Posted on 09 March 2009
H/W: 6-1 180 lb. B/T: R/R DOB: 11/24/89
The Twins selected the young Puerto Rican OF in the 3rd round of the 2007 draft. After a mediocre '07 season with the Twins' GCL affiliate, Angel Morales came back in '08 and put up big numbers at short season Low-A Elizabethton hitting .301 with 15 HR 28 RBI 7 SB and 33 runs scored in just 183 AB. Morales has fast hands and a powerful swing that exerts excellent torque on balls in the strike zone. His athleticism plays well in every aspect of his game as he is an above average runner and solid OF. The big question mark in his game, at this point is the infamous plate discipline numbers. Last season Morales walked 26 times but punched out 74 times in 56 games. He gets overly aggressive with pitches outside the zone and has difficulty altering his approach against offspeed pitches. Also, there has been some concern that his breakout numbers could be partially inflated by the home park that he played in, as many Elizabethton players put up excellent numbers last year. Morales batted .333 at home and .275 on the road, but his power numbers were almost identical 8 HR at home vs. 7 on the road). There is a great deal to like about Morales, but much of it is raw and merely projectible at this point.
2009 Projection: Angel Morales will be gearing up for his first full season of baseball at Low-A Beloit. This should provide a good challenge for him to prove that his breakout season is authentic. Watch the K numbers this year. Last season's average of nearly 1.5 per game will not be acceptable at higher levels, making that .300 BA an outlier. The Twins will be working with Morales to get him to keep his hips closed and hands back longer, this should help him see the ball for just a bit longer and utilize the entire field when he hits. Morales has quick enough hands that he should be able to make this transition without negatively affecting his power numbers.
Key Angel Morales Baseball Cards:
- 2008 Playoff Contenders Auto
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Posted on 12 January 2009
H/W: 6-0 205 lb. B/T: R/R DOB: 8/10/87
Seemingly every franchise has to have its high-upside offensive catching prospect nowadays and, for the Minnesota Twins, Wilson Ramos is it. Putting on 15 lb. of muscle in the off season enabled the young Venezuelan to have his best season to date hitting .288 with 13 HR 78 RBI and 23 doubles. Ramos has above average bat speed and a level swing plane that allows for him to hit with power to the gaps. He is a good athlete whose mobility behind the plate and strong arm makes him a superior defensive catcher as well. Ramos has the potential to hit for a high average, but his plate disicpline (37 BB/103 K) threatens to severely hamper him against more advanced pitching. The Twins are optimistic that he can improve in that area and, with franchise player Joe Mauer calling the signals for the Twins, Ramos has ample time to refine his tools.
2009 Projection: The next stop for the young Venezuelan receiver is AA New Britian where he should be challenged. The BB/K rate is the big thing to watch from him. If he can convert 15-20 of his K's into walks, he should be able to maintain a .280-.290 average. If he continues to struggle, that average could dip into the .250-.260 range, severely hampering his status as a potential top catching prospect.
Key Wilson Ramos Baseball Cards:
- 2008 Donruss Threads Auto #/999
- 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Auto #/745
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Posted on 25 December 2008
H/W: 6-2 170 lb. B/T: S/R DOB: 10/2/89
The Twins' 1st round pick had an immensely successful debut with Minnesota's GCL affiliate hitting .318 with 4 HR 27 RBI 12 SB and 32 runs scored in just 45 games. Hicks has incredible athleticism and tools galore with above average power potential from both sides of the plate, top rate speed, and an arm that fired mid-90's fastballs as a high school pitcher. To the surprise of many MLB scouts, Hicks demonstrated advanced skills in plate discipline (28 BB/32 K) and base stealing savvy (12 SB in 14 attempts), once thought to be weaknesses in his game. Hicks has the ability to run down any ball in the OF gaps, though he still needs to work on taking more precise routes. The Twins couldn't be happier with the early returns from Hicks and the biggest challenge for him will be to replicate these numbers over a full season.
2009 Projection: Aaron has certainly earned a trip to full season Low-A Beloit. Watch to see if Hicks can continue to put up sterling BB/K ratios while increasing his power output. With Ben Revere excelling as the Twins' future CF, it will be important for Hicks to boost his power production to an acceptable level to be a RF. Of course, there is always the possibility the Minnesota would develop Hicks as their future CF, moving Revere over to LF. Either way, Hicks has the projectible strength and athleticism to hit 15-20 HR with a high average at the MLB level. Twins fans rejoice!
Key Aaron Hicks Baseball Cards:
- 2008 Razor Signature Series Auto #/699
- 2008 Razor Exclusive Auto
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Posted on 19 December 2008
H/W: 6-5 240 lb. B/T: L/R DOB: 9/14/87
Bromberg had a solid season with Beloit, though it did not match up to the promise that his 9-0 stint with short season Elizebethton did in '07. Bromberg did not miss as many bats as hitters batted .262 against him (opposed to .211 last season). That said, Bromberg has a 90-92 MPH fastball with good movement and a power slurve that breaks in two planes and has the makings of a swing and miss pitch. He is working on a changeup, though it is a long way off from being a MLB quality pitch. Bromberg needs to improve his body as it is still a bit soft, though his frame should be able to add strength and his long limbs leave promise that his fastball could add a little more velocity.
