Six Twins Make Bi-Annual Top Prospect List

Story by Intern Matt

Just wait Twins fans, just a little longer. MLB.com completed their mid-season prospect rankings over the weekend and there were a bunch of changes. One of the things that didn't change, was the inclusion of Twins prospects among baseball's best.

With the Twins looking more and more like the team we've watched the previous three seasons, fans running low on hope can look to the future...whenever that may be. Minnesota has no shortage of players that could be filling the lineup by this time next year and many of them are doing very well in the minor leagues.

Byron Buxton is still baseball's highest rated prospect, despite battling injury issues for a majority of the year. He's currently in Double-A ball and it is conceivable that had he not gotten injured, he would be patrolling Centerfield for the major league club.

Miguel Sano has dropped in the rankings but still is rated in the top 10. He's been out the entire year with an elbow injury and it remains to be seen how long it takes him to get up to speed fielding and throwing, but he's arguably the best power hitting prospect in baseball and profiles as a legit middle-of-the-order hitter.

The Twins also host a nice group of pitching prospects that will hopefully be making their way to the majors at some point in the next 2 years.

Kohl Stewart was the team's first round pick last season and he is currently in Single-A ball. Thus far Stewart has pitched extremely well, holding an earned run average of below 2.5 and displaying velocity and stuff requisite of a front-line starting pitcher. He is most likely on an innings limit for this year given his youth, but if he keeps pitching like he has, he could be a name we hear next year in the MLB Futures game. He is ranked the 25th best prospect in baseball.

Alex Meyer, a guy we've been waiting for basically the entire season is the Twins 4th highest rated prospect and the 31st rated prospect in baseball. Meyer has been terrific if Triple-A and it is only a matter of time before he's pitching in the show.

Jose Berrios is the 38th rated prospect and was recently promoted to Double-A. If he shows he can handle Double-A between now and the end of the season, it isn’t out of the question that Berrios could reach the big league by the middle of next year.

Nick Gordon was the team's first round pick in the 2014 draft and he is rated the 42nd best prospect in baseball. He's playing in rookie ball, and is most likely 3-4 years away from contributing in the majors.

Other notable players that have moved up or down in the Twins system include Eddie Rosario and Trevor May. Rosario, once a top prospect in the organization has dropped all the way to 10 on the Twins prospect list. Rosario missed 50 games because of a suspension, and has struggled in Double-A ball upon return. Trevor May has recouped a lot of his value off a disappointing first season in the Twins organization and is now rated the 8th best prospect in the system. May is lighting up Triple-A and is very close to making his big league debut with the team.

Determining the success of baseball prospects is very much a crap-shoot. Many top guys appear to be "can't miss" in the minors, only to never make it when they hit the majors. The last four years have been terrible for Twins fans, and if some of these guys can get to the major leagues and live up their potential, there will finally be reason for excitement again for Minnesota baseball.