Steve Lein

I've kinda been laughing at this so far this season. Since I am an engineer by trade, I take a large interest in the design of things, and since I played wood-bat baseball for 15+ years they were something I spent a lot of time researching. Composite bats were legal in our leagues and I thought they had noticeably more thump (also costed twice as much), but they are not legal in MLB. There are a few bat companies based in Minnesota (MaxBat is probably the most well-known one, and they are used in the majors), but as far as the "design of things" I took an interest in, there are many different bat "turn profiles" that are standard, and then not so standard "custom" ones that I think the "torpedoes" would fall into. This profile has a longer taper, this one gets to the diameter of the barrel quicker, handle is wider, no knob, axe grip, etc... All of them can have some wood "cupped" out of the end of the bat to shift the weight and center of gravity on the barrel (i.e.: the "sweet spot"). I tried out pretty much all of these until I found my favorite one, which is the "110" profile, which is a bit lighter with a long taper to the thickest part of the barrel. All this "torpedo" design is doing, is taking an extreme approach to the idea of "cupping" the barrel at the end of it. It isn't "adding" weight to the sweet spot or whatever, it's just moving and maybe expanding it a little. It's certainly not a new concept, in my opinion. https://www.baseballsavings.com/baseball-guide/wood-bat-turning-models/?srsltid=AfmBOop00WS8dFsVb3LhPjtuCC0vwoJFsRERdWuBMsUZ48wxaG43QCd_

He also challenged a strike 3 call that was well within the zone when the graphic came up. Gave me a chuckle. This team should be really good. A little lacking in offense to start the season maybe, but have a few studs and this pitching staff should be really, really good.

Definitely made some plays last night. There was also a long run sliding catch he made as well. I put the outfield assist tweet in there to highlight that he had a really good defensive game in left field.

He got hit with a pitch on the hands but that was early in the game. He was substituted in the 8th inning and was likely just because they were up 5-0.

The legend started to be written last season, when he made it all the way from the lakes of single-A to the oceans of the major leagues. Unfortunately for the Columbus Clippers on Tuesday, they ran into this kraken trapped in the great lake of triple-A who goes by the name of Zebby, and he sent their ship to the bottoms. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Zebby Matthews) TRANSACTIONS There were no roster moves in the organization on Tuesday, but the Cedar Rapids Kernels have announced their opening day roster. They, along with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels and Wichita Wind Surge kick off their seasons on Friday. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Columbus 0 Box Score The Saints were only able to get in one of three games against Indianapolis last week, as rain and snow wreaked havoc on St. Paul over the weekend. They’re on the road in Columbus, Ohio this week to face the Clippers, so weather like that shouldn’t be as big of a factor. On the mound in the series opener on Tuesday was 2024 Twins and Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Zebby Matthews. But before he even took the mound the Saints offense spotted him to a 2-0 lead and knocked the Clippers starter out of the game in the process. Luke Keaschall reached base on a one-out error before Armando Alvarez and Mike Ford drew a pair of two-out walks to load the bases. Jair Camargo then sent a 111 MPH liner through the infield to bring in two runs and chase pitcher Will Dion who had already reached 33 pitches. Matthews made quick work of the Clippers in the bottom half, striking out the first two hitters he faced during the 2025 season, and setting them down one-two-three. He allowed a two-out single in the second inning, but then retired the next 10 hitters he faced to finish five shutout innings in dominating fashion. He needed just 57 pitches, with 37 going for strikes (65%) and picking up nine swings-and-misses. His four-seam fastball hit 99.2 MPH, while his cutter topped out at 94.7 and his slider at 90.6. From start to finish Matthews was in control of this one, and looked like a guy confident that he was going to shove. The Saints offense scored a run in each of the game’s first four innings to build a 5-0 lead. Luke Keaschall was hit by a pitch in the second inning while the bases were loaded, Mike Ford launched the first Saints home run of the season in the third, and Armando Alvarez delivered an RBI single in the fourth. Travis Adams came on for the sixth inning to work as a piggy-backer to Matthews. Because of the two rain-outs over the weekend, this was likely the game Adams was originally scheduled to start.He finished the next 2 2/3 innings, allowing four hits but no runs, while striking out two. Anthony Misiewicz got the final out of the eighth inning and closed out the ninth in one-two-three fashion as well. He struck out three. The Saints bats went a little quiet after the first four innings, but those five runs were plenty. Austin Martin (2-for-5, BB, K) and Alvarez (2-for-4, R, RBI, BB, K) each had a pair of hits to lead the way. Keaschall finished 1-for-3, scored two runs, and drove in one. That’s two games in the books for the Saints vaunted pitching staff, and two shutouts. It will be up to Andrew Morris to continue that trend tomorrow night. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Zebby Matthews, St. Paul Saints (W, 5 IP, H, 4 K) Hitter of the Day - Armando Alvarez, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, R, RBI, BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Tuesday. #2 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 0-for-4, BB, 2 K #3 – Luke Keaschall (St. Paul): 1-for-3, 2 R, RBI WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (5:15 PM CDT) - RHP Andrew Morris (0-0, -.-- ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

