Other Twins prospects of note: Estarlin De Los Santos

Estarlin De Los Santos

Shortstop

Age: 22

ETA: 2012

Potential: Backup infielder

2010 outlook: New Britain shortstop

The Twins organization surprised many when they placed Estarlin De Los Santos on the 40 man roster recently. The move was unexpected because De Los Santos has not stayed healthy over the past two years, and has not posted good numbers. In 2008, he only played in 66 games at low-A ball and this year he played in only 70 games, and he's never really put together a great season.

The Twins obviously see something in De Los Santos that they like, and they apparently thought he could be selected in the Rule V draft. I doubt he would have been drafted, and even if he was selected, I don't see how a team could stash him on a big league roster for a whole year.

Here are some positives about De Los Santos. I've heard he has a good glove. The Baseball Cube rates his speed as a 95 out of 100. He did have 7 triples in 262 at-bats this year. For those wondering, his triple slash line was .290/.330/.397 at Fort Myers. Nothing spectacular.

To me, it seems like having the Dominican De Los Santos on the 40 man roster is a waste of a roster space. Trevor Plouffe is a level or two higher than him and has more potential than De Los Santos. Plus the Twins just traded for JJ Hardy, who hopefully will ably man the shortstop position for a few years. And a few levels behind De Los Santos are Jorge Polanco and Miguel Jean. So it will be interesting to see how Estarlin performs this season, but maybe he will show us why the Twins believe in him.

Top 50 Twins Prospects: #1 Miguel Jean

1. Miguel Jean

Shortstop

Age: 16

ETA: 2014

Potential: Superstar, middle-of-the-order bat, gold glove

2010 outlook: GCL Twins infield

First of all to clarify, Miguel Jean was called Miguel Angel Sano when he signed with the Twins in September. Then he decided to drop his mother’s last name and go with his father’s last name when he starts playing in the US.

Miguel Jean was signed by the Twins this September in the Dominican Republic. Jean was considered to be the best international prospect this year, and one of the best bats to ever come out of the Dominican Republic. The Twins gave him 3.15 million dollars for signing, the second-highest figure ever given to a Latin American prospect, and easily the most the Twins have ever spent on an international player.

Jean is 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, and he will surely get bigger, so it remains to be seen if he will stay at shortstop or be moved to a different position. His bat and his defense are said to be amazing. Some people have already compared him to superstars like Hanley Ramirez or A-Rod, or Miguel Cabrera. The Twins are very lucky to have signed this young Dominican and while the majors are a long ways away, the sky is the limit for Miguel Jean.

Top 50 Twins Prospects: #2 Aaron Hicks

2. Aaron Hicks

Outfielder

Bats: Switch

Age: 21

ETA: 2013

Potential: Superstar OF, middle-of-the-order bat, gold glove

2010 outlook: Fort Myers outfield

Aaron Hicks was the Twins first round pick in the 2008 draft. He had a great year at rookie ball in ’08. In 173 at-bats he had 10 doubles, 4 triples, and 4 homers, to go along with 12 stolen bases and a .318/.409/.491 triple slash line. He had 28 walks compared to 32 strikeouts.

He spend some time in extended spring training this year, and then he joined class low A Beloit. He struggled a little, but he hit .251/.353/.382, with 4 homers, 3 triples, and 15 doubles. He did steal 10 bases, and he walked 40 times compared to 55 strikeouts. But he is still a little raw.

Hicks will be a 5-tool player. He plays great defense due to his considerable speed, and his powerful arm. It should be noted that teams wanted to draft Hicks to be a pitcher because of his high-90’s fastball. He is already showing considerable patience and a good batting eye at the plate. His power isn’t bad either, and will only get better.

Hicks should be in the Twins outfield in 3 or 4 years, and when he gets there, he should be batting in the middle of the order with 30-35 homer power to go along with lots of stolen bases, a great batting eye, and gold glove defense.

Top 50 Twins Prospects: #3 Kyle Gibson

3. Kyle Gibson

Starting Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 22

ETA: 2011

Potential: #1/2 starter

2010 outlook: Will start at class A Fort Myers, but will fly through the system

Kyle Gibson was the Twins first round pick in the 2009 draft. He was expected to be one of the first 5 players drafted, but a minor injury scared many teams away. So the Twins got the steal of the draft and quickly snatched up Gibson. He pitched at the University of Missouri for three years. His last year there, he threw 107 innings and struck out 131, while walking only 19. He had a WHIP of 1.07. Those are outstanding numbers. He didn’t pitch in the minors this season because he was finishing recovering from an injury.

The Baseball Cube rates his control as an 84, his K-rating as a 90, his efficiency as an 89, and his vsPower as a 93. So you can see that he is amazing all-around. He’s listed at 6 feet 6 inches, 208 lbs., so he’s got a great pitcher’s body.

When the Twins signed Gibson, most thought that he instantly became the top Twins pitching prospect. The Twins have said that Gibson will start pitching at class A Fort Myers next season. He should move quickly through the upper three levels of the minors, and while I wouldn’t expect to see him in 2010, he should be there shortly thereafter.

Top 50 Twins Prospects: #4 David Bromberg

4. David Bromberg

Starting Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 22

ETA: 2011

Potential: #1/2 starter

2010 outlook: Class AA New Britain, could be promoted to class AAA Rochester

David Bromberg was the Twins 32nd round pick in the 2005 draft. Bromberg led all of the minors with 177 strikeouts in 2008, while posting a 4.44 ERA. This year he led the league in strikeouts with 148 in 153 inning. He was also named the Twins minor league pitcher of the year. His ERA was great, fourth best in the league, at 2.70.

