1. Baseball Prospectus did a write-up on the strange prospect career of Joe Benson. Things look bleak for our man Joe at the moment, as he's weirdly regarded as third in the CF pecking order in spite of probably being the optimal choice for 2013. Luckily, he's competing against a career AAA guy in Mastroianni and somebody that the Twins would prefer to emerge fully formed with Hicks. When the opposition is "bad" and "likely to become expensive" we shouldn't underestimate Benson.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=19584

"Benson is still a legitimate prospect, but his baseball skills are limited. In the outfield, he doesn’t always take the best routes to the ball, instead relying on his speed to compensate for his mistakes. Meanwhile, his aggressiveness on both sides of the ball scares some scouts away: “If I was flanking him, I’d be afraid that he’d run into me,” one evaluator said.

At the plate Benson, strikes out a lot and struggles to track breaking balls into his bat. His doubters wonder if he will ever develop a sufficiently polished approach to succeed against quality pitchers.

This year, Benson did not rank among Jason Parks’ top Twins prospects, but he did find a spot in the section of the rankings devoted to Factors on the Farm. Here’s what the professor had to say:

“A very disappointing 2012 season for Benson has crushed his once lofty prospect status, but the multi-tooled outfielder could still be in the mix for a major league opportunity at some point during the season. The bat failed him at all stops last year, but if he can regain his confidence and stay healthy, he has the baseball skills to contribute at the highest level.”

The uncertainties in Minnesota’s outfield give Benson a chance. The soon-to-be 25-year-old has been working all offseason, and he says that, from a health standpoint, he is back to 100 percent. Some evaluators now see Benson as little more than a quality fourth outfielder. His goal in 2013 will be to surprise his doubters and establish a higher ceiling."

2. BA wrote up their "32nd team" of interesting prospects who weren't interesting enough to make up the prospect guide. The Twins landed three.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2013/2614633.html

Boyd: "He flashed a plus curveball as an amateur and still has a feel for spin, but his curve lacks its former power. He throws a changeup as well. With lesser stuff than he had as an amateur, Boyd gets pounded when he leaves the ball up in the strike zone. The Twins hope he'll regain his past velocity as he continues to improve his body, and they're encouraged by his success last year. He has a shot to open 2013 in their low Class A Cedar Rapids rotation."

Jones: " The Twins targeted power arms in last year's draft, and Jones had the best fastball of the group. Signed for $356,700 in the fourth round, he works in the mid-90s and touched 100 mph during instructional league. His fastball tends to straighten out at its highest velocity, and he'll never have true command of the pitch. His delivery involves plenty of effort, but he gets the most out of his athletic frame. Jones throws a solid slider in the mid-80s that has its moments. Jones struggles to throw consistent strikes and may have to tone things down a bit to repeat his delivery."

Roberts: " He has a loose, line-drive swing and stays short to the ball, making him a strong fastball hitter who can catch up to good velocity. He excels at getting on base and continues to rack up hit-by-pitches, with 30 in 95 games last year (including the AFL). Roberts lacks the leverage or torque in his swing to hit for enough power to profile as a starter on an outfield corner, and he's a modest defender whose average speed doesn't fit in center field. He does have excellent baserunning instincts, ranking second in the Twins system with 27 steals in just 76 games last year."