Ranking Minnesota Twins Non-Roster Invites By Their Potential Impact

[Nick Nelson]

The Twins originally extended spring invites to 16 players outside of the 40-man roster this year, and they added a 17th on Saturday. Here's a breakdown of who among this group is most likely to play impactful roles for the Twins in 2025.

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson, Matt Kartozian, Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Invariably it seems like at least one or two non-roster camp invites end up making the Opening Day roster for the Minnesota Twins. Sometimes their impact is massive, like in the case of Willi Castro, who made the roster out of spring training in 2023 after signing a minor-league deal, and has since led the team in plate appearances while ranking second in fWAR. Conversely, sometimes their impact is minimal, like when Daniel Duarte earned a roster spot last year and made two appearances before going down with a season-ending elbow injury. Plenty of times, the outcome ultimately lies somewhere in between.

But as examples such as Castro and Danny Coulombe have illustrated, non-roster invites shouldn't be overlooked, even if they didn't generate enough market demand to receive a guaranteed contract. Minor-league signings are typically players on the fringe of big-league relevance, hoping to establish or reestablish themselves at the highest level as they pursue their dream. Oh, and then there are the really good prospects who get summoned to MLB camp so they can start acclimating because they're seen as close to being ready. You'll find a couple of those on this list too.

Below I've taken a shot at ranking Minnesota's 17 non-roster invites, based on their likelihood of making a meaningful impact for the Twins this year. To be clear, it's not a ranking of who is most likely to make the Opening Day roster because that (as Duarte showed) can be less important than the totality of their contribution, whenever the chance comes.

1. Luke Keaschall, IF: The top prospect in major-league camp, ranking third in the system on Twins Daily's list. Keaschall has sprinted through the minors with a polished, disciplined offensive approach that inspires a lot of confidence, and he's defensively versatile. Almost fully received from last year's elbow surgery, the 22-year-old could be a sneaky big difference-maker for the Twins this year, especially given their offensive depth question marks.

2. Scott Blewett, RHP: Made 12 appearances for the Twins last year after joining on a minor-league deal, and re-upped on the same terms this year. He's been effective when given chances in the majors, posting a 2.22 ERA in 28 innings. Probably first in line for a bullpen look among non-rostered pitchers.

3. Anthony Misiewicz, LHP: He doesn't offer exciting upside, but he's the only left-handed pitcher on this list and one of just three in Twins camp. With Brent Headrick gone, it's Misiewicz and Kody Funderburk behind Coulombe on the depth chart. By definition that gives the 30-year-old pretty good odds. Misiewicz has made 131 appearances in the big leagues.

4. Andrew Morris, RHP: Another highly regarded prospect (No. 6 on our list) getting a taste of MLB camp ahead of a potential 2025 debut. Morris climbed from Single-A to Triple-A last year, posting a 2.37 ERA across 133 innings. He throws strikes, which gives him a leg up over some other prospects in the MLB-readiness conversation, but is probably behind Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa and Zebby Matthews in line for a crack at the rotation.

5. Mike Ford, 1B/DH: His chances of working into the first base mix took a hit with the Ty France signing, but he's got a decent amount of major-league experience and the Twins could find themselves looking for offense where they can get it this summer. Ford's a long shot to make the roster out of camp but could position himself for a call-up if he hits well at Triple-A.

6. Cory Lewis, RHP: The Twins' 2023 minor-league pitcher of the year is in camp to rub shoulders with the vets as he gets ready to take on the high minors in earnest. An injury limited him to 79 innings last year so building up will be Lewis's primary focus, but he's got the stuff – including a unique mid-80s knuckleball – to get a shot.

7. Huascar Ynoa, RHP: Traded once upon a time by the Twins to the Braves as a teenager, Ynoa returned to Minnesota on a minor-league deal and will compete for a look in the bullpen. He's recorded 128 strikeouts in 122 MLB innings, with a 96 MPH fastball leading his repertoire, but hasn't pitched in the majors since 2022. Ynoa is still only 26 years old and we all know relievers can be late bloomers.

