3 Hitting Prospects Who Can Have a Huge Impact for 2025 Minnesota Twins

Hard to believe Rodriguez is only 21.  Seems like he's been around forever and even starting to flame out in the minds of some fans. Bright future.  That being said, lets' look at what inevitably happens with list like these.  1 guy meets and maybe even exceeds expectations.  Multiple time All-Star.  Maybe even an all-time great.  1 guy becomes a big league regular but nothing super special. A JAG.  Just a guy.  And one guy busts.  A Kirilloff.  Regardless, all three will be fun to watch over then next half decade to (hopefully) decade and a half.

I think Jenkins will be 2026. If E-Rod is healthy, he definitely gets the call in 2025. Keaschall will be ready if Julien and others flop in 2025. I believe all three are good defensively and the Twins need more of that.

Just another list of recognizable can't miss Twins prospects or shall we say suspects.  That's all they are until they can prove themselves at the big league level.  It's the same old thing every off season:  drooling over prospects.  We have a few of them on the current 26 man roster that have not proved much of anything.  Best of luck to these guys.  I'm sure we will here about their can't miss exploits for the next few years.

First off, Walker Jenkins did not continue to hit for power when he got to AA, nor did he handle advanced pitching particularly well. He's an awesome prospect and I'm not the least bit concerned about him, but he put up an OPS of .450 in AA with 1 XBH. He also still still hasn't turned 20 yet, so again: not worried. But I don't expect him to have a big impact on the Twins in 2025: that's going to happen in 2026. He's going to be back in AA this season, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he's in AAA at midseason. But I suspect he's going to need a little time and work in the high minors to adjust to better pitching. Hardly a crime, considering he's going to be 20.

Keaschall might be an option, but I'm a little more skeptical until we see how he's recovered from the TJ. Yes, it's not as significant for hitters as it is for pitchers, but it's still a substantial surgery. Without the injury, I would have said we'd see him for sure in 2025, but he may have been set back a little because of it. Still a great prospect.

Emma is the one who should be the impact player in 2025. If he can stay healthy. He looks 100% ready to tackle advanced pitching, has a vicious swing and a disciplined approach, is a solid fielder and we could use his LH power bat. Kepler will be gone and while I would expect Wallner and Larnach to get the first shot in the corners, Larnach's injury history suggests that Emma will get a chance to come in and prove his quality. I'm excited to see what he does.

Erod and Keascall will most definitely be in the bigs in ‘25. Some guys ahead of them just don’t have the ceiling that they do.  
Jenkins will have to find a few more refined hit tools to get to the show in ‘25. Is it possible? Sure, but probs not enough until September and thats OK if he makes an Arozerena type impact in Sept ‘25.

hitting .280 at A AA is impressive ??  man, take me back to the good ol days

46 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

First off, Walker Jenkins did not continue to hit for power when he got to AA, nor did he handle advanced pitching particularly well. He's an awesome prospect and I'm not the least bit concerned about him, but he put up an OPS of .450 in AA with 1 XBH. He also still still hasn't turned 20 yet, so again: not worried. But I don't expect him to have a big impact on the Twins in 2025: that's going to happen in 2026. He's going to be back in AA this season, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he's in AAA at midseason. But I suspect he's going to need a little time and work in the high minors to adjust to better pitching. Hardly a crime, considering he's going to be 20.

Keaschall might be an option, but I'm a little more skeptical until we see how he's recovered from the TJ. Yes, it's not as significant for hitters as it is for pitchers, but it's still a substantial surgery. Without the injury, I would have said we'd see him for sure in 2025, but he may have been set back a little because of it. Still a great prospect.

Emma is the one who should be the impact player in 2025. If he can stay healthy. He looks 100% ready to tackle advanced pitching, has a vicious swing and a disciplined approach, is a solid fielder and we could use his LH power bat. Kepler will be gone and while I would expect Wallner and Larnach to get the first shot in the corners, Larnach's injury history suggests that Emma will get a chance to come in and prove his quality. I'm excited to see what he does.

Jenkins had 6 games at AA.  Yes, he did not crush in those 6 games, but talk about SSS size.  To just look at his numbers in those 6 games 28 plate appearances is nothing to draw any conclusion from.  On the bright side on those limited at bats, he walked 3 times, about an 11% rate and only struck out 4 times, about a 15% rate.  

These are the "Big 3" that have been talked about for much of this last summer and no into the fall and pre-winter.  I'm excited about Jenkins but agree with those that don't expect a major impact in 2025.  He will begin at either AA or AAA but he would really need to blow up at St. Paul to have any chance at half a season with the Twins.  That's not likely, but I COULD see Jenkins get that "cup of coffee" call up in September.