Bromberg has an intriguing ceiling and he could be another quality starter for the Twins in the next few seasons. Expect him to start at High-A Fort Myers this spring.
Key David Bromberg Baseball Cards:
- 2008 Bowman Chrome Prospects
- 2008 Donruss Threads Gold Auto #/999
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Posted on 15 December 2008
H/W: 6-2 211 lb. B/T: R/R DOB: 3/5/88
The Twins' 2006 2nd round pick had his season cut short in June after suffering a stress fracture in his back. Prior to the injury, Benson batted .248 with 4 HR 27 RBI and 17 SB in 69 games. When healthy, this Joliet native is hands-down the best athlete in the Minnesota Twins' organization with an athletic and muscular frame that should develop plus power and top-notch speed. Defensively, Benson has the tools to be an elite CF and the arm strength to play RF. He is a gritty competitor who was a top prep running back recruited by Purdue and other universities. The biggest questions remain with his lack of offensive polish. Benson displayed poor plate discipline (24 BB/72 K) and a lack of basestealing savvy (11 times caught stealing). Additionally, the looming spectre of a major back injury does present the risk of becoming a chronic problem that could continue to hamper his development. All told, Benson is a young and intriguing athlete who has several questions to answer this upcoming season.
2009 Projection: Early reports show that Benson will be healthy and ready to go for 2009. The Twins will likely send him back to Low-A Beloit and if early returns are good, he should move to High-A Fort Myers at some point in the season. Pay close attention to his health status this year as well as his progress in both his plate and baserunning discipline. If he can hone these skills, Joe Benson could become the MInnesota Twins' version of Grady Sizemore within the next few seasons.
Key Joe Benson Baseball Cards
- 2007 Bowman Sterling Auto
- 2007 Bowman Heritage Auto
- 2008 Bowman Chrome Prospects
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Posted on 05 December 2008
H/W: 6-3 210 lb. B/T: R/R DOB: 9/22/86
Gutierrez was a surprise '08 1st round pick by the Twins. He was converted to a closer by the University of Miami after returning from Tommy John surgery. During this time the former Hurricane ace developed a lively fastball that can hit 95 MPH with heavy sink. This pitch alone allowed him to have a successful debut at High-A Fort Myers, going 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA and 19 K's in 25.2 IP. He forced 2.56 ground outs per flyout as well.
Gutierrez exhibits good control of his fastball, but the biggest detractor to his game is the lack of a second pitch. The Twins seem optimistic that they can work with him to establish a breaking ball to work well with his very good fastball. Given the high level of success the Twins have enjoyed in developing pitchers, there is reason to be optimistic for this to happen. Gutierrez has a strong and athletic frame that should make him a fine late inning power arm at the major league level.
2009 Projection: Gutierrez had a successful but brief stint at Fort Myers, but he may find himself there again to begin the '09 season. The Twins have been working hard with him to develop his second pitch. Gutierrez seems best fit to be a late inning pitcher who can use his hard sinker to induce groundball outs with runners on base. While this is valuable for a big league club, the middle reliever roles holds no value to collectors. Regardless, watch to see if he continues to pitch in a closing role for either Fort Myers or AA New Britain.
Key Carlos Gutierrez Baseball Cards:
- 2008 Bowman Chrome Draft Auto
- 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Auto #/202
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Posted on 17 November 2008
H/W: 5-9 165 lb. B/T: L/R DOB: 5/3/88
Revere had a splendid season at Low-A Beloit, flirting with .400 for most of the summer before being shut down in mid-August with an ankle injury. Revere finished hitting .379 with 28 extra base hits and 44 SB in 57 attempts. Revere is one of the fastest players in the minor leagues whose line drive swing sprays the ball very well to all fields. Revere has impeccable hand-eye coordination which makes him very tough to strike out. Defensively, Revere's speed gives him above average CF range and his arm is average. Revere is lauded for his makeup and work ethic which has been characterized as being "elite". It is unclear of how much power Revere will develop as a pro as he hit only one HR this year. Additionally, while he is tough to strike out, Revere only Read the full story
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The Twins selected the young Puerto Rican OF in the 3rd round of the 2007 draft. After a mediocre '07 season with the Twins' GCL affiliate, Angel Morales came back in '08 and put up big numbers at short season Low-A Elizabethton hitting .301 with 15 HR 28 RBI 7 SB and 33 runs scored in just 183 AB. Morales has fast hands and a powerful swing that exerts excellent torque on balls in the strike zone. His athleticism plays well in every aspect of his game as he is an above average runner and solid OF. The big question mark in his game, at this point is the infamous plate discipline numbers. Last season Morales walked 26 times but punched out 74 times in 56 games. He gets overly aggressive with pitches outside the zone and has difficulty altering his approach against offspeed pitches. Also, there has been some concern that his breakout numbers could be partially inflated by the home park that he played in, as many Elizabethton players put up excellent numbers last year. Morales batted .333 at home and .275 on the road, but his power numbers were almost identical 8 HR at home vs. 7 on the road). There is a great deal to like about Morales, but much of it is raw and merely projectible at this point.
