Josh Boyd: Greetings Twins fans! Thanks for showing up today. I'll get to as many questions as I can today. The Twins are such a strong system, so it's exciting to chat about.

Josh Boyd: Will, Balfour has really taken to the starting role, and with four quality pitches there's no reason to put him back in the pen unless stamina becomes an issue. Smith is a long way away, but he has such a good feel for pitching and is projectable. He was just on the outside of the top 10 and once guys like Morneau, Restovich, Crain, etc expire their rookie status, he'll be ready to break into the top 10 next year.

Josh Boyd: I'm not a huge believer in rookie closers, but Crain's stuff is similar to Ryan Wagner's in Cincy (must be something about U. of Houston closers), but it does look like Crain is being groomed for that Twins closer job. Depending on how Joe Nathan takes to that role, Crain or even Durbin could get a shot in the second half.

Josh Boyd: Staying with the topic of closers, I think Durbin has the stuff and mentality to hang on as a starter and be a pretty good one at that. There are definitely mixed opinions out there in the scouting community though. A lot of that has to do with his size, and there is some effort to his delivery, so you have to wonder how long he can continue to hold up with heavy workloads. We have Crain in the closer slot for 2007, with Durbin the No. 2 starter behind Johan Santana and Kyle Lohse.

Josh Boyd: Big Daddy Kane, there are some similarities there as you've pointed out, and you're right, most scouts I talked to about Burroughs during his ascent considered it a lock that he would hit for power. He's still very young and rushed up the ladder, and as strong as he is with a pure hitting approach, I think there is still time for him to develop average major league pop. Mauer is taller and more athletic, and the leverage in his swing suggests plus power to come. We'll see what happens, and Twins officials say it's more of a matter of what type of hitter Mauer wants to be. For now, he's content to hit hard line drives, and he hits the ball on the ground a lot more than he lifts the ball. Both are natural born hitters and the power is the last to develop.

Josh Boyd: Just so you all know, Cuddyer didn't qualify for this year's list. If he did, he still would've ranked in the top five, where he dwelled every year since he was drafted. I still think most scouts project him as an everyday major league bat, and I the evidence of that is in the number of teams who keep asking Terry Ryan for him in trades. Position? Probably third base would be ideal, but for the Twins OF or DH.

Josh Boyd: They are in the second group of 10, which tells you a lot about how strong the Twins system is. Both Bonser and Liriano would've made the Giants top 10. With Bonser, though, the Twins have many similar arms with a little higher ceiling and Liriano, who might have the best arm in the system just needs to stay healthy. The Twins saw him up to 98 mph in instructional league before trading for him

Josh Boyd: Rookie-level or Triple-A, we're weighing overall future potential with risk. With Moses the risk is relatively low because his bat is that good. He compares to a Hank Blalock type hitter at the same level and Moses has outstanding makeup. He could move fast.

Josh Boyd: Good question. The Twins have left so many good prospects unsigned out of the draft, and Clement was their 12th rounder in 2002. On talent and upside, he would rank No. 5 or 6 for me.

Josh Boyd: Many scouts think so, especially given the current state of catching in the majors. He might be better suited for a platoon or backup role, but his defense will be good enough to carry him.

Josh Boyd: It really looks like another strong draft from Mike Radcliff in Minnesota. They took chances on prospects like Dave Shinskie and Johnny Woodard, and got some safer picks like Scott Baker, Chris Schutt and Errol Simonitsch, who we ranked ahead of the other four aforementioned players.

Josh Boyd: The Twins are loaded with sleeper type prospects. My personal favorites are Adam Harben, a live-armed righty, Aussie shortstop Luke Hughes and I would think Lew Ford will still have to qualify as such.

