Where will the Twins’ top 30 prospects from 2021 start their 2024 seasons?

[Theodore Tollefson]

2021 is already three years behind us and many prospects from that time have gone on to get their full-time rolls in the Majors. MLB Pipeline's Top 30 prospect lists for each team give us a look back on where current MLB and MiLB players where ranked within the Twins system at that time and we look back on where they are now to begin the 2024 campaign. 

The Twins top 30 prospects from MLB.com Pipeline in 2021 still have many names floating around the Minor Leagues, but not all of them will be staying there forever. Here’s where all 30 players are expected to start their 2024 seasons. 

1. Royce Lewis
Lewis finally arrived at the Majors for a long-term stay in 2023, and he delivered for the Twins when they needed him most, hitting two solo home runs in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series to end the 18-game losing streak.

His future in 2024 remains to be in the infield. All conversations for his return to the outfield where his second ACL tear took place on May 29, 2022, are on hold. As of now, Lewis has made himself comfortable in the hot corner for the Twins at third base, and may finally get to see his first 100-plus game professional season since 2019.

2024 Season Start: Twins Opening Day 3rd Baseman

2. Alex Kirilloff
Injuries have been inescapable for Kirilloff since his first regular-season call-up in 2021. When he has been healthy, he has been the all-star caliber hitter he was projected to be as a prospect. 

Between his wrist and shoulder injuries coming up after each other, it’s been hard to see Kirilloff remaining on the field for over 60 days. But the addition of Carlos Santana to platoon playing time at first with him could help balance the workload and longevity of health for Kirilloff. 

The platoon time could prove to be very worthwhile for Kirilloff’s ability to stay on the field. His career high in games played across his first three seasons is 88 games in 2023. With less pressure on him to play first base full time, there will be a good chance for him to eclipse over the 100 games played mark for the first time in his career. 

2024 Season Start: Twins Opening Day Designated Hitter

3. Trevor Larnach
Larnach saw a lot of up-and-down time between the Majors and Minors in 2023. His 58 games with the Twins showed some promise with a career-high .727 OPS in 212 plate appearances. 

He still had a stellar season with the Saints in 72 games as he had 15 home runs, 47 runs batted in, and a .888 OPS in 323 plate appearances. Larnach, like many others, crushed Triple-A pitching, but the inconsistency in playing time in the Majors translated to a lack of success.

With Matt Wallner surpassing Larnach on the depth chart last season, Larnach will start the season in St. Paul and receive a full-time role in their outfield. The biggest question surrounding Larnach this year will be if he can find a way to grow past his struggles against MLB pitchers and receive a full-time role. 

2024 Season Start: Triple-A St. Paul Saints

4. Jordan Balazovic
All cards were on the table for Balazovic in 2023. Following a brawl in Ft. Myers shortly after Spring Training began, he had to prove everything he had from his temperament to his performance as a pitcher. 

When Balazovic was called up to make his MLB debut on June 18, everything turned around for him for the better. In his first 11 relief appearances in the Majors Balazovic allowed only two runs in 14 innings of work. The league eventually caught up with him across the next seven relief appearances, but he proved himself as a valuable reliever when the Twins options looked bleak mid-summer. 

Balazovic’s performance in Spring Training wasn’t all too impressive following his demotion off the 40-man roster and becoming a non-roster invitee in camp. Like last season, Balazovic will have a make-or-break season with the Saints to keep himself in the Twins organization. But unlike last year, his short time and success in the Majors last summer will keep him from being the first man cut off the Saints roster. 

2024 Season Start: Triple-A St. Paul Saints Bullpen 

5. Jhoan Duran
What can’t Duran can’t do? His biggest obstacle for 2024 is to ensure the league remains behind on his fastball, which he could see eclipse the 105 MPH mark on more occasions this season. 

Duran built off his successful rookie campaign in 2023 posting a 2.45 ERA in 62.1 innings and leading the league with a 101.8 MPH average velocity on his fastball. But his fastball wasn’t the pitch hitters whiffed at the most, it was his curveball that got hitters 45.9% of the time. 

