Greggory Masterson

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images On Friday, May 22nd, in Boston, Brooks Lee played a position other than shortstop for the first time since July 28th, 2025. Carlos Correa, the Twins’ starting shortstop between 2022 and mid-2025, left the following day’s game with a migraine and never played a game for Minnesota again. Since July 29th, Lee has started at shortstop in 95 games. But those days may be close to being over. There are a number of factors at play here. First, Lee himself. When Lee was drafted eighth overall in 2022, scouts believed he could be a serviceable MLB shortstop, with a pro arm and sure hands, but a lack of range. Since then, his defensive outlook has diminished, and it has felt like Lee has been asked to play shortstop out of necessity. He has turned in some good plays, but he seems overmatched, with -8 outs above average (OAA) in 1,193 innings at the position, and -5 OAA just this season alone (390 innings). He’s graded out at second and third base as an approximately average-to-slightly-below-average fielder, and one of those two positions is likely where he needs to settle if he wants a multi-year career as a starting player. However, to this point, Minnesota has relied on him at shortstop due to a dearth of other options. Tristan Gray, the team’s utility infielder through the first two months of the 2026 season, is a 30-year-old out of his athletic prime who can play some shortstop but shouldn’t be counted on as the team’s everyday shortstop, nor has he been playing every day at any position. However, the team recently called up another utility infielder, Ryan Kreidler, who has a much different profile than Gray. Kreidler, despite his hot start at the plate (.313/.405/.656 with 3 home runs in 37 plate appearances), is not a good hitter. He’s been among the worst hitters in baseball during his five-year MLB career. However, he’s a bona fide shortstop. Prior to Friday’s game, he had played five games in center field and five games at third base, only starting at shortstop in a game Lee did not play. Friday, though, he played shortstop, the position where he’s most valuable, for the first time getting precedence over Lee. And Saturday, he started at the hot corner again. In fact, on the broadcast, Cory Provus noted that the club has made it clear that Lee will spend a lot of time at third in the near future. This alignment makes the most of both players’ skill sets when both are on the dirt. Kreidler is the best shortstop on the team, so it makes sense to play him at the toughest position. Lee has a profile best served at third base, given his lack of range. Honestly, the Twins’ third utility infielder, Orlando Arcia, should also get precedence over Lee at short. Neither Kreidler nor Arcia nor Gray is likely to be the long-term answer at shortstop, though. Instead, this move also appears to be clearing a path for Twins Daily’s #2 prospect, shortstop Kaelen Culpepper, to make his debut in the not-so-distant future. Culpepper, the 21st overall pick in 2024, has been heating up at Triple-A St. Paul over the last few weeks, with an OPS over .900 over the past month. Culpepper started the season slowly, getting his first taste of Triple-A pitching this season. He’s also bounced around the diamond this spring, but two-thirds of his appearances have been at shortstop. Culpepper is more athletic and rangy than Lee with a plus arm, though there are questions about whether he has enough range to cut it as an MLB shortstop long-term. If he’s merely average, though, he’s a better option than Lee. Jamie Cameron wrote a great profile on Culpepper earlier this month that I encourage you to read. Long-term, the Twins probably hope a player like Twins Daily's #7 prospect Marek Houston will take over shortstop duties and move Culpepper to second or third base, but by all indications, the Twins seem to prefer Culpepper over Lee at short, necessitating a move to third (or second) base at some point for the three-year veteran. And the Twins recently reduced their 40-man roster to 39, designating Luis Garcia for assignment Saturday morning, which opens the door to add Culpepper to both the active and 40-man roster without much resistance. There’s another name at play, though—the reason third base is open for Lee to play, at least sporadically for now. Royce Lewis, the Twins’ starting third baseman (when healthy) since 2023, was demoted to Triple-A earlier this week after mustering just a .539 OPS in his first 119 plate appearances of 2026. For the foreseeable future, he will be in St. Paul (which also cuts into Culpepper’s time playing positions beyond shortstop), leaving major league playing time available at third base. It’d be a bit surprising if Lee exclusively played third for the time being, though the Twins don't currently have a player who plays third but doesn't play shortstop on their roster. It’s unclear whether—or if—Lewis will return to major-league action, or at what position. As bad as Lee has looked early this season at shortstop, Lewis looked as bad or worse at third base. It’s possible that Lewis, along with getting his hitting back on track, may need to learn to play another position to get back up to the majors, but that conversation is months away. As a caveat, the Twins have another struggling infielder—Luke Keaschall—to worry about. Perhaps Lee or Culpepper (or Arcia or Gray) might also be asked to man the keystone at some point, which complicates this analysis. But for right now, it looks like we’re in the early stages of Brooks Lee’s short tenure as Minnesota’s shortstop coming to an unceremonious end, and the newly-vacated hot corner is as good a place as any to let him settle in, so long as he shows something at the plate*. *it’s unclear that he’s shown enough at the plate yet View full article

