Minnesota Twins Top 50 Prospects: 25-21
Prospect No. 25: Steve Hajjar, LHP
While I didn’t include the Mercedes, Herrera, or Acuna on the list for their lack of games, I will include Steve Hajjar, as he’s four years older and has made a pretty impressive mark in college baseball, pitching well enough to be a Top 100 draft prospect and the Twins’ 2021 2nd round pick.
Hajjar is 6’5″ and though he’s already got three pitches with plus potential, the 21-year old may have even more in him. He hasn’t always been able to remain healthy, but as it sits now, the Twins are looking at a guy who could become a middle of the rotation arm if he develops right.
Prospect No. 24: Drew Strotman, RHP
The “other” pitcher that came over in the Nelson Cruz deal, Drew Strotman was in the middle of a very productive season for Triple-AAA Durham (Rays). Once he arrived in St. Paul however, he imploded, getting smacked around and missing far fewer bats.
There’s still a lot to like about Strotman: he has a really good pitch mix, solid delivery, and good command. The Twins will clearly need rotation help in 2022. The 25 year-old will have to find his Durham form again in order to prove he deserves a shot at the next level, and that’s going to be tough.
Prospect No. 23: Spencer Steer, 3B/2B/SS
It’s been a process, but Spencer Steer, the team’s third round pick in 2019, has climbed quickly through the minor leagues, by consistently getting on base, playing multiple positions, and this year surprising with a little bit of power.
He’ll never be a superstar, but he could be a very solid utility fielder (he’s basically become what Yunior Severino was supposed to be). He’s probably a year or two away still, but the Twins will be okay with him taking that developmental path.
Prospect No. 22: Cade Povich, LHP
Cade Povich is in a very similar boat to Steve Hajjar. Big Ten college pitcher with a thin college resume, typically lower-90s velocity, a large frame (6’2″ in Povich’s case) with some projectability, and a couple of other pitches that could be built into a solid starter mix.
Povich lands a few spots ahead of Hajjar in these rankings because we got to see him pitch 10 innings in the Twins’ system and post a 19-2 K-BB ratio and allow just one earned run. We’re not ready to call him the next Max Scherzer, but if he has a solid season, he could move quickly in the Twins’ system.
Prospect No. 21: Misael Urbina, OF
If you look at different prospect rankings for the Twins, Misael Urbina is ranked all over the place. Some have him on the edge of the Top 10, some have him just inside their Top 30. We’ve split the difference here, because we really don’t know what Urbina can truly do.
He’s supposed to have a very high ceiling, and was a highly-touted international prospect. He immediately had a great first fifty games of rookie ball in 2019, but he struggled MIGHTILY in 2021, slashing .191/.299/.286. It’s not all bad though.
He’s one of the fastest athletes in the Twins’ system and he’s got excellent baseball knowledge that helps him run the bases well, play fantastic defense in centerfield, and he takes a lot of walks too (it’s why his OBP was over 100 points higher than his average). He turns 20 in the end of April, too, so he’s got lots of time to work on hitting the ball. We’ll be patient.