Luke Keaschall is Already Among Baseball’s Best Second-Base Prospects

[Cody Christie]

Luke Keaschall is already considered one of the best prospects in a strong Twins farm system. Here’s why he’s starting to get recognized on the national level.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge

MLB Pipeline recently unveiled its rankings of the top second base prospects in baseball, and a familiar name for Twins fans has cracked the top three: Luke Keaschall. He finished behind Boston’s Kristian Campbell and Cleveland’s Travis Bazzana. His inclusion at number three solidifies his status as one of the brightest young talents in the game. Let’s examine why the Twins’ rising star has drawn national attention and what makes him such an exceptional prospect.

An Offensive Force
Keaschall’s bat is what separates him from most of his peers. After being drafted in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft, the 22-year-old wasted little time proving his offensive prowess. In his first full professional season, he slashed an eye-popping .335/.457/.544 (1.001) over 44 games with High-A Cedar Rapids. His ability to control the strike zone, paired with a keen eye at the plate, translated into an impressive on-base percentage that showcased his advanced approach. Add 23 stolen bases to his resume, and Keaschall’s offensive game already appeared well-rounded.

Keaschall continued to impress after his promotion to Double-A Wichita, where he faced more challenging competition. In Wichita, he hit .281/.393/.439 (.832) with nine doubles and eight home runs in 58 games. Though he was limited to designated hitter duties after tearing his UCL, Keaschall still performed admirably at the plate. The injury, which led to Tommy John surgery in August, may have slowed his momentum but hasn’t diminished the optimism surrounding his future. The Twins expect him to be healthy and ready for the 2025 season.

Keaschall’s tools speak for themselves. MLB Pipeline gives him a 60-grade hit tool and 55-grade run tool, placing him in elite company among minor league hitters. His ability to make consistent, high-quality contact, combined with his knack for working counts, gives him one of the highest offensive ceilings of any prospect in the game. Twins Daily ranked him as the organization's third best prospect entering the 2025 season. Some scouts have called him one of the best pure hitters in the minors, a distinction that carries significant weight.

Defensive Versatility: Second Base and Beyond?
While Keaschall’s bat is his calling card, questions remain about his long-term defensive home. Many view him as a second baseman, but some evaluators believe he has the athleticism and instincts to handle center field or left field if needed. His 55-grade run tool and solid baseball IQ suggest he could transition to the outfield without much trouble, providing the Twins with additional roster flexibility. Minnesota likes players to be able to move around the diamond because it gives manager Rocco Baldelli more options with the line-up. 

However, the Twins will likely give him every opportunity to stick at an infield position. He has experience with first and third base, but second base might be the optimal spot for his player type. His quickness, soft hands, and reliable footwork make him a strong defender at the position, even if he doesn’t project as elite. In an era where versatility is valued more than ever, Keaschall’s ability to play multiple positions only adds to his allure as a prospect.

What’s Next for Keaschall?
Tommy John surgery may have temporarily sidelined Keaschall, but it hasn’t dampened his outlook. With a full offseason to recover and prepare, he’ll enter 2025 ready to build on his stellar 2024 campaign. If he can replicate his offensive success at higher levels while continuing to refine his defense, he could force his way into the Twins’ big-league plans sooner rather than later.

As MLB Pipeline continues to rank the game’s best young talent, Keaschall’s placement among the top second-base prospects is a testament to his skill and potential. Twins fans should be excited about what’s to come for one of the organization’s most promising future stars. Keep an eye on Keaschall because he is likely to impact the Twins’ big-league roster in 2025.

Is Keaschall one of baseball’s best second-base prospects? What will be his long-term defensive position? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Fire Dan Gladden]

Fun to be optimistic about a position of need in the organization.

I would expect at least a half season in AAA before he would get serious consideration as a call up.  The team will probably be a little cautious early on with the knee.  Give him few months to show he is healthy and ready for the grind.  Of course he he could force the issue by his play.

[Karbo]

It looks to me like the Twins have a potentially potent IF for the future. I would like to see an IF shuffle though. I would think about moving Lewis to 1st, Correa to 3rd, Lee to ss, and Keaschall at 2nd. Of course this probably wouldn't fly with either Lewis or Correa.

