Organization Ranking: 2
I've ranked every farm system, as well as the top 100 MLB prospects for 2015. Below, I've ranked at least the top 10 Twins prospects, plus an overview of the system and any other names of note beyond the top 10. I also discuss any prospects who might help the big league club in 2015, one or two prospects whose stock has taken a big hit in the past year, and a sleeper prospect who I think can jump into the main top-100 list for 2016.
Non-Insider subscribers: Check out the free Tampa Bay Rays top-10 prospects report to see what these entail.
Top 10 prospects
1. Byron Buxton, CF
2. Miguel Sano, 3B
3. Alex Meyer, RHP
4. Nick Gordon, SS
5. Kohl Stewart, RHP
6. Jose Berrios, RHP
7. Lewis Thorpe, LHP
8. Eddie Rosario, CF/2B
9. Jorge Polanco, SS
10. Amaurys Minier, LF/1B
Overview
The Twins returned just about every prospect in their system, with Josmil Pinto, Danny Santana, and Kennys Vargas the only graduations of note. Of those, only Pinto was in the Twins' top 10 last winter. Part of that is that Sano missed the whole year with Tommy John surgery, and Buxton missed most of it with a series of unfortunate events, so neither guy will see the majors until at least the middle of 2015, with Meyer and Trevor May (11) the most likely Twins prospects to help the major-league club on or shortly after Opening Day.
The Twins' system remains quite deep even after their MLB-high six top-100 prospects. Rosario is probably a centerfielder for the near future after a few years of splitting time between there and second base, never really looking comfortable on the dirt; the bigger concern is that he came back from a suspension for a failed drug test and, for the first time in his career, didn't hit. Polanco is a better bet than Santana (whose 2014 MLB line was largely fueled by a fluky .405 BABIP) to be a long-term regular, probably at second base but with an outside chance to stay at shortstop. He has a better overall approach than Santana, and started running better this year, giving the Twins more hope for him at short. Minier is the deep sleeper here, a big kid who doesn't really have a position, but can hit and hit for power from both sides of the plate. He's going to be huge, 220-230 pounds or more when he's fully grown, which will limit where he can play on the field.
May might end up a back-end starter in the majors, maybe as good as a No. 4 who's occasionally league-average, if his command permits it. The Twins grabbed three high-end college relievers in the 2014 draft, with Jake Reed (12) leapfrogging Nick Burdi (13) and Michael Cederoth (18) so far in pro ball, thanks to a 93-97 mph fastball with plus life, although he needs to ramp up his hard slurve to be a potential eighth or ninth inning guy. Burdi can sit 98-100 mph, and he blew it by A-ball hitters over the summer; he won't be challenged to locate anything until at least Double-A.
Max Kepler (14) still has the physical tools and the athletic build that made him the first real prospect to come out of Germany, but until his power starts showing up in games it's hard to see him as more than an up-and-down bench bat. He had such limited experience against real pitching as an amateur that he's always been a bit behind for his age, and still has just over 1,300 pro plate appearances across five years in the system, so he has the factors you'd expect to see in a late bloomer. Chih-Wei Hu (16) is a 5-foot-11 right-hander who pitched well in 10 appearances in low-A at age 20, touching 95 mph but with a flat fastball, succeeding more on command and control than raw stuff. Travis Harrison (17) is in left field full time now, but showed no power at all in the Florida State League. Lefty Stephen Gonsalves (18) pitched well at two levels -- his last start of the year pushed his low-A ERA up by over a run -- but still doesn't have even a fringy breaking ball to go with his plus split-change. Both Mason Melotakis and Fernando Romero had Tommy John surgery; Romero might be back midyear but Melotakis is done until 2016.
2015 impact
Meyer should make the Twins' rotation this year; May could get some spot starts or help in relief. Sano and Buxton should surface later in the year as long as their health permits it. Reed or Burdi could race to the majors if the Twins are willing to be aggressive in their first full years in the minors.
The fallen
Second baseman Levi Michael (15) was the Twins' first-round pick in 2011 but has missed almost a full year of playing time in the last two seasons around foot and ankle injuries, and when he's played he's shown zero power, with seven home runs in 1,168 career PA.
Sleeper
I don't usually like to repeat guys as sleepers, but Lewis Thorpe seems about ready to make that leap this year after falling just a little short in 2014. He improved his conditioning for 2014, showed better control, and has three pitches that are or project as plus. He should crack the top 100 next year with a full season in Fort Myers.