5 Ways to Remember the Twins’ 2025 Farm System

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (Photo of Walker Jenkins)

The Twins’ 2025 season will not be remembered fondly, at the major-league level. For the second straight year, Minnesota faded badly in the second half, and the trade deadline only deepened the frustration. Fan favorites with multiple years of team control, like Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Louis Varland, were shipped out—moves that signaled another organizational reset, rather than a push forward.

Those decisions understandably strained the relationship between the front office and the fanbase. Still, the offseason remains unfinished, and perspective matters. When you zoom out beyond Target Field and look across the organization, there was legitimate progress made in 2025. The Twins’ farm system provided some of the brightest moments of the year and offered a reminder of why patience still matters in the Twin Cities.

Here are five ways to remember 2025, through the lens of Twins minor leaguers.

Big Years from Gabriel Gonzalez and Dasan Hill
If there was one clear takeaway from the farm system this season, it was the emergence of legitimate impact talent. Gabriel Gonzalez was named Twins Daily’s Minor League Hitter of the Year after putting together his most complete professional season. In 123 games, he hit .329/.395/.513 with a 148 wRC+, while reaching Triple-A as a 21-year-old. He showed improved plate discipline, consistent power to all fields, and the kind of offensive profile that now projects comfortably into a corner outfield role at the major-league level. Plus, he’s a right-handed hitter, something the Twins have lacked for that very role in recent seasons.

On the mound, Dasan Hill earned Twins Daily’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors, and his rise felt just as meaningful. In 19 starts (62 IP), he posted a 3.19 ERA, a 3.35 FIP, a 31.1% strikeout rate, and a 15.0% walk rate. The 19-year-old took noticeable steps forward with his command and secondary offerings, turning raw arm strength into sustainable production. If he continues to make strides next season, he could enter the picture as a top-100 prospect. In an organization that continues to prioritize pitching development, Hill’s progress stood out as a significant win.

Top Prospects on the Brink: Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez
The Twins still possess two of the most intriguing offensive prospects in baseball. Walker Jenkins continued to validate the hype surrounding him, showing why he is viewed as a potential franchise cornerstone. He reached Triple A in his age-20 season, a rare feat, and posted a 135 wRC+ across three levels. Many national outlets will have him ranked among baseball’s top 10 prospects entering 2026. His combination of physicality, athleticism, and advanced approach at the plate keeps his ceiling among the highest in the system.

Emmanuel Rodriguez remains a fascinating case study. When healthy, he is one of the most dangerous hitters in the minors, pairing elite on-base skills with game-changing power. While durability remains i doubt, however, 2025 reinforced that Rodriguez is not a fringe prospect. In 65 games, he posted a 135 wRC+ with an .839 OPS and a 20.6% walk rate. Minnesota allowed him to play in the Dominican Winter League, and he's posted a .292 batting average with a .417 OBP and a .646 slugging percentage for a robust 1.063 OPS over 18 games. He is a potential middle-of-the-order bat knocking on the door of Target Field.

Cedar Rapids Wins the Midwest League West Division Title
Team success at the minor-league level does not always translate directly to future wins in the majors, but it still matters. The Kernels had to win back-to-back games in the best-of-three series to clinch the Midwest League West Division title. Their run to a runner-up finish in the Midwest League Championship showcased a group that played meaningful games late into the season. It was the team’s third Midwest League Championship series in five years, showcasing that the organization is finding ways to win in the low minors.  

That experience is valuable. Prospects learning how to handle pressure, adjust during playoff series, and perform in high-leverage situations adds an element that development plans cannot fully replicate. Cedar Rapids finished the season with a 74-63 record. The Kernels’ success was a reminder that the system is not just producing individual standouts, but also competitive teams.

