Minnesota Twins Prospect Hot Sheet, June 16, 2025: Two Teenagers Making Waves

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (Photo of Bryan Acuña)

Welcome to the Twins Prospect Hot Sheet! Each week, we take a closer look at multiple players who are climbing the organization’s prospect ladder, thanks to standout performances. This isn't limited to top-10 prospects, as you’ll find some lesser-known names putting themselves on the radar as well. With recent promotions and breakout performances, several young names are quickly pushing their way up prospect rankings and (potentially) toward Target Field. Here’s a look at three such risers in recent weeks.

IF, Bryan Acuña, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
The Twins signed Bryan Acuña as part of their 2022 international free agent class, luring him with a $650,000 bonus. Of course, the Acuña name immediately caught attention because Bryan is the younger brother of Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., but the Twins made clear that they valued Bryan for his own skillset. A versatile infielder who bats right-handed, Acuña spent his first three seasons honing his game in the rookie leagues, where the focus was less about numbers and more about development. Even so, he showed promise, posting a .384 OBP with 14 extra-base hits in 98 games. 

Hitting the Hot Button
Acuña’s promotion to Fort Myers last week signals that the Twins believe he’s ready for the next challenge. At just 19 years old, he’s moved beyond the FCL and will see better competition in full-season ball, an important test for his development path. What’s fueling his rise on prospect lists isn’t eye-popping power (yet), but his maturity at the plate. He controls the strike zone far better than most hitters his age, a trait that evaluators love because it provides a foundation for growth in other offensive areas. Perhaps most impressive for a teenager adjusting to professional pitching: he drew more walks (15) than strikeouts (14), a sign of advanced plate discipline that bodes well for his long-term potential. While the Acuña name opens doors, Bryan is starting to carve out his own identity with his performance. If he continues to show strong on-base skills and defensive versatility across the infield, he could leap into Minnesota’s top-20 prospect conversation by year’s end.

OF Teilon Serrano, DSL Twins
Sometimes opportunity arrives in surprising ways. Serrano was a late addition to the Twins' international signing class after the Los Angeles Dodgers paused their entire international operations in January to clear resources for a potential run at Japanese ace Roki Sasaki. The delay opened a window for Minnesota to swoop in and sign Serrano, a 17-year-old outfielder from Venezuela, who was reportedly on the Dodgers’ radar for months. Serrano is making his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League this season. 

Hitting the Hot Button
Serrano’s loud debut has scouts and evaluators rethinking his ceiling. Through his first eight games, he notched 11 hits in 29 at-bats (.379 average) with two home runs, a double, a triple, and nine runs scored. Power is already showing up in games, a rare thing for players his age, while his ability to square up velocity and drive the ball to all fields is notable for a teenager adjusting to professional pitching. His age and tools immediately vault him into the discussion of the organization’s most intriguing teenage prospects, with some projecting that he could end the season as one of Minnesota’s fastest-rising names. If he maintains even a fraction of this offensive production over the summer, he’ll be a name to watch on offseason lists. 

OF Kala’i Rosario, Wichita Wind Surge
A fifth-round pick in 2020, Rosario came into the season as something of a question mark. The 22-year-old outfielder flashed raw power in past seasons, but struggled to translate that pop into consistent production, leading Minnesota to leave him unprotected in last winter’s Rule 5 Draft. Last season, he hit .238/.329/.428 with 19 doubles and 10 home runs in 70 games at Double-A Wichita. Minnesota sent him to the AFL for the second consecutive season, where he posted an .813 OPS with four extra-base hits in 21 games. Ultimately, the Twins didn’t add him to the 40-man, but kept him in the system, and that patience is starting to pay off.

Hitting the Hot Button
Rosario opened 2025 in a rough slump, but since those difficult first two weeks, he’s caught fire: over his last 44 games, Rosario is hitting .273 with four homers, 11 doubles, two triples and a remarkable .392 on-base percentage. His improved plate discipline (he’s drawing more walks and cutting down strikeouts) is a huge development for a player long viewed as a boom-or-bust power hitter. At 22 years old, he is over two years younger than the average age of the competition in the Texas League, with nearly 85% of his plate appearances coming versus older pitchers. If he keeps this up, especially maintaining his on-base skills while tapping into occasional power, he could force his way into Triple-A ball later this year and into Minnesota’s plans for 2026.

