Kala’i Rosario News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/kalai-rosario/ Minnesota sports, but different Thu, 31 Oct 2024 13:39:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg Kala’i Rosario News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/kalai-rosario/ 32 32 3 Prospects Minnesota Twins MUST Add to 40-Man Roster Before Rule 5 Draft Deadline https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/40-man-roster-candidates-rule-5-draft-2024/ Thu, 31 Oct 2024 13:39:24 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=56793 The Minnesota Twins season has been over for a month now and the World Series ended Wednesday night, with a Dodgers sweep after the Yankees imploded in game 4. So we are here, the MLB offseason. What’s first up? The the Twins must set their 40-man roster, before the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.

What is the Major League Baseball ‘Rule 5 Draft’?

Any 18+ y/o minor league veteran with 4-5 years of pro experience, who is not on their current team’s 40-man roster by November 19, is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. These days, the Rule 5 Draft is used to stop teams from burying players in their minor league systems. But its mention dates back to 1941, its use all the way back to 1892.

Those eligible, as defined by Major League Baseball, include: “Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club’s 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons.”

Eligible players not on their organization’s 40-man roster become available for other MLB teams to “draft”. The catch: Anyone selected must remain on his new team’s MLB roster (26-man) for the entire season, or they go back to their original team.

Three Minnesota Twins prospects who MUST be added to 40-man roster

Rocco Baldelli, Minnesota Twins
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Twins have more than a handful of players who are worthy of being selected through the Rule 5 Draft, which takes place during the MLB Winter Meetings, in December. But there are THREE Twins minor leaguers who absolutely must be added to the team’s 40-man roster in the next two weeks, or they won’t be here anymore.

Kala’i Rosario, OF – 22 years old

Minnesota picked Rosario out of high school, in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. The Hawaiian suffered through a slow start to his professional career, but that’s not surprising, for a teenager. Since, he has bulked up, which has somewhat transformed him into a legitimate home run threat.

After leading the Arizona Fall League in dingers last year, he returned in 2024, after participating in just 69 regular season games between Single and Double A. There is a lot of swing and miss to Rosario’s game, which can prove frustrating, but his short sting performances at Double-A, late this summer, and now at the AFL, Rosario has shown a lot of scouts that he can play at the highest levels.

Related: Byron Buxton is Still One of the Minnesota Twins Most Valuable Players

It’s a small sample, which is always the case in the Arizona Fall League. In 14 AFL games this season, Rosario is batting .320 for the Salt River Rafters, which includes a pair of homers and 10 RBI, in just 14 games.

He’s the perfect type of power-hitting prospect that teams like to take fliers on, during the Rule 5 Draft. As long as the Minnesota Twins doe the right thing, Kala’i Rosario will start his 2025 season at Double-A Wichita.

Marco Raya, SP – 22 years old

Taken one round ahead of Rosario, in the 2020 MLB Draft, Raya entered this summer competing with David Festa, as the Minnesota Twins top pitching prospect. Raya scuffled early, at Double-A, but recovered nicely, and worked his way to Triple-A St. Paul, to end the year.

Once a top-100 prospect, Raya’s minor league stock has taken a hit, in recent years, in part because the Twins have played it so carefully with his development (only 3.9 innings per start in 2024). Marco’s 4.27 ERA this summer wasn’t dazzling, but his talent is undeniable, and he undoubtedly got better as the year went on.

In his final 7 starts (34.1 innings), which included a 5-inning shutout appearance for the Saints, Marco Raya finished strong, with a 1.31 ERA, to go with an opponent batting average of just .192 (.515 OPS).

Related: Former MLB GM Lists 10 Free Agent Fits for the Minnesota Twins

There’s a reason why the Twins have babied Raya, throughout his professional career. He has triple-digit stuff and there’s a good chance he would be among the first Rule 5 prospects taken, if left unprotected. No matter where he plays next year, I expect Marco to make his major league debut in 2025.

Ricardo Olivar, C/OF – 23 years old

You don’t often see a catcher play centerfield, but Olivar did that three times in 2023. He’s more of a corner outfielder if not behind the plate, but he predominantly settled in at catcher this season.

