Twins Daily 2026 Top Prospects: #16-20

[Seth Stohs]

Image courtesy of Malamut Photography

Tonight, we begin our look at the 2026 Twins Daily Top Prospects rankings series with a quick look at prospects 16-20. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll count down to our choice for Twins top prospect.  

With that said, the odds of an MLB future increase as we jump into the Top 20 of our list. In today’s group of five players, we find an intriguing group that includes players whose careers have been affected by injury. 

20. James Ellwanger, RHP

Age: 21
2025 Stats (NCAA): 63 1/3 IP, 3.98 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 13.5 K/9, 5.5 BB/9
Back in 2023, Ellwanger was completing his high school career in Texas. That  senior season, he had a 1.30 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 76 1/3 (14.6 K/9). One of the top five prospects in Texas, he started receiving phone calls in the second and third rounds. However, his name wasn’t called until the Nationals made him their 19th round pick. That made the decision much easier to attend Dallas Baptist. He pitched in 17 2/3 innings over eight starts. In the first inning of his first college game, he hit 99 mph with his fastball. He did miss nearly two months with a flexor strain (which is noteworthy). He went to The Cape that summer and had 22 strikeouts and five walks over 13 innings. 

In 2025, 14 of his 16 appearances came as a starter. He went 4-2. In 63 1/3 innings, he had 95 strikeouts and 39 walks. The walks will clearly have to be decreased. However, his 13.5 K/9 ranked in the Top 10 of all Division I pitchers, one spot behind Kade Anderson, the third overall pick last year out of LSU.   

Along with the mid-to-upper-90s (with carry and run), Ellwanger has a good slider in the mid-80s and a low-80s curveball. Both have shown to be potentially plus pitches for the right-hander. He’s also thrown a mid-80s changeup, but it is still a work-in-progress. He has a strong, 6-5, 220 pound frame. The Twins development staff will work with him on the technical “stuff” in an attempt to throw more consistent strikes. It is likely he will begin his professional career as a starting pitcher 

19. Khadim Diaw, C/CF

Age: 22
2025 Stats (A+): 169 PA, .297/.450/.445, 5 2B, 4 HR, 24 RBI
Khadim Diaw attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, the same school that current MLB stars Hunter Greene and Giancarlo Stanton attended. Many former MLB and NFL players went there and learned with dozens upon dozens of actors and actresses that we watch on our TVs. Jerry Matters and Ed Begley Jr went there, and so did Kirsten Dunst, Rami Malek, and one of my first teenage crushes, Staci Keanan. Hopefully within the next  couple of years, Twins fans will have the opportunity to watch Diaw play on TV for several years. 

Sidenote: Diaw’s mom played softball at Yale in the 1980s. She’s now the department chair of anthropology at Cal State-Northridge. Isma Diaw, Khadim’s father, has been in the States for over 30 years as a post-graduate student and a product engineer. He began his own consulting company which has him splitting time between the US and his hometown of Dakar, Senegal. If Khadim gets to the big leagues, he will be the first player from Senegal. He would be the second player from the continent of Africa to play in the big leagues. For much more on the Diaw family, please take time to read Jeff Johnson’s fantastic article from last summer in The Gazette of Cedar Rapids. 

Diaw stayed close to home and played his college ball at Loyola Marymount. In 2018, he hit .364 (.985) over eight games, but he was able to use a redshirt season. The next year, he played in 52 games and hit .314 (.896) with 11 doubles and eight homers. In 2024, he played in just 20 games for Loyola, but he hit .432/.500/.716 (1.216) with eight doubles, three triples, and three homers. He spent a few weeks in the Cape before the Twins made him their third-round draft pick. He played in 24 games for the Mighty Mussels that summer which allowed him to jump straight to Cedar Rapids in 2025. 

Diaw is an exciting, unique catching prospect. At 6-1 and 215 pounds, he certainly does not fit the “pudge” nickname attributed to many shorter, bulkier backstops. He is a solid defensive backstop, and a really good athlete. In fact, he’s athletic enough that his secondary position is center field. He has the speed and instincts to play out there. That isn’t to say that he’d be an MLB center fielder, but the fact that he can handle the position means that he could find value around the diamond. 

