The Twins Top Prospects in 2024 Will Be...

[Cody Christie]

Identifying a team's top prospect can be challenging, but looking forward can provide even more excitement for a franchise's future. Here are the names that will be in consideration for the team's top prospect in 2024.

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

Currently, one can make an argument for both Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee being Minnesota's top prospect. By 2024, both will have graduated from prospect lists and should be helping the Twins at the big-league level. In recent years, Minnesota's farm system has dropped in national rankings, but it's hard not to get excited about the talent level of the players listed below. 

1. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF
ETA: 2024
Rodriguez's stock has significantly risen this season as many national outlets included him in their updated top-100 rankings. As a 19-year-old, he hit .272/.493/.552 (1.044) with five doubles, three triples, and nine home runs in 47 games. He only faced younger pitchers in four plate appearances during the 2022 campaign. Unfortunately, a knee injury ended his season prematurely. Minnesota can have him repeat Fort Myers to start 2023, and he has plenty of development to do before he reaches Target Field. 

2. Connor Prielipp, LHP
ETA: 2025
The Twins took Prielipp with their second-round pick in 2022 from the University of Alabama. He was initially projected as a top-10 pick but missed the 2022 collegiate season due to Tommy John surgery. Minnesota will likely hold off on his professional debut until 2023, but he is already in the conversation as one of the team's top pitching prospects. By 2024, Prielipp has the potential to be the team's top prospect if he can return to his pre-injury form. 

3. Marco Raya, RHP
ETA: 2024
Like Rodriguez, Raya is another player that has put himself on the prospect map as a teenager in the Florida State League. In 61 innings, he has posted a 3.25 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP and a 69-to-22 strikeout to walk ratio. Over 81% of his at-bats have come against older batters who Raya has held to a .592 OPS. He has three terrific secondary pitches that should allow him to continue as a starter as he moves up the organizational ladder.   

4. David Festa, RHP
ETA: 2024
The Twins drafted Festa in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. It's exciting when a team can find value late in the draft and develop a prospect in the organization. His velocity has significantly jumped since joining the Twins organization, as he can consistently hit in the upper-90s. In 100 2/3 innings, he has a 2.43 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP and a 108-to-34 strikeout to walk ratio. In 2023, he should get a chance to pitch in the upper minors with a chance to prove he is part of the team's long-term plans.  

5. Noah Miller, SS
ETA: 2025
Minnesota has traded away much of their 2021 draft class, and Miller is the highest pick still with the organization. The Twins sent him to Fort Myers this season, where he has hit .212/.347/.281 (.628) with 108 strikeouts in 106 games. As a 19-year-old, he still has offensive development to accomplish, especially as he adds weight to his body. His baseball instincts should allow him to stick at shortstop, a position the Twins have previously struggled to fill. 

Which player will be the team's top prospect in 2024? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

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[mikelink45]

Miller and Prielipp still have to do some proving in the minors before I would put them top five.  The other three are looking really promising.  

I am bothered by Rodriguez having a knee injury.  We have too many injury prone players - Buxton can't stay in the field, Lewis can't get onto the team, Kiriloff lasts for short stints along with Larnach.  I hope this trend can end soon. 

[RJA]

Rodriguez by a landslide unless injuries become a problem.  Miller would have to have a super incredible year next year to approach number 1--but I do like his long term potential.  Of the other 3, Prielipp would be most likely to approach number 1 as he is more experienced, but Raya is our best pitching prospect long term I think.  

[FlyingFinn]

Yasser Mercedes - plays CF, bats .355, 4 home runs, and 30 SB's in 41 games for the DSL Twins. To top it off, he is currently 17 years old.

[old nurse]

Lee Isola,, Carmago, and Julien as position players,. Varland is still a prospect as is SWR. There are a few relievers doing well. Of course relievers never rank high as prospects. That is until the major league team’s bullpen gets blown up.

[sthpstm]

2024…Brooks Lee is #1

Sorry but so don’t think he gets through Aa and AAA and gets enough bats not to qualify in 2023.

[TopGunn#22]

Brooks Lee.  He's the real deal.  Not sure if he can stick at SS or if he ends up at 3B or 2B but he's on a fast track to the Big Leagues.

[roger]

Agree that Brooks Lee will be with the Twins come 2024, so no longer a prospect.  Assume by 2024, you mean the beginning of the 2024 season?

Will disagree with Prielipp.  I believe he is going to be the Twins version of Chris Sale and he joins the Twins late next summer and will no longer be a prospect come 2024.

That's right.  Prielipp is going to be our Chris Sale and Lee will be our Robin Yount.  Yes, my glasses have rose colored lens.

[Beast]

Brooks Lee for sure.  I see no likely scenario in which he’s graduated off the list next year, even with Correa likely to opt out. 

