Futures Game Preview: Twins Rising Prospect Hopes to Be the Next Dustin Pedroia

The 2024 MLB Futures Game will be held on Saturday, July 13, at 3 PM CT and will be available to watch on MLB Network, MLB.TV, MLB.com, or the MLB app. It’s the 25th annual event, which has featured some of the best prospects in Twins history. Brooks Lee was scheduled to be the Twins representative, but his call-up to the big leagues forced a change. Instead, the Twins are sending another infield prospect whose stock is skyrocketing. 

Luke Keaschall shares many similarities with former Red Sox infielder Dustin Pedroia, a player he hopes to emulate professionally. Both players attended Arizona State University, played multiple infield positions, and can be seen as more diminutive in stature. Keaschall started his college career at the University of San Francisco before joining ASU for his junior season. He put himself on many team’s draft radars by hitting .353/.443/.725 (1.168) with 25 doubles and 18 home runs in 55 games. Based on this performance, Minnesota was excited that he fell to the organization in last season’s draft. 

The Twins selected Keaschall with the 49th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Minnesota quickly signed him for $1.5 million and sent him to the FCL to get his first taste of pro ball before heading to a full-season league. Most of his at-bats came with Low-A Fort Myers, where he went 21-for-72 (.292 BA) with ten extra-base hits and a 20-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Minnesota bumped him to Cedar Rapids for the stretch run since they were in the hunt for the Midwest League playoffs. He hit 10-for-32 (.313 BA) in eight games, with two doubles and two home runs. In the deciding game, he reached base twice, drove in a run, and scored a run. It was a strong debut for him to build on for the 2024 season. 

“I work my tail off in the weight room,” Keaschall said. “At the end of the day, I'm still growing, I'm still maturing, I'm still getting bigger and stronger and better at the game and refining my swing and mechanics. I think just over time, becoming a better baseball player, maturing a little bit more.”

Minnesota had Keaschall begin this season in Cedar Rapids, since he had limited at-bats at that level to end last season. He was a monster in the Kernels lineup, hitting .335/.457/.544 (1.001) with 12 doubles and seven home runs in 44 games. At the end of May, the Twins promoted him to Double-A, where he was nearly 3.5 years younger than the average age of the competition at that level. In his first 38 games, he is hitting over .300 while getting on base over 40% of the time. His surface numbers don’t tell the whole story about what he brings to the team. 

He worked on his swing during the winter to have a better line-drive approach by hunting for pitches in the zone that he can drive for power. His professional approach has allowed him to accumulate nearly as many walks (51) as strikeouts (66). Among minor league players with at least 300 plate appearances, his wRC+ ranked in the top five. He’s also been a threat on the bases by going 19-for-23 in stolen base attempts. 

Defensively, Keaschall was drafted as a second baseman, but the Twins are giving him opportunities to play in the outfield and even some first base. During the 2024 season, he made 20 starts at second base and 16 at center field. Last winter, he went to Driveline to have them help him work on his arm action, which has helped him transition to a more regular outfield role. 

Even with his college experience, Keaschall has been promoted aggressively by the Twins while continuing to perform well. He’s only had 18 plate appearances against younger pitchers and is the first player from the team’s 2023 draft class to be promoted to Double-A. The Twins may have found a steal in the second round, especially if Keaschall can continue to follow in Pedroia’s footsteps.

What stands out most about Keaschall’s start to his career? Where does he rank among the team’s top prospects? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!