But just a week ahead of Opening Day bad news came from the Twins’ camp as Duran will start the season on the injured list due to tightness and cramps on his side. The good news is it isn’t his throwing arm, but the bad news is the Twins will have some time to start their season without their flamethrower in the bullpen. 

2024 Season Start: Injured List. 

6. Ryan Jeffers
Jeffers finally had his breakout season with the Twins in 2023. As his playing time increased so did the offense as he led all catchers across MLB with a minimum of 300 plate appearances in OPS+ at 134. 

He is set to get the majority of starts for the Twins behind the dish going into 2024 following a disappointing 2023 season from Christian Vazquez. The biggest area Jeffers can improve upon offensively is his patience as he had a .355 strikeout-to-walk ratio drawing 33 walks to 93 strikeouts in 2023. 

With many of the Twins starters returning from the roster from last season, many eyes will also be gazed on how he works alongside his starters and where the difference is in their numbers when he’s behind the plate.

2024 Season Start: Twins Opening Day Catcher

7. Aaron Sabato 
Sabato has been one of the more disappointing draft selections by the Twins over the last five years. He spent all of 2023 at Double-A Wichita which was a slight improvement from his 2022 season. 

But in 77 games he had only 12 home runs, 45 RBI, and a triple-slash of .221/.329/.430. Sabato’s upside was shown this autumn as he played 18 games in the Arizona Fall League hitting seven home runs and managing a .905 OPS, but only had ten runs batted in. 

If Sabato can build off the success he had in the Arizona Fall League at the start of Spring Training, there’s a solid chance he could be playing in St. Paul by the end of the summer. But only time will tell if the short-term success turns into longevity in the Minors.

2024 Season Start: Double-A Wichita

8. Matt Canterino
Canterino is finally making his return to professional baseball after missing the entire 2023 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Before the surgery, Canterino was speculated as a late-season bullpen option with the Twins in 2022 as he had a 2.19 ERA in 37 innings of work.

While some still speculate he could see time as a starter in 2024, Canterino has never eclipsed 100 innings in his Minor League career as he’s only logged a total of 85 innings since the Twins drafted him in 2019.

Many eyes will be on him this Spring to see how he’s healed from his surgery but Canterino will be an exciting pitcher to keep track of in the Twins organization both in St. Paul and possibly at Target Field later in the year. 

2024 Season Start: Triple-A St. Paul Saints Injured List 

9. Gilberto Celestino
After being rushed up to the Majors for two straight seasons as the Twins' center field depth became scattered, Celestino spent the entire 2023 season in the minors. He still dealt with injury throughout the season and was limited to 59 games with the Saints.

The Twins moved on from Celestino this off-season sending him into free agency. The Pirates took a bite signing him to a Minor League deal with an invitation to Spring Training. 

When camp began things appeared to be in favor for Celestino to break out of Spring Training and join the Pirates Opening Day roster in their depleted outfield. The Pirates' signing of another former Twin Michael A. Taylor on March 16 creates slim chances for Celestino to break a spot out of Big League camp.

The two biggest things for Celestino to prove this season are his health and maturity with his hitting abilities. His bat-to-ball skills fell behind when the Twins rushed him to the Majors in 2021 but now, he can have a new start to the second phase of his career in the Pirates organization. 

2024 Season Start: Triple-A Indianapolis 

10. Keoni Cavaco
The Twins' number-one overall pick from the 2019 draft has had an underwhelming transition into professional baseball and his 2023 season was no different for him. 

Cavaco had a lackluster 63 games in the Minors last year between four games at rookie ball and with High-A Cedar Rapids. He had a .203/.270/.304 with a .574 OPS across 238 plate appearances. Back in 2021, Cavaco’s best hitting grades were his power at 55 per MLB Pipeline, but his .574 OPS this last year was only accompanied by five homers on the season.

2024 could be a make-or-break season for Cavaco as he turns 23 in June and will be starting the year at High-A once again. Cavaco will have to surpass his 2023 season numbers by a mile to ensure his tenure with the Twins organization doesn’t end before the season is over. 