Bowman is 35 himself. I try not to get too upset when my complaint is effectively "How come the Twins chose the probably bad player I don't like instead of the probably bad player I do like!?"

I think guys knowing when they should expect to pitch is valuable. But I struggle to justify the idea that taking them “You will be facing the 5-6-7 hitters” is markedly different than “You will be pitching the 8th”

Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-Imagn Images The 2026 Minnesota Twins bullpen is markedly different than those of past years. Obviously, there’s a clear talent gap, but beyond that, the arms are being deployed in a seemingly inconsistent manner. Minor-league veteran Luis García threw two innings of 9th-inning mop-up to begin his Twins career (allowing two runs in two innings across two games), and the next day, he was trusted to throw the 8th inning of a 4-3 game that the Twins were winning. In April, the Twins had back-to-back games (which they won) that required four relievers to record eight outs and five relievers to record 10. Justin Topa and Kody Funderburk both picked up saves, despite neither pitcher starting the 9th inning. To date, eight Twins have a save on their ledger, with none having more than two (Topa, García). As stated, this pattern is a far cry from the typical usage in prior seasons. It’s much easier to set it and forget it when the backend contains Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, and Brock Stewart. Sure, there may be some shuffling required, but whatever day-to-day usage variance existed with a more structured pen, it doesn’t hold a candle to what we’ve seen from Derek Shelton’s relief corps. From the outside, this seems like the Twins are relying on gut instinct and hot hands to try to find a way through the late innings of every ballgame. (So up yours, analytics wonks!) However, it’s a bit naïve to believe that Shelton’s ability to white-knuckle his way through ballgames can all be chalked up to his baseball acumen and willingness to switch to another arm as soon as things start to skid. Before every game, professional scouts and analysts prepare game plans and scouting reports to prepare players for action. They also prepare material for coaches, and Shelton has confirmed that he has long meetings about the best possible plans to get through a game with his coaching staff, just as Rocco Baldelli did. Most teams have some hierarchy in the bullpen, all things being equal. But part of a pro scout's or analyst's role is helping managers make informed decisions within that hierarchy. One of the tools many organizations make available to managers is an in-game bullpen hierarchy. This tool might come in several forms. Many teams use a (close your ears if you hate nerds) laminated notecard listing the opposing team’s lineup. For each spot in the lineup, relievers are organized one through eight, based on the quality of the matchup with that specific hitter. Last season, that hierarchy might not have seen much variation. The best matchup against any hitter was Durán. After that, it was Jax. If the hitter was a lefty, third might be Danny Coulombe, but otherwise it’d be Stewart and Varland, in some order. Given the caliber of arms we’re talking about, throw the best one available. If pitchers are more evenly matched, though, that hitter-to-hitter differentiation might be more obvious. Naturally, there are platoon splits to be aware of—a guy like Taylor Rogers or Anthony Banda will get the nod against a lefty over someone like Cody Laweryson or Yoendrys Gómez. But there are also more idiosyncratic factors to consider. For instance, arm angle, pitch mix, velocity, swing trajectory and/or plate discipline can come into play. With a bunch of pitchers who can charitably be called “fine,” chasing the matchups becomes more useful and necessary. Take Topa (who has been designated for assignment since the writing of this piece, but who knows, he may remain in the organization) and Eric Orze. Both pitchers are righties who throw their fastball in the low 90s, but they have very different profiles. Topa is a sinker-sweeper/cutter pitcher who throws sidearm and mostly operates east-west. Orze has a much higher arm angle, and over half of his pitches are splitters. When he’s not throwing a splitter, you’ll probably see a fastball, giving him a much more distinct north-south profile. You should be able to see where I’m going here. Some hitters struggle more with north-south, and others struggle with east-west. There will be righties in an opposing lineup who should have Orze deployed against them, and others whom Topa would best match. Tyler Duffey referenced this type of system in a Twin Cities Territory episode last month, relaying how, when he was with the Twins, relievers would be prepped before each game on which part of the opposing lineup they would likely be deployed against. This scouting seems even more vital when the bullpen has to fight and claw for every advantage possible. So, in practice, to an outsider, that can look like Shelton pushing buttons at random. Topa may be trusted to close one day and throw the sixth the next, based on where his advantage is in the opponent’s lineup. And that quick hook for relievers may be a jumpy manager, or it might be that Cole Sands had the best matchup for the previous three batters, but Andrew Morris’s pitch mix is a better matchup for the next two, and Shelton wants to take advantage of that. Don't forget to factor recent workload in, too! There are always more layers to these decisions than meet the eye; teams work hard to keep it that way. Of course, there will still be stuff thrown at the wall to see what sticks. They don’t know what they have in John Klein or Kody Funderburk until they’ve been tested, and Shelton can also do a little Minnesota politicking (that is, passive aggression) if he believes it will compel the front office to make a roster move he feels is overdue. All told, though, the method is probably outweighing the madness in this regard. They have a plan, even if they’re working with lesser material. One fun way to pass the next month might be to figure out what patterns we can spot in that plan, as a few pitchers settle into their roles with the club. View full article

