Minnesota Twins Top Prospects 2024
Minnesota Twins top prospects for dynasty fantasy baseball including Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Brooks Lee, and more.
Welcome to our team prospect rankings. Over the next two months, I will be pumping out team top prospect rankings and evaluations for dynasty baseball. These reports are generated from live looks, film study, and advanced data analysis to bring you in-depth fantasy scouting reports on every player you need to know, with today’s being the Minnesota Twins Top Prospects.
Not all 30 players in each writeup will be dynasty relevant, but many will, and if you play in a deep league, certainly most of the names will be worth knowing.
You can check out our previous Top Prospect Rankings:
Each player has a detailed write-up. The top 10 rankings and writeups are free for all, but the rest of the top prospects are for paid subs. Get an edge in your dynasty leagues and get in on some of these players first! Let’s get to it: our Minnesota Twins top prospects.
Minnesota Twins Top Prospects
1. Walker Jenkins, OF, 18, 6’3”/210
Jenkins is a slugger and the ideal mold for a dynasty stud that we rarely see in prep bats. Having an ideal frame, standing at 6’3”/210 pounds, and has one of the best swings you will see from the left side. Jenkins is an incredible athlete and has a ton of physicality. It is easy to see 30 home run potential in Jenkins’ bat.
In a small pro sample, Jenkins posted a zone-contact rate north of 90 percent and an overall contact rate of 82 percent. He chased below a league average rate and showed a good feel of hitting balls to all fields.
The contact skills are firmly plus with a beautiful swing. Pair that with big time power potential, and you have a potential stud. While the exit velocities were not overly impressive in his pro debut, there is still a ton of power upside. You can envision a .280/30 HR/10 SB type bat, which is huge for fantasy purposes.
On top of baseball skills, scouts rave about Jenkins as a human being. You would be hard-pressed to find a better all-around person on top of his baseball talent. The Twins got a good one.
Jenkins's debut confirmed what we thought pre-draft, a potential plus hit/power/speed, slashing .362/.417/.571 with three home runs, four triples, and five doubles while stealing six bases in 26 games.
FFG: Top-15 OF
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .280/.350/30 HR/10 SB
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Buy
2. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, 20, 5’10”/210
If any prospect has the upside to be the top prospect in baseball, it could be Emmanuel Rodriguez, who has one of the best toolsets of all minor leaguers. While the statistical output has not been the most impressive, Rodriguez’s numbers the last two seasons have been solid. Playing just 47 games in 2022 in Single-A, Rodriguez smashed nine home runs and stole 11 bases while slashing .272/.493/.552 in 199 plate appearances. He spent most of the season healthy in 2023, hitting 16 home runs and collecting 40 extra-base hits in 455 plate appearances while slashing .240/.400/.463.
From a power standpoint, Rodriguez is at the top of all prospects. Posting a 108 mph 90th percentile exit velocity would put him among the top MLB hitters and behind Minor Leaguers such as Junior Caminero and Owen Caissie. But it just shows how much power he really has. His 117 mph max would have ranked 10th among all MLB hitters in 2023.
*Data from Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. Check out his Top 100 here.
One of the more passive hitters in baseball, Rodriguez swung at just 36 percent of pitches, which was one of the lowest swing rates in all of baseball. That is not a bad thing though, as he has one of the most discerning eyes, chasing less than 16 percent of pitches out of the zone. Anything below 20 percent is considered high-end, which shows how strong Rodriguez’s chase rate is.
The contact rates need to improve, as Rodriguez made contact on less than 70 percent of pitches for the last two seasons. It's highly possible that Rodriguez is a below-average batting average typer but has elite OBPs. The power and speed show 30 home run/20 stolen base potential as well.
FFG: Power/Speed OF who plays better in OBP
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .260/.400/30 HR/20 SB
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Buy
3. Brooks Lee, SS, 22, 5’11”/205
Lee was among the highest-floor hitters in the 2022 draft, selected eighth overall by the Twins out of California Poly. After a strong debut post-draft in 2022, Lee posted a .275/.347/.461 slash with 16 home runs in Double and Triple-A in 2023.