2024 Season Start: High-A Cedar Rapids Kernels outfield 

11. Misael Urbina
2023 is a season Urbina would like to put far behind him as he had his worst season in pro ball. Across 102 games with the Kernels Urbina had a measly performance at the plate posting a triple slash of .180/.289/.282 with a .571 OPS. 

The soon-to-be 22-year-old is entering his sixth year in the Twins system and will have a lot to prove himself to ensure this isn’t his last within the organization.

2024 Season Start: High-A Cedar Rapids Kernels outfield 

12. Blayne Enlow
Enlow split his 2023 season between Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul and saw mixed results. At Wichita, he looked to be on the right track to return from injury posting a 3.17 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 54 innings of work. At St. Paul, like many pitchers who reach the gauntlet of Triple-A hitting, he fell victim to inflated numbers.

Enlow was tagged around for an ERA just below 8.00 with an opponent's batting average of .294 in 45 ⅓ innings with the Saints. This led to Enlow electing free agency in the off-season and landing a Minor League deal with the San Francisco Giants. 

In four appearances this spring, Enlow has thrown nine innings and posted an ERA of 4.00. He will likely start his season in the minors again, but with a change of scenery, he may finally have the opportunity to make his MLB debut with the Giants this season.

2024 Season Start: Triple-A Sacramento River Cats

13. Brent Rooker
2023 was Rooker’s year to show teams what they’ve missed out on. Unfortunately for him, the Twins didn’t have the roster spots to keep him and get consistent playing time. 

But the Oakland Athletics were the team to give Rooker the playing time he deserved finally and he didn’t disappoint. During his first month with the A’s last April Rooker crushed pitchers leading the American League with a 1.245 OPS for the first month of the season.

While he cooled off as the season progressed, Rooker still hit 30 home runs led Oakland with a 130 OPS+, and made his first all-star team. Rooker looks to remain one of the few bright spots in a continuously depressing age for Oakland fans as their owner continues to ignore their pleas. But at least these fans can hope for Rooker to build off his 2023 season and light up at the plate for the Coliseum faithful in 2024. 

2024 Season Start: Athletics Opening Day Designated Hitter 

14. Matt Wallner
The Forest Lake native made his mark with the Twins in 2023 as one of the three best-hitting rookies the franchise has seen in a long time. With raw power at the plate and an electric arm that can gun any cocky base runner down if they try, Wallner has solidified himself as a full-time outfielder with his hometown team.

The next step is an improvement in his defense and cutting down on the strikeouts. Wallner has a great chance to make these improvements in his first full season in the Majors and keep the excitement going for young Twins fans who hope to have the same opportunities as him in the future. 

2024 Season Start: Twins Opening Day Left Fielder

15. Josh Winder
Winder became the Twins go-to long reliever when he was in the bullpen last year. His up-and-down journey both in the Majors and Minors pitching in a total of 40 games between the Twins and Saints. 

This off-season the Twins stacked themselves up with bullpen arms pushing Winder down the pecking order and having his chances to make the Opening Day roster slimmer. However, he was the first player on the 40-man in Spring Training to land on the injured list.

Winder isn’t expected to see a return until late May. With his season behind schedule, it’s hard to predict how he will best be utilized once his right scapula stress fracture heals fully. 

2024 Season Start: Injured List 

16. Cole Sands
No player on the Twins roster accumulated more service time than playing time in 2023 than Sands did. Having only pitched in 15 games he accumulated 73 days worth of service time while going as long as a week and a half being on the active roster without appearing in a single game.

 Sands did open last season on the Twins Opening Day roster and with injuries mounting to his fellow relievers, he has a chance to do so again in 2024. With Duran and Thielbar down, the opportunity to add a long reliever to start the season is there for the Twins. And with Winder out, Sands is next in line to have the opportunity to be the innings eater. 

Whether it’s on Opening Day or later in the season, Sands will be serving the long relief role for the Twins this season and he’ll continue to improve upon his numbers as he has over his first two seasons in the Majors. 

