A Look at Where the Minnesota Twins' Top Draft Picks from 2010 Are Now

Pitcher Alex Wimmers was the first player the Minnesota Twins took in the 2010 MLB draft. The 24-year-old was chosen No. 21 overall out of The Ohio State University and reached Double-A before undergoing Tommy John surgery.  

The best prospect from the 2010 class, however, is Eddie Rosario, who was drafted No. 135 overall out of Rafael Lopez Landron High School in Puerto Rico. The fourth-round pick is still in High-A, but the second baseman is considered to be a top prospect in the Twins farm system.

In a “Where are they now?” feature, Bleacher Report will look at the top 10 players drafted in the 2010 draft and see if they are on their way to the major leagues.

Players are listed in the order they were drafted.

JaDamion Williams, Outfielder

Drafted: No. 315 overall

Current level: Single-A

Named the fastest baserunner in the Twins system by Baseball America, Williams was named one of Minnesota’s five most underrated prospects by our very own Chris Schad.

“You’ve probably never heard of the kid, but he had a solid season at Elizabethton (Rookie) last summer,” he wrote back in February. “Williams’ baserunning ability is what scouts love about him. He was able to post a .408 on-base percentage last year and added 210 steals in 14 attempts.”

Williams still has a ways to go before we start considering him a major prospect, but at 21, the Odessa, Fla. native has some time to prove that he belongs on the team roster as a table setter as he enters his prime years.

Kyle Knudson, Catcher

Drafted: No. 285 overall

Current level: Double-A

Knudson was drafted out of the University of Minnesota and attended Maple Grove High School, but was actually born in Fayetteville, N.C.

Coming out of high school, scouts felt that as long as he did not get too large, he would be a good defensive catcher in Division I and had an outside shot of making the big leagues. 

“Unless he keeps growing and gets too big, Knudson looks like he’s going to be a solid defender at the next level,” wrote Perfect Game back in 2004. “Knudson had some power and raw bat speed and looked like he had a right centerfield approach at the plate.”

Knudson never got too big, he is currently 6’3”, 212 lbs., but his clock is ticking. He began the year in High-A, hit .361/.439/.486 and got called up.

However, he was a 25-year-old playing Class-A ball at the beginning of the year.

Lance Ray, Right Fielder/First Baseman

Drafted: No. 255 overall

Current level: High-A

Considered a top prospect after he was drafted in 2011, the former University of Kentucky star has fallen off the radar a bit in recent years.

As a 20-year-old, the Sin City product hit .314/.360/.414 in rookie ball and .279/.377/.418 and caught the eye of NBC Sports’ Aaron Gleeman.

“Ray looks like a good bet to control the strike zone, grind out walks, and post strong on-base percentages, but as a first baseman or corner outfielder his power development will be crucial,” wrote Gleeman back in 2011. “He showed plenty of pop wielding the metal in college, but didn't do much damage shifting to wood bats in his professional debut.”

Ray hit 16 home runs in Beloit in 2011 and 13 in Fort Myers last year, but has seen his numbers at the plate drop substantially. He hit .253/.335/.432 in 2011, .234/.327/.403 last year and is currently at .206/.276/.265 this season as a 23-year-old in High-A.

He must turn things around at the plate if he wants to be considered a prospect again in Minnesota’s system.

Matt Hauser, Right-Handed Pitcher

Drafted: No. 225 overall

Current level: High-A

Drafted as a senior out of the University of San Diego, Hauser played community college ball his first two years and established himself as a reliever for the Toreros.

The 25-year-old has reached as high as Double-A for the Twins at age 23, but began this year in High-A. The Newport Beach, Calif. native drew rave reviews from his hometown paper, but the jury is still out on whether he will ever make Minnesota’s rotation.

“Hauser, primarily a reliever with a closer's mentality, has the benefit of limited wear and tear on his hose, which means more potential innings to pitch in the future,” wrote Richard Dunn of The Orange County Register in November of 2012. “He's also one phone call away from the major leagues while pitching in AA.”

Hauser only pitched 16 innings in Double-A last year and recorded a 3.38 ERA. He likely will have to prove himself again this year if he is going to get the call this season.

Logan Darnell, Left-Handed Pitcher

Drafted: No. 195 overall

Current level: Double-A

Another University of Kentucky product, Darnell made 28 starts in Double-A last year and went 11-12 with a 5.08 ERA. The 24-year-old out of Joelton, Tenn. already has made 11 starts in New Britain this year, going 4-4 with a 2.51 ERA, and could find his way into an unstable rotation in Minnesota sooner than later.

Named the best prospect in the New York Collegiate Baseball League by Baseball America and Perfect Game in 2008 and a top-10 prospect in the Alaska Summer League by both BA and PG the next year.

A reliever in college, Darnell has excelled as a starter in the Twins system.

“He hasn’t allowed base runners, and his stuff is touted as nasty,” wrote Twins Daily blogger Seth Stohs last year. “May be a dominant lefty reliever over time, but for now, he is pitching really well.“

Nate Roberts, Left Fielder

Drafted: No. 165 overall

Current level: High-A

Drafted out of little known High Point University, a Methodist institution in North Carolina, Roberts is a JUCO transfer that was originally selected by the Rays in 2009 and was named Big South Player of the Year as a junior in 2010.