McCusker was one of the "Just Missed"!

I am crossing all the fingers I am capable of crossing that he holds up this season and we get to see that happen!

It's crazy, back in 2023 the Twins had 13(!) players make their MLB debut, and there were only 2 of them that I hadn't written about in this article. You're right that it probably means disaster if that many happen, but even if I don't get all the names accounted for or miss somebody, I like to paint with broad strokes to recognize guys that I've spent a lot of time following! To answer your question, I think I am most confident in: -Emmanuel Rodriguez -Luke Keaschall -Andrew Morris -Payton Eeles

During the 2024 Major League Baseball season, 255 players made their Major League debut for their respective teams, including seven from the Minnesota Twins. Who are the prospects who could become the Next Minnesota Twins to see Target Field in 2025? Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Emmanuel Rodriguez) Those Twins to debut in 2024 included position players Austin Martin, Jair Camargo, Brooks Lee, Michael Helman, and DaShawn Keirsey; and pitchers David Festa and Zebby Matthews. Because of his meteoric rise through the minors (after starting the year all the way back in Cedar Rapids), Matthews was the only one of those names not listed in this same entry before the start of the 2024 season. If you’re wondering, the only category below I could have fit him in would have been the “Dark Horses,” and he probably would have been the darkest horse I’ve ever mentioned. Coming into this season, by contrast, he’s put himself onto several top-100 prospect lists, and will likely be a large contributor to the Twins rotation. That is a huge credit to both him and the pitching development staff Derek Falvey and the organization have put together. Going into Opening Day, Festa figures into the same ready-to-help-the-rotation category as Matthews, while Martin and Keirsey may be in line for the final roster spots. Lee was poised to break camp in the starting lineup, but has since joined Royce Lewis on the IL, while Camargo will again serve as catching depth with the St. Paul Saints. After a long minors career with the Twins, Helman moved on to the St. Louis Cardinals. Unlike the past few seasons, the Twins have a lot of their top prospects at the upper levels of the minors, so when opportunities arrive this year (whether through injury, performance, or peculiar circumstances), the names that could be called up are likely to be exciting ones. So, who are some of the prospects who could make their MLB dreams come true in 2025, and become some of the Next Minnesota Twins? ON THE 40-MAN ROSTER: Since I started researching this article, this section has lost a couple of names, but does still include potential star power from an outfielder. Both Matt Canterino and Eiberson Castellano would have resided here, but Canterino is (again) out for the year after shoulder surgery, and Castellano has been returned to the Philadelphia Phillies. Emmanuel Rodriguez (22 years old on Opening Day), OF – Twins Daily’s #3 Prospect Rodriguez, like seemingly all Minnesota Twins top prospects (sigh), has dealt with many different injuries coming up through the minors, which have slowed him down. In 2024, that was a thumb injury that limited him to just 47 games. He's on the shelf to start the 2025 season with a sprained ankle, as well, but by the end of the year, he was up with the St. Paul Saints because of his immense talent. While he has played center field most of his career thus far and is certainly capable there, moving to a corner could help him settle into the majors. Right field also fits his profile, as he has a strong arm and his hitting talents are centered around patience and light-tower power. In those 47 games last season, he had 25 extra-base hits, including nine home runs, and drew a staggering 51 walks for a .280/.459/567 batting line. The only knock here is that it came with a nearly 30% strikeout rate, an issue many hope can be mitigated by a more conscientiously aggressive approach. Travis Adams (25), RHP (Adams made his MLB debut on 7/5 against the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a bullpen game. He had one bad inning, but worked as the bulk pitcher and finished four frames. He allowed five earned runs on nine hits while striking out one) Adams was a bit of a surprising addition to the 40-man roster during the offseason, but that doesn’t mean it was unearned. He made 19 starts with the Wichita Wind Surge and ended the year with three starts (four appearances) in Triple A. While with Wichita, consistency was his calling card. In 14 of those starts, he went at least 5 innings and allowed three or fewer runs. If you wanted anything close to a “Quality Start,” Adams was likely to give you one. In his final six games before being promoted to St. Paul, Adams went 1-1 with a 0.85 ERA and gave up just 15 hits in 31 2/3 innings. It also included 32 strikeouts, compared to just seven walks, and a lowly .390 opponents' OPS. He certainly earned that promotion. There are a lot of names in the pitching pipeline you might think of first before you get to Adams, but count him out at your own peril. The Twins believed in him enough to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, and he should be in the Saints' rotation to start the season, just a Green Line trip away in an emergency. Diego Cartaya (23), C Just two years ago, Cartaya was a global top-20 prospect in baseball, as he combined prodigious power with strong on-base skills in the lower levels of the minors. He hit a bit of a wall in Double A, but reached Triple A with the Dodgers organization last year before coming to the Twins in a trade this offseason. He is probably a step up as