Twins 2011 Prospects 30-26

For the second time in the last week, my home has been attacked by killer snowmen and the weather they bring. To celebrate this and the Twins giving Matt Capps $7.1 million, we will look at Twins prospects 30-26. If you missed any of the other posts, you can find them here. I have also posted the Twins #8 prospect at www.TwinsTarget.com today!

30. Rob Delaney Reliever 9/8/1984.

He was signed in 2006 out of St. John's University. He went 7-9 with a 4.73 ERA for Rochester. He struck out 92 and walked 23 in 80 innings. He also made his MLB debut in 2010. He's been a consistently decent reliever since being signed as an un-drafted free agent in 2006. He has a good strikeout and walk rate and should be in the mix for the bullpen in 2011. I ranked him #18 last year.

2011 outlook: He is an option for the Twins wide open bullpen but will probably start the season in Rochester.

29. Anthony Slama Relief Pitcher 1/6/1984.

He was a Twins 39th round draft pick in 2006 out of the University of San Diego. He went 2-2 with 17 saves and a 2.20 ERA in 54 appearance for Rochester. He struck out 74 and walked 32 in 65.1 innings. He made his major league debut in 2010 and will be in the mix for 2011, especially with the free agent losses to the Twins bullpen. He doesn't have outstanding stuff but always manages to get the job done. The success of the 2011 Twins bullpen will in part be based on how well Slama can do for the major league club. I ranked him #31 last year.

2011 outlook: Probably has a leg-up over Delaney for a spot in the Twins bullpen.

28. Daniel Rams Catcher/First Base 12/19/1988.

He was a Twins 2nd round pick out of Miami, FL in 2007. He hit .243/.310/.450 for Beloit. He also struck out an incredible 145 times! He has a good arm as a catcher, throwing out 47% of would be base-stealers. The Twins might see his HR power as a better attribute than his catching. He does split time at first base but is young enough, that, for now, he'll get a chance to catch. A power hitting catcher prospect is always coveted, if his power jumps ahead of his catching ability, he may see a change of position. Rams has to cut his strikeout rate and find a way to get on base more often to have real value away from the catching position.

2011 outlook: He will probably spend all season at Fort Myers, unless catching shortages require him to move up.

27. Anderson Hidalgo Third Base 9/5/1988.

He was signed in 2006 out of Valencia, Venezuela. He hit .316/.375/.443 for Beloit. Hidalgo is a doubles machine, with 25 in only 315 plate appearances. He gets on base and hits for some power, but will have to improve his power to be a major factor at third base. He's only 5'9" but his skills could make him a #2 hitter someday. I ranked him #38 last year.

2011 outlook: He will probably spend most of the season at Fort Myers.

26. Bruce Pugh Starter 7/18/1988.

He was the Twins 19th round draft pick in 2008 out of Hillsborough Community College. He went 7-10 with a 4.03 ERA at Fort Myers with 106 strikeouts and 48 walks in 102.2 innings. He only gave up 81 hits! He's always struck out more than 1 per inning and given up less than a hit per inning, he's also improved his walk rate a little. He could be a good middle rotation starter for the Twins in a couple of years if he continues to lower his walk rate.

2011 outlook: He'll probably spend the season in New Britain.