Twins Prospect Hot Sheet: Meet Justin Mitrovich, Minnesota's Latest Breakout Pitcher

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

As temperatures rise across the Midwest, several Twins prospects are heating up right alongside the weather. From dominant pitching performances in Fort Myers to power surges in Wichita, these players are making compelling cases for promotions as the summer months approach.

The Twins organization has seen strong performances throughout the farm system this season, but a handful of prospects have stood out recently. Whether it is a newly drafted pitcher exceeding expectations, a veteran minor leaguer forcing his way into the conversation, or a recent first-round talent adjusting to a new level, these players have put themselves firmly on the radar.

RHP Justin Mitrovich– Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

How He Got Here: The Twins selected Mitrovich in the ninth round of the 2025 MLB Draft after a successful collegiate career at Elon University. He spent all three seasons with the Phoenix and emerged as the club's Friday night starter during his junior campaign. Across 15 starts, he logged 89 1/3 innings with a 4.23 ERA while striking out 81 hitters.

Mitrovich entered professional baseball with a reputation for possessing one of the better changeups in his draft class. Minnesota opted to delay his professional debut until the start of the 2026 season, a decision that appears to be paying dividends as he has quickly established himself as one of the most effective pitchers in the Florida State League.

Hitting the Hot Button: Mitrovich turned in another outstanding outing this week, tossing five shutout innings while striking out five hitters. He surrendered only two hits and two walks while throwing a season high 71 pitches. After retiring 10 consecutive Flying Tigers hitters from the end of the first inning into the fourth, he lowered his season ERA to an eye-popping 0.87.

The numbers continue to jump off the page. Through six starts, Mitrovich has 27 strikeouts and eight walks across 27 2/3 innings. Opposing hitters have struggled to square him up all season. His average exit velocity allowed sits at just 85.5 mph, and he has yet to allow a barreled baseball. With performances like these, it may not be long before he earns a chance to test himself at the next level.

 

C/1B Andrew Cossetti– Wichita Wind Surge

How He Got Here: Cossetti was selected by Minnesota in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Saint Joseph's University. Since reaching Double A during the 2024 season, he has remained one of the more productive hitters in Wichita's lineup.

Last year, he appeared in 84 games for the Wind Surge and posted a .798 OPS with a 123 wRC+. He added 14 home runs and 15 doubles while continuing to show the offensive approach that has carried him through the system. Now 26 years old, Cossetti is one of the older regulars in the Texas League and knows that continued production is the quickest path toward Triple-A.

Hitting the Hot Button: Few hitters in the organization enjoyed a better day than Cossetti this week. He drove in six runs and launched a pair of home runs, including a towering 452-foot grand slam. The performance marked his first multi-homer game of the season and extended his on-base streak to 20 consecutive games. His recent production has remained steady. Over the past week, Cossetti has hit .308 while posting a 1.077 OPS. Looking back over the last month, he owns an .871 OPS with four home runs and two doubles in 18 games.

Perhaps just as encouraging is the progress he has shown behind the plate. After throwing out only 13% of attempted base stealers last season, Cossetti has improved that figure to 22% while handling the majority of his defensive work at catcher. The combination of offense and defensive growth is helping strengthen his case for a promotion.

 

RHP Riley Quick– Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

How He Got Here: The Twins used the 36th overall selection in the 2025 MLB Draft to bring Quick into the organization. The Alabama product became one of the fastest rising pitchers in his draft class after returning from Tommy John surgery and showcasing premium velocity and swing and miss stuff.

Minnesota assigned him to Fort Myers to begin his professional career, and it quickly became clear that Low-A hitters were overmatched. Across three starts, Quick fired eight scoreless innings while striking out 13 batters and allowing only one hit. That dominant stretch earned him a promotion to Cedar Rapids, where he is now facing older and more advanced competition.

Hitting the Hot Button: The transition to High-A has provided more challenges, but Quick continues to show why the Twins invested a first-round caliber pick in him. The 22-year-old took the ball against Wisconsin on Friday and delivered four innings of one-run baseball. He allowed just two hits, did not issue a walk, and struck out six hitters. Over his last two starts, Quick has worked eight innings with nine strikeouts and only two walks while allowing three earned runs.

The results may not be quite as overwhelming as they were in Fort Myers, but that is part of the developmental process. The encouraging signs remain the same. His strikeout rate continues to be strong (37.5%), he is limiting contact (.186 BA), and he is proving capable of competing against more advanced hitters. If those trends continue, Quick could find himself moving quickly through the system.

The weather is getting warmer, and so are some of the Twins' most intriguing prospects. Mitrovich has emerged as one of the biggest surprises in the system, Cossetti continues to make noise with his bat while improving defensively, and Quick is showing why many evaluators believed he had first-round talent.

As the calendar turns deeper into summer, promotions will become a major storyline throughout the organization. Based on their recent performances, these three players appear determined to force Minnesota's hand.

What stands out about this trio of prospects? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

 

View full article

[arby58]

It's hard to get super excited about a 26 year old making his third trip through AA. Even with his very strong week/strong month, his OPS is still hovering around .700 and he's not hitting his weight, batting average-wise. I doubt he is anything more than a AAA player.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

3 minutes ago, arby58 said:

It's hard to get super excited about a 26 year old making his third trip through AA. Even with his very strong week/strong month, his OPS is still hovering around .700 and he's not hitting his weight, batting average-wise. I doubt he is anything more than a AAA player.

Agreed.  The best case for him would seem to be if he can keep improving enough defensively to warrant a backup (not time-share) catcher slot in the majors.  Catchers, however, do develop at a little different pace than others, so you never know.  

