Twins Daily 2024 Top 20 Prospects: Honorable Mentions

[Seth Stohs]

Tonight, we begin the Twins Daily 2024 Top 20 Prospect rankings. Before we get to the Top 20, we wanted to share a group of Honorable Mentions. It helps show some of the depth in the organization. Who from today's list will be a Top 10 Twins prospect at this time next year?

Each season, just before spring training, we have presented our selections for the Top 20 Twins prospects. In 2022, that list was the starting point for the Prospect Tracker, which we updated throughout the season and after the season. 

There is something special about the Top Prospect rankings articles that come in the spring. They’re what people look back on and “judge” it on. While readers can help vote on in-season and end-of-season updates to the prospect rankings, this ranking is done entirely by the Twins Daily minor-league writing staff. That includes 13 individuals who have written minor-league reports, written prospect profiles, done videos on prospects, etc. 

Just a bit of background before we get started: Even though we publish our Top 20 prospects, I ask each participant to submit their Top 30 Twins prospect rankings. It provides a much more accurate top-20 list, because we can differentiate if a player is ranked as someone’s #21 prospect or #29 prospect. When the rankings were submitted, I put the results into a worksheet. A #1 ranking was worth 30 points. A #2 ranking was worth 29 points. #3? That’s right. 28 points. And so on, to a #30 ranking worth one point. 

However, today, we will start this series by sharing a list of Honorable Mentions--or Also Received Votes, if you prefer. To me, this list shows the depth of the organization. The high-ceiling players are in the top five or the top ten, but this group that lands just outside the top 20 is filled with several players who will play in the big leagues.

While we won't provide any rankings beyond the top 20, the Honorable Mentions can be lumped into a few categories. With 13 voters, you get 13 different rankings and a wide range for some players, especially in this range. Seventeen players appeared on all 13 “ballots.” That means that even in the top 20, three players didn’t fit into one person’s Top 30.

 

I’ve enjoyed writing this Honorable Mention article each year because it shows the organization’s depth. If we are being honest, it can also show the limitations of prospect ranking. This can be former prospects coming off of bad years. It can be recently acquired players (via trade or draft) that may not be the top picks, but something is intriguing. Some players may have never been looked at as top prospects, but continue to get moved up and keep themselves in the conversation. 

In 2019, Luis Arráez and Jordan Balazovic appeared in this range of the list. In the 2020 Honorable Mention, names such as Jorge Alcalá, Bailey Ober, and Akil Baddoo were mentioned. The 2022 Honorable Mention list contained several players later used in trades, including Cade Povich, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Sawyer Gipson-Long, and Casey Legumina. 

Cory Lewis is the player mentioned in the Honorable Mentions in 2023 whose prospect status jumped the most. He went from a 2022 ninth-round draft pick to Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2023 and a Top 10ish prospect in 2024.  

Before we start, the following players are no longer “prospects” according to Baseball Reference (and the rules of baseball): Edouard Julien, Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner, Louie Varland, and Cole Sands. 

FIRST-ROUND FEATURE  
Keoni Cavaco, the team’s top pick in 2019, received no votes for a Top 30 spot. 2020 top pick Aaron Sabato received one 29th-place ranking.

Noah Miller was a Competitive Balance A pick (between the 1st and 2nd rounds). He is an interesting prospect case. He was pushed up to Cedar Rapids, where, as a 20-year-old, he hit .223/.309/.340 with 20 doubles, five triples, and eight home runs. The numbers certainly aren’t inspiring, but he likely has a big-league future when coupled with Gold Glove defense. The hope is that he continues to grow, gain strength, and develop his offensive game.

José Salas fits into this category as well. He wasn’t a first-round pick, but when the Twins acquired him in the Pablo López-for-Arráez trade, some highly regarded him, even listing him as a top-100 prospect in some places. The Marlins had inexplicably pushed him to High A as a 19-year-old. He had posted a .776 OPS in 61 games at Low A, but then in 48 games of High A, he posted a .660 OPS. What’s inexplicable is the .537 OPS that he put together in 93 games with High-A Cedar Rapids in 2023. However, he won’t even turn 21 until late April. 