2024 Season Start: Twins Opening Day Roster 

17. Alerick Soularie
Soularie’s name has gone further down in system prospect rankings since the 2021 season. He spent all of 2022 in Cedar Rapids and 2023 with Wichita and both seasons turned into lackluster performances at the plate.

The silver lining in this is that Soularie saw greater success in Double-A (triple slash of .231/.356/.409 in 270 plate appearances) than High-A (triple slash of .227/.334/.382 in 389 plate appearances). 

Soularie had a stellar June in an otherwise dull 2023 season hitting .390 with 3 home runs and 11 runs batted in across 17 games. There is still some shine in Soularie as a hitter and the second season in Wichita could see signs of improvement to attract his attention toward St. Paul later this year.

2024 Season Start: Double-A Wichita 

18. Edwar Colina 
Colina was out of professional baseball all of 2021 and 2022 following his short-lived MLB debut in 2020. Colina made a comeback in pro ball in 2023 in the Texas Rangers organization spending all season at Triple-A Round Rock posting a 4.65 ERA across 31 innings in 26 relief appearances.

While his numbers were decent for a reliever making a comeback after a two-year absence, Colina elected free agency in November and no team has taken a bite to sign him since then. Leaving the future of making his return to the Majors in question. 

2024 Season Start: Out of professional baseball 

19. Travis Blankenhorn 
Blankenhorn spent the 2023 season in the Nationals organization, playing in 108 games with Triple-A Rochester hitting 23 homers, 75 RBI, and posting a .877 OPS. A solid performance with the Red Wings earned him a short call-up with the Nats in September.

On January 13, Blankenhorn resigned with Washington following being outrighted by the team in October. He still plays the role of a utility bench player and pending his performance in 2023, he could see more playing time with the Nationals in 2024. 

2024 Season Start: Triple-A Rochester Red Wings

20. Jose Miranda
Miranda spent the majority of 2023 with a shoulder injury and when he was healthy, he looked like a shell of the hitter he was the previous two seasons. His first 36 games with the Twins to start the season were very dismal as he had a .220/.275/.318 triple slash and OPS short of .600. 

Miranda also played through 24 games without hitting a single home run but his first two of the season came against the Yankees in a 12-6 loss on April 26. 

Many questions loom over Miranda as he enters the 2024 season. Can he remain healthy? Can he regain his power? Will he find a way back to the Majors and show the same success from his rookie year? Not all will be answered immediately but he will start the season in St. Paul to play every day and have the chance to answer some of these questions as the season goes on. 

2024 Season Start: Triple-A St. Paul Saints. 

21. Emmanuel Rodriguez
Rodriguez now finds himself among one of the elite three top prospects in the Twins system. He will start the season at Double-A for the first time in his career. 

He is the only player in the entire system that can give Edouard Julien a run for his money with his strike zone judgment. But it’s how tight he keeps his strike zone that had his strikeout totals mount to a career-high of 134 with the Kernels last season. However, he balanced the high strikeouts with a Midwest League-leading 92 walks. 

There is still plenty of excitement surrounding Rodriguez’s abilities at the plate and in center field for 2024 and the question will be how he adjusts to his abilities as he makes the hardest jump in the Minors to begin the year.

2024 Season Start: Double-A Wichita. 

22. Chris Vallimont 
In May of 2022, the Twins placed Vallimont on waivers, and was later acquired by the Baltimore Orioles. Over a year later he made his MLB debut with the team on July 3, 2023, for a quick cup of coffee giving up one hit but striking out his first batter. 

Shortly after his debut, he was sent back down to Triple-A and three days later his contract was purchased by the Cleveland Guardians. Vallimont’s time with Triple-A Columbus was far from glamorous as he had an ERA of 6.52 in 29 innings of work. 

Many Triple-A pitchers fell victim to crushing numbers in 2023 and Vallimont was no different. His short time in the Guardians system did not bode well as he elected free agency in October and had no minor league offers this off-season looking as though he may be out of professional baseball completely.

2024 Season Start: Free agency 

23. Wander Javier
Wander Javier was in Spring Training camp with the San Diego Padres in 2023 but was shortly released before the start of the season.

