Minor Leagues

Ryan Jeffers was recently named by Twins Daily as the Twins #13 ranked prospect. He was a walk-on at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and didn’t start often as a freshman. He wasn’t on the MLB Top 200 draft prospects in 2018. So when the Twins used their secnd-round pick last year on the catcher, eyes were raised.

And Jeffers is just fine with that.

I caught up with the talented catcher at Twins Fest about his background, his game, and proving people wrong.

The Minnesota Twins have made it clear: they're relying on their own internal pipeline, rather than transformative outside additions, to turn things around.

Fortunately, their system is widely viewed as one of the best in the game. We've been counting down our rankings of the Top 20 Twins prospects over the past few weeks, and today we'll recap the full list, zeroing in on trends and key takeaways.

We have spent the last two weeks counting down the Twins Daily Top 20 Minnesota Twins prospects heading into the 2019 season. Today, we arrive at #1. It will surprise no one that shortstop Royce Lewis fits the top spot. The first overall pick in the 2017 draft had a strong 2018 season between Cedar Rapids. He didn’t turn 19 until early June. He is a consensus Top 10 prospect among national publications. This weekend, he will report to Ft. Myers for his first big-league spring training.

All of that, and it is important to note that it was not an easy decision for any of the voters. Alex Kirilloff had an incredible return to the diamond in 2018, putting up some of the best offensive numbers in all of minor league baseball. Brusdar Graterol has a triple-digit fastball and potentially three above-average pitches. He could give the Twins a true ace in the not-too-distant future. The Twins drafted a College World Series hero in the first round in 2018, and he had a solid professional debut.

The Twins have a Top 5 minor league system, so it is meaningful and well-considered that we continue to rank Royce Lewis as the #1 Twins prospect. Below you will find out more about the future star. Hopefully you have enjoyed this Top 20 series and have renewed hope that there are several future stars in the system. With this information, we certainly encourage you to share your thoughts on Lewis, but also consider how you would rank the Twins top prospects.

Roughly a year ago, Alex Kirilloff had to be feeling a little trepidation. Spring training was starting, and the former first round pick had missed all of 2017. Few knew the kind of season Kirilloff was about to embark on.

During last off-season, none of baseball’s national prospect rankings had him in their top 100 lists. Now he is a consensus top-40 prospect. MLB and ESPN’s Keith Law have Kirilloff in their top-12 prospects. This is quite the jump for the former first round pick. What could that mean for the 2019 campaign?

20-year-old Twins outfield prospect Jacob Pearson shares his story. He discusses the draft and his early career, but he also lets us inside and shares part of his life away from the game of baseball. Photography is a big passion for the outfielder from Louisiana.

I've always enjoyed following minor league baseball players as they improve and work their way up the organizational ladder, sometimes all the way to the big leagues. But, beyond that, I thoroughly enjoy getting to know the minor league baseball players as people.

Baseball is such a huge part of their lives. It has always been something they love and they are really good at, but it is also their job. It is their career. But they all have interests beyond the game, and it's fun to learn about that. What are their other passions.

The triple-digit fastball isn't as rare as it once was. By Baseball America's count, 63 minor-league pitchers were members of the 'Century Club' in 2018 alone. Not all of them will turn into quality MLB players, but Brusdar Graterol combines his premium heat with enough complementary strengths to convince many that he's destined for stardom in the majors.

At one point, Oregon State was down to their final strike in the College World Series, but they wouldn’t go that quietly. Trevor Larnach stepped into the box with the score tied and a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He would launch a two-run home run into the outfield bullpen to give the Beavers a 5-3 lead. Oregon State won that night to force a decisive Game 3 and they would go on to be CWS Champions.

Obviously, one hit doesn’t make a player a first-round pick. Larnach broke out during his junior season and helped the Beavers to win college baseball’s highest honor. What’s next for the College World Series star? Let’s find out.

He was out of sight last year, with shoulder surgery wiping away his entire 2018 season. But this uber-talented young shortstop was never out of our minds, and his massive upside as a dynamic two-way talent keeps him near the top of our Twins prospect rankings.

After winning the SEC triple crown and dominating the lower levels of the minor leagues in 2017, Brent Rooker was ready for a challenge. The Twins sent him straight to Double A for his first full season of pro ball. It was a tall order. Early on, it was looking as though that aggressive assignment may have been a mistake, but Rooker eventually powered through.

As you recall, the Twins front office was awfully busy around the trade deadline in 2018. It was a tough time for some Twins fans who would miss seeing some of their favorite players dealt to contending teams. The one positive to come out of that situation was the acquisition of some quality talent including our choice for the Twins #7 prospect, Jhoan Duran.

Jhoan Duran came to the Twins along with outfielders Gabriel Maciel and Ernie de la Trinidad in exchange for Eduardo Escobar. When the trade was made, we knew very little about the three. It’s fair to say that Duran has made a strong impression in his short time with the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

After a lengthy absence, Lewis Thorpe returned with back-to-back strong seasons, and in 2018 was recognized as the organization's most outstanding minor-league pitcher.

He's on track to make his MLB debut in 2019. What can we expect from the Australian southpaw?

Pitching is changing and organizations are trying to find the best way to take advantage of the arms in their system. Clubs have started to utilize an opener so that the starting pitcher can avoid pitching to the top of the line-up during the first inning. It also seems like teams are turning to their bullpens much more frequently.

With pitching evolving, it’s hard to predict what young pitchers might be asked to do at the big-league level. Will pitchers be asked to throw 200 innings on a regular basis? Or can teams be more effective by using more pitchers and limiting their innings?

No matter what happens moving forward, Blayne Enlow looks like an arm that will provide plenty of value for the Twins.