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    Meet the Twins Prospect Who's Closing in on a 30/30 Season—and on the Majors

    Kyler Fedko is having a minor-league season for the ages. Who is he, and does he have a major-league future? Let's dig in.
    Jamie Cameron

    By Jamie Cameron

    Image courtesy of © Jonah Hinebaugh/The News-Press/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

    Twins Video

    It’s time to start paying Kyler Fedko some attention. If the season ended today, he’d undoubtedly be an organizational top three minor-league hitter in 2025. He even has an outside shot at a 30/30 season; that's the scale of his power-speed blend.

    Fedko was an unheralded draft selection. He was taken in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of UConn and was signed to a $125,000 bonus. He ranked 497th on Baseball America’s pre-draft big board. He was a standout player in college, winning the Big East player of the year in 2021 while hitting .410 and cranking 12 home runs. His pre-draft scouting report noted that ‘scouts are unsure whether he’ll be able to sustain his production with wood bats or against better pitching’.

    The young outfielder has fallen into a strange pattern throughout his five-year minor-league career. Time and again, he goes to a new level of minor-league ball and struggles. The next year, he repeats it—and crushes it.

    Level

    Year

    wRC+

    A

    2021

    82

    A

    2022

    155

    A+

    2022

    98

    A+

    2023

    136

    AA

    2024

    84

    AA

    2025

    140

    AAA

    2025

    183 (through 08/20)

    That pattern persisted in the early going in 2025, when Fedko made the adjustment to Double-A pitching. In 88 games, he hit .253/.375/.494, with 20 home runs, 26 stolen bases, and a walk rate north of 15%. Sheesh. Only, something is different this time around. For the first time in his career, Fedko has stepped up a level and hasn’t skipped a beat.

    It’s only been 16 games at Triple-A St. Paul, but Fedko hasn’t taken long to adjust. He’s hitting .358/.429/.687, with 5 home runs, 5 stolen bases, and a 183 wRC+. He’s done that while maintaining a respectable 20.8% strikeout rate. So, what’s the outlook here?

    Well, he’ll almost certainly cool off. Fedko is running a .404 BABIP since his promotion. His 98th-percentile wOBA is outpacing his 36th-percentile xWOBA significantly. But what might the role be here? He’s at least given himself a chance at reaching the big-league level. (Insert your own joke about the Twins never acquiring a right-handed hitting outfield bat here.) Actually, the joke's on you, Fedko has reverse splits, with an .824 OPS against lefties in 2025 versus a .925 OPS against righties. Even so, I think he’s earning an audition as a bench bat for 2026.

    What are the warts in Fedko’s profile? First, he doesn’t hit the ball very hard. These are limited sample sizes from Triple A, but a MaxEV of 107 mph is pretty uninspiring for the level. How, then, has he gotten to so much power? Fedko is a master at pulling the ball in the air. Entering games on Tuesday night (in which he went 5-5), Fedko had a Pull Air% of 22.7%, good for 95th percentile in Triple A. Combine that with a line drive rate that’s up about 7% in 2025, and excellent in-zone contact (87.5%) and Fedko punishes anything in the zone to the pull side.

    There’s a tendency to expand the zone, though. Fedko chases at a rate north of 30%. This is likely something that big-league pitchers would exploit. He chases breaking pitches plenty, offspeed pitches even more, and he’s vulnerable at the top of the strike zone.

    Defensively, it's a solid profile. He's played the majority of his reps in Triple A in left field. It's a good (and accurate) but not outstanding arm. Even so, I think he clears Austin Martin, Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner in defensive value.

    The outfield for 2026 seems fairly set, but there's an opening there. Byron Buxton and Wallner are locks. Alan Roden (underwhelming debut aside) should get the first crack at the final starting spot. Larnach doesn’t hit well enough to outpace his supplementary tools. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. doesn’t hit enough, period. Martin’s supplementary tools aren’t that supplementary. Enter Kyler Fedko. I don’t think he’d need to hit that well to be useful. An outfielder with positional versatility, some speed, and pop is a viable candidate to be a fourth outfielder in 2026.

    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!

    View Twins Top Prospects
    Ex-Londoner, adopted Minnesotan
    Follow Jamie Cameron on Twitter: J_D_Cameron

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    jmlease1

    jmlease1 15,285

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    1 minute ago, chpettit19 said:

    He's only at 95 because of 1 good month. He's not the 10th best position player on a good team. He was on a good team and got cut. Kody Clemens was out of this world in May and it's carried him for the season. Like Joey Gallo having a 100 OPS+ in 2023 because of his 1.000 OPS that April. Since the calendar flipped to June Kody Clemens has a .656 OPS. Is that the 10th best position player on a good team? Is that good enough for a utility player? Kody Clemens has not been good since May.