Emmanuel Rodriguez is another story.  He's one year ahead of Jenkins due to his very early appearance in the Twins minor league system.  Even with a good spring training, I see E-Rod at St. Paul for at least April and May.  Depending on how he's doing and the Twins OF situation he could be up as early as June, but more likely a July, post All Star Game promotion.

As young as E-Rod and Jenkins are, I think it's too early to dismiss any action in CF.  They may both end up in the corners, but with Wallner firmly planted in RF and E-Rod and Jenkins both being LH (as well as Larnach) CF has to be an option, especially if Buxton misses time.

Keaschall is a very interesting prospect whose situation is complicated by Tommy John surgery.  He's versatile and athletic and while he seems to be more profiled as an infielder, I think CF is a distinct possibility (as well as LF).  There is an opening for a RH utility bat on the opening day roster.  I'll be very interested in any and all news regarding Keaschall prior to and during spring training.  

One other guy I'm curious about is Brandon Winokur, the 6:6 kid who played both SS and CF for Fort Myers.  His stats were decent but not great.  Will he begin at Fort Myers or one level higher?  He's a guy that is just outside the fringe of the Jenkins, E-Rod, Keaschall level, but with the athleticism to play SS and CF at 6:6 he kind of sounds like a Bob Allison throw back.  

I also think the Twins have a lot of depth in the minor leagues and should certainly look to move some pieces not named Jenkins, Rodriguez or Keaschall this off season in an effort to add some young, controllable, major league talent, at catching, infield or outfield.  

IMO it'll be hard to see Jenkins even coming close to the MLB this coming season. He's developing his hitting which is fine but his power hasn't materialized yet which is fine too. His power will eventually come, it's still too early.

Keuschall is a good hitter who is so far profiled as a 2Bman (although I can't tell you how good he's there), he has the arm to be at 3B but hasn't played there enough to develop his hands. At CF & 1B he's extremely raw so I don't count versatility as one of his good points yet. Although I never considered Julien as a 2B man, according to the experts we have a glut of great 2Bmen. We still have to see how he'll recover from his TJ. I'm sure they'll try to get him up but don't count on him to make an impact. They may want to sell high on him.

Keirsey should have been tested out early to see who we have in him last season. Since we didn't, we'll have to give him time to prove himself this season. IMO Emma needs more time in AAA,  make sure he's ready body & talent-wise. He sure has the potential to make an impact this season.

Seems like these three have bright futures. I get the idea that the odds are against prospects but feel these players are balanced for the most part in their game.

Jenkins just needs to stay healthy and play. His physical tools will allow him to react and adjust to the improved pitching at AA and AAA. I have been impressed that he plays within himself and doesn't force a swing. 2026 is almost surely when Walker Jenkins will become a Twin.

Luke Keaschall is someone who has bloomed in the last few years. His athleticism should play at several positions but he will need a ton of repetitions to be a plus defender. I think he will be a good defensive player within a year or two. The bat is really quick though which may push him to MLB this season. It is hard to predict how Keaschall performs coming off of surgery, but I am high on his talent and future.

Then there is Emmanuel. EmRod will be controversial for many because he has missed a pile of games in his career thus far due to various injuries and he strike out quite a bit. Pitchers see a hole at the top of the zone and Rodriguez will often help a pitcher out by taking pitches right down the middle. MLB does not have either the ABS system or a challenge system for calling pitches, which further cuts into EmRod's ability to discern balls from strikes. Despite these issues, my take is that Emmanuel is ready to plug into the Twins lineup right now. He will be a handful for pitchers and he plays outstanding defense in addition to being a good base runner. Rodriguez will strike out but it is time for the Twins to plug in a guy who can energize the team.

Lastly, while other teams have likely sought each of these players in potential trades, I don't see a team out there that will send back the type of player(s) the Twins would require to offset the loss of talent from any of Jenkins, Rodriguez, or Keaschall. I would be interested to read any ideas that others may have regarding trades. Because each of these three possess athleticism and the skills to be excellent on each side of the game I see them as superior to many previous Twins prospects. I'm keeping them.

Jenkins, while promising, is still a ways away. He only played a couple games at AA last year. My guess is he'll spend most of the year there, maybe with a promotion to st Paul later in the year if he's crushing it. He did only hit what like 5 home runs last year though? Rodriguez has the best chance of an impact since he reached AAA. My guess is he starts the year there and either due to playing well or more likely injury, we may see him by mid to late season. Keaschal could go either way. I could see the injury lingering and then a sophomore slump which keeps him in AAA or AAA all year. Or he could show up healthy in spring and compete for an IF job. If Castro is traded they will definitely need either him or Eeles to make the team as a backup IF to Lee and Julien.