HIGH-CEILING FCL STRUGGLES 
The other player acquired from the Marlins was Dominican Summer League outfielder Byron Chourio. He hit .344 (with an .838 OPS) with the DSL Marlins as a 17-year-old in 2022. He missed some time with injury in 2023, but in 24 games in the FCL, he hit .262/.415/.298. He had more walks than strikeouts, a skill that makes him very intriguing as he moves forward.

Likewise, Yasser Mercedes missed time due to a shoulder injury. After his strong debut season in the DSL, in which he showed off immense power and speed, he struggled with the jump to the States. Again, the shoulder played a significant role, and his future remains bright.

José Rodríguez was our short-season Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2022 in the DSL. In 49 games with the FCL in 2023, he hit .262/.325/.412, with 10 doubles and six home runs. Teammates tout his power potential. 

Finally, I’m going to tout a personal favorite. Miguel Cordero is a 17-year-old pitcher who was signed 12 months ago out of Venezuela. He is long and thin and projectable. At this stage, he profiles as a starting pitcher. He is a long way from the big leagues, but he got ranked #24 by me. 

UTILITY TYPES IN UPPER LEVELS
They may not be the top prospects, but you must have noticed that this organization places a lot of value on versatility on defense and the ability to fill a role. That becomes more valuable as guys reach the upper levels.  

Michael Helman was that guy in 2022. He played all over the diamond, crushed Triple-A pitching, stole bases, and had a good eye at the plate. Even after missing most of the 2023 season, the 27-year-old still received votes because he is so close.

The 2023 version of Helman came from Anthony Prato. He struggled to start the season at Double A, but from the day he hit Triple-A St. Paul, he began crushing the baseball. The 25-year-old was the team’s seventh-round pick in 2019, from UConn. In 72 games with St. Paul, he hit .352/.452/.539, with 23 doubles and 10 home runs. He can play three infield positions and has spent a lot of time in left field.

DaShawn Keirsey has finally been healthy the last couple of seasons and has seen his value to an organization rise. The 26-year-old was the fourth-round pick in 2018 from Utah. He had a solid, semi-breakout season in 2022 in Wichita. In a numbers crunch created by the Twins' organizational outfield depth, he returned to the Wind Surge to start the 2023 season. He hit .305/.364/.488, with 17 doubles, five triples, and 13 home runs. He finished the season with 39 games in St. Paul, hitting .264 (.739) with three triples and two home runs. Combined, he went 39-for-44 in stolen base attempts. A solid bat with gap-to-gap power and speed to turn doubles into triples and steal bases is valuable. In addition, he is probably the best defensive outfielder in the organization and can play a great center field.

The Twins selected Ben Ross with their fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft. He played at Notre Dame College in Ohio. At Cedar Rapids in 2023, he hit .240/.322/.455, with 25 doubles and 19 home runs. He mostly played third base, first base, and shortstop, but he also got time at all three outfield positions. When he moved up to Wichita for 10 games at the end of the season, he played one game at second base and the rest at shortstop. Still just 22, Ross is a bit under the radar and should be discussed more. 

BACKSTOPS
We know how important it is to have solid catchers in any organization. Twins fans were spoiled with a decade of Hall of Famer Joe Mauer, who was terrific behind and at the plate. That’s unusual, as we have seen since then. Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vázquez appear to be the team’s catchers going into the season, but teams need depth. 

Jair Camargo was added to the Twins 40-man roster after the season, before he could become a free agent. He is a stocky backstop with a powerful arm and good athleticism. At St. Paul in 2023, he hit .259/.323/.503, with 16 doubles and 29 home runs. The 24-year-old Camargo should get that first call when the Twins need a catcher.  

