Minor Leagues

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.

The Twins (and all other organizations) have had more than their fair share of Tommy John surgeries. In recent years, pitchers like Lewis Thorpe, Fernando Romero and Brusdar Graterol have missed two seasons due to the elbow surgery. With less fanfare, Andro Cutura also missed nearly two full years due to the UCL surgery. Today, the former seventh-round draft pick from Southeastern Louisiana University tells us more about the injury, the rehab and the impressive return to the mound in 2018.

The 2018 season was a turbulent one for the Minnesota Twins, and for some of their heralded upcoming talents as well. Two prospects who ranked among our top five a year ago now find themselves outside of the top ten.

But that's not necessarily damning in a robust system that shows well here in the 11 through 15 range.

It’s not easy for a prospect to crack the Twins top 20 rankings these days. This system has been picking up steam in recent years, and as you’ll see in this segment of our list, trades have helped make significant strides. Three of the five players we’ll look at today were acquired via trades. Let’s get into it ...

Starting tomorrow, Twins Daily will begin unveiling our choices for the Minnesota Twins Top 20 prospects. Today, we wanted to discuss several other players that fell just outside the Top 20. Call them Honorable Mentions, if you will, but I think this group will help illustrate the depth of the Twins organization right now. In fact, you can all likely name another dozen Twins prospects beyond this list who have big-league potential.

Be sure to stop by every day as we count down (or up) the Twins Daily Top 20 Minnesota Twins Prospect Rankings. Prospect rankings are far from an exact science. We encourage questions. We encourage respectful debate.

On Tuesday, the Twins announced that they had acquired middle infielder Daniel Ozoria from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In exchange, the Twins sent hard-throwing reliever John Curtiss who had been designated for assignment a day earlier to make room for Blake Parker. Today you can get to know a little more about the newest member of the Minnesota Twins organization.

As a way to both look back at a great minor league season and celebrate the release of the 2019 Twins Prospect Handbook, I’m shining the spotlight on a few players in the system. Next up is Royce Lewis.

The 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook is available in paperback for $17.99 or as an eBook for $12.99.

As a way to both look back at a great minor league season and celebrate the release of the 2019 Twins Prospect Handbook, I’m shining the spotlight on a few players in the system. Next up is Lewis Thorpe.

The 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook is available in paperback for $17.99 or as an eBook for $12.99.