Four Twins Who Need to Step Up in 2027

It was another year of coming up short for the Minnesota Twins. It’s frustrating for the players, for the fans, and certainly for ownership. Nobody wants to lose, and if things are going to change in 2027, the Twins are going to need more from their roster.

The front office can help address some of those issues this winter by adding talent to the roster. However, if this team is going to get over the hump next season, they’re primarily going to need some players already in the organization to take a step forward.

Whether it’s young players looking to establish themselves in the majors or veterans who need to get back on track, there are plenty of candidates who could make a significant difference with a strong 2027 campaign. With that in mind, here are four Twins who need to step up next season.

Connor Prielipp

Prielipp’s rookie year was filled with ups and downs. Overall, he finished with a 4.87 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP across 125 ⅔ innings. He also recorded 128 strikeouts against 44 walks, showing some promising traits despite the inconsistent results.

There’s reason to believe he was better than his ERA would indicate. His 3.73 FIP and 3.95 expected ERA suggest he was a bit unlucky, and there were plenty of things to like about his performance throughout the season. Both his strikeout and walk rates were better than league average, while his breaking balls consistently generated swings outside the strike zone. Those are important building blocks for a young starting pitcher, particularly one who could play a significant role in Minnesota’s rotation moving forward.

Of course, there’s still work to be done. Prielipp needs to find ways to limit hard contact and avoid putting himself in difficult situations against opposing hitters. His overall numbers suggest there’s room for improvement, and making those adjustments could go a long way toward turning him into a reliable rotation option. If he can clean up some of those issues in 2027, there’s a legitimate case to be made that he could break out next season after a highly encouraging rookie season.

The Twins have plenty of questions surrounding their rotation heading into the offseason, even with Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley and a (hopefully) healthy Pablo López. The outlook gets even cloudier after next year. Minnesota needs young starters to emerge, and a big year from Prielipp would help address one of the organization's biggest needs.

Royce Lewis

This one comes with an asterisk. There’s some uncertainty surrounding whether Lewis will even be on Minnesota’s roster when the 2027 season begins. Still, assuming he remains with the organization, there’s really no way around it: the Twins need more from him.

Lewis slashed just .227/.287/.380 this season, finishing with an uninspiring .667 OPS. That marked the second consecutive year he posted an OPS below .700, which isn't nearly good enough for a player expected to be a key part of the lineup. His underlying metrics suggest he should have been slightly better offensively, but that only goes so far. At some point, the production needs to show up on the field, and he hasn't delivered enough of it over the past two seasons.

Defensively, there's also work to be done. His long-term home isn't on the left side of the infield, and regardless of where he eventually settles, his glove hasn't been good enough to make up for his offensive shortcomings. Lewis needs to make some meaningful strides this offseason, both in terms of his approach at the plate and his overall consistency.

We've seen what he's capable of when everything is clicking, even at times this season. Lewis has the talent to be a productive hitter, and there have been stretches when he's looked like the player Minnesota envisioned when he first arrived in the majors. The problem is that the cold spells have far outweighed the hot stretches. The Twins can't afford to keep waiting for Lewis to put everything together, especially if they're serious about competing in 2027.

Whether he gets that opportunity in Minnesota remains to be seen, but if he's still wearing a Twins uniform next season, he needs to take a significant step forward.

Walker Jenkins

Jenkins' first taste of the majors this season isn't enough to draw any definitive conclusions about what kind of player he'll become, and I'm certainly not suggesting he struggled beyond repair. However, this is a player who could have a much bigger role in 2027, and the Twins are going to need him to take advantage of that opportunity.

Jenkins finished with a .226/.293/.393 slash line and a .686 OPS. Those numbers aren't particularly impressive, but there were some encouraging signs as he adjusted to major-league pitching. In particular, Jenkins appeared to get more comfortable at the plate toward the end of the season. He showed above-average discipline, giving himself a foundation to build on as he gains more experience against big league pitchers.

The next step is making more consistent hard contact. Jenkins has the tools to become an impact hitter, but he'll need to translate his approach into more productive at-bats. Being selective is important, but it won't mean much if he's not consistently driving the ball when he gets pitches to hit.

That's a natural adjustment for a young player, and there's no reason to overreact to a relatively small sample of major league plate appearances. Still, the Twins need their top prospect to continue developing if they're going to build a competitive lineup around their young core. If Jenkins can pair his plate discipline with more consistent contact and power, the sky's the limit. He's arguably the organization's most important long-term piece, and a strong rookie campaign could accelerate his development into a legitimate cornerstone.

Kendry Rojas

Rojas' first taste of the majors was similar to Prielipp's in many ways. There was plenty to like, but there were also some clear areas that need improvement before he can become a dependable piece of Minnesota's pitching staff.

The swing-and-miss stuff was evident, and he did a nice job limiting hard contact. His ERA and expected ERA both finished around 3.40, suggesting his results were largely supported by the quality of his underlying performance. The foundation is there, but it's far from complete.

Rojas struggled mightily with walks, posting a 16.9% walk rate. That's a significant problem for any pitcher, especially for someone who’s been asked to work multiple innings at a time, even if it’s not in the rotation.  He needs to find a way to improve his command and limit the free passes. The swing-and-miss ability is valuable, but consistently falling behind hitters and putting runners on base will make it difficult to turn that talent into sustained success.

Health is another major concern. Rojas appeared in just 27 games this season, splitting his time between 14 relief appearances and 13 starts. Regardless of which role the Twins ultimately envision for him, none of his upside will matter if he can't stay healthy enough to take the mound. As the saying goes, the best ability is availability.

There's immense upside with Rojas, and his early results suggest he could become an important part of Minnesota's pitching staff. However, he needs to get out of his own way, improve his control, and stay on the field long enough to realize that potential.

The Twins have plenty of work to do this offseason, and adding outside talent will be important if they want to return to contention. But the organization's path forward will also depend on the players already in the building. If Prielipp can solidify his place in the rotation, Lewis can rediscover his offensive production, Jenkins can take another step forward, and Rojas can turn his raw talent into consistent availability, Minnesota could be in a much better position next season.

None of those outcomes are guaranteed, but the potential is there. And if the Twins want 2027 to look different from the past couple of seasons, they'll need more of their own players to start delivering.

Do you approve of the job the Twins front office is doing?

Do you approve of the job the Twins front office is doing?

• Do you approve of the job the Twins front office is doing? Required
  

  
• Save

See All Twins Polls >