8. Armando Alvarez, IF: A bat-first infielder whose opportunity could come if the Twins find themselves starving for offensive firepower and he's crushing Triple-A, as he did last year when he posted a .967 OPS in the Athletics system. It helps his case that he's shown an ability in the minors to crush left-handed pitching, which is a somewhat rare strength among the Twins' talent.

9. Erasmo Ramírez, RHP: Ramírez joined the Twins just a few days ago, bringing an extensive veteran track record spanning 850 innings in the majors, including 21 last year with the Rays. There's not a lot of upside to be found with the 35-year-old, who has never averaged more than 7.3 K/9 in 13 MLB seasons, but his depth of experience could give him a preferential edge if the Twins are looking for innings. He's a former starter who can provide some length.

10. Yunior Severino, 1B/DH: Severino was removed from the 40-man roster after last season but rejoined the Twins on a minors deal. To find his way back into the team's plans, he is going to need to hit, hit, hit in Triple-A. He has definitely shown the ability to get red-hot but hasn't been able to sustain it over prolonged stretches. The glove is bad enough that he might be a DH-only option in the majors.

11. Alex Speas, RHP: In terms of the potential impact he could make if everything were to click, Speas would be much higher on this list. He's got huge stuff, including a fastball that touches triple digits. But he simply has not been able to throw strikes, at all. He's issued 162 walks in 173 innings in the minors, including 68 BB in 58 IP at Triple-A. Speas would need to show dramatic improvement in strike-throwing ability to get a crack, methinks, but at age 26 it's not out of the question.

12. Randy Dobnak, RHP: Now in the final year of his guaranteed contract, which might be the only thing keeping him around, Dobnak is Triple-A depth and pretty low in the pecking order. He's never been the same since a finger injury derailed his promising career. Unless he can unlock something, the biggest impact he'll be realistically be lined up for is similar to last year: a handful of low-leverage relief outings when the Twins simply need a usable arm.

13. Ryan Jensen, RHP: Somewhat similar to Speas – good arsenal, extremely poor control – except the stuff isn't quite as impressive, which is why the former first-round draft pick has yet to get a look in the big leagues at 27. If he can find the strike zone with any consistency, he could get an opportunity, and from there who knows. Jensen struck out 81 hitters in 56 innings at St. Paul last year, but with 50 walks.

14. Pat Winkel, C: It's tough to imagine a scenario where Winkel sees significant time for the Twins unless their catching depth collapses. But this is hardly unthinkable. The 40-man options behind Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vázquez – Jair Camargo, Diego Cartaya, Mickey Gasper – are complete unknowns as MLB products. Winkel has a solid rep for working with pitchers and is well regarded in the org.

15. Jeferson Morales, UTIL: He's shown intriguing hitting ability in the minors, including an outstanding Triple-A debut last year, but fielding is a big limitation. The 5-foot-8 scrapper is listed as a utilityman mainly because he's not good enough at any position to call it home. That'll make it tough to break through, at least this year, but at 25 he's got time yet to develop and sharpen up.

16. Alex Isola, C: Isola can be barely be considered a catcher anymore – he spent far more time at first base, left field and DH last year – but his ability to don catcher's gear and swing a decent RH bat keeps him on the radar as a useful spring training presence. Hard to envision him finding his way to the majors this season. 

17. Darren McCaughan, RHP: An experienced arm who was seemingly brought in merely to throw innings in St. Paul. The 28-year-old doesn't throw hard and hasn't posted an ERA below 4.55 at any level since 2019, though he does have some major-league experience.

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[mikelink45]

Let's hope we do not go below #4.  The season would be good then.  The lowest ranked player of interest to me in Winkel.  I feel like he has been overlooked and might be better than the three listed behind Jeffers and Vasquez. 

[Karbo]

I would think Keaschall has a very good chance to break in sometime around mid season. I'm also watching for Alverez. He has destroyed lefties in the minors. If he continues that trend he may be up at some point.

[JD-TWINS]

Pretty thin with a bunch of these guys, obviously. Alvarez & Speas seem to have decent potential on paper…..how does anyone with a .967 OPS at AAA get out of the A’s organization (any organization)? Speas “touches triple digits” so he can’t be dismissed but command is king so he needs a big shift!