I wonder if everyone is still overlooking Payton Eeles, which has been the case for that guy. For those who have watched him, I'm curious about him as a prospect who can play 2B for the Twins. Eeles is one player who I have only seen a couple of times and so I don't have much of a feel for his future. 

Considering how successful Eeles was at multiple levels last season, especially at AAA, it seems odd that he hasn't drawn much attention.

I hope the Twins don’t rush these kids to MLB. It looks like they promoted Kiriloff, Lewis, Julien, and Lee before they were ready. They need to make sure their prospects are fully developed including defense and base running skills. Make sure they get enough AB’s and prove they’re ready through their play, not their prospect hype.

The Twins should be considered a 2025 playoff team and therefore shouldn’t rely on prospects. They have a roster with veteran players that should lead the team. If they’re going to rush prospects, then go into rebuild mode and sell/trade Correa, Buxton, and others and bring on the next wave of prospects. 
They should be concerned with getting Lee on track, making sure Larnach and Wallner are solid big league players, and trying to salvage Julien and Kiriloff. Let the next wave play full year in MiLB and force their way onto the lineup in 2026. 

1 hour ago, Trov said:

Jenkins had 6 games at AA.  Yes, he did not crush in those 6 games, but talk about SSS size.  To just look at his numbers in those 6 games 28 plate appearances is nothing to draw any conclusion from.  On the bright side on those limited at bats, he walked 3 times, about an 11% rate and only struck out 4 times, about a 15% rate.  

That's my point, though: he's only played 6 games at AA and hasn't even turned 20 yet. Expecting him to make a big impact in MLB in 2025 might be premature. I think his ceiling is immense and I'm happy to be aggressive in promoting him (as the Twins have been so far), but he's much more likely to be an impact bat in 2026 in MLB, which would still be in his age-21 season. 21! That would be right in line with Hall of Famer Joe Mauer's development.

Kala'i Rosario could be a more impactful bat in 2025. It's not a knock on Jenkins at all, I think he's a spectacular prospect and will have more impact in the end than any other player currently in our minor league system. I'm just trying to be a little more realistic about when that's likely to start. And if he's in MLB at 21, then it's an unqualified success.

I love Keaschall as well, but I expect him to be more advanced having played 3 years of college. His power was down a little in AA, and I expect the elbow injury had a fair bit to do with that. I expect great things from him the way he looked last season, but it might take a little time for him to get back in the groove, and while he may be ready for spring training...he may not. Recovery is what it is. If he hadn't had a significant surgery, I'd be more optimistic about his chances to have a big impact in 2025. The following season seems more likely to me? It will also be very interesting to see where he lands for a position: the elbow limited his time in the field last season for sure. But he's shown interesting positional flexibility; could he be a "10th starter" in 2026 who hits the snot out of the ball wherever he plays and puts up solid defense at 3-4 positions? Oh darn...

14 minutes ago, 1985Fan said:

I hope the Twins don’t rush these kids to MLB. It looks like they promoted Kiriloff, Lewis, Julien, and Lee before they were ready.

These three need to earn their way on to the roster, for sure. However, I do believe these three are more well rounded baseball players than the group you mention and their athleticism should allow them to make adjustments better as well.

The Twins have some young prospects pushing for an MLB debut.  They also have a couple of corner OF types who need to produce if they are to stave off the eventual arrival of E-Rod & Jenkins, namely Larnach and Wallner.  This would also include Kirilloff who probably needs to crush it in spring training and in April and May or his time in Minnesota will be done.

This type of upward pressure from prospects in the minor leagues also opens up trade possibilities for the aforementioned Wallner, Larnach and Kirilloff and to some extent, Miranda if they decide Wallner would look awfully nice at 1B.  

There are other prospects who have value as well who could be packaged in trades.  As someone else mentioned, the challenge for Falvey this off season will be in consummating a couple of trades to better balance out the roster.

This is something Falvey failed at miserably this past season with his lone deadline deal bringing in retread Trevor Richards.  You can blame it on budget restraints, but a trade involving our minor league talent and depth for young major league or minor league talent close to breaking into the big leagues should have been pursued with a vengeance.  It's not like there were zero opportunities.  It's Falvey's job to find and execute those possibilities. 

We've had an unbalanced roster for 3-4 years now.  It's time to address that.    

8 minutes ago, 1985Fan said:

I hope the Twins don’t rush these kids to MLB. It looks like they promoted Kiriloff, Lewis, Julien, and Lee before they were ready. They need to make sure their prospects are fully developed including defense and base running skills. Make sure they get enough AB’s and prove they’re ready through their play, not their prospect hype.

The Twins should be considered a 2025 playoff team and therefore shouldn’t rely on prospects. They have a roster with veteran players that should lead the team. If they’re going to rush prospects, then go into rebuild mode and sell/trade Correa, Buxton, and others and bring on the next wave of prospects. 
They should be concerned with getting Lee on track, making sure Larnach and Wallner are solid big league players, and trying to salvage Julien and Kiriloff. Let the next wave play full year in MiLB and force their way onto the lineup in 2026. 

