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Posted
  1. Walker Jenkins
    Has shown elite contact ability and plate discipline, though exit velocities have been more average for low-A. The EVs have improved over the last month or so. The early injury dashed any hopes of a Jackson Holiday like rise through the minors, but lately he's looking like he might be ready to be challenged at A+.
  2. Brooks Lee
    The last piece of the puzzle for Lee was getting to power from the right side, and he seems to have solved the puzzle in AAA. Lots of contact, good power, good defense, what more can you really ask for? Past back issues will need to be monitored, and could be the one thing to suppress his value.
  3. Emmanuel Rodriguez
    The in-zone miss still raises questions about reaching his ceiling in the majors, but his extremely disciplined approach has so far translated incredibly well to AA though. Has dealt with a few injuries over the years, so it's hard not to have a little worry of him being another injury prone top prospect.
  4. Luke Keaschall
    It might have felt easy to put Keaschall in the light-hitting utility infielder bin, like Schobel from the previous draft, but I think that always slightly underrated his physicality, speed, and tools. He hit well right away, but this year it’s apparent that his hit tool is just very very good. He’s getting to enough HR power and drawing some walks. I think he might have the most value as a regular CF, but the defensive flexibility should help to get and keep his bat in a major league lineup.
  5. David Festa
    I still think the ceiling on Festa is as high as any pitcher in the system. His fastball, slider, and changeup all miss a lot of bats, and he’s added a more distinct curveball this year to give hitters a different look. The question is durability and where his command ultimately ends up, but he touched 101 in his first appearance this year, so the reliever risk might be more aptly called "elite closer risk".
  6. Zebby Matthews
    Elite control, big frame, lots of great starter qualities. Velocity and pitches took a step forward. I still have questions about the changeup, and early statcast data in AAA doesn't yet dispell that concern, but he’s looking like a surefire starter, and at least a mid-rotation one right now.
  7. Andrew Morris
    A little overshadowed by Matthews, but Morris has also had nearly as incredible a season, with nearly as good control. Morris also has solid velocity and a few pitches that have missed bats. Not a particularly big frame but has been healthy so far.
  8. Marco Raya
    It hasn’t been the strongest season for Raya, but he’s still got good velocity and great breaking pitches, the only noticeable negative is that the control seems to have backed up a bit, or has at least been exposed versus better hitters in AA. The Twins also continue to closely guard his innings, though have let him build up very gradually. Still just 21, the potential is still very high, but but hasn’t really taken any significant steps forward yet this year.
  9. Austin Martin
    Austin Martin has exceeded rookie service time limits but since he's still in the voting I'd slot him here.
  10. Gabriel Gonzalez
    After a slow start and losing time to injury, Gonzalez has been showing the offensive skillset that the Twins expected when they traded for him. Barely walking at 6.5%, but also barely striking out at 13%, and hitting for some power (just 4 HR but a lot of extra base hits) with a .150 ISO. The defensive limitations cap the upside, so he’ll need to keep hitting as he moves up.
  11. Kaelen Culpepper
  12. Charlee Soto
    There have been some ups and downs for Soto, which should be expected for a high school draftee who was still fairly new to pitching. Average fastball has been 95.5 and he’s run it up to 98. He’s thrown both a 4-seam and sinker, and has actually gotten a lot of whiffs on the 4-seam despite the concerns about it’s shape at draft time. Could just be overpowering hitters in low-A, but I think it’s a good sign. Slider, cutter, changeup have all been great at times but not at others.
  13. Brandon Winokur
    Winokur has held his own as a 19-year-old in low-A. He’s made some solid improvements on making contact from last year, and also appears to be just a tad more selective. He’s also still holding down SS most often, and CF most after that. So still plenty of questions on how good his hit tool ends up and where he ends up defensively, but the hope for a plus defensive guy with plus power is still very much alive.
  14. Kala'i Rosario
    Rosario has made steady progress throughout the system, and though he hasn’t really had a full offensive breakout, his bat is still very exciting. He showed impressive exit velocities in low-A, getting above 110 with some regularity, then made a nice improvement in his approach at the plate last year. The approach seems to have carried over nicely to AA where he was striking out at the lowest rate in his career, but he hasn’t gotten to the raw power much in game.
  15. Ricardo Olivar
    I think Olivar is a corner outfielder rather than catcher long-term, but he’s shown a great ability to hit at every level. Good power, decent amount of walks, reasonable number of Ks; just very well rounded. Was an older sign as an international free agent so he’s not actually young for his level (he’s a year older than Rosario for example, who is already a level higher).
  16. CJ Culpepper
    Probably the biggest breakout pitcher from last year, Culpepper seems to have shown more improvements in his limited innings in A+ this year, but his injury has probably slowed his promotion to A+ which will be the real test.
  17. Kyle DeBarge
  18. Yasser Mercedes
    After strong reports from spring instructionals last year, Mercedes never got a chance to make an impact in the season and ultimately missed most of the season with a shoulder injury. The shoulder might have affected the performance because he raked this year. There is a lot of power and the strikeouts were under control while repeating the FCL. There have been a lot of strikeouts as he adjusts to low-A, but a few well hit balls too, so we'll see if he can adjust soon.
  19. Dasan Hill
  20. Connor Prielipp
    He’s back with good stuff once again, but it’s hard to trust the health with the injury history until he puts together a longer healthy stretch.

Next 11: Cory Lewis (would be my #20 with Martin graduated), Yunior Severino, Dameury Pena, Billy Amick, Danny De Andrade, Eduardo Beltre, Rayne Doncon, DaShawn Keirsey, Jair Camargo, Adrian Bohorquez, Matt Canterino.

The top 10 is as strong as it's been in a while, maybe since 2020/2021?  Maybe longer particularly focusing at the very top.  I don't see this years draft having a big impact on the system yet as a combination of a weak draft and picking late, but after a year of development that could easily change.

Posted

1. Jenkins

2. Lee

3. Rodriguez

4. Keaschall

5. Soto

6. Morris

7. K. Culpepper

8. Mercedes

9. Festa

10. Matthews

11. Hill

12. Beltre

13. Cj Culpepper

14. Raya

15. Gonzalez

16. Bohorquez

17. Lewis

18. Winokur

19. Olivar

20. Prielipp

  • 2 weeks later...

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