Breakout Seasons from Connor Prielipp and Kaelen Culpepper
Few prospects needed a strong year more than Connor Prielipp, and he delivered. After injuries slowed his early professional career, Prielipp finally enjoyed extended time on the mound and looked the part of a polished left-handed arm. In 24 games (82 2/3 IP), he posted a 4.03 ERA, a 3.54 FIP, a 27.0% strikeout rate, and an 8.5% walk rate. Earlier this winter, Derek Falvey mentioned him as a potential arm that could shift to a bullpen role for 2026. His ability to miss bats and attack hitters reestablished him as a meaningful piece of the pitching pipeline.

Kaelen Culpepper also made noise in 2025, emerging as one of the system’s most pleasant surprises. The former first-round pick slashed .289/.375/.469 with a 138 wRC+ and 25 steals. His blend of athleticism, defensive versatility, and improving offensive output raised his stock, to something befitting a player taken higher than 21st in his draft class. Culpepper’s development added depth to a system that increasingly values flexibility and up-the-middle talent.

A Restocked Farm System from the Trade Deadline
The trade deadline hurt, but it served a purpose. By moving established big-league relievers and veterans on expiring deals, the Twins replenished a farm system that had thinned out in recent years. Minnesota acquired multiple prospects ranked in Twins Daily’s top-20 prospects, including catcher Eduardo Tait, right-handed pitcher Mick Abel, and lefty Kendry Rojas. Other prospects acquired include righty Ryan Gallagher, outfielder Hendry Mendez, righty Geremy Villoria, catcher Enrique Jimenez, righthander Sam Armstrong, and southpaw Garrett Horn. Not every prospect turns out to be a star, but the Twins need viable options for the long term.

The incoming talent may not all become household names, but the organization added volume, upside, and developmental options across multiple levels. That matters for a front office that continues to operate under owner-imposed payroll constraints. Minnesota’s farm system is now ranked among baseball’s best, and the team will add to that depth with the third overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. A deeper farm system creates options, whether that means internal promotions or future trades that better align with competitive windows.

The 2025 Twins will be remembered for another collapse and difficult decisions from the dugout to the owners' suite. The 2025 farm system, however, tells a different story—one of growth, opportunity, and a reminder that the next core of Twins baseball is still very much under construction.

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What stands out from the past year in the Twins farm system? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Whitey333]

The premise of your article is correct.  A strong farm system for the Twins is of the utmost importance.  But all too often the farm system operates on hope and hype.  Each year it's the same as people talk about can't miss prospects.  In the Twins case all too often those can't miss prospects miss.  They don't pan out they regress or just prove they may be AAA or AAAA type players that never reach their often over hyped potential.  I sure hope this supposedly #2 ranked miss or league system pans out.  Im just not buying the ridiculous over hype of our prospects anymore.  Prove it first.

[mikelink45]

Whitey333 nailed it.  Wow we have Royce and Lee, don't worry we have Festa and Matthews, Kiriloff is going to be a star.  Julien has proven his AAA success is not fluke.  Wallner will be driving in lots of runs. Jose Miranda is going to anchor the middle of our lineup...

Farm system ranks and major league success are not guarantees.  And analytics don't seem to be able to make this prediction successfully. 

But I will  say it is better to have a highly ranked minor league than a bad one. 

[arby58]

Hope or hype or something in between? I'm not sold yet on Hill - far too many walks, and the step up to A+ wasn't pretty. A good year in 2026 at Cedar Rapids could change that, and he'll just turn 20 on Christmas day.

Emma is an enigma  wrapped in a riddle. Can he ever stay healthy? Quite frankly, at this point, I'm more pumped by Gonzalez - IF he can repeat last year's performance, he should be at Target field later in 2026.

Finally, there is Walker Jenkins. Agree he looks the part of a bona fide big league star, but the lack of HR power in the minors is something of a concern. At 6'3" 210 I would have expected more than 10 HRs last year (or 6 the year before).

Still a lot of questions to be answered.

[NYCTK]

48 minutes ago, Whitey333 said:

Im just not buying the ridiculous over hype of our prospects anymore. 

