12/02/2004 5:19 PM ET
Twins organizational recap
By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com

Before the 2004 season began, MLB.com took an in-depth look at every
big league team's minor league system. Now, it's time to recap all
30 organizations, from top prospects to the recent draft class.
2004 Organizational Record

League (Level) Team W L PCT
International (AAA) Rochester 73 71 .507
Eastern (AA) New Britain 70 70 .500
Florida St. (A) Fort Myers 61 74 .452
Midwest (A) Quad City 68 68 .500
Appalachian (R) Elizabethton 38 29 .567
Gulf Coast (R) GCL Twins 31 26 .544
Total 341 338 .502

2004 Organizational Leaders

Batting average: Jason Kubel, .352
Home runs: Garrett Jones, 31
Runs batted in: Kevin West, 109
Stolen bases: Josh Rabe, 26
ERA: Travis Bowyer, 1.29
Wins: Dave Gassner, 16
Strikeouts: Francisco Liriano, 174
Saves: Bobby Korecky, 31

Five Faves

At the start of the season, MLB.com identified five prospects to
keep an eye on. Here's how they fared in 2004:

Joe Mauer, C
The injury bug jumped up and bit Mauer hard on the knee in 2004.
Primed to take over in Minnesota, Mauer picked up just 107 big
league at-bats after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee in
the second game of the year. The rookie was forced to the operating
table for a second time after trying to rush his comeback. Still, he
hit .308 in his abbreviated season and showed the most power he's
shown in his career, with a .570 slugging percentage (including six
homers). Defensively, he was as good as advertised, throwing out
almost 39 percent of would-be basestealers. While there have been
whispers of a position change because of the knee injury, the Twins
plan to have Mauer back behind the plate in 2005.

Justin Morneau, 1B
The Twins performed some addition by subtraction when they dealt
veteran Doug Mientkiewicz to Boston. That's mostly because it
finally made room for Morneau. For his part, he didn't disappoint,
hitting 19 homers (leading to a .536 slugging percentage) and
driving in 58 runs in just 74 games. For the season, Morneau hit a
combined 41 homers (his 22 in the minors was still good for third
best in the organization) and drove in 121 runs. He'll be a fixture
in the middle of the Twins' lineup for a long time.

Jesse Crain, RHP
Crain continued on the fast track, making it to the Majors in August
after less than two full seasons of minor league ball. He was lights
out for Rochester, saving 19 games and posting a 2.49 ERA. He struck
out 64 and walked 17 in 51 innings, holding hitters to a paltry .208
average. He was even stingier in the big leagues, where hitters
managed just a .179 mark against him, though he did walk more
batters than usual. He should play a vital role as Joe Nathan's
setup man in 2005.

J.D. Durbin, RHP
The "Real Deal" bounced back nicely from shoulder surgery earlier in
the year, earning a promotion to Triple-A and then a September
callup to the Twins. From there, he headed to the Arizona Fall
League, where he hit triple-digits on the radar gun. Because of his
size, some think his long-range future is in the bullpen, but he
should get a long look for a rotation spot in 2005.

Denard Span, OF
It was hard for Span to make any real progress in his first full
season because wrist surgery kept him out of action for nearly two
and a half months. He picked up just 240 at-bats in Quad City,
hitting .267 (with a .363 OBP) and stealing 15 bases. Time is on his
side -- he's just 20 years old -- and he reportedly had a strong
Instructional League showing.

Cinderella Story

Terry Tiffee, 3B
Tiffee, the 26th-round pick in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft,
more or less picked up where he left off from his breakout 2003
season. The 25-year-old hit .307 in Rochester, third highest average
in the organization, while his 68 RBIs were fifth-best. He posted a
nifty .522 slugging percentage as well, all in just 316 at-bats. He
got a September callup and made some valuable contributions despite
missing time with a separated shoulder. He's hitting .293 with
Aragua in the Venezuela Winter League and could compete for the
Twins' third base job next year.

2004 draft recap

1. Trevor Plouffe, SS
Plouffe was a standout two-way player in high school, but the Twins
liked him too much as a shortstop to put him on the mound. Plouffe
signed quickly and got in 237 at-bats with Elizabethton,
hitting .283 with four homers and 28 RBIs.

2. Glen Perkins, LHP
The Twins stayed local with their second of four first-round picks,
grabbing Perkins from the University of Minnesota. He gave up just
three runs in 12 innings for Elizabethton before moving up to low
Class A ball. In 48 1/3 innings for the Swing, Perkins had a 1.30
ERA, striking out 49 while walking 12 and holding opposing hitters
to a .205 average.

Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject
to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.