3 Twins Position-Player Prospect Predictions for 2026

I wasn't a huge fan of the Marek pick at the draft, but mostly because I was hoping one of the HS SS's would fall (Pierce, Fien, Steele Hall) or Witherspoon would still be there (taken 1 pick before us), but now that I have seen the defensive highlights I am a fan. If he can be a solid contact guy, with that defense he will make the majors. I am okay with taking a contact first guy and hoping power develops when you're also taking risks on high upside HS prospects like Winokur & Quentin Young. Gotta also hit on one of those risky picks though for it to be worth it...

2 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

OK, this actually a FUN OP! I like the change from another "how bad is this, and what happens here". And "woe is is us". Again, this is kinda FUN.

I'm changing the order.

RODRIGUEZ: In ST we saw the best and the worst of him. The kid has quality defense, and he has a good eye. By his own admission he has to learn at the highest level he has to swing earlier than before because he can't just wait. I think we saw a glimpse of what he can do in ST. What I am excited for is a healthy, brief Winter league where he was productive, and a ST where he continued to be healthy and flashed his potential. 

He just needs to be a little more consistent in his approach. By his own words, be a little more aggressive in early counts because that might be the best pitch you see. I can see reasons for getting him ramped up at St Paul, and give Roden a chance to flash, and give Rodriguez a little more time to make the adjustments he's recognized and talked about. 

But I keep thinking about someone like the Brewers stud, somewhat comparable,  Chouri who basically stunk early and adapted and then raked. I think a month or so from now he's ready and the Twins should make room and just live with the ups and downs.

WORST RODRIGUEZ: He's a great OF who hits .220 with a .315 OB% and slams 30+ Dbls and 25HR with a few  Trips and 12-15 SB, 20 once in a while.

That's a great player. But he's CAPABLE of hitting .255 with a .350 OB%.

HOUSTON: I never realized how good his glove was until I saw it in practice. He's NOT a small guy. So it's hard to believe the power he showed in his junior year before being drafted was a complete illusion. But that doesn't mean his BAT is, or should be about HR power. I LOVE his ability to work a count and have good OB ability, not K much, and work a count. I want him to be the HITTER he was in college with GOOD contact, stay away from the stuff you can't reach, and let his "natural" power lead to DOUBLES, and the occasional Triple. He's got the ability to steal some bases. But beyond that, he's a good base runner. MAYBE he's another Dozier who will develop HR power. 

But all he NEEDS to do is hit .250-.270 with an OB% of .320 with 30 Dbls, a few Trips, 8-10 HR and 15 SB to be REALLY GOOD. Better than that, he's a Bona Fide All Star! Less than that, he's a really good full time SS with speed and occasionally HR pop if he hits .240 with a .305 OB% along with 30 Dbls, a couple trips, 8HR, 15 SB . He's still really good if he does that.

Here's hoping!

LEBRON: Of course you are assuming he's the projected #3 pick. He's got #1 potential in many drafts, the way Jenkins would have been. Thankfully, the lottery didn't take the Twins out of the top 3 spots. And things may change between now and the draft. So Lebon makes sense.

Within 2-3yrs the Twins could have Lebron, Houston, Cullpepper, Keaschall, Lee, Lewis, and a few other depth pieces making a tremendous Twins INF. And even IF Lewis is gone after 2018, you can see a hell of a good INF, not even including other prospects. 

So yeah, I can I see an INF without Lewis in the next couple of seasons...but I don't want to...I can see an INF that might be OK without him. 

But as much as we talk about the projection of Jenkins for the future, I'd gladly take a 75% future projection of Rodriguez ASAP. He doesn't have to reach his ceiling to be really good.

 

 Wait.  The sky is NOT falling?  Woe is me that the sky is NOT falling.  

Nice article Cody, but Minor League Player of the Year for Marek Houston?  As much as he thrived at the plate in Fort Myers in Low A ball, he struggled in Cedar Rapids at High A (albeit in small sample sizes.)  I saw him play in Iowa last season, and Marek "Houston, we have a problem" when it came to hitting.   The glove is legit, but the days of having a Mark Belanger full time in your line-up are a thing of the past.  I hope the bat comes along for Marek Houston, but right now that's a huge "if."

Dumb question:  Why don't the Twins just play E Rodriguez at RF right out of spring training?

Marek Houston -  I will tell you I really struggle with this pick.   Defense is legit, hit tool I would say is average to above average (however major question marks at high A to end the season but only 12 games).  I read some where in a normal ballpark Houston would have only had 3 home runs last year.  Now he has the body type that he will continue to gain more power,  but I just keep getting vibes of Noah Miller.   If he can be a .270 hitter with 10-15 HR,  speed and elite defense,  he will be a decent MLB player. My issue is as of now I view him as a back up short stop.   

We will be picking SS this year,  Houston last year,  and Culpepper the year before.  All 3 will have much more value at SS if they can play than 3rd base or 2nd.  Lee will not be the long term option at SS.   

LeBron continues to rake.  Sounds like he is struggling a bit with the glove 8 errors already this season and a costly one last night.   I still think we will get an elite player in either him or Emerson.  

Lebron? Could be, I'm not a prospect hound so I have no real opinion.  However, that hot start may have lots of flashy power but 14 K in his first 18 games when he's totally dominating in all other respects indicates he's got holes that will get exploited at higher levels.  Could work out, but no draftee is a lock.  

Erod? Love to see him put it together at come up this year, but he's still got some work to do.  Prove it in St Paul and come up when he demands a spot. 

Houston? Hitting is so, so hard. If teaching good fielders was so easy the league wouldn't be hitting .240, so I am more hesitant about expecting him to reach a .650 OPS. His Wake Forest team had a .967 OPS his senior year, so his 1.055 isn't as mind-blowing as it might first appear. I'd be happy if his excellent glove could be paired with an average .340 OBP and some baserunning.

I hope all of this is right, but I'm currently very skeptical of Houston's bat. The glove is absolutely legit, but he really needs to show some progress at the plate because it's incredibly difficult to be a positive player if you're a zero offensively, even at SS. Maybe Houston's glove is so good that it'll be ok, but it takes a lot to get into Belanger class (and even Bambi had an OPS+ of 90 or better 3 times...which unsurprisingly were 3 of his 5 best seasons).

I would love to be wrong. 

Would have no problems with drafting Justin Lebron at this point. He certainly looks like he could be A Guy.

How about making a draft prediction that everyone doesn’t already expect to happen?