The good folks at Baseball America have released this year's Top 100 Prospects list, and there are a few members of the Minnesota Twins' farm system that made the cut. Four of them, to be exact.
↵The highest-ranking Twin is right-handed pitcher Kyle Gibson, who comes in at No. 34 on the list of prospects. It wouldn't be surprising at all to see Gibson in Minnesota during the 2011 season, and potentially straight out of spring training.
↵After him, we have outfielder Aaron Hicks, who we find at No. 45 on the list. Hicks isn't quite as close to the big leagues as Gibson is. . .still a couple of years away, by most estimates.
↵Next up on the list, slotting in at No. 60, is third baseman/shortstop Miguel Sano. Sano will only be 17 years of age as of opening day, so you can bet it will be quite a while before we see him at Target Field, but he's a guy that the Twins are quite excited about.
↵The last Twins prospect to make the list is the very last name on the entire list, outfielder Joe Benson, who comes in at No. 100. The 23-year-old outfielder is not expected to make an impact with the big club this season, but could be a player the season after that.
↵Amazingly, the Kansas City Royals have racked up a ton of talent over the past few years, and have three of the top 10 prospects on Baseball America's list (and five of the top 20). If they show a willingness to spend some money and keep those guys around, they could end up eventually being a force.