The number one on this list is obvious and the number one prospect in all of baseball currently. Twins fans will be seeing him for the next decade shortly and he has the potential to be the best center fielder in team history. He will some day be taking the torch as the face of the franchise from future hall of famer Joe Mauer, and without further ado here is my list of the top 5 outfield prospects:
5. Nate Roberts OF (High-A Fort Myers)
Nate set the Arizona Fall League record for batting average last year and unfortunately went down with an injury in his first game this season. He has been injury prone which is why he hasn't been above High-A and is 24 and will be 25 by the time the season starts. He has shown potential offensively with a career slashline in the minors of .307/.438/.458 and 13 homers, 85 RBI, and 62 extra base hits in 180 career minor league games. He is eligible for a team to take him in the Rule 5 Draft, but given his injury history I don't see him being taken from us. If he can stay healthy and continue to hit he can begin to rise fast and could reach target field as early as 2015.
4. J.D. Williams OF (High-A Fort Myers)
Williams absolutely tore up Low-A Cedar Rapids and was promoted to High-A Fort Myers. His slashline between the two levels .265/.372/.403 with 9 homers, 58 RBI, and 32 extra base hits. He was an on base machine between both levels. His on base at Low-A was .391, which would make him an all star at the major league level. He did also steal 26 bases and played very well defensively. He drew 66 walks between both levels and if he can continue to play great defense, steal some bases, and get on base at a high clip, he can become your prototypical lead off guy. He'll probably start in High-A where he finished, but could be roaming the outfield of Target Field come 2016.
3. Adam Brett Walker OF (Low-A Cedar Rapids)
Adam absolutely mashed at Low-A last season hitting .278 with 27 homeruns and 109 RBI, while slugging a whopping .526 with 65 extra base hits. He hit very well with runners in scoring position and showed off his power and potential to become a very good power hitter in the future. He played a solid right field, but most scouts believe he may have to move to first base in the future, but his power definitively transfers to that position. He is an underrated baserunner much like Sano. He stole 10 bases and was not caught once. Walker's main downfall is that he struck out 115 times and only drew 31 walks. If he can learn to control the strike zone, he can become an elite player and move faster then ever to the majors. We could see him as early as 2015.
2. Max Kepler OF (Low-A Cedar Rapids)
Max has had a few injuries and that have slowed him down from moving faster then he has. He was solid at Low-A last year but battled injuries, the year prior at rookie ball was the year that he showed his potential, where he slugged .539 with 31 extra base hits in just 59 games. Max has the potential to be a 5 tool player, and already has a very good awareness of the strike zone. He strikes out about 1.5 times as many walks and he draws, which is well above average for a 20 year old who hasn't seen High-A yet. Max has a huge ceiling and was just added to the 40 man roster, and if he can avoids injuries that have slowed him down he can begin to start to move quickly, maybe even quick enough to be here early of 2014.
1. Byron Buxton OF (High-A Fort Myers) (Pictured Above)
Byron Buxton has risen to being named the top prospect in all of baseball in his first full minor league season. He appeared in the Future's Game and the Arizona Fall League's Future Stars game as well. He started in Low-A and put up Trout type numbers and has drawn numerous comparisons to him and for good reasons. In 68 games at Cedar Rapids he had 92 hits, 33 of which were extra base hits, with 55 RBI, 44 walks, and 32 stolen bases. Giving him a slashline of .344/.431/.559, which he kept up once being promoted to High-A. Between both levels his slashline was .334/.424/.520 with 12 homeruns, 77 RBI, 49 extra base hits, 55 stolen bases, and 76 walks. These are elite type numbers, that prove him worthy of being the top prospect in baseball. He has all 5 tools and excels at them all well. He is an elite baserunner and defender, and if he continues this path he has the chance to be an absolute super star and face of our franchise. Get ready Twins fans, barring injury, you WILL see him at Target Field at some point this upcoming season.
The Twins have depth in the outfield even with last offseason's trades of Span and Revere, and we should see the best of that depth at some point this year in Byron Buxton. He is the best prospect in our system since Joe Mauer, and after he arrives the Twins should lock him and Sano up for years and years to come. These two could be the cornerstone to turning this franchise around once and for all and becoming a power house.
Make sure to check out my other posts on our top prospects and look out for my next post about the top 5 catching prospects and pitching prospects for the Twins.
Written by Nick Calo, follow me on Twitter for more updates and sports thoughts @PRH1987