Could Payton Eeles Soon Make Major-League Debut for Minnesota Twins?

[Old Crow]

3 hours ago, stringer bell said:

There is no person in MLB to compare with Arraez, period. Arraez has insane contact skills, but still has minimal value due to speed and defensive deficiencies. He has struck out five times all year! He also has the lowest swing speed and a 0.0 WAR. 
 

Edit to add:  Oops, I quoted the wrong posting. I meant to quote @Old Crow instead I quoted @tony&rodney. 

My point exactly.  If his contact skills are for real he's Louis with speed and defense capability.

[chpettit19]

1 hour ago, Dman said:

That is some excellent analysis! Kudos on the comp.  Hard to disagree with what those underlying numbers are telling us.

I just feel like his his contact approach brings down those hard hit rates.  Maybe it is just hope but I feel like he could develop Dozier pull side power.  That might bring the average down, but I feel like he might be able to develop that.  Otherwise as you stated it is going to be hard to distinguish between Eeles and a lot of other guys.  

At one point it looked like he had no shot and last year he showed he can play all they way to the AAA level.  Hopefully he can keep it going, but other teams are going to be more ready for him.  I want him to succeed so badly I might be blinded a bit, but I think he can show more power and I think that can give him the edge he needs to break in.

Kwan developed more power last year by looking to drive balls on the inner third to the pull side early in the count. Can certainly be the same sort of approach Eeles takes. I certainly don't mean to say he has no power at all, just that I don't think people should expect him to be a 15-20 HR guy like his 8 HRs in 260 PAs suggest he may be. Kwan hit 14 last year, though. And he's at 5 already this year. 

I'd be over the moon if Eeles can get there. Following the Kwan trajectory and being more BA/OBP with a .380-.400 (or even a little lower) slug to start and working his way up to more of a .420-.440 slug would be an incredible outcome for him. I love him and how he plays the game. There's no one in the Twins system I'm cheering for more (outside of Jenkins because he has team ceiling lifting talent). And I think he has a real shot at reaching the bigs. I just don't see the ceiling on his power being that high. But I've been wrong many, many times before. And would be more than happy to add this to that ever-growing list.

[mikelink45]

3 hours ago, arby58 said:

He was shining in college at 21 at Cedarville University, to the tune of 1 HR and an .871 OPS against inferior college opposition. Altuve, at 21, between A+ and AA, had 10 HRs and a 1.017 OPS. Eerily similar comps?

I know - you are the second one to want to burst my bubble - but I am hanging on to hope.

[purplesoldier4u]

9 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Agree with your take.

I wanted to add that Jacob Wilson might be the new standard for swing and hit. Wilson's .372 average with 16 Ks, 14 BB, and 23 XBH along with 5 SB while playing a decent shortstop is really something. Watching him is nearly comical as he hits bloops, blasts, frozen ropes, and broken bat hits all over the field on every type of pitch in crazy locations. There was an interesting article on Fangraphs on May 23 about his batting stance and The Athletic had a good article on him on June 2. Wilson was picked 6th in the draft immediately after Walker Jenkins. 

Arraez has fallen below .280 AVE sadly. He might struggle to get a decent contract next year as a slow DH who doesn't hit many XBH and provides next to no defense.

Wilson is a friggin' unicorn!

[DocBauer]

Got a lot to say here, going to try and break down my thoughts.

A] I'd still like to see McCusker get a legitimate shot at some point. Odds are he wont make it as he's just not contact focused and has a huge strike zone. But the power is HUGE. And no matter his background, age, or K numbers, it's just hard to ignore someone...even in a hitters league/park who has an OPS over 1100. I mention him because he was mentioned in the comments, and because Eeles is also an Independent Ball signee. But I think the Twins probably view Eeles differently because...

PRO'S:

1] Eeles has a small strike zone and has a contact first approach and doesn't K to any large degree. Plus, while not a "kid", 25yo at AAA isn't exactly old. 

2] Eeles is short at 5' 5"...hence the not exactly accurate Altuve comps...but he's carrying somewhere between 180-190lbs. If you look at him, he carries that weight well, and has the thighs and backside that you'd expect him to drive the ball with at least some authority. I'd say he's more "pop" than "power". But that doesn't mean he can't/won't jack a few HR here and there, potentially, but with his speed should lead to Dbls and Triples. But for NOW, that pop/power is missing. But he's only just got back on the field for about 2 weeks now. 

3] Speed plays, and the Twins could use more. A good contact, line drive hitter who gets on base and has speed? Yes please! The Twins could use another sparkplug in their lineup.