    Yeah, but he's a "gamer"! He gets dirt on his uniform and runs hard on every play! That's got to be better than a player who can actually hit, right? #sarcasm

    There's worse choices for a utility guy than Kody Clemens, but that's who he is. If he's a contender for the starting job at 1B it's because the Pohlads have shrunk the payroll down again and preemptively put up the white surrender flag for 2026, awaiting a lockout/strike in 2027.

    Looking at the roster right now, the lineup is pretty thin. I expect Larnach to be gone because the Cheap Pohlads will want more payroll reduction, but he also should be moved on from because he doesn't produce enough as a decent platoon bat with little to no defensive value. I'd say management is hoping Roden or Outman can grab a spot, something that doesn't thrill me at all. Hopefully if both continue to crap out they won't keep chasing but I suspect both will be examples of sunk cost fallacy. Martin continues to be just ok and never seems to be able to get his tools to play up (he's not as good an OF as his profile would indicate, his speed doesn't seem to play on the bases much, etc), so how much longer do we keep doing this dance?

    Fedko is interesting; at least he's trending in the right direction. But counting on him to step in and produce seems...risky.

    ashbury

    ashbury 60,775

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    This "get to know him" article didn't mention what seems to be an interesting tidbit, that Kyler has an older brother (or cousin or something) named Christian who also played at UConn as an infielder and who, although undrafted, has gone on to play three years (so far) of independent ball in the Frontier League after graduation.  This involved no deep research on my part of course, merely typing the name Fedko into b-r.com.

    rdehring

    rdehring 5,062

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    4 hours ago, DJL44 said:

    Keirsey really hasn't hit "very well" in the minors. His best OPS is 850 and he's always been older than average for each level. He's hit "okay" in the minors and was horrible in the major leagues. He only got two or three at-bats a week because his manager was smart enough to realize that he can't hit. I don't see any reason to keep Keirsey on the 40-man roster this offseason. There are dozens of guys just like him in the minors.

    Must disagree, DJL.  Not saying I think Keirsey is a stud or would likely be a starter for the Twins.  Do think he could be a good option as a fourth or fifth outfielder.  Also, one never knows when someone comes out of the weeds and becomes a solid player at an older age.  

    Won't disagree he didn't hit for the Twins.  But you have to consider which is it, the chicken or the egg.  Did he not hit because he isn't capable?  Or because no one is likely to hit when breaking into the big leagues and batting a few times a week. 

    DJL44

    DJL44 16,605

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    15 minutes ago, rdehring said:

    Must disagree, DJL.  Not saying I think Keirsey is a stud or would likely be a starter for the Twins.  Do think he could be a good option as a fourth or fifth outfielder.  Also, one never knows when someone comes out of the weeds and becomes a solid player at an older age.  

    Won't disagree he didn't hit for the Twins.  But you have to consider which is it, the chicken or the egg.  Did he not hit because he isn't capable?  Or because no one is likely to hit when breaking into the big leagues and batting a few times a week. 

    Fangraphs says he's the worst batter (non-pitcher) in Twins history with > 90 PA. He's hitting .116 for his career with 33K against 2BB in 99PA but keep on hoping.

    Danchat

    Danchat 14,025

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    5 hours ago, Road trip said:

    I usually hear 1000 at bats, but if 1500 is the new standard Wallner isn't even half way to 1500 yet.  He should mostly DH by '26 or '27, but that's fine as nobody is blocking him there.  It might be with the Twins, or he may be traded because it is pretty clear that no current player except Buxton is guaranteed to be here by this time next year.

    Fedko... well, he's another older prospect that has sometimes performed well in the minors.  I look at his development path and kinda see similarities to Mark Contreras.  Much like Contreras he's been a slow riser. Finally mastering AA at age 25 doesn't inspire great confidence.  Like Contreras he has some speed and power, and could perhaps be an emergency CF and 4th outfielder?  Contreras of course didn't last long with the Twins, and perhaps wasn't quite as good a hitter.... so Fedko is likely worth a look in MLB at some point next year, or maybe even in September if spots open up, but I think there are better OF prospects in the system who should be ready by '27 if not sooner. 

    Good call, I was thinking of Contreras too when the part about being a capable LF came up. I thought he could have been a solid bench bat.

    Looking more closely at Fedko... hitting .645 in his first 300 PAs at AA at age 24 is concerning. Only a career .250 hitter in the minors. I'll be cheering for him, but too often our underdog hitters at AAA rarely parlay their hot streaks into anything in the majors.

    DocBauer

    DocBauer 22,263

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    Jamie, I defer to you, Seth, and Tom in regard to expertise in regard to the MILB system, no matter how much I read, listen, and watch to a very limited degree.

    But a couple of points regarding Fedko, as I've been digging more in to his numbers.

    1] You say his arm is around average, but he's spent more time in his MILB career in RF than LF: 153 GS vs 74 GS. I speculate he's no better than a 3rd option in CF, but he's got 51 GS there as well. So I'm a bit confused by his arm vs most of his time in RF. Just covering for lesser prospects perhaps?