[tony&rodney]

In 2023 there were a only a few occasions when I managed to watch Keaschall's plate appearances, not enough to really jump in on his abilities. Last season, again using milb.com, I watched a bunch of plate appearances by Keaschall. From the start of the season there was a marked difference in his approach and ability to control his at bats that separated him from his peers. The swing is strong and quick and he drives the ball. I'm guessing one of the factors that scouts like about Keaschall is how much he has improved with swing decisions. The guy adapts quickly. By last July I was sure that Keaschall was a top prospect, right there with Jenkins and Rodriguez. It was no surprise to me when a number of teams made attempts at the trade deadline to pilfer Keaschall from the Twins. Obviously, experience is a need and Luke's position as a defender is still uncertain. Luke had a mediocre reputation as a defensive infielder in college. He looked pretty athletic at first base last season but was playing there due to his arm injury. The call for a RH OF/2B/1B is right there, Luke Keaschall. Memorial Day starter?

[tony&rodney]

12 minutes ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

The team will probably be a little cautious early on with the knee.

TJ I believe and already fully healed. The Twins will initially have him ramp up slowly in February and the beginning of March. All restrictions should be removed by April.

[LambchoP]

They should get him comfortable at first and second base as those are the weakest of the Twins positions. Hoping he is healthy this year and forces the twins hand by raking at AAA:)

[rdehring]

Love this kid.  Also, believe that Lee, Lewis and Keaschall will be huge for the Twins for many years.

Biggest question is who's on first, second, etc?  My question is can any of them play shortstop?  Well?

[tony&rodney]

14 minutes ago, rdehring said:

My question is can any of them play shortstop?  Well?

No. Lee would cover the position more or less in a similar fashion to Willi Castro. The Twins are pinned to Carlos Correa; they need him to play 130+ games.

[rusty boots]

I watched a lot of his AB's last season, reminds me a lot of my all time favorite twin Lew Ford. Smart ABs smooth swing, hoping he can be half as good as Sweet Swingin' Lewy 

[mickster]

1 hour ago, Karbo said:

It looks to me like the Twins have a potentially potent IF for the future. I would like to see an IF shuffle though. I would think about moving Lewis to 1st, Correa to 3rd, Lee to ss, and Keaschall at 2nd. Of course this probably wouldn't fly with either Lewis or Correa.

If keaschall is thought to be that good - how about we trade Lee

[Blyleven2011]

Keashall has turned out to be a very good draft acquisition  , he's a hitter first , but isn't a defensive liability at second , 1st base or in the outfield , sounds like a gem but time will tell , I would love to see him in a twins uniform in 2025 if he has earned it ...

We need hitters and if FO trades this prospect , I don't know  , I may come unglued  ...

[Original_JB]

23 minutes ago, mickster said:

If keaschall is thought to be that good - how about we trade Lee

Wasn't Lee "thought to be that good"? We seem to have tons of "the next...." prospects. How many have panned out?

[DJL44]

An 832 OPS in AA says he's not quite ready. That would be equivalent to an OPS in the low 600s in MLB. It's probably going to take another year before he's ready for a callup.

[Karbo]

1 hour ago, rdehring said:

Love this kid.  Also, believe that Lee, Lewis and Keaschall will be huge for the Twins for many years.

Biggest question is who's on first, second, etc?  My question is can any of them play shortstop?  Well?

That would be Lee

[tony&rodney]

8 minutes ago, Original_JB said:

Wasn't Lee "thought to be that good"? We seem to have tons of "the next...." prospects. How many have panned out?

Brooks Lee was and is valued for his high baseball IQ and solid floor as an expected regular who may/should provide above average defense at third base. He never impacted the ball with his swing like Keaschall. They are different players and not really good as comparisons.

[tony&rodney]

37 minutes ago, mickster said:

If keaschall is thought to be that good - how about we trade Lee

Trading Lee is somewhat risky in the sense that Brooks seems to be a player a team can count on to be pretty decent, albeit not expected to be a star. The return would need to be strong. I suggested a trade last October of Lee for Jeferson Quero (Brewers catcher prospect) plus a low level player. I don't believe either team would be comfortable making that deal. My only real thought centered around the belief that the Twins needed to be proactive about solving the catching shortage. Brooks Lee is a good baseball player though and hopefully he busts out this year for the Twins. 

[Rufus]

What is it with these guys coming up through thei system looking like sure fire stars and. showing real promise and then falling apart?  This happened with Buxton, Sano and Kepler, Larnach and Kirlioff,  Now it is happening with Lewis, Julien Lee, Miranda etc.  I realize injuries have had an impact on some of them. But it seems their development and motovation ends when they get called up.  

