With the 2020 season just around the corner, we look into which prospect tool grades out as the best one in the farm system.
Every year, MLB.com drops their rankings of the top 30 prospects in each farm system, including the Top 30 Prospects for the Twins. They grade five different tools for hitters and at least three different tools for pitchers, grading on a scale of 20 (a severe issue) to 80 (a guarantee of success). The five hitter tools; hit, power, run, arm, and field, offer a look into how successful a hitter might be. The pitcher tools can vary based on how many pitches a pitcher can throw. A pitcher always has a grade for fastball, change-up, and control, but they can also have a curveball, slider, sinker, or cutter grades based on what they throw.
These grades are important because the Minnesota Twins build from within to develop a contender, so having highly talented prospects help keep the team competitive and are useful for trades. With Puckett’s Pond releasing its own prospect rankings later this week, we’re going to do our own 20-80 grade system, ranking our top fifteen graded skills in the system, starting with several honorable mentions who didn’t make the cut. Skills such as speed and fastball are easier to find, so rare skills like hit are ranked higher.