Offensively, he has always hit for average and had the ability to get on base. He’s willing to take walks, and he’s also willing to be hit by a pitch. In 169 total plate appearances in 2025, he was hit by a pitch 18 games. That’s a lot, and one of those pitches cost him two full months with a broken thumb. He did return for one Kernels regular-season game. Back at full strength, Diaw is one of the most intriguing prospects heading into the 2026 season.   

18. CJ Culpepper, RHP

Age: 24
2025 Stats (AA):  54 1/3 IP, 2.65 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 5.0 BB/9
The Rancho Cucamonga native stayed near home and attended California Baptist. He made six appearances in the Covid-shortened 2020 season. In 2021, he worked in 22 games out of the bullpen and went 2-2 with 13 saves. He was named an All American. In 2022, he moved to the startingnd made 14 starts. He went 5-3 with a 3.26 ERA. The Twins used their 13th round pick in 2022 to select Culpepper. 

He split the 2023 season between Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids. Combined, he went 6-5 with a 3.56 ERA. He had 89 strikeouts in 86 innings. Unfortunately, due to arm issues the last two years, he hasn’t topped 60 innings since.

His 2025 season started on the 60-Day Injured List with a pinched nerve. After rehab appearances in the FCL and with Fort Myers, he ended the season with 15 starts for the Wind Surge. 

When healthy, Culpepper is an interesting pitching prospect. When he first signed, he was known to throw seven or eight pitches. Some of that is arm angle or velocity differences. However, he has a very good fastball that sits in the mid-90s but has hit 98 mph. He gets lots of his swings-and-misses on a sharp slider and gets weak content from a cutter. He keeps hitters off balance with a slower curveball and a changeup. Culpepper has good, but not great, control, and with the lack of innings the past couple of years, he makes sense as a three-to-four-innings, twice-per-week pitcher that the Twins have employed the last couple of years. 

17. Kyle DeBarge, 2B/SS/CF

Age: 22
2025 Stats (A+): 542 PA, .237/.347/.362, 23 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR, 65 RBI, 66 SB
DeBarge played high school ball for Barbe High in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Between 2008 and 2011, the Barbe Bowling team won three out of four state titles. The baseball program has won 11 state championships since 1998. They’ve been named the #1 team in the country a few times including DeBarge’s senior year when they went 39-2. The interesting thing is that in high school, he was a catcher. He went undrafted and attended Louisiana Lafayette and was a three-year starting shortstop for the Ragin’ Cajuns. As a sophomore, he hit .371/.448/.546 (.994) with 15 doubles and seven homers. In 2024, he hit .355/.418/.699 (1.117) with 19 doubles, three triples, and 21 home runs. In those three years, he stole 44 bases in 60 chances. 

With the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 draft, the Twins were thrilled to select and sign the diminutive infielder. He played in 25 games for Fort Myers after the draft. He was then pushed to High-A Cedar Rapids to start the 2025 season and that’s where he spent the full season in Iowa. The Twins selected Kaelen Culpepper earlier in the first round, so he got most of the starts at shortstop. DeBarge started 72 games at second base, 22 games at shortstop, 16 games in center field and four games in left field. Versatility will be an important part of his development, but he was named a minor league Gold Glove winner in 2025 for his work at second base.   

Offensively, it was a bit of a tale of two seasons for DeBarge. In April, his OPS was .864. In May, his OPS was .809. His OPS in June and July were .678 and .687, respectively. Then in August, his OPS was .552. In six games in September, his OPS was .569. This is not unusual. It’s one of those things that all pro players need to figure out for themselves. Presumably the Twins worked with him on an offseason plan to keep him stronger throughout the full season. DeBarge can fill out a state line. He does a solid job of getting on base. He has mostly doubles and gap-to-gap power. I can’t imagine many thought that he would have as many stolen bases as he did. He ended the season with 66 steals in 74 chances. He began the season with 31 straight steals. Through June, he was 43-for-44 in steal attempts. At the end of July, he was 55-for-58. 

