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Minnesota Twins Top 10 Prospects For 2017

By Benjamin Chase

Apr 30, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A Minnesota Twins fan dons her promotional bomber hat before the game against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 30, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A Minnesota Twins fan dons her promotional bomber hat before the game against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 30, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A Minnesota Twins fan dons her promotional bomber hat before the game against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 30, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A Minnesota Twins fan dons her promotional bomber hat before the game against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports /

The Minnesota Twins will have the #1 pick next summer due to their rough 2016 season. What is in the current minor league system to help them in their rebuilding efforts?

An Introduction

Our minor league top 10 series is coordinated by Benjamin Chase, one of our contributors at Call To The Pen.

He has poured over thousands of minor league games over the course of the year via milb.tv along with speaking with a number of team and independent scouts. These lists are based out of those conversations.

Each system will have prospects from 10 to 1, and then finish with one newcomer to the system that is worth keeping an eye on that is not in the top 10 at this time.

Conversations are certainly encouraged in the comments section on each system as we go along!

Twins System Review

After four seasons of 90+ losses, the Twins thought they’d found the right mix in 2015 as they topped .500 and made a run at the Wild Card until late in the season. There was plenty of reason to hope for 2016, as they’d get a full season of Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano along with seeing Jose Berrios break through into the rotation.

Those things happened, but the results were absolutely not there, primarily because the pitching, outside of Ervin Santana, was absolutely terrible. The team lost closer Glen Perkins after two April outings, and that shuffled the bullpen into roles that really weakened the overall pitching staff.

The result was 103 losses, the worst record in the league, and the runaway #1 overall pick by 9 games compared to the next-worst record in the league.

With the promotion of Sano, Buxton, Berrios, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, Byung Ho Park, and Taylor Rogers to exceed their rookie eligibility in 2016, the Twins have lost a significant chunk of talent from their minor league system.

There is quite a bit of young talent at the big league levels and the 2016 draft was very well done. Derek Falvey and his new staff will have some big-time work to do to get the system built back up.

Let’s take a look at the top 10!

Next: #10

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