2012 -- Twins Minor Leaguers, Sano and Co.

[nicksaviking]

Super 2 only has to do with service time, not effectiveness. Basically it is a comparison of the service time of all the players the year they hit arbitration. Recently it has broken down to guys who have come up before the second week of June are in the running to get to their first year arbitration a year early. The first year or arbitration usually hasn't been too disaterous for teams, it's the third and fourth year that gets expensive if the player turns out to be useful.

For instance, Danny Valencia just missed super two status because, surprise, the Twins waited until June to call him up.

[catman]

Outrighting Carlos Gutierrez to AAA caused him to be subjected to waivers and the Cubs claimed him. I wish him the best with the Cubs. I might get a chance to see him in Des Moines next season.

[nicksaviking]

The Cubs are rebuilding too, I would not be surprised if he is the the Chicago bullpen either.

[catman]

Nate Roberts finished the season in the AFL with top stats in OBP, OPS, BA and Slg. .565, 1.226, .446, .662 were his stats. At 23, he may be ready to move up to AAA, skipping a couple of levels. This would be out of the Twins' standard way of doing things, but he really impressed scouts in Arizona this year.

[catman]

From www.milb.com: http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp...vkey=news_milb

[PurpleJesus]

ESPN insider on Alex Meyer, who MLB.com has already updated to be our #3 prospect.

Meyer has touched 99 and can work at 92-97 even as a starter, with good life on the pitch due to his low slot, although his ground ball rates in pro ball have been just okay. His slider is filthy, a bona fide out pitch whether he starts or closes in the majors, while his changeup has improved to the point where it's probably a future-average pitch. (He hasn't shown any kind of platoon split so far in the minors anyway.) There's a good enough chance that he starts that I'd hate to give him up for three years of a league-average centerfielder unless my club was an immediate contender -- which the Nats are. For the Twins, this gives them the potential frontline starter they didn't see in the 2012 draft class, when they passed on Kevin Gausman and Mark Appel in favor of very high-upside prep center fielder Byron Buxton. Pair Meyer with the resurgent Kyle Gibson, who showed a plus mid-80s slider in the Arizona Fall League, and the Twins' future pitching situation looks a lot more promising.

[nicksaviking]

The biggest knock on Meyer are his mechanics which are due to his towering size. There's just so much more of him to get in sync. No reason to think he can't though, this was the issue with Randy Johnson early in his career. He figured it out and so will Meyer. A 6'9" pitcher with a high 90's heater with a nasty slider, sounds a lot like Johnson in fact.

[catman]

Just for the record, here are the Twins' top 10 prospects from Baseball America. If anyone wants the scouting reports, ask. I'll post them here.

1. Miguel Sano, 3b



2. Byron Buxton, of



3. Oswaldo Arcia, of



4. Kyle Gibson, rhp



5. Aaron Hicks, of



6. J.O. Berrios, rhp



7. Eddie Rosario, 2b/of



8. Max Kepler, of



9. Daniel Santana, ss/2b



10. Luke Bard, rhp


These were pre-trade rankings. I'm sure Meyer and May would fit in somewhere.

[catman]

Here are the stats for all the Twins' players that participated in the winter leagues this off-season, including Venezualan, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican and Australian: http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/org.jsp?id=min

[biggsohnasty]

Cat, how much have you seen or heard of May and Meyer? Where would you rank them in the Twins system at this point? Most sites have them in the 3-5 for Meyer and 5-8 for May.

[catman]

All I've heard of them is from the same sources you have on them. I'll do more checking, but I think you've got them placed properly.
May projects, to me, as a 2-3 starter and Meyer as a fringe "ace" (if he can gain command of his fastball and slider). The team should be OK when these 2, along with Berrios and Gibson, are in the rotation.
Here is the rotation I see:
Meyer
Berrios
May
Gibson
Whomever (Bard, Hendriks, Worley)

[biggsohnasty]

That would be a nice rotation for sure. Definitly a nice mix of flamethrowers, innings eaters, and crafty spot hitters. Thats an ideal rotation. And if things shake out nicely our lineup could be pretty darn good as well by that time.