5 Biggest Rising Stars for the Minnesota Twins' AL Central Rivals

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With the Minnesota Twins off to a hot start and their AL Central Rivals not playoff-ready, we look at the players in the division that could become stars.

The Minnesota Twins are the clear class of the American League Central Division. With their strong series wins over the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians, the Twins showed that they have the depth and talent to run this division for years to come.

That being said, Cleveland won 93 games just last year and the White Sox have the blue chip prospects to put together a phenomenal roster. With that in mind, we took a look around the division and put together a list of the 5 best rising stars among the Minnesota Twins’ rivals.

In order to be considered a rising star, there are three qualifications:

The player needs to be 25 years old or younger.
The player cannot already be a star in the league, meaning no All-Star appearances (Shane Bieber misses this list for this reason).
The player needs to have played at the major league level for more than 25 innings (or 10 for pitchers).

With those three rules out of the way, we’ll get started with the honorable mentions.

Minnesota Twins Rival Rising Star: Honorable Mentions

Franmil Reyes, OF/DH, Cleveland Indians

Franmil Reyes just BARELY made this list, as the American League Central doesn’t have a ton of talent under the age of 26. Reyes has struggled since being traded to Cleveland, and it’s easy to see by looking at his stat lines:

Cleveland: 62 G, .226/.286/.720, 11 HR, 39 RBI, 19-76 BB-K, -0.3 WAR
San Diego, 186 G, .266/.326/.844, 43 HR, 77 RBI, 53-173 BB-K, 1.8 WAR

That’s an ugly difference, but Reyes is still just 24. Once he adjusts, he could turn into a Nelson Cruz level DH (more power, less average) that is a threat for years to come. Until he adjusts, however, he remains here.

Zach Plesac/Aaron Civale, SP, Cleveland Indians

It feels like cheating to include Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale in the same spot in the honorable mentions, but both players are in the same spot. Lesser-known 25-year-olds from smaller universities who have been very effective since getting to the majors in 2019:

Plesac: 23 G, 23 GS, 8-7, 3.58 ERA, 105-41 K-BB, 2.2 WAR
Civale: 12 G, 12 GS, 4-5, 2.58 ERA, 64-17 K-BB, 1.7 WAR

Because they both have less than a season’s worth of experience, it’s hard to tell who will end up being the better of the two pitchers. For now though, it’s easy to tell they will be very strong options behind Shane Bieber in the rotation.

Aldaberto Mondesi of the Kansas City Royals fields a second inning ground ball while playing the Detroit Tigers. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Minnesota Twins Rival Rising Star No. 5: Adalberto Mondesi, SS, Kansas City Royals

It may be surprising to see Adalberto Mondesi on this list, but he is very deserving. Mondesi cracked the big leagues for the Kansas City Royals at the age of 19 all the way back in 2015 in the World Series. He was the first player ever to debut in the fall classic, but the former top prospect is just beginning to find his stride.

Mondesi struggled in his first two seasons with the Royals, working mostly as a base-runner and utilizing his incredible speed. He started to break out in 2018, with a 75 game season that saw him slash .276/.306/.804 with 3 triples, 14 homers, and 32 stolen bases. That’s on pace for 6 triples, 29 homers, and 66 stolen bases.

He wasn’t quite that dominant in 2019, slashing .263/.291/.715 over 102 games and only hitting 9 homers, but he stole 43 bases and led the league in triples with 10. He’s only got more potential as he’s still just 25.

The only World Series winner on this list, Mondesi has a lot more experience than everyone in front of him, but he’s talented enough and young enough that I still wouldn’t count him out from becoming even better.

Brady Singer of the Kansas City Royals throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images) /

Minnesota Twins Rival Rising Star No. 4: Brady Singer, RHP, Kansas City Royals

He has only thrown 255 pitches in the Major Leagues, but for two of his three starts, Brady Singer has looked every bit as good as advertised since he was drafted 18th Overall in 2018. Despite getting just one year in the minors, he’s already the second starter in the Royals rotation.

