5 Twins Prospects Who Could Make Their MLB Debut on Opening Day

The Twins shipped out nearly a dozen veteran players at the trade deadline last year, and have done little to replace the lost talent and experience. Team leaders have asserted their intention to build from within, and to succeed on the strength of a system that is viewed by baseball executives (per a recent MLB Pipeline survey) as one of baseball's most underrated.

If the Twins really want to follow through and put their (lack of) money where their mouth is, they'll give some of their prospects a chance to seize Opening Day jobs. There are at least five credible candidates, looking beyond Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez, who — while arguably deserving of a look after reaching Triple-A last year — are crowded out of a lefty-heavy outfield mix.

That's one player type these current Twins don't presently need. Here are a couple they badly do need: relief pitchers, and right-handed bats. For that reason, I could envision any of these five players who've yet to debut in the majors catching on with the big-league team if they take spring training by storm. 

Connor Prielipp
One of the factors that often prevents MLB teams from carrying a rookie straight out of spring training is service-clock manipulation. By waiting a few weeks, you can game the system for an extra year of control. That's not so much of a consideration for Prielipp, who turned 25 a few days ago. If all went perfectly and he stuck in the majors for good after making the team, he'd still be under Twins control through age 30.

Among the arms they currently have, I'm pretty confident Prielipp is one of Minnesota's best relief options, injury and workload question marks aside. With his fearsome fastball/slider combo from the left side, he may very well be the best, or at least the highest-upside. Could Prielipp step into a setup or closer role out of the gate, with no major-league experience, just as Jhoan Duran did in 2022? I could definitely see it. Like with Duran, there's not really any reason to waste more bullets in the minors if he's healthy.

Marco Raya
Raya struggled mightily in Triple-A last year while working mostly as a starter. By now he and the Twins should be embracing the shift to a reliever role, and Derek Falvey has hinted as much. In short stints, able to maximize his effort and lean heavily on his standout slider, Raya could be a force. He seems to be an X-factor they are relying on for their rebuilt bullpen.

That won't necessarily happen right away. Raya undoubtedly has the stuff but he's got to harness it consistently and manage his emotions. But if he is throwing heat and finding the strike zone in spring training, why not gamble on his potential in a relief corps that is currently lacking for it?

John Klein
Maybe my favorite dark horse heading into camp. Most Twins fans probably hadn't heard of Klein before he was added to the 40-man roster in November, but that decision came on the heels of a very strong season in the minors where the 6-foot-5 righty ramped up his arsenal and fanned 128 hitters over 106 innings in the high minors.

He only threw 25 innings after reaching Triple-A, but Klein turns 24 in April and has the makings of a bullpen-uptick guy with a five-pitch mix that could be whittled down. His presence on the 40-man roster gives him an edge over other prospects or minor-league signings who would need to be added.

Gabriel Gonzalez
Shifting our focus from relief pitching to another need: right-handed hitting. The Twins are deep on lefty-swinging corner bats, including Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, Kody Clemens, Alan Roden and James Outman. Meanwhile they are very short on right-handed options to complement and balance this proliferation of portsiders.

Yeah, you've got Austin Martin, but he hasn't proven to be much of an offensive force. Scrap-heap pickup Eric Wagaman is probably the de facto favorite to fill a platoon-type role, but he's not very exciting, and also he's got minor-league options so there's no obligation to go with him. Gonzalez distinguishing himself in spring camp and claiming an Opening Day roster spot is a fun thought.

If the Twins want real right-handed punch, and a true weapon against lefties, he's maybe their best bet to offer it even at just 22 years old. Last year Gonzalez raked through three levels of the minors, slashing .368/.430/.592 against lefties and finishing with an .862 OPS in 150 PAs at Triple-A. 

The big snag here is consistent playing time. The Twins aren't going to have him on the roster starting twice a week, which is what a true platoon role would entail. For Gonzalez to have a chance, space will need to be cleared ahead of him.

Kyler Fedko
Fedko could be looked at as Gonzalez Lite. The underlying concept is similar. Promoting him straight to the majors would be a lot less audacious than Gonzalez, since Fedko is 26 and no longer really a development project. Because of that, the Twins would also probably be far more comfortable carrying him in a part-time role. 

Despite Fedko posting a strong .855 OPS at Triple-A last year, he didn't make believers of the Twins, who declined to promote him late in the year or add him to the 40-man roster after. Fedko went unpicked in the Rule 5, so apparently the rest of the league weren't big believers either. But he's still a guy on the prospect radar — ranked 18th on Twins Daily's list, and 33rd on Aaron Gleeman's latest — with a skill set that could suit the club's short-term needs. 

Anyone I'm missing? Who's your dark horse prospect to make his MLB debut on Opening Day? Share your thoughts in the comments.