Mr. Ed
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Keith Law, a former baseball executive and current prospect evaluator for ESPN, released his annual top-100 prospects list on Thursday (link requires ESPN Insider account). Buxton topped that list a year ago, but various wrist, finger and concussion injuries limited him to just 198 plate appearances, including his injury-shortened stint in the Arizona Fall League.
That season certainly must have tested Buxton's patience, but it didn't do much to diminish his standing, among the best prospects in the game -- at least the way Law sees it.
Law ranked Buxton second, behind only Cubs' third base prospect Kris Bryant. (Bryant had an incredible year and figures to be a middle-of-the-order bat for the Cubs this year and for the foreseeable future. His numbers across two levels were gaudy: .325/.438/.661 with 43 home runs and 15 stolen bases.)
By comparison, Buxton's numbers in 2014 were uninspiring, but it's not all about numbers for Law. The underlying tools that had the Twins pounce on Buxton with the second pick in the 2012 draft are still there, Law writes.
Those tools include an 80 grade for both running and arm strength on the 20-80 scouting scale. In other words, pretty much no player is faster and no player has a better arm. A year defined by injuries hasn't changed that.
Buxton is a big reason Law on Wednesday ranked the Twins' farm system second in baseball, behind only the loaded Chicago Cubs' minor league system.
Other Twins appearing in the top-100:
Miguel Sano (15), down from No. 8 overall last year. He missed all of 2014 after having Tommy John surgery on his right (throwing) arm in spring training. He says he's back to 100 percent now, and will report to Fort Myers early to get started.
Law believes Sano has 80-grade raw power (top of the charts) and could hit 30-35 home runs in the Majors, calling him the "Twins' cleanup hitter of the future."
Alex Meyer (30), up from No. 62 last year. The Twins have talked about the possibility of moving Meyer to the bullpen - at least to start the season - as a way to get him on the 25-man roster. Law believes that with two above-average pitches (fastball and slider) and a history of durability, a permanent bullpen move would be wasting some of Meyer's talent.
Nick Gordon (43), in his first season of pro ball.
The 19-year-old had an impressive pro debut in rookie ball playing for the Elizabethton Twins. He hit .294/.333/.699 in his first season out of high school. He's a way from the Majors, of course, but his first season was encouraging for the Twins. A top-50 spot on Law's prospect ranking list is nothing to sneeze at.
Kohl Stewart (53), up from No. 76 last year.
Law believes Stewart "hast the potential to front a rotation given a few more years of development." He probably has a longer ways to go than some other Twins pitching prospects, but at age 20, the ceiling appears awfully high for Stewart.
J.O Berrios (97), jumps into the top-100 after not making the list last year.
While Berrios says his goal is to make the opening day roster in 2015, Law writes that he believes the young right-hander is eventually destined for the bullpen. His size (six-foot, 187 pounds) may work against him, but he's had impressive strikeout rates in the low minors.
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