16. Hendry Mendez, OF

Age: 22
2025 Stats (AA): 491 PA, .299/.399/.439, 16 2B, 4 3B, 11 HR, 62 RBI
Just 22 years old, Hendry Mendez has been traded twice already in his young career. He originally signed with the Brewers back in 2021 and spent three seasons in the organization. Following the 2023 season, he was dealt with infielder Robert Moore to the Phillies in exchange for infielder Oliver Dunn. At the 2025 trade deadline, Mendez and right-hander Geremy Villoria came to the Twins in the Harrison Bader trade. 

 

 

There is a lot to like about Mendez on the baseball field. Physically, he stands at 6-3 and about 200 pounds. He has strength and the belief is that, in time, he will become more of a home run hitter. At this stage of his career, Mendez uses the whole field, puts the ball in play with line drives. In 142 plate appearances with the Wichita Wind Surge, he had 27 walks to just 21 strikeouts. Overall, in 2025, he had 67 walks and 65 strikeouts. In 2024, he had 52 walks and 52 strikeouts. His 11 Double-A home runs in 2025 was just one less than his total over his first four seasons.    

Yes, Mendez is another left-handed hitting outfielder, something the Twins have plenty of, but Mendez provides a contact-first approach at the plate as we await his power to arrive with more consistency. Defensively, he has played both corner spots, and he went to the Arizona Fall League after the 2025 season to, in part, get some work in at first base. Unfortunately a family situation meant he only played in five games before going home to the Dominican. He was added to the Twins 40-man roster and played in most early spring training games.  

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Feel free to discuss these prospects and ask as many questions as you like in the COMMENTS below. I will try to get to as many of them as possible.

 

For more Twins Daily content on these five Twins prospects, click on the link with their name here: Hendry Mendez, Kyle DeBarge, CJ Culpepper, Khadim Diaw, and James Ellwanger.

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[jmlease1]

Diaw is the most interesting prospect here I think; someone who is a good enough athlete to play both catcher and center field is something we haven't seen recently (ever?) so it should be fun to see how that progresses for him. It'll be interesting to see if the power production he showed last season is for real; he didn't play a lot of games so it's still a pretty small sample. He seems to have a solid understanding of the strike zone, and it wouldn't surprise me if he advanced up to AA fairly quickly. Hope he can stay on the field.

I'm not as high on DeBarge as some. The way his bat showed less and less pop as the season went along is worrisome and he finished the season looking pretty awful at the plate. The steals are fun, but it's A-ball: the catching isn't good enough yet and a lot of pitchers do little to hold runners on. The minor league Gold Glove may be overstating his defense as well; I specifically asked KLaw about this and he said the minor league defensive awards are not to be trusted. Maybe he was dealing with some nagging stuff or just got ground down by the long season, but I have real questions about his bat.

Culpepper is properly ranked: talented but needs to stay on the field. Hope he does?

Ellwanger is a wild card. It'll be interesting to see how he responds to pro baseball. He's pretty wild right now. There's an interesting ceiling here but he could also end up in the bullpen quickly.

Mendez is interesting. I have to wonder if he's going to be spending more time at 1B? Hard to argue with his results last season: he hit well in his first taste of AA, responded to a trade by hitting even better. I think there's some additional power in there, but there also doesn't seem to be much of a need to tinker with his approach right now. He could start in AAA, frankly, and I wouldn't mind seeing him seeing him in Saint Paul as the primary 1B...

[mikelink45]

like jmlease1 I question DeBarge being ranked that high.  I suspect we have other prospects that are being more productive and have a higher upside. 

I would move Culpepper to the top of this group. Followed by Diaw.

Thanks for interesting insights.  I did not know anything about Ellwanger and nothing in his stats say he is a top prospect, but then number 20 is a crapshoot.  Even dropping DeBarge I do not know who would fill the empty spot on this list. 

[WarPath1211]

1 hour ago, jmlease1 said:

Diaw is the most interesting prospect here I think; someone who is a good enough athlete to play both catcher and center field is something we haven't seen recently (ever?) so it should be fun to see how that progresses for him

Daulton Varsho is the only other I can think of in recent memory in the MLB with this defensive profile, and he eventually became a great MLB outfielder. I don't know where Diaw eventually ends up, but the athleticism is impressive.

