Minnesota Twins: 2022 Midseason Top 50 Prospects, No. 50-21

Minnesota Twins Top Prospects: No. 50-41

No. 50-SS Will Holland (2022 Preseason Ranking: No. 43): Will Holland has struggled again to start this season, and despite a good OBP and plenty of steals, he’s struggled to put it all together. He’s still an athlete with upside, but without any good contact, he may be out of chances here soon.

No. 49-C/OF Andrew Bechtold (PR: No. 44): Andrew Bechtold is a mediocre hitter with some power, but he’s played 35 games at catcher in AA, which was good enough to keep him on this list. He’s 26 now, so he’s really not much of a prospect, thus him falling a few more spots.

No. 48-RHP Cody Laweryson (PR: No. 49): With the sheer number of starting pitching prospects, the Minnesota Twins converted Cody Laweryson into an almost full-time reliever, and the results have been good, with high strikeouts and a good WHIP. His status as a relief pitcher dings his value, but he’s got good stuff.

No. 47-RHP John Stankiewicz (PR: Not Ranked): An undrafted free agent in 2020, John Stankiewicz posted excellent numbers in A, limiting walks and striking out lots of batters. He’s given up more hits since his call-up to High-A, but he’s flashed some potential.

No. 46-RHP Andrew Morris (PR: Not Ranked): The Twins’ fourth round pick in this year’s MLB Draft, Morris offers a good four-pitch offering with a high floor. If his control stays solid in the pros, he could be a very solid pitcher.

No. 45-LHP Kody Funderburk (PR: Not Ranked): Kody Funderburk is a fun story as a swingman, but he followed a strong 2021 with a solid 2022 and gets his first appearance here. His control needs work, but he has good stuff and generates plenty of strikeouts.

No. 44-LHP Christian Macleod (PR: No. 45): Christian Macleod was a fifth round pick in 2021, and he sticks at No. 45 despite missing this season due to Tommy John surgery. He had good strikeout stuff and it’ll be interesting to see how he returns.

No. 43-2B/3B Jorel Ortega (PR: Not Ranked): I’m higher on him than some others might be, but Jorel Ortega had a really stellar season in his final year of college, flashing good contact, power, and vision. His glove is a bit of a question mark, and he has to prove his bat is for real, but I think there’s some hidden upside here.

No. 42-C/1B Chris Williams (PR: Not Ranked): Chris Williams has really broken onto the scene in a big way this year. Williams, an 8th Round pick in 2018, has slashed .290/.375/.589 with 17 homers in 61 games at AA this year. He’s a first baseman who can catch a little, making him an interesting prospect despite his age (will turn 26 in the offseason).

No. 41-RHP Casey Legumina (PR: No. 37): Despite a rough start to 2022, Casey Legumina’s stellar fastball and slider have MLB talent written all over them. A bullpen move would benefit him, but in the meantime, he’s got lots of strikeouts but needs some work on his command.

Minnesota Twins Top Prospects: No. 40-31

No. 40-RHP Travis Adams (PR: Not Ranked): A sixth round pick in 2021, Travis Adams has shined in his first full season of pro ball, posting a 3.50 ERA and a 69-15 K-BB ratio in 15 starts. He doesn’t have any elite pitches, but he could rise through the system with his high floor.

No. 39-RHP Austin Schulfer (PR: No. 50): One of the top relief pitchers in the system, the Minnesota Twins converted Austin Schulfer to relief full-time in 2022 and he’s produced, with a 1.35 ERA, 0.825 WHIP, and 9 K/9 between 29 games at AA and AAA. He limits walks and hits and is knocking on the MLB door despite phenomenal stuff.

No. 38-C/1B Alex Isola (PR: Not Ranked): Similar to Bechtold, Alex Isola’s prospect number is boosted by his ability to catch, even if he can’t do it at a super high level. He’s been hurt this year, but in 31 games, he’s slashed .307/.400/.500 with 6 homers. He’s 24, but the TCU product has some real upside. He should earn a 40-Man spot this upcoming year if his defense improves.

No. 37-OF Kyler Fedko (PR: Not Ranked): A 12th Round pick in 2021, the UConn product has shown a key eye and some surprising power in his first full pro season. He posted an .888 OPS in 26 games at A, and while his number have dipped since his promotion, his strong on-base skills make him one to keep an eye on in the future.

No. 36-2B/OF Alerick Soularie (PR: No. 27): The Minnesota Twins’ 2nd Round pick in 2020, Alerick Soularie has shown solid power, speed, and the ability to take walks. He’s also struggled on defense, hit for average, and limit strikeouts. I still like parts of his game, but he has a lot of work to do after a lackluster start, thus the drop in the rankings.

No. 35-SS Keoni Cavaco (PR: No. 19): I’ve long been a believer in Keoni Cavaco’s potential, but there’s been little to show for it. This year, he’s posted career-bests in batting average (.246), slugging percentage (.431), OPS (.713), homers (8), and games played. That’s good for him.

He still strikes out WAY too much (89 strikeouts in 65 games), his defense at short is below average (especially for his athleticism) and he hasn’t been able to advance past Low-A. For now, he’ll hang out below the Top 30 until he proves he’s really turned a corner.

No. 34-OF Kala’i Rosario (PR: No. 26): I’ll admit, I got a little to excited by Kala’i Rosario’s power potential when I moved him into the Top 30. He’s still got elite power and tremendous upside, but his lack of patience at the plate and monster strikeout numbers bring him back down to a more reasonable spot.

