The Twins system maybe doesn’t have the best depth but it has some impact hitters on the way — especially up the middle — and some intriguing arms.

The Graduate: Trevor Hildenberger, RHP: More moxie than stuff, Hildenberger survived his first taste of the Majors with a fastball that sat 88-89 mph. His changeup was the nasty go-to offering and his slider had just enough to keep hitters honest. Most importantly, the right-hander threw strikes and kept the ball down in the zone which helped him generate a ground-ball rate of close to 60%. Hildenberger had similar success in the minors and the Twins began to trust him with some key pitching situations. He’s not a big name and he doesn’t throw hard but he could be a key arm for the Twins in 2018.

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I like the Sox system, but not for the same reasons as most people. Lucas Giolito should be a decent mid-rotation arm and Eloy Jimenez is going to be a star… but Luis Robert and Blake Rutherford are overrated. Players being undervalued, though, include Alec Hansen, Dane Dunning, Jake Burger, Gavin Sheets, A.J. Puckett, and Aaron Bummer.

The Graduate: Yoan Moncada, 2B: As they’re known to do quite often, the White Sox rushed Moncada through the minors after getting their paws on him in the Chris Sale deal last winter. Now, he did hold his own in The Show as a roughly league-average hitter, but the strikeout rate of 32% suggests more issues are to come unless he makes adjustments. Just 22, Moncada has a tantalizing power-speed combo and could be a mainstay in the middle of the Sox lineup if the adjustments happen. Look for him to have an up-and-down year in 2018.

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The Royals system lacks can’t-miss, high-impact talent but it has some depth. I’m a big fan of catcher M.J. Melendez.

The Graduate: Scott Alexander, LHP: This southpaw (who’s equally successful against both right- and left-handed hitters) is one of the most underrated relievers in the game — especially during this period of juiced balls. His eye-popping ground-ball rate of 78% led the Majors and he struck out a quite a few more batters (21%) than the typical sinker ball pitcher. He was also an anomaly because threw his 94 mph heater a whopping 94% of the time with his slider a very distant 4.5%. His success is somewhat impress considering big league hitters always know what’s coming.

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Last season’s trades — especially those with Houston and Chicago (NL) — gave new life to the Tigers system. Plus, 2016 first rounder Matt Manning could be an absolute stud and should see his value skyrocket in 2018 as he enters pro ball. The club should also consider moving Matt Hall from the starting rotation (where he’s a fringe prospect) to the bullpen (where he could develop into a key reliever).

The Graduate: Jeimer Candelario, 3B: The Cubs flipped veteran players Justin Wilson and Alex Avila to the Cubs at last season’s trade deadline with Candelario as the key player received in return. However, I’ve never been a huge fan of the young third baseman and I doubt he’s going to be a star. Candelario, who turns 24 in a few days, is pretty average across the board in terms of his ability to hit for average or power (although the juiced ball has everyone hitting 20-30 homers). His biggest asset at the plate is his strong eye, which allows him to produce good on-base numbers. Defensively, he has a chance to be steady but unspectacular.

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The Cardinals don’t get a lot of love for their minor league depth but I believe some of their prospects are deserving of more attention than they’ve received so far.

The Graduate: Paul DeJong, IF: No one really saw DeJong coming — although the Cardinals clearly had some hope for him after selecting him in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. He entered pro ball as a third baseman but shifted up the middle in 2017 and thrived. After slugging 22 home runs at double-A in 2016, he slugged 38 homers between triple-A and the Majors in ’17. DeJong, 24, has a chance to be a very good player but he’ll need to tighten up his approach approach at the plate after walking less than 5% and striking out at a 28% clip.

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The Pirates have done a nice job developing pitchers over the past few years and there are more on the way.

The Graduate: Trevor Williams, RHP: When Tyler Glasnow crashed and burned, Williams stepped up his game and was arguably the third most valuable arm on the staff. The rookie hurler isn’t flashy but he throws strikes, induces a good number of ground balls and threw 150 innings. Traded from the Marlins organization in 2015, his 2.2 WAR surpassed all Miami hurlers in 2017 so it’s probably one trade that The Fish would like back. Williams throws his fastball — which averaged just 92 mph in 2017 — more than 70% of the time but his above-average command of it makes it play up. He sprinkles in a slider and a changeup. Williams has a very basic approach and he’ll need to see his secondary offerings improve (and utilize them more) if he’s going to continue to dominate big league hitters.

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The Graduate: Amir Garrett, LHP: Coming off of a strong 2016 season, Garrett positioned himself well to pitch some big innings for the Reds in 2017. He ended up throwing 70.2 innings but his ERA of 7.39 was down right ugly. He was hittable (9.42 H/9) and walked a lot of batters (5.09 BB/9), which is a terrible combination. Worse yet, he allowed 23 homers — good for an ugly 2.93 HR/9 (the worst rate in the Majors for pitchers with more than 50 innings pitched). Garrett, 25, will have to focus on improved command and control if he’s going to get another shot at starting for the Reds. If he can’t, though, his fastball-changeup combo could be enough to be an impact reliever.

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The Brewers have an exciting young team and there is more impact talent on the way.

The Graduate: Josh Hader, LHP: You don’t often receive a promotion to the Majors when your ERA is 5.37 but the Brewers knew Hader had a chance to help by shifting from the rotation to the bullpen. It was an astute move and he threw 47.2 innings in The Show and allowed just 25 hits. He overpowered big league hitters with his fastball-slider mix and struck out 68 batters. To have success in the Majors as a starter, though, Hader will have to throw more strikes; he walked almost as many hitters as he allowed hits to in 2017: 22 walks to 25 hits. He’ll also want to continue to polish his changeup. Even if he sticks in the ‘pen, the left-hander has a chance to be an impact arm for the Brewers.

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The Cubs system has been hurt by promotions and trades but there are still some interesting players throughout the minors.

The Graduate: Ian Happ, IF/OF: Happ (aka Mr. Ben-Zobrist-lite) reached the Majors more quickly than expected thanks to the injuries that plagued the team in May. He produced some outstanding power numbers with 24 of him 92 hits going for home runs (good for a .261 ISO). Impressively, he also managed to hit .253 despite striking out more than 31% of the time. His versatility makes him incredibly valuable and he played mostly second base and center field but also dabbled in third base and both corner outfield spots. Happ, 23, needs some work to become a more complete player with the bat but he should continue to play every day in 2018.

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The Astros have a talented, young team but the minor league system is starting to thin out now. With that said, there are still a few prospects with high ceilings, such as outfielder Kyle Tucker and pitcher Forrest Whitley.

The Graduate: Francis Martes, RHP: The Astros have a relatively young team but the club didn’t rely heavily on rookies in 2017. Derek Fisher led the first-year hitters with 166 plate appearances while Martes led the freshman pitchers with 54.1 innings — narrowly edging a more effective James Hoyt. Why focus on the former and not the latter? Hoyt has solid potential as a one-inning reliever but Martes has additional value as a guy that can go multiple innings out of the ‘pen or could eventually move back into the starting rotation. Just 21, he already flashes three potentially-plus offerings but it’s his lack of control and command that holds him back. Martes sits in the mid-90s with his heat but until he trims his walk rate (5.13 BB/9) he’ll be pitching in triple-A or mopping up games in the Majors.

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