a defender, compared to fellow backstop Camargo, so depending on the need for the major-league roster, could serve well in a pinch. He and Camargo will split time behind the dish with the Saints to start the year. Marco Raya (22), RHP – TD’s #6 Prospect Raya’s path through the minors to this point has been almost unheard of. I certainly can’t remember another pitching prospect who has been handled in this drastic a way by the Twins. I’ll reserve judgment, as he hasn’t even made it to the majors yet, but in my Top Prospect article from earlier in the offseason, this peculiarity is the crux of my own evaluations of him to this point. Can he throw enough innings (or pitches) to be a dependable starting pitcher? It’s time to find out. There will be a lot of starting pitching talent in St. Paul to begin the year, so unless the Saints utilize a six-man rotation (not a terrible idea), I’m not sure Raya will be there at the outset. However, he is on the 40-man roster while some of those other pitchers are not, so it could go either way. In Wichita, he would certainly front their rotation. Raya finished with a 2.09 ERA in his last eight starts there. TOP PROSPECTS: This is a section all Twins fans should get excited about. In addition to Raya and Rodriguez above, all four of these names reside in the Top 10 of our most recent Top Prospect ranking, and three of them are in the top five. There is a good chance that all four of these names will see Target Field this summer, and I’ll be pumped to watch all of them at CHS Field before then. Walker Jenkins (20), OF – TD’s #1 Prospect Perhaps the prospect of all prospects when the summer truly comes around, Jenkins begins 2025 as a global top-five player in the minor leagues. He is a true five-tool talent, and has hit .302/.400/.473 in 108 games as a pro thus far. He gave me quite the scare as I watched him injure himself with Fort Myers in the first game of the 2024 season, but he came back in June and hit himself to Double-A Wichita before it was over. As far as things to work on, I do think there is a lot more Joe Mauer in his swing than Justin Morneau at this point. That is, he has not yet shown himself to be a power threat, even though everything you hear about him says that it will show up. I’m taking Ryan Jeffers’s thoughts from the Winter Meltdown as gospel on this: “He is so freakishly talented…The sheer size of him, is just, you can’t fathom him only being 19 years old.” This also looks pretty effortless: He just turned 20 years old and has spent only a week at Double A, so there is no rush—unless his performance creates one. But if he wants to go the route of the Jacksons from last season (Chourio, Holliday, Merrill) and debut at 20, I’ll personally bring him from Wichita to St. Paul, then St. Paul to Target Field in my 2017 Mazda CX-5. It’s an IIHS Top Safety Pick and I’ve never been in an accident (knock on my wooden bat). The joke there, of course, is that he is also dealing with a sprained ankle this March, but the indications are he will be good to go to start the season. Buckle up! Luke Keaschall (22), IF/OF – TD’s #3 Prospect (Keaschall made his MLB debut on 4/18 against the Atlanta Braves. He drove in a run with a single in his first at-bat, and finished 2-for-4 with a double, run scored, and stolen base) Keaschall spent all of the 2024 season knowing that he would eventually be shut down for surgery on his elbow, but that didn’t stop him from boosting his stock into top-50 prospect territory along the way. He demolished the Midwest League to the tune of a 181 wRC+, then finished his final 59 games on the Wind Surge with a .832 OPS, .131 above the Texas League average. While the Twins will likely take it easy on him as far as playing defense to start the season, he's likely to be in St. Paul. A call-up for Keaschall is more likely in the back half of the season, but infield depth in the organization is pretty wide-open, and he also has the talents to hold down any spot in the outfield with his underrated speed. He's been caught just six times on 40 steal attempts in his career thus far. It's also hard to dislike or count out anyone with the attitude of “Wherever they want me to play, I like to hit.” Andrew Morris (23), RHP – TD’s #5 Prospect While Twins fans may know that what Matthews did last year was meteoric, they might be surprised to learn there was another pitcher (two, actually…) who did nearly the same thing. Enter Morris and his 2.37 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 133 innings, across the same three levels of the minors where Matthews put up 2.60 and 0.86 numbers. The WHIP difference can be attributed to the fact that Matthews never walked anybody, which Morris can't quite match—but he, too, has good control. Whereas Matthews lives on the “control” end of the spectrum when it comes to this stat, Morris may still come in higher on the “command” front. He throws the traditional four-pitch mix, but each offering is distinct, and he mixes in cutters and sinkers at differing velocities as well. The Twins utilized eight starting pitchers in an (overall) pretty healthy 2024 season from their starting rotation, and about the time they reach that number is where I can envision Morris coming in. That’s because there are still Festa, Matthews, and Adams joining him in the Saints rotation to start the season. Spot starts are not out of the question, either, but room would need to be made for Morris on the 40-man, whereas those other names don’t have this hurdle. Cory Lewis (24), RHP – TD’s #9 Prospect I’m not exaggerating when I say that Lewis probably has the most fun pitch to see in all of baseball. Yes, everybody knows that it's a knuckleball (that he only throws about 15% of the time), but his version is one-of-a-kind