Prospect Report:
Ode to Minnesota Baseball

David Cameron

Congratulations to Barry Bonds on hitting his 71st and 72nd home run, Rickey Henderson on breaking Ty Cobb's record for runs scored, and the Mariners winning their AL-record-breaking 115th game of the season, all on the same weekend. Baseball won't see a weekend this historic again anytime soon, and it isn't even over yet. Now, back to players who will be breaking records in 2018.

The first-half run of the Minnesota Twins was one of the best stories in baseball this year. If general manager Terry Ryan plays his cards right, their rise to AL Central Champs could be the story of 2002. Quietly, Minnesota has put together one of the best farm systems in baseball and a nucleus of young players who are just entering their primes.

Corey Koskie may be the most underrated player in baseball and a top-tier third baseman. Cristian Guzman's offensive improvement and defensive abilities make him a valuable shortstop. Torii Hunter's defense in center field and big time power help overcome his inability to reach base very often and make him a solid contributor. Eric Milton, Brad Radke, and Joe Mays are three of the best starters in the American League. And believe it or not, the current Twins could get a big boost from their minor-league counterparts in 2002.

Michael Cuddyer has a chance to win the everyday left-field job. A top third base prospect, Cuddyer showed remarkable power and patience in AA and should be ready to contribute as a cleanup hitter that the Twins have been missing since Kent Hrbek retired. On the opposite side of the outfield, Michael Restovich looks poised to replace the departed Matt Lawton as the regular right fielder. Restovich, like Cuddyer, has tape measure power. He needs to make more contact and be more patient at the plate and I'm not convinced that he's ready to contribute quite yet, but he's not far away and is loaded with talent.

David Ortiz and Doug Mientkiewicz, good players in their own right, are going to have to hold off Justin Morneau, who is certainly the Twins' long-term answer at first base. Morneau is going to be at the top of my list of prospects to emerge next season, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ended 2002 as the Twins number-three hitter.

If Tom Kelly has been paying attention the past few weeks, he may realize that Matt LeCroy has big time hitting ability and could be very valuable behind the plate. T.K. hates LeCroy's defense, but if you can get a .280/.360/.500 season from a catcher making major-league minimum, I don't care if he throws like the Venus de Milo, you put him in pads. The Twins could potentially field a lineup of Guzman-Koskie-Mientkiewicz-Ortiz-Cuddyer-Restovich-Hunter-Lecroy-Rivas and score 850-900 runs with none of those guys making more than a couple million dollars.

However, it takes more than just offense to win. Thankfully, the Twins have one of the best rotations in the AL as well. Milton, Reed, Mays, and Radke are all all-star-type pitchers at their best, and Adam Johnson, the number-two pick in the 2000 draft, can fight Kyle Lohse and Brad Thomas to find a useful fifth starter, one of the Achilles heels in the Twins playoff push this season. I think Johnson will step forward and eventually pitch well enough that Reed can be moved to a team that needs a veteran starter.

The big overhaul has to come in the bullpen, but thankfully, that's the easiest position in baseball to find talent. With a little bit of good scouting, the Twins could easily add a Ryan Franklin/Cory Lidle/Chad Bradford type and build a cheap, solid core of relievers.

Normally when an organization gets a large influx of talent in one season, their minor-league system is barren for a few years, having been robbed of a lot of its top talent. However, the Twins also have number-one pick Joe Mauer on the way, and all reports call him a special talent who may end up being a rare offensive catcher who is a plus defensively as well.

B.J. Garbe, the number-five pick in the 1999 draft, has struggled so far but is still just 20 and has given signs of an emergence. He's still one to watch. The organization likes Juan Rincon, Brian Wolfe, and Kevin Frederick as young arms that aren't more than a year or so off. Second-round pick Scott Tyler showed a live fastball and has a lot of potential as a future starter.

As the Indians get older and get no help from a lacking farm system, the Twins will have an opportunity to seize the American League Central. However, the White Sox are also waiting in the wings and the Twins are going to have to make the decision to be patient through the inevitable struggles of their young players. If Tom Kelly can give up his infatuation with veterans and useless role players and go with talented kids who are going to make mental mistakes in the learning process, he may just get another crack at postseason before he steps aside.

As poor as TK has handled some young players in the past, it's going to take incompetence of Tony Muser-like proportions to not contend with one of the best young rosters in baseball. That may not remind Twins fans of Hrbek, Puckett, Gladden, Gagne, or Gaetti, but get to know Cuddyer, Restovich, Morneau, Mauer, and Koskie. These kids just may bring you another October run.

No matter how nicely we ask, David Cameron just won't indulge us with a list of the Top Ten Up-And-Coming Mascot Prospects. Beseech him to help find the next Youppi at dac@strikethree.com.

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