To me, Blewett has best shot with Twins or someone to be a real producer in a PEN.

Really hope Keaschall can hit as billed. Need him as an alternative on right side of IF.

[jmlease1]

I'm a big fan of keaschall, but he's never had an AB above AA and is coming back from a significant injury. Not really expecting him to be a significant contributor until 2026 (and that's ok). I like Lewis & Morris quite a bit, but they're down a ways on the pitching rotation, and if we see them then it probably means there's been 2-4 significant injuries in the rotation, because they're going to be behind Festa, Matthews, Adams, and Raya right now to get a shot in the rotation just because of the 40-man status.

Not seeing a Willi Castro in here right now.

[strumdatjag]

For you Trekkies - apparently the Twins’ Klingon prospect, Jarret Whorff,  didn’t get an invite to MLB Spring Training.   He had a taste with the AAA Saints.   Could he be the first Klingon player in MLB this season???
 

[old nurse]

Thinking Keaschall will have  an impact this year is folly one. The Twins thought so much of Blewett that they have brought back Tonkin 3 times.  The third most impactful player is a LH pitcher that is essentially a batting practice pitcher   Either the list is in error, he team really couldn’t find much for depth pieces, or the talent level in baseball has gotten so thin that this is the best they could do. 

[Blyleven2011]

I just read the title ...

Ranking the NRI ...

My ranking is just depth , not on 40 man roster so pretty sure not a one gets to go north  ...

[South Dakota Tom]

Curious why Peyton Eeles didn't get an invite; guy did nothing but rake and hustle from indy ball to AAA and 2b is a (potential) revolving door.

[farmerguychris]

I've been very intrigued by Pitcher Lewis since I learned about his ability to throw both with good velocity AND a knuckleball.  Hopeful he can stay healthy because I'd love to see how that unusual combo of pitches can play in the majors and would love to see him.

[Road trip]

2 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Let's hope we do not go below #4.  The season would be good then.  The lowest ranked player of interest to me in Winkel.  I feel like he has been overlooked and might be better than the three listed behind Jeffers and Vasquez. 

I would like to agree, but due to injuries, failures, etc the Twins have used 30ish pitchers over the course of a season for... well it feels like forever, even if it is only a decade or so.  Might as well get to know all these pitching names now, because we are going to see the majority of them with the Twins at some point this year.

[LambchoP]

Keaschal has the best potential here, but my guess is they're going to take it slow with him coming off tommy john surgery and not playing in AAA yet. Maybe if he's healthy from the get go and raking at St Paul he gets a mid season call up. Kind of surprised how far down the depth chart Severino has fallen. I know he's not a great defender at first, but he led the minors in homers in 2023 and he still hit like 24 last year. Getting some power from first base wouldn't be the worst thing especially if France is a bust. Hopefully in his second full year in AAA he puts it all together and raises his stock a bit. Oh, and the fact they're not giving Eeles a look in spring training is dumb. Maybe they want to see if he can keep raking in AAA a bit longer?

[Doctor Gast]

35 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

Keaschal has the best potential here, but my guess is they're going to take it slow with him coming off tommy john surgery and not playing in AAA yet. Maybe if he's healthy from the get go and raking at St Paul he gets a mid season call up. Kind of surprised how far down the depth chart Severino has fallen. I know he's not a great defender at first, but he led the minors in homers in 2023 and he still hit like 24 last year. Getting some power from first base wouldn't be the worst thing especially if France is a bust. Hopefully in his second full year in AAA he puts it all together and raises his stock a bit. Oh, and the fact they're not giving Eeles a look in spring training is dumb. Maybe they want to see if he can keep raking in AAA a bit longer?

They can string Eeles along for a long time so that's what they'll do even though he could help the club. But yeah they'll keep an eye on him in AAA for a bit longer.

[Doctor Gast]

No one will break with the club after camp. Keaschal won't be ready for a while. We are really deep in the pen so it'd take something catastrophic for Blewett to make the roster although he's a good pitcher. He'll make the team sometime during the season.