because of its velocity. Whereas the well-known knuckleballers like Tim Wakefield generally lobbed theirs in the high 60s to mid-70s, Lewis lives in the mid-80s with his. It is an unpredictably moving offering that can arrive before hitters reconcile that it is not spinning appropriately. I mean, look at it! That’s just pure entertainment for the pitcher, hitter, catcher, and fans! Also don’t forget that Lewis was Twins Daily’s Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2023, and didn’t get started in 2024 until late May, as he dealt with a shoulder issue in camp. After coming back and getting his legs (and shoulder) under him, from the start of August on, he pitched to the tune of a 1.64 ERA, struck out 51 hitters in 44 innings, and closed out his season with a start for the Saints. He could be another one of the cogs in a stacked rotation there to start the year. TRIPLE-A DEPTH: Most of the names above fall into the upper ranges of the Twins' prospect rankings and should see time in Triple A. That means, for this category, it’s a bit harder to find names (like DaShawn Keirsey) that have appeared here in the past. However, its lone entry is where my favorite prospect from the 2024 season is going to come in… Payton Eeles (25), IF …Which is this guy, and his pure lightning-in-a-bottle play from his 5’5” frame. That said, I almost feel bad for putting Eeles here in the “depth” category. If it weren’t for Luke Keaschall, he would have run away with the Twins Daily Hitter of the Year Award last year. It was truly an amazing accomplishment for a player who wasn’t even in the organization until after the season started, as the Twins signed him out of the Independent Leagues on May 7th. He proceeded to get on base at a clip closer to .500 than .400 at Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids, before an opportunity in St. Paul came calling. He never left, as over his 64 games there, he batted .299, continued to get on base over 40% of the time, and compiled an OPS .156 above the International League average. He also stole 41 bases and was playing all over the diamond with the Saints. It was a five-tool and jack-of-all-trades campaign from out of nowhere. Unfortunately, it will take a bit of time before we get to see him in 2025, as he just underwent surgery on his knee that will sideline him for a bit. Despite that, I expect big things to continue when he gets back on the field. DARK HORSES: Like Zebby Matthews of last season, this is the category for guys who could come out of nowhere and make a surprising debut. Maybe they’ve been injured, or perhaps they have a unique or specific talent that could pay dividends. Connor Prielipp (24), LHP – TD’s #10 Prospect Call it a case of “hopium” or whatever else you may like, but I am a Prielipp stan. Every pitch he has ever thrown has been electric, including some that you may have seen down in Florida this spring. The obvious problem there is it is year four in the system (he was drafted in 2022), and he has thrown only 30 professional innings. The positives are that 23 1/3 of those came at the end of 2024, after his latest elbow surgery, which added an internal brace. Perhaps that is what is needed for his arm to stand up to the ludicrousness of his pitching arsenal. It includes a mid-90s fastball, an elite spinning and devastating 90-MPH slider, and a changeup that had a 62% whiff rate last year. The comparison for “stuff” here approaches Johan Santana, and Prielipp is also left-handed. Santana is also the blueprint for the type of start to his career that Prielipp could benefit from, given his injury history, being a bullpen option early before blossoming into a starter long-term. Christian MacLeod (24), LHP There were so many pitching success stories in the minors for the Twins last year, that in my opinion, one of the best went largely unnoticed. That came from left-hander Christian MacLeod, who struck out 10.4 batters per nine innings at stops in Cedar Rapids, Wichita, and St. Paul, just like Matthews and Morris above. He was not the same level of control artist that they were, but the overall performance closely followed. He will be a top-of-the-rotation option in Wichita out of the gate. Kyle Bischoff (25), RHP One of the top performing relief pitchers in the system in 2024, Bischoff is coming off a season where he struck out 11.4 per nine frames in appearances with the Kernels, Wind Surge, and Saints. A lot would have to go wrong with the major-league bullpen for him to have a chance to crack through, but crazy things happen every season. DON’T FORGET ABOUT: This section is all about some of the prospects who may have been lost in the shuffle, at one point were highly regarded, or simply have paid their dues and are ready for their cup of coffee. Kala’i Rosario (22), OF – TD’s #19 Prospect The slugger out of Hawaii has shown both a propensity for power and strikeouts over his career. The 2023 Midwest League MVP repeated the Arizona Fall League in 2024 after missing time during the regular season with an elbow injury. Yunior Severino (25), 1B/DH Had the opportunity to test the free agent waters this offseason, but quickly returned to the Twins organization on a minor-league deal. Led all of the minor leagues in home runs in 2023. Jeferson Morales (25), UT Was a standout this spring with the Twins, playing in 20 games and batting .375/.459/.531. Has experience at second base, left field, and catcher and has mashed lefties over his career. These are just some of the prospects that I think fans could see wearing Twins uniforms for the first time at Target Field in 2025. When do you think any of them will debut? Who are you most excited about? And who are any of your favorites that I may have missed? Go Twins! View full article

