MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins placed four players, led by right-hander José Berríos, in the midseason update to MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospect list released Thursday.
Berrios, who entered the year as the No. 19 overall prospect, moved up to No. 16. He's joined by left-hander Tyler Jay, who moved up 13 spots to be ranked No. 47; shortstop Nick Gordon, who moved up 30 spots to be ranked No. 61, and infielder Jorge Polanco, who slid two spots to No. 99. Center fielder Byron Buxton, who entered the season as the No. 2 overall prospect, graduated from the list, as did right fielder Max Kepler, who was ranked No. 44.
The ranking of baseball's top prospects is done by MLBPipeline.com Draft and prospect experts Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Mike Rosenbaum, who compile input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. It is based on analysis of players' skill sets, upsides, proximity to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams. Only players with rookie status are eligible for the list. The rankings follow the Collective Bargaining Agreement guidelines for which players fall under the international pool money rules: Players who were at least 23 years old when they signed and played in leagues deemed to be professional (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cuba) are not eligible.
Berrios, 22, tops the Twins' Top 30 list and is 10-5 with a 2.44 ERA in 16 starts with Triple-A Rochester. He also has struck out 111 and walked 35 in 103 1/3 innings. He got his first taste of the Majors this season, going 1-1 with a 10.20 ERA in four starts. He's expected to rejoin Minnesota's rotation soon, as he's posted a 1.46 ERA over his last eight starts.
Jay, 22, has posted a combined 3.38 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings between Class A Advanced Fort Myers and Double-A Chattanooga. Jay, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, will pitch in relief the rest of the year to limit his innings.
Gordon is in the midst of a breakout year offensively, hitting .298/.346/.410 with three homers, 18 doubles and 11 stolen bases with Class A Advanced Fort Myers. The 20-year-old, who was taken as the No. 5 overall selection in the 2014 Draft, is the son of former Major League reliever Tom Gordon and the brother of Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon.
Polanco is hitting .274/.332/.460 with nine homers, six triples and 14 doubles in 73 games with Triple-A Rochester. Polanco, who has seen action mostly at second base this year but can also play shortstop and third base, also appeared in 13 games with the Twins, batting .231/.344/.462 with a homer and three doubles. The 23-year-old has had short stints in the big leagues in each of the last three years.
The club's Top 30 prospects list was also updated with left-hander Stephen Gonsalves and right-hander Kohl Stewart ranked as the club's No. 5 and No. 6 prospects, respectively. Both are in Double-A Chattanooga's rotation.
Outfielder Alex Kirilloff, the club's first-round pick in the 2016 Draft, entered the list and is ranked as the organization's No. 7 prospect. Other 2016 Draft picks who joined the Top 30 include catcher Ben Rortvedt (No. 10) and outfielder Akil Baddoo (No. 27).
Right-hander Fernando Romero, currently at Fort Myers, made the biggest jump, moving up 10 spots to No. 8, one ahead of reliever J.T. Chargois. Other players who shot up Minnesota's prospect list include Double-A reliever Trevor Hildenberger, who moved up five spots to No. 19 and Triple-A outfielder Daniel Palka, who jumped eight spots to No. 21.
Among their top 30 prospects, the Twins have 11 right-handed pitchers, four left-handers, five shortstops, two third basemen, two catchers and six outfielders.