One Twins Hitting Prospect to Watch at Each Minor League Level

The Twins have accumulated depth in the upper levels of the minors, with many of their top prospects projected to play at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Other prospects are further away from Target Field, but that doesn’t mean their development is any less important. Below are hitters to keep tabs on this season, even if they aren’t the top-ranked prospect at that level. 

Triple-A: Matt Wallner
Saints Opening Day Roster
Many fans will keep close tabs on Edouard Julien’s Triple-A performance based on a solid spring and WBC performance. Don’t forget about Matt Wallner. He’s coming off a tremendous 2022 season, hitting .277/.412/.542 (.953) with 32 doubles, four triples, and 27 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. Twins Daily named Wallner the 2022 Minor League Hitter of the Year, but he dropped in the site’s prospect rankings from eighth to eleventh. He’s off to a strong start at Triple-A by going 4-for-12 with three extra-base hits and three runs. Wallner will impact the big-league roster at some point in 2023, but he will have to bide his time with the Saints until an opportunity is available. 

Double-A: Aaron Sabato
Wind Surge Opening Day Roster
Brooks Lee, the organization’s top prospect, will start the year at Double-A, where he ended the 2022 season. Like Lee, Sabato is a former first-round pick, but he is still waiting on a breakout season. Last season, he split time between High- and Double-A while hitting .215/.336/.438 (.774) with 17 doubles and 22 home runs. He’s averaged 38 extra-base hits per season in his professional career. Sabato turns 24 years old in June, which should be roughly the average age of the competition at his level. He’s played at two levels in each of his first two professional seasons, so he will be trying to power his way to Triple-A by the season’s second half. 

High-A: Misael Urbina
Kernels Opening Day Roster
The Kernels have four of Twins Daily’s top-10 prospects on their Opening Day roster, including Emmanuel Rodriguez, Marco Raya, Connor Prielipp, and Jose Salas. All eyes will be on Rodriguez based on his 2022 performance and emergence as a top-100 global prospect. Urbina is an intriguing name to follow. He was one of Minnesota’s top international signees back in 2018 and played parts of the last two seasons in Fort Myers. Last season, he hit .247/.323/.407 (.730) with 26 extra-base hits in 60 games. He continues to have the skills to be a five-tool player, but he needs to put it all together for an entire season.  

Low-A: Ricardo Olivar
Mighty Mussels Opening Day Roster
None of Twins Daily’s top 20 prospects are on the Fort Myers roster to start the 2023 season, but there are still hitters to watch. Danny De Andrade is the top-ranked prospect in the group, and he will be making his full-season debut. Olivar played most of 2022 at the rookie level but posted some solid offensive numbers. In 43 games, he hit .341/.433/.580 (1.013) with 12 doubles, three triples, and five home runs. Defensively, he is a catcher, but the Twins have been giving him more time in the outfield to keep his bat in the line-up. Can he build off his strong offensive showing with more playing time in 2023?

Which hitters will you be watching at each level? Will any of the names listed above have a breakout season? 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!