    2] He's never hit for a great AVG in his MILB career. But he also has a career MILB OB% of 111 points higher than his AVG. And yes, I completely understand the wildness of lower level pitching. But even ignoring his SSS at St Paul so far, his OB% at Wichita was 122 points higher than his AVG. While proof of nothing going forward, doesn't this indicate a kid who has bat control overall, and an idea of the zone?

    3] I'm also a little confused about the mantra that he's repeated levels. It's certainly true to some degree I grant. But when drafted, he got 81 PA at Ft Myers. He did begin 2022 at Ft Myers, but after getting 109 PA appearances there, he got another 366 PA at CR to give him an ALMOST 3-1 profile of PA. I don't see that as out of place for a later draft choice in 2021. His numbers in 2022 were OK, but nothing to mark him as a prospect to follow.

    Here is where I get confused.

    To begin 2023, he was sent back to CR and had some really solid numbers, but only had 211 PA. Was there an injury that I don't recall? That's less than half of a full season, which he had in 2022. Am I missing something here?

    But regardless, he was jumped to AA in 2024 despite a short season the year before at CR. He basically TANKED in 294 PA appearances there. Was he still recovering from a previous injury in 2023 COMBINED with a promotion to AA? 

    This is all from a MILB follower who thought he'd be released before 2025 and was SURPRISED he was still in the system when the season began! Maybe a depth piece only to begin the season?

    It's ONLY after the 2025 season began that I took a hard look at his career, his numbers, a possible injury that slowed his development, etc. 

    I seriously doubt he's a legitimate 30/30 late bloomer while STILL only 25yo. MAYBE he's a good OB% guy who can be a 20/20 guy as a late bloomer. The fact that you state he's actually better against RHP is a GOOD thing since that's about 75% of what batters face. Or maybe he's just a 15/15 guy as a good 4th OF with solid defense at 2 spots, and can be a 3rd CF option.

    There are those who debate any prospect debuting beyond the 24-25yo threshold as being a viable ML prospect. I think there is SOME validity to that, but a very incomplete opinion based on history. And Fedko is still in his age 25 season.

    If Fedko is a quality defender, and has some speed, and has developed his power late, and has always managed a good OB%, shouldn't we be looking at him as a decent late developing prospect at this time? DID an injury affect him around 2022-2023 to slow his development initially? 

    Again, I'm a guy who thought he'd just be released before 2025 even began. It wasn't until he SUDDENLY exploded this year that I took a serious look at his MILB career.

    LyleCole

    LyleCole 127

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    I personally believe that the opening day starting outfield for Minnesota should be Walker Jenkins-  Byron Buxton - Emmanual Rodriguez.  

    Larnach-Roden-Fedko would be in competition to be a 4th OF with Wallner who probably should be the DH.  

    When you rebuild, you rebuild.  It isnt as if Rodriguez or Jenkins are 18 years old.  Rodriguez will be 23 next season, prime MLB debut age for a player that has been in the system5 years.  Jenkins will be 21, an age many young stars debut and I don't think he should go to AAA for a single AB.

    rdehring

    rdehring 5,062

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    18 hours ago, DJL44 said:

    Fangraphs says he's the worst batter (non-pitcher) in Twins history with > 90 PA. He's hitting .116 for his career with 33K against 2BB in 99PA but keep on hoping.

    Can't I have a different opinion without the continued making it look like I am an idiot?

    Greglw3

    Greglw3 971

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    On 8/21/2025 at 7:19 AM, HrbieFan said:

    Why is Wallner a lock? What has he done, besides hit a few long HRs? Wallner is horrible at best in the OF, Fedko runs circles around him there. Wallner should be a DH/1B 

     

    On 8/21/2025 at 10:11 AM, NYCTK said:

    Fans are fickle. 

    Fact is, Fedko is something like 11th on the organizational OF depth chart:

    Buxton
    Wallner 
    (Roden)
    Larnach
    Outman
    Martin
    Jenkins
    Rodriguez
    Gonzalez
    Mendez
    Fedko
    Keirsey
    McCusker

    Its a sad commentary on the Twins organizational OF depth and attention to offense in their scouting, trading and free agency when a .209 hitter who routinely whiffs on 95 mph major league fastballs and has the horrific production stat of 16 HR and 28 RBIs could be the #2 depth option.

    I’d rather bring up Jenkins, Fedko or Gonzalez than give away an out almost 80% of ABs to the other team.

    Wallner should be held to the same standard as everyone else and have to perform to stay in the major leagues. If he can right himself in the minors like he has before, then he should return.

    Rufus

    Rufus 279

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    On 8/21/2025 at 8:51 AM, Rufus said:

    Wallner to me nothing more than a home boy, white, Sano.  

    Actually I'd take Sano over Wallner.  Sano was a right handed hitter, was willing to move to any position the team needed to play on and on.



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