strikeout rate dipped to 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings in Fort Myers, he still was able to harness his 97 MPH fastball to 21 free passes in 73 innings.
With a tremendous second professional season in the books, the Twins could opt to start Balazovic’s 2020 season with Double-A Pensacola. Much like we saw with Brusdar Graterol, a strong performance could have him knocking on the door of the big league club either late next year or early in 2021.
Trevor Larnach
One of the deepest areas of the Twins’ organization at the moment is the outfield. While Alex Kirilloff has stolen all of the headlines, Trevor Larnach has also begun to make a name for himself while dominating in his first full professional season in 2019.
Larnach’s season started out with the Miracle and he picked up where he left off last summer after being selected with the 20th overall pick of the 2018 MLB Draft. After hitting .303 with five home runs and 26 RBI with Rookie League Elizabethton and Low-A Cedar Rapids, Larnach began 2019 with High-A Fort Myers and started tearing the cover off the ball.
In 84 games with the Miracle, Larnach hit .316/.382/.459 with six home runs and 44 RBI. In the Florida State League that traditionally favors the pitcher, the 22-year old stood out thanks to 26 doubles, which helped him win the FSL’s player of the year award.
A promotion to Double-A Pensacola followed and Larnach did not look overmatched, showing off his power with seven home runs in 156 at-bats. With his slash line (.295/.387/.455) and run production (22 RBI) staying intact, Larnach is another prospect looking to force his way into a crowded outfield that contains Kirilloff, Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario.
While the Twins may want to give him a month at Pensacola to open the season, Larnach is another prospect that could rise rapidly and may have a clear path if the Twins decide to make some upper level moves this offseason.
Jhoan Duran
In terms of immediate impact, the Twins appear to have been fleeced in the July 2018 trade that sent Eduardo Escobar to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In his first full season in the desert, Escobar has become a run-producing monster hitting .271 with 35 home runs and 118 RBI, but what the Twins got may pan out in the coming years.
In return for Escobar, the Twins received a low-level pitcher by the name of Jhoan Duran. Duran came to the Twins as a raw prospect with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s but can reach as high as 98 MPH. Although it was a small sample size with Low-A Cedar Rapids, the right-hander was impressive with the Kernels (2-1, 2.00 ERA in six starts), setting the stage for 2019.
This summer, Duran took another step forward beginning the year in High-A Fort Myers. Although his 2-9 record didn’t show it, the 21-year old put up solid numbers with a 3.23 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 78 innings. Although he has had issues with his command, he earned a promotion to Double-A Pensacola, where he went 3-3 with a 4.86 ERA in seven starts.
Although Escobar has turned into a key cog in the Diamondbacks lineup, the Twins were proactive in getting a guy that they thought could turn into a solid pitching prospect down the road. Entering 2020, Duran will likely start at Pensacola but could work his way up to the starting rotation and form a solid 1-2 with Brusdar Graterol by 2021.
Brusdar Graterol
Anybody who makes the jump from Double-A to the major leagues in one season deserves to be on a list like this and Graterol has been no exception. Although the right-hander missed over two months with a shoulder impingement, his season has been impressive enough for the Twins to believe he can be an asset in their run to the postseason.
Graterol had already achieved top prospect status prior to this season, as he cruised through Low-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Fort Myers with an 8-4 record and 2.74 ERA in 102 innings. The Twins would start him at Double-A Pensacola this season and the 21-year old was unfazed, going 5-0 with a 1.89 ERA prior to the injury.
After coming back in July, the Twins opted to try him out as a reliever and he quickly made his way through Pensacola and Triple-A Rochester before making his major league debut this month.
Although his results at the major league level have been spotty (4 ER in 8 1/3 innings), he’s shown enough to remain one of the top prospects in the organization. In all likelihood, the Twins will start Graterol at Triple-A in 2020 to get used to starting again and could call him up at the first sign of trouble in the rotation.
Alex Kirilloff
Alex Kirilloff entered the 2019 season as the second-best prospect in the organization. After coming off a monster 2018 season in which he hit .348 with 20 HR and 101 RBI, expectations for the 21-year old were sky-high as he began the season at Double-A Pensacola. Things wouldn’t get off to a great start however, due to a pair of injuries but as the season went on, Kirilloff began to heat up.
From June 1 on, Kirlloff began to return to his old form, hitting .299 with eight home runs and 34 RBI for the Blue Wahoos. Most of that damage came in the final month of the season as Kirilloff hit five of those home runs as he tried to push Pensacola through the Southern League playoffs.
When the smoke cleared, Kirilloff had a solid season at the plate with a line of .283/.343/.413 with nine home runs and 43 RBI. As Royce Lewis had a tough time dealing with a similar amount of injuries, Kirilloff may have leaped over him for the status of the top prospect in the Twins organization.
Next. Where does Royce Lewis fit into the Twins plans?. dark
What happens now with Kirilloff is interesting. Although there were rumors of a late call-up, the Twins never pulled the trigger and may need to make a move to clear their crowded outfield to get their top prospect to Minnesota. A more likely scenario will see Kirlloff head to Triple-A for some final refinements, but chances are he will make his major league debut in 2020.