Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2025 | Highest Level Played | Estimated Time of Arrival
1. OF Walker Jenkins | 20 | AA | 2026
A left-handed hitter at 6’3” 210 lbs, Jenkins walked more than he struck out and slashed .282/.394/.439 in 82 professional games during his first full season. The sixth overall pick in the stacked 2023 class, Jenkins took the top spot on this list last year and is the odds-on favorite to claim it again next season unless the Twinkies really slam the gas on his development: an outcome he might invite with a hot start at Double-A.
2. OF Emmanuel Rodriguez | 22 | AAA | 2025
He played just 47 games in 2024, but that was plenty of time for the 5’11” 210 lb Rodriguez to show some qualities that make him the apple of many a dynasty-baseball eye. He slashed .280/.459/.567 with nine home runs and nine steals across four levels during those 47 games, flashing the three-true-outcomes that should help OBP leaguers even if he’s not making a whole lot of contact in the early going.
3. 2B Luke Keaschall | 22 | AA | 2025
Here’s what I wrote about Keaschall for last year’s list:
“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.”
And ready for the bright lights Keaschall seemed to be, slashing .303/.420/.483 with 15 home runs and 23 steals in 102 games across High-A and Double-A. The only hang-up here is Minnesota’s ability to accumulate hitters in need of major league playing time, but these things tend to sort themselves out, or at least that’s what people say.
4. SS Kaelen Culpepper | 22 | A+ | 2026
A three-year standout as the starting shortstop at Kansas State, Culpepper went 21st overall to the Twins and cruised through Low-A in 17 games, slashing .294/.366/.541 with just two strikeouts in nine games to force the quick promotion to High-A Cedar Rapids for 17 games to close out the season. He’ll probably open the 2025 season there (here) in Iowa, where it can be colder in spring than winter these days, but this team knows how to develop a talented hitter, so the smart money suggests he’ll power through the frosty months and wind up on the doorstep of the big leagues heading into 2026.
5. RHP Andrew Morris | 23 | AAA | 2025
Morris gets more velocity than a lot of high-angle arms, a testament to the athleticism in his 6’0” 195 lb frame. One sneaky aspect of his game is that he’s thrown a lot of innings (482.1) between college and the pros, which provides a little insight as to how he repeats a unique delivery with such consistency. From the Nolan Ryan school of pitching: how do you learn to throw a lot of innings? You throw a lot of innings. In 133 innings across three levels in 2024, Morris went 10-and-5 with a 2.37 ERA and 1.08 WHIP on the strength of a plus fastball with ride and a solid slider he can spot where he wants in any count.
6. OF Brandon Winokur | 20 | A | 2028
A third-round pick in the 2023 draft, Winokur checks in at 6’6” 210 lbs and played center field in his debut season. Totally normal stuff these days in baseball, but still pretty incredible to me to consider they’re moving him around the infield and outfield to find out where he fits best. In his first full season, Winokur slashed .249/.327/.434 with 14 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 94 games, and sure, he struck out a bit (28%), but he also posted a 116 while growing into his frame as a high-school draftee against older players.
7. RHP Marco Raya | 22 | AAA | 2025
A 4th round pick in 2020, Raya missed 2021 with a shoulder strain but has enjoyed a quick climb through the system on the strength of his breaking-ball command. He’s listed at 6’1” 170 lbs and did not last more than four innings in any start in 2023 but seemed to find something down the stretch in 2024, allowing zero home runs and recording a 1.31 ERA over his final seven starts covering 34.1 innings across two levels. Any little jump in his velocity would make him a problem, giving him a pretty clear path to the bullpen if starting doesn’t work out.