Walker JenkinsKaelen CulpepperConnor PrielippEmmanuel RodriguezEduardo TaitMarek HoustonRiley QuickDasan HillKendry RojasAndrew MorrisGabriel GonzalezHendry MendezQuentin YoungBrandon WinokurJohn KleinKhadim DiawCharlee SotoJames EllwangerCJ CulpepperAdrian Bohorquez

Has Bonnes been taking part of my paycheck and putting it back into the site?

We don't want to admit it, but the league has never had fewer good righty outfielders as we have right now. Per an article by Mike Petriello, there were only 16 starting right-handed outfielders with an an OPS+ of 100 or better: Ronald Acuña Jr., Jo Adell, Randy Arozarena, Harrison Bader, Byron Buxton, Jackson Chourio, Austin Hays, Teoscar Hernández, Aaron Judge, Wyatt Langford, Ramón Laureano, Andy Pages, Heliot Ramos, Julio Rodríguez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Taylor Ward. Right-handed outfielders as a whole had a 100 OPS+. Everyone's outfielders are left-handed, especially in the corners, because a lot of those righties listed are center fielders.

The Rox landed me a long time ago, unfortunately.

I really appreciate it, Richie

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Another Twins spring training has come and gone, and although every spring brings new storylines, a select few tend to reappear again and again. It’s time to hand out Twins Daily’s Golden Grapefruit Awards, presented by Greggory T. Masterson of the Twins Off-Daily Podcast, a Twins Daily subsidiary. Miguel Sanó Memorial "Best Shape of His Life" Award: Brooks Lee If you close your eyes and look up spring training cliches in the dictionary, this is what you see. Every spring, one guy or another shows up 15 pounds lighter or with an alleged 40 pounds of muscle. It’s such a cliché that Twins manager Derek Shelton actually requested that no one use the words “best shape of his life.” Well, too bad for Shelton, we provide unbiased, independent coverage, and we’re not afraid to ruffle some feathers, awarding Brooks Lee the Best Shape of his Life Award. Lee showed up weighing the same amount as last season, but the weight has been “better proportioned” as he has tried to improve his lateral foot speed and quickness in hopes of improving his defense at shortstop. Congratulations, Brooks! Previous winners: Jhoan Durán (2025), Byron Buxton (2024), José Miranda (2023) "Newest Pitch" Award: Connor Prielipp This spring, there was little news of new pitches among Twins pitchers. Maybe it’s because everyone was more concerned with who was pitching (or who wasn’t pitching) than they were about what those pitchers were throwing. There was no big story about six guys learning a splitter at Driveline or anything. There was one notable pitch added—Connor Prielipp added a curveball. Prielipp, who is fighting to remain a starter, has been working on adding a fourth pitch to complement his fastball, slider, and changeup. He’s already tried mixing in a sinker, and it looks like the Twins are also working with him on a curveball with more drop and glove-side movement than his gyro slider. Here’s hoping it helps him remain a rotation option! https://x.com/pitchprofiler/status/2026017472629874986 Previous winners: Jorge Alcala (2025), Joe Ryan (2024, 2023), Griffin Jax (2023) "Most Revamped Swing" Award: Matt Wallner Matt Wallner was probably the Twin most fans were convinced needed a swing overhaul this offseason, even after his 110 OPS+ last season. One of the biggest issues Wallner dealt with last season was his performance against fastballs in the upper third of the zone. https://x.com/HagemanParker/status/2035770889535431004?s=20 This offseason, he made an effort to simplify his swing, working to expand the range of pitches he can damage without sacrificing the power his offensive profile is built on. To date, none of the Most Revamped Swing winners have turned around their offensive performance, but none of them have had the floor Wallner established last season. Previous winners: Ty France (2025), Brooks Lee (2024), Max Kepler (2023) "Weirdest Injury" Award: Pablo López For some reason, it seems like every