Minnesota Twins: 2022 Midseason Top 50 Prospects, No. 20-1
By Otto Johnson
Minnesota Twins Top Prospects No. 10-No. 6
No. 10-RHP Marco Raya (2022 PR: No. 20): Marco Raya was someone I liked to move up the list quickly at the start of the year and after posting a 2.65 ERA and 61-16 K-BB ratio in Low-A at just 19, Raya has quickly made the jump into the Top 10 of my prospect list.
With four strong pitches, good control, and room to improve at his young age, Raya has the upside to be a frontline starter if he stays healthy and continues to succeed as he moves through the ranks. Keep an eye on him as he moves through the ranks.
No. 9-RHP Matt Canterino (2022 PR: No. 9): After throwing a lot of innings in college and dealing with a lot of injuries in the minors, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that Matt Canterino will end up as a reliever in the majors.
The fact that he’s still ninth in the rankings shows just how good I think he’ll be in that role. With the Twins’ bullpen struggles this season, I want to see Canterino in the MLB bullpen as soon as his rehab assignment wraps up. He’s ready to be an absolute weapon in the pen.
No. 8-OF Matt Wallner (2022 PR: No. 16): At the beginning of the year, I mentioned that Matt Wallner could be a quick riser now that he’s fully healthy, and I couldn’t have been more right. After slashing .299/.437/.597 with 21 Homers in 78 games, he earned a AAA call-up and an appearance in the prestigious All-Star Futures game.
He’s got a ton of power in his bat and arm, and the Forest Lake, Minnesota native seems like the exact prototype teams look for in a right fielder. I’m extremely excited to see what’s next for him, but I expect he’ll be a hot commodity at the deadline.
No. 7-2B/3B Spencer Steer (2022 PR: No. 23): The Minnesota Twins’ other representative at the All-Star Futures Game, I wanted to see Spencer Steer prove he could hit in AA before I moved him further up my prospect list, and he didn’t disappoint, posting a .307/.385/.591 slashline and 8 Homers in 35 AA games before a AAA call-up.
It’s been an adjustment for him there (of course), but Steer has continued to slug really well, get on base, and limit strikeouts. His defense is still a work in progress, but I expect him to also be a hot commodity at the deadline as well.
No. 6-RHP Connor Prielipp (2022 PR: Not Ranked): The Twins should count themselves extremely luck that Connor Prielipp fell all the way to the Twins at 48. Armed with three strong pitches and an elite slider, Prielipp was expected to be one of the top picks in the 2022 Draft before an injury forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2021.
After throwing bullpens and pitching for scouts, everyone seems to agree the stuff is still there, as MLB.com had him ranked as the No. 25 MLB Draft Prospect before the draft begin. No arm in the Twins system has ace upside quite like Prielipp, but some relief risk keeps him outside of the Top 5. He’s worth getting excited over.