 

[MN_ExPat]

22 minutes ago, Rufus said:

What is it with these guys coming up through thei system looking like sure fire stars and. showing real promise and then falling apart?  This happened with Buxton, Sano and Kepler, Larnach and Kirlioff,  Now it is happening with Lewis, Julien Lee, Miranda etc.  

The talent was there.  They wouldn't have been talked about otherwise.  However... guys get hurt (a lot).  That takes a huge toll on the human body.  The litany of injuries (acute and possibly more importantly... nagging/lingering) these guys and all ball players in general have endured through the years would blow most peoples minds.

I thank the Lord for the fact that my son's limbs are still attached (he pitches in college) after all these years.  At the end of a season, he states that his arm, knee, hamstring, quad, scap, etc. feels like hamburger and they're ready to fall off.

Even the "healthy" players are hurting.

[gman]

42 minutes ago, Rufus said:

What is it with these guys coming up through thei system looking like sure fire stars and. showing real promise and then falling apart?  This happened with Buxton, Sano and Kepler, Larnach and Kirlioff,  Now it is happening with Lewis, Julien Lee, Miranda etc.  

Only 25% of all major league players played more than 120 games last year. Injuries and poor play are chronic all across baseball.

[old nurse]

23 minutes ago, gman said:

Only 25% of all major league players played more than 120 games last year. Injuries and poor play are chronic all across baseball.

651 players got a PA last year, only 129 qualified for the batting title. 20%. It was worse than you thought 

player across baseball spent over 44000 days on the dl. 

[NYCTK]

34 minutes ago, old nurse said:

651 players got a PA last year, only 129 qualified for the batting title. 20%. It was worse than you thought 

player across baseball spent over 44000 days on the dl. 

But how many of those players are just not playing because they're not good enough? 129 is between 4 and 5 per team. We should probably expect, given full health, that 7 or 8 of the players on a 26 man roster at the start of the season to play enough. So, we're talking more like 50%. 

[jmlease1]

4 hours ago, rusty boots said:

I watched a lot of his AB's last season, reminds me a lot of my all time favorite twin Lew Ford. Smart ABs smooth swing, hoping he can be half as good as Sweet Swingin' Lewy 

I'm hoping he's at least twice as good as Lew Ford, or consistently as good as Ford was in 2004 (aka, his one really good season). Much as I love the fact that Ford loves baseball so much he kept playing Indy league baseball until he was 46, I'm really hoping Keaschall has a significantly better MLB career than Ford.

Lew Ford is another one of those Twins players where his best season was both desperately needed at the time (the Shannon Stewart magic was wearing off, Kubel's knee exploded, Cuddyer was still trying to make it on the dirt, and Restovich was a bust) and would have been so much better if it had come in 2006 when Mauer & Morneau were rolling, Johan was the best pitcher in baseball and a bunch of guys in the lineup were looking good. Getting those peak seasons from your supporting cast at the same time really makes a difference. (Hi, Kevin Tapani! Thanks for being your best self in 1991!)

I like keaschall a lot. Hope he recovers well from the elbow injury. Serious injury, but a lot of hitters have responded well to that surgery before, so hopefully by midseason he's destroying pitching in AAA and pushing guys in MLB to be great or lose their jobs.

[Linus]

“Defensive versatility” is a term that makes me nervous.  Given his less than stellar fielding in college I’m interpreting that to mean he’s not a good fielder and they have to find a place to stash him.  Left field?

[DocBauer]

I wasn't big on Keaschall being drafted initially because I felt they sort of drafted the same player in Schobel in 2022. Boy was I wrong about that!

All he's done is flash a contact bat with pop/power, speed, and OB% ability. His defense is the question mark. He was primarily a SS before moving to 2B for Arizona State, but did bounce around the OF and INF here and there in college. I don't say his defense is a question mark because he can't play defense, it's about where he fits best.

He's a good athlete who has the speed to play the OF, but has most of his experience in the dirt. Because the Twins KNEW he needed TJ surgery, he spent most of 2024 at 1B/DH/OF. They timed his surgery so he could play as much as he could before going under the knife to be ready for 2025.

I'm not saying he won't have a permanent position with the Twins at some point. But if Lee and Lewis hold down 3B and 2B, I can see Keaschall taking his athleticism to 1B, while being able to play elsewhere. But I can easily see him being a potential Castro replacement in 2026 if Castro isn't brought back.

