There's going to be plenty of ups and downs, but April was a really, really good month for the system. Moving through BA's top ten, the only disappointing performance has been Hicks' after an aggressive promotion straight to MLB. Bard is being stretched into a starter in extended spring and Kepler is dealing with an elbow injury. But past that, the only surprises are good. Sano, Rosario, and Arcia have raked - with the latter being promoted. Daniel Santana hasn't looked overwhelmed with a AA promotion. Kyle Gibson has shown the same improved velocity that he did in the AFL and is ironing out his command - the last thing to return after the long TJ layoff. Byron Buxton has, incredibly, surpassed expectations in the early goings.

And Jose Berrios made his second start in the MWL yesterday and looked like the Jose Berrios we giddily remember from last year. He went 6.2 innings, permitted just one run on a pair of hits, and struck out eight. His fastball apparently sat 92-94 and peaked at 95.

So, with some of the extended spring guys (interesting pen candidate Josh Burris also debut'd at Cedar Rapids) starting to show up, it may be time to start chatting about system depth a bit. Because there are some lesser-discussed guys doing sexy stuff too. Here's some names, some you may have known but bracketed away with Sano fever:

1. Adam Walker - think of him as the poor man's Miguel Sano. A corner-only outfielder with even more swing-and-miss, he also has power that actually could maybe be mentioned in the same breath as Sano's. Lately he hasn't been missing and is .357/.426/.833. In spite of being drafted out of college, he is regarded as extremely raw and will be moved slowly, but a stronger than expected contact rate in low-A is a good sign that he'll put the barrel on the ball enough for us to keep watching him. An absolute upside for a player like this is Josh Willingham, but if he doesn't achieve that there seems to be a growing league-wide need for big RH pop - so he can profile as a useful extra outfielder even without playing center or hitting lefty.

2. Joe Benson - we all know Benson, chronic opportunity-fumbler. He's still crazy toolsy but has been hitting the ball hard after a Hicks-ian start at Rochester. Still a 27:4 K:BB rate though.

3. D.J. Baxendale - part of the rush on senior college pitchers from the 2012 draft, he's at Ft. Myers already and is pitching well, with a 1.54 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 23 innings. The additional good news is that he actually throws kind of hard. Not Alex Meyer hard, but he'll sit low-to-mid-90s into starts so there's reason to think he's not just dominating less experienced players and the results could stick. He could be a solid 4th starter.

4. Jorge Polanco - twinned as a Dominican signee with Miguel Sano, he's been passed by both Sano and Kepler in reputation, but the bat is starting to come around. He doesn't walk enough, but he's a tough out and is starting to show power in cold ass Iowa. Hitting .353/.385/.506. Middle infield depth is an excellent, excellent thing.

5. Levi Michael - Remember him? He's back in Ft. Myers, allegedly healthy, and hitting .200 with all of his his going for extra bases. His stock has sunk since he was drafted, but injuries keep providing ambiguity - the chance we aren't seeing the real Levi Michael.

I promised draft stuff, but I really don't have much. The front two names are starting to solidify. Mark Appel has convinced scouts that he has refined his fastball command and his changeup enough that he has genuine #1 upside and wont get squared up in MLB Jeremy Guthrie-style. And Jonathan Gray is throwing 100mph for Oklahoma and striking out everybody. The bad news is that those guys are probably going 1/2 unless one of the prep outfielders Meadows or Frazier really distinguishes themselves. A lot of Twins fans are nervous that the Twins are in on Meadows/Frazier, which would add yet another "toolsy outfielder" to a system full of them. That... isn't a stupid worry, but requires the following notes:

1. The Twins needed pitching even more last summer, but Byron Buxton has so far shown why the Twins may have seen him as something different than just a toolsy outfielder type. His performance so far is why you draft best player available.

2. Opinion ranges from negative to mixed on whether Meadows or Frazier can play centerfield as pros. It seems worth pointing out that "toolsy outfielder" to the Twins has meant "guys who profile as strong defensive centerfielders" in the first round. The Twins would have to either believe one of those two (i read they have a preference for Austin Meadows of the two) is a genuine plus defensive centerfielder, which would put them outside the full range of conventional wisdom *or* be so in love with the bat that they scrap the more detailed version of their usual preferences. I'd be surprised if this happens.

That leaves some strong pitchers, but guys with a bit more questions than Appel/Gray. Sean Manaea has been up and down this year, but he's a lefty who hits the high nineties, holds his velocity into starts, and holds the chance that being in a cold weather school means we haven't seen his best. Braden Shipley is the new pop-up candidate, Kyle Zimmer-lite. Keith Law tagged a plus fastball and a plus changeup. Twins will really like the latter. He also saw above-average current curveball that needs more use. The cool thing, which the Twins also like, is that he's a really good athlete, expressed in his delivery, but also has a good power pitcher's body at 6'3". He seems to fit the Twins preferences a bit more clearly than Manaea.

Prep righty Kohl Stewart, Arkansas righty Ryne Stanek, and Jacksonville State (which we know the Twins scout with an affirming eye due to the aforementioned Adam Walker) righty Chris Anderson are also candidates.