A switch hitter, Lee has a better swing from the left side and posted a .860 OPS as a lefty and a .603 OPS as a righty. He struck out 14 percent from the left and 24 percent from the right.
Still, Lee made contact on 79 percent of pitches he saw this year and 90 percent of pitches in the zone. While he does have some aggressiveness to his in-the-box and does chase out of the zone at times, even when he does, he puts his bat on the ball.
His average exit velocity in Triple-A checked in north of 90 mph, which is solid, and his 90th percentile was close to 103 mph. He has the power to hit 20 home runs and the speed to steal ten bases regularly.
Lee is a safe bet to be an MLB regular due to his high floor-to-hit. He may not possess any star traits, but Lee should be someone who posts high batting averages consistently.
FFG: Hit Tool First INF
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .285/.355/20 HR/10 SB
Variance: Low
Buy/Sell: Buy
4. Gabriel Gonzalez, OF, 20, 5’10”/165
Gonzalez has moved through the Mariners system rather quickly as he was signed in 2021, and after a strong showing in the Dominican Summer League, made it to full-season ball in 2022. The power breakout happened in 2023 as Gonzalez hit 18 home runs across 535 plate appearances with a .298/.361/.576 slash line.
Having a shorter frame, Gonzalez is strong and packs a punch showing a feel for power to all fields. Gonzalez has one of the more aggressive approaches in the game, swinging at over 55 percent of pitches and making contact on 75 percent. He does have a strong feel for contact in the zone, but the quality of contact is not always there, as Gonzalez swings at nearly all pitches in the zone.
While most of his home runs did come in hitter-friendly environments, with seven of his nine in High-A coming at Everett. In Single-A, five of his nine came on the road at San Jose and Stockton. The power is something to keep an eye on, as the exit velocities are closer to average.
Running chase rates near 40 percent for the last two seasons is also something to watch as Gonzalez moves up levels.
FFG: Well Rounded OF
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .275/.350/20 HR/5 SB
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Hold
5. David Festa, RHP, 23, 6’6’”/185
Festa is one of the more underrated arms in the minors, and while the results were not overly impressive in 2023, Festa was one of the more unlucky arms in all of Minor League Baseball.
Posting a 4.19 ERA across 92.1 innings. In Double-A, his xFIP was 3.65, nearly a full run lower than his actual ERA with a .349 BABIP.
Leading with a fastball in the 94-96 mph range, Festa gets elite ride with IVB up to 20 inches on occasion but consistently in the 18-19 inch range. While the pitch does not have much horizontal movement, Festa misses bats thanks to his low VAA and locating it up in the zone with velocity and IVB.
The slider and the changeup both sit in a similar velocity band, around 87 mph, with the changeup generating a high IVB number for a changeup, but averaging 12 inches of horizontal movement with low spin rates. The changeup misses a ton of bats and plays well off his four-seam. The slider has a shorter break horizontal break while showing nice depth.
Festa does need to throw strikes more consistently to be a solid starter long-term. But when he is on, he shows three pitches that are all at least above average or better. There is a chance to see Festa in the Twins rotation by mid-season 2024.
FFG: SP4-5
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 150 IP/3.80 ERA/175 K
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Buy
6. Marco Raya, RHP, 21, 6’1”/170
The Twins snagged Raya in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, which has worked out exceptionally well for both Raya and the Twins. Injuries have limited him to just 127 innings in three pro seasons, including just 62.2 this year, in which he posted a 4.02 ERA with 65 strikeouts and 22 walks.
Raya has some of the best pure stuff in the Twins system, pumping a mid-90s fastball with solid ride that gets plenty of hitters to swing under it. It sometimes shows some arm side run, having the makings of an above-average or better pitch.
The slider is Raya’s best pitch, sitting in the mid-80s with a ton of sweeping action. The pitch averages more than 15 inches of sweep regularly and gets some ugly whiffs. He pairs that with a 12-6 curveball that gets a ton of downward movement.
Raya can potentially be a mid-rotation starter if he can prove his health and pitch deeper into games. The most pitches Raya threw in a start in 2023 was just 54 pitches, which does give some pause. He could be an elite bullpen weapon if he fails to develop as a starter.
