The Top Minnesota Twins Player Assets of 2026: Part 2 (11-15)

[Nick Nelson]

Image courtesy of Bill Streicher, Matt Blewett, Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Here at the start of 2026, we're taking stock of talent in the Twins organization by ranking their top 20 player assets. You can read the ground rules in our introductory post from Monday, but the short version is this: We're trying to answer the question, "Which current players in the organization are most indispensable to fulfilling the vision of building a champion?"

You can catch up on my picks for #16 through #20 in that post, but here's a quick glance at the list so far:

• 20. Marek Houston, SS
• 19. Ryan Jeffers, C
• 18. Brooks Lee, SS
• 17. Bailey Ober, RHP
• 16. Connor Prielipp, LHP

Now let's keep the countdown moving as we break down the next five in my rankings

The Top 20 Twins Player Assets of 2026: 11-15

15. David Festa, RHP
Age: 25
Controlled through: 2030
2025 Ranking: 9

In 2024, Festa channeled his rapid minor-league ascent into an encouraging major-league debut, posting a 3.76 FIP with 77 strikeouts in 64 innings. But coming out of 2025, question marks loom large for the right-hander, causing a moderate drop in these rankings even as his ability and upside keep him firmly on the list of potential difference-makers.

Festa battled on-and-off shoulder issues throughout the season before ultimately being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. While that's a scary phrase for any pitcher, there's a healthy optimism around the outlook for Festa, who didn't require surgery. It sounds like he's feeling better after resting up and is expected to be at full strength for spring training. 

Even while taking a step back in 2025, Festa showed the qualities of a standout, limiting opponents to a .240 batting average while averaging a strikeout per inning. Given the injury hiccups and the makeup of Minnesota's pitching personnel, I wouldn't be surprised if Festa transitions to the bullpen sooner than later, but there's a little question he could be a dominant force in the late innings.

 

14. Eduardo Tait, C
Age: 19
Controlled through: 2031+
2025 Ranking: NR

It's tough to rank a player like this. Tait is still a teenager and hasn't played above Single-A. He has a long way to go and the flameout rate on this player type is high. But when the Twins made Tait a central part of their Jhoan Duran trade, they were investing in him as their future at catcher, and with valid reason.

Tait was widely viewed as a top-100 prospect entering 2025. He more than held his own at 18 and 19 against advanced Single-A pitching and his catching skills are considered legit. Tait is still probably several years away from being an MLB regular if all goes well, but he's on the right track and if he emerges as a quality backstop in the big leagues this move will be a big win for the Twins.

 

13. Royce Lewis, 3B
Age: 26
Controlled through: 2028
2025 Ranking: 2

In terms of what he can be, Lewis remains one of the very top players in the Twins organization. But we have to rank him based on what he is. And unfortunately the 2025 season only reinforced the third baseman's fade from upper-echelon stardom into mediocrity. He slumped frequently on the way to a career-worst .671 OPS, lamenting a swing that felt "horrible" while futilely grasping for answers. 

On the bright side, it was also the healthiest season of his career, in terms of both games played and how he looked visually down the stretch, stealing bases aggressively and making spritely plays at third. That seems to bode well as Lewis enters a pivotal 2026 season. The Twins are doing everything they can to remove his barriers (real or perceived) and set him up for success. 

I started putting these rankings together in 2018, the year after Lewis was drafted number one overall. In the eight annual lists I've compiled, he has never been outside of the top five, until now. Hopefully it'll prove to be an outlier in the larger story of his career, but it's hard to justify putting him any higher at this moment in time, especially as his salary starts ticking up in arbitration. Then again, knowing what he's capable of and what his resurgence would mean for this franchise, how could I rank him any lower?

 

12. Matt Wallner, OF
Age: 28
Controlled through: 2029
2025 Ranking: 8

The 2025 season was Wallner's worst as a major-leaguer, but it was still ... pretty solid. That's the kind of floor you're working with when you've got power and patience like his. He posted a 110 OPS+ and ranked sixth among Twins position players in fWAR at 1.4. If it's a bump in the road, no problem, but if it's Wallner's new norm, he's not going to be a terribly valuable player going forward.

