Minnesota Twins Prospect Hot Sheet (4/19): 3 Top Pitching Prospects Shine

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

 

The early weeks of the minor league season are often about shaking off rust and adjusting to new levels, but a trio of Twins arms is already in midseason form. From Triple-A St. Paul to Low-A Fort Myers, Minnesota’s pitching pipeline is flashing both upside and results. This week’s hot sheet highlights three standout performances that underscore just how deep this system has become on the mound.

LHP Connor Prielipp (St. Paul Saints)
How He Got Here: Prielipp enters the season as the Twins' top pitching prospect, and he has done everything possible to build off a tremendous 2025 campaign. Finally healthy after years of elbow issues and multiple surgeries dating back to his college days, Prielipp captured Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors and climbed to Triple-A by season’s end. Minnesota handled him with care, limiting him to 82 2/3 innings, but that total still exceeded his combined workload from 2020 through 2024.

Hitting the Hot Button: Prielipp wasted no time setting the tone in his start last week. He retired the first five hitters he faced before allowing a two-out single in the second inning. That minor blemish did little to slow him down as he quickly induced a ground ball to end the frame.

The third inning was where everything clicked. Prielipp struck out the side on just 12 pitches, overpowering hitters with efficiency and command. His only real mistake came in the fourth inning when he surrendered a leadoff home run, briefly trimming the Saints' lead. Outside of that swing, he was dominant. Prielipp worked five innings, allowing just one run on four hits while walking one and striking out a career high eight. It looked every bit like a pitcher knocking on the door of the big leagues.

LHP Kendry Rojas (St. Paul Saints)
How He Got Here: Rojas arrived in the organization as part of the deal that sent Louis Varland to the Toronto Blue Jays. At the time, Twins officials viewed him as an underrated arm with the potential to crack top 100 prospect lists. That optimism took a hit after a rough introduction to Triple-A, where he allowed 25 runs in 27 1/3 innings. Injuries have also played a role, limiting him to just 280 innings across five professional seasons since signing out of Cuba.

Hitting the Hot Button: Rojas followed Prielipp in the start mentioned above, as he continues to build back up after opening the year on the injured list. His fastball showed life immediately, punching out the first batter he faced. He scattered a couple of singles across the sixth and seventh innings but otherwise kept hitters off balance. The only moment of trouble came in the eighth when he allowed a single and a walk with two outs, but he responded by striking out the next hitter to escape the jam.

Rojas finished with 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out two. More importantly, he looked healthy and in control, which is exactly what the Twins need from him at this stage.

RHP Riley Quick (Fort Myers Mighty Mussels)
How He Got Here: Quick’s path to pro ball has been about patience and recovery. After returning from Tommy John surgery at the University of Alabama, he posted a 3.92 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 62 innings. The Twins selected him with the 36th overall pick in the 2025 draft and signed him for $2.69 million. Rather than rushing him, Minnesota opted to hold him back until 2026 to carefully manage his workload.

Hitting the Hot Button: Quick is already rewarding that patience. In his second professional start, he tossed three hitless innings while striking out five hitters on just 48 pitches.

Through his first two outings, Quick has yet to allow a hit across five innings while racking up ten strikeouts. The raw stuff that made him a first-round pick is showing up immediately, and the early results suggest he could move quickly if he continues to throw strikes and maintain his health.

This week’s hot sheet is a reminder that Minnesota’s pitching pipeline is more than just potential. Prielipp looks like a near-ready big league contributor, Rojas is showing signs of reclaiming his trajectory, and Quick is flashing the upside that made him a high draft pick.

If this is what the early season looks like, the Twins may soon face a different kind of challenge, figuring out how to fit all of this pitching talent into their long-term plans.

What stood out about these prospects over the last week? What other prospects are you keeping an eye on? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

 

 

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[tarheeltwinsfan]

It's better to turn heads than to turn stomachs. 

[FlyingFinn]

Certainly a hot start for some of our pitchers in the minors - Ellwanger and Moring have combined for 24.2 innings without allowing an earned run at Fort Myers.

[laloesch]

Connor Prielipp has excellent stuff, he always has.  it's just a matter of him staying healthy

[mikelink45]

We need them now

[terrydactyls]

30 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

We need them now

You got your wish.  I just hope they get used and not just sit in the bullpen playing cards.

[rdehring]

What a fantastic threesome.  As FlyingFinn indicated, I would add Ellwanger to make this a foursome.

I look forward to 2028 or 2029 when Bradley, Abel and these four could/should be six wonderful starters for a Twins team who hopefully are again competing for championships.  

[Trov]

Quick could be someone if the team needed a pen guy later in year he could move up quickly enough to do that, assuming they have on innings limit and has not reached it by then. 

[Twinsrtheworst]

4 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

Certainly a hot start for some of our pitchers in the minors - Ellwanger and Moring have combined for 24.2 innings without allowing an earned run at Fort Myers.

Heck yes, also Eric Hammond 7 innings and no runs. Undrafted signing. Great kid as well.

[jkcarew]

I don’t know if 6 and 5 innings respectively for Rojas and Quick mean anything at all, especially for Quick who’s pitching at a level for which a 22 year old of his pedigree probably shouldn’t be pitching. I assume he won’t be there long. But yes, it’s good to see them obviously healthy and succeeding out of the gate.