Minnesota Twins: Ranking the Top 5 Prospects We should See in 2022
By Otto Johnson
Minnesota Twins Prospect Honorable Mentions
3B/2B/SS Spencer Steer (No. 23 Prospect)
2021 Stats: 110 G, .254/.348/.484, 82 R, 45 XBH (24 HR), 66 RBI, 8 SB, 55-105 BB-K
Spencer Steer was the Twins’ third round pick out of Oregon in 2019 and was seen as a solid polished hitter. He has quickly and quietly risen through the club ranks, making it to Double-AA in just two years of pro ball.
Steer drives the ball well and has solid speed, but he doesn’t have any elite tools which is why he ranks so low despite really solid production in his two years. His numbers kind of look like Jose Miranda’s with less power before this year, and I could see him making a similar jump if his contact picks up.
He misses the list because he’s pretty unlikely to be a consistent contributor in the major leagues in 2022 due to the positions he plays and the fact that he’s behind Miranda in the organizational depth chart. Look for him to start at Triple-AAA and try and make the jump.
RHP Cole Sands (No. 19 Prospect)
2021 Stats: 19 G, 18 GS, 80.1 IP, 4-2, 2.46 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 96-35 K-BB
One of the most underrated prospects in the Twins’ system, Cole Sands doesn’t have all the upside in the world, but he can put up numbers. The 2018 5th Round Pick has made a similar jump to Steer, moving through three levels in two years of pro ball.
His fastball has good life and has touched mid-90s in the past, while he’s continued to develop his curveball and changeup. The curve has a lot of good break on it while the changeup is hard to differentiate from his fastball so it gets outs.
Unfortunately for Sands, he’s in the same situation as Steer. Despite his production, he plays a position that’s very hard to break onto the Minnesota Twins roster as they would rather continue to give Griffin Jax starts. He’s also behind several starters on the organization’s depth chart.
He’ll start 2022 at Triple-AAA and will have the whole season to show the Twins why he can be a part of their rotation. With three rotation slots open at the end of 2021, hopefully Sands can make his way to the rotation by the end of 2022.