There are some troubling signs — pitchers increasingly blowing him away up in the zone as his defense trends downward — but Wallner's core strengths should not be overlooked or downplayed. There are very few players who hit the ball as hard, and few hitters who've been more productive in general since he arrived in the majors. 

 

11. Zebby Matthews, RHP
Age: 25
Controlled through: 2030
2025 Ranking: 13

Good young starting pitchers with team control are inherently among of the most valuable assets in baseball, treasured by teams across the league. There's a reason why the Twins front office has focused so heavily on developing this particular type of player, and why they targeted several in their sell-off a the trade deadline. Matthews is shaping up as one of their biggest success stories, though he's yet to fully turn the corner.

A spectacular run in the minors has led to a rocky introduction at the big-league level, where Matthews has a 5.92 ERA in 117 innings with too many home runs allowed. But he's also got a 131-to-35 K/BB ratio powered by a mid-90s fastball and sharp secondaries. Matthews needs to prove his shoulder can hold up and needs to unlock consistency in his performance on the mound, but if he can pull it together in 2026 he'll likely vault into the top five on these rankings. If that doesn't click in, a reliever transition could be in the cards sooner than later.

 

What are your thoughts on the rankings so far? Which of these players do you think will be most important to the team's outlook? Should any of these five have cracked the top 10? Let us know in the comments, and check back in tomorrow when we count down 10 through six. 

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[Cory Engelhardt]

I would trade Wallner before I would trade Royce.

[arby58]

There are so many variables to weigh in coming up with an asset ranking like this - length of time to the majors versus there and years of team control, position of need, injury history, ceiing and floor, etc. It's a pretty subjective process. 

It's been interesting to compare these rankings to those from the Baseball Trade Simulator, which engages in a similar exercise for each MLB team's assets. They're higher than these rankings on both Tait and Zebby, about the same for Wallner and Lewis, and lower for Festa.

[bean5302]

Zebby needs to learn much better command of his pitches or he's going to the bullpen. If Matthews is able to demonstrate that mid-upper 3s ERA potential, he'll likely go to #1 this year.

Ryan, Lopez and Ober lose 1/2 of their remaining control this year so their value goes with it. Buxton is probably at peak value right now as well. I find Lee's +30 (2nd highest for Twins, I think) to be a modeling snafu. There just isn't much high end asset value with the Twins entire system.

[jmlease1]

I have no idea where to rank Royce Lewis any longer. The talent is legit, the injury history is troubling, the production is...erratic? He looked a mess at the plate last season, and hopefully he gets a full re-set this winter. I did like how he started running on the bases again, and that he didn't drag his struggles at the plate into the field; he's a legit 3B.

I'm nervous about Festa, and simply don't trust the Twins staff on injury recovery or projections at this point. I love his talent, and would be fine with moving the Slim Reaper to the bullpen, especially if guys like Bradley and SWR seize the back end of the rotation.

[Eris]

27 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I'm nervous about Festa, and simply don't trust the Twins staff on injury recovery or projections at this point.

I agree with this. The percentage of MLB pitchers who fail to return to previous levels of effectiveness after thoracic outlet syndrome is close to 50%. 

[Jose Herrera]

We have talented players they just need better support from management. 

[Rufus]

I just don't understand the love affair with Wallner. 

 

[D.C Twins]

Bullish on Tait, Wallner, Zebby

Doubtful of ever seeing a sustained period of Royce F-ing Lewis again (due to injury or otherwise)

Festa should have been in the bullpen since over a year ago. I think he can be dominant in the bullpen BUT I also think that his shoulder issue will be a chronic hindrance and prevent him from sustained success there either. 

[Blyleven2011]

Sorry to say this but wallner is ranked to high , he should of been in the 20th spot ...

He looked totally lost at the plate , yes he hit an occasionally homerun with nobody on base ...

If some other team came calling with a bullpen offer i would grab it  ...

His value to the team is as a DH if he can correct his offense deficiencies , his defense has never been great  ...