On Hendry Mendez, I don't believe this writeup mentions it, but he actually has decent raw power and hits the ball hard; the issue is moreso that he hits the ball on the ground a ton, so that has depressed the power output greatly. He has consistently run groundball rates of around 60% in the minors, which would put him at basically the top of the league in the majors. If he can ever learn to lift the ball a bit more without sacrificing much of his great contact ability, he could be a really, really good hitter, but it's indeed a big if. Last year was encouraging from a power standpoint for Mendez.

[DataNerd]

DeBarge started out at CR looking like a potential top 100 guy, and by the end of the year was horrible (34:40 BB/K in April/May, 13:43 in Aug/Sep).  He can rocket back up the list if he returns to how he was in the first half, or plummet if he repeats his second.

Mendez can hit, but can't do much else.  He may be a 1B, and will need to turn raw power into HRs for that to possibly work.

Probably have Ellwanger slightly higher than the rest of the list, not because of him particularly but that draft picks seem to be underrated entering pro ball.  I know already that I'll disagree with where Houston is ranked

[LambchoP]

I hope Mendez gets plenty of 1B reps this year. His bat is intriguing, but we have too many LH OF already. Culpeper could be a fun guy to watch if he stays healthy this year, I had no idea he had that kind of velo.

[Danchat]

I like Mendez, but the others aren't inspiring. The two pitchers look like their ceiling are as MLB relievers.

[rdehring]

So excited that you are doing these, Seth.  Thanks.

Saw Ellwanger's name and thought, who?  Guess I don't follow this stuff like I used to back when.  Then saw he was a '25 draft pick who hadn't played and felt a bit better.  Interesting prospect.  Will double down on jmlease1's comment.

Diaw gives us three very interesting catching prospects who could begin arriving in '27.  Wouldn't it be great if one of the three turned into a really good catcher?  One the Twins could pencil into their starting lineup 100 games a year for 8-10 years?

Disappointing how many of you are down on DeBarge.  I like to look at the positive side, that being he was a bit beat up and wore down in his first full professional season.  Should he be anything close to his first few months when he reaches the big leagues would make him special.  I'll take a top defender at second base who gets on base and steals bases.  A lot of them.  Now that would be exciting!

I am tired of the revolving door of who is at first base every spring.  Can we all dream together of the day the Twins have a young first baseman who will play the position for 6+ years?  Who was the last one, Mientkiewicz?  Will they please tell Mendez to throw away all of his gloves, other than the first base glove, and search out Tom Kelly for advice on how to play there.  Maybe, just maybe he could be ready to man the position come spring training 2027. 

A question for those of you in Ft. Myers, does Kelly still make spring training appearances?

 

[FlyingFinn]

I'm higher on DeBarge than most. It's hard but if he can hit like he did in the 1st half of last season, he's great on defense and has great speed. Those last two things are what the Twins need more of. (Being he played more at 2B than SS probably does mean his bat needs to improve even more).

Most everyone was thrilled when Brooks Lee was drafted by the Twins and now most people don't seem to like him after just one season in the majors. Someone like him was hit at the top levels to survive. Which is why I really like starting with great defense and speed at SS and trying to coach up the hitting. Easier said than done I know.

[bunsen82]

Debarge isn't that far off in my opinion.  If the contact increases back to his previous marks he is bordering on a top 100 prospect. The defense and steals are big bonuses.   

As to Elwanger, its tough making any assessment.  He could be viewed as a top arm by the end of the season.  Mendez I would have somewhere between 6-11.   His bat is MLB level.   

[jmlease1]

2 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

I'm higher on DeBarge than most. It's hard but if he can hit like he did in the 1st half of last season, he's great on defense and has great speed. Those last two things are what the Twins need more of. (Being he played more at 2B than SS probably does mean his bat needs to improve even more).

Most everyone was thrilled when Brooks Lee was drafted by the Twins and now most people don't seem to like him after just one season in the majors. Someone like him was hit at the top levels to survive. Which is why I really like starting with great defense and speed at SS and trying to coach up the hitting. Easier said than done I know.