The bat certainly plays there as he posted an .823 OPS while displaying a nice power and on-base combination. He’s still a work in progress defensively and a career 12% caught stealing rate is laughable. The catching position is not an offensively flush role at the highest level.

Related: Ranking: 10 Most Likely Minnesota Twins to be Traded This Offseason

Olivar made it to Double-A last season, and there would be an organization willing to take a chance on him making the jump. Minnesota has just three catchers on the 40-man, and Christian Vazquez is a prime candidate to be dealt. Ryan Jeffers, Jair Camargo, and Olivar present plenty of questions for the position though.

The best of the rest for Rule 5 Eligible Minnesota Twins prospects

There are substantially more players that the Twins could opt to protect if they so choose. Spots on the 40-man roster are limited though, and the shuffle has to be worth betting on a young prospect. Infielder Rubel Cespedes played 110 games at High-A Cedar Rapids, but he’s 23 and owned just a .777 OPS.

Travis Adams put in good work at Double-A, but he looked overmatched in brief action for the Saints. Anthony Prato had a .990 OPS in 72 games last year for the Saints, but went undrafted. He won’t be protected this time around either.

Related: Minnesota Twins Plan to Shop at Least One Young Infielder This Offseason

Most of the fringe players have replicas throughout other organizations. Beyond Minnesota’s top three, it seems relatively unlikely that anyone else is added. The Twins are likely to be active on the trade market, and those results could have a bearing on their decision making here as well.

We are now just days away from the offseason getting underway. The Twins need to turn the page in the most desperate way, and their opportunity to do so begins soon.

]]> Thu, 31 Oct 2024 08:39:27 +0000 Minnesota Twins MLB Analyst Keith Law Rips the Minnesota Twins 2020 Draft https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/mlb-analyst-keith-law-rips-the-minnesota-twins-2020-draft/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/mlb-analyst-keith-law-rips-the-minnesota-twins-2020-draft/#respond Sun, 14 Jun 2020 00:49:37 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=25664

The Minnesota Twins wrapped up their 2020 MLB Draft, late Thursday. It seemed like a successful and very productive two night virtual outing. They drafted Aaron Sabato (North Carolina – 1B) with the 27th overall pick on night one, and went into night two with just three picks for four rounds.

The Twins started and ended day two, like so many things they do these days… with more hitting! Alerick Soularie (Tennessee – OF) got a “TC” hat first, at pick 59 (2), then they took their only pitcher of the night, Marco Raya (United South H.S.[TX] – RHP) with the 128 (4) overall pick, and then eventually finished the night with Kala’i Rosario (Waiakea H.S. [HI] – OF/1B) at pick 158 (5).

Over the next few days, like any good fan, I went looking for more information and more “expert opinions”… on my favorite team’s draft. I quickly remembered, however, why local coverage is always better than national. Two MLB writers from the same outlet, Keith Law and Aaron Gleeman (The Athletic) both wrote about the Twins draft… but the outlook was a bit different.

One is national and has to write something about 30 other teams (some of which his readers care much more about than others) and the other is local, and will pour over hours… (ok days) of research surrounding any major maneuvers the Minnesota Twins make. Let’s compare.

AARON SABATO

UNC first baseman Aaron Sabato (1) is a draft-eligible sophomore who got himself into the first round with huge exit velocities and a brief track record of patience and power. He’s a below-average defender at first base, and there’s a good chance he ends up at DH, but he should have the bat to be valuable there.

Keith Law – The Athletic

Sabato joins Brent Rooker (No. 35 in 2017), Trevor Larnach (No. 20 in 2018) and Matt Wallner (No. 39 in 2019) in a farm system overflowing with former college superstars boasting huge power potential and limited defensive chops.

Unlike the previous regime, Falvey, Levine and scouting director Sean Johnson repeatedly target polished college hitters with excellent production facing high-level competition. Old-school scouting still plays a big part, but the increased availability of advanced data on college players enables teams like the Twins to crunch numbers like never before.

