Twins Farm System Finally Having an International Renaissance

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Luis Fragoza)

For much of the past decade, the Minnesota Twins haven't exactly been known for developing waves of international position-player talent. There have been individual successes, of course. But compared to some of baseball's better organizations in the international market, the Twins haven't consistently produced prospects who climb through the system and eventually become significant pieces at the major-league level.

That could be changing. The Twins have revamped their international operations, and the results are beginning to show up throughout the minor leagues. There are still plenty of questions surrounding these players, but the organization is developing an intriguing collection of athletic position players with offensive upside and defensive versatility.

On a recent episode of Inside Twins, Twins Director of Player Development Drew MacPhail discussed some of the changes happening within the organization's player-development system.

“The international group does a fantastic job scouting to toolsyness and prioritizing defense as well and kind of projecting out what they might look like as a major leaguer. Defense is a big part of that and I’d give a lot of credit to our PD group. We have really solid basic training at the complexes and put a huge emphasis on the importance of defense as well."

MacPhail believes the organization is starting to see the benefits of that approach.

“We are starting to see the fruits of that labor of these athletic players that are very routine oriented, have really solid swings, they have twitch, and can play defense.” 

Several of those players are already putting together impressive seasons. Here are four players who are among the organization’s top ranked position players. 

OF Yasser Mercedes – Cedar Rapids Kernels

.251/.341/.458 (.799), 18 HR, 26 2B, 49 SB, 106 wRC+, 27.9 K%, 11.2 BB%

Mercedes has been around longer than most of the names on this list, entering his fifth professional season after signing with the Twins for $1.7 million in January 2022. At the time, Minnesota was betting on an intriguing collection of raw offensive tools from one of the more highly regarded outfielders in that year's international class.

His development hasn't been perfectly linear. Mercedes impressed during his first season in the Dominican Summer League before experiencing some struggles in his first taste of stateside baseball. He eventually found his offensive footing again in the Florida Complex League, but moving into the Florida State League exposed some significant swing-and-miss issues.

This season has been different. Mercedes opened 2026 by taking a major step forward against FSL pitching. His performance earned him a promotion to High-A Cedar Rapids in May, where he's continued to show a combination of power and speed.

The 49 stolen bases stand out, but so do the 18 home runs and 26 doubles. The strikeout rate remains something to monitor, but Mercedes is finally showing the offensive impact the Twins hoped to see when they signed him. At 23 years old, he's also beginning to enter an important stage of his development.

OF/3B Luis Fragoza – Cedar Rapids Kernels

.311/.404/.551 (.954), 14 HR, 22 2B, 21 SB, 148 wRC+, 26.5 K%, 9.1 BB%

If there's one international prospect who has seemingly come out of nowhere this season, it's Fragoza. MacPhail specifically identified him as the clear breakout prospect in the organization during 2026, and the numbers make it easy to understand why.

Fragoza signed for just $77,500 during the 2024 international signing period. That was a relatively small investment compared to the seven-figure bonuses given to some of the Twins' other signees that year, including Daiber De Los Santos and Eduardo Beltre. But bonus size doesn't determine where a player eventually ends up.

Fragoza posted a respectable .784 OPS during his first professional season in the Dominican Summer League. He struggled to find the same consistency after moving to the Florida Complex League in 2025. The Twins sent him back to the FCL to begin 2026, but he didn't stay there for long.

After quickly establishing himself offensively, Fragoza earned a promotion to full-season Fort Myers. He continued to rake with the Mighty Mussels before moving up to Cedar Rapids, where he has remained one of the organization's more productive young hitters. A .954 OPS and 148 wRC+ are difficult to overlook.

The versatility also adds to his appeal. Fragoza has experience at both third base and shortstop while bringing enough athleticism to contribute on the bases. There are still questions about how his offensive game will translate as he climbs the ladder, but this has been an impressive breakout campaign.

OF Yovanny Duran – Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

.273/.408/.419 (.827), 5 HR, 10 2B, 4 3B, 43 SB, 120 wRC+, 23.9 K%, 18.0 BB%

Duran represents another example of the Twins getting encouraging returns from their international investment. Minnesota handed out 13 bonuses of at least six figures during the 2025 international signing period, with Santiago Leon and Carlos Taveras leading the way with seven-figure bonuses. Duran received a $277,500 bonus.

He's quickly shown why the Twins were willing to make that investment. After a solid debut in the Dominican Summer League, Duran moved stateside and continued producing in the Florida Complex League. He finished sixth in the league with a .943 OPS, just behind Jhomnardo Reyes, who was eventually traded to Baltimore as part of the deal that brought Dean Kremer to Minnesota.

Duran has continued that progression with Fort Myers. The .827 OPS doesn't jump off the page quite like Fragoza's does, but the underlying profile is intriguing. Duran has already stolen 43 bases, owns an 18% walk rate and has produced a 120 wRC+. That's a pretty good combination for a young player still learning how to handle professional pitching.

His ability to get on base is particularly encouraging. Duran isn't relying solely on batting average to create offensive value, and his speed gives him another avenue to impact games. There's still plenty of development ahead, but he's quickly becoming one of the more interesting players from the Twins' 2025 international class.

