Luke Keaschall is a Chance for Twins to Make Reds Trade Right

[Ted Schwerzler]

If you follow the Minnesota Twins farm system at all, and if you’re reading this you probably do, then the top prospects are names you’re familiar with. While Luke Keaschall hasn’t cracked any top-100 lists yet, he’s a second round pick now demanding your attention.

 

Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily

You’re plenty familiar with Walker Jenkins, the Minnesota Twins fifth overall pick from last summer’s Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, but Luke Keaschall followed him (and Charlee Soto) as their second round selection, and he’s climbing the charts. Not yet on the level of Brooks Lee or Emmanuel Rodriguez, it’s getting hard not to consider him the next-best hitting prospect in the system.

After a recent refresh of the Twins Daily Top Prospects list, the former Arizona State infielder finds himself sitting ninth. He trails Gabriel Gonzalez and Austin Martin among hitters, but there are valid reasons for both. The former is a toolsy outfielder with potential on both sides of the game, and the latter is a one-time top prospect, with first round pedigree, that has already made a big league debut.

Related: Keaschall Looking to Do Damage for Kernels

None of that is to discredit Keaschall, and if you’re trying to find a way to do that at this point, it would be difficult. Just 74 games into his professional career, Keaschall has made the next level look like anything but a challenge. After posting a 1.168 OPS in his final season with the Sun Devils, Keaschall immediately took to the professional ranks and ascended to High-A as a 20-year-old.

Now 44 games into his second run with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, Keaschall is batting .338 with a 1.007 OPS. He has seven longballs to his credit and has doubled 12 times. Speed isn’t something you’d necessarily expect from his profile, but quickness and instincts help to elevate him in a big way. After going a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen base attempts last season, he has started out 14-for-15 in 2024.

Not only is there real power potential from a guy that is playing second base up the middle, but his ability to command the plate and strike zone is special. With more walks than strikes, he’s built of a mold somewhere in between Luis Arraez and Edouard Julien. Continuing to be that selective while doing damage, and showing such a keen eye as he ascends the ladder, will only benefit him.

Related: Get to Know Twins Draft Pick Luke Keaschall

Among the most egregious moves, in retrospect for Minnesota’s front office over recent years has been the Tyler Mahle trade. Derek Falvey dealing two bat-only prospects in Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand for a controllable starting pitcher they believed had more almost immediately backfired. Keaschall has something of a similar profile to the two aforementioned sluggers, and can give the Twins something of a redo.

Expecting Keaschall to be a 30 homer guy down on the farm certainly isn’t going to happen, but some of his limitations could have him searching for a home defensively. Stretched on arm talent, he has played predominantly designated hitter this season for Cedar Rapids. An early injury influenced that, but he has gotten just ten starts on the dirt with another five coming in center field.

A corner spot probably isn’t ideal from his overall power value, and if second base can’t be a home, then things get tough. Like Steer before him though, the bat playing to this level would be worthy of hiding him anywhere, and we’ll soon see how legitimate it is as things come against enhanced competition. Keaschall isn’t extremely young for the High-A level, and a jump to Double-A Wichita would make sense early this summer.

Beyond what the Twins have shown from their top prospects, there are more than a few worth being aware of in the next wave. Keaschall could be among the best of them, and you’d best get familiar with him before it’s too late. Going to Double-A after just 52 games at High-A will be his toughest test yet.

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[Jocko87]

What is with this framing?  WTH does Luke Keaschall have to do with a trade with the Reds?  Cause he's an infielder with a bat, duh.

News flash. They are going to trade a whole lot of other bat-only prospects in the future.  It's not egregious, not in the least. 

Something of a redo, indeed.  Starting with this article.

[roger]

OK, Ted, what does Keaschall doing well have to do with the Reds/Mahle trade? 

Granted, not having ECS and Steer around makes it easier for him to reach the Twins.  But they could have been dealt in another deal with a better lasting return to the Twins.  For disclosure sake, I wasn't opposed to the trade when they made it other than I don't like trading a lot of our prospects.  Just wish like heck they would do a better job of kicking the tires when acquiring pitchers to make bloody sure their arms aren't falling off.

[Seth Stohs]

So, how does Keaschall doing well make the two-year-old trade right? 

Unless they trade Keaschall for Nick Lodolo or something, not sure how it relates. 

[DJL44]

15 minutes ago, roger said:

OK, Ted, what does Keaschall doing well have to do with the Reds/Mahle trade? 

