Matt Kinney

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #9 prospect in 2002
  Kinney entered last spring as the favorite to fill a vacancy in the Twins rotation, but a miserable spring snowballed into a poor season. After finishing 2000 in Minnesota, he allowed his disappointment at not making the big club in the spring to affect his performance in Triple-A. He won his first decision, dropped the next nine and didn't regain his focus until August, when he won his final four starts. There never was any question about Kinney's stuff. He's armed with one of the best fastballs in the system, regularly hitting 93-94 mph with heavy sink and run. He touched 96 every time out last year. He mixes in a plus slurve and usable change. He has the broad shoulders of a workhorse. Kinney needs to throw more strikes and keep his emotions in check. Though he has an easy motion and delivery, he has encountered elbow tenderness more than once in his career. He showed flashes of big league-caliber stuff during his stint in Minnesota two years ago. The Twins once again are counting on him to fill the fifth slot in their rotation. He could strengthen what already is one of baseball's brightest young rotations.
• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #6 prospect in 2001
  Kinney is another New Englander who got away from the Red Sox in a costly July 1998 deadline deal. He is on par with Adam Johnson as the hardest thrower in the system. He can touch 95-96 mph but is usually around 91. Kinney had bone chips removed from his elbow in 1999 but is generally durable like Johnson. Kinney often reaches his pitch limits too soon, as he lacks the concentration to put hitters away early in the count. His curve's not as big and loopy as it once was, but he must continue to tighten it, and his changeup is just ordinary. He has shown more consistency since ditching his glasses in favor of contact lenses. Kinney has an excellent shot at leaving spring training as one of Minnesota's starters. He even has drawn praise from Twins manager Tom Kelly, who habitually finds fault with young players.
• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #11 prospect in 1999

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Eastern League #17 prospect in 2000
  One of the premier arms in the Twins system, Kinney finally established himself in Double-A after being sidelined for much of 1999 while recovering from elbow surgery. He reduced his ERA by 4.41 from the year before and rocketed through Triple-A en route to Minnesota. "He has such a great delivery," said one scout who covers the EL. "He has the ability to throw four quality pitches. He can hit 91 to 94 easy. He is so smooth." Besides his fastball, Kinney has a slider, curveball and changeup. He moves his heater around the strike zone and gets plenty of grounders. Managers also liked his mound presence.
• 
  Ranked Pacific Coast League #10 prospect in 2000
  In recent years, the Red Sox have stripped their farm system to acquire major league talent. One deal that may haunt them is the July 1998 trade that sent Kinney, outfielder John Barnes (the 2000 PCL batting champ) and lefthander Joe Thomas to the Twins for Orlando Merced and Greg Swindell, who had little impact in Boston. The transaction didn’t look like much from Minnesota’s perspective in 1999, when Kinney missed much of the season after having bone chips removed from his elbow and struggled when he did pitch. This year, Kinney dominated in Double-A and did the same in his last four Triple-A starts, giving up five runs while striking out 32 in 30 innings before moving up to Minnesota. Kinney tops out at 95 mph with his fastball, and his slider is tough when he can command it. His changeup is a decent third pitch. Kinney needs to tweak his arm angle so he can pitch lower in the strike zone.

• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  One of the premier arms in the Twins system, Kinney finally established himself in Double-A after being sidelined for much of 1999 while recovering from elbow surgery. He reduced his ERA by 4.41 from the year before and rocketed through Triple-A en route to Minnesota. "He has such a great delivery," said one scout who covers the EL. "He has the ability to throw four quality pitches. He can hit 91 to 94 easy. He is so smooth." Besides his fastball, Kinney has a slider, curveball and changeup. He moves his heater around the strike zone and gets plenty of grounders. Managers also liked his mound presence.
• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  In recent years, the Red Sox have stripped their farm system to acquire major league talent. One deal that may haunt them is the July 1998 trade that sent Kinney, outfielder John Barnes (the 2000 PCL batting champ) and lefthander Joe Thomas to the Twins for Orlando Merced and Greg Swindell, who had little impact in Boston. The transaction didn’t look like much from Minnesota’s perspective in 1999, when Kinney missed much of the season after having bone chips removed from his elbow and struggled when he did pitch. This year, Kinney dominated in Double-A and did the same in his last four Triple-A starts, giving up five runs while striking out 32 in 30 innings before moving up to Minnesota. Kinney tops out at 95 mph with his fastball, and his slider is tough when he can command it. His changeup is a decent third pitch. Kinney needs to tweak his arm angle so he can pitch lower in the strike zone.