3B/SS Enmanuel Merlo – DSL Twins

.311/.422/.429 (.851), 3 HR, 6 2B, 3 3B, 5 SB, 115 wRC+, 17.7 K%, 15.1 BB%

Merlo is the youngest and least-developed player on this list, but he's also one of the most significant investments the Twins made during the 2026 international signing period. Minnesota entered the signing period with one of baseball's larger international bonus pools, and Merlo received the biggest chunk of that money. The Twins ultimately gave him a bonus of nearly $1.5 million, making him one of 13 players who received at least six figures from Minnesota's 2026 class.

His professional career is only beginning. Merlo has spent his first season with the Twins' Dominican Summer League club, where he has already shown an intriguing combination of plate discipline and offensive ability. His .311 batting average is impressive, but the .422 on-base percentage might be even more encouraging. He's also struck out in just 17.7% of his plate appearances while walking 15.1% of the time. For a teenager beginning his professional career, that's an encouraging foundation.

There will be plenty of challenges ahead as Merlo eventually moves to the United States and begins facing more advanced pitching. His defensive home also remains something to watch as he develops at third base and shortstop. But the early returns are promising.

The Next Wave

The Twins aren't suddenly going to become an international-development powerhouse because four prospects are having strong seasons. That's not how player development works.

These players are still far away from making their major-league debuts, and there are countless hurdles between the Dominican Summer League and Target Field. Injuries happen. Hitters stop hitting. Pitchers adjust. Defensive limitations become more apparent. Prospects who look like future stars at 18 or 19 sometimes never make it past Double-A.

That's why the Twins need to continue building depth rather than relying on any individual player. Still, something appears to be changing. 

The Twins are finally starting to see some of the fruits of their changes to international scouting and player development. The organization is emphasizing athleticism, defensive ability, swing quality and long-term projection when identifying these players.

But for an organization that has been searching for more consistent international success, having this many intriguing players at different stages of development is a very good place to start.

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What stands out about this group of prospects? Have the Twins solved some of their issues with developing international prospects? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Patzky]

"Toolsyness". Tell me more of toolsyness.

Any positive trending for long term improvement is good. Pop up names like Bohorquez are ones we need to learn. 

[DJL44]

Yay, more outfielders. Can the front office trade some of them for pitchers?

[rdehring]

Great article, Cody.  Thanks for something positive.

When watching this year's Futures game and seeing the Brewers having two International infielders who were the #1 and the other a top 15 prospects in all of baseball, kept wondering why the Twins seem to never have those types of prospects.  Arraez was the last guy they signed to make it, wasn't he?

You talk about four exciting position players.  Are there any pitchers who also are good prospects?

[PuckettPond]

Something the Dodgers & Yankees have been doing for decades. If one is a follower one will never be a Leader. Youth equals wins & championships. When looking for prospects one must search every penthouse, outhouse & whorehouse.

[bean5302]

58 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Yay, more outfielders. Can the front office trade some of them for pitchers?

We'll need them (pitchers) the way this front office constructs rosters. Oh, we'll need the left handed outfielders, too, but only if they're defensively inadequate.

[bean5302]

Historically, Twins can't miss prospects shuffle through the minors before they hit a wall in AA or AAA. The Twins gives them 17 plate appearances at AAA, forgets they didn't construct a roster correctly, then call the prospect up and roll a pair of dice. If the dice roll is 10 or higher, the prospect is untouchable no matter how inept they look they'll get infinite playing time. If the roll is 9 or lower, the prospect will get 2 weeks at a time to produce and be demoted if they don't.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Yay, more outfielders. Can the front office trade some of them for pitchers?

https://www.mlb.com/news/twins-acquire-pablo-lopez-from-marlins

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

Historically, Twins can't miss prospects shuffle through the minors before they hit a wall in AA or AAA. The Twins gives them 17 plate appearances at AAA, forgets they didn't construct a roster correctly, then call the prospect up and roll a pair of dice. If the dice roll is 10 or higher, the prospect is untouchable no matter how inept they look they'll get infinite playing time. If the roll is 9 or lower, the prospect will get 2 weeks at a time to produce and be demoted if they don't.

Come on, no need to be that cynical Bean.    

[EGFTShaw]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Yay, more outfielders. Can the front office trade some of them for pitchers?

For your number 1 starter I will trade all of our minor league left handed outfielders. 

lol 
😄

[Andy MacPhail]

Great article. Happy that the organization has gone more athletic & defensively in the International draft, IMO, it's a great pool to draw from. I'd prefer to see better scouting & limit it to fewer but better prospects than throwing a bunch of prospects against the wall & see who sticks. 

This year there seems to be better development for these types of prospects with rising of these 5 prospects (if you include Reyes). I don't mind the Twins focus on positional players if they don't hoard them (that said it hurt to see Reyes go) & trade them for developed promising pitchers.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

https://www.mlb.com/news/twins-acquire-pablo-lopez-from-marlins

Which outfielder did they trade for Lopez?