Andrew Cossetti was a 12th-round pick in 2022 from St. Joseph’s University. He jumped on the scene in Fort Myers in April. He played 35 games for the Mussels and hit a robust .330/.462/.607, with 11 doubles and six home runs. He quickly was promoted to Cedar Rapids, where he did have some struggles, yet in 60 games, he posted a .262/.406/.492 slash line with 12 doubles and nine homers. Known for his offense, it’s possible he shifts to first base or becomes a DH, but he went to the Arizona Fall League after the season hoping to keep working on his defense. He turns 24 yet this month.

After a strong pro debut in 2022 (other than 13 FCL games in 2021 after the Twins drafted him in the eighth round out of UCLA), Noah Cardenas moved up another level in 2023 and played 90 games for the Kernels. He hit .272/.397/.382 with 23 doubles and three home runs. He’s got a very good approach at the plate with some doubles power. Cardenas is also known as a very strong defensive player. 

Those three received votes. I’ll also point out that Chris Williams, now 27, hit .236 with 21 home runs in Triple A in 2023. Also, Patrick Winkel, who turned 24 on Saturday, is likely the catcher on whom the Twins are highest. He hit .266/.362/.424 with 16 doubles and 10 homers in 88 games at Wichita.    

WE HARDLY KNOW YE, YET
Several 2023 Twins draft picks did not play at all last summer. In the season's final week, several pitchers got one to three innings in the FCL. Two pitchers who didn’t pitch in pro ball in 2023 still appeared in multiple Top 30 lists. 

Tanner Hall was the team’s fourth-round pick after three seasons at Southern Mississippi. Over the past two seasons, he went 21-7 with a 2.64 ERA. In 221 1/3 innings, he had 270 strikeouts and just 47 walks. He’s certainly one to watch. 

Then, in the fifth round, the Twins drafted right-hander Dylan Questad, who went to Waterford High School in Wisconsin. He committed to the University of Arkansas. He has a fastball that regularly hits 95-96. He also has the start of what could be a solid curveball, and has worked in a changeup. So young, the Twins will be patient and give him every opportunity to remain a starter. 

INTERESTING ARMS
These pitchers have all been in the organization for at least 18 months, and each would be in the Top 30 had we gone that deep. 

If we had gone to a Top 21, right-hander Andrew Morris would have made the list in that final spot. The Twins fourth-round pick in 2022 from Texas Tech, he was nearly a year younger than most drafted out of college that year. Several other starters began the 2023 season in Fort Myers and moved up and helped the Cedar Rapids Kernels to the Midwest League championship. Morris was one of the Kernels' playoff starters. He went 3-1 with a 2.59 ERA in 48 2/3 innings with the Mussels. He finished the season with seven starts for the Kernels and went 5-1 with a 3.28 ERA. In 84 1/3 innings, he had 79 strikeouts with just 19 walks. 

Speaking of pitchers with impeccable control, 24-year-old Pierson Ohl was the Twins' 14th-round pick in 2021 from Grand Canyon University. He began the season with eight games in Cedar Rapids. He went 2-4 with a 4.69 ER, but people were touting his stuff. He was promoted to Wichita, where he made 14 starts in 16 appearances and went 7-3 with a 2.69 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. In 127 1/3 combined innings, he struck out 115 and walked just 18 batters. With a fastball that touches 97, Ohl is one to watch.  

Jaylen Nowlin is an exciting prospect because the 22-year-old has terrific stuff and a fastball reaching the upper 90s. Since signing with the Twins as their 19th-round pick in 2021, his issue has been control. He made 13 starts in Cedar Rapids before ending the season with seven starts in Wichita. He pitched out of the bullpen twice at each level. Overall, he was 6-7 with a 4.44 ERA. In 105 1/3 innings, he struck out 114 and walked 45 batters. He also hit 17 batters. As his scouting report has said, if he can command and control his good stuff, he can be great. If not, he has the kind of stuff that could dominate out of the bullpen, especially as a lefty, but you still can’t walk that many. 