I keep hearing about how the Twins have a near top farm system, and this is supported by national outlets right now. After the trade deadline a lot of folks ranked the Twins in the top or second tier of systems. And that may be accurate. 

However, I'm only intimately familiar with two farm systems, the Twins and Mets, and I can say the Mets system is significantly better today. Which makes this discussion about how good the Twins farm is harder to swallow. 

It can still be true, with the Mets a TOP tier system (1-3) and Twins behind but still significantly ahead of other teams (4-8). But it doesn't FEEL right. 

I tend to think of farms more like Fangraphs rankings, putting a lot more value in the top of the farm system and caring less about the 35 FV depth that fills out the minor league squads. Funny enough Fangraphs has the Mets as the 11th best system, with the Twins right behind them at #12. The Mets more plentiful top end prospects versus the Twins isn't quite outdone by the Twins depth in their ranking system. 

All this to say, I really struggle thinking of the Twins as a top farm system with only one top end prospect, imo. 

[rdehring]

Thanks for bringing us this message of hope on Christmas Eve, Cody. 

I pray that at least two or three of the guys you mentioned take that last step and play meaningful baseball for the Twins in 2026.  Should one of these guys be in the hunt for 2026 Rookie of the Year, the Twins just may have an exciting summer.

Merry Christmas everyone.  Enjoy your holidays.

[TJSweens]

I remember when Twins fans were supposed to be giddy over the thought of a rotation of Brusdar Graterol, Jordan Balazovic, Jhuon Duran and Griffin Jax with Jorge Alcala closing games. 

I've followed the Twins minor league prospects since I was a kid in the late 60's. I'm always hoping hoping for the next class of 82. The problem is that a lot things seem to happen on those last couple of rungs of the ladder.

[Otaknam]

Why would Culpepper’s success be a surprise? He was a number one draft pick. Isn’t success what you hope and expect from a high pick? 

[Blyleven2011]

We have to change our identity from a AAA team to a major league team ...

I want to see yearly consistency from a prospect before I'm suckered in to believing the prospects is going to be a star ...

[terrydactyls]

For most of the commenters above, it's Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa) season.  Try to get in the holiday spirit and enjoy the high ranking of the Twins farm system.  In less than 10 days, it will be 2026 and then you can resume pi$$ing on any article with an upbeat tone.

On a side note, I enjoy reading the minor league recaps during the season.  I always save them until the end.

[tony&rodney]

The rankings of MLB Farm Systems is all about money. Clicks. There are a number of people who make their living writing about prospects. Most fans never see a young phenom until that player makes an appearance in MLB. If the initial trial run goes well, the fan gets totally hyped. We see this quite a bit on this site. If a prospect struggles, the questions are plentiful. We see this quite a bit on this site. I believe that is normal. Fans cannot be expected to have seen the prospects or watch any minor league baseball much less see these prospects when they are in high school, especially if the fan is still employed. Thus, fans place quite a bit of trust in the words of bloggers and those fellows who write about prospects. 

Each team employs people specifically to evaluate players. The individual clubs place different levels of importance on scouts. There is a pretty clear separation on unique talent. Even the writers generally agree on the top twenty to an extent. Injuries and how an organization develops a player makes a difference.

All that to say that if one wants to examine the success of a minor league system, an acceptable method might be to count the number of starting pitchers and regulars among position players in MLB. That is a slim barometer because some good prospects are traded. Thus it is difficult to judge farm systems, which should also mean one might consider having an optimistic but restrained view of their favorite team's prospects. 

[Brandon]

The good news is we have volume of prospects.  More prospects equals more opportunity to hit gold with prospect development.  If we have 25 good to great prospects ànd we get 8 regulars whether in rotation,pen, lineup or bench and an all star, that's a good place to start for team development.  We probably need to do a little better than that but not much.  So let's get more prospects to improve the odds of success.  

[JD-TWINS]

Draft right - assume attrition amongst high draft picks and highly publicized prospects. Also, Guys like Matthews - Festa - Ober, from much lower round draft pick slots can be developed!