Absolutely nothing, but an article about Keaschall gets few comments whereas dredging up old trades usually spawns dozens of "told you so" comments.

[1985Fan]

I’m surprised to read Keaschall is not being played primarily at 2nd base. If he’s good with the glove at that position, don’t try to “hide him” in the outfield. Julien is still brutal defensively, so if/when Keaschall is ready for the big leagues, Julien should be the one they try to hide somewhere. I’d be ok trading Julien if they feel Keaschall or Lee can replace him. 

[Doctor Gast]

I was surprised early in the box score why Keaschal was at DH. You don't need much of an arm to play 2B. Like Spencer & CES, Keaschal will be sought after at the deadline and could be good trade bait. But I'd trade Gonzales before him. We haven't had very good luck at the dead line. Hopefully the next time they find a healthy pitcher body & emotions.

[Cory Engelhardt]

I just want it to help make the Tommy Herr trade right. Can Keaschall do that too?

[FlyingFinn]

1 hour ago, Jocko87 said:

WTH does Luke Keaschall have to do with a trade with the Reds? 

For what it's worth, Steer and Encarnocion-Strand aren't exactly playing great this year:

Steer - .221 avg, .724 OPS, 6 homers

Strand - .190, .513, and 2 HR's for the no glove player who makes Miranda look like a gold-glover.

[East Coast Twin]

15 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I just want it to help make the Tommy Herr trade right. Can Keaschall do that too?

I'm hoping he can make up for the Herschel Walker trade too.

[jmlease1]

Lol, not the best framing. Keaschall is an interesting prospect who is off to an excellent start to his career, moving up quickly through the minors and playing well at every stop. Getting to AA in his 2nd season of pro ball, when he only had the opportunity to play in 31 games after being drafted last year, at age 21 is impressive.

but he doesn't have anything to do with the Reds, Steer, or CES. 

And it's not like the 2nd base pipeline ran out of prospects after we dealt Steer and before acquiring Keaschall. Still had Martin and Lee.

Bad trade, because Mahle got injured and that sucked. Having a good draft and getting a player like Keaschall, who seems to be a legit prospect doesn't fix it. nothing fixes being wrong about a pitcher's health.

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, FlyingFinn said:

For what it's worth, Steer and Encarnocion-Strand aren't exactly playing great this year:

Steer - .221 avg, .724 OPS, 6 homers

Strand - .190, .513, and 2 HR's for the no glove player who makes Miranda look like a gold-glover.

Much as I bear them no ill-will...it has been nice to no longer be getting texts from my friend the Reds fan about how Steer was the Second Coming, which were non-stop for the first 3 week or so of the season. May has been much...quieter.

[MMMordabito]

[twinstalker]

3 hours ago, Jocko87 said:

What is with this framing?  WTH does Luke Keaschall have to do with a trade with the Reds? 

I'm not sure I agree with what you said after, but this was my very first thought.  Keaschall couldn't be less connected to the Reds trade.  I mean, there are going to be some Twins pop-up players every year, and are we going to associated them with our horrible trades for purposes of ???

Twins:  horrible trade.

Keaschall: guy who might have a chance two years later who's still playing A+/AA.  If the Twins didn't have a guy who looked like this (they didn't last year), it would have been further proof the system is in the sewer.  Nearly all teams have a Luke Keaschall, you just haven't heard of them.  Heck, the Twins just signed one and are likely going to replace Keaschall at A+ with him.  That's how easy and common it is to have a Luke Keaschall-like player in your system.

I mean, he seems like a decent pick but more of a hustle, great teammate sort than a power guy.  K-rate fine.  Age for AA promising.  I expect some issues, but I wouldn't be remotely surprised if he's ultimately a better hitter (not fielder) than Lee.  His age vs production vs level is on the good side and does make him a real prospect until he shows otherwise.  OPS at AA of .800+ will keep things promising.

btw, I don't know that Keaschall is any better fielder than Steer.  He might be, but the bar is much higher in MLB.

and fwiw, I did believe the Twins had one of the very worst systems in MLB last year for prospects, saved by Jenkins, really.  It seems greatly improved due to many players making a leap, especially those starting the year in A+.

[nova_twins]

Keaschall is already at AA, it's odd that wasn't updated in the article since it's already been a few days and the article was just posted. Also the OF position he's trying is CF, which is a premium position and not like being hidden in LF. He had some injury before the season which impacted his usage as well. 