spring some very stupid injury occurs, like Bryon Buxton chipping his tooth eating steak or Jordan Balazovic being sucker punched at a Fort Myers bar. Sadly, there were no ha-ha funny injuries this spring. There was an existentially funny injury, though. Just hours into spring training starting, Pablo López exited the mound with soreness in his arm. Within days, it would be determined that the Twins’ ace had a torn ulnar collateral ligament and would miss the entire season. Really. The first day, the first practice, just hours into camp. Not funny, but pretty funny. Previous winners: Mickey Gasper (stepped on playing second base, 2025), Pete Maki (ruptured bicep doing pullups, 2024), Jordan Balazovic (broken jaw, bar fight, 2023) "Honey, Grab My Program" Award: Kyler Fedko Somewhere between the 4th and 7th inning in nearly every spring training game, a wave of players wearing number 87 with no name on the back of their jersey take over for the MLB players. Every year, there are a couple of guys who do so in almost every game. Sometimes it’s for positional flexibility, other times they’re top prospects. And other times, the team doesn’t really have any other center fielders to play instead of them. Only players who have never appeared in MLB and are not on the 40-man roster qualify for this award. Both Kyler Fedko and Tanner Schobel appeared in 18 games, tied for the most on the team, including big leaguers. Fedko amassed 25 plate appearances, though, and had a few starts, so he wins this year. Fedko played all three outfield spots and first base, providing real coverage this spring. He may have been the biggest surprise last season, nearly accumulating a 30-30 season in the minors, but he struggled in his opportunities this spring, batting just .130. Already 26, we may see him debut this season, though none of the other winners of this award were still in the organization the following season. Previous winners: Jeferson Morales (2025), Chris Williams (2024), Andrew Bechtold (2023) "First Cliché Statement" Award: Bailey Ober We’d like to take a moment of silence to mourn the trade of Carlos Correa, who, if he were still in a Twins jersey, would have surely been the betting favorite for this award. Alas, Correa had no opportunity to avenge his 2025 loss. Instead, this award goes to an unlikely winner, one Bailey Ober. As far as I can tell, Ober was among the first, if not the first, player to be interviewed this spring. When asked if he needed to win a rotation job, he said, “I always enjoy proving to myself that I'm here and that I every single day continue to try and get better and not necessarily be complacent with what I have. I'm always pushing myself and trying to be the best I can be, do whatever means necessary to accomplish that.” Everyone’s always excited to do the work on February 12. We’ll see if it paid off. Previous winners: Rocco Baldelli (2025), Carlos Correa (2024, 2023) "Grainiest Video" Award: Josh Norris Finally, my favorite award—the media can’t help themselves, and we, as fans, will eat up whatever they give us. When baseball’s back, we need proof. Grainy videos taken through a fence at the beginning of camp are a spring training staple. Dan Hayes tried to defend his crown, but I simply think phone cameras are too good. There wasn’t much to choose from this season. Instead of a beat writer, this year’s award goes to Josh Norris of Baseball America, who posted a video of Twins prospect Marek Houston with about a third of the frame obscured by a chain link fence. You can still see most of the swing, and the video is of good quality, but it doesn’t get more spring training than a slow-motion video obscured by a fence on a back field. https://x.com/jnorris427/status/2032468178211586420?s=20 Previous winners: Dan Hayes (2025, 2024), Do-Hyoung Park (2023) View full article

If Ryan Kreidler had been hitting like Christian Vázquez did over the past 3 seasons, he'd have a 10 year career as a utility infielder

I haven't checked in a couple days but my spreadsheet has him with 8 appearances at first, 5 at third, and 1 in left

