Gordon among Twins prospects in Top 100

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins have graduated several top prospects to the Majors in recent years such as Byron Buxton, Miguel Sanó, Max Kepler and José Berríos, but the club still has three players ranked among MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects, as announced on MLB Network on Saturday.
• Top 100 Prospects
Shortstop Nick Gordon is the club's No. 2 prospect, ranked No. 50 overall, and left-hander Stephen Gonsalves checks in at No. 92, while recently drafted outfielder Alex Kirilloff is 98th. It's a drop from last year's preseason rankings, when the Twins had six players in the Top 100, but Buxton, Berrios, Kepler and Jorge Polanco each exhausted their rookie eligibility in 2016. The lone Twins prospect to drop from the Top 100 is lefty Tyler Jay, who was ranked No. 60 before the 2016 season and No. 47 at last year's midseason update.
:: Complete 2017 Top Prospects coverage ::
The annual ranking of MLB's Top 100 prospects is assembled 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 entering the 2017 season are eligible for the list. 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.
Gordon, 21, actually fell two spots to No. 50, but is coming off a strong year and an even better showing in the Arizona Fall League. He hit .291/.335/.386 with 19 stolen bases in 116 games at Class A Advanced Fort Myers last year and should open the year at Double-A Chattanooga. He also hit .346 in 21 games in the Arizona Fall League.

Gonsalves also slipped a few spots from No. 85 to 92. The lefty has emerged as the club's top pitching prospect, although the Twins have several strong candidates right behind him, including Fernando Romero, Kohl Stewart and Jay. The 22-year-old Gonsalves posted a 2.06 ERA with a combined 155 strikeouts in 140 innings between Class A Advanced Fort Myers and Double-A Chattanooga. He's likely to open the year at Double-A and could make his debut as early as this season.

Kirilloff, selected with the No. 15 pick in last year's Draft, fell from No. 92 to 98. The outfielder had a solid showing at Rookie-level Elizabethton, hitting .306/.341/.454 with seven homers and 33 RBIs in 55 games.