The Twins have two minor league affiliates with games remaining this week — Class A-Advanced Cedar Rapids in the Midwest League playoffs and Class AAA St. Paul's final week of the regular season.
How did the Twins' top 10 minor-league prospects do this season?
Two first-round choices are at the top of the list and both were quite impressive in 2023.
September 19, 2023 at 3:36PM
The rest of the farm system is finished for the year with prospects preparing for workouts in the offseason and a few players gearing up to participate in the Arizona Fall League.
Below is a look at how the Twins' top-rated prospects, according to Baseball America, performed in the 2023 season (stats through Monday).
1. CF Walker Jenkins, 18, Class A Fort Myers: The No. 5 overall pick in July's MLB Draft lived up to the hype in his first taste of professional baseball. Jenkins hit .362 with 12 extra-base hits, 22 RBI and nearly as many walks (nine) as strikeouts (14) in 26 games. The Florida State League is a pitcher-friendly league, but Jenkins looked dominant in his couple of weeks there.
2. SS Brooks Lee, 22, Class AAA St. Paul: Lee could compete for a spot on the Twins' Opening Day roster next spring. In his first full pro season, the 2022 first-round pick is hitting .277 with a .809 OPS in a combined 120 games at Class AA and AAA. The switch-hitter has been solid defensively and he's shown excellent plate discipline with 55 walks and 89 strikeouts in 552 plate appearances.
3. CF Emmanuel Rodriguez, 20, Class A-Advanced Cedar Rapids: Rodriguez had a slow start to the minor league season, but he's been one of the best hitters in the Twins' farm system since June. In 99 games this year, he's batting .240 with a .400 on-base percentage. His 92 walks are tied for the most in the Midwest League. Along with his plate discipline, he hit 16 homers, 13 doubles and nine triples while stealing 20 bases.
4. RHP David Festa, 23, St. Paul: Picked to represent the Twins at the MLB Futures Game in July, the 2021 13th-round pick has posted a 4.19 ERA in 92⅓ innings with 119 strikeouts and 42 walks. His fastball sits around 95 mph, and he possesses a strong slider and changeup.
5. RHP Marco Raya, 21, Class AA Wichita: The Twins have been cautious with Raya's workload, limiting him to about 50 pitches in his starts. Raya had a 2.94 ERA in 11 starts at Cedar Rapids and a 5.28 ERA in 11 starts at Wichita, but even the latter number is a little deceiving. He's allowed one run in his last five starts at Wichita (16 innings). He's struck out 65 batters in 62 ⅔ innings with 22 walks.
6. RHP Matt Canterino, 25, injured: The Twins added Canterino to the 40-man roster last winter, a sign of how much they believe in his talent when he was eligible to be taken by another team in the annual Rule 5 Draft, but he missed the 2023 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
7. RHP Charlee Soto, 18, Rookie-level Fort Myers: Drafted with the No. 34 overall pick in July, Soto did not appear in a game after he was selected. Many high school pitchers are shut down after their high school season ends.
8. OF Yasser Mercedes, 18, Rookie-level Fort Myers: Mercedes was a heralded international signing in 2022, but he had a rough season in the Florida Complex League after a strong spring training. He hit .196 with four homers, four doubles and 17 RBI in 25 games. He stole six bases in seven attempts, but he drew only six walks in 105 plate appearances.
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9. LHP Connor Prielipp, 22, Cedar Rapids: The Twins knew the injury risk when they drafted Prielipp in the second round in 2022, and he was shut down after pitching only 6⅔ innings to undergo elbow surgery in July.
10. INF Tanner Schobel, 22, Wichita: It's been a solid season for the Virginia Tech product. He's batting .265 in 126 combined games between Class A-Advanced and AA with 16 homers, 16 doubles and 79 RBI. He's stolen 12 bases in 14 attempts and posted a .352 on-base percentage.
Five more prospects who surged in 2023
RF Kala'i Rosario, 21: It's been a breakout year in Cedar Rapids with a .252/.364/.467 slash line. He's totaled 21 homers, 27 doubles and a Midwest League-leading 94 RBI in 118 games.
INF Yunior Severino, 23: He's tied for second in all the minor leagues with 34 home runs and he's continued his power surge at St. Paul. He's batting .275 in 115 games between AA and AAA with 82 RBI.
2B Luke Keaschall, 21: The second-round pick in this year's draft is off to a strong start, reaching Class A Cedar Rapids. He's batting .288 with 10 doubles, three homers and 15 RBI in 31 total games with 11 stolen bases.
RHP Cory Lewis, 22: He's known for his ability to mix in a knuckleball. In 22 starts, 13 at Cedar Rapids, he compiled a 2.49 ERA with 118 strikeouts and 33 walks over 101⅓ innings.
RHP Zebby Matthews, 23: In 22 outings between Class A and A-Advanced, he's posted a 3.84 ERA in 105⅓ innings. He's an excellent strike thrower, recording 112 strikeouts to only 15 walks.
Five prospects who struggled
INF Jose Salas, 20: Acquired in the Pablo López/Luis Arraez trade, it's been a tough offensive season for Salas at Cedar Rapids. He's hitting .188 with four homers, 13 doubles and a .531 OPS in 340 at-bats.
SS Noah Miller, 20: It hasn't been a poor season for Miller at Cedar Rapids, but the No. 36 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft has yet to break out offensively. Miller, a switch-hitter, hit .223 in 120 games with a career-high eight homers and 60 RBI.
1B Keoni Cavaco, 22: The former first-round pick is hitting .193 with five homers and 14 RBI in 59 games at Cedar Rapids with 88 strikeouts in 202 at-bats. He missed time this season because of a concussion.
RHP Francis Peguero, 26: The Twins sent Peguero to the Arizona Fall League last year, but he hasn't taken the next jump forward. Pitching primarily at Wichita, he owns a 4.80 ERA in 34 relief appearances with 40 strikeouts in 45 innings.
RHP Cody Lawyerson, 25: After a dominant minor league season in 2022, Lawyerson has compiled a 4.80 ERA in 32 outings at St. Paul. His strikeout rate has dipped with 51 punchouts and 25 walks in 50⅔ innings.
Twins shortstop Carlos Correa is arguably their best player and easily their most expensive one. He’s frequently injured and a payroll-strapped team is up for sale. It feels like the Twins can’t afford to keep Correa, but the same is true of losing him.
