Twins Track Down Keoni Cavaco, Ask If He’s Still Interested in Making His MLB Debut

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

The Minnesota Twins have spent plenty of time looking back at their first-round draft history this season. Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, Trevor Larnach, and Brooks Lee have all taken the field for the club, while Kaelen Culpepper, Walker Jenkins, and Aaron Sabato made their MLB debuts.

With the Twins officially running out of things to accomplish in 2026, the organization has decided there is only one logical next step. Call Keoni Cavaco. Yes, that Keoni Cavaco. The Twins selected Cavaco with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, hoping the high school shortstop could eventually develop into an impact big-league player. Things did not exactly go according to plan.

Cavaco reached High-A in the Twins system, where he posted a .529 OPS as a 23-year-old. After departing the organization, he spent the last two seasons playing for Chicago in the independent American Association. 

Apparently, that experience has also included a career change. Cavaco has transitioned to pitching. Naturally, the Twins are interested.

“We've been looking at our bullpen options, and Keoni's name kept coming up,” Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said. “Eventually, somebody asked, ‘Wait, is he still technically one of our first-round picks?’ We checked. Then we checked again. Once we confirmed the rules, we figured we might as well give him a call.”

The call itself reportedly took several attempts.

“I thought they had lost my number,” Cavaco said. “Honestly, I assumed they had lost it in 2021. Then I figured it was definitely gone by 2023. When I saw the Minnesota area code, I thought it was Target Customer Service for a complaint I recently made about their Lego clearance."

Instead, it was the Twins asking whether he would like to make his major-league debut. At this point, there wasn't much reason to say no.

The First-Round Reunion

The Cavaco addition would give Minnesota another former first-round pick on the field and continue a theme that has developed throughout the final weeks of the season. For Shelton, it is all about getting as much first-round talent onto the field as possible.

“It's great to have as much first-round talent on the field as possible,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “That's something we really value here. We're actually thinking about asking Tyler Jay and Kohl Stewart to come back for next season.”

Jay was the sixth overall pick by Minnesota in 2015. Stewart was the fourth overall pick in 2013. The Twins are reportedly also checking whether anyone remembers where they drafted Levi Michael. 

“We're just trying to create opportunities,” Shelton said. “If you were selected in the first round by the Twins at some point, we'd like to hear from you.”

Cavaco's transition to the mound could make him particularly intriguing for a team that has spent much of the season searching for bullpen answers. At the very least, he offers something different.

Nobody else in the organization can say they were the 13th overall pick in 2019, reached High-A, spent two seasons in independent baseball, became a pitcher, and then got a call from the Twins asking if he was available for the final week of the season.

It has been an unconventional journey. Now, it could end with Cavaco standing on a major-league mound at Target Field. And if that happens, Minnesota's 2019 first-round pick will finally make his Twins debut. Only took seven years. Not bad for a rebuilding bullpen.

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[DJL44]

Why limit it to Twins first round picks? I’m sure there are other first rounders who would love to play a game in the majors. Brady Aiken should be available to pitch an inning in relief.

[PuckettPond]

He was AWFUL! 

[big dog]

Thanks for ripping the Cavaco and Levi Michael scabs off. I sure needed those memories back. 

[Parfigliano]

Hope they all got a huge signing bonus and invested well.

[Road trip]

23 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

Hope they all got a huge signing bonus and invested well.

Yup.  I laughed a bit at the article, and then felt a bit bad for laughing at Cavaco's failure, and then realized that Cavaco was likely laughing all the way to the bank..   A $4 million signing bonus should set him up well for whatever path he chooses going forward.

[Whammy]

To be honest, I feel like this satirical article diminishes what Sabato has accomplished to get where he is. 

[gil4]

On 9/23/2026 at 10:58 AM, big dog said:

Thanks for ripping the Cavaco and Levi Michael scabs off. I sure needed those memories back. 

Ryan Mills
BJ Garbe
#6 and #5 overall in consecutive years.  Those are some scabs for you.

[CoachDW]

He would slot right into the Twins bullpen, with his two walks per inning and 9.00 ERA...

[ziggy]

42 minutes ago, CoachDW said:

He would slot right into the Twins bullpen, with his two walks per inning and 9.00 ERA...

there's still a base open. I don't see the problem.....

[big dog]

12 hours ago, gil4 said:

Ryan Mills
BJ Garbe
#6 and #5 overall in consecutive years.  Those are some scabs for you.

Yup. Thanks, I gotta go get some band-aids now.

[big dog]

On 9/23/2026 at 11:23 AM, Road trip said:

Yup.  I laughed a bit at the article, and then felt a bit bad for laughing at Cavaco's failure, and then realized that Cavaco was likely laughing all the way to the bank..   A $4 million signing bonus should set him up well for whatever path he chooses going forward.

I can't imagine he's laughing about his career. That's a ridiculous take.

[Road trip]

2 hours ago, big dog said:

I can't imagine he's laughing about his career. That's a ridiculous take.

Never said he was...  simply noted he was paid quite well for a venture that didn't work out.  I'm sure he is disappointed, but so are thousands of other minor leaguers who didn't make it to MLB.  Unlike the vast majority of them, Cavaco is a multi-millionaire.

[big dog]

12 minutes ago, Road trip said:

Never said he was...  simply noted he was paid quite well for a venture that didn't work out.  I'm sure he is disappointed, but so are thousands of other minor leaguers who didn't make it to MLB.  Unlike the vast majority of them, Cavaco is a multi-millionaire.

Well, you did say he was laughing all the way to the bank. Maybe he heard a good joke or something. 
I feel sorry for these guys, though people like my friend drafted in the 25th round had pretty low expectations that were quickly met. I doubt if many first rounders can just shrug it off when they fail. End of a more realistic dream. 

[Road trip]

4 minutes ago, big dog said:

Well, you did say he was laughing all the way to the bank. Maybe he heard a good joke or something. 
I feel sorry for these guys, though people like my friend drafted in the 25th round had pretty low expectations that were quickly met. I doubt if many first rounders can just shrug it off when they fail. End of a more realistic dream. 

Fair.  "Laughing all the way to the bank" was a common phrase, at least for my generation, essentially meaning "profiting without succeeding".  Perhaps it no longer translates.

I certainly wish him (and your friend) the best.  The dream dies at different points for almost all athletes, but I suppose the closer you get the harder it dies.