Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year– 2024

[Cody Christie]

Over the last two weeks, we have been handing out the Twins Daily Minor League Awards. So, who were the top hitters in the Minnesota Twins organization during the 2024 season?

 

One of the best aspects of award voting in a minor league system is the stories about the players who appear on the ballot. Minnesota’s top-five hitters this season include some players who were high draft picks and others who had to go to the independent leagues to prove their worth. Each story is unique, and the path to becoming a big-league player takes on many forms. 

Entering next season, the Twins are expected to have one of the highest ranking farm systems on national prospect rankings. There is a chance the Twins have baseball’s number one overall prospect and multiple players in the top 10. Minnesota’s deep farm system has been built under the current regime through strong drafting and development. The seasons by the players discussed below are part of the fabric of an organization's growing depth through multiple avenues to keep the big league club’s winning window open as long as possible. 

Who have been the previous winners of this award?
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2012 - Oswaldo Arcia
2013 - Miguel Sano
2014 - Mitch Garver
2015 - Max Kepler
2016 - Daniel Palka
2017 - Mitch Garver
2018 - Alex Kirilloff
2019 - Trevor Larnach
2021 - Jose Miranda
2022 - Matt Wallner 
2023 - Yunior Severino

Here are some of the hitters who received votes on writer’s ballots:
Honorable Mentions

• C/OF Ricardo Olivar, 23, Cedar Rapids/Wichita, 100 G, 101-367, .275/.381/.441 (.823), 19 2B, 3 3B, 12 HR, 51 RBI, 62 BB, 88 K, 6 SB. 
• IF Rubel Cespedes, 24, Cedar Rapids, 110 G, 118-418, .282/.346/.431 (.777), 22 2B, 2 3B, 12 HR, 72 RBI, 39 BB, 93 K 5 SB. 
• UTL Michael Helman, 28, St. Paul/Minnesota, 72 G, 75-277, .271/.350/.487 (.838), 18 2B, 14 HR, 47 RBI, 29 BB, 76 K, 12 SB. 
• OF Emmanuel Rodriguez, 21, Wichita/St. Paul, 47 G, 44-157, .280/.459/.567 (1.026), 14 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 27 RBI, 51 BB, 62 K, 9 SB.
• SS/CF Brandon Winokur, 19, Fort Myers, 94 G, 90-362, .249/.327/.434 (.761), 19 2B, 3 3B, 14 HR, 54 RBI, 34 BB< 115 K, 23 SB.
  Others Receiving Votes: Yunior Severino, Jeferson Morales , Matt Wallner, Anthony Prato, Eduardo Beltre

Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year
Here are the top five players for the Twins Daily Hitter of the Year, leading up to the choice for the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year. 

5. OF DaShawn Keirsey Jr, 27, St. Paul/Minnesota
111 G, 133-443, .300/.368/.476 (.845), 22 2B, 7 3B, 14 HR, 81 RBI, 48 BB, 116 K, 36 SB. 
Keirsey was left unprotected from the Rule 5 Draft last winter, and no teams selected him. He went on to have a record-breaking season in St. Paul while also making his big-league debut. In his first 46 games, he posted a .928 OPS while hitting over .300. Injuries have impacted him throughout his professional career, and he missed nearly a month during the middle of the 2024 season. He posted a .572 OPS in his first 28 games coming off the IL, but he found another gear in the season’s final months. In his final 41 games, he hit .346/.403/.506 (.910) with 14 extra-base hits and 15 steals. He recorded 133 hits and 81 RBI with the Saints, both are single-season franchise records. 

4. OF Carson McCusker, 26, Wichita/St. Paul
122 G, 130-461, .282/.353/.488 (.841), 30 2B, 4 3B, 19 HR, 75 RBI, 45 BB, 150 K, 7 SB. 
McCusker played multiple seasons in the independent leagues before signing with the Twins last season. He made his mark during his first full season of affiliated action. His season started at Double-A, where he was nearly two years older than the average age of the competition. After a cold start in April (.678 OPS), he hit .285/.364/.518 (.882) with 40 extra-base hits in his next 82 games before being promoted to Triple-A. He posted a .820 OPS in St. Paul with nine extra-base hits in 24 games. He destroyed left-handed pitching this season to the tune of a .959 OPS in 128 PA. His strikeout rate was high, but he was hitting with enough power, which made it easier to ignore the swing and miss in his game. 

3. OF Walker Jenkins, 19, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids/Wichita
82 G, 86-305, .282/.394/.439 (.833), 22 2B, 4 3B, 6 HR, 58 RBI, 56 BB, 47 K, 17 SB.
Jenkins is Minnesota’s top-ranked prospect, and an early season injury is likely the only thing that stopped him from topping this list. He slammed into the wall during Fort Myers’ first game of the season and missed two months. Jenkins quickly made his presence felt when he returned from the IL, as he posted a .823 OPS in his final 32 games at Low-A. It was a solid start to his first full professional season, but it was only the beginning. 