What's the deal with Cory Lewis, he is included on the Saints official roster announcement?

I'm fairly certain they have finally outright stated Canterino is in the bullpen moving forward.

I think this was a very big story from last year, and it resulted in Bender being released by the Twins. Quite frankly, this article did absolutely nothing to change any of my own perceptions about what happened. If I was a teammate I'd never talk to this guy or trust him again, either. The fact that is was the other team that outed him, is pretty damning on it's own. (From the Athletic, so paywall): https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6162315/2025/02/27/twins-derek-bender-interview-giving-signs/

Jenkins' 90th percentile exit velocity was ~102 MPH in low-A (and actually just below average for the FSL as a whole), thus significantly worse than the 110 MPH for E-Rod that led the top 100, in that metric. This take may raise some eyebrows, but I have watched plenty of Jenkins to this point to notice it: It's an all-contact swing approach in it's current form that has been hard for me to see reaching any of those peak power projections unless something changes. Whether that's getting naturally stronger with age (he is already notably strong for a 19-year old, so this is not all that unlikely), or an effort to put some more behind those swings. If you gave me a choice I'd definitely want what's currently there over a power-centric approach that may hinder him elsewhere, but I would like to see some more situational aggression from him in 2025, too. Something like swing speed metrics would be really interesting for me to see on him as well, because I'd bet a lot of money his isn't all that high. Maybe that would also tell us he gets a lot more out of his swing speed than others do because of that strength he has, though. It'd be an interesting trade off to investigate. This is something I'll be watching with purposeful intent this year in the minors with Jenkins.