There’s no magic in grinding through established players that contribute (Ryan - Larnach - Lopez) to get more “highly touted prospects” ………. prospects are always just that, a hopeful future…….nothing guaranteed. The trading to restock has been done in summer of ‘25. The competing for a Division Totle should start with current Club and a couple FA relievers and maybe trade for a bat. Core is in place - guys (Lewis - Lee - Jeffers - Marrin) that were prospects need to perform!

[JD-TWINS]

GONZALEZ - Jenkins - Rodriguez all have potential to start contributing with big club by sometime in June. Almost certain, one will be up by then. That’s exciting.

Martin looked good at the end of ‘25. The experiment with Larnach facing LH pitching should be over and his numbers will elevate primarily as DH.

Need to have a back-up plan for Lee!! He could potentially play 2B daily or more likely 2B - 3B - SS as the depth piece going forward. To me, he is the. biggest potential to be the weak link both defensively and at the plate.

[GNess]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Whitey333 nailed it.  Wow we have Royce and Lee, don't worry we have Festa and Matthews, Kiriloff is going to be a star.  Julien has proven his AAA success is not fluke.  Wallner will be driving in lots of runs. Jose Miranda is going to anchor the middle of our lineup...

Farm system ranks and major league success are not guarantees.  And analytics don't seem to be able to make this prediction successfully. 

But I will  say it is better to have a highly ranked minor league than a bad one. 

The quick list  above of hyped prospects who failed or under performed to date should give even the most optimistic fans some pause.

Draft and develop needs to be augmented by smart trades and free agent signings typically for a MLB organization to have sustained success. 

[gil4]

1 hour ago, Otaknam said:

Why would Culpepper’s success be a surprise? He was a number one draft pick. Isn’t success what you hope and expect from a high pick? 

I think you are underestimating what a crapshoot it really is.

I looked at all the R1 #21 picks from 2007 - 2021.  The average career WAR for that group is 0.92.  That's Brice Turang (2018) at 11.8 and everyone else adding a combined 2.1.  The Twins' one contribution, Alex Wimmers in 2010, is one of the "success" stories - tied for 5th with 0.2 WAR.  

I will concede that some of the more recent selections will likely add to their WAR totals, but anyone selected #21 from 2016 and prior is either done or likely to have a negative WAR if someone uses them in an emergency.  

I will also concede that my data selection accidentally skewed the data toward my point. I selected 2021 as a start to allow the player to get to the majors, then went back for a total of 15 seasons.  

Once I figured out I could just list all #21 overall picks, rather than going year-by-year and looking at the #21 pick that year, I saw that the 2006 and 2005 (just outside my data set) were pretty good - Ian Kennedy (16.9 WAR) and Cliff Pennington (9.9).  Then we don't get another pick who was near or over 10 WAR until Jake Westbrook in 1996, so I'd say my point is still valid.  The #21 pick is a crapshoot.  

Heck, 1/1 is a crapshoot, but on a different level.  The average WAR for the top pick in that time period is 18.85.  It's reasonable to have expectations if you draft #1.  At #21, it's more wish and hope than expectation. 

 

 

[LA Vikes Fan]

3 hours ago, arby58 said:

Hope or hype or something in between? I'm not sold yet on Hill - far too many walks, and the step up to A+ wasn't pretty. A good year in 2026 at Cedar Rapids could change that, and he'll just turn 20 on Christmas day.

Emma is an enigma  wrapped in a riddle. Can he ever stay healthy? Quite frankly, at this point, I'm more pumped by Gonzalez - IF he can repeat last year's performance, he should be at Target field later in 2026.

Finally, there is Walker Jenkins. Agree he looks the part of a bona fide big league star, but the lack of HR power in the minors is something of a concern. At 6'3" 210 I would have expected more than 10 HRs last year (or 6 the year before).

Still a lot of questions to be answered.

