The Kids

There’s no shortage of places that put out top prospect lists, whether it be league-wide or just individual teams. Not only have I found how players are ranked globally, but I’d like to find and share some of the team-specific rankings too.

My personal top-10 prospects list (with likely 2018 levels)

1. Royce Lewis – SS (Cedar Rapids)

• There’s some chatter about whether Lewis can stay at shortstop, but even in center field he’s a dynamic prospect. He’s off the charts as a player and also as a human being. From an anonymous scouting source: “Athletic shortstop with tremendous ceiling. Understands strike zone, not afraid of 0-2 hole. Plus swing speed w/ solid hand/eye skills. Power may take time.”

2. Fernando Romero – SP (Rochester)

• Much more flash than polish at this point, but Romero is the team’s best chance at a top-tier starter at this point, considering how close he is to the big leagues. Was very, very good at Double-A Chattanooga last year, but may find himself there again with depth in the system at Rochester. From Chris Blessing of Baseball HQ: “Smaller stature RHP. Gets good tilt on fastball. Can miss up but lives down in the zone. Slider is a swing and miss pitch. Has put in a lot of work with his curve. Got hurt on the curve a lot last year despite it continually getting better. At best he’s a No. 2-3 starter, at worst he’ll be a high-leverage reliever.”

3. Wander Javier – SS (Cedar Rapids)

• Was more than two years younger than league average at Elizabethton last year and hit a solid .299/.383/.471 with 19 walks and 49 strikeouts in 180 plate appearances. Industry consensus seems to be that he’ll hit — and potentially for power as he fills out — but size might push him off shortstop, where he can be a bit erratic (.893 fielding percentage in 149 chances last year). Has some helium, will only be 19 this year.

4. Stephen Gonsalves – SP (Chattanooga)

• He’s a classic pitchability lefty with the potential to be a bit more. He should probably see a bit of time in the big leagues this year, though there’s more depth in the pitching staff than we’re accustomed to. He’ll start in Chattanooga, but it won’t be for long. Blessing: “I’ve been back and forth on his profile. Don’t know if his stuff will get the swings and misses it does in the minors. Understands sequencing, may not need bigger strikeout numbers. No. 3-4 upside.”

5. Nick Gordon – 2B/SS (Chattanooga)

• He’s close to a finished product, though a severe second-half fade could disrupt his year-per-level pace. Hard to say if he’ll stick at short or second, but could be the starter at either spot as soon as 2019 Opening Day. He’ll also start with the Lookouts, but it’ll be a short trip. Blessing: “Suffering from some prospect fatigue. Will not live up to No. 5 pick hype, but will be a solid regular for years to come. Not as rangy as most shortstops, likely a second baseman long-term. Heady hitter, adjusts well in the game and within ABs.”

6. Brent Rooker – 1B/OF (Chattanooga)

• Raked everywhere he went in 2017, from the SEC to the FSL. Needed a bit of time to get his legs under him with the Miracle, but left no doubt he should start the year in Chattanooga and could finish it in Minneapolis. From an anonymous scouting source: “Powerful hitter. Power can carry profile. However, some concern about bat speed long-term. Limited to left field because of arm. Will likely need to deliver average at big-league level for regular role. Will have the power in LF/1B to play if average is there.”

7. Alex Kirilloff – OF (Cedar Rapids)

• Very polished youngster when he was taken out of a Pittsburgh-area high school with the final first-round pick of the Terry Ryan era. After hitting .306/.341/.454 as one of the youngsters at Elizabethton, he missed the 2017 season with Tommy John surgery. Hit tool is there, power is up for debate but should be useful and the hope is he can stick in right if the arm comes all the way back. A bit of a wildcard at present. 

8. Akil Baddoo – OF (Cedar Rapids)

• Polarizing, but not in a bad way as the outfielder is very, very high on some lists and merely high on others. Keith Law, for instance, loves him (No. 4 in the system) while he’s more in the 10-12 range most other places. Doesn’t have much of an arm, so it’s either center or left for him. He carried a .357/.478/.579 line in the Appy League last year, and hit a stellar .323/.436/.527 between there and the GCL. Could very easily be the team’s No. 2 prospect in a year.  

9. Brusdar Graterol – SP (Extended Spring Training)

• Has a huge arm and was terrific as an 18-year-old in the Appy League last year. Overall, had a 2.70 ERA in 40 innings with 45-13 K/BB ratio and 0.98 WHIP. Will fight Baddoo for most helium in the system.

10. Blayne Enlow – SP (Extended Spring Training)

• The 2017 third-round pick was tremendous with the GCL team — 1.33 ERA, 19-4 K/BB ratio in 20.1 innings — but that’s not terribly surprising. He’s a spin-rate guy with his curve, is athletic and has a solid repertoire. Still too early to project too much from him, but the future is bright.

Listen to Brandon on Midwest Swing & Locked On Twins

Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne covers the Minnesota Twins for Zone Coverage and is also the site's senior editor. He hosts the Midwest Swing podcast for the site as well. He and his wife Amanda live in the outer Twin Cities suburbs with their daughter, Harper.

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