Twins Daily Minor League All Stars - 2024: The Hitters

[Seth Stohs]

The Twins major-league season came to an abrupt end last weekend, and we’ve had to watch the Royals and Tigers not only pass them, but move past the Wild Card series to the Division Series. A week earlier, the minor-league season came to an end. Over the past week, we have handed out our year-end awards, and over the course of today and tomorrow, we will announce our 2024 Twins Minor League All Stars.  

 

Twins Daily’s minor-league writers voted for the awards and for an all-star team of Twins prospects. This isn’t a Top Prospect ranking or list, but just which players in the Twins system had the best seasons. We’ll vote for Twins top prospects again here soon. Each writer chose a catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, three outfielders, a DH and a Utility player. Tomorrow, we’ll finalize the All Star team with the pitchers. 

Before we get to the All Stars, here are our 2024 Twins Daily Award winners (and links to the articles to see who else received votes). 

Short-Season Hitter of the Year: Eduardo Beltre
Short-Season Pitcher of the Year: Melvin Rodriguez 
Minor League Hitter of the Year: Luke Keaschall 
Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year: Zebby Matthews 
Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year: Spencer Bengard 

Read through our choices for each position. And then discuss and cast your votes as well. 

Let’s get started. 

Catcher: Ricardo Olivar (23) - Cedar Rapids Kernels, Wichita Wind Surge.  
Acquired: International signing out of the Dominican Republic on July 2, 2019  
2024 Stats: .275/.381/.441 (.823) with 19 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, and 51 RBI

Signed in 2019, Olivar didn’t debut until the 2021 season. He posted a 1.046 OPS with 20 extra base hits in 40 games. He really broke out in 2023 with the Mighty Mussels. In 100 games, he hit .285/.403/.452 (.855) with 28 doubles and 10 homers. Behind the plate, he’s got work to do, but he’s a good athlete with a strong arm. He still spends time in the outfield, and makes the plays that he gets to, but his future is likely behind the plate. It is his bat that will get him noticed, and likely placed on the Twins 40-man roster this offseason. In 81 games with Cedar Rapids, he hit .287/.393/.473 (.867) with 17 doubles and 11 homers. He earned a late-season promotion to Double-A Wichita. That’s where he’ll start the 2025 season. 

ETA - June 2026

First Base: Yunior Severino (25) - St. Paul Saints  
Acquired: International signing out of the Dominican Republic on December 8, 2017 
2024 Stats: .254/.342/.434 (.775) with 21 doubles, two triples, 21 home runs and 79 RBI

After leading all of minor-league baseball with 35 home runs last year, Severino was added to the Twins’ 40-man roster last offseason. He struggled very early in the 2024 season at the plate. Through April, he was hitting just .134 (.556) with 30 strikeouts in 98 plate appearances. He had improvements in May (.221, .717), but in June, he hit .425/.544/.688 (1.231) with six homers. He even had 21 walks to go with 19 strikeouts. He hit .288 in July before slowing down as the season came to an end. By season’s end, he set the Saints’ franchise record with 21 home runs, and he had 79 RBI which would have been a franchise record if not for a teammate. Will he remain on the 40-man roster? Under what scenario would he be promoted? 

 

ETA - May 2025 

Second Base: Luke Keaschall (22) - Cedar Rapids Kernels, Wichita Wind Surge. 
Acquired: Twins 2nd round pick in 2023 out of Arizona State University.  
2024 Stats: .303/.420/.483 (.903) with 21 doubles, 1 triple, 15 home runs and 48 RBI. 

Hard to believe that Keaschall put up the offensive numbers that he did, and played as much defense as he did, knowing that at some point late in the season, it was likely he would need Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Batting leadoff for the Kernels, he began the season by going 1-for-11 with a walk. And then he started crushing baseballs and didn’t stop until his season came to an end. In 41 more games with the Kernels, he hit .354/.476/.578 (1.054) with 12 doubles and seven home runs. He also had 29 walks to just 24 strikeouts. He was hit by seven pitches, and went 14-for-14 on stolen base attempts. In late May, he was promoted to Double-A. In his first 18 Wind Surge games, he hit .353 (.959) with six doubles, a triple and a home run.   