Agree here and with Whitey333 to a degree. Every prospect is a suspect until they prove otherwise. Still, it is better to have a highly ranked system and the more good prospects you have, the more likely a couple will hit.  The Twins really aren't any worse at getting prospect hits than other teams, we just are trying it so often it feels worse than it is. 

I completely agree on Emma. I know he's young and I hope I'm wrong, but at this point I think he becoming a longshot to make it at the MLB level. He's never hit above .258 at the AAA level, his power is more occasional than consistent, and his big calling card is drawing walks. Hmm, isn't that walk thing also true of Eddie Julien? It's a lot easier to draw walks in the minors than the majors because guys who walk people in the majors get sent back to the minors. I think Emma is still at least one good AAA year away from having a real shot at the MLB level. He's a late 2026 or 2027 prospect, not a 2026 prospect. Same for Jenkins because he just got to AAA. If we're going to get outfield help to start 2026 it's Martin and/or Roden, and if it's in May or June 2026, it's going to come from Gonzalez.   

[jkcarew]

TD takes on Rodriguez continue to ignore the elephant in the room…or elephants in the room.

At the AAA level…which goes back to the back end of the 2024 season, Rodriguez’s wRC+ has been entirely built on a ridiculously unsustainable (at the major-league level) walk rate. Not only is he NOT hitting home runs at an impressive rate…but he IS striking out a TON.

242 PA: 7 HR, 79 K’s…that’s a 2.89 HR% with a 33 K%. In AAA. With that profile, he’s not getting walked anywhere within a couple galaxies of 20% in the major leagues. Meanwhile, winter league results mean less than nothing in terms of assessing major league readiness. Check out what Miguel Sano did in the same league this year (Cliff notes: more power and significantly less K).

On the brink? Only if lightning strikes twice in the same place. Once to fix the swing/approach, once more to make him durable/available.

[twinstalker]

Exactly what is Emmanuel Rodriguez on the brink of?  Maybe a cliff?

I think of a farm system as a bunch of lemmings marching toward the cliff, at least .  When that do or die moment comes, a Jenkins or Keaschall sprout wings and will fly.  In my analogy lemmings can maybe fly.  Culpepper and Gonzalez will tumble but hit branches and maybe survive.  Rodriguez will go splat after fooling many into believing he has wings when he's never shown evidence of having wings.  I don't know, maybe it's his webbed feet.

[NYCTK]

9 minutes ago, twinstalker said:

Exactly what is Emmanuel Rodriguez on the brink of?  Maybe a cliff?

I think of a farm system as a bunch of lemmings marching toward the cliff, at least .  When that do or die moment comes, a Jenkins or Keaschall sprout wings and will fly.  In my analogy lemmings can maybe fly.  Culpepper and Gonzalez will tumble but hit branches and maybe survive.  Rodriguez will go splat after fooling many into believing he has wings when he's never shown evidence of having wings.  I don't know, maybe it's his webbed feet.

I tend to be more on your side as opposed to thinking Rodriguez is going to be a stud. But your hatred of him is getting excessive! I think he could still be Joey Gallo with more walks and less power. Whether I hate him or not all boils down to his defense. 

[sweetmusicviola16]

I have been one of Emrod's biggest fans but I now have far less hope. Just not seeing it anymore. Time will tell.

[jkcarew]

4 hours ago, NYCTK said:

I think he could still be Joey Gallo with more walks and less power

Unfortunately, I think Joey Gallo with less power is a career minor leaguer (as I don’t think more walks than Gallo with less power is math that even exists against major league pitching).

To me, the realistic hope is that he finds the power he was showing at the lower levels. Then we have “good” Joey Gallo…although, I don’t think Rodriguez will have quite the defensive value Gallo had.

[old nurse]

So the group think appears to be lots complain about hope and hype on every prospect article.  Every team with prospect pushes hope and hype. Any. Of the thousands of advertisements you see have hype in the hope to get your money. That is what it is,  So the alternative is to just turn into a bunch of negative complainers all year rather than than just half the year. 