8. C OF Ricardo Olivar | 23 | AA | 2025
Every once in a while, or maybe once a year ‘round here, Minnesota turns up a guy who just hits and hits and hits. Maybe he’s not the biggest or most athletic dude, and maybe he doesn’t have a long-term home on defense, but the dude just keeps shoving “better” prospects out of the way as he hits his way up the chain. I don’t mean to suggest Olivar can’t play defense because by all accounts, he’s just fine behind the plate, but he’s 5’10 176 lbs wihtout much speed or power but a long track record of plate skills and wRC+ outcomes (138, 150, 136, 173, 181) that suggest he’s a tough out no matter the context.
9. 2B Dameury Pena | 19 | CPX | 2029
Here’s what I wrote about Pena on June 5 in Prospect News: Tigers Deploy Malloy or Viars on Fire:
“While we’re here discussing handsy Twins (eww) and plate-discipline type Twins, I’ll throw some hype over toward Twins SS Dameury Pena (18), who looks like a handsy dude with plate discipline, slashing .338/.457/.462 with two home runs and three steals across 18 games on the complex. He has drawn 14 walks (17.3%) and struck out four (4.9%) times.”
Yikes. Must’ve been a weird week. Pena cooled off a bit from there. His final line was .282/.386/.410 with three home runs and four steals in 36 games. Also just nine strikeouts against 19 walks, meaning he’s going to break some projection systems. Careful on that, as he’s just 5’10” 150 lbs without lightning-fast feet.
10. OF Yasser Mercedes | 20 | A | 2028
Mercedes looked great off the lot after a sticker price of $1.7 million but suffered a shoulder injury that triggered the car fox and torpedoed his dynasty value in 2023. He came back strong in 2024, slashing .331/.421/.568 with six home runs and 18 steals in 51 games on the complex before an empty ten games in Low-A and an August trip to the IL for an undisclosed injury. Big season this year, and perhaps the last buy-low window in our game if the-power speed blend comes together in full-season ball.
Thanks for reading!
Any movement since late Sept Top 50? with FYPD approaching, got offered 1.3 and another ’26 first for Mayo. Feeling inclined to do it.
based on top 50: Sasaki. Bazzana. Moore. Condon. Burns. HagenSmith. Wetherholt. Kurtz. Jac
Assuming first two go 1-2, would it be wrong to go Kurtz? or Wetherholt? or you think it’s for sure Moore ?
I have a deep roster, so best overall fantasy bat is my priority (although i’d take Sasaki if he was there).
or or, just hold Mayo?
Great stuff as always Twins fan since being a kid….i hope these blue chip
Prospects pan out…would trade Brandon Sproat for Luke K.? 13 team dynasty 5×5…thank you!
Yeah I’d give that a whirl.
I would have guessed a Sept callup for Jenkins. ETA 2026 means you disagree. How strenuously do you disagree?
Not strenuously at all.
Happy New Year Itch!
I am soooo torn o ERod. I can only keep 3 of:
Basallo
Kurtz
Campbell
ERod
As of today, ERod is the odd man out. I just don’t trust he will ever stay healthy. I also no longer believe he will play centerfield (which is huge in my league). And he plays for Minnesota who has a history of injury plagued hitters.
Am I crazy?
i’d think he’s for sure behind basallo/k.campell (assuming that’s BOS k.campbell), might be behind kurtz, i’d get most recent top 50 or was it 100 from sept (or early oct).
scratch that, i checked, e-rod 17th, kurtz 40th. that gap is similar on mlb.com’s rankings.
Morning, Itch. Thanks for the work, as always. I don’t remember where you had Zebby Matthews last year, but was he close to making this year’s list? I know he got knocked around in his cup of coffee last year but he was good in the minors.
On another note, in a 12 team league where 90-120 minors players are carried in minors slots until they hit rookie minimums, do you think Yanquiel Fernandez is worth hanging onto? I basically have 6 minors guys I know i’m keeping, and dropping him would free up another slot in our FYPD. Thanks for your time
Mornin, fivepoundbass!
That’s my bad on Matthews: I thought he’d graduated, but I think he graduated by time-served and not by crossing the 50 IP mark. He’d on the list if I hadn’t dropped the ball there.
Nah I’d be fine with dropping Yanquiel.