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Generally speaking, it is unwise to expect prospects to arrive in the major leagues and be immediately effective. That goes without saying. We have seen plenty of highly touted talents flounder in their first exposure to the majors, with Brooks Lee serving as the latest example. Finding one's stride in the big leagues can take a while, and sometimes it never happens.
But sometimes, it happens immediately, and the impact can be profound. In looking back at some of the most successful Twins seasons of the recent past, you can almost always find one rookie fresh out of the minors who took the league by storm and provided the team with a massive, game-changing jolt. Last year it was Edouard Julien. In 2019 it was Luis Arraez. Looking back a little further: Miguel Sano (2015), Danny Valencia (2010), Denard Span (2008) and Francisco Liriano (2006) all come to mind as rookies who dramatically changed the fortunes of their teams for the better.
The 2025 Twins are going to need a spark like that, and maybe more than one. The good news is that, in addition to a hopeful sophomore turnaround from Lee, there are also a handful of prospects in the high minors who have yet to debut but could very well do so next year if healthy.
Any one of these four players is absolutely capable of delivering an impact on the level of the names we just mentioned.
Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF
I wrote recently that Rodriguez is coming in hot following another season of phenomenal performance in the minors, which saw him finish in Triple-A rated as a top-30 prospect in baseball. He's one of the most intriguing, high-upside bats in any system, with a combination of patience and power that is rarely seen. He recently underwent surgery (a "cleanup procedure") to address the thumb injury that repeatedly sidelined him this past season, and should be a full go for spring training.
"He’s such a unique profile,” Derek Falvey recently told Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune. “It’s almost impossible to look at that profile and say how it’s going to translate to the big leagues because no one else has it. He’s very, very unique and he’s so young, he’s still growing and still getting better ... I’m excited about next spring training because I’m looking forward to a healthy version with a little bit more experience.”
A left-handed hitter, Rodriguez can play all three outfield spots, including center. As Falvey alludes, his extreme skill set makes it difficult to project his MLB performance confidently, even by the already volatile standard of any rookie debuting in the majors. But if it clicks quickly, Rodriguez could legitimately be the best hitter in the lineup, next year and for many that follow.
Luke Keaschall, 2B
Since being drafted in the second round in 2023, Keaschall has carved through the minors, ascending to Double-A this year while accumulating a .300/.419/.482 slash line through 133 games as a pro. Like Rodriguez, he ranks in the Top 100 on MLB Pipeline's global prospect list, checking in at No. 63. Like Rodriguez, he finished the year on the injured list.
The Twins shut down Keaschall, who was playing through a known elbow ligament injury, in August to have him undergo Tommy John surgery, with an eye on a full recovery leading up to next spring. As long as he can get back to where he was at the plate, Keaschall will become an immediate factor in Minnesota's plans. His right-handed bat could be a critical addition for the Twins, who badly need to upgrade over what they received from the likes of Kyle Farmer and Manuel Margot this season.
Marco Raya, RHP
In some ways, Raya was brought along very slowly and cautiously. He didn't make an official appearance until the third year after he was drafted, and his workload has been carefully managed. But in other ways, the Twins have been very aggressive, pushing him through levels quickly to the point where he finished this year with a start at Triple-A.
Even with the pitch-count reins loosened somewhat, Raya still threw only 98 innings in 25 starts. It's difficult to envision him stepping into a rotation role as a starter facing lineups multiple times, but I could definitely see him an as a weapon in a multi-inning bullpen role, which I've always wondered if the Twins were grooming him for. Raya will be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to avoid eligibility for the Rule 5 draft.
Connor Prielipp, LHP
Prielipp has lost so, so much time to injury. He was limited to just 28 innings at Alabama, causing him to fall from the top of the first round to the top of the second, where Minnesota selected him in 2022. And arm injuries have limited him to just 30 total innings in two years since being drafted. But few would question Prielipp is capable of if healthy.
The hope is that his latest elbow surgery will prove to be a permanent fix for Prielipp's perpetual health woes. He sure looked healthy in his return to action this year, striking out 41 in 23 innings for a 45% K-rate across nine appearances, most of them at High-A Cedar Rapids.
Prielipp turns 24 this offseason and has barely pitched professionally. The idea of developing him as a starter feels far-fetched at this point. However, if the Twins commit to him as a reliever, he's got the stuff to enter the big-league picture very quickly. And as it happens, left-handed relief help is one of the clearest and most urgent needs on the roster.
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!
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