Josh Boyd: Allan Simpson wrote a great feature on the history of prep catchers, and this is a good question. I haven't heard any of this dissent though, and that's from talking to a lot of scouts who are familiar with the top prospects. BJ Upton is a strong contender for that spot, but that's not because of the historical troubles of prep catchers reaching their potential. Mauer is just different, and you have to look at these players on an individual basis. I'm not going to knock Mauer down because Ben Davis underachieved. Mauer does it all and has the perfect makeup to continue excelling. One scout went so far to say Mauer will be the best defensive catcher in the AL by Opening Day.

Josh Boyd: It's been a long ride up the ladder for Thomas, and the Twins are counting on him to deliver this season. He'll get a shot in the pen, and he's out of options. If JC Romero pitches the way he did in Puerto Rico, he might have a window of opportunity. I'm not sure Thomas will miss enough bats to survive in the majors, though.

Josh Boyd: They surpassed the Indians (of course the Indians graduated most of their best prospects to the majors last year and they're still deep) as the best in the division and the Twins still will rank in the top five overall.

Josh Boyd: Unless things change in spring training, I think the plan is for Bartlett to spend most of the year in Triple-A playing everyday in preparation to take over for Guzman in 2005. It wouldn't make sense for them to groom him for their everyday job by sitting him on the bench in the majors. When they first acquired Bartlett, though, they would've been pleased if he turned out to be Hocking, instead he's exceeded expectations and profiles as an everyday guy now.

Josh Boyd: At the plate, maybe a Mark Loretta type, though he's more of a factor on the bases than Loretta.

Josh Boyd: he just missed the cut for the top 10, but that's not because we don't like him or the Twins don't think highly of him. They are split, however, on what type of player he will become most prefer Jason Kubel. Some scouts see him of a bit of a tweener, not enough speed for center (as he's starting to fill out and slow down) and maybe not enough juice for a corner. He does has a good bat though, and should continue hitting. Romero needs to stay focused on and off the field.

Josh Boyd: That just reflects how special his bat is and can be. In my personal top 50 that will appear in the Prospect Handbook, I have him right around 50th overall, which is probably higher than Will Lingo, Jim Callis and Allan Simpson. I don't think he was underdrafted though, he was a first-rounder and there were a handful of teams picking in the teens strongly considered drafting him. His secondary tools are overwhelming and he has work to do defensively, though, which is why he wasn't a top 10 pick.

Josh Boyd: He will play everyday. If you're referring to the comment in his prospect writeup about getting 200-250 ABs, that means after he is called up from Rochester at some point. The Twins would like to get him ready in Triple-A and then bring him up to get a couple hundred ABs. Now, obviously that plan can change based on a number of different factors.

Josh Boyd: I'd look for him to make significant improvement, but the expectations for him might have lowered somewhat. He really struggled with his mechanics and keeping the ball down. One scout said he pitched from the waist to the shoulders all year long instead of driving the ball downhill at the knees. He still has explosive stuff, but is probably headed for the pen down the road.

Josh Boyd: They do have a deep stable of pitching prospects throughout the system. Righthander Adam Harben is ranked the highest of the below AA guys, followed closely by Alexander Smit, Evan Meek and Errol Simonitsch.

Josh Boyd: Durbin-most likely a quality No. 3 and he has much more upside than Balfour, who profiles as a no. 4.

Josh Boyd: The Twins are definitely not subscribing to the Moneyball craze. They are built on traditional scouting, but amazingly enough they, like most scouts and teams, understand the importance of quality at-bats and plate discipline, long before Michael Lewis discovered it. I think the Twins player development and scouting staffs on a whole deserves credit.

Josh Boyd: That is fair still. I think the Twins realize though that Span is many years away in terms of development. He has made tremendous progress already with his ability to use his speed at the plate to his advantage. They believe he is going to be able to drive the ball for extra-base power as he matures as a hitter, but for now he's focusing on hitting the ball on the ground to the left side of the infield and bunting.

Josh Boyd: That might not be far off. As for Mauer's accuracy, it rates as an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. He puts every throw on the bag.

Josh Boyd: I hope you have your money on Luis not cracking the list. He'll be lucky to have a career as a utility man.