He represented the Twins in the Futures Game and upon his return, he only played first base and DH. He played for the Surge on August 8th and then went on the Injured List. It was quickly announced that he would have Tommy John surgery with the goal of being ready for spring training or opening day or 2025. 

ETA: April 2026 

Third Base: Rubel Cespedes (24) - Cedar Rapids Kernels 
Acquired: International signing out of the Dominican Republic on April 29, 2019 
2024 Stats: .282/.346/.431 (.777) with 22 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 72 RBI. 

Cespedes had a nice breakout in 2023, showing some power in Fort Myers. He saw a lot of time with the Twins big-league club in spring training. In his first home game of the season, he went 3-for-4 with a double and a homer. The next night, he was 4-for-5 with a home run and seven RBI. He had two more multi-hit games in that series on his way to a Twins Daily Hitter of the Month award for April. He ended the first month hitting .373/.447/.657 (1.104) with seven doubles, four homers and 22 RBI. Over the rest of the season, he hit .265 (.714) with 15 doubles, eight homers and 50 RBI.   

He struck out just over 20% of his plate appearances, down one-percent from the previous year. A left-handed hitter, lefty-righty splits were interesting this season. His batting average is .007 apart (.284 vs RHP, .277 vs LHP). His on-base percentage was also close (.343 vs RHP, .354 vs LHP). It’s the power, the slugging percentage, where the splits make a difference (.461 vs RHP, .348 vs LHP). His power numbers come primarily off of the traditional splits. Cespedes primarily played third base where he has a very strong arm. He also played some second base and a bit at first base too. 

ETA: April 2020

Shortstop: Brandon Winokur (19) - Fort Myers Miracle  
Acquired: Twins 3rd round draft pick in 2023 out of high school in California 
2024 Stats: .249/.327/.434 (.761) with 19 doubles, three triples, 14 homers and 54 RBI

Winokur is one of the best athletes in the organization. At 6-6, he may have people thinking about Dave Winfield comps, but hey, he’s 19, let’s give him a little time. While none of the specific numbers jump off of your screen, the body of work is impressive nonetheless. Consider, nearly 97% of his plate appearances came against pitchers older than him. Consider that he played a solid shortstop (61 games) but also played in center field (20 games), third base (10 games) and had two games in right field. Winokur is long and lanky, but he’s got good speed. He was 23-for-29 in stolen base attempts this season. And despite his youth, he showed a bit of power too, especially for a young hitter in the traditionally pitcher-friendly Florida State League. He had a three-homer game late in the season. Overall, Winokur more than held his own in his first full season as a pro, and with his athleticism, he has a chance to really take off at some point.   

ETA: June 2027 

Outfielder: Emmanuel Rodriguez (21)  - Wichita Wind Surge, St. Paul Saints 
Acquired: International signing out of the Dominican Republic on July 2, 2019 
2024 Stats: .280/.459/.567 (1.026) with 14 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 27 RBI.

Rodriguez made this list despite playing in just 44 non-rehab games this season. He was added to the Twins 40-man roster a year ago and made the jump to Double-A Wichita. In his 37 games there, he showed why he is a Top 30 prospect in all of baseball. He hit .298/.479/.621 (1.100) with 12 doubles and eight home runs. He was also 9-for-12 in stolen base attempts. However, it was on a steal attempt that he jammed his thumb and wrist and had to miss significant time. Twice he tried to come back and within a game or two went back on the IL. Late in the season, he came back but was promoted to the Saints. He played just seven more games before re-injuring the wrist. However, even within that time, he showed off his talent. The exciting play was his inside-the-park grand slam. 

Even in the shortened season, we continued to see E-Rod being E-Rod. Hit for a decent average. Take a TON of walks and get on base often. Immense power potential. Great speed and really solid defense. Hopefully the offseason will provide rest and healing so that he can play a full season in 2025. If he does, it’s very likely we see him at Target Field. 