AK was 23 when called up and a top prospect, that was not too early. Lewis was called up at 23 and has a career OPS+ of 126, too early? Julien was called up at age 24, if that is too early for a guy with a minor league career OPS of over .900, then what the heck are the Twins doing?

People hate it when I say this but really good baseball players (difference makers) don't need to sit in the minors forever or until they are "Fully developed" whatever that means.

Erod and Keascall will most definitely be in the bigs in ‘25. Some guys ahead of them just don’t have the ceiling that they do.  
Jenkins will have to find a few more refined hit tools to get to the show in ‘25. Is it possible? Sure, but probs not enough until September and thats OK if he makes an Arozerena type impact in Sept ‘25.

9 hours ago, Patzky said:

A Jenkins Buxton Rodriguez OF and a Keaschall Correa Lewis Wallner IF in 2026 makes Camargo behind the plate seem palatable. Ok to dream?

Thats when the plan comes together and we win a ton of games!

12 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

AK was 23 when called up and a top prospect, that was not too early. Lewis was called up at 23 and has a career OPS+ of 126, too early? Julien was called up at age 24, if that is too early for a guy with a minor league career OPS of over .900, then what the heck are the Twins doing?

People hate it when I say this but really good baseball players (difference makers) don't need to sit in the minors forever or until they are "Fully developed" whatever that means.

It’s not about age. Julien had <1000 AB’s in the minors, including only 138 AAA AB’s when called up. The lost COVID season delayed development for all. 
Lewis had a total of 131 AAA AB’s by 2023 when playing for Twins. He’s lacking in fundamentals in the field and at the plate and it shows. 
Kiriloff had very few games at AAA in 2021 when he started his yo-yo up and down travel between Twins and MiLB. 
Very rare for instant success in baseball. Those players are the exception, definitely not the norm. Need time to learn at AAA to have a base of success to fall back on when the slump comes. Notice a pattern with Julien, Kiriloff, Lewis and others? They all lack AAA time. 

7 hours ago, 1985Fan said:

It’s not about age. Julien had <1000 AB’s in the minors, including only 138 AAA AB’s when called up. The lost COVID season delayed development for all. 
Lewis had a total of 131 AAA AB’s by 2023 when playing for Twins. He’s lacking in fundamentals in the field and at the plate and it shows. 
Kiriloff had very few games at AAA in 2021 when he started his yo-yo up and down travel between Twins and MiLB. 
Very rare for instant success in baseball. Those players are the exception, definitely not the norm. Need time to learn at AAA to have a base of success to fall back on when the slump comes. Notice a pattern with Julien, Kiriloff, Lewis and others? They all lack AAA time. 

It is always about age (or at least the vast majority of the time) the best players in the game don't need to spend and years in the minors or AAA. Mauer had 21 PA in AAA before debuting at age 21. Soto still doesn't have a AAA plate appearance. Bobby Witt with his missed COVID season has a total of 161 games in the minors, Volpe has 21 games in AAA, Luis Arraez has 18 games in AAA.  Julio Rodrguez never played AAA and missed the Covid year and debuted at age 21. I could go on and on with examples of the major league stars, difference makers.

Talent is Talent is Talent and it is usually obvious (to the MLB people at least), yes there are guys that weirdly figure it out in their mid 20's or later but they are the exception to the rule, and yes there are decent major league players that fill out rosters that take more time developing and they play a huge role for teams and are vital for a team.

But when we are talking  MN Twins prospects, my goal isn't roster fillers guys, I am looking for the next Mauer, Buxton, Correa, Soto, Tatis,  Henderson, Witt type of player, why because 90% of those guys will fail to be that and end up being the roster filler role anyway. (AK prime example)

IMO when they left Miranda, Julien and Wallner down in the minor leagues longer than they should have they were destined to the players they are now and not the plug this stud in the lineup for the next 5/6 years and worry about another position.

8 hours ago, 1985Fan said:

It’s not about age.

I think the whole "age" thing is a tricky equation. I truly believe that some players can be "ready" for the majors at 19 or 20 years old, while others are better suited to wait until they are 24 or 25. Lots of variables and conditions to consider, but if the player looks ready, don't let the young age hold him back. That said, I don't think Jenkins is quite ready for his debut yet. Maybe if he tears it up in AA to start the year, we might be looking at an August/September callup, but there is no real reason to rush him to the show. 

If Walker Jenkins is up with the Twins in 2025, something went horribly wrong. The Twins don't rush prospects, even if they're hitting well in the minors so if he's with the big club, injuries have ravaged the roster.