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 then life happened, so let’s try again! I started with catchers , then discussed 1^st base and 2nd base. I will work my way around the diamond to touch on all positions.  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 3^rd  base 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.

 Anthony Prato

Acquired: 7^th round, 2019

Highest Level: AAA

               A 7^th round pick in 2019 out of UConn, Prato has steadily climbed the minor league ladder, spending 2024, at age 26, with AAA St. Paul. In 106 games with the Saints, he hit .228/.370/350, so he left some to be desired offensively, racking up a wRC+ of 98. Playing in his age 27 season, he will likely serve as organizational depth unless he is able to take a step, or two, forward. One thing Prato has going for him is that he has played all over the diamond, logging games at 3^rd, 2^nd, LF, RF, and SS. He even pitched in one game and threw 2 innings, where he gave up 1 unearned run and struck one batter out. I don’t think he’ll be on the mound too much this year, but I wanted to share because it was a fun statistic.

Rubel Cespedes

Acquired: Amateur FA, 2019

Highest Level: A+

               Cespedes was signed out of the Dominican Republic as part of the International Free Agent class of 2019. The left-handed hitter has taken a little time to develop but seemed to start turning a corner in 2024. For Cedar Rapids, he played 110 games and launched 12 home runs with a slash line of .282/.346.431. He has started to strike out less and make louder contact. In an article by Aaron Gleeman on the Athletic this past year, Aaron spoke with Twins director of player development Drew MacPhail where MacPhail said the following on Cespedes: “He’s making way better swing decisions and not chasing as much.” This is a good sign so it will be interesting to see how Cespedes develops and if he is able to take the next step forward in 2025.

Tanner Schobel

Acquired: 2^nd round, 2022

Highest Level: AA

               Signed for just over $1 million after being drafted in the 2^nd round of the 2022 draft, Schobel climbed up to AA in his first full year of professional ball in 2023. He repeated the level in his age 23 season, where he didn’t have quite as much success in his full year in Wichita. Listed at 5’9” and 170 lbs, Schobel is the type of player who could still carve out a role as a utility guy at the big league level in the future. He’s played the majority of his games at 3^rd base, but also played games in AA at 2^nd base, left field, and shortstop. Schobel was ranked as the Twins #17 prospect on Twins Daily and #19 on mlb.com this past year.

Billy Amick

Acquired: 2^nd round, 2024

Highest Level: A

               Amick started his collegiate career at Clemson but after being limited to 1B and DH, he transferred to Tennessee, where he got the opportunity to play some 3^rd base. A second round pick this past year, Amick got his first taste of pro ball with Fort Myers. Amick showed major power in his year with the Volunteers, hitting 23 HR and having an OPS over 1.000. Still young, Amick will likely start in the lower minors and continue to develop. If he continues to barrel up the ball, a path to the major leagues is a real possibility. Keep your eye on him as a guy who could make an impact at some point.

Miguel Briceno

Acquired: AAA Rule 5 Draft (from Milwaukee), Dec 2024

Highest Level: A

               Briceno was recently taken in the AAA Rule 5 draft. He’s going to be playing his age 21 season this coming year, so he’s still young, he is still getting his feet wet in professional baseball. Signed in 2019 with the Milwaukee Brewers, Briceno played this past year with A  Carolina, where he hit .277/.320/.365. Briceno has also played multiple positions, having played 1B, 2B, and in the corner OF in his professional career as well.

Yohander Martinez

Acquired: AAA Rule 5 Draft (from Houston), Dec 2022

Highest Level: A

               A previous top-40 prospect in the Houston Astros system, Martinez has been in the Twins organization the past 2 seasons. His 2024 season was disappointing where he hit .185 with 1 HR in 55 games played with single-A Fort Myers. He will likely be at A ball for a 4^th season, so unless he starts to develop further, he may struggle moving up the minor league ladder. He’s played second base as well as third base, and even played a couple of games at first base, so there is some positional flexibility, but that flexibility is only useful if he hits enough. This coming season will be a big year for Martinez to see if he can take the next step forward.

Isaac Pena

Acquired: Amateur FA, 2021

Highest Level: A

               Pena has moved up one level each of his first three professional seasons, starting in the Dominican Summer League in 2022 and playing the 2024 season with single-A Fort Myers. In his age 20 season, he didn’t hit much over 64 games with the Mighty Mussels. He had a great year in 2023 hitting.341/432/.434. He’s still developing so repeating a year in single-A will be likely and to see if he can tap into his success from previous years.

Peyton Carr

Acquired: 10^th round, 2024

Highest Level: ---

               Carr has had a rough few years dealing with injuries, and only played in 27 games this past year at High Point University, where he only was in the DH spot due to the abdominal injury. From Fort Myers, Florida, Carr probably watched a lot of future Twins players while growing up. When healthy this past year for High Point, he hit .418/516/864. Yes, a small sample size but a good sign nonetheless. He has plus raw power and has proven to be a good hitter when healthy. It would be great to see a healthy 2025 season to see him make an impact in his first year of professional baseball.