Minnesota continued to be aggressive with him by promoting him to High-A, where he was over three years younger than the average age of the competition. In 34 games, he hit .290/.382/.481 (.863) with 17 extra-base hits and a 24-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio. When Cedar Rapids’ season ended, the Twins sent Jenkins to Double-A for the season’s final six games. He went 4-for-25 with a double and three runs scored. For the season, he only had 11 plate appearances versus younger pitchers. Jenkins will be in the conversation as baseball’s number-one-ranked prospect this winter. 

2. IF Payton Eeles, 24, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids/St. Paul
111 G, 114-372, .307/.435/.497 (.932), 19 2B, 8 3B, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 67 BB, 68 K, 41 SB.
Eeles might be one of the best stories in all of baseball over the last year. He went from an undrafted collegiate player in 2023 to Triple-A with the Twins organization to end the 2024 campaign. Minnesota signed Eeles on May 7th and assigned him to Fort Myers. In 34 games, he hit .331/.448/.517 (.965) with 13 extra-base hits, 13 steals, and a 27-to-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was over three years older than the average age of the competition in the FSL, so the Twins promoted him to High-A in the middle of June. 

Eeles’ stay in Cedar Rapids was short-lived (13 G) as he went 11-for-40 (.275 BA) with more walks (11) than strikeouts. He continued to be a threat on the bases, going 8-for-11 in stolen base opportunities. On July 4th, Minnesota promoted Eeles to Triple-A and had him completely skip the Double-A level. He didn’t slow down in St. Paul, which is hard to believe for a player with fewer than 160 at-bats in the low minors. Eeles played 64 games with the Saints, hitting .299/.419/.500 (.919) with 23 extra-base hits and 20 steals. An argument can be made for him as the top hitter in the Twins minor league system this year, and he has a place in the organization’s long-term plans. 

1. IF Luke Keaschall, 21, Cedar Rapids/Wichita
102 G, 115-379, .303/.420/.483 (.903), 21 2B, 1 3B, 15 HR, 48 RBI, 62 BB, 80 K, 23 SB.
It’s truly remarkable to see Keaschall’s name top this list during a season where he played through an elbow injury. He posted terrific offensive numbers before undergoing Tommy John surgery late in the season, so he can be back in action next spring. His season began in Cedar Rapids, where he posted a .881 OPS during the season’s first month. He exploded May by hitting .375/.468/.596 (1.065) with eight doubles and five home runs in 27 games. The Twins promoted him to Double-A at the end of May, and he continued to thrive.  

Keaschall was over three years younger than the average age of the competition in the Texas League. He played 58 games for Wichita and had at least one hit in 45 of those contests. June marked his first full month at Double-A, and it turned out to be his worst month of the season. In 27 games, he posted a .817 OPS with nine extra-base hits and 28 strikeouts. It was the only month where he struck out more than 17 times. During July, he went 22-for-76 with five homers and two doubles while getting on base nearly 43% of the time. The writing was on the wall at the beginning of August. He needed to go under the knife so he could be ready for spring training. 

Out of his 464 plate appearances, only 28 came against younger pitchers. When facing older pitchers, he hit .302/.424/.483 (.907) in 354 at-bats. As a right-handed batter, he posted reverse splits this season, with his OPS being 109 points higher when facing righties. However, he was limited to 89 at-bats against southpaws. Keaschall will enter this winter as the Twins’ top infield prospect while also being in consideration as a top-100 prospect. The Twins will be cautious with him as he returns from injury next season, but there is a strong chance he will make his big-league debut during the 2025 campaign. 

Realistically, the top five hitters finished the year in the high minors and have a chance to impact the Twins’ roster in 2025. Jenkins and Keaschall are considered among the organization’s top position player prospects, while the other three can provide depth to a franchise always looking to optimize the big-league roster. Each player has their own story, and it’s only a matter of time before these prospects find a long-term role in Minnesota. 

Congratulations to this year’s top minor-league hitters! How would your ballot have looked? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

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[LambchoP]

Hopefully we get debuts from Eeles, Mccusker and Keaschal this year, but because they force their way into a roster spot with performance, not because of a need due to injuries....maybe Mccusker or Keirsey win the Buxton backup job. I'd say the second base job is wide open for Lee, Julien Eeles or Keaschal, although I'm guessing they go with Lee or Julien to start the year based on experience. 

[FlyingFinn]

I would have had Keirsey as the hitter of the year, certainly not ranked #5. His numbers are similar to others except he's the best base stealer, he played at a higher level at AAA, and he plays good defense.

[terrydactyls]

With a crowded and competitive field vying for the 2B job, I see trade possibilities for pitching help.