He never signed elsewhere after being let go by the Padres and his current whereabouts in the baseball world remain unknown. He remains the only member of this former prospects list who is completely out of baseball going into 2024. 

2024 Season Start: Remains out of Baseball

24. Will Holland 
Like a few other Wind Surge players on this list, Holland’s 2023 season wasn’t spectacular by any means. He had a triple slash of .197/.300/.306 across 341 plate appearances in 101 games with Wichita in 2023. 

His upside remains his versatility to play multiple positions, primarily up the middle at second base, shortstop, and center field. Holland turns 26 on April 18, and like many other career Minor Leaguers on this list, will have a lot to prove as a hitter to keep his time with the Twins organization alive.

2024 Seasons Start: Double-A Wichita

25. Bailey Ober
Ober finally filled the role of a full-time starter with the Twins in 2023 and didn’t disappoint. Starting the season at Triple-A was no fault of his own but now in 2024, he projects to be the middle man in the Twins rotation for Opening Day. 

The biggest question surrounding Ober is whether he will be able to maintain success if he sets a new career high in innings pitched. Ober’s 144 ⅓ innings in 2023 was his highest ever in professional baseball and possibly going over the 150 or even 170 innings thrown mark in 2024 looks to be a real possibility as long as he stays healthy.

But will his numbers remain similar to what they were in 2023 or will they see more damage as he faces more hitters this year?

2024 Season Start: Twins Opening Day Rotation

26. Marco Raya
Raya’s story has been one of caution by the Twins. No pitcher in their Minor League system has as many limitations set on him with his workload as much as Raya. The 21-year-old has only thrown a total of 127 ⅔ innings between 2022 and 2023, 29 of those coming from his time with the Wind Surge to end 2023. 

Those 29 innings were far from good as he had a 5.90 ERA in 11 starts, averaging 2 and ⅔ innings per start. Raya currently sits as the Twins second-best-pitching prospect behind David Festa. But the question remains if he can overcome his workload limit and show a better performance at Double-A for a full season.

The fortunate thing for Raya and the Twins is his age. He will not be turning 22 until August, even so, the time maybe not to let him off the leash and see what he is capable of without limitations on workload. 

2024 Season Start: Double-A Wichita 

27. Seth Gray
Gray spent all but one of his 85 games played in 2023 in Double-A. He had a short call-up to Triple-A with the Saints in June where he went 1 for 4 hitting a double in his Triple-A debut. 

The rest of Gray’s season in Double was solid as he played the majority of his games at third base posting a triple slash of .260/.366/.400 across 337 plate appearances. While third base was the position he played at most with 52 games at the hot corner, Gray’s another player in the Twins system who can move around from position to position.     

The fact he doesn’t have a primary position on the diamond could help him see his return to St. Paul later in the season but for now, with many infielders on their roster, he will begin 2024 with the Wind Surge.

2024 Season Start: Double-A Wichita 

28. Luis Rijo
The Twins released Luis Rijo over a year ago following a poor 2022 season where he had an ERA of exactly 6.00 in 30 innings of work across 12 games.

Since then he’s pitched the last two seasons in the Venezuelan Winter League hoping to attract the attention of Major League teams. This season he showed great progress as he converted into a full-time reliever posting a 2.95 ERA across 18.1 innings in 16 games. 

No MLB has offered Rijo a minor league deal yet but with his solid comeback season back home he is only 25 years old. There’s a possibility he will be signed as camp opens up for teams in the coming weeks. 

2024 Season Start: Minor Leagues with TBD team 

29. Ben Rortvedt 
Rortvedt remains the only player from the Twins and Yankees trade two years ago that is still on one of these teams. His 2023 season with the Yankees wasn’t anything eye-catching at the plate as he had a measly eight hits in 68 at-bats adding to a triple slash of .118/.241/.221.

Despite these dismal numbers as a hitter, the opportunity has opened up for Rortvedt to make his first Opening Day roster. The longtime backup catcher Kyle Higashioka was packaged in the deal to get Juan Soto from the Padres. 

