One Under-the-Radar Minnesota Twins Prospect to Watch at Each Affiliate

[Cody Christie]

Many organization’s top prospects receive plenty of attention, especially as the minor league season begins. Here are four under-the-radar prospects to track, one at each of the team’s full-season affiliates.

Image courtesy of William Parmeter- Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

The St. Paul Saints began their season last week, while the Twins’ other full-season affiliates will take the field this weekend. Top prospects like Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and David Festa will garner plenty of attention, but under-the-radar names will need to perform well for the organization to have long-term success. The names below aren’t in Twins Daily’s top 20 prospects, but they can move up the rankings during the 2024 campaign. 

Triple-A: St. Paul Saints
Prospect to Watch: DaShawn Keirsey Jr, OF
The Twins selected Keirsey in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, and he worked his way to St. Paul in the second half of the 2023 season. Last year, he hit .294/.366/.455 with 18 doubles, eight triples, and 15 home runs in 130 games between Double- and Triple-A. Minnesota left him unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft this winter, and there was a chance another organization would select him. Luckily, other teams passed him over, and he stayed with the organization. Keirsey has a ton of speed; he went 39-for-44 in stolen base attempts last season and can play all three outfield positions. He isn’t on the 40-man roster, but is a potential call-up if the Twins need outfield depth. 

Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge
Prospect to Watch: Ben Ross, UTL
Ross was a fifth-round pick in 2022 from Notre Dame College, a Division II school, where he hit .405 with an OPS over 1.200. Last season, he played most of the year at High-A and hit .239/.321/.439, with 25 doubles, two triples, and 19 home runs. He finished tied for second in the Midwest League in home runs. Ross played shortstop in college and can continue to handle that position, but the Twins have other shortstop prospects ahead of him on the organizational depth chart. In 2023, he logged over 100 innings at shortstop, third base, and first base, along with playing all three outfield positions. His 25.4% strikeout rate with Cedar Rapids was high, so he will work to reduce that number.

High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels
Prospect to Watch: Andrew Morris, RHP
Minnesota took Morris in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft from Texas Tech University. During the 2023 campaign, he split time between Low- and High-A, while compiling impressive numbers. In 84 1/3 innings, he posted a 2.88 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP and 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He was also one of the key starters in the Cedar Rapids rotation on their way to the 2023 Midwest League title. His fastball can reach the high 90s, with movement, and his offspeed and breaking pitches improved last year. Morris fills up the strike zone, but has yet to put up big strikeout totals--something to keep an eye on this season. As he gets more pro innings under his belt, he has an opportunity to be one of the team’s top pitching prospects.  

Low-A: Fort Myers Miracle
Prospect to Watch: Jose Rodriguez, OF/1B
Rodríguez was signed during the 2022 international signing period, for $650,000. He quickly made an impression in the Dominican Summer League, knocking 13 homers, which led the league. Last season, he came Stateside and hit .262/.325/.412, with 10 doubles and six home runs in 49 games. Like many young players, Rodríguez is still very raw and can improve his plate discipline. As his body matures, there is some discussion about whether he can stick in a corner outfield spot, or whether he will have to move to first base, a position he played a handful of times last season. Fort Myers will be his first taste of a full-season league, and he needs to show his power is for real to fit at a corner outfield spot. 

---

Which prospects will you be keeping an eye on for each affiliate? Will any of the above names crack the team’s top-20 prospect list before next season? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

View full article

[Fatbat]

Fyi, your Jose Rodriquez link goes to a kid playing in the chicago whiteys org.  I do like the one in our organization tho! I think he has a huge future. 
I’m watching a lot of Corey Lewis this season.  Betting he is in St. Paul by July!!

[FlyingFinn]

1 hour ago, Fatbat said:

I’m watching a lot of Corey Lewis this season.  Betting he is in St. Paul by July!!

Nope. Only because he is going on the IL with "shoulder fatigue."

[TwinsDr2021]

I like DaShawn Keirsey and think he could have some time in the majors, but I think it is a stretch to call him a prospect, he turns 27 in just over a month. The others guys do seem like somebody to keep an eye on.

[Dman]

Kiersey is a good pick for AAA, but I like Fajardo as well.  Kiersey can stay in center though so I like what he brings a tick better.

AA my pick would be Cossetti.  He had a solid batting line last year and I think there is enough power in that bat for him to find an everyday spot even if he can't stay at catcher.  He is older and has to make that tough jump at AA, but he is a well rounded hitter and I think he will have a good year this year.  McCusker would be second choice for me.  Typical high K guy with loads of power.  An all or nothing guy. We'll see what he can do, but I like Cossetti better,

High A I would go with Jay Harry.  A contact bat without much power which goes against the Twins MO, but he is a pesky hitter and got no love last year.  Hoping he is a fast mover, but we will see,

At A ball you could pick a lot of guys, but I am going to go way out on a limb and go with Paulshawn Pasqualotto.  He has some nasty stuff just not sure if the fastball plays well enough.  We'll see what happens his first full year.  Don't know a ton about a lot of players at his level yet.  Also interested in Doncon since he replaced one of my favorite players.

Those would be my picks.

 

[JD-TWINS]

Kiersey, if he hits near last year, could be up by later May. CF capable & lots of speed………if Martin doesn’t take off, could see Kiersey.

Something has to spark with Margot over the next month or he is deadwood on the 26-man.

[MN_ExPat]

1 hour ago, FlyingFinn said:

Nope. Only because he is going on the IL with "shoulder fatigue."