ETA: June 2025

Outfielder: DaShawn Keirsey (27) - St. Paul Saints 
Acquired: Twins 4th round draft pick in 2018 out of Utah  
2024 MILB Stats: .300/.368/.476 (.845) with 22 doubles, seven triples, 14 homers and 81 RBI.
2024 MLB Stats: .154/.214/.385 (.599) with one home run and one RBI.

Keirsey is a tremendous athlete and arguably the fastest player in the organization. Early in his career, he struggled to get on the field. He played in 36 games in 2019, there was no season in 2020, and he played in 45 games in 2021. However, since then, he has been able to stay on the field, and with that opportunity, he has performed. He was a Twins Daily All Star in 2023 and ended the season with 39 games in St. Paul. That’s where he spent the 2024 season and had a tremendous season. He hit for average. He set Saints franchise records with 133 hits and 81 RBI. He stole 36 bases. He turned 27 in the season, and in September, he was called up to the big leagues and made his MLB debut. He was up for about 10 days, ended his season with the Saints, and then was called up to the Twins for their final two games. In the final game, he crushed his first MLB home run.

Defensively, Keirsey is as good as any center fielder in the organization. He has tremendous range and a strong, accurate arm. Keirsey can play all three outfield positions, play great defense, and while he hits better against right-handers (.859 OPS), he more than held his own against southpaws too (.793 OPS). He can be a fourth outfielder in the big leagues today, given the opportunity, and a team could feel comfortable playing him every day for an extended period of time if needed. 

ETA: September 2024

Outfielder - Walker Jenkins (19) - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, Cedar Rapids Kernels
Acquired: Twins 1st round draft pick in 2023 out of High School in North Carolina.
2024 Stats: .282/.394/.439 (.833) with 22 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 58 RBI. 

The Twins top pick in the 2023 draft finds himself as a Top 5 prospect in all of baseball still despite missing significant time. He started the season with Fort Myers. He batted in the top of the first inning. He went out to center field. On a deep fly ball, Jenkins ran back to the wall, jumped and was unable to bring back a home run. He came out of the game and didn’t return to game action until late May when he began a rehab stint in the FCL. He was there for about two weeks before rejoining the Mussels. In his first 10 games back, he hit just .200 (.583). However, even in that time, he had more walks than strikeouts. Over 22 more games, he hit .306/.439/.482 (.922) with four doubles and three homers. He also walked 21 times with just 11 strikeouts. He moved up to Cedar Rapids for the final six weeks of their season. In 34 games, he hit .290/.382/.481 (.863) with 12 doubles, two triples and three home runs. Wichita still had one week remaining on their schedule. In six games, he went 4-for-25 with a double. That’s the season.   

The scouting report remains the same and just as exciting. Jenkins is big and strong with a ton of power potential, but he’s also got great speed. He’s got a strong approach at the plate, knows the strike zone, and makes solid contact by using the whole field. A look at his swing and approach reminded many of us of a young Joe Mauer. That’s something to dream about! 

ETA: August 2026  

Designated Hitter: Carson McCusker (26) - Wichita Wind Surge, St. Paul Saints  
Acquired: signed as undrafted free agent (June 29, 2023)
2024 Stats: .282/.353/.488 (.841) with 30 doubles, four triples, 19 home runs and 75 RBI

In 2017, the Brewers drafted McCusker out of high school in California. He didn’t sign and spent the next four years playing at Oklahoma State. He spent 2021, 2022, and 37 games in 2023 playing for Tri-City in the independent Frontier League. At that time, he signed with the Twins. He played 25 games in Fort Myers before ending that 2023 season with 21 games in Cedar Rapids. He hit seven home runs for both teams. So this season, he was pushed up to Wichita. In 98 games, he hit .281/.357/.489 (.846) with 26 doubles and 15 homers. He finished with 24 games in St. Paul where he hit .286/.337/.484 (.820) with four doubles and four homers. 