Aaron Gleeman – The Athletic

Keith’s take on Sabato, who hits absolute piss missiles and is possibly one of the most MLB-ready power hitters in this draft, is underwhelming and generic. He seems… disappointed with the pick.

Meanwhile, Aaron Gleeman compares Sabato’s stats to #1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson, and his place in the Twins system, up there with with the organizations best hitters. It would be preposterous, at this time, to say Sabato is a better prospect than Torkelson or any of the guys Gleeman lists in the excerpt above. He definitely deserves more respect than Law is giving him, though. Law’s criticism gets worse, though.

ALERICK SOULARIE

Alerick Soularie (2) is a young junior at Tennessee, turning 21 next month, who’s had success in the SEC despite an awkward swing that sees his back side collapse. He can’t play center and doesn’t project to the power for a corner. 

Keith Law – The Athletic
[Scouting Director] Johnson expects Soularie to be a corner outfielder, but said he’ll also get some looks in center field and at second base. While not a great athlete, he’s seen as at least average defensively in the outfield, with decent speed. But make no mistake, like the majority of the college position players taken by Falvey and Levine, he was drafted for his hitting. They keep stockpiling big bats.

Aaron Gleeman – The Athletic

Keith Law isn’t the only MLB analyst doubting Alerick Soularie. He doesn’t have the prettiest swing, strongest arm or fastest legs, but Soularie has been a staple of consistency vs the best collegiate competition in the country (SEC).

Soulaire was a JUCO product, right out of high school at San Jacinto College in Houston. There, he impressed scouts and received an offer to play for the University of Tennessee. In his first full season as a Volunteer, Soularie posted a .357 avg, 11 HR, 48 RBI and 8 stolen bases. He’s plays with a chip on his and now has another doubter (Law) to prove wrong.

Sean Johnson (Scouting Director) says the Twins plan on using Soularie, not only in the outfield, but at second base as well. There is a lot of negativity surrounding his defense, so that’s an interesting comment.

MARCO RAYA

Marco Raya (4) is an undersized right-hander from Laredo, Texas, with average velocity from a high slot and a max-effort delivery.

Keith Law – The Athletic

Raya is worth just one sentence to Keith Law, apparently. The Twins only had FOUR draft picks to talk about and one sentence full of disappointment is all he can muster… If there is anything that current Twins pitchers Sergio Romo (5-11, 185 lbs) and Cody Stashak (6-2, 169 lbs) have taught us, it’s that size doesn’t matter (as an MLB pitcher). Sorry to get your hopes up fellas.

Also Raya throws mid-90’s and has a higher spin rate than Jose Berrios. If that’s “average velocity” then Average is ok by me…

Raya is only 17 years old and has a very long path to the majors, so wtf does Keith Law know about where he will be as an MLB pitcher? Let’s just throw away all of the research the Twins have done, with this one shitty generic sentence. Numbers don’t lie and, despite his lack of size, Raya jumps off the page statistically and has a very promising outlook.

Kala’i Rosario

The Twins finished off the draft by selecting Kala’i Rosario, a young power hitter from Hawaii. Keith Law, surprisingly, had nothing negative to say about Rosario and actually believes he can become a regular on the Twins roster.

Because Law couldn’t get a shot in on Rosario, he had to finish his Twins section with one last shot at the entire 4-player draft.

Kala’i Rosario (5), a high school outfielder from Hilo, Hawai’i, has big raw power and impressive bat speed, driving the ball well in spite of a very early stride and weight transfer, and if he hits enough to get to that power in games he’ll have a chance to be a regular in an outfield corner. Sabato could come up very quickly, but there doesn’t seem to be a ton of upside here [for the Twins’ draft as a whole].

Cameron Thompson | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/mlb-analyst-keith-law-rips-the-minnesota-twins-2020-draft/feed/ 0 Sat, 13 Jun 2020 19:49:42 +0000 Minnesota Twins Minnesota Twins Stack Organization with More Power in 2020 MLB Draft https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/minnesota-twins-stack-organization-with-more-power-in-2020-mlb-draft/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/minnesota-twins-stack-organization-with-more-power-in-2020-mlb-draft/#respond Fri, 12 Jun 2020 12:03:16 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=25556

A five-round Major League Baseball draft makes easy work for front offices around the league, especially when the non-pandemic season ‘norm’ is 40. The Minnesota Twins only had four selections in this year’s truncated draft. They lost their third-round selection earlier this offseason, when they signed Josh Donaldson and traded their competitive-balance pick (67) and Brusdar Graterol, to the Dodgers, for Kenta Maeda.