Haha! It is actually kind of a fun story... None of the following is made up, I swear on my life about that!!! (I think this story is in my bio on here, as well) Town Team game, Crow River Valley League. It was being broadcast on the local radio station, KGLB out of Glencoe, MN. It was 9th inning and we were winning by 2 or 3, but they had the based loaded and we had just one out. A lefty that I knew liked to go the other way was up, so I was ready. He of course did, and sent a looper down the line my way. It would have been a few feet fair if it landed, but I caught it at full sprint and glove fully extended out in front of me. This is the part where I should have done a slide, but instead I tried to stop on a dime and plant for a throw home with my right leg. I'll never forget the sound, or what it felt like having your leg bow out in a lateral direction that it's not supposed to... before I hopped one-footed on my left leg, and flung the ball toward the infield as best I could before crumpling to the ground. Walked off under my own power, but I knew. They got one run on that play, but we went on to win the game, likely because of me getting hurt. That was because the guy who took over left field for me was much younger and faster, and made a diving catch to snag a hard liner for the third out on the next hitter. An added element of weirdness to this, was my older brother had torn his same ACL on the same field, almost exactly a year prior, doing the same thing playing in the outfield. But he was in right-field running down a ball in the gap. I came off the bench for him in that game.

I was also more cautious about a right-handed thrower playing RF, and left-handed thrower playing LF, on whether I'd try to stretch something down the lines into a double. That's because they can "spin" to make that throw (and it can be a much stronger throw because of that) after fielding the ball, instead of having to stop their momentum entirely and reset before being able to make a throw. And this now reminds me of how I tore my ACL playing left field. I tried to stop that type of momentum to make a throw far too quickly 🤣 At least I made the catch!

Exactly! This is my pet peeve on baserunners not understanding this at the professional level!

For me it's pretty simple: It looks like he's making a "bad" play a lot of the time, so this gives runner's confidence to try and stretch it. His arm can more than make up for it when they do. Honestly, baserunning of a lot of MLB players is a big pet peeve of mine. Not as many that should, understand momentum of fielder's related to throws they will have to make, or don't pay enough attention. Like, if you're tagging from second and the outfielder's momentum is taking him "away" from you or the base you want to go to, take that base! One of my favorite plays in all of baseball last year was this throw from Jurickson Profar against the Twins: https://www.mlb.com/video/christian-vazquez-singles-on-a-line-drive-to-left-fielder-jurickson-profa Profar had no business attempting this throw, to be quite honest, and Jeffers 100% made the right decision to go for it, based on Profar's momentum and what I'm talking about above. But it was an all-time throw, and you just shake your head!

I have said this elsewhere, that there's a lot more Joe Mauer than Justin Morneau in Walker Jenkins game from what I have watched. What I mean by that is I think he swings for contact, not power, currently. This is not a bad thing, but I do wonder if that will shift at all in the future.

One thing I dislike about player profiles for prospects: They don't ever update these numbers until the player reaches the Major Leagues. 6'1" and 170 is what Raya was listed at coming out of high school. I have no doubt he's put on some muscle past 170 but I also don't think he's close to a stout 205 lbs like Jose Berrios is now, to keep that comparison going. It's certainly not the prototypical starter's build, but there are also plenty of examples outside of that mold.

Luzardo seems like exactly the type of pitcher the Twins have been targeting because of the reduced cost associated with their injury-risk, and every single one of them has been an abject failure. No thanks. Especially if we're talking Lewis. If it's Lewis, there's several other pitcher's on the Marlins I would be targeting instead, and probably two of them at that.

If I had any reason to believe Jax could be as effective as a starter as he has been a reliever, I would agree with you. But this story has already played out in the opposite direction, so I have none. Take 3-4 ticks off his fastball, a few inches of break off all his off-speed pitches, etc... and you're back to you're description of Morris here, which is hopefully a "durable innings eater" at the back of the rotation, instead of lock-down set-up man.

