Ranking the Twins Top 30 Prospects: #20-#19

#20.  Ben Tootle, Pitcher – Tootle is the first on this list of the four highly regarded pitching prospects that the Twins selected in the first three rounds of the 2009 draft.  The 2009 draft represented a return to fostering high upside pitching talent for Twins management, and Tootle is a perfect example of this new philosophy.  Tootle doesn’t have imposing size, but has a live arm with two already plus pitches.  His curveball is probably the best in his repertoire, but also has a good fastball that sits at 94-95 mph and can reach 99 mph.  Tootle is relatively small in stature, but has a crazy leg kick, from which he is able to generate much of his power.  He went to Jacksonville State, and while his numbers weren’t dominant, he went in the third round due to his potential and projectability.  Tootle’s biggest issue throughout his college career has been with his command, and the Twins hope that they can cure his wildness and harness his talent.  While Tootle has dynamic stuff, it is difficult to rank him because he has only pitched 6 innings at the professional level.  Albeit, those six innings were quite impressive, netting zero earned runs in six relief appearances.  Tootle is also an enigma because it is unclear how the Twins plan to use him.  A closer in college, there have been rumblings that the Twins might try to turn him into a starter in the minors.  Whatever the case, Tootle is a very intriguing arm in the lower levels of the Twins’ organization to keep an eye on.

#19.  B.J. Hermsen, Pitcher – While not all that touted coming in to 2009, Hermsen exploded onto everybody’s radar with a truly dominant season.  A sixth round pick in the 2008 draft, Hermsen was mostly an afterthought as it was widely believed that he would go to Oregon State.  However, the Twins offered him a 650,000 dollar signing bonus just before the deadline and he signed, much to everyone’s surprise.  Hermsen was considered one of the top high school arms in the draft but slipped all the way to the sixth round because teams believed that he would be almost impossible to sign.  As a result, the Twins were able to grab a steal for a relatively cheap price.  Hermsen signed late in 2008 and therefore 2009 was his professional debut, and he certainly didn’t disappoint.  He had one of the best seasons for a Twins prospect last year, posting a 1.35 ERA in 10 starts at Rookie ball.  He has caught the eye of Twins’ management due to his superb command of his fastball and curveball.  While never destined to have overpowering stuff, Hermsen is an excellent mix of pitchability and life.  Hermsen only just turned 20, but is very advanced for a pitching prospect his age, so he is expected to move quickly through the Twins system.  While he demonstrated his ability with his great performance at Rookie ball, he is still inexperienced and the Twins will look for him to continue similar levels of success as he rises through the organization.  Look for Hermsen to start 2010 in low class A ball, with potential promotions to high A and double A to follow.