FFG: SP4-5/RP
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 130 IP/3.50 ERA/145 K
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Buy
7. Brandon Winokur, SS/OF, 19, 6’5”/210
Winokur is a physically gifted 6’5”/210 athlete and has very loud tools. He hits the ball hard but also posts high-end run times for his size. He seemed not to get as much draft love as he should have, which is surprising considering his performance at showcase events and tournaments was solid. Winokur posted exit velocities and 60-yard dash numbers that were both 98th percentile for his class.
Winokur slashed .288/.338/.546 with four home runs and five doubles in 17 games. He consistently posted high exit velocities with impressive bat speed. The strikeouts are an issue, as Winokur showed an aggressive nature at the complex and struck out 23 times in 71 plate appearances.
There is an exciting upside if all clicks for Winokur.
FFG: Power Hitting OF
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .275/.340/25 HR/10 SB
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Buy
8. Charlee Soto, RHP, 18, 6’5”/210
Soto has a starters frame at 6’5”/210 lb and is one of the better power arms in the 2023 prep class. The Twins snagged him with the 34th pick as an arm. They had a massive upside arm fall into their lap and handed him an over-slot bonus of $2.48 million.
Soto’s fastball has gone from 91-92 and now sits near 95 while topping at 98 mph. Plenty of projection in his frame could lead to more added velocity with time.
While the fastball is solid, Soto’s changeup might be his best pitch, which is quite rare for a prep arm to have an advanced changeup. It sits in the mid-80s but can get firm and up to 88 mph with nice depth and fading action.
His slider flashes being a plus pitch as it sits in the upper-80s with a nice movement profile. Soto is a strong athlete on the mound with a ton of upside.
FFG: SP4-5
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 150 IP/3.75 ERA/160 K
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Buy
9. Darren Bowen, RHP, 22, 6’3”/180
Bowen is one of the more underrated arms in all of baseball, much less the Mariners farm system. The 22 year-old was drafted in the 13th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of UNC Pembroke, a D2 school that also produced River Ryan.
Pitching 55.2 innings in Single-A Modesto this year, Bowen posted a 3.88 ERA with 59 strikeouts. Tossing strikes at a league-average rate, Bowen did post a walk rate north of 10 percent, which has been a range he has been in for most of his career.
Bowen’s fastball sits in the mid-90s, with a very low VAA, averaging over 18 inches of IVB while having 12+ inches of run consistently. It comes from a highly athletic delivery, and Bowen works rather quickly. The fastball has outlier traits, which allows it to play up significantly.
He gets ugly swings and misses from a slider that has a ton of sweeping action, sitting in the low-to-mid 80s. The curveball plays off of it well, sitting near 80 mph with a two-plane break and a ton of sweep.
Bowen does throw a changeup on occasion that has about 7 mph of separation from the fastball with 17 inches of fade regularly. While the command still has questions, Bowen’s arsenal is extremely solid, making him worth keeping an eye on. If the command ticks up a notch, we could be talking about him among top 100 prospects.
FFG: Mid-to-Backend SP
90th Peak: 140 IP/3.70 ERA/160 K
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Buy
10. Austin Martin, 2B/OF, 24, 6’0”/185
Martin was a high-floor bat selected fifth overall in the 2020 draft out of Vanderbilt after showing power, speed, elite contact, and OBP skills. The Blue Jays traded Martin to the Twins in 2021 as part of the Jose Berrios trade.
While Martin has fallen significantly, the expectations seem to be more in line with the kind of player he is. The contact skills were strong in 2023, as Martin posted an 84 percent contact rate with a 90 percent zone contact rate. The chase rate of 17 percent was also impressive and put him among the lowest in the minors. The OBP skills have remained.
Martin’s power has not materialized as he posted an 85.5 mph average exit velocity and a 101 90th percentile. He may profile as a ten-home run bat but still has the speed and stolen base instincts to steal 30.
If Martin can stay healthy, he is still a solid player even if he does not live up to the fifth overall pick-caliber prospect that people hoped for.
FFG: High Floor INF/OF
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .280/.380/10 HR/30 SB
Variance: Medium
Buy/Sell: Buy as the Perceived Cost is Down
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