The offense plays. The athleticism plays at multiple positions. The future is undetermined. But he's part of the Twins lineup at some point in 2025. And he might be the #1 batter for several years when he arrives.

[Blyleven2011]

8 hours ago, old nurse said:

651 players got a PA last year, only 129 qualified for the batting title. 20%. It was worse than you thought 

player across baseball spent over 44000 days on the dl. 

Does that include Japan and Korea  ???

[Major League Ready]

18 hours ago, Rufus said:

What is it with these guys coming up through thei system looking like sure fire stars and. showing real promise and then falling apart?  This happened with Buxton, Sano and Kepler, Larnach and Kirlioff,  Now it is happening with Lewis, Julien Lee, Miranda etc.  I realize injuries have had an impact on some of them. But it seems their development and motovation ends when they get called up.  

 

Buxton is a star when he is healthy.  Sano never looked like a star.  There was always a contact question with him and a work ethic problem.  Kepler had very good numbers but not superstar numbers.  He might have been slightly disappointing.  Larnach never looked like a star once he got past AA.  It probably fair to say Kirilloff was a disappointment but the gap in these expectations in general is a product of us as fans being overly optimistic and fired up about our team.  Nothing wrong with that.   Being a negative nelly does not seem like the best way to enjoy the game or any other pastime.  

[jorgenswest]

I see some parallels to Spencer Steer. They can run the bases, have a little power, possibly stretched in the middle of the field, put up 138/143 wRC+ in AA and college infielders.

Will he stay in the middle of the field or eventually be a 1B/LF?
Is there enough power potential to be a plus bat on a corner?

I have enough wonders to think this might be the sell high point. A middle of the field prospect has more value than a corner player. At one point Jose Miranda was tearing up AA/AAA playing 2B/3B with a wRC+ of 158. Now we wonder if he has a plus bat as a 1B. Spencer Steer played 1B/LF with an OPS+ of 96 last year.

I would sell high if he brought an impact starter to the Twins.

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, jorgenswest said:

I see some parallels to Spencer Steer. They can run the bases, have a little power, possibly stretched in the middle of the field, put up 138/143 wRC+ in AA and college infielders.

Will he stay in the middle of the field or eventually be a 1B/LF?
Is there enough power potential to be a plus bat on a corner?

I have enough wonders to think this might be the sell high point. A middle of the field prospect has more value than a corner player. At one point Jose Miranda was tearing up AA/AAA playing 2B/3B with a wRC+ of 158. Now we wonder if he has a plus bat as a 1B. Spencer Steer played 1B/LF with an OPS+ of 96 last year.

I would sell high if he brought an impact starter to the Twins.

The Twins traded Steer because the feeling was that the team had more than sufficient numbers of similar or better players who slotted into his positions. That same situation does not exist for Keaschall.

Miranda and Steer are roughly the same age, with Steer being a half year older. Steer has 4.5 WAR to his name versus 2.3 WAR for Miranda. I still like Miranda, but his opportunities are running out. He has to take the next shot. 

Keaschall is not the key to a trade. There are other players to send if Falvey desires to complete a deal. Hold Keaschall to see his ceiling. 

[bean5302]

23 hours ago, gman said:

Only 25% of all major league players played more than 120 games last year. Injuries and poor play are chronic all across baseball.

There are 9 lineup positions. 30 teams. 270 total expected players if everybody played a full season. So by "starters" on a team, here are the percentages who reached the following level of plate appearances MLB vs. the Twins.
500 PA = 130 (48%), vs. 2 (22%)
450 PA = 169 (63%), vs. 3 (33%)
400 PA = 207 (77%), vs. 5 (56%)

The Twins are almost uniquely poor in terms of keeping players in the lineup or on the field due to Baldelli's proclivity, and constant player injuries.

[JD-TWINS]

5 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

Buxton is a star when he is healthy.  Sano never looked like a star.  There was always a contact question with him and a work ethic problem.  Kepler had very good numbers but not superstar numbers.  He might have been slightly disappointing.  Larnach never looked like a star once he got past AA.  It probably fair to say Kirilloff was a disappointment but the gap in these expectations in general is a product of us as fans being overly optimistic and fired up about our team.  Nothing wrong with that.   Being a negative nelly does not seem like the best way to enjoy the game or any other pastime.  

Nothing wrong with a healthy Larnach at this point…….not specific to you here, but I don’t understand any dissatisfaction with him after the ‘24 season?