I’ve decided to write a series of posts regarding the depth in the Twins system or possibly lack thereof depending on how you feel about a particular position. I plan to go position by position in hopes to shed some light on who could make an impact as early as 2025, or who may make an impact within a few years. I started doing this back in 2023 and life happened, so I'm taking a stab at it again 2 years later.  I’ll start with catchers and work my way around the diamond from there! I’ll be using Roster Resource’s depth chart, which can be found at FanGraphs. 

Here is a short write up of each player at catcher in the Twins System that is not on the 40-man roster. I’ll include how they were acquired, and the highest level played at in 2024.

Patrick Winkel

9^th round – 2021

Highest level: AAA

Winkel has worked his way up to AAA since being drafted in 2021 in the 9^th round out of UConn. He has climbed the minor league ladder pretty steadily since being drafted. In his most recent season with AAA Saint Paul, he played in 78 games, splitting time with Jair Camargo. He has hit .249/.330/391 in parts of 4 minor league seasons, and in 2024 he hit .228/.330/.391 with the Saints. His wRC+ has been slightly above average until 2024 where he took a step back offensively. It will be interesting to see how repeating AAA will go and if he will be able to build off the experience he had the past few years. It appears he has some upside still, but is buried on the depth chart at this time with who is ahead of him at catcher. A trade of Christian Vazquez could free up some playing time at AAA for Winkel with Cartaya or Camargo filling in behind Ryan Jeffers.

Ricardo Olivar

Amateur Free Agent – 2019

Highest Level: AA

Olivar started 2024 off hitting quite well in Cedar Rapids with 11 home runs over 81 games played, which earned him a call up to Wichita for 19 games toward the end of the season. Olivar has been ranked as high as 16^th within the Twins organization. Some struggles ensued at AA, but nothing too much to be worried about. Olivar has hit at all levels, especially after getting some experience under his belt. The biggest question with Olivar is if he stays at catcher long term, or if he transitions to the outfield. The organization seems to want to tap into his versatility as much as they can. If his bat develops faster than his fielding, a move to a corner outfield spot might be in the cards over the long term

Noah Cardenas

8^th round – 2021

Highest Level: AA

Cardenas is a 25 year old prospect who has topped out at the AA level. He is a glove first catcher. He strikes out a little more than he walks and has not hit much at the AA level thus far. His slash line of .173/.311/.276 is a bit underwhelming but that doesn’t mean he can’t carve out a role for himself long term. He was drafted in the 8^th round back in 2021 after hitting .302/.407/.426 over 3 years of college at UCLA. Cardenas has had some value defensively, throwing out 26 of 108 would be base stealers in 2024 with the Wind Surge, which is a solid 24%.  He will likely start the year at AA and we will see if he can continue to grow and put himself into a long term discussion or if he will fill the role of organizational depth going forward.

Andrew Cossetti

11^th round – 2022

Highest Level: AA

Cossetti split time pretty evenly with Cardenas in Wichita. He struggled a little bit with the bat with the transition to AA. In 86 games played, he hit .192/.299/.344. On a different note, he had 8 home runs and 18 doubles in 86 games, so the power is still developing. He hit a bit more in 2023 at the A and High-A levels, so if he can adjust and create some success at the AA level, we could see his value improve. He has played some games at 1^st base as well over the past couple of years, so that’s something to keep an eye on as well. He will have to hit much more to be considered a potential option there, however.

Khadim Diaw

3^rd round – 2024

Highest Level: A

The highest drafted catcher since Ryan Jeffers was taken in the 2^nd round, Diaw has broken the Twins top 30 prospects on mlb.com already after being drafted in 2024. One intriguing thing about Diaw is that he has taken reps at all three outfield positions and is athletic enough to end up there. He only has a handful of games under his belt, but keep an eye on how often he is behind the plate or in the outfield. Versatility can be extremely valuable, especially if catcher is one of the positions you can play.  

Poncho Ruiz

Non-drafted Free Agent – 2023

Highest Level: A+

Ruiz was signed an a non-drafted free agent in 2023. These types of deals always are interesting because it makes you wonder what led to a player not being drafted. There are less rounds in the MLB draft than there were in the past, so it’s very possible he would have been drafted with a later round pick if the draft was still longer. Ruiz played most of his games with Fort Myers and got a taste of high-A as well. He hit well in Fort Myers and it didn’t translate in his short stay with Cedar Rapids. I would assume he will start at Cedar Rapids this year and see if his bat can continue to develop. Between A and A+, he hit .248/.350/.361, so overall numbers were solid.

Nate Baez

12^th round – 2022

Highest Level: A+

Baez spent the year in Cedar Rapids at high-A, playing in 82 games. He has hit decently well throughout his minors career, most recently wish a slash of .239/.331/420 this past season with the Kernels. He has shown some pop, hitting 12 home runs this past year, and his wRC+ being above average in each year. He has played some first base in the minors as well, so if his bat continues to develop and it’s determined he isn’t a catcher long term, the power could be his tool that carries him.

Daniel Pena

Amateur Free Agent – 2022

Highest Level: A

Pena signed as an amateur free agent in 2022 out of Venezuela. He has spent time in the Dominican Summer League, the Florida Complex team, and in 2024 got some experience in Fort Myers. His bat is still developing, but has shown promise early on in his minor league career. Pena is still just 19 so a while from making an impact, but he is a prospect to keep an eye on to see how he is developing.

Ricardo Pena

Amateur Free Agent – 2022

Highest Level: Complex

Pena was signed as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela in 2022 at the age of 17. He’s now about to play his age 20 season, and showed some promise in the Florida Complex League last year at 19. Still a low level prospect, but we will see how he develops as a catcher or if a shift down the defensive spectrum to 1^st base is in the cards long term. Still a long way away from making that decision.

Carlos Silva

Amateur Free Agent – 2023

Highest Level: Dominican Summer League

Silva has the same name as former Twins pitcher, but he is quite different, one can confidently say, as the former pitcher was 6’4” and 280 lbs, while this Carlos is listed at 5’10” and 168 lbs. Silva played the past year in the DSL and is still very early in his development but he is someone to keep an eye on.

Victor Leal

Amateur Free Agent – 2024

Highest Level: Dominican Summer League

Leal signed as an amateur free agent just last year and got into 42 games in the DSL at 17. At 18 years old, he still early on in his development and it will be interesting to see how he continues to develop.