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35. Brian Dinkelman | Second Base | DOB: 11/83 | Bats: Left | Draft: 2006-8

YEAR     LV      PA      AVG      OBP      SLG     HR    XBH     BB     SO
2006     RK     203     .298     .338     .420      4     15     10     29
2007     A-     278     .283     .373     .488      7     29     30     34
         A+     292     .255     .361     .389      6     17     36     43

The NAIA's all-time leader in hits, doubles, runs scored, and total bases after his four-year career at McKendree College, Brian Dinkelman won the 2006 NAIA Player of the Year by batting .462 during his senior season. A college shortstop, Dinkelman moved to second base after being drafted by the Twins in the eighth round and debuted at rookie-level Elizabethton, batting .298/.338/.420 with four homers, 15 total extra-base hits, and a 29-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 46 games.

Dinkelman moved up to low Single-A last season and thrived, batting .283/.373/.488 with 10 steals in 67 games. His production dropped off after a midseason promotion to high Single-A, but he held his own by hitting .255/.361/.389 with eight steals in 64 games. His overall raw numbers aren't especially eye-popping, but a young middle infielder smacking 46 extra-base hits and drawing 66 walks between a pair of extremely low-scoring environments is impressive.

In fact, if you adjust Dinkelman's 2007 performance to account for the pitcher-friendly leagues that he played in, his hitting line goes from .269/.367/.437 to .280/.378/.493. A 23-year-old second baseman with a context-adjusted Isolated Power of .213 is worth keeping an eye on, although Dinkelman saw about one-fourth of his action in left field last season and may not remain at second base long term. As an outfielder he's a marginal player, but as an infielder his bat and speed could have an impact.

34. Brian Buscher | Third Base | DOB: 4/81 | Bats: Left | Rule 5: Giants

YEAR     LV      PA      AVG      OBP      SLG     HR    XBH     BB     SO
2005     A+     237     .282     .367     .422      5     18     27     47
         AA     247     .228     .304     .288      1     10     20     36
2006     AA     524     .259     .321     .366      7     33     39     75
2007     AA     284     .308     .391     .478      7     27     31     30
        AAA     147     .311     .374     .523      7     14     13     11

After two years at a Florida junior college Brian Buscher transferred to the University of South Carolina, where he batted .393/.453/.644 as a senior and became the Giants' third-round pick in the 2003 draft. Buscher received a $215,000 bonus and began his career at low Single-A, but hit just .278/.310/.320 with zero homers in 54 games. Over the next two seasons he experienced modest success at high Single-A, batting .288/.359/.413 in 143 games, but hit just .265/.336/.378 in 257 games at Double-A.

A 25-year-old with a .359 career slugging percentage, Buscher fell out of the Giants' plans and was taken by the Twins in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 draft in December of 2006. Expected to be little more than roster filler, Buscher instead had the best season of any hitter in the Twins' system, hitting .309/.385/.493 with 14 homers, 41 total extra-base hits, and a 41-to-44 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 103 games between Double-A and Triple-A. He then hit .244/.323/.329 in 33 games with the Twins.

Buscher has three major strikes against him in that he's old for a prospect, has a poor track record that makes his breakout year look like a fluke, and appeared to be an awful defensive third baseman in his time with the Twins. On the other hand, his already strong hitting line from last season jumps to .316/.388/.540 after adjusting for the pitcher-friendly environments he called home and included vastly improved strike-zone control, which is at least enough to think that he may have turned the corner.

33. Matt Macri | Third Base | DOB: 5/82 | Bats: Right | Trade: Rockies

YEAR     LV      PA      AVG      OBP      SLG     HR    XBH     BB     SO
2005     A+     292     .283     .381     .443      7     24     33     67
2006     AA     326     .233     .294     .372      8     22     22     66
2007     AA     298     .298     .349     .502     11     34     20     58
        AAA      59     .286     .322     .554      4      6      3     13

Originally taken out of an Iowa high school by the Twins in the 17th round of the 2001 draft, Matt Macri opted for college instead of signing and played three seasons at Notre Dame, batting .367/.465/.667 in his final year. Selected by the Rockies in the fifth round of the 2004 draft, Macri hit well between two levels of Single-A to begin his minor-league career before batting just .232/.293/.370 with a 66-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 84 games at Double-A in 2006.