I’ve been saying the Twins don’t have enough 1st round picks from the 2020 draft

Image courtesy of L to R: Orlando Arcia (© Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images), Tristan Gray (© Mike Watters-Imagn Images), Ryan Kreidler (© Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images) It seems that in recent years, the Twins have had very few classic roster battles in spring training. Part of this decline is due to the fact that spring training performance isn’t taken as seriously as it once was, but the Twins have also had a pretty set roster coming into camp for a few years. The “battles” on the offensive side tend to be “which of this pool of guys could be the 13th man on the bench,” which came more down to preference between very different roles. For instance, would Mickey Gasper’s bat or DaShawn Keirsey’s speed be more useful? (Because look, not all of the questions had a right answer.) This year, though, the Twins have a specific need: backup shortstop. After an offseason of collecting fringe major-league talent (and letting some of it, like Vidal Bruján, pass right through without ever actually donning the uniform), they have three options to fill the spot. Each has a unique profile, so it’s unclear that their talent level will be the deciding factor. However, this is one of the battles in camp least adulterated by outside factors like minor-league options or deferring to seniority. Orlando Arcia: The Veteran Arcia is in Twins camp on a minor-league deal worth $1.25 million if he makes the team out of camp. He has an opt-out clause, so if the Twins don’t add him to the 40-man roster, he may be able to re-enter free agency. Just two seasons removed from an All-Star nod, Arcia is the biggest name of the bunch. He spent a couple of seasons in Atlanta, hitting fine (100 OPS+ between 2022 and 2023), but his offense has fallen off a cliff over the last two seasons (.599 OPS, 64 OPS+ between 2024 and 2025). His peak was league-average, so there’s not much room to fall offensively. Once lauded for his defense, Arcia has slipped a bit upon entering his 30s. Stepping in for Dansby Swanson in Atlanta, he registered 7 outs above average (OAA) at shortstop over 2,591 innings between 2023 and 2024, but clocked in at -2 OAA in 173 innings at shortstop in 2025. He was still a plus defender at second base (3 OAA in 115 innings) and third base (1 OAA in 115 innings), but he’s not getting any younger, and his primary function would be playing shortstop. Arcia has played mostly shortstop and second base this spring and has put together a solid enough spring, with a .780 OPS. Obligatory “spring training stats don’t mean anything,” but if he’s looking good enough at shortstop, he might have the inside track on the spot, since the Twins can keep the other two choices. They both have minor-league options. Nothing about Arcia's batted-ball data suggests a significant change in who he is, though he's made more contact this spring than he has in recent big-league seasons. Ryan Kreidler: The Glove Kreidler was claimed late in 2025 from Pittsburgh and has lasted the entire offseason on the 40-man roster. The 28-year-old is getting big-league opportunities for one reason: he can pick it at short. He's probably the best shortstop defender in the organization who’s not named Marek Houston. For a team with a starting shortstop (Brooks Lee) who has major defensive questions, Kreidler can provide some stability. He’s registered 2 OAA at the position in 253 big-league innings. He can also play a solid center field, league-average by OAA at 0 in 117 innings there last season. The eye test matches the stats, though he lacks the raw speed you look for in a center fielder. The issue? The dude has never hit. In his best season, 2022, he slashed .178/.244/.233, for a 39 OPS+, where 100 is average and higher is better. This is saying he was less than half as productive as an average hitter—in his best year. Funny enough, he was worth positive WAR by both Fangraphs and Baseball Reference for that season, and would have been a 1-2 WAR player if given 300 plate appearances. That might tell you something about his defense. I guess it might also tell you something about WAR's utility in edge cases. He’s only got 211 MLB plate appearances in his career, and if he can hit even a little, he could be an adequate bench player who can play both shortstop and center field when needed. But it’s difficult to see him mustering even 2024-2025 Arcia-level offense at this point in his career. He’s played all three infield positions (other than first base) and both center and right field this spring, but he’s only got a .469 OPS in 30 (meaningless) spring training plate appearances. He's making slightly better and more frequent contact than has been his wont, but there hasn't been a breakout or visible overhaul. Tristan Gray: The Hitter Now, “The Hitter” might be overselling it a bit with Gray, but compared to the other two options, hitting is his defining trait. Gray was acquired for minor-league catcher Nate Baez this winter, and he’s stuck around on the 40-man roster, like Kreidler, indicating that the Twins have some lasting interest in him. Gray turns 30 this season, and he’s registered 122 plate appearances in his three-year MLB career between Tampa Bay, Miami, and Oakland. He’s also been in the Pirates, White Sox, and Red Sox organizations. He slashed .231/.282/.410 last season, and his OPS was just 9% below league average. He plays all four infield positions. He’s played 80 or fewer big-league innings at each infield position, but he’s been worth 0 OAA at first, 0 OAA at second, -2 OAA at third, and 1 OAA at short. I’m listing these for consistency in this writeup. The sample is too small for the stats to be meaningful. But the scouting report suggests that Gray could be serviceable at shortstop—not standout by any means, but potentially serviceable. One knock against Gray is that he’s left-handed, which adds another lefty to a roster crowded with lefties. However, the other infield positions are currently manned by Luke Keaschall and Royce Lewis, which would give Gray opportunities to give them days off against righties in addition to his normal days backing up Lee. He’s split his time evenly between second, third, and short this spring. If the Twins think he can hit a little and play a decent enough shortstop, he might be a better fit than the light-hitting options. And here’s your meaningless spring training stat: .648 OPS. He's swung and missed disturbingly often for Grapefruit League action and isn't hitting the ball especially hard, but he has plus bat speed, which the other two can't say. The Verdict: I Don’t Know Funny enough, at the time of writing, all three have exactly five appearances at shortstop this spring. I could see it going any way. I think I’d say 1) Kreidler, 2) Arcia, 3) Gray, but I could also see a world where Gray makes the team alongside one of the other two, due to injuries. In less than a week, we'll know for sure. View full article