[terrydactyls]

This list would have looked much better if the front office had not succumbed to Twins Daily pressure and traded away Steer, Encarnacion-Strand, Hajjar, Gibson-Long, Povich, and Cano (plus some lower level guys that may turn out to be major league players) in a futile attempt to strengthen a team that had no chance of going anywhere in the postseason (in my humble opinion).  To many of you, the chance to possibly win one playoff game was more important than building a World Series competitive team.

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, terrydactyls said:

This list would have looked much better if the front office had not succumbed to Twins Daily pressure

I for one am going to be a LOT more circumspect in my posting, going forward.

[Mike Sixel]

Whomever they pick in round one next year will be their top prospect in 2024, if Lee isn't one. 

[ashbury]

1 minute ago, Mike Sixel said:

Whomever they pick in round one next year will be their top prospect in 2024, if Lee isn't one. 

The latest shiny, new, sky's-the-limit trinket?  Yeah, prolly.

[Seth Stohs]

4 hours ago, sthpstm said:

2024…Brooks Lee is #1

Sorry but so don’t think he gets through Aa and AAA and gets enough bats not to qualify in 2023.

If I understand this right, are you saying that you think that Brooks Lee will play in the big leagues in 2023?

[Rosterman]

4 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

This list would have looked much better if the front office had not succumbed to Twins Daily pressure and traded away Steer, Encarnacion-Strand, Hajjar, Gibson-Long, Povich, and Cano (plus some lower level guys that may turn out to be major league players) in a futile attempt to strengthen a team that had no chance of going anywhere in the postseason (in my humble opinion).  To many of you, the chance to possibly win one playoff game was more important than building a World Series competitive team.

I can live with ALL these guys going away (okay, maybe not Encarnacio-Strand - but who knows what the Twins first base/third base needs will be in, say, 2023). I'm happy if Tyler Mahle and Jorge Lopez can give us a 2023 and hopefully eturn in 2024. I would like to sign Michael Fulmer over going to arbitration with Pagan. I would welcome the return of Sandy Leon as minor league depth. I would love seeing him work with our young pitchers at St. Paul - considering the Twins now have 10 candidates for the season rotation, at some point, in 2023.

[dxpavelka]

Funny thing about prospect rankings:  They tend to go down as a result of success.  Sure, ours has dropped, but I'm guessing it would be much higher if Miranda, Ryan and Duran were still prospects rather than top 20 MLB rookies.

[old nurse]

19 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

This list would have looked much better if the front office had not succumbed to Twins Daily pressure and traded away Steer, Encarnacion-Strand, Hajjar, Gibson-Long, Povich, and Cano (plus some lower level guys that may turn out to be major league players) in a futile attempt to strengthen a team that had no chance of going anywhere in the postseason (in my humble opinion).  To many of you, the chance to possibly win one playoff game was more important than building a World Series competitive team.

The prospect list would look better but the team next year or the year after may be better with the players than the prospects. Cano was addition for the Twins by subtraction

[sthpstm]

20 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

If I understand this right, are you saying that you think that Brooks Lee will play in the big leagues in 2023?

No, I personally don’t expect it. 

[Fighting4par]

Rodriguez showed really good talent this year. Another one would be raya or urbina.

[tony&rodney]

.... injured?

I like Lee, Raya, and Rodriguez. The low minors are a time of quick maturation and learning. When I lived in Florida years ago I was at a rookie league game where a pitcher struck out 7 guys and ripped through the first nine guys hitless on 27 pitches. Inning four comes and poof - four home runs and three walks.

[nicksaviking]

I'd have to think at worst, Festa and Lee have the same ETA year. Hopefully both start in Wichita next year, but I'd think Festa is more likely to do so.

[chpettit19]

On 9/10/2022 at 10:21 AM, terrydactyls said:

This list would have looked much better if the front office had not succumbed to Twins Daily pressure and traded away Steer, Encarnacion-Strand, Hajjar, Gibson-Long, Povich, and Cano (plus some lower level guys that may turn out to be major league players) in a futile attempt to strengthen a team that had no chance of going anywhere in the postseason (in my humble opinion).  To many of you, the chance to possibly win one playoff game was more important than building a World Series competitive team.

If any of the guys you just listed were still prospects come 2024 there'd be absolutely nothing to be excited about. Those are all college guys who need to be graduating next year if they're to be looked at as top 5 system prospects in any system. Steer is already in the bigs. If they aren't all getting major league time in 2023 the Twins did a great job trading them. So I strongly disagree that the top 5 for 2024 would look any better with those guys still around.

[chpettit19]

On 9/10/2022 at 1:03 PM, Seth Stohs said:

If I understand this right, are you saying that you think that Brooks Lee will play in the big leagues in 2023?

I think he has a real shot at it. Should start the year at AA and then it's just a matter of strong performance and the right injury to a major leaguer or 16 like this year.

[Canton Clark]

Jose Rodriguez