Anyway I like him a lot as a prospect, he has good athleticism and has produced consistently in his career. 

[Bodie]

4 hours ago, roger said:

OK, Ted, what does Keaschall doing well have to do with the Reds/Mahle trade? 

Granted, not having ECS and Steer around makes it easier for him to reach the Twins.  But they could have been dealt in another deal with a better lasting return to the Twins.  For disclosure sake, I wasn't opposed to the trade when they made it other than I don't like trading a lot of our prospects.  Just wish like heck they would do a better job of kicking the tires when acquiring pitchers to make bloody sure their arms aren't falling off.

Simple idea...

Ask to shake hands with the pitcher before the trade.  Find an old farmer with a hook (for a right hand) to do it for southpaws. 

I can think of a couple of trades that probably would have fallen apart right about then...

[DocBauer]

Nothing wrong with his arm that I know of, other than just not being strong enough for SS, which I believe he played his last season at Arizona State. Since he was drafted I've heard he had CF potential. I find that intriguing, but I'd like to know how he looks out there. Is it a legitimate option for him going forward? 

The bat and overall offensive profile might even play at 1B. AT 6' and around 195-200lbs he's not a huge target for a 1B, but not every 1B is 6' 2" plus. 

I'm a big fan of Julien, and remain a believer despite some bumps in the road this season. But I can see a future where Keaschall might be as good or better overall bat and base running threat and Julien is moved to 1B, or moved in a trade and Keaschall takes over. Not a knock on Julien at all, just confidence that Luke is going to be really good.

[bean5302]

2 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

For what it's worth, Steer and Encarnocion-Strand aren't exactly playing great this year:

Steer - .221 avg, .724 OPS, 6 homers

Strand - .190, .513, and 2 HR's for the no glove player who makes Miranda look like a gold-glover.

Spencer Steer is a RHB with a wRC+ 105. He plays 1B/2B/3B/LF. Anybody on the Twins who he might replace? CES definitely looks like he needs a reset in AAA, but his xwOBA is 80pts higher than actual.

The Twins lost the trade and lost it horribly.

[bean5302]

Keaschall will be a guy to keep an eye on for sure. As a 21yr old second round pick out of college last year, seeing him in AA already is very promising!

[Mike Sixel]

5 hours ago, Jocko87 said:

What is with this framing?  WTH does Luke Keaschall have to do with a trade with the Reds?  Cause he's an infielder with a bat, duh.

News flash. They are going to trade a whole lot of other bat-only prospects in the future.  It's not egregious, not in the least. 

Something of a redo, indeed.  Starting with this article.

Right? Like, totally unrelated. 

[twinstalker]

4 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

I was surprised early in the box score why Keaschal was at DH. You don't need much of an arm to play 2B. Like Spencer & CES, Keaschal will be sought after at the deadline and could be good trade bait. But I'd trade Gonzales before him. We haven't had very good luck at the dead line. Hopefully the next time they find a healthy pitcher body & emotions.

Twins are loath to trade good prospects after the Reds fiasco.  I'd suggest somebody in the 10-15 range, which Keaschall no longer is in.  Sure, trade Gonzalez, but the return is iffy.  If you want something big, I'm guessing EmRod is the necessary way to go.  If you want something small, Gonzalez is too big a fish.  Gonzalez is the right price for someone like...I don't know, the Mets'  Lugo from 2-3 years ago.  I'm struggling to think of a similar profile so far in 2024 on a losing team.  But Lugo was just starting to show he could possibly be a nice starter, he was a vet, and he was cheap.

If the Twins trade anybody in a relatively small deal, I'd suggest they've given up on him to some degree.  I'd trade EmRod for a year and a half of a top starter similar to Pablo Lopez, but the Twins won't be adding big money.

[tony&rodney]

FWIW, Keaschall has fir seamlessly into the lineup at AA with Wichita. Luke has a good eye at the plate, swings whenever the ball looks like it needs a hurt, and runs the bases well; he is a fun player to watch. I'm hoping he is leading off tonight with EmRod hitting behind him. 

Go to milb.com and watch this guy hit. 

