Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2024 | Highest Level Played | Estimated Time of Arrival
1. OF Walker Jenkins | 19 | A | 2026
In some draft classes, Jenkins would’ve been a contender to go first overall. In a class with Crews, Skenes and Langford, Jenkins and fellow high school outfielder became windfall profits for teams with lottery luck. A left-handed hitter at 6’3” 210 lbs, Jenkins hit .333 with power for a couple weeks on the complex then looked like Chuck Norris in Low-A for 12 games, slashing .392/.446/.608 with six strikeouts and four walks. The fifth overall pick appears likely to sprint through the system.
2. SS Brooks Lee | 23 | AAA | 2024
A high-floor switch-hitter with a lot of college experience, Lee went eighth overall in the 2022 draft and played his way to Double-A in his draft season. He played just two games there last year and another 87 this year, slashing .292/.365/.476 with 11 home runs and six steals. The team has an option on Jorge Polanco at $12 million next year, but then Edouard Julien is on the roster, too, and Carlos Correa is under contract forever. This stuff typically works itself out. Just hard to time it.
3. OF Emmanuel Rodriguez | 21 | A+ | 2025
Produced a 145 wRC+ in 99 High-A games despite striking out 29.5 percent of the time. He hit 16 home runs, stole 20 bases and slashed .240/.400/.463 with a 20.2 percent walk rate. Power, speed and patience will play in the real game and ours as long as a guy plays decent defense (he does) and makes enough contact, which will have to be Rodriguez’s focus moving forward. Even if he can’t bring the strikeout rate down, he should be a force in OBP leagues.
4. IF OF Austin Martin | 25 | AAA | 2024
In his final couple months of 2023, Martin hit the gas, slashing .300/.428/.473 with 31 strikeouts, 29 walks, 14 steals and six home runs across 44 games. It was his best two months as a pro, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The 5th overall pick in 2020, Martin has mostly struggled between his two organizations, but his plate skills and speed would play in our game if he hit for enough power to win a job. He’s somehow blocked and not blocked in Minnesota. Matt Wallner, Byron Buxton, Willi Castro, Alex Kirilloff could all open a path to playing time in various ways. Max Kepler is a free agent after this season. The paths are complicated but not impossible. If Martin can keep performing, a window will appear.
5. 2B Luke Keaschall | 21 | A+ | 2025
I’ve come to like the phrase “hitting is the easy part” to describe guys like Keaschall who have always produced and never really struggled with strikeouts. The Twins selected the 6’1” 190 lb righty out of Arizona State in the second round and sent him to the complex for three games, then to Low-A for 20 and finally to High-A for eight games. He slashed .288/.414/.478 with three homers and 11 steals. He’ll probably open the season back in High-A but seems pretty close to ready for the bright lights.
6. RHP David Festa | 24 | AAA | 2024
Listed at 6’6” 185 lbs, Festa has long had room for weight on his frame, and with the dream of good weight comes the hope of more velocity. The Twins drafted Festa on that hope and quickly found more velocity, and then another tick, all the way up to 98 on the fastball at times in 2023. Command can fluctuate when a guy is wielding new stuff, but Festa has balance throughout his delivery and should be able to harness his three-pitch mix of fastball, slider, changeup.
7. RHP Marco Raya | 21 | AA | 2025
A 4th round pick in 2020, Raya missed 2021 with a shoulder strain but has enjoyed a quick climb through the system since then. His fastball, slider and curve work already and could soon be joined by a developing changeup. Durability might be an issue. He’s listed at 6’1” 170 lbs and might need to be careful in what kind of weight he adds across time. Did not last more than four innings in any start in 2023.
8. OF Kala’i Rosario | 21 | A+ | 2026
A powerful right-handed hitter at 6’0” 205 lbs, Rosario hit 21 home runs in 118 games against players who were 2.8 years his senior on average. Then he hit another seven in the Arizona Fall League and even won the home run derby for good measure. He’s been striking out about 30 percent of the time across every level so far, but he’s also producing power. He reminds me a little of Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the sense that Minnesota has a knack for drafting and developing low-cost bats.
9. OF Brandon Winokur | 19 | CPX | 2027
Another player-type Minnesota likes is LARGE, and Winokur checks in at 6’5” 210 lbs, so the Twins took him in round three of the 2023 draft. On the complex, he played nine games at shortstop and seven games in center field, so this is not your average 6’5” human, whatever that would be. He hit four home runs and slashed .288/.338/.546. Big dudes are all the rage these days, and I think Winokur will get some dynasty shine if he hits again in 2024.
10. OF DaShawn Keirsey Jr. | 26 | AAA | 2024
Keirsey Jr. reminds me of LaMonte Wade Jr. in that he’s a left handed hitter with solid plate skills who looks ready to contribute somewhere but who doesn’t have enough oomph to knock someone off his spot in this organization. It was a slow burn for the 2018 4th round pick, but game power has finally entered the discussion around Keirsey, who hit 15 home runs and stole 39 bases in 130 games across two levels in 2023 while slashing .294/.366/.455. If he gets a look, I’ll be adding him in my AL Only leagues.
Thanks for reading!
PS: We’ll have at least one opening in a startup dynasty from 2023. Let me know if you’re interested!