With only 4 picks in an already (EXTREMELY) short draft, it was imperative the Twins made quality selections this year. Relying heavily on relatively under-scouted players, the Twins focused on adding power and depth to an already loaded farm system. Let’s take a look at the next generation of baseball in the Twin Cities (hopefully):

AARON SABATO (1B) — 1st ROUND (27th OVERALL)

As our own Cameron Thompson wrote on Wednesday night, Sabato fits right in with the Bomba Squad narrative. The University of North Carolina first baseman finished his collegiate career with a .332 average that included 25 home runs and 81 RBI. The kid can MASH!

Rated as one of the best power hitters in the draft, there is a lot to like about Sabato’s offensive potential, in an already potent lineup. However, he has some deficiencies in his defense, which is why he dropped to pick 27.

The Minnesota Twins are looking to ensure the Bomba Squad isn’t just a one year anomaly. Adding Sabato to a list of prospects that include Brent Rooker, Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff and Matt Wallner, will help make “The Bomba Squad” a long-term moniker.

ALERICK SOULARIE (OF) — 2nd ROUND (59th OVERALL)

One powerful bat wasn’t enough for this Twins’ front office. Alerick Soularie (OF – University of Tennessee), was somewhat of a shock pick among fans. He did NOT rank inside any top-100 lists…

A preseason first-team all-SEC player coming into 2020, he ranked in the top three for AVG, OBP, and SLG in 2019. He hit at a .357 clip, with 11 HR, 46 RBI, and 13 doubles in 2019 and a superb strikeout to walk ratio.

In 2020, he saw a slight dipped a bit, prior to COVID-19 shutting the season down. Soularie batted just .267 in that shortened time, but did hit five dingers while driving in 17 runs. It may not be the selection we thought Derek Falvey and Thad Levine would make, but Soularie’s upsides make it worth the risk.

MARCO RAYA (RHP) — 4th ROUND (128th OVERALL)

At only 17-years old, Raya is a high-ceiling pitching project for the Minnesota Twins. High schoolers are difficult to peg but Raya, a six-foot and 160 pound Texas Tech commit from United South High School in Laredo (TX), has shown signs of greatness throughout his young career.

His shortened senior season saw him go 2-0, with a 0.00 ERA and 36 K, in just 18 IP — yeah, go back and read those stats again — High school hitters never stood a chance, compiling just three hits, a .054 AVG, and .131 OBP. Raya already has a higher spin rate than any of the Twins’ top pitchers.

Raya was committed to Texas Tech it looks like he will forego that commitment, in order to sign with the Twins. He is slotted for $442,900 at pick 128 — *Scoffs from Edina* — but Falvine may have offered more. Either way, we don’t make this pick if there is any doubt he was going pro.

KALA’I ROSARIO (OF) — 5th ROUND (158th OVERALL)

Another masher? Color me surprised!

Rosario, a 6′ 1″ and 205 pound outfielder from Waiakea High School in Hawaii, put himself on the map back in 2019 during the Area Code Games. While there, he slugged 21 home runs in the home run derby.

He played well in his shortened senior year, hitting .343 with five dingers and 11 RBI. With a top exit velocity of 105 MPH (99.8 percentile), this is another kid who can rake. He has even studied hitting under Koten and Kean Wong’s father, Kaha. Talk about a leg up.

If he can hone in on utilizing his plus-plus power, expect another addition to the Bomba Squad sooner, rather than later. He was the perfect ending to the 2020 Minnesota Twins draft… which was really just a hardcore hunt for MORE POWER!

Jack Kewitsch | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/minnesota-twins-stack-organization-with-more-power-in-2020-mlb-draft/feed/ 0 Fri, 12 Jun 2020 07:03:20 +0000 Minnesota Twins