Josh Boyd: No, because they are loaded and balanced from the upper levels to the lower levels, but it is not in Mike Radcliff or Terry Ryan's mindset to settle for a lesser talent when they have a bat like Matt Moses' on the board. You could say that they did that with Adam Johnson, but they believe Johnson was close (which he proved to be) and had a high ceiling (which he did) but things didn't go right for him. I don't think Radcliff and co. have any need to change draft philosophies right now.

Josh Boyd: Smit has the highest ceiling, though he's the least advanced. The others are more like No. 4 starters.

Josh Boyd: Quiroz is above-average, or at least he has the tools to be and projects as above-average (60 on the 20-80) where Mauer is a 70 now and projects as an 80, winning Gold Gloves year after year.

Josh Boyd: You've got to love Tiffee's bat, and he's made strides with other phases of his game in recent years through hard work. He projects as a .300 hitter with a lot of doubles and though I'm not sure he has a future in Minnesota, unless he just erupts with power in Triple-A this year, but I would think he'd be attractive to other teams with his advanced bat control.

Josh Boyd: He is a quality sleeper, and the Twins jumped up and grabbed him ahead of where most teams considered him based solely on his bat. he is athletic, he's just raw, and the Twins have the patience and player development staff to wait it out.

Josh Boyd: Not Wes Helms.

Josh Boyd: By the time he's ready for prime time, maybe 2008, a lot of things will change in Minnesota by then.

Josh Boyd: In Minnesota, he'll likely have to wait for an injury, but I agree I think he's a bona fide everyday guy for someone. Put him at the top of the order and let him stir things up and score runs like crazy.

Josh Boyd: Most have been mentioned here today, Smit, Liriano, Simonitsch... Michael Rogers is another good one to watch for in 2004.

Josh Boyd: Garcia and Meek have the best stuff hands down of that group... Simonitsch is more advanced with his feel for pitching though. Garcia is just a real long-term project. Meek has the makings of Durbin-like stuff.

Josh Boyd: Both have incredible strokes, but I think Mauer's would be the preferred sweet stroke. They are close to equals offensively, though I might give a healthy Kotchman the nod. I'd like to build my team around Mauer.

Josh Boyd: They are well aware of this too, but they haven't had the right players in the draft to fit their need and they aren't going to compromise by leaving a better talent on the board. Aussies Luke Hughes and Paul Rutgers are a couple to watch in the lower levels. Both can swing it, though neither is a lock to stay up the middle.

Josh Boyd: What? We're not talking about Ron Karkovice here Charles. Fine, you don't want the Gold Glove defense, which I don't ever recall using as the trump card or an excuse for the fact he hasn't hit home runs yet, but you must be ignoring the fact that we are calling him a future batting champ who is going to control the strike zone like no other, drive the ball to the gaps for frequent doubles and hit 10-15 jacks early in his career. What else do you want?

Josh Boyd: You're right, not overwhelming numbers, but we're predicting bigger things because of his tools and ability to drive the ball hard to the opposite field. He was young for the level and was one of the top hitters in a miserable hitting league. His power is not a guarantee, but he does show a lot of reasons for projecting plus power, and he has good strike zone judgement.

Josh Boyd: I believe he just had bone chips removed from his elbow which shouldn't prevent him from resuming his career early this season.

Josh Boyd: Third base in QC this season.

Josh Boyd: Come on Tony, they are still very close in our rankings, so it's splitting hairs in some ways, but I will say that there is more depth in the Twins organization now, in addition to the fact they have the best prospect in the game atop their rankings, and another who projects to hit 35-plus bombs. Not a thing wrong with the Tribe though. I don't agree that the Indians pitching is better throughout though.

Josh Boyd: They did sign him and I don't think he can play third on a daily basis.

Josh Boyd: There is a chance, though it's small. Omar Vizquel is an all-star, and Sean Burroughs is a 23-year-old star in the making.