Minnesota Twins: Checking in on prospect Ben Rortvedt
Welcome to the latest installment of Puckett’s Pond’s feature “A Trip to the Farm”. In this space, we will take a look at the less talked about prospects in the Minnesota Twins system.
Today we will take a look at Ben Rortvedt, a promising young catcher in the Minnesota Twins Minor League system. MLB Pipelines ranks Rortvedt number 23 in the Twins Top-30 prospects and he should climb higher as he matures.
The Twins drafted Rortvedt in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft. The hardest position to fill with elite talent is at catcher, but Minnesota found one with just that type of talent. Rortvedt was projected to be a well-rounded backstop who can handle the demands of the position defensively, while still contributing on offense, coming out of high school.
However, he has proven to be better behind the dish than with the lumber during his first year-plus in the Twins system. He hasn’t been bad with the bat in any sense, but he definitely looks more polished defensively at this point of his career.
Looking at the numbers
Rortvedt played 30 games across two levels of the Twins Rookie League during the 2016 season. He did little to impress at the plate with a .222/.306/.353 slash line with zero home runs and only three extra-base hits overall.
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The first full season of his Minor League career didn’t go any better. He slashed a .224/.284/.315 with four home runs and 16 doubles. His power has not progressed the way that the Minnesota Twins had hoped. However, he has been even better than advertised defensively during the beginning of his Minor League career.
Rortvedt had a .989 fielding percentage during his half-season debut in Rookie League. He followed that up with a .992 fielding percentage while throwing out 38% of stolen base attempts while playing with Single-A Cedar Rapids during the 2017 season.
What has Rortvedt done during this season?
The 20-year-old has found his swing for Cedar Rapids so far during the 2018 season. Rortvedt has a .281/.333/.396 slash line and already has 12 extra base hits to start this season. His power hasn’t quite translated during his pro career. However, it’s far too early to close the book on this kid’s bat.
The hardest position to develop is at catcher, and that’s especially true for a catcher drafted out of high school. Mitch Garver has shown what he’s capable of in MLB, following Jason Castro‘s season-ending knee injury, and his bat is ready.
However, Garver has struggled defensively, and still shows the same limitations that have plagued him throughout his career. Rortvedt already shows the ability to handle the MLB level defensively and his bat was thought to be a strength for him coming out of the draft in 2016.
Given time, Rortvedt has the potential to develop into an everyday catcher for the Minnesota Twins. There is no need for this team to rush him through the system so Rortvedt should be able to develop at his own pace.
Next: Looking at the Twins first round draft pick
However, if Garver proves he can’t handle the position moving forward, Rortvedt’s advancement could be accelerated. Castro isn’t exactly young, and Garver has done little to inspire any confidence, so Rortvedt may be the future begin the plate in the Twin Cities.