The Minnesota Twins major league season may or may not be coming any time in the immediate future, but that doesn’t mean the minor league season will be slowing down at all. With Triple-AAA baseball still expected to arrive on April 5th, it’s time to take a look at the long list of potential big leaguers within the MiLB ranks.
We ranked these top fifty prospects off of a combination of talent, production, and positional value, but with such an expansive group, we’ll break it down starting in chunks of ten and continuing until we reach our top five later this week. Check out the first forty prospects on the list here:
We ranked the Top 50 Minnesota Twins prospects, continuing today with 10-6.
As we noted the past few days, we didn’t include include Yasser Mercedes, Yilber Herrera, or Bryan Acuna, all of whom have yet to appear in a pro game yet, though when they do, expect to see them here soon.
For today’s group of prospects, we’re breaking down the first half of the Top 10 before the Top 5 and full list is released tomorrow. These are the best of the best for the Twins, some of whom have real All-Star potential. Let’s start it off.
Minnesota Twins Top 50 Prospects: 10-6
Prospect No. 10: Jhoan Duran, RHP
Jhoan Duran may just have the best pure stuff in the Minnesota Twins’ system, and he’s produced at an exceptionally strong level ever since he arrived after the Eduardo Escobar trade. Few scouts doubt that he has all the tools to be a big league pitcher. Despite this, a few issues have come up over the past few years.
Duran has dealt with serious injuries and played just 5 games due to injury since the end of 2019, creating some major questions about whether he will be a reliever or a starter, thus the reason he’s fallen to Number 10. If he can stay healthy in 2022 and the Twins want to give him one more chance as a starter, he’ll be in the rotation by September. If not, he’ll be a top bullpen prospect instead.
Prospect No. 9: Matt Canterino, RHP
Armed with elite stuff, tremendous production, and prospect pedigree, Matt Canterino has one of the highest ceilings in the system. In his first thirteen starts in the minors, he posted a 1.13 ERA and a 45-4 K-BB ratio a ratio good enough for a 17.6 K/9 rate. That’s a pitcher you want to see in the major leagues.
It’s clear Canterino has front line starter potential, but injuries could prevent him from reaching his ceiling. Those thirteen starts are the only ones he’s seen since he was drafted, meaning the Twins could opt to move him to the bullpen. If they do, Canterino has the potential to be an All-Star level closer. His floor is almost as high as his ceiling either way.
Prospect No. 8: Jose Miranda, 3B
The Twins were thrilled with Jose Miranda’s progress during the missed 2020 season and 2021 offseason, allowing them to carry high hopes into the 2021 year. With that being said, no one could have predicted Miranda would break out to the point of becoming the Twins’ Minor League Player of the Year.
Miranda slashed .344/.401/.572 with 30 homers and a 40-72 BB-K ratio across Double-AA and Triple-AAA and despite the midseason move up, he hardly missed a beat. He’ll have to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke (especially the power), but even if he can’t reach the same levels, we should see him in a Minnesota Twins uniform in 2022 (assuming the season eventually begins).
Prospect No. 7: Chase Petty, RHP
The 26th Pick in the 2021 Draft, Chase Petty checks in as the seventh ranked prospect in the system with an extremely high ceiling and a triple digit fastball that has scouts gushing. He only pitched just five innings in 2021, but there’s a lot to like about him even though he’s still just 18.
In addition to his elite fastball, he has a slider and changeup with plus potential, so he has the stuff to remain a starter and the Twins have been working with him on his delivery in the hopes that they can keep him as a starter long-term. So far it seems to be going well, and if the team can keep it going in the right direction, he may just reach the ceiling of a front-line starter.
Prospect No. 6: Josh Winder, RHP
Just like Miranda, Josh Winder did a lot of work to improve during his downtime in 2020, and the results showed on the field in 2021. In addition to a 2.63 ERA and 80-13 K-BB ratio that showed his 2019 numbers weren’t a fluke, the 2018 7th Round Pick was named to the 2021 All-Star Futures Game.
His season ended two starts later due to injury, but he still has a mid-90s fastball and fantastic four pitch mix that he uses extremely well to attack the zone. If Winder can remain healthy in 2022, he could work his way into the Twins’ rotation by the end of the season. Once there, he could remain there for a long time.