Speaking of lefties. Kody Funderburk finally made the full-time move to the bullpen. In September, Twins fans saw what Saints fans and followers saw most of the season—a lefty with a good fastball and a couple of breaking balls that could get swings and misses. “Fundy” should be in the Twins bullpen for years to come. 

 

That is a lot of talent; these are all players who rank outside the Twins Daily Top 20 prospects. Look back at the names. Which are you most excited about? Does this list encourage you about the depth of the Twins organization?

Check back over the next two weeks to see who our 2024 Top 20 Twins Prospects are.

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[Doctor Gast]

Noah Miller is the one that I'm most impressed with. With his sparkling defense & heads-up plays, He just needs to get on base a little bit more often to be a very viable MLB player. He still has a lot of time to improve his offense until that time.

I'm a little disappointed that Richardo Olivar didn't make the honorable mention list. He didn't put up the #s he did last year but his #s are still sneaky good.

[mikelink45]

Thank you.  Some new names and some that I am surprised didn't make the top 20.  

[4twinsJA]

Great article, enjoy prospect talk. Good luck to these players. Twins definitely have good depth in minors, hopefully they can keep improving to make it to MLB.

[Otaknam]

Excellent summary that we player development junkies just love! Drilling down to others who have a solid and protectable upside but are not considered top 20.  

[Dman]

I know Anthony Prato's numbers might be inflated by the auto strike zone in AAA, but the balanced K and Walk rates along with decent power sure makes him look like a major league bat.  Yeah the brutal cold weather start leaves questions as does the higher level of offense at AAA, but I'm a bigger believer than most in Prato.

This board has been excited about Miller since we saw his defense in his first spring training reps.  Really, really hoping the bat comes around and he can be a long term answer at short.

I think Ross had a pretty good first season considering he came from a small school and this was his first time facing really good competition all the time.  He is showing power early but a little more contact would put him on very good path. Not sure why he isn't seen as having more potential at short as he runs well and has a strong arm, but he has good potential to break out next year IMO.

I am also higher than most on Cossetti especially if he sticks behind the plate, but even if he doesn't his balanced batting line will play at first or DH as well.  Hope he gets a shot at AA early but with Cardenas and Winkel there probably not room to start there unless injury.  

I love Ohl and always have.  His start to pro ball was rough and I have to say I felt like he threw too many strikes, but he has amazing control and mixes his pitches well.  I am excited to see how he does at AAA.  He could be an over looked arm that plays an important role.  Will have to see how he holds up.

Lot's to like about all these guys but they need to show a bit more to get to top 10 status.  Hopefully they all have breakout years and keep moving up.

[tony&rodney]

Enjoyed watching Nowlin last summer. He looks like he just needs experience and repetitions. Too early to tell if he winds up in the bullpen but the control and sporadic nature of his outings should improve. That is the development curve done in the minors.

[2wins87]

Miguel Cordero definitely caught my eye in the DSL box scores as well.  He was still 16 for nearly the entire DSL season; that's young for any DSL prospect, but especially for a pitcher where the recent trend in the international market is to sign older pitchers.  I put very little stock in stats for pitchers in the DSL, but he had a solid 27% K rate, so he'll definitely be one to watch in the FCL.

The other DSL pitcher that I'll be watching is Adrian Bohorquez, who is a little older and seemed to be a little more wild, but was still a solid performer for his age last year.

I think maybe the only surprise to be listed in the honorable mentions is Yasser Mercedes, who was a borderline top 10 guy last year.  It's understandable with the tough year he had in the FCL, but I think the potential is still too high to drop that much.

I'd also have Funderburk, Cossetti, and Miller at the back end of my top 20.  Cossetti, I'm maybe more optimistic that he'll get his defense to a place that's playable in the majors at catcher.  Miller, I'm at least somewhat buying that he was figuring a few things out at the plate in the last few months of the season.

