Twins Prospect Hot Sheet: Marco Raya Finding His Bullpen Groove

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

The middle of the minor-league season is when organizations separate intriguing stories from true momentum. Some players are just getting healthy. Others are adjusting to new teams or levels. A few force their way in with undeniable results.

This week’s group features three players trending in the right direction for the Twins organization. From a former Giants farmhand tearing through Low-A pitching to a once-highly regarded arm finding his footing in relief, there are several interesting developments worth monitoring.

OF Quinn McDaniel– Cedar Rapids Kernels
How He Got Here: The San Francisco Giants selected McDaniel in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, after a productive college career at the University of Maine. He spent portions of three seasons climbing through the Giants system and eventually reached High-A ball, but consistency never fully arrived at the plate. Across 108 games last year, he finished with a .688 OPS before San Francisco moved on from him during spring training.

After briefly preparing for a stint in independent baseball, McDaniel landed with the Twins organization when Minnesota signed him on May 12. The move immediately gave him a fresh opportunity, and so far, he has made the most of it.

Hitting the Hot Button: Few hitters anywhere in the organization have been hotter over the last couple of weeks. McDaniel exploded out of the gate with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels and quickly earned Florida State League Player of the Week honors during his first week in the system. Over 27 plate appearances, he posted a ridiculous .538 batting average alongside a .962 slugging percentage for a 1.480 OPS.

The Twins wasted little time moving him to Cedar Rapids, and the production has continued. In his first three games with the Kernels, McDaniel collected six hits in 11 at-bats, while adding a triple. At 23 years old, he is older than much of the competition at both levels, but the early results still matter. Minnesota saw enough to aggressively challenge him, and he has responded immediately.

RHP Marco Raya– St. Paul Saints
How He Got Here: Raya has experienced one of the more winding developmental paths in the organization. Minnesota selected the Texas prep right-hander in the fourth round of the shortened 2020 MLB Draft, but his professional career was delayed almost immediately. The pandemic wiped out any chance of an official debut after signing, and then a shoulder injury sidelined him throughout the entire 2021 season.

When Raya finally returned to the mound in 2022, flashes of his upside were easy to see even in limited workloads. His stuff continued progressing over the next two years, and he eventually climbed all the way to Triple-A in 2024 while earning a place on the Twins’ 40-man roster. The momentum stalled last season in St. Paul, as command issues created significant problems. His walk rate ballooned to a career worst 12.6%, and outings often unraveled before he could settle in.

Hitting the Hot Button: Raya may finally be carving out a more stable role in the bullpen. On Friday, he fired three shutout innings during a Saints victory while allowing only one hit, with three strikeouts and no walks.

The biggest development has been improved control. In four of his last six appearances, Raya has thrown at least two innings without surrendering a run. Even more encouraging, he has issued just three walks over his last 58 batters faced. The Twins have long believed the raw stuff could play at a high level. If the strike-throwing continues trending upward, a bullpen role could become a legitimate pathway back into Minnesota’s long-term plans.

OF Jhomnardo Reyes– FCL Twins
How He Got Here: The Twins invested in Reyes during the international signing period, handing the Dominican outfielder a $300,000 bonus. He made his professional debut last season in the Dominican Summer League as a 17-year-old and immediately showed intriguing athletic tools.

Across 50 games, Reyes slashed .291/.386/.469 with 10 doubles, nine triples, and one home run, while stealing 10 bases. His combination of speed and extra-base ability stood out, although swing-and-miss concerns remained part of the profile. Reyes struck out in 28.5% of his plate appearances, while drawing walks at an 11.6% clip.

Hitting the Hot Button: The transition from the Dominican Summer League to Complex League ball in Florida can be difficult for young international prospects, but Reyes has looked completely comfortable since arriving stateside. Through his first 10 FCL games, Reyes owns a .385 batting average with a .529 on-base percentage and an even 1.000 slugging percentage. He has already launched three home runs while piling up eight extra-base hits and swiping three bases.

The most encouraging signs may be hidden in the plate discipline numbers. Reyes has boosted his walk rate to 20.6% while trimming his strikeout rate down to 17.6%. For a teenager with loud athletic traits, that kind of early adjustment is exactly what organizations hope to see.

All three of these prospects are gaining momentum in very different ways. McDaniel is attempting to turn a career reset into a legitimate breakout. Raya appears to be settling into a role that better fits his current strengths. Reyes is showing why the Twins believed in his long-term upside when they signed him internationally. Each is, in their own way, an emblem of the player development the team will need to do well to return to the top of the AL Central and stay there—whether any turns out to be the difference-making individual within their archetype or not.