Coming in at No. 5 on our Minnesota Twins top prospect list is a starting pitcher who, despite his lack of a so-called track record, has continued to sit near the top of this list. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints Age: 22 (DOB: 8/7/2002) 2024 Stats (Double-A and Triple-A): 25 GS, 3-4, 4.05 ERA, .243 BAA, 1.36 WHIP, 103 K, 44 BB, 97 2/3 IP ETA: 2025 2024 Ranking: 4 National Top 100 Rankings BA: NR | MLB: NR | ATH: NR | BP: NR What’s To Like? As a prep starting pitching prospect, the name of the game with Raya has always been potential. While he didn’t come with as much hype as (say) José Berríos, at the time of their drafting, I think there are some similarities to draw from there. Both are undersized, and came with fastball and slider combinations scouts could dream on. They were also plenty athletic, with clean deliveries they were able to repeat better than most high-school hurlers. A shoulder injury kept Raya out of the 2021 season, but he was quick to make a mark for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels when 2022 rolled around. The second start of his career saw him post career bests with six innings pitched and 10 strikeouts. It certainly looked a lot like Berríos. His fastball now sits in the 94 MPH range, and will touch 96. His slider and curveball can both be swing-and-miss pitches and boast well-above-average spin rates. He worked hard on a cutter this past season and it is now his primary weapon against left-handed hitters, giving him another tool to get through full lineups. His curveball, in particular, made an impression after a bump to triple-A with the St. Paul Saints for his final start of this past season. That pitch has some serious depth, given how hard he throws it. The combination of mid-80s velocity and true curveball downward action is a highly valuable one. On this chart, you can see some of the names in his neighborhood, including one who makes clear what might be possible if Raya ends up in the bullpen. What’s Left To Work On? This might be the easiest question to answer for Raya as a starting pitching prospect and what they may have been lacking coming up through the system: Volume. What I mean by that is the amount of pitches and innings he has thrown since being taken by the Twins in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. It will be Year Five in the system for Raya, and although he didn’t really get started until the 2022 season, to say he has been handled with kid gloves since he was signed is an understatement. Whether this has been because of some new pitching prospect plan that the Twins and Derek Falvey have created with health at the forefront, or if there’s something else afoot with Raya, he simply hasn’t pitched enough to really draw any concrete conclusions on his long-term outlook as a starting pitcher. In his three years of pitching, he has started 64 games (appeared in 66), which doesn’t sound like a bad number by itself, but it comes with just 225 1/3 total innings. That means he has averaged less than three and a half innings per game for his career. In a starting pitcher's lens, he has pitched five or more innings in a game just 10 times, and six innings just twice (ironically, one of those outings was that tweet from me above). The most pitches he’s ever thrown in a game is 81, and during the 2023 season he never eclipsed 55. Call me old-fashioned, but these aren’t the types of numbers I like to see out of starting pitching prospects. The baseline goal should be that they are capable of picking up a win on the stat sheet every time out, even if that statistic by itself means very little. We’ve seen time and time again the past few seasons with the Twins how an inability to work more than halfway through a game can tax a bullpen (and pitching staff as a whole) over a full season. Raya is also still developing his arsenal and learning to control it. His changeup received positive reviews for its improvement last year, but he was throwing it very little or not at all at the tail end of the 2024 season. Instead, he began employing that cutter en masse, to go along with his 4-seam fastball and two breaking balls. His walk rate of 4.1 BB/9IP is also something you want to see come down in 2025. What’s Next? If I’m being honest, Raya was further down in my own list submitted for these rankings, in large part because of my concerns about his role. He came in as the fourth-ranked pitcher in the Twins system for me. You should have the gist by now: That is because I want to see more of what Raya can do next year, but I also do not want you to think that somehow lowers the amount of potential he carries. If he responds well to a ramped-up workload, his ceiling is awfully high. I have watched him dominate lineups. I have seen those high-spinning breaking balls fool hitters, and 96-MPH fastballs being dotted on the corners. I’m just not certain there isn’t a better reliever here than a starter at this point. You have to start treating him like one, eventually, to find out. He was added to the Twins' 40-man roster on Tuesday, so it’s quite obvious they believe in that ceiling, too. Depending on what the Twins do with the active roster this offseason, there is a good chance he begins the year in the rotation of the St. Paul Saints. While he will certainly be down in the pecking order with the likes of David Festa, Zebby Matthews, and Andrew Morris around, spot starts could be a possibility as soon as they become necessary, now that he's on that reserve list. In a perfect world for me, Raya reaches the 100-inning mark for the first time in his career before August. If he is not already making starts for the Twins by then (which could be a good or bad thing) but showing he deserves a chance, they then find a place for him in the bullpen as they make a playoff push. They should push him above 125 total innings in the process. That would put him in line to be a full-time contributor in the majors while he is still just 23 years old the following season, or pretty much what the Twins got out of Simeon Woods Richardson this year. Do you agree with Raya’s ranking? What do you expect out of him during the 2025 season? Can he reach the majors with the Twins, and will he start for them? View full article