It’s a lot easier to have success in the big leagues if you can strikeout a lot of batters, and Bromberg has shown that he can do that, posting a 9.5 K/9 strikeout rate in the minors. 2010 should be his last full year in the minors, and sometime during the 2nd half of 2011 he should get called up to Minnesota, where I expect him to become one of the best 2 or 3 pitchers in the rotation.

Top 50 Twins Prospects: #5 Danny Valencia

5. Danny Valencia

Third Base

Bats: Right

Age: 25

ETA: 2010

Potential: Above average third baseman

2010 outlook: Minnesota Twins 3B (starting in June)

Danny Valencia was the Twins 19th round draft pick in 2006. He’s posted solid numbers throughout his minor league career. In 2007 he had 17 homers and 23 doubles, in 2008 he had 15 homers and 37 doubles. This year he played at AA and AAA. He hit 14 homers, 38 doubles, and 4 triples. His triple slash was .285/.337/.466. In 487 at-bats, he struck out 77 times and walked 39 times. He only walked 8 times at AAA, so hopefully that is just an anomaly.

Valencia tore it up at AAA when he first arrived there this year, hitting .360/.372/.573 in his first 19 games, but he cooled off considerably at the end of the season. He should arrive in the big leagues sometime in 2010, but the big question is when. It doesn’t look like he will be the starting 3B on opening day, but he should get a shot shortly thereafter. Valencia should be the Twins best Twins 3B since Koskie patrolled the hot corner. I think in the coming years, Valencia will provide above average defense, have a triple slash line of .290/.345/.470, while knocking in 15-25 homers a year.

Top 50 Twins Prospects: #6 Angel Morales

6. Angel Morales

Outfielder

Bats: Right

Age: 20

ETA: 2012

Potential: OF with great speed/power combo

2010 outlook: Fort Myers outfield

Angel Morales was the Twins 3rd round pick in the 2007 draft. Morales is from Puerto Rico. He had a fantastic 2008 year at rookie ball. As a 18 year old, in just 183 at-bats he hit 15 homers and 12 doubles, to go along with 7 steals and a .301/.413/.623 triple slash line. This year he started off sluggishly at Beloit, but he had a great second half. Overall, in 376 at-bats he hit 13 homers, 22 doubles, 5 triples, 19 steals, and a .266/.329/.455 triple slash line. He was only 19 years old.

Morales has a lot of power, and good speed. He could be a 30 HR/30 SB type outfielder. The biggest weakness is his strikeout rate. He did strikeout 104 times in 406 at-bats. He has as much raw potential as anyone in the system, enough to become a star.

Top 50 Twins Prospects: #7 Wilson Ramos

7. Wilson Ramos

Catcher

Bats: Right

Age: 22

ETA: 2011

Potential: Big league catcher

2010 outlook: Rochester starting catcher/DH

Wilson Ramos signed with the Twins in 2004, in Venezuela. Ramos has a great bat for a catcher. In 2008, he hit 13 homers and 23 doubles in 452 at-bats to go along with a .288/.346/.434 slash line. This year he was hit hard by injuries and so he only played in 54 games at New Britain. But he did hit 4 homers and 16 doubles along with a .317/.341/.454 slash line. He also plays outstanding defense.

Ramos is obviously blocked by Joe Mauer from being the Twins starting catcher. But he could be the backup catcher and DH when he isn’t catching. Many speculate the Twins will try to trade him. He is currently playing winter ball for Venezuela and he is tearing it up. In 115 at-bats he has 10 doubles, 6 homers, 30 RBI’s, and a .374/.434/.635 slash line. He’s definitely a valuable player to have in the system.

Top 50 Twins Prospects: #8 Ben Revere

8. Ben Revere

Outfielder

Bats: Left

Age: 21

ETA: 2011

Potential: #2 hitter

2010 outlook: New Britain outfield

Ben Revere was the Twins 1st round pick in the 2007 draft. He’s posted some of the best numbers of any Twins prospect since that time. In 2007 he hit .325/.388/.461 in 191 at-bats with 21 stolen bases for the GCL Twins.

In 2008, Revere led the entire minors (!) in hitting with a batting average of .379. Many though he would finish above .400. Overall in 2008, he hit .379/.433/.497 with 44 stolen bases, 17 doubles, and 10 triples in 340 at-bats for class low A Beloit.

This year at class A Fort Myers he hit .311/.372/.369. He had more walks (40) than strikeouts (34) in 466 at-bats. He also stole 45 bases. In 2008 and 2009 Revere was named the Twins minor league hitter of the year. One thing to notice is the lack of power. He only has 3 homers in 997 minor league at-bats. That is the main reason why he isn’t higher on this list. The Twins also have a couple of outfielders that are as just as good if not better than Revere. And I’ve heard is defense is suspect. But Revere should arrive in 2011, and he looks to be an ideal #1 or #2 hitter, who gets on-base at a great clip and can steal 45-50 bases a year.

Top 50 Twins Prospects: #9 Deolis Guerra

9. Deolis Guerra

Starting Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 20

ETA: 2011

Potential: #1/2 starter

2010 outlook: Class AA New Britain, could be promoted to class AAA Rochester

Deolis Guerra is the only player remaining in the organization that the Twins received in the Johan Santana trade. When he was in the Mets system, they rushed him through the system. They had him pitching in high A ball as an 18 year old. Then he was traded to the Twins and he was stuck at that level until half way through this year, when the Twins moved him up to AA New Britain.

His numbers in 2008 weren’t great because the Twins were changing his mechanics. He is showing signs of big improvement however. His walk rate has gone down from 4.9 to 2.5 BB/9 and his strikeout rate has jumped from 4.9 to 5.9 to 7 K/9. Two reasons to believe in Guerra are that he is still very young for the level he’s playing at, and his numbers and rates are getting better every year.