Like many of our players , this could be his last chance to prove he belongs in the majors ...

A Joey Gallo he's not , Gallo could play defense in right field and first base and we all know how alot of fans thought of Gallo when he played for the twins , they wanted him off the roster half way through the season  ...

[Nick Nelson]

38 minutes ago, Rufus said:

I just don't understand the love affair with Wallner. 

 

He's been the most productive hitter on the team over the past 4 years. Pretty much that simple. Is ranking him 12th indicative of a "love affair"?? I will admit I'm probably higher on him than most.

[arby58]

4 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Zebby needs to learn much better command of his pitches or he's going to the bullpen. If Matthews is able to demonstrate that mid-upper 3s ERA potential, he'll likely go to #1 this year.

Ryan, Lopez and Ober lose 1/2 of their remaining control this year so their value goes with it. Buxton is probably at peak value right now as well. I find Lee's +30 (2nd highest for Twins, I think) to be a modeling snafu. There just isn't much high end asset value with the Twins entire system.

According to the Baseball Trade Simulator, the 'high end asset values' are Jenkins and Ryan (surplus of 53.9 and 52.5 respectively). They have Keaschall and Bradley also ahead of Lee, who checks in at number 5. I also tend to view that as a bit too high.

[arby58]

1 hour ago, Nick Nelson said:

He's been the most productive hitter on the team over the past 4 years. Pretty much that simple. Is ranking him 12th indicative of a "love affair"?? I will admit I'm probably higher on him than most.

Right, I'd suggest there is some recency bias in play. The Baseball Trade Simulator has him 10th among Twins assets, slightly ahead of both BB and Lewis.

[Cris E]

The BB trade simulator is a bad way to evaluate players. It is measuring excess value vs contract, not the value of the player himself, not the state of the payroll or luxury tax, and it thus leads to idiocy. Exhibit 1: Ryan with two years remaining being three times as valuable as Byron Buxton on a $15m deal with four years remaining! Exhibit 2: Wallner after a down year being worth more than Buxton. 

This series sort of does the same thing, but it tries to accommodate things like positional scarcity within the organization. It's got some issues, but Nick knows who will and won't be traded, where the holes in the org are and which prospects are nearly worth what the projections say. 

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

There are A lot of these "younger" guys that have struggled in the majors. My hope is the new coaching staff may have new ideas to unlock the real potential. There is a lot of talent here. Just need to translate it to the majors. 

[JD-TWINS]

21 hours ago, Rufus said:

I just don't understand the love affair with Wallner. 

 

I’m not a psychologist but my assumption is that it’s because he’s from Forrest Lake……..I’ve said here before, if he was from Kenosha, fans would have a completely different view of him. The local ties & sentimentality coupled with what they say in the movies, “girls (everyone) love the Big Fly”.

How can a guy play sub-mediocre defense, admittedly with a big arm, and throw the ball all over the place and be seen as an OK outfield option for years to come? I’d live with the OF play but even more mystifying are the continual comments about how he had a down year at the plate in ‘25 but it was really “still productive”.

He had 22 HR & only 40 RBI - really tough to accomplish ……… more HR than singles - an even more difficult feat. He struck out in 34% of his AB’s. He hit .202. …….. I do not equate this level of performance anywhere near productive/effective! He’s got talent! He’s earned a chance. If he can strike out 4-5% less and hit .240, he can be a real positive contributor. Actually staying healthy enough to play every day AND to hit well enough to not need to be sent AAA to fix things, would be a step in the right direction.

 

[1985Fan]

I can’t understand how people view Wallner as a productive hitter. If you watched him last season, you could see he was overmatched on most ABs. He looked completely lost. Way too many short ABs, he was an easy out, if not an automatic out, for most of the season. I don’t see how that changes with his swing. He has the longest, most awkward swing of any recent Twins player I can remember. With that leg kick and movement from open to closed stance, I don’t know how he can expect to hit an inside fastball. He should be fighting for a roster spot as a DH. I would have him starting in AAA working on a new swing.