At 6-8 and 250 pounds, McCusker is big and strong, but he’s got some sneaky speed and can handle left field adequately. When it comes to power, McCusker has as much as anyone in the organization. Drafted by the Brewers, he is reminiscent of former slugger Richie Sexson. And yes, that comes with the strikeouts. In his 50 games in 2023, he struck out 36.8% of his plate appearance. In his 98 games for Wichita this season, he struck out 27.9% of the time. In his 24 Saints games, he struck out 33.7% of the time. Players (and people) develop at their own pace and in their own time. McCusker is already 26, but he seems to be finding himself and coming into his own. He’s put himself into the range of “potential call up.” 

ETA: July 2025

Utility Player: Payton Eeles (24) - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, Cedar Rapids Kernels, St. Paul Saints  
Acquired: signed as undrafted free agent (May 7, 2024)
2024 Stats: .307/.435/.497 (.932) with 19 doubles, eight triples, 12 home runs and 60 RBI

Most years, the McCusker Story would be top of mind for story of the year. However, Payton Eeles came to the organization this year and did incredible things on the season. Let’s very quickly look at the timeline and his story.  Born in Scottsdale, Arizona, Eeles grew up in Acworth, Georgia, and went to high school in nearby Allatoona (NW of Atlanta) where he starred on the diamond and the gridiron. He headed north to Ohio where he attended Division II Cedarville University. The 5-5 middle infielder was one of the best Division II players. With the ability to play a fifth college season, he transferred to Division I Coastal Carolina. In 63 games, he hit .374/.500/.492 (.992) with 17 doubles and four homers. He also had 42 stolen bases. Whether it is about his size or the level he played at in college, Eeles went undrafted again. He spent the summer of 2023 with independent Chicago. He began this season with independent Southern Maryland of the Atlantic. League. After six games, the Twins called upon him, needing some help and depth in Fort Myers, given no signing bonus and no promises. Just an opportunity. 

   

In 34 games with Fort Myers, he hit .331/.448/.517 (.965). He moved up to Cedar Rapids for 13 games in which he hit .275/.473/.425 (.898). At that time, the Saints needed bodies due to call ups and injuries, so Eeles jumped over Double-A to join St. Paul. Instead of being a short-timer there, he performed at a very high level and ended up in the top of their lineup a lot later in the season. In 64 games, he hit .299/.419/.500 (.919). Combined, he had 19 doubles, eight triples and 12 home runs. He had 67 walks to 68 strikeouts. He also had 41 stolen bases in 51 attempts on the year. While he mostly played in the middle infield, he also got time at third base and all three outfield spots. Anything to keep his name in the lineup and make his value to the organization. As the season ended, he was added to the MLB Pipeline Top 30 Twins prospect rankings. 

ETA: June 2025.

What do you think about this team? A lot of talent, and a lot of solid performances. We'll be back tomorrow with the pitchers. 

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Previous Twins Daily Minor League All Stars
Looking Back: 2016 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars
C: Mitch Garver, 1B: Zander Wiel, 2B: Luis Arraez, 3B: Nelson Molina, SS: Nick Gordon, OF: LaMonte Wade, Zack Granite, Daniel Palka, DH: Adam Brett Walker. 

Looking Back: 2017 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars
C: Mitch Garver, 1B: Jonathan Rodriguez, 2B: Travis Blankenhorn, 3B: TJ White, SS: Jermaine Palacios, OF: LaMonte Wade, Zack Granite, Akil Baddoo, DH: Brent Rooker.

Looking Back: 2018 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars
C: Taylor Grzelakowski, 1B: Zander Wiel, 2B: Luis Arraez, 3B: Jose Miranda, SS: Royce Lewis, OF: Alex Kirilloff, Jaylin Davis, Akil Baddoo, DH: Brent Rooker. 

Looking Back: 2019 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars
C: Ryan Jeffers, 1B: Zander Wiel, 2B: Travis Blankenhorn, 3B: Spencer Steer, SS: Nick Gordon, OF: Trevor Larnach, Jaylin Davis, Brent Rooker, DH: Gabe Snyder. 