4] I don't know how good his defense is. I do recall Eeles talking last season about concentrating on his defense. And I recall Gardenhire talking about his hard work and lots of improvement. Despite playing a handf games in CF in 2024, and his usage at SS as well for a few games then, and recently, I'd suspect he's truly a 2B and LF option. Being able to play 2 spots, and maybe cover 2 others on an occasional or emergency roster shuffle situation doesn't hurt. But if he's solid to good at 2 spots, that's fine.

CONS:

1] Agreed he may have missed his initial opportunity by having knee surgery at a bad time. He likely would have been a ST invite if healthy, and might have gotten a shot earlier this season when injuries and poor play created roster shuffling.

2] Good, bad, right or wrong, Miranda and Julien are on the 40 man and PROBABLY ahead of him just based on that fact.

3] He probably needs another 2-3 weeks minimum to get his legs fully under him, flash some of the XB power he's shown before, in order to get ready. Keaschall should be back in July, mid July at the latest. I'm certain the Twins would bring him up before Eeles. 

I think his contact, hit ability, BB ability for a good combined OB%, and speed might make him a decent ML ballplayer. But he IS behind a group of other players. So I don't see "SOON" as a target for his arrival, barring injuries of course.

I think his best opportunity probably comes in 2026 when Castro is probably gone. Especially if he could indeed play a passable SS. That only adds versatility to his game as a potential #3 option behind Correa and Lee at the spot. And if the bat and speed repeat what he did in 2024 for the rest of this season, he could be a really nice bench option next season while Schobel, Culpepper, and DeBarge make their way up.

I hope he gets his shot at some point as I think his game/ability plays at the next level. But I think his 1st window already closed because of his injury and recovery time.

[JD-TWINS]

12 hours ago, Jasper said:

Eeles just needs a chance, he could easily replace Bride for a few games.

What’s the point? Team doesn’t need to be auditioning guys for 2 week stints. They’ll need a 40 man spot when Keaschall comes off the 60 day IL……..seems Bride is in until then……another 5 weeks, give or take.

How about getting more than 18 AB’s at AAA this year before jumping him to the roster?

Clemens - Lee - Castro all ahead of him at 2B (Keaschall coming) - he’s not displacing anyone at SS.

[arby58]

5 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I know - you are the second one to want to burst my bubble - but I am hanging on to hope.

Hope is a great thing - never lose hope.

[ashbury]

12 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

Eh. I still think i'd rather have Buxton up. The super contact guy is very nice in extra innings when your team is up in the bottom of the 10th and just needs 1 run to get the win, but holy cow that's a limited role. 

Not to mention that the opposing manager might choose to simply walk your super contact guy.

[D.C Twins]

On 6/9/2025 at 10:23 AM, tony&rodney said:

Agree with your take.

I wanted to add that Jacob Wilson might be the new standard for swing and hit. Wilson's .372 average with 16 Ks, 14 BB, and 23 XBH along with 5 SB while playing a decent shortstop is really something. Watching him is nearly comical as he hits bloops, blasts, frozen ropes, and broken bat hits all over the field on every type of pitch in crazy locations. There was an interesting article on Fangraphs on May 23 about his batting stance and The Athletic had a good article on him on June 2. Wilson was picked 6th in the draft immediately after Walker Jenkins. 

Arraez has fallen below .280 AVE sadly. He might struggle to get a decent contract next year as a slow DH who doesn't hit many XBH and provides next to no defense.

Love Arraez, but the Twins absolutely crushed that trade!

[Mike Sixel]

13 hours ago, ashbury said:

Not to mention that the opposing manager might choose to simply walk your super contact guy.

I could only wish they always give the Twins a free baserunner. 

[ashbury]

4 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

I could only wish they always give the Twins a free baserunner. 

Bottom of the tenth, tie game, Manfred man on second - don't think the extra runner is that much of a gift.

[Mike Sixel]

27 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Bottom of the tenth, tie game, Manfred man on second - don't think the extra runner is that much of a gift.

Sure. If they are down one, they now have the winning run on base. 

[KBJ1]

Eales for a cup of coffee and lose Bride? Sure. Can Eales pitch is the only question?

What we need is Keaschall!!

Been waiting for a lineup of Keaschal, Correa, Lewis, Buxton, Wallner ALL healthy and productive all year. With the state our pitching is in now, we are going to need an All Star lineup to win any games. Dfa Alcala and trade to get Ryan Pressley back. Lol. Looking like one of our worst trades ever.