When it comes to the future, the unknown is always on the horizon. For the Minnesota Twins, that thing on the horizon represents their farm system. Going into the 2025 season, they were ranked 10th overall in all of Major League Baseball.
It makes sense, after all. The Twins currently have three top-100 prospects, according to mlb.com, including one prospect who is sitting comfortably in the top three in all of baseball. With the season getting underway, just how are these prospects faring?
Checking in on the Twins' top 5 prospects
1. Walker Jenkins, Outfielder
The top-ranked prospect in the Twins' system, Walker Jenkins, was drafted fifth overall in the 2023 MLB Draft when the ping-pong balls rolled favorably for Minnesota. If it weren’t for Roki Sasaki, he would be the second-best overall prospect in baseball, just behind Boston’s Roman Anthony.
Despite battling injuries in his first full season, he still put up strong numbers through his 82-game journey from Rookie Ball all the way to Double-A Wichita, hitting .282/.394/.439 with an OPS of .833. Among those stats, he produced 32 extra-base hits along with 58 RBIs. He arguably possesses one of, if not the best, bat in the minors.
When healthy, Jenkins is an immediate contributor. His bat-to-ball skills are already amazing, and he has strong developing power. Mix that with his impressive speed and defensive range, and it makes absolute sense that Jenkins has a future in the major leagues.
Heavy emphasis on healthy, though.
As previously mentioned, Jenkins played in 82 total games in his first professional season after missing the first six weeks due to a strained left hamstring. Jenkins is already missing time to start off 2025 with stiffness in his left ankle. He’s already sounding like the perfect Twin.
Still, he should be back at some point. And given how many injuries the major league roster is sustaining at this rate, it’s possible he could see some playing time with the Twins in the near future. But for now, he is healing up, and his estimated arrival is in 2026. It should be easy to remember the name ‘Walker Jenkins’.
2. Emmanuel Rodriguez, Outfielder
Emmanuel Rodriguez is an interesting prospect. Throughout his four years in the Twins farm system since signing with them in 2019, he’s seemingly developed into an intriguing prospect. His elite plate discipline and decent hitting ability, combined with such insanely raw power and a walk rate (22%) that would make anyone blush, has made Rodriguez into a consistent threat with the bat.
During last season, which saw his breakthrough all the way to being promoted to Triple-A St. Paul in the last week of the season, Rodriguez batted .280/.459/.567 with a strong OPS of 1.026. Most of these stats were conducted during his time in Double-A Wichita, but he’s constructed quite the profile that’s helped land him 34th overall out of MLB’s top 100 prospects. He has minimal issues in his game besides a high K%.
One of the main issues presented though is, once again, health.
Rodriguez has had his own set of health concerns that, thankfully, none of them seem to be recurring ones. However, it has limited his time on the field greatly. There is seemingly a pattern of the best the Twins have to offer being injury prone. Seems par for the course, but I digress.
He is currently starting the year at Triple-A St. Paul, where he is adjusting slowly but surely. Given the Twins’ influx of injuries and if Rodriguez can keep up his production from last season and stay healthy, he very well could be a midseason call-up candidate. Despite the injury proneness, he has the potential to be an everyday starter in the future.
3. Luke Keaschall, Second Base/Outfielder
The third and final top 100 prospect for Minnesota, sitting comfortably at 57th overall, Luke Keaschall has already pushed himself onto the major league roster. It was a bold move that has already shown some promise, so it’s not hard to see why they promoted him.
The former second-rounder from 2023 was a fast riser through the minors, even whilst dealing with injuries. He batted .335/.457/.544 in his first professional season as he was promoted from High-A to Double-A. If one thing is certain, just like his peers above him, he can hit like crazy. He doesn’t strike out a lot, and he’s quite the fan of taking walks.
Defensively, there is a lot he could improve upon. He can play a lot of positions, but none of them really well. However, that could be because injuries have somewhat hindered his abilities. His speed is slightly above average, but he’s smart on the basepaths and runs well.
At the moment, Keaschall is in the majors due to the vast number of injuries on the roster. In three games against the Atlanta Braves last weekend at Truist Park, he went 4-for-12 with two doubles, two RBIs and one walk. He may just be up for a cup of coffee while players heal up. However, if he can consistently hit against major-league pitching, he very well could be staying up for good.
4. Kaelen Culpepper, Third Base/Shortstop
Kaelen Culpepper is a decent bit away from touching a major league roster, having just been drafted last year as the 21st overall pick in the MLB Draft. From a basic viewpoint, he’s your classic small pop bat with good enough contact. He’s a patient hitter who can draw a fair share of walks as well.
While he has his issues, such as having little raw power and the inability to hit against lefties, he has plenty of time to develop the bat as he progresses through the minor leagues. He has the build to certainly make it happen, but at the moment, he looks to be a line-drive hitter type of batter.
Defensively, he’s got a great glove and arm. In fact, he’s mostly known for his defensive abilities! While he’s most comfortable at third, he’s quite the versatile player who can play multiple positions when needed. Culpepper is also a bit speedy and has the potential to be someone who can not only steal bases but also stretch out those hits.
He ended last season at High-A and currently resides there to start this season, where he’s seemingly established himself as a threat, hitting .333/.412/.600 with an OPS of 1.062. The sky's the limit for Culpepper, who will be playing his first full professional season in 2025. If he continues to produce, he could very well be a fast riser through the system and perhaps join that illustrious Top 100 rankings.
5. Connor Prielipp, Pitcher
When healthy, Connor Prielipp is arguably by far one of the best pitching prospects the Twins have to offer. He possesses the type of pitching that is major-league caliber, with a fastball that can go mid-to-high 90s, a slider that can absolutely tear batters apart, and a pretty decent changeup.
There’s that phrase again–“when healthy.” It’s a common theme at this point. But it’s most apparent with Prielipp. Minnesota decided to draft the University of Alabama product, who only tossed 28 total innings for the Crimson Tide in two seasons, with their second-round pick in 2022. But it’s not hard to see why they took a chance on him. In those two seasons, he was an absolute threat who was seemingly impossible to hit against.
Potential is everything. There’s a reason why the Twins took a chance on him. His potential alone is the reason why he has such a high ranking in the Twins system. The amount of injury concerns is a tad bit worrying, however. It could very well be what holds him back from achieving his full potential.
But he’ll have his time to adjust in the minors and hopefully get healthy, especially with the organization planning around him and managing his workload. Currently, Prielipp is pitching in Double-A Wichita, having started three games and tossing just 7 2/3 innings, with a bloated ERA of 5.87. He does have 13 strikeouts, though, which is quite good given how limited he is.
There is a chance he could make his way into the Twins bullpen later in the season, albeit a very slim one at best. He is currently projected as a starting pitcher, but time will tell what he develops into, especially with his injury history.
Overall, the Twins' top prospects boast a load of potential production just waiting to be utilized. Very soon, most, if not all, of these players should find themselves in the major leagues.