No. 33-C Jair Camargo (PR: No. 42): The top catching prospect in the Twins system, Jair Camargo is a solid defender behind the dish and has posted a .280/.299/.520 slashline with 9 homers in 37 games between High-A and AA this year.

Traded to Minnesota as a part of the Kenta Maeda trade, Camargo just turned 23 and if he can keep producing at this level might be able to make it to Minnesota by the time he turns 25. If his defense can keep improving and he can be a little more patient at the plate (a lot more walks, way less K’s), Camargo could be a solid big league catcher.

No. 32-2B/3B Yunior Severino (PR: No. 32): A longtime member of the Twins’ top prospect lists, Yunior Severino has posted a career-best .266/.386/.477 slashline with the best BB-K ratio of his career.

After the trade deadline, he’s earned his first shot at AA ball, and after struggling to prove his potential in his first few seasons, Severino seems to be really turning a corner. His ceiling is hard to judge as he’s almost 23, but he’s shown more signs of life than we’ve seen in a while.

No. 31-RHP Cole Sands (PR: No. 15): After a dominant 2021 season, Cole Sands has struggled at both AAA and in his brief MLB stints. He’s still walking a lot of guys and striking out more with his plus stuff, but he’s getting shelled at both levels. Until he starts to miss more bats at a higher level, I’m going to drop him from the Top 15 perch that he had before.

Minnesota Twins Top Prospects: No. 30-No. 21

No. 30-SS Jermaine Palacios (PR: No. 48): After a solid 2021 season, Jermaine Palacios has followed up with a very similar 2022 season that included his MLB debut. All of the same issues he had to start the year are still problems, but I believe now that he has the floor of an low-tier MLB shortstop with some untapped potential remaining. That helped bring him up those 18 spots in these rankings.

No. 29-OF Yasser Mercedes (PR: Not Ranked): Yasser Mercedes has gotten his first taste of pro action and has crushed it, slashing .344/.411/.538 with 11 XBH (3 HR), and 16 steals in 25 games. The only reason he enters the list at such a low spot is the same reason I entered Emmanuel Rodriguez so low: his age.

Mercedes is still just 17 and playing in the Dominican Summer League, but he’s got good tools and has shown he has some potential. Depending on how this season and the next season finish, Mercedes could become a star.

No. 28-SS Tanner Schobel (PR: Not Ranked): The Minnesota Twins 3rd Round Pick in the 2022 Draft may not be oozing with potential, but Tanner Schobel does everything solidly, and will be given a chance to stay at short in the pros. He’s not going to be an All-Star, but he’s got the potential to be a solid big league regular.

No. 27-RHP Ronny Henriquez (PR: Not Ranked): Added on to the Mitch Garver-IKF trade, Ronny Henriquez has three really good pitches and solid control, but his command is his big issue. He earns good strikeout numbers for a starter and doesn’t walk a lot of batters, but he’s gotten hit hard ever since he got here. He has real upside, but he needs to actually prove he can hit his spots.

No. 26-1B Aaron Sabato (PR: No. 18): Sliding down the prospect rankings again this season, 2020 1st Round Pick Aaron Sabato is still struggling to reach his potential. His .217/.332/.406 slashline, 95 strikeouts, and 12 HR explain him well. He’s got to limit strikeouts and hit the ball more, while still taking walks and not losing his power. Will he figure it out? Who knows, but for now he slides again.

No. 25-RHP Sawyer Gibson-Long (PR: No. 29): I interviewed Sawyer Gipson-Long, and there are few guys I’ve talked to that are more down to earth as he is. It’s exciting to see him use his stuff and improve, and while he’s struggling a little bit at AA, he’s moving smoothly through the system with his excellent K-BB numbers.

No. 24-RHP Sean Mooney (PR: No. 35): With a good four pitch mix, Sean Mooney uses sneaky good stuff to keep hitters off-balance and rack up strikeouts, and this year he’s shown real improvement in limiting hits as well.

He’s 24 and struggles with walks from time to time which dampens his prospect stock, but Mooney looks like a very good back of the rotation arm if his development continues. He’s definitely one to watch.

No. 23-SS Danny De Andrade (PR: No. 38): Another teenager, Danny De Andrade was a Top 20 International Signing in 2021 and looked very solid in his first 81 games of Rookie ball between the past two years, slashing .260/.341/.366. He should gain a little more power as he grows, but his mature approach offers a lot of promise for the future.

No. 22-RHP Brent Headrick (PR: Not Ranked): I really liked what I saw from Brent Headrick in 2021, and if he could limit his walks this year he’d jump up my list. Well, the 9th Round Pick in 2019 has done just that.

This year, Headrick has posted a stellar 8-2 record, 2.34 ERA, 0.888 WHIP, 10.6 K/9, and 1.8 BB/9 over 15 starts. He was just promoted to AA and it’s beginning to look like Headrick might have a real future in Minnesota.

No. 21-RHP David Festa (PR: Not Ranked): A 13th Round Pick in the 2021 Draft, David Festa has also jumped into the Top 25 with a stellar 2022 campaign. His numbers aren’t quite as good as Headrick’s but he has a much better fastball and a potential plus slider. If he can keep improving his control, Festa has the potential to land in the Minnesota Twins rotation.