[Doctor Gast]

7 minutes ago, twinstalker said:

Twins are loath to trade good prospects after the Reds fiasco.  I'd suggest somebody in the 10-15 range, which Keaschall no longer is in.  Sure, trade Gonzalez, but the return is iffy.  If you want something big, I'm guessing EmRod is the necessary way to go.  If you want something small, Gonzalez is too big a fish.  Gonzalez is the right price for someone like...I don't know, the Mets'  Lugo from 2-3 years ago.  I'm struggling to think of a similar profile so far in 2024 on a losing team.  But Lugo was just starting to show he could possibly be a nice starter, he was a vet, and he was cheap.

If the Twins trade anybody in a relatively small deal, I'd suggest they've given up on him to some degree.  I'd trade EmRod for a year and a half of a top starter similar to Pablo Lopez, but the Twins won't be adding big money.

It's very usual to have more than one prospect involved in a big trade, so Gonzales could be used in a big trade. Depending the target I'd not trade anyone #1-3, #4 or greater is open season depending our need. Gonzales is overrated & not needed in our future. So he'd be my primary trade bait.

[bean5302]

19 minutes ago, twinstalker said:

Twins are loath to trade good prospects after the Reds fiasco.  I'd suggest somebody in the 10-15 range, which Keaschall no longer is in.  Sure, trade Gonzalez, but the return is iffy.  If you want something big, I'm guessing EmRod is the necessary way to go.  If you want something small, Gonzalez is too big a fish.  Gonzalez is the right price for someone like...I don't know, the Mets'  Lugo from 2-3 years ago.  I'm struggling to think of a similar profile so far in 2024 on a losing team.  But Lugo was just starting to show he could possibly be a nice starter, he was a vet, and he was cheap.

If the Twins trade anybody in a relatively small deal, I'd suggest they've given up on him to some degree.  I'd trade EmRod for a year and a half of a top starter similar to Pablo Lopez, but the Twins won't be adding big money.

It might have something to do with how many prospects Falvey parted ways with in the past few years, and how much talent came out of the farm system. Wells, Cano, Povich, Hajjar, Petty, Baddoo, Wade, Jr., Steer, Encarnacion-Strand, it's been a lot. Falvey's drafting and development results had been pretty abysmal up until Royce Lewis' break out, IMHO.

[NotAboutWinning]

Articles like this are exactly what has diminished the value of the Twins Daily site. Nonsensical content used as click-bait.

[gil4]

8 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

Unless they trade Keaschall for Nick Lodolo or something, not sure how it relates. 

Why would you wish that on Nick Lodolo?  Should we schedule the TJ surgery now or wait until after the trade? 

[SwainZag]

6 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Spencer Steer is a RHB with a wRC+ 105. He plays 1B/2B/3B/LF. Anybody on the Twins who he might replace? CES definitely looks like he needs a reset in AAA, but his xwOBA is 80pts higher than actual.

The Twins lost the trade and lost it horribly.

I've always been a Steer fan, but he should never, ever play 2B. 3B or the OF.  His glove profiles at 1B and DH.  He is very subpar anywhere else, even if the Reds did have played him at those positions. 

He's the same age as AK, and the Twins were never keeping Steer over him.  CES is only 24, but a complete mess at the plate and also is going to 1B or DH.  I agree the Twins lost the trade with Mahle's injuries, but on the contrary, they traded from a position of surplus and got a guy they thought might make a difference.  

[Doctor Wu]

16 hours ago, East Coast Twin said:

I'm hoping he can make up for the Herschel Walker trade too.

Doesn't Brian Dozier figure into this equation somehow too?

[Tjwalsh65]

15 hours ago, Bodie said:

Simple idea...

Ask to shake hands with the pitcher before the trade.  Find an old farmer with a hook (for a right hand) to do it for southpaws. 

I can think of a couple of trades that probably would have fallen apart right about then...

I love this.  Growing up on the farm we had a neighbor with the hook who would have been great. 

[wabene]

I don't want to pile on, but there is this from the Cedar Rapids Gazette; 

"CEDAR RAPIDS - And he played in the field, too. That might have been the best news for Luke Keaschall.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels player has been limited to a designated hitter role the first week-plus of the Midwest League season with a balky elbow. He was second baseman for his club Sunday in its 4-2 win over Dayton at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Things went just fine. He was flawless fielding the baseball and proved his arm is good to go, including making a long and accurate throw from behind the second-base bag for the final out."

I'm guessing the arm is fine. This is a guy I've been hyped on since last year. Good size and the guy is ripped. He looks like an athlete with a high ceiling to me, not a utility infielder. He plays with a lot of intensity. I think we have a fast mover that might get a taste as early as next season.