19-year old switch hitting outfielder Aaron Hicks was the Twins’ #1 rated prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. He played in 67 games in A-ball this year and he was 63 for 251 (.251 avg, .735 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 4 homers, 29 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Hicks is the kind of speed/defensive player that the Twins love to draft. They will likely take it slow with Hicks as they have a lot of depth in the outfield.

25-year old righty reliever Anthony Slawa has been dominant in the minors this season for the Twins. He was the Twins’ #25 rated prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America but he’s looked better than that. Slawa has pitched in 47 games (0 starts) in AA-ball this season and he is 4-2 with 22 saves, a 2.64 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He has only allowed 44 hits in 61 1/3 innings this season while whiffing 86 batters which shows what kind of stuff he has. If the Twins keep having trouble in front of Joe Nathan in the bullpen they should seriously consider calling up Slawa.

Joe Benson was the #2 prospect in the Twins’ organization when this season started according to Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook. But, 2008 has been a nightmare for Benson so far as he has not improved at all over the 2007 season. Benson has played in 69 games in A-Ball this season and he is 63 for 254 (.248 avg, .708 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 4 homers, 27 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. The Twins will likely continue to take it slow with Benson until he starts to show he deserves to get promoted.

The next time the Twins need to bring up a starting pitcher from the minors it will likely be 24-year old lefty Francisco Liriano. Liriano has started 16 games in A+AAA ball this season and he is 6-3 with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Liriano has whiffed 86 batters in 95.1 innings in the minors this season which shows that his stuff is starting to come back. They rushed Liriano early this season and it hurt his performance in the majors. Liriano started 3 games for the Twins this season and he was 0-3 with a 11.32 ERA and a 2.71 WHIP. Look for Liriano to do a good job when the Twins call him up the next time.

The Twins should consider giving 29-year old righty swinging Darnell McDonald from AAA ball if they have a need for an outfielder. I know that Denard Span probably has a better future for the Twins but McDonald has really been swinging a hot stick in AAA. McDonald has played in 51 games in AAA this season and he is 65 for 203 (.320 avg, .937 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 9 homers, 40 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. It would be nice to see McDonald get a reward for all of his hard work in the minors both this season and over his career.