Looking Back: 2021 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars
C: Jeferson Morales, 1B: Alex Isola, 2B: Spencer Steer, 3B: Jose Miranda, SS: Drew Maggi, OF: Trey Cabbage, BJ Boyd, Mark Contreras, DH: Edouard Julien, UT: Michael Helman. 

Looking Back: 2022 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars
C: Noah Cardenas, 1B: Chris Williams, 2B: Edouard Julien, 3B: Yunior Severino, SS: Jermaine Palacios, OF: Anthony Prato, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Matt Wallner, DH: Christian Encarnacion-Strand, UT: Michael Helman. 

Looking Back: 2023 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars
C: Andrew Cossetti, 1B: Chris Williams, 2B: Anthony Prato, 3B: Yunior Severino, SS: Brooks Lee, OF: Emmanuel Rodriguez, DaShawn Keirsey, Andrew Stevenson,  DH: Kala’i Rosario, UT: Jorel Ortega. 

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[FlyingFinn]

Always appreciate this. Thanks!

Looking at the past two years, Cardenas and Cossetti's hitting fell off a cliff this year. Chris Williams looks to be permanently stuck at AAA. Prato didn't play half the time at AAA this year. Severino, still found it interesting that Diego Castillo was called up instead of him.

Defensively, the OF's this year look really good.

Expecting to see Jenkins, E-Rod, Keaschall, and Winokur with the Twins in the next few years. I want to see more of everyone else before I jump on their "MLB bandwagon."

[roger]

Love to see these at year's end, Seth.  Thanks!

After reading Nick's piece about the future of baseball revenue wise, expect that developing players is going to become more important for the Twins and a lot of other teams.  Sure as heck like this group.  Will be interesting to see how many of them make it to Target Field next summer. 

Could Keaschall be the best yet of all those middle infielders coming thru the organization the last few years?  Amazing what he did this year playing with an arm and a half.

[Whitey333]

Wow what a super article!!  Well researched.  Year after year we hear of great prospects in the Twins system.  Yet almost none of these pan out.  We have several on the Twins this year and most of them do not seem to be major league talent.  Why should we figure this group is any different?

[Seth Stohs]

1 hour ago, Whitey333 said:

Wow what a super article!!  Well researched.  Year after year we hear of great prospects in the Twins system.  Yet almost none of these pan out.  We have several on the Twins this year and most of them do not seem to be major league talent.  Why should we figure this group is any different?

I don't know which ones you'd be referring to as "do not seem to be major league talent." 

Larnach, Wallner, Lewis, Miranda, Jeffers, SWR, Duran all seem to be MLB talent. 

Julien and Kirilloff have more question marks now, but both have shown MLB talent. 

Sometimes it takes a little longer, a new role, and some ups and downs, like Sands and Jax. 

And I think that both Zebby Matthews and David Festa have shown MLB talent, but like others, they'll need to keep improving. 

Again, this isn't a list to show future major-league success. It's not a prospect ranking. It's just kind of honoring players on a great season. 

[Mike Sixel]

Zero chance Jenkins starts in August. He's going to be saved for teh beginning of the year so they might have a ROY winner (which is a huge downside of the new rules). IMO, of course. I hope to be wrong, as i think he might be ready next fall (so I'm thinking April 26 he starts).

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, Whitey333 said:

Wow what a super article!!  Well researched.  Year after year we hear of great prospects in the Twins system.  Yet almost none of these pan out.  We have several on the Twins this year and most of them do not seem to be major league talent.  Why should we figure this group is any different?

A tiny percent of all prospects work out, I'm not sure your point, other than coming into a celebration thread with this question....

[DocBauer]

Discussing the Twins MILB system is always a favorite topic of mine. I really this end of the year segment BECAUSE it's not a prospect list, but rather it's just interesting to see who had the best season regardless of being a top prospect or not.

It's really interesting to look back on the past years and see who, obviously, didn't make it, and those that ultimately did. There's some pretty good players on previous lists that turned out well, even if they aren't with the Twins. 