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, farmerguychris said:

I've been very intrigued by Pitcher Lewis since I learned about his ability to throw both with good velocity AND a knuckleball.  Hopeful he can stay healthy because I'd love to see how that unusual combo of pitches can play in the majors and would love to see him.

He should teach Dobnak the knuckleball.  Dobnak should learn it if he wants to be a MLB pitcher again.

[mikelink45]

Let's hope the changes and the invitees make a difference.  Today the Athletic ranked the Twins #20 and by the rankings we would be fourth in the division.

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, Parfigliano said:

He should teach Dobnak the knuckleball.  Dobnak should learn it if he wants to be a MLB pitcher again.

Didn't Dobber's downfall begin with a finger injury?  Perhaps the knuckleball grip would aggravate it.

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, ashbury said:

Didn't Dobber's downfall begin with a finger injury?  Perhaps the knuckleball grip would aggravate it.

Dobnak better try something new because the present plan isn't getting him back to MLB and the clocks ticking.

[RpR]

3 hours ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

I am intrigued by having a knuckleball pitcher in the rotation.  My guess is that our catchers do not feel the same way 😱

Especially Jeffers.

[bean5302]

5 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

Pretty thin with a bunch of these guys, obviously. Alvarez & Speas seem to have decent potential on paper…..how does anyone with a .967 OPS at AAA get out of the A’s organization (any organization)? Speas “touches triple digits” so he can’t be dismissed but command is king so he needs a big shift!

To me, Blewett has best shot with Twins or someone to be a real producer in a PEN.

Really hope Keaschall can hit as billed. Need him as an alternative on right side of IF.

Alvarez got a shot at MLB last year and went .243/.282/.270 OPS .522 wRC+ 62 in a SSS of 39 plate appearances. While his BB was very poor, his K rate wasn't abominable, but in that 39 plate appearance run, he had only 1 extra base hit, a double. He'll be 30 this year and had a .359 BABIP at AAA that explains a lot of his triple slash. He was well below average at AA/AAA through age 26. Just looks like he's polished up with experience, but probably lacks the actual talent necessary to shine at the MLB level.

Speas is potentially more interesting. The only team he pitched against in MLB last year was the Twins so I wonder if the staff saw something they liked? Fangraphs loves, loves, loves, loves velocity so they're high on his pitches grading his fastball, slider and cutter as 60 grades. That said, he walks between 1.5 and 2.0 batters PER INNING, literally up to 15+ BB/9 in significant samples. He walked 21 guys in just 8 innings pitching for the Red Sox AAA. He's bounced through Texas, Boston, White Sox, Oakland and Houston systems. Could be a Simeon Woods Richardson type who refuses to be coached until the end of the career road? I refuse to believe it's not a mechanical issue. If Speas is finally willing to be coached to repeat mechanics and throw strikes 1 of 2 things will likely happen. 1. His pitches will become easy to hit (I expect this one). 2. He'll be elite. 

[Jacksson]

Fans are holding out that with an injury to Duran, Blewett replaces him as CLOSER.

[DocBauer]

Biggest impact? Keaschall is the easy answer to the #1. It's only a question as to when he's up to help.

I can see Blewett getting a shot at some point. But I think one of Lewis or Morris has a greater opportunity for a major impact as the season goes along. Festa, then Matthews in a pecking order for help, But I could see Lewis or Morris coming up before Raya, despite not being on the 40 man yet.

Funderburk should be far ahead of Misiewicz, but I can see him making some appearances.

Biggest potential surprise? How about Speas at 27yo and with his 6th organization suddenly finding a modicum of control and being a surprise arm in the pen?

 

                 

 

 

[High heat]

No Will Holland on the list?  They were looking for a back up SS, he has been a solid defensive SS at AAA and actually hit .300 last season with speed and the ability to fill in the outfield.  
 

Could see injuries and him get a MLB opportunity 

[AceWrigley]

6 hours ago, ashbury said:

Didn't Dobber's downfall begin with a finger injury?  Perhaps the knuckleball grip would aggravate it.

Interesting point. Not sure if the knuckleball grip would put the wrong kind of pressure on his rehabbed middle finger. Makes me think the Bruce Sutter split-finger grip would hold interest for him.