But his Spring Training has not been as glamorous for Rortvedt compared to young catcher Austin Wells, and pending the health of Wells and Trevino, he will likely be starting another year in the minors.

2024 Season Start: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Triple-A

30. Danny De Andrade
Back in 2021, De Andrade’s name was unfamiliar to many outside of Twins prospect gurus but he’s landed on the radar for more fans and writers going into the 2024 season. 

De Andrade spent all of 2023 with the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels and put together a solid season with his glove at shortstop and developed more power having career highs in home runs (11), runs batted in (67), and OPS (.750). 

Entering the 2024 season at only 20 years old, the Twins can take their time with De Andrade before providing the next step in his path to the Majors. With the Twins trading away Noah Miller for Manuel Margot, De Andrade, who is a better hitter than Miler, will likely see his opportunity sooner than he would have if Miller were not traded, to make it to Central Iowa. 

2024 Season Start: Low-A Ft. Myers Might Mussels

2024 Season Starts Total 
On MLB Opening Day Rosters: 7 
On MLB Injured Lists: 3
In the Minors: 16
Out of Professional Baseball: 4

With only four players without a contract or out of professional baseball to start 2024, there’s still a good chance a majority of these current or former top 30 prospects for the Twins will see MLB playing time in 2024. 

The three injured players, Duran, Canterino, and Winder do not have massive setbacks that will keep them out of action for long. Durna is guaranteed to pitch with the Twins once he returns from the IL, but Canterino and Winder will take some time to be in St. Paul before seeing their time with the Twins come around. 

It’s a bit easier to look into the all-seeing crystal ball and predict where these players will begin their 2024 seasons, but looking beyond that can be a fool's errand as baseball has often shown the 162 season is anything but predictable. And that will be the case for all of the 2021 Top 30 Twins prospects per MLB pipeline. 
 

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[sweetmusicviola16]

That is a great group overall. Some disappointments. Some fulfillments of hopes already. 

2018. 2019 I thought Colina was going to be very good.  And then he wasn't....

[sweetmusicviola16]

Call me less than optimistic, but I will be very surprised if Duran is back anytime much before June 01. Obliques are nasty, and you don't want him injuring something else coming back too soon.

[jorgenswest]

There were a few others in the organization that failed to make the pipeline but in hindsight are probably top 30 if reranked with some in the top 10.

Kala’i Rosario (drafted 2020)

Spencer Steer, Eduardo Julien, Louis Varland, Brent Headrick, Sawyer Gipson Long, Casey Legumina (drafted 2019)

Kody Funderburk (drafted 2018)

Yennier Cano, Jair Camargo

 

 

 

 

[MMMordabito]

Nice recap, Theodore!

Some thoughts ...

- Julien did a good job staying under cover

- I can still feel the wind from the whiff on Cavaco, and Corbin Carroll sure would look good in a Twins uni.

- I'd rather see Wallner and Kirilloff start on Opening Day, but I'm guessing we will see Margot and Vazquez instead (with Jeffers at DH).

- Gray and Holland should just keep grinding, if it works for their families.  See Wisdom, Patrick and to a lesser extent Maggi, Drew.

[roger]

Interesting read, thanks.

Whenever I see Canterino's name I cringe and hope that he somehow can put all those injuries behind him.  Did he get into only one game this spring?  I recall his first outing was amazing.  I don't care if it is in the pen or as a starter, I just want to see this young man pitching for the Twins.  And that can be at any level because I know that if he gets a month or two on the mound early this year, he will end the year with the Twins.

One question.  This spring's injury isn't something major that will keep him out all year, is it?

[bean5302]

Tons of work went into this and it's a fun article to read!

[stringer bell]

Rortvedt is out of options. I doubt he makes it to AAA with the Yankees. 

[old nurse]

3 hours ago, MMMordabito said:

Nice recap, Theodore!

Some thoughts ...

- Julien did a good job staying under cover

- I can still feel the wind from the whiff on Cavaco, and Corbin Carroll sure would look good in a Twins uni.