Development isn’t always linear, and these three players are perfect examples of different prospect paths. Acuña represents patient, steady growth as he adjusts to Stateside ball. Serrano has burst onto the scene with impact tools that could make him one of the organization's top breakout stars by season’s end. Rosario, once a player on the verge of fading from prospect relevance, is rebuilding his stock with a revamped offensive approach.

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Which player's performance stands out the most? Who has the biggest upside? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[roger]

Thanks, Cody.

At what age was Acuna’s brother playing for the Braves?

[Blyleven2011]

Hopefully we got a gem in Serrano and joe bo and the dodgers didn't  ...

Glad to see acuna doing good as well as Rosario ...

Thanks for the time to put this together ...

[SD happy]

I love these kind of stories about upcoming, potential Twins. Thank you!

[DocBauer]

The fact that the Dodgers have excellent scouting and a great MILB system makes "stealing" Serrano from them a potential coup. But I just can't comment on a 17yo DSL kid other than to say I hope he keeps it up.

Other than as a footnote, Acura should never be compared to his brother. I think that's obvious. But the fact that he shows such a good base to work from in regard to contact and discipline is promising. 

I think Rosario has gotten a bum rap from a lot of people after a disappointing 2024. He was a monster in 2023 for CR winning the league's MVP award, and showing much better discipline than he had shown previously. His power in the last AFL was down, but his other numbers were up from his previous AFL stint. 

But a mediocre 2024 at AA and then being injured after 70 games hurt his "look". A slow start to this season hasn't helped. But as the OP states, he's been raking for some time now. The approach is good, the power and the numbers are good, and he's rounding in to form. Being productive as a 22yo at AA is good stuff. He's not a great athlete, but he's not a poor one either. His SB surge this season would seem to indicate he's not just a statue. Reportedly, he's got a good arm. He might be stiff in RF, but he's young enough to loosen up, and improve reads, and become at least an acceptable OF, even on a part time basis.

Actually, he sounds a lot like his teammate Gabriel Gonzalez. If one of those two could become decent defensively, the Twins might have a solid, productive RH OF/DH in the near future.

But since the OP focused on teenagers, I want to give a shout out to a couple near/recent teens in Winokur and Questad. After a poor start to the season, Winokur has adjusted and put up some solid numbers. And after a pretty bad debut in the FCL in 2024, Questad has made a solid adjustment to Ft Myers. While his ERA and BB numbers aren't very good, his hit and K per 9 and looking very good. 

[jkcarew]

1 hour ago, DocBauer said:

Actually, he sounds a lot like his teammate Gabriel Gonzalez

Yes and no. Rosario still has a TON more swing and miss in him, and more power than Rodriguez at this point. Meanwhile, Rodriguez has one of the best hit/contact tools in the system….and an absolute hose for an arm. I think they both may have relatively high ceilings, but, to me Rosario’s floor is still much lower than Rodriguez’s.

[Blyleven2011]

3 hours ago, roger said:

Thanks, Cody.

At what age was Acuna’s brother playing for the Braves?

I think he was 20 years old when he made his debut for braves 2018 , he's 27 now playing in his eighth  season ......

Hope that helps ...

[Cody Christie]

12 hours ago, roger said:

Thanks, Cody.

At what age was Acuna’s brother playing for the Braves?

Ronald made it to Triple-A as a 19-year-old and his MLB debut at age 20. Bryan is a much different type of prospect but he’s showing some positive signs this year. 

[TwinsDr2021]

42 minutes ago, Cody Christie said:

Ronald made it to Triple-A as a 19-year-old and his MLB debut at age 20. Bryan is a much different type of prospect but he’s showing some positive signs this year. 

His other brother is probably a better comparison, but that might be a stretch as well. 

Luisangel never played rookie ball in the states, and Ronald just one year, Bryan spent two plus years. Also hasn't shown the speed in terms of stolen bases of either of them. His power at this point looks more like Luisangel. 