[Mike Sixel]

6 hours ago, LambchoP said:

Hopefully we get debuts from Eeles, Mccusker and Keaschal this year, but because they force their way into a roster spot with performance, not because of a need due to injuries....maybe Mccusker or Keirsey win the Buxton backup job. I'd say the second base job is wide open for Lee, Julien Eeles or Keaschal, although I'm guessing they go with Lee or Julien to start the year based on experience. 

Can you name any player under this FO that has forced a player off the MLB roster without an injury? I can't, not during the year 

I expect that nearly all the top five see time with the Twins, other than Jenkins. Plus Emmanuel, who might, though I doubt it, start the year with the big league team. 

[gman]

The Twins new hitting coach will have plenty of young hitters who were successful in the minors and need to find that success in the majors. The new hitting coach will have to be in tune with the hitters listed above to make sure they get a firm start when its their turn to arrive in the majors. Enough with the  flops and failures of our young players.

[Major League Ready]

Why does the guy with an OPS of 1.026 only get an honorable mention.

[Steve Lein]

Nice. The top 5 matched my voting exactly!

Keaschall was awesome while he was around. Eeles was just unreal, and super fun to watch. What Jenkins did as a 19-year old was *chefs kiss*! McCusker is an absolute unit, and Keirsey just was excellent and steady when healthy.

[nicksaviking]

Disagree. The top five list of Twins that hit like minor leaguers: Farmer, Martin, Margot, Julien and Vazquez.

Ooooooh, I see. Yes, I like the OP list much better.

[FlyingFinn]

4 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

Why does the guy with an OPS of 1.026 only get an honorable mention.

Only played 47 games.

[Doctor Wu]

An interesting list of past winners. Alas, poor Daniel Palka couldn't even stick with the White Sox.

[DocBauer]

Just a few comments about some of them:

1} Keirsey: I'm just blown away by the FO opinion on him considering they drafted him, and drafted him high. Why should it matter if he battled injuries his first couple of years, missed covid, but then began to really hit his stride and play great as a 26yo? He blew away AA in 2023 before finishing solid, but not quite as well, at AAA. This season, except for a brief injury and some "get right" time, he absolutely raked. But the Twins kept running poor defenders like Martin and Margot out to CF why? Because they hit RH and the Twins needed their RH bats for 25% of the time and were willing to live with poor defense in a key spot? I just get so frustrated when I see player value going to waste. To have a player develop later than originally hoped for due to a couple tough seasons physically, then covid, and then to just ignore what it looks like he's become because of age or handidness is roster and asset malpractice IMO. I have him penciled on to my early 2025 roster as a spare OF, primary back up to Buxton, PR, and hopefully decent/acceptable LH bat. 

2} McCusker: He simply may not make enough contact to ever be viable at the ML level. The one time Brewer draftee didn't cut it initially, but really seemed to develop in the Independent Leagues. And so far, with the Twins, he's developed/exploded to the point where he finished the season wrecking AAA pitching. The Twins have a real need for a corner RH OF bat...with Keirsey as my early backup CF option...and while McCusker may earn/force his way on to the roster at some point, I have a hard time looking at some of his contact issues and considering him a prime candidate for a roster spot to open 2025. Later in the season? He's a great story, and he might surprise everyone, but I can't see the Twins not looking for a more proven option.

3} Eeles: I don't have as many misgivings about Eeles, however, despite also being a wonderful story of being found in Independent Ball. He's younger, and his overall HIT ability and contact are very different/better. He won't turn 25yo for a few days yet, making him pretty much age appropriate for the AAA level. He was so good this season that he even skipped AA entirely. He HIT, made contact, took BB, and sprayed various XB hits (39) all over the ballpark at all 3 levels he played at. He also provided speed and SB ability. I'm not saying he should be the favorite to go in to ST and win the 2B job and be a catalyst for the lineup next season...but...I am saying I think he's a real prospect and just might be part of the equation in 2025 and beyond, even if it's not from day one.

4} Keaschall: Being 100% to begin next season...and he's supposed to be...and with a repaired elbow that should help him in the field, I think he nudges Martin out of the picture at some point. I haven't given up on Martin by any means, and I know he was a rookie last year, but other than a couple weeks of flash, I found his offense and defense both disappointing. Keaschall plays the same positions, and perhaps a couple more. And the bat looks legitimate, plus he has a speed component. Therefore, I see him as moving past Martin fairly soon if Martin doesn't take a large step forward.

[C-Gangster]

I would have said Walker Jenkins but overall a good choice.

[twinstalker]

On 10/6/2024 at 9:41 AM, C-Gangster said:

I would have said Walker Jenkins but overall a good choice.

This isn't a top prospect list.  His numbers simply aren't as good.  He gewd, tho...

[twinstalker]

Keaschall will be ready by June; the question is where.