- I'd rather see Wallner and Kirilloff start on Opening Day, but I'm guessing we will see Margot and Vazquez instead (with Jeffers at DH).

- Gray and Holland should just keep grinding, if it works for their families.  See Wisdom, Patrick and to a lesser extent Maggi, Drew.

The what if game would be better with George Kirby 

[MN Brian]

Bravo!  Well done on this look back, this is why I read Twins Daily!

I am actually quite surprised on how many of these players are still relevant after 3 years.  Not sure exactly what I expected in terms of %'s, but when you go 30 deep in prospects this includes a lot of players with very questionable futures (could be a major league player but will need to address x, y, & z =).

[Fatbat]

Many changes in 3 years! Lots of success in MiLB developing these prospects. Great look back!!

[DocBauer]

Prospect list always compel me to have to comment:

KIRILLOFF: With the wrist issue now apparently fixed, I'm expecting his very best season in 2024 and establishing himself as a lineup mainstay for the next few years, regardless of debates we want to have about 1B this coming season.

LARNACH: I'm of the belief he and Martin will fill LF in 2025 in a quasi platoon as Martin will also play CF. And Larnach will probably play some DH as well. There's still something to work with even if he never reaches the level we had hoped for. It's up to him.

SABATO: I don't blame the Twins for drafting him 1st in 2020. They were picking in the 20's with a lot of missing pieces of information for ALL eligible players. 1B/DH ONLY, he was a potentially special RH power bat based on his first 2yrs of college ball. At this point, I don't expect him to play ML ball, at least not with the Twins.

CANTERINO: ASSUMING he can ever stay mostly healthy one of these days, I was in favor of him staying in the rotation coming in to this season. I think that dream is over. He should be a RP going forward. Now, is he a Stewart type who bounces around for a while and fights injuries and FINALLY gets right at 29-30yrs old? Or is there a chance he gets right sooner than that? Crossing my fingers, but ohhhh...WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN!

CAVACO: An example where you just DON'T draft a toolsy HS kid with helium that early. One of the few times where the scouting department just guessed WRONG. Hopefully a learning experience. 

COLINA: I honestly thought he'd be one of the top RP in the bullpen this season, if not last. Another example of how injuries can just ruin the potential of an arm. 

VALLIMONT and RIJO: I had doubts about Vallimont, but thought he had pen potential. I actually thought Rijo had a shot as a rotation piece as he really flashed for a little while. Again, it shows how injuries cruelly affect potential.

URBINA: I don't want to just single him out by himself, even though he's 22. I say this excluding Emma and the recently Gabriel Gonzalez who are both in the 20-21 year old range, but because in the lower levels there's a collection of 19-21yo Latin players who are coming off their 1st or 2nd season stateside after flashing in the DSL previously. And they're all young enough to raise their games in 2024, Urbina amongst them. And while I'm excited about the TOP prospects in the system, I'm going to be looking really hard at Urbina, J Rodriguez, Mercedes, and a few other Latin players in A ball who were signed as really nice international signings who have the opportunity to move up and establish themselves as good if not top prospects following 2024.

 

[mnfireman]

Duran is a heckuva a talent, but each of the last 2 springs he has looked bigger than he did at the end of the previous season, at least to me. Maybe a team mandated strength and conditioning program is in order.... 

[mikelink45]

I really enjoyed this.  I love seeing the progress and demotions that affect our prospects and I enjoy seeing players who are not on the list leap frog over the top prospects.  Thanks for the notes and speculation.

[jorgenswest]

9 hours ago, mnfireman said:

Duran is a heckuva a talent, but each of the last 2 springs he has looked bigger than he did at the end of the previous season, at least to me. Maybe a team mandated strength and conditioning program is in order.... 

I think they already push a good nutrition and conditioning plan with all of their players. How would they mandate it? What is the consequence? Release? No offer of extension? Committing to strength and conditioning needs to be self mandated. Some are better at it than others and one of a player’s “tools” that should be considered upon acquisition.

[Melissa]

Really appreciate this article - thanks!