I am rooting for the kid, but it would suck to get the worst of the brothers (we already got that with Nick Gordon)

I would love for any of these guys or anybody to force the Twins to fast track them and get to the majors at 21 o 22 instead of this slow stream of mid 20 prospects that maybe/kind of/possibly/maybe not work out. 

[chpettit19]

13 hours ago, DocBauer said:

The fact that the Dodgers have excellent scouting and a great MILB system makes "stealing" Serrano from them a potential coup. But I just can't comment on a 17yo DSL kid other than to say I hope he keeps it up.

Other than as a footnote, Acura should never be compared to his brother. I think that's obvious. But the fact that he shows such a good base to work from in regard to contact and discipline is promising. 

I think Rosario has gotten a bum rap from a lot of people after a disappointing 2024. He was a monster in 2023 for CR winning the league's MVP award, and showing much better discipline than he had shown previously. His power in the last AFL was down, but his other numbers were up from his previous AFL stint. 

But a mediocre 2024 at AA and then being injured after 70 games hurt his "look". A slow start to this season hasn't helped. But as the OP states, he's been raking for some time now. The approach is good, the power and the numbers are good, and he's rounding in to form. Being productive as a 22yo at AA is good stuff. He's not a great athlete, but he's not a poor one either. His SB surge this season would seem to indicate he's not just a statue. Reportedly, he's got a good arm. He might be stiff in RF, but he's young enough to loosen up, and improve reads, and become at least an acceptable OF, even on a part time basis.

Actually, he sounds a lot like his teammate Gabriel Gonzalez. If one of those two could become decent defensively, the Twins might have a solid, productive RH OF/DH in the near future.

But since the OP focused on teenagers, I want to give a shout out to a couple near/recent teens in Winokur and Questad. After a poor start to the season, Winokur has adjusted and put up some solid numbers. And after a pretty bad debut in the FCL in 2024, Questad has made a solid adjustment to Ft Myers. While his ERA and BB numbers aren't very good, his hit and K per 9 and looking very good. 

Bryan may be comparable to one of his brothers. Just not the one we all wish he was comparable to.

[Dman]

15 hours ago, DocBauer said:

The fact that the Dodgers have excellent scouting and a great MILB system makes "stealing" Serrano from them a potential coup. But I just can't comment on a 17yo DSL kid other than to say I hope he keeps it up.

 

Yeah I agree with you on Serrano.  The Twins DSL team currently has 4 players with OPS's over 1.000.  Castillo (1.357), Taveras (1.126), Serrano (1.108) and Reyes (1.053).   It's great to see so many bats doing really well at that level but we know from experience those number don't mean much.

A few years back Mercedes and Rodriguez were putting up similar numbers and they have fallen pretty flat in A ball.  Mercedes has done well at the FCL level which is no small feat but still is struggling at A ball.  They are still young at 20 years old, but the shine is already off both players with Rodriguez out of the top 30 and Mercedes falling.  It's not like we are asking for a lot just something approaching a .700 OPS would be nice, but a .500 and 600 OPS makes it hard to see them succeeding after their first two years in the states. 

Yep there's still time for them to turn things around, but it just shows how inflated those DSL numbers are compared to the competition they will face once they get over here.  Granted I Would rather see the higher OPS's from those player's than lower OPS's, but as a measure of success we won't know much until they perform in A ball.  Still a long way to go after that but if they conquer A ball at a relatively young age at least there is hope for a future.

So yeah @DocBauer I hope they all keep it up all the way up.

[twinstalker]

NM

[twinstalker]

On 6/16/2025 at 6:04 PM, roger said:

Thanks, Cody.

At what age was Acuna’s brother playing for the Braves?

Acuna and Soto were destroying low A at age 18.  Acuna the Youngest is a very average prospect at best, but the genes and possible growth make him worth watching on the periphery.  I'd expect him to struggle at age 19 at low A.  It's a far cry from stardom.

Also, when I voted for my top 20, there was no ability to put Serrano in there last week, but I did put someone in and said in the comments it was Serrano.  I could find nothing to dislike.