For Funderburk, based on a historical look of the farm system, it's super unlikely that there will be 20 guys who even put up half a WAR in the majors, or get more than a year of service time, so he might have already established a spot in a top 20 retrospective several years down the line.  The league might adjust to Funderburk, so it's not a lock, but he still seems pretty likely to at least be an average reliever for a few years, so he kind of has to be in the top 20 for me mathematically.

Relief only prospects are still a little hard to value for me.  I generally still wouldn't put one in a top 10, so Canterino is out of the top 10 in my mind, but it still seems that guys like Funderburk can get a little under-valued.

[2wins87]

4 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

I'm a little disappointed that Richardo Olivar didn't make the honorable mention list. He didn't put up the #s he did last year but his #s are still sneaky good.

Olivar was 16th on Gleeman's list, and I know he's a favorite of at least Tom Froemming, and possibly a few other voters, so I'm not sure he won't be in the top 20.  Would be a glaring omission to not even make the HM list though.

Trying to count the top 20 that weren't listed, he could defintely be in there, though I'm not sure about Woods-Richardson, Balazovic, or new international signee Daibel de los Santos.

[DocBauer]

There's a lot here to like here outside the top 20. 

Four catchers that offer something different. Questions about all four, but also some good things to work with and develop.

Agree Ross could take a big jump this year and shows nice utility potential at the leat. I like Prato and think he's also in thr future mix for a bench spot, but I'm higher on the older Helman as he's just a perfect roster fit if his hit ability translates.

Yes, if Miller can keep filling out and grow as a hitter, that glove is special.

Really hoping 2024 is the year that we so many of the young Latin OF can all be healthy and take that big step forward. They're awfully young and have only been state side a year or so. So big opportunity for them.

Why do I keep thinking Ohl just might be the 1st or 2nd arm up this season despite not yet hitting AAA ball? I think he might be on a rocket.

Nowlin is one of my favorite arms to watch. Still only 22 and a lightening arm. I can see a really strong pen presence in his future, but I'd sure like to see that control get harnessed enough to stay a starter.

Does Tanner Hall have maybe the best "rookie" debut of anyone this season if his velocity is up?

 

[SD happy]

Thank you for all the work you put in providing this info. Really good stuff!

[Doctor Gast]

3 hours ago, 2wins87 said:

Olivar was 16th on Gleeman's list, and I know he's a favorite of at least Tom Froemming, and possibly a few other voters, so I'm not sure he won't be in the top 20.  Would be a glaring omission to not even make the HM list though.

Trying to count the top 20 that weren't listed, he could defintely be in there, though I'm not sure about Woods-Richardson, Balazovic, or new international signee Daibel de los Santos.

Thanks. I guess I'm used to having him overlooked. So it didn't dawn on me that he made the top 20. It's kinda comical. I'll be looking forward to seeing that article.

[Fatbat]

12 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Noah Miller is the one that I'm most impressed with. With his sparkling defense & heads-up plays, He just needs to get on base a little bit more often to be a very viable MLB player. He still has a lot of time to improve his offense until that time.

I'm a little disappointed that Richardo Olivar didn't make the honorable mention list. He didn't put up the #s he did last year but his #s are still sneaky good.

Olivar cant be honorable mention when he is inside the top 20. 

[Rosterman]

I enjoyed this recap of names on the cusp, especially those already at St. Paul. Makes me wonder that the Twins may remain light on minor league free agents, sitting around four so far this seaason instead of the near 30 they have signed each of the past few. 

I like to think that names like WIlliams, Keirsey, Goodrum, Helman, Prato are just as worthy as Harlick, Luplow, Stevenson to play in the majors if push comes to shove. Not to mention the stockpile of relief arms (who will be in the Saints rotation in 2024?) in the twin city.

If all works out for 2024, the Twins roster at the major league level could be pretty well set for the next few years with the only consideration given to arbitration salaries and who is in reserve. Always need depth at every position, and Twins are getting closer to dealing from some minor league strengths if some "top" prospects can develop more than they have.

Considering the dozen guys that need to find space at St. paul and Wichita, the Twins top two teams look pretty solid going forwards.