[Blyleven2011]

13 minutes ago, arby58 said:

It's hard to get super excited about a 26 year old making his third trip through AA. Even with his very strong week/strong month, his OPS is still hovering around .700 and he's not hitting his weight, batting average-wise. I doubt he is anything more than a AAA player.

I agree, Cossetti spending 2 plus years in AA isn't anything to get excited about , most likely the organization feels just like they do about Fedko  , they aren't good enough to play in the major leagues ...

[mikelink45]

The way the Twins are picking up DFA and independent league players I would not write off anyone. I just picked this tidbit off the web from google about our newest acquisition from the DFA list - "Despite the Triple-A production, an Arizona team light on bullpen depth dropped Rashi from the roster. That’s explained mostly by his below-average velocity, as he averages around 91 mph with his fastball. He leans heavily on his secondary stuff as a result, mixing a slider, curveball and splitter."

I am encouraged by Cossetti and any Twin minor leaguer who can doesn't put their catcher's mask on backward. 

[bean5302]

I'm glad Riley Quick is back facing competition similar to what he faced when he was with Alabama in the SEC. No reason other than conditioning or evaluation to have Quick start off in Ft. Myers in the first place.

[jmlease1]

Cossetti looks more like organizational depth to me, but he'll probably get a shot in AAA next season as long as the Twins like the way he works with pitchers. As noted above, catchers have a different developmental timeline, but Cossetti hit the AA wall pretty hard as a hitter. Doesn't exactly look like the next Mitch Garver to me.

Mitrovich is interesting, might end up being a guy they pulled out of a smaller program and could be someone. I love a guy with a good changeup, so I'll be rooting for him. I agree that he needs to see better competition; at 22 he's mostly facing guys that are younger than him, including a lot of guys who don't even have that college experience. But good for him for dominating when he's taking the ball. 

Quick is a guy I really like. When he isn't handing out free passes, he's very tough. If he can develop more consistency and command his pitches he will keep rising "quick"-ly. Biggest issue with him is he simply hasn't pitched very much. Hopefully the Twins can build him up, but I don't expect him to clear 60 pitches in an outing this year. But he's shown he can mow through 4 innings with about 50 pitches which is pretty fun. Whether he gets another promotion this season or not, I'm very confident he'll be in AA next year. Please stay healthy, mah dude.

[saviking]

Every NBA team coukd use a Serbian on their roster. Why not the Twins 

[arby58]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I am encouraged by Cossetti and any Twin minor leaguer who can doesn't put their catcher's mask on backward. 

Well, their waiver wire dumpster dives have mostly been for pitching, but I do get your point.

[Jim H]

3 hours ago, bean5302 said:

I'm glad Riley Quick is back facing competition similar to what he faced when he was with Alabama in the SEC. No reason other than conditioning or evaluation to have Quick start off in Ft. Myers in the first place.

I wonder why people think that class A baseball is below the quality of baseball in the SEC. Everyone playing class A is one of the best college players selected from across the country, or one of very best high school kids who would of soon been dominating at college if he had gone to college, or international player who likely has been a pro for 3 or 4 years. The talent level is certainly higher in class A baseball even if the age level may not be.

[Linus]

13 minutes ago, Jim H said:

I wonder why people think that class A baseball is below the quality of baseball in the SEC. Everyone playing class A is one of the best college players selected from across the country, or one of very best high school kids who would of soon been dominating at college if he had gone to college, or international player who likely has been a pro for 3 or 4 years. The talent level is certainly higher in class A baseball even if the age level may not be.

Pros scouts have estimated that power 5 conference baseball is at a level between low A and high A. More and more of the best players are going to college and most of the drafted college players played three years. So the point from a draft and development standpoint is that if you are successful enough in college to get drafted you should succeed quickly in A ball because you’ve essentially already done that. Thats why I don’t really pay any attention to a college guy having success in low or high A ball. It would be more noteworthy if they didn’t. 

[Jim H]

Oh I understand what you are saying, but 2 pts. Most players in power 5  conferences don't get drafted at all, so most of the the guys you you play against in college are clearly less talented then the guys in low A who have been drafted. Also the guys playing in the power 5 who opt to go college were most likely not considered top of the draft candidates or they would have been drafted and signed. If you are already top 20 player in the whole country, you have better chance of diminishing your draft stock in 3 years instead of enhancing it.

Still , I have heard the claims about the SEC for years. I think that top level college players are polished and play an entertaining brand of baseball. I still think teams in low A full of players who have already played in those same power 5 conferences plus enhanced by international players who are the best of those signed 3 or 4 years earlier should be much more talented.

[amjgt]

1 hour ago, Linus said:

Pros scouts have estimated that power 5 conference baseball is at a level between low A and high A. More and more of the best players are going to college and most of the drafted college players played three years. So the point from a draft and development standpoint is that if you are successful enough in college to get drafted you should succeed quickly in A ball because you’ve essentially already done that. Thats why I don’t really pay any attention to a college guy having success in low or high A ball. It would be more noteworthy if they didn’t. 

I'd love to see the data on that because as @Jim H has pointed out, that doesn't really pass the sniff test.

The best SEC lineups have, what, 6-7 guys who might eventually be drafted? And not all SEC lineups are created equal.

I think that comparison might work a little bit better if you're comparing hitters to what type of pitchers they might be facing. If you're a Single-A hitter, the level of pitchers you're facing might compare to the pitchers you're likely to see in an SEC program.