The Spring Grove, Ill. born pitcher has provided mixed results in his return to the Midwest. He has hit around .300 in both Rookie and Single-A ball, but the 24-year-old has matriculated slowly due to myriad injuries throughout his career.

Still, NBC’s Aaron Gleeman is bullish on him, naming Roberts his No. 25 prospect this year after seeing him hit .446/.565/.662 in 19 Arizona Fall League games.

“Along with being an on-base machine Roberts also has 41 steals in 179 games as a pro, but his power has been limited with just 13 homers and he's strictly a corner outfielder defensively,” wrote Gleeman.

“It's tough to get too excited about Roberts' future until he stays healthy and faces more advanced competition, but hopefully the dominant AFL stint convinces the Twins to at least push him aggressively at age 24.”

Eddie Rosario, Outfielder/Second Baseman

Drafted: No. 135 overall

Current level: High-A

And so there you have it: It’s little Eddie Rosario out of Guayama, Puerto Rico, who saw 100-plus players chosen ahead of him that is your best prospect from the 2010 class.

Everybody loves this guy.

ESPN 1500’s Brandon Warne reports that Terry Ryan would put him anywhere in the field and at second base, even though he was drafted as a center fielder.

“He profiles anywhere on the field, actually,” Ryan told Warne.

“Talk about the organization's prospects and it always comes down to (Miguel) Sano and Rosario,” writes Pioneer Press columnist Tom Powers. “Rosario and Sano -- the glitter twins.”

“When the Twins drafted Rosario in the third round of the 2010 draft, he was said to be the best bat from Puerto Rico that year,” writes Stohs of the Star Tribune. “Since signing with the Twins, he has proven those people to be right.”

Mr. Ed has been an absolute horse since coming to America and is currently hitting .324/.365/.503 down in Fort Myers.

Those numbers are nothing out of the ordinary for him, either. The 21-year-old has routinely hit around .300 since being drafted three years ago.

Not too bad for a fourth rounder, right?

Pat Dean, Left-Handed Pitcher

Drafted: No. 102 overall

Current level: Double-A

Not to be confused with James Dean, Dizzy Dean or his brother Daffy Dean, Pat Dean is neither an actor nor has the name of a cartoon character. He would, however, become the eighth major league baseball player with the last name Dean should he make the Twins 40-man roster.

In order to do so, he must play better against higher competition. Via Gleeman:

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“Like so many other college pitchers drafted by the Twins during the past decade Pat Dean got assigned to rookie-ball for his debut and predictably dominated far younger, less experienced hitters before struggling upon climbing the organizational ladder.

“Dean's control has been excellent and he's still young enough to get back on track, but for a 22-year-old with lots of major college experience to be knocked around by high Single-A hitters is definitely a red flag.”

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Dean is currently 2-5 with a 5.58 ERA in 10 Double-A starts this year.

Niko Goodrum, Shortstop

Drafted: No. 71 overall

Current level: Single-A

An athletic shortstop that could make the move to the outfield due to his speed and above-average arm, Goodrum comes from the baseball hotbed of Georgia. The 21-year-old is extremely athletic but needs to fine-tune his game to get to the next level.

“Goodrum fits the mold of the high-risk, high-reward toolsy high school athlete,” read one scouting report on MLB.com. “He has plenty of speed and some raw power from both sides of the plate, but his swing and approach will need work so he can tap into that power.”

ESPN.com also projected him to move to the outfield and would like to see the Twins make the most of his natural ability.

“Goodrum is athletic with some fast-twitch capability,” said one scouting report, “but remains pretty raw as a baseball player and is more of an upside play than a probability one.”

Currently hitting .263/.380/.388 with 29 walks and 43 strikeouts, Goodrum is coming into his own at the plate after three years of rookie ball for Minnesota. If he learns to harness his physical tools, he could become a dark-horse prospect for the Twins.

Alex Wimmers, Right-Handed Pitcher

Drafted: No. 21 overall

Current level: Double-A

Tommy John.

It’s almost become a rite of passage for pitchers in baseball: Just about everyone has it. The problem is that while some hurlers come back stronger, other promising players get derailed and are never the same again,

Wimmers has followed a similar path as fellow first-round farmhand Kyle Gibson: Got drafted out of college, shot up through the minors and then lost a season due to injury. In Wimmers’ case, the former Ohio State star will miss this season.

“What a shame,” wrote Gleeman. “Alex Wimmers' fast track to the majors was derailed in early 2011 by extreme control problems, which he conquered enough to throw a seven-inning no-hitter in his final start of the season only to blow out his elbow one start into last year.

“Even if Wimmers successfully returns from elbow surgery it's impossible to guess what type of pitcher he's capable of being at this point and he was never considered a high-upside arm to begin with.”

Time will tell if it is a major setback for the Cincinnati native.

Tom Schreier covers Minnesota sports for Bleacher Report and writes for TheFanManifesto.com. Visit his Kinja blog to see his previous work.

Follow @tschreier3