Last year, Singer went 12-5 with a 2.85 ERA and a 138-39 K-BB at both High-A and Double-AA, making the Royals believe their top pitching prospect (and the No. 65 MLB Prospect) was ready to pitch for their major league team that needed him badly.

In each of his first two starts, he went 5 innings, allowing two runs and striking out a total of 10 batters while walking four. He struggled more in his third start (against a good Cubs team), still going 5 innings, but he allowed four runs. In that third start though, his electric stuff was revealed as he struck out eight.

Singer is just 24, giving him three years to reach his prime as a pitcher. His arrow is pointing straight up, and if the Royals can use their improved prospect group to build around Singer and Mondesi, Kansas City won’t be 100 game losers for very long.

Eloy Jimenez of the Chicago White Sox celebrates a home run. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Minnesota Twins Rival Rising Star No. 3: Eloy Jimenez, OF, Chicago White Sox

It was extremely tough deciding the order the Chicago White Sox uber-prospects would be going in, but Eloy Jimenez gets the short end of the stick as the third player in the rankings. Realistically though, it could go any way, as all three are that good.

Jimenez gets the call at third as the lowest ranked prospect (he was No. 3 at his highest, the other two made it to No. 1) and Yoan Moancada had the better year last year (though Moancada is older and it was close). With that out of the way, let’s get to why Jimenez is going to be a threat for years to come.

Jimenez RAKED in his rookie season, hitting 31 homers and 79 RBI in just 122 games. On top of that, he slashed a respectable .267/.315/.828. His defense was bad, as he posted a -1.4 dWAR, but he still posted a 1.5 WAR despite that. His defense will be MUCH better with Luis Robert patrolling center.

On top of that, through his first nine games of 2020 he’s slashed .333/.378/1.045 and has 3 homers and 9 RBI. It’s a small sample size, but it’s more reflective of his actual skill level and a big reason why he will be a handful in years to come.

Yoan Moncada of the Chicago White Sox slides into third, beating the tag. (Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images) /

Minnesota Twins Rival Rising Star No. 2: Yoan Moancada, 3B, Chicago White Sox

The farthest along of the Chicago Big 3, Yoan Moancada finished 21st in MVP voting last year, and for good reason. Moancada was solid in 2018, but he took it up a notch in 2019. Just look at his stat line from the two years:

2018: 149 G, .235/.315/.714, 17 HR, 61 RBI, 67-217 BB-K, 1.3 WAR
2019: 132 G, .315/.367/.915, 25 HR, 79 RBI, 40-154 BB-K, 4.8 WAR

He got better in every single aspects (except walks, because there were fewer games), and he has done that in all three of his professional seasons. On top of that, his defense has improved since moving to third base, closing another hole that was in his game.

Moancada may not end up being better than Jimenez, but there isn’t a doubt in my mind that he won’t be an All-Star and perennial down-ballot MVP candidate. Moancada has shown he’s got the goods and is one of the brightest rising stars in the division.

Luis Robert of the Chicago White Sox leads off first base in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Minnesota Twins Rival Rising Star No. 1: Luis Robert, OF Chicago White Sox

Unless you’ve been refusing to watch baseball or live under a rock, you’ve been able to watch Luis Robert absolutely MASH in his first 11 MLB games. And when I say he’s off to a hot start, I mean scalding. Here are his current totals and his 162 game pace:

11 G, .364/.429/.997, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 SB, and a 0.9 WAR
162 G, .364/.429/997, 29 HR, 88 RBI, 59 SB, and a 13.2 WAR

The important number to focus on (they’re all pretty incredible) is the fact that that 13.2 WAR would make for the second best season of ALL-TIME behind only the great Babe Ruth’s 1923 MVP season.

Now again, expectations need to be tempered. He probably won’t finish the season at this pace, but he’s still going to be extremely good, making him the No. 1 Rising Star for any of the Minnesota Twins’ division rivals.

Next. Minnesota Twins continue to roll, even without Jake Odorizzi and Rich Hill. dark

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5 Biggest Rising Stars for the Minnesota Twins’ AL Central Rivals