[Twinsrtheworst]

2 hours ago, old nurse said:

So the group think appears to be lots complain about hope and hype on every prospect article.  Every team with prospect pushes hope and hype. Any. Of the thousands of advertisements you see have hype in the hope to get your money. That is what it is,  So the alternative is to just turn into a bunch of negative complainers all year rather than than just half the year. 

Yes, that is the view most of the prolific commentators on here are taking along with many of the moderators of this sight.  Let’s just be miserable 12 months of the year…sounds fun.

[Bodie]

17 hours ago, NYCTK said:

I tend to be more on your side as opposed to thinking Rodriguez is going to be a stud. But your hatred of him is getting excessive! I think he could still be Joey Gallo with more walks and less power. Whether I hate him or not all boils down to his defense. 

"...could still be Joey Gallo. "

 

And you you say the OP is too hard on him...

[NYCTK]

16 minutes ago, Bodie said:

"...could still be Joey Gallo. "

 

And you you say the OP is too hard on him...

It's well known Joey Gallo had a pretty good career. Twins fans just hate on him unfairly because it wasn't in Minnesota. 

[TopGunn#22]

Grading farm systems is about as tough a project as I can think of.  There's so much "projection" that mistakes, sometimes BIG mistakes are built into the system.  On the surface it would seem easy...watch this guy run, he's FAST.  This kid really hits the ball HARD.  This kid has a great fastball etc...but this is why the system created levels for players to continually prove their worth.

It's better to have a highly thought of farm system than not, but how often has an entire infield made it to the majors and played a long time together (Garvey, Lopes, Russell and Cey).  How about the Alou brothers with the Giants back in the 60's?  And none of the Alou brothers stayed with the Giants and all enjoyed good success AWAY from the Giants.   

And it's always hard to compare "Prospect Value" with actual, productive, track record worth "Major League Value."  With Prospect Value" a short stint of success can skew it even further.  The late season success of Nolan McLean has him becoming the next Tom Seaver.  Just like Francisco Liriano gave Twins fans hope for a 2nd Johan Santana, Jacob Misiorowski gives Brewers fans hope of another Corbin Burnes,

Liriano never really came close to his 2006 debut and couldn't stay healthy much of the time.  What will McLean or Misiorowski turn out to be?  It really is the ultimate crapshoot.  Even guys with decent track records in the major leagues struggle from season to season, so it's really hard to have confidence predicting how Walker Jenkins or Emmanuel Rodriguez will debut, much less what a career could hold.

Still, I'd rather HAVE a guy like McLean, Misiorowski, or Jenkins than NOT have them.  

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone on TD !!  Let us all look forward to a Happy and Healthy New Year in 2026.  

[TwinsDr2021]

22 hours ago, NYCTK said:

It's well known Joey Gallo had a pretty good career. Twins fans just hate on him unfairly because it wasn't in Minnesota. 

From age 23 - 27  (at time when lots of people on here think a guy should be figuring out how to play baseball in the minors league) Gall hit 151 homers, 22 SB,  had a OBP of over .333, a SLG of over .500 and had 14.6 WAR with two all star games and two gold gloves. And for bad as he was from ages 28 - 30 he never put up a negative WAR. I was against his signing and the Twins running him out there for 111 games but to think it would be horrible for any Twin prospect to end up being Gallo is ridiculous. 

Combined Larnach and Wallner have 103 total homers and 20 SB over 9 major league seasons.  (just for comparison sake)

[Riverbrian]

On 12/24/2025 at 10:09 AM, Brandon said:

The good news is we have volume of prospects.  More prospects equals more opportunity to hit gold with prospect development. 

I strongly subscribe to this volume theory. I talk about it frequently. 

The problem with volume is providing the enough playing time volume to utilize the volume of players to your advantage. This causes teams to intentionally and selectively reduce that volume and our Twins can't seem to get that right. 

Until they can figure out how to get this #2 system through the major league doors. The #2 System doesn't mean much to me.