What? Did we miss something there or are you just being facetious?  If you're being facetious... not cool Dave.  Not cool at all 😉.

[MN_ExPat]

1 hour ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

I like DaShawn Keirsey and think he could have some time in the majors, but I think it is a stretch to call him a prospect, he turns 27 in just over a month. The others guys do seem like somebody to keep an eye on.

True, he's 26 and I won't disagree that he might not fit some folk's definition of a "prospect", but that's not entirely all his fault.  He's missed quite a bit of time due to injury and the lost 2020 season.  Since he's finally been able to stay on the field for an extended amount of time, he's really taken off.  Not saying he'll be an all star, but I truly do think he can be a valuable contributor to the big league roster at some point.

[mikelink45]

I wanted Keirsey and prefer him over Margot.  I hope Margot proves me wrong, but I also hope Keirsey continues to prove his value. 

[Unwinder]

Did Fort Myers go back to being the Miracle?

[Fatbat]

1 hour ago, FlyingFinn said:

Nope. Only because he is going on the IL with "shoulder fatigue."

Already??

[2wins87]

I'll register my prediction that Jack Dougherty will be the biggest pop up pitching prospect this year.

[FlyingFinn]

48 minutes ago, Fatbat said:

Already??

I guess some guys get shoulder fatigue in ramping up for the season. 80% of the time it is nothing. Don't ask about the other 20%. (per the guys on Destination The Show)

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, Unwinder said:

Did Fort Myers go back to being the Miracle?

The Mighty Mussels disappeared.  You can't explain that!  😀

[Dman]

1 hour ago, 2wins87 said:

I'll register my prediction that Jack Dougherty will be the biggest pop up pitching prospect this year.

You typically have great insight.  I will keep my eye on him as well.

[DocBauer]

ST PAUL:

I agree on Keirsey as a great choice. The tools are there to play an excellent CF, steal some bases, and he's got some XB and occasional HR power. If the improvement he's shown the past couple of years as a HITTER are for real, he's almost a perfect backup for Buxton. While he's not a TOP prospect, he is still a prospect. Late bloomers who take a while to figure it out, or overcome injuries, or both, can still be solid contributors. 

Along those lines, I wouldn't fall asleep on Helman or Prato. Helman would have received a shot in 2023 if he didn't have a series of injury setbacks. He can play 7 spots and can do a bit of everything offensively. He's older, has less of a ceiling, but plays more spots than Martin does. NOT a shot against Martin, just listing who Helman is and his fit as a surprise. I also don't think anyone should sleep on Prato, who has a nice mix, potentially, of HIT and OB ability with some speed and the ability to play at least 3 spots. But I think Farmer sort of blocks him currently and he's got a better shot in 2025.

(Dark horse to keep an eye on is Winkel at catcher)

WICHITA:

Love the Ben Ross selection. But fully on board with @Dman in regard to Cossetti. The bat looks legit, despite a poor AFL. But he was used intermittently, was there to work on defense, and might have been tiring a bit. But for the "catching prospect starved" fans out there, don't overlook fellow catcher Noah Cardenas. 

Torn between Ortega and McCusker as a NEXT option. Ortega has a LOT of  at potential similar, to me, of former prospect CES, but probably a better glove. For whatever reasons, McCusker kind of washed out his 1st go round as a pro and was signed from the Independent Leagues. He saw a lot of ST game action and could be a late bloomer to watch.

But on second thought, I'm going with Pierson Ohl as my #1! I was somewhat surprised he didn't get an invite to ST. He's got great control, solid secondary stuff, and has found mid 90's velocity. I will be disappointed if he isn't at AAA by mid season, building on what he did last year. 

CEDAR RAPIDS: 

Morris makes sense as it seems guys picked behind him got more press, but all he did was have a really solid season. But I might be looking at Misael Urbina suddenly putting it together and putting people on notice as a second option.

My dark horse here is another catcher. Nate Baez. He played everywhere in college and had a solid bat with some power ability. He wasn't a full time catcher until his last season, so he's going to be rough around the edges still. Unfortunately, some minor injuries slowed his debut. But he's a way better athlete than you usually see from a backstop. He's got legitimate BAT potential. I'll go along with Morris, but I like my co #2 choices.

FT MYERS:

J Rodriguez is a great choice. No arguement there. But Tanner Hall is my #1 selection. With proven college production, great control, if he had more proven velocity he would have been selected higher than the 4th round. If the Twins have found a way to add more velocity over the past offseason with him, I can see him being a quick riser to A+. Despite all the arms above him, he MIGHT even sneak in to AA late in the season. He's a PITCHER who just needs a little more refinement and that extra OOMPH in velocity to be something good. He's my personal #1 at Ft Myers.

[nclahammer]

Great article Cody, nobody covers the Twins minor leagues like TD. 

[BsuNemo]

Does anyone have any idea where the twins rank in terms of minor league age? It seems like we leave these guys that are putting up incredible numbers in the minors FOR.... EVVVVER... even the ones that are fast tracked to AA and AAA seem to sit there for years. And then we bring in "proven" veterans that really haven't proved much at all. With some of the guys we have in the minors I really struggle with bringing Margot in, keeping Farmer, Vasquez etc , those kinds of moves. Is it just me or are we the slowest moving team in terms of bringing kids up?? 

[2wins87]

On 4/5/2024 at 4:29 PM, Dman said:

You typically have great insight.  I will keep my eye on him as well.

He was featured a couple times on the Twins Prospect development twitter during spring training, so I'm mostly going off that.

Seems like he had a pretty good jump in velo based off the scouting report I can find at draft time.