Carlos Gutierrez (Bethesda Big Train '05) was rated the tenth best prospect in the Minnesota Twins organization by Baseball America. The magazine also projects Gutierrez to be the Twins' closer in 2014.

''Gutierrez recovered from Tommy John surgery in 2007 to go 27th overall in the 2008 draft, signing for $1.29 million after serving as the closer on Miami's College World Series team,'' writes John Manuel. ''The Twins used him as a starter in 2009 and for the first half of 2010 before returning him to the bullpen after he struggled in Double-A. They signed his brother David, also a righthander, as an 18th-rounder in June.

''Gutierrez has a power sinker that has earned him Derek Lowe comparisons, though he throws harder, reaching 97 mph at times. His sinker was much more effective once he moved to the bullpen, getting 4.4 groundouts for every airout, compared to a 2.6 ratio as a starter. His slider is better than his changeup, though it's more of an average pitch than a true weapon. He needs to command it better against lefthanders and throw more strikes in general. He's a solid athlete who repeats his delivery.''

Of the righthander's future, Manuel writes: ''As soon as Gutierrez can throw consistent strikes with his sinker, he'll join Minnesota's bullpen. Free agency could leave several openings in the Twins' relief corps, giving him an outside chance to open 2011 in the big leagues. It's more likely that he'll begin the season in Triple-A.''

Copyright Baseball America, 2010.