Please respect Kody Clemens’s right field appearance (he and Kreidler switched spots halfway through Kreidler’s right field start)

1) Walker Jenkins--will probably be in the majors this year if healthy 2) Kaelen Culpepper--may get a cup of coffee this season, extremely likely to make the bigs in the next 2 years 3) Emmanuel Rodriguez--will be in the majors this year if healthy (and may be early in the season) 7) Gabriel Gonzalez--likely to get a cup of coffee this season 9) Marek Houston--currently at the same level as Tait, but will almost assuredly appear in the big leagues at least once because of his glove Those are the other hitters in the top 10. It would be a surprise if any of those 5 never make it to the bigs. Tait is a 19-year-old catcher. He either needs to hit extremely well, develop defensively, or both to make the majors. He's on track to do so, but it would not be surprising in the least to see a teenage catcher falter. Even one who is well ahead of schedule. We just saw it happen to Diego Cartaya, who was more highly regarded than Tait. Surprising? No. Disappointing? Yes. Such is the way with teenage catchers. If we expand to TD's top 20, Hendry Mendez (17) is clearly more likely, because he's already on the 40. Tait fits in with Quentin Young (14) and Brandon Winokur (13), two young toolsy prospects who might be All-Stars and might never have success even at AAA. That could definitely happen with Tait. He's not on lists for his floor; he's on them for his ceiling. His ceiling is (if I were to hazard a guess) only behind Jenkins and Rodriguez. I'd probably put Tait in front of Khadim Diaw (19), but even with Kyle DeBarge (16), I hesitate to say Tait is more likely, because DeBarge could sneak in as a reserve infielder at some point.

I think this is a very important point. Obviously we’d all like for him to excel, but at his age, it’s not the end of the world if he doesn’t take another big step this season. He needs to eventually, but especially with catchers, you have to be patient. Even if he spends the whole season at High-A, he’s still going to be a 20-year-old at High-A playing against guys 3 years older than him. hopefully he does better than that, though.

I think it’s safe to say that TD likes Tait, and I had him at either 4 or 5 on my personal list. There’s a ton to get excited about with him. But it’d be disingenuous to ignore the potential pitfalls that could keep him from ever making the majors. Diego Cartaya was released by the Twins last season after they basically got him for free, and he was an even more heralded teenage catcher than Tait. It’s important to keep it in perspective.

Funny, I thought I erred on the side of wearing rose tinted glasses.

