Twins Daily 2026 Top 20 Prospects: Recap and Analysis

[Nick Nelson]

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

Youth. Prospects. The future. Some years, these are the only places to focus if you want to feel hopeful and positive about your favorite team. For Twins fans, it looks like this is going to be one of those years.

Fortunately, the current state of Minnesota's farm system gives plenty of cause for enthusiasm and optimism. Read on for a rundown of our rankings plus analysis of how the Twins compare to the rest of the league, and where their strengths and weaknesses lie. 

Twins Top 20 Prospects of 2026
Click on the player's name to read our full profile.

1. Walker Jenkins, OF: If he shakes the injury bug, his path to becoming an MLB All-Star is plain to see.
2. Kaelen Culpepper, SS: Broke through in first full minors season, now stands as heir apparent at short.
3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF: Boom-or-bust profile is easy to dream on, with rare power/patience blend.
4. Eduardo Tait, C: Standout hitting tool, legit defense make him MN's best catching prospect since Mauer.
5. Connor Prielipp, LHP: Finally healthy last year, he made a convincing case as the system's best arm.
6. Dasan Hill, LHP: Oozing top-of-rotation potential after fanning 83 over 62 IP in first season out of HS. 
7. Gabriel Gonzalez, OF: Line-drive machine batted .329 across three levels in breakout 2025 campaign.
8. Kendry Rojas, LHP: Lanky southpaw has drawn attention in camp, flashing impressive FB/SL combo.
9. Marek Houston, SS: Defensive wiz will play in MLB based on glove alone, with star potential if he hits.
10. Charlee Soto, RHP: Boasting some of the org's best stuff and looking to rebound from arm injury.
11. Riley Quick, RHP: Reaches the upper-90s from a 6-foot-6 frame, could rise fast if he stays healthy.
12. Andrew Morris, RHP: Polished strike-thrower who provides immediate depth for the MLB rotation.
13. Brandon Winokur, SS/CF: A big man with big power potential and exceptional athleticism for his size.
14. Quentin Young, SS: Similar traits to Winokur. The question for both: will they make enough contact?
15. Marco Raya, RHP: Hoping to weaponize his high-powered sweeper following conversion to bullpen.
16. Hendry Mendez, OF: Controls the zone well and offers upside if he can start elevating the ball more.
17. Kyle DeBarge, 2B/SS/CF: Speedster struggled in the second half at Cedar Rapids, but stole 55 bases.
18. C.J. Culpepper, RHP: Continues to get results, but must show he can stay healthy and throw strikes.
19. Khadim Diaw, C/CF: Disciplined hitter with an intriguing defensive profile, looking to add some pop.
20. James Ellwanger, RHP: Hard-throwing college draftee has strikeout stuff, could be fast-tracked as RP.

POSITIONAL BREAKDOWN

• Catchers: 2
• Infielders: 4
• Outfielders: 5
• Right-handed Pitchers: 6
• Left-handed Pitchers: 3

ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIMELINES

• 2026: Jenkins, K. Culpepper, Rodriguez, Prielipp, Gonzalez, Morris, Raya
• 2027: Rojas, Mendez, C.J. Culpepper
• 2028: Tait, Houston, Soto, Quick, Winokur, DeBarge, Diaw, Ellwanger
• 2029: Hill, Young

LEAGUEWIDE SYSTEM RANKINGS

• ESPN: 8 out of 30
• Baseball Prospectus: 8 out of 30
• MLB Pipeline: 9 out of 30
• FanGraphs: 12 out of 30
• Baseball America: 12 out of 30
• The Athletic: 21 out of 30

 

STRENGTHS
The Twins are generally viewed as having an above-average, but not quite top-tier, farm system relative to the rest of the league. In sizing up their overall mix of talent, a few strengths stand out.

Near-ready impact: At least six of the top 10 have a reasonable chance to debut in the majors this season, including all of the top three (Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper, Emmanuel Rodriguez).

Left-handed pitching: There was a long stretch where the Twins had zero left-handed pitchers among their top prospect. How things have changed. Our top three pitching prospects are all southpaws, with Connor Prielipp, Dasan Hill and Kendry Rojas all landing in the top 10.

Raw athleticism and strength: Brandon Winokur and Quentin Young are huge physical specimens with really impressive tools. Riley Quick was a highly recruited four-star offensive lineman before attending Alabama and getting drafted as a pitcher by the Twins. There's a lot of volatility and bust potential with such player types, but it's fun to see the Twins taking big swings.

Big-velo arms: Quick is one of several pitchers in the Twins system who can throw really hard. Charlee Soto and James Ellwanger are also guys who light up the radar. Prielipp, Hill and Rojas throw harder than almost any left-handed pitchers in Twins history. The question is whether all these velo demons can stay healthy.

WEAKNESSES
You might notice that, among the farm system rankings from various publications above, The Athletic is a clear outlier. Whereas ESPN, BP, BA, FanGraphs and Pipeline all have the Twins somewhere between eighth and 12th out of MLB teams, Keith Law has them all the way down at 21. 

His reasoning is pretty straightforward, and tough to deny: health. For all the great talent the Twins have boasted in their system over the years, so much of it has failed to actualize in the majors due to a constant onslaught of injury woes. Unfortunately, that shows no real signs of changing. 