Obviously, there ARE some of the Twins top prospects on this season's list. And there's a trio in Keirsey, McCusker, and Eeles who have some rather obvious questions that need to be answered, but who might turn in to decent ballplayers.

Will Keirsey get a REAL SHOT in 2025 to back up Buxton, and the corners, and provide defense and speed on the bases? Right now, I'd rather see him than Martin, and not more Margot types. Can McCusker reign in his K's enough, make enough contact, that could allow him to be a RH power bat for the corner spots and DH at some point? Is Eeles a really good story, or, is he a Pedroia/Altuve "type" that really is too good to not make it?

And then you have a young A ball trio in Cespedes, Olivar, and Winokur that have a long way to go, but are all worth watching to see what happens. If Olivar keeps hitting, can he play enough defense to make it as a catcher? Cespedes isn't a teenager any longer, has really started to produce, but can he take it to another level in 2025? And while I don't know if Winokur can stick at SS long term, he is SUCH an intriguing mix of size, strength, and speed at such a young age...coming off a really good 1st full season...that he's got to be one of the more interesting/fascinating players in the system.

Can't wait to get to the pitching side of things!

*NOTE* I appreciate Eeles has a single pro season. And there should naturally be some skepticism regarding such a rapid rise coming out of seemingly nowhere, and his lack of height...though he's got a solid frame...certainly has to affect projection, and probably kept him from being drafted. I'm pleased that MLB ranks him currently 30 in the Twins system. And that's probably fair all things considered. He's in that gray area of "do it again". However, despite begining his career at a lower level, if feel it's prudent to recognize his last season was at Coastal Carolina, which is not exactly a poor program these days. And at CC, he was pretty much the same player he had always been previously. He might just be better than a "good story".

[tony&rodney]

Love these articles Seth.

I watch too much baseball, especially minor league games via milb.com. Really enjoyed how Eeles and McCusker emerged this year and am intrigued with the unique athleticism of Winokur.

There are so many variables that go into the development of a baseball player that it can be pointless to predict stardom for 99+% of all players. We saw how difficult the mlb game was for Jackson Holliday, but also saw how quickly Jackson Chourio and Jackson Merrill adapted to find success at the highest level. 

While I'm high on EmRod, Keaschall, and Jenkins, we should know that patience is in order and that health is always unpredictable. I can see a scenario where these players get plate appearances for the Twins as soon as next year. Opportunities happen and some guys take the chance to make it a career. Eeles make me smile thinking he could just be the second baseman the Twins are looking for to solve the instability at that position.

[DocBauer]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

Love these articles Seth.

I watch too much baseball, especially minor league games via milb.com. Really enjoyed how Eeles and McCusker emerged this year and am intrigued with the unique athleticism of Winokur.

There are so many variables that go into the development of a baseball player that it can be pointless to predict stardom for 99+% of all players. We saw how difficult the mlb game was for Jackson Holliday, but also saw how quickly Jackson Chourio and Jackson Merrill adapted to find success at the highest level. 

While I'm high on EmRod, Keaschall, and Jenkins, we should know that patience is in order and that health is always unpredictable. I can see a scenario where these players get plate appearances for the Twins as soon as next year. Opportunities happen and some guys take the chance to make it a career. Eeles make me smile thinking he could just be the second baseman the Twins are looking for to solve the instability at that position.

I am SO excited for Em Rod, disappointed so much in his ongoing injury this season, hopeful for a big 2025, but still cautious about a plate approach nobody seems to be able to put a finger on. He could be a washout, a good player, or a star.

Why do I keep getting "Knoblauch vibes" in regard to Eeles?

[Otaknam]

It’s an excellent summary of the depth in the system. I am really curious what they will do with Eeles. Aside from his outstanding offensive numbers, I have read that his infield defense is excellent as well. With the infield depth at the ML level, the decisions on Eeles will be interesting to watch. 

[Seth Stohs]

probably because they're both shorter than 5-8.