Asked to repeat Double-A last season, Macri bounced back by hitting .298/.349/.502 with 11 homers, 34 total extra-base hits, and a 58-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 79 games. Traded to the Twins in August for Ramon Ortiz, Macri moved up to Triple-A and finished the season by hitting .286/.322/.554 with four homers in 17 games. Macri now carries a .282/.350/.467 hitting line in 296 career games, with solid numbers everywhere except for the season at Double-A in 2006.

He's played all over the infield defensively and is considered a solid glove at third base, so it's easy to see Macri emerging with a major-league job at some point. On the other hand, he turns 26 years old in May, doesn't have much plate discipline, and has struck out in 21 percent of his career trips to the plate. He might be stretched as an everyday player, but being productive platooning against left-handed pitching is doable and the Twins' system lacks good bats, let alone infielders with power.

32. Daniel Berlind | Starter | DOB: 12/87 | Throws: Right | Draft: 2007-7

YEAR     LV      G     GS      ERA        IP       H     HR      SO     BB
2007     RK     11      9     1.93      56.0      37      4      52     20

Selected out of high school by the Cubs in the 44th round of the 2006 draft, Daniel Berlind opted for college instead of signing, enrolling at California Polytechnic State University before transferring to a junior college that was also in California. The decisions paid off for Berlind, who was taken by the Twins in the seventh round of June's draft and received an $80,000 signing bonus before making his pro debut in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League.

A 6-foot-7 right-hander who works primarily with a low-90s fastball and slider combination, Berlind held GCL hitters to a measly .186 batting average while posting a 1.93 ERA and 52-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 56 innings. While his batting average against and ERA were undeniably fantastic, Berlind's strikeout and walk rates are less impressive than they initially appear given the GCL's pitcher-friendly environment and the fact that he was facing slightly less experienced competition.

A dozen starting pitchers in the 16-team GCL had better strikeout-to-walk ratios than Berlind and even his minuscule 1.93 ERA ranked just third in the league. Of course, all of that is picking nits somewhat and Berlind certainly had a very strong debut that plants him firmly on the prospect map just six months after being a seventh-round pick. If he buys into the Twins' organization-wide emphasis on throwing strikes, Berlind has a chance to rank much higher on this list next year.

31. Dustin Martin | Center Field | DOB: 4/84 | Bats: Left | Trade: Mets

YEAR     LV      PA      AVG      OBP      SLG     HR    XBH     BB     SO
2006     A-     293     .315     .399     .454      2     24     28     50
2007     A+     548     .290     .361     .426      8     44     53    118

Dustin Martin led the Southland Conference with a .389 batting average during his senior season at Sam Houston State and was selected by the Mets in the 26th round of the 2006 draft. As a little-known college senior with no leverage, he agreed to a $1,000 bonus and reported to low Single-A, where he batted .315/.399/.454 in 72 games. Martin moved to high Single-A in 2007, batting .287/.358/.412 in 93 games before being traded to the Twins along with non-prospect Drew Butera for Luis Castillo in July.

Martin remained in the Florida State League after the deal, hitting .294/.366/.437 in 32 games at Fort Myers to finish the year with an overall line of .290/.361/.426 in a very pitcher-friendly environment, which included eight homers, 44 total extra-base hits, and a 118-to-53 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 125 games. While he's shown decent plate discipline with solid gap power and good speed, Martin strikes out an awful lot for a hitter who's managed just 10 homers in 845 career plate appearances.

Martin has spent the bulk of his pro career in center field and is considered an above-average defender there, but likely profiles more as a fourth outfielder long term. Terry Ryan's decision to unload Castillo at midseason was criticized heavily at the time and looks even more questionable given that the Twins would have ended up with a supplemental first-round pick if they'd simply let him walk as a free agent, but Martin's an intriguing player who gives them a chance to at least get some value out of the deal.