Jenkins has been hurt frequently since being drafted, and is sidelined this spring by a hamstring strain. Rodriguez has also been oft-injured, totaling only 112 games over the past two seasons. Prielipp has undergone multiple elbow surgeries; he's 25 years old with only less than 115 professional innings logged. We're still in the top five!

It's not like the Twins organization has some inherent curse, and much of this is just bad luck, subject to change with the winds of fortune. But there are certain developmental philosophies that might lead to higher likelihood of injury, especially on the pitching side. It's the trade-off for targeting hard throwers or drafting mid-rounders and boosting their velocity. The reality is that we've yet to see any of these guys make it to the big leagues healthy. David Festa and Zebby Matthews have dealt with shoulder issues since graduating.

KEEP TRACK OF TWINS PROSPECTS ALL YEAR
This series and recap only serve as a snapshot of the Twins' system heading into the season. As the action gets going and players start to move in the rankings, you can follow along through the summer with our Twins Top Prospect Tracker, which is updated frequently.

 

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[tarheeltwinsfan]

Outstanding recap and analysis, Nick. Although I would have added 20 year old Dasan Hill to the list  of hard throwing pitchers, since he has reached 100 mph this month in spring training and averaged 94-96 mph.  on his fastball Thanks for this encouraging article.

[mikelink45]

Good recap - glad you brought in Law's reasoning.

I am less impressed with the top 20 than I was a few years ago which means they should be better than what have seen since the Kiriloff, Lewis, Miranda, Julien , Balazovic years.  

[Jeff K]

I appreciate these updates.  I would like to add, for me, Gabriel Gonzalez is underrated and Marco Raya is overrated.

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, Jeff K said:

I appreciate these updates.  I would like to add, for me, Gabriel Gonzalez is underrated and Marco Raya is overrated.

I'm a big fan of GG, but he's rated 7th here. How much higher to you put him? I think people have come around to your way of thinking on Raya, which is why he's fallen all the way down to 15. Do you think he should be off altogether? Who would you replace him with?

For me the underrated is Mendez, who didn't miss a beat after the trade and did a great job in AA at 21. Overrated is DeBarge, who might not be as good defensively as people think and has serious questions about his hit tool at this point.

[Jeff K]

1 minute ago, jmlease1 said:

I'm a big fan of GG, but he's rated 7th here. How much higher to you put him? I think people have come around to your way of thinking on Raya, which is why he's fallen all the way down to 15. Do you think he should be off altogether? Who would you replace him with?

For me the underrated is Mendez, who didn't miss a beat after the trade and did a great job in AA at 21. Overrated is DeBarge, who might not be as good defensively as people think and has serious questions about his hit tool at this point.

I haven't looked at who would enter the top 20, but I would remove Raya.  He was terrible last year and terrible in spring training.  Part of my thinking for Gabriel Gonzalez is that he had a great season last year and a great spring training.  I also give more credence to guys who are close to contributing with the Twins.  I have him at 4th or 5th.  I hope you are right about Mendez.

[Nshore]

From some of the previous comments in other articles - I didn't realize that E-Rod strikes out as much as he does, and Gonzalez struggles in the field.  If that's the case, I'm not sure why they've been rated as high as they are.  And Prielipp, in addition to the health problems, to this point has more hits to innings pitched and issues with control.  It may be a struggling franchise trying to pump up players to give fans hope.

[Nick Nelson]

3 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Outstanding recap and analysis, Nick. Although I would have added 20 year old Dasan Hill to the list  of hard throwing pitchers, since he has reached 100 mph this month in spring training and averaged 94-96 mph.  on his fastball Thanks for this encouraging article.

Thank you! Hill actually was mentioned among the big-velo arms: "Prielipp, Hill and Rojas throw harder than almost any left-handed pitchers in Twins history." It's an exciting time in that regard.

(Side note: I said "almost" because I didn't do the full research and didn't want to make firm statements, but it opens a question: who is the hardest throwing LHP in Twins history? Will all three of these guys surpass that benchmark if they reach the majors?)

[Mike Sixel]

For me, Soto and Debarge are too high, and DeAdrade too low.... It's a good group, if ever healthy. 

[WarPath1211]

3 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

For me the underrated is Mendez, who didn't miss a beat after the trade and did a great job in AA at 21.

I agree. For all his flaws on defense and his ground ball offensive profile limiting power, Mendez has shown he can hit well in the upper minors even at a young age. Guys like Winokur and Young haven’t even demonstrated they can hit all that much in the lower minors.

Khadim Diaw is my pick to be a riser this year. Really excited to see if he can stay healthy, get reps, and improve behind the plate this season.

[dbminn]

23 hours ago, Nick Nelson said:

Thank you! Hill actually was mentioned among the big-velo arms: "Prielipp, Hill and Rojas throw harder than almost any left-handed pitchers in Twins history." It's an exciting time in that regard.

(Side note: I said "almost" because I didn't do the full research and didn't want to make firm statements, but it opens a question: who is the hardest throwing LHP in Twins history? Will all three of these guys surpass that benchmark if they reach the majors?)

I just did a quick check... from available info, it looks like Francisco Liriano in 2010. His average FB was 94.4 mph. 

[dbminn]

1 minute ago, dbminn said:

I just did a quick check... from available info, it looks like Francisco Liriano in 2010. His average FB was 94.4 mph. 

Taylor Rogers as RP was 95.5 mph as a reliever in his best season.