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What stands out about these three players? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[tarheeltwinsfan]

I enjoy articles about Twins prospects, especially ones who have had little publicity like Reyes and McDaniel. Thanks.

[mikelink45]

So great to read about these prospects - two new ones and one we have read about forever (it seems).  I hope the BP makes him a star!

[SF Twins Fan]

Raya was included in an article like this a month ago and then the very next day out gave up like 6 runs.  Can we please stop trying to make him seem like an actual prospect?  4 good outings in 6 tries isn't significant.  It's such a small sample size.  If he's still pitching well in August, then maybe he could be back in the conversation.  

[twinstalker]

47 minutes ago, SF Twins Fan said:

Raya was included in an article like this a month ago and then the very next day out gave up like 6 runs.  Can we please stop trying to make him seem like an actual prospect?  4 good outings in 6 tries isn't significant.  It's such a small sample size.  If he's still pitching well in August, then maybe he could be back in the conversation.  

My comment was going to be "Oh, good, more Marco Raya."  How does someone get to be a prospect, apparently?  1. Have an embarrassed and biased organization say one thing good about him to try to save face after their horrible draft.  2. Close your eyes and keep them that way.

[Fatbat]

Crazy how people hate on prospects. Anyone under 26/27 should be off limits to heavy criticism. Most don’t figure it all out but at least they live and breathe baseball for years , trying to find a way to MLB. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

2 hours ago, SF Twins Fan said:

Raya was included in an article like this a month ago and then the very next day out gave up like 6 runs.  Can we please stop trying to make him seem like an actual prospect?  4 good outings in 6 tries isn't significant.  It's such a small sample size.  If he's still pitching well in August, then maybe he could be back in the conversation.  

I do not believe that an article in Twins Daily is bad luck for the subject of the article. I do believe that an article in Sports Illustrated does definitely jinx the subject of the article. It is an empirically  proven fact. 

[DocBauer]

A 5th round pick isn't exactly a low rounder, so I'm really surprised the Giants gave up on McDaniel after only 2 years. Now, he didn't perform all that great, but there's some power and a little speed there it looks like. Why didn't they give him a 3rd season to see if he could break out? He's off to a great start in the Twins organization, but at 23yo, he needs be up at AA around July to actually have a chance. Still, it's a nice story so far.

I agree with others that it's just too early to sing the praises of Raya. I'm really happy that he's been throwing much, much better the past couple of weeks. And I still think there's a good arm there with some really good STUFF. Enough to make him a really good 1-2 inning reliever. But I just have to see greater consistency for another month before I can get excited. But it's still May. If we're seeing those kind of performances...as stated in the OP...on a more consistent basis through June, he's got a chance to debut in July or August at some point. He's still young enough to be a "prospect" as a pen arm, even if the prospect shine has been worn off overall. I sometimes wonder if he works too much outside the zone instead of trusting his stuff?

Reyes sounds very exciting. He sure hasn't been slowed down with the trip stateside. And, it's fun to see a number of Latin kids at Ft Myers and the FCL Twins having really good seasons. Who do we give credit to if they do well since the Twins have changed over the operations in the International department only recently? I'm just being honest when I say that despite following the Twins MILB system dutifully, from Ft Myers down, it just becomes too difficult to follow so many young players. But Reyes is one of many that I read about in the TD write ups and checking box scores that offer future intrigue.

[laloesch]

On 5/25/2026 at 10:44 PM, Fatbat said:

Crazy how people hate on prospects. Anyone under 26/27 should be off limits to heavy criticism. Most don’t figure it all out but at least they live and breathe baseball for years , trying to find a way to MLB. 

No player should be off limits to legit criticism for bad plays. Sorry. That attitude is PART of the reason this team hasn’t won a World Series in 35 years. 

[Fatbat]

40 minutes ago, laloesch said:

No player should be off limits to legit criticism for bad plays. Sorry. That attitude is PART of the reason this team hasn’t won a World Series in 35 years. 

How does constantly criticizing a guy in the minors because his development is slower than some or non linear help the player or organization as a whole? Some frustrating situations happen and can be built on but berating a prospect that is drafted at 18-21 yo and not making it to the bigs until 26 isn’t really productive but it happens all the time.  
To your point of no world Series trophy in 35 years, its way deeper that prospect criticism. The Twins have been a hot mess in the FO and mgment way more than players not developing timely.