Image courtesy of Malamut Photography Acquired from the Phillies at the 2025 trade deadline, Eduardo Tait was the main piece in return for Jhoan Duran, alongside pitcher Mick Abel. Tait immediately became the Twins’ premier catching prospect, and he is a consensus Top 100 prospect league wide. That being said, he’s the most likely of Twins Daily’s top prospects list to never register an MLB plate appearance. The low-floor, high-ceiling teenager who is already at High-A has a long way to go before he dons a Twins uniform, but his potential is something that the Twins and their fans are salivating over. Eduardo Tait Age: 19 (DOB: 08/27/2006) Bats/Throws: L/R 2025 Stats (Single-A, High-A): 486 PA, .253/.311/.427, 32 2B, 1 3B, 14 HR, 36 BB, 99 SO ETA: 2029 2025 Ranking: NR National Top 100 Rankings BP: 54 | MLB: 65 | ATH: 93 | BA: 93 | ESPN: 38 Tait was signed out of Panama as a 16-year-old in 2023 and immediately began mashing in the Dominican Summer League, sporting a .917 OPS. He earned a promotion to Single-A Clearwater in 2024 as a 17-year-old, four years younger than the average player. By age 18, he was already on Philadelphia’s High-A Jersey Shore, while his high-school-aged peers stateside were only getting drafted, and he was selected for the 2025 Futures Game. His numbers at both levels of Class A have not been standout, merely clocking in around league-average across the two leagues. But he was among the youngest players in either Class-A league, so league-average hitting, especially from a catcher, is noteworthy. What to Like Tait is a catcher with huge raw power potential, with scouts assigning a 60- or 70-grade rating to his profile. Catchers are among the weakest-hitting players across baseball, and to have a middle-of-the-order bat playing the catching position is a boon to any team. He popped 14 home runs and 32 doubles in 486 plate appearances last year in his age-18 season, showing great promise. He has a sturdy build, and scouts question how much more muscle he can add to his already-developed frame, so increased power is more likely to come from swing improvements than adding more muscle as he ages, but his power potential is legit. His exit velocities and swing speed are encouraging. He’s also quite pull-heavy, setting himself up for good in-game power as he continues to develop. Tait also has good bat-to-ball skills, a trait that is uncommon for sluggers, especially young sluggers. In 2025, he posted a 20% strikeout rate, which undersells his ability to make contact given his plate discipline deficiencies (to be discussed later). He can put the ball in play very well, and if he can combine that skill with plus or plus-plus power, the Twins could see some excellent results in the big leagues, even if he is forced to move off catcher. As a catcher, Tait’s calling card is his arm strength. His pop time is around 1.9 seconds, and he threw out 33% of base stealers at Single-A. He needs to clean up his accuracy on throws to best limit base stealers, but his raw strength is encouraging. His receiving is believed to have league-average potential by the time he’s done developing, which, when paired with his bat and arm strength, can be enough to justify keeping him at catcher, though he won’t be winning any Gold Gloves. What to Work On As stated, Tait is the least likely of the names on Twins Daily’s list to make the major leagues, in part because of his youth and in part because he has some significant holes in his profile. Although there is excitement about his bat as a catcher, the bar for offense rises if Tait is unable to stick at the position. Given his frame and lack of speed, Tait’s only other positional homes are first base and designated hitter. And Tait’s outlook as a catcher defensively is indeed in question. Although he has raw arm strength, his skills as a receiver and blocker are in question. He has improved as a receiver, but he still has major deficiencies in keeping the ball in front of him, and scouts question whether he will have enough athleticism to consistently block pitches in the dirt or move laterally. He still has the potential bat to be a good first baseman or DH, but his ceiling as a player is significantly lower away from the catching position. Tait’s biggest weakness at the plate is his discipline. Put succinctly, he swings at everything. He has the bat-to-ball skills to get to nearly anything, but his hit tool is greatly reduced by his decision-making. This has been more pronounced since reaching High-A, as he had only a 4% walk rate. This lack of plate discipline also contributes to his batting average, as he’s swinging at less-than-optimal pitches to hit, especially early in counts. He’ll probably never have the best eye at the plate, but if he can reel in his swing-happy approach a bit, combined with his bat-to-ball skills and power, he could be dangerous. What to Look For in 2026 Tait will likely begin 2026 at High-A Cedar Rapids, though it’s unclear whether the Twins will be as aggressive moving him up through the system as Philadelphia was. Tait needs to make strides as a receiver and blocker, and catcher development is notoriously difficult to predict. Offensively, success would include moving from a league-average hitter for the level to a plus hitter. The Twins have time for the 19-year-old to develop, and it’s important for him to do better than just holding his own. The major step he needs to take offensively is swinging less. Watch for him to be making better swing decisions, which should be reflected in his batting average and on-base percentage. If he cleans up his approach at the plate, watch out. View full article