Does he really bring great defense, though? That's part of the question. At least one respected prospect evaluator isn't enamored of his ability on that side of the ball, which is concerning. I don't know how much we're supposed to really hang our hats on the minor league gold gloves at this point. (KLaw said they're not worth much, and while he can be a thin-skinned jerk, he's also pretty thoughtful about his prospect evaluations and doesn't just make guesses off other people's work)

[chpettit19]

1 hour ago, jmlease1 said:

Does he really bring great defense, though? That's part of the question. At least one respected prospect evaluator isn't enamored of his ability on that side of the ball, which is concerning. I don't know how much we're supposed to really hang our hats on the minor league gold gloves at this point. (KLaw said they're not worth much, and while he can be a thin-skinned jerk, he's also pretty thoughtful about his prospect evaluations and doesn't just make guesses off other people's work)

Major League Gold Gloves should be taken with a grain of salt so I can't imagine we should be putting a ton of weight into minor league awards. I'm sorry, but Ty France was not the best fielding 1B in the AL last year. And Carlos Santana realistically was for more than 1 year of his career. Gold Gloves should not carry the weight they do. It's good in the sense that it's very likely he's a solid defender and not somebody who actively hurts the team in the field like so many other players in the org, but it certainly shouldn't be taken as evidence that he's "great" or "elite" or whatever people want to label him as.

[twinstalker]

I'm so excited to see who's #1 I have to pee!

DeBarge should not be in even the Twins top 20.  Mendez, as meh as he is, at least has a chance to hit in the majors and should be much higher.

[DarrenPS]

I am stoked for Ellwanger, I have him at 18 personally and that's crazy to do for someone who hasn't pitched in the minors yet.

I personally would raise Diaw higher to around 15, he has shown so much potential and just had a fluke injury.

Culpepper shouldn't be top 20 until he proves he can pitch more innings... best ability is availabilty

I dropped DeBarge in my list but still am a huge fan, he did so much damage at the start and didn't a homerun for 2 months at one point, next season will shows what he can and can't do but at the moment in my eyes isn't top 20

Mendez for me is 13 which is probably higher than most, really hoping that hand injury the other day was nothing. Bat to ball skills like Gabby Gonzalez and still young. Could he develop into a cross of Larnach & Wallner? Better contact than Wallner, more consistent power than Larnach? I'm bullish

Quick edit, I understand his AFL performance was as bad as it gets, but if you compare DeBarge and Amick stats I think it is near impossible to currently have DeBarge over him... 

Edited February 27 by DarrenPS

[Seth Stohs]

14 hours ago, WarPath1211 said:

Daulton Varsho is the only other I can think of in recent memory in the MLB with this defensive profile, and he eventually became a great MLB outfielder. I don't know where Diaw eventually ends up, but the athleticism is impressive.

Varsho is certainly a good example. Goes back a long time, but Craig Biggio made the move from catcher to centerfielder, and then to 2B when he got older. Dale Murphy came up as a catcher for Atlanta before quickly moving to center field (and eventually right field). 

[Seth Stohs]

Just for transparency... I had Mick Abel at #3 but he was over the rookie limitation, so we removed him. From this group, I ranked: 

Hendry Mendez #16
Khadim Diaw #17
Kyle DeBarge #21
CJ Culpepper #22
 James Ellwanger #23. 

[arby58]

20 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

like jmlease1 I question DeBarge being ranked that high.  I suspect we have other prospects that are being more productive and have a higher upside. 

I would move Culpepper to the top of this group. Followed by Diaw.

Thanks for interesting insights.  I did not know anything about Ellwanger and nothing in his stats say he is a top prospect, but then number 20 is a crapshoot.  Even dropping DeBarge I do not know who would fill the empty spot on this list. 

I agree about DeBarge, but I like Mendez where he is ranked - maybe (depending on the next group) a bit higher. You've gotta love the K to W ratio, and the rest of the stats are good as well. If he can make the switch to 1B it would give the Twins a possible homegrown answer at that question mark of a position.