3 exciting Minnesota Twins prospects who could make their debut soon
There's still plenty of season left, and a handful of prospects who could make an impact for the Twins.
Last season the Minnesota Twins benefited from a perfectly timed youth movement that saw young players like Edouard Julien and Royce Lewis explode onto the scene and help turn things around.
At a time when the Twins offense was struggling mightily, both Lewis and Julien helped power a turn around that ended with Minnesota snapping its 19-year postseason losing streak. It harkened back to the glory days of the 2000s when homegrown talent helped revive the franchise, and it seems history is ready to repeat itself.
Lewis and Julien were part of just the first wave in the youth movement. Simeon Woods Richardson, Jose Miranda, and Austin Martin have since followed -- to varying degrees of success -- and there's even more talent in the farm system that could continue ushering in the future this season.
Top Minnesota Twins prospects who can help make an imapct this season
Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF
Brooks Lee and Walker Jenkins are getting a ton of attention as top prospects in the farm system, which makes everything Emmanuel Rodriguez is doing even more exciting.
E-Rod was named an MiLB Player of the Month in April despite missing a handful of games due to injury. Despite this, he finished the month with a 1.193 OPS and 11 extra base hits, while stealing nine bases. Defensively Rodriguez was fantastic as well, turning in highlight reel catches that only further raise his stock in the eyes of fans.
The @WindSurgeICT put on a defensive clinic last night💥
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) May 5, 2024
Emmanuel Rodriguez, Ben Ross, and Alerick Soularie all made great plays in the field to help secure the win 💨#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/diP4wffSDR
Whether the Twins feel the same way is yet to be seen, but we're reaching a point where it might be a matter of when, not if, we see Rodriguez make his debut this season. One thing that works in his favor is he's already on the 40-man roster, so E-Rod has a leg up on other potential prospects looking to get called up including Brooks Lee.
Rodriguez also fills a potential hole in the outfield platoon as a replacement for Manuel Margot, who has been a total bust since the Twins traded for him during Spring Training. Everything that Rodriguez is doing right now is exciting, as he's hitting .287/.473/.607 and still has an OPS over 1.000, which could lead to him making the leap from Double-A all the way to the Majors in the near future.
Brooks Lee, INF
At this point it would be more surprising to see Brooks Lee not make his debut this year, as he's bee flirting with getting called up ever since getting invited to Spring Training. Lee's ascension through the Twins' farm system has been stunning, as he's looked every bit like the next big piece of the franchise's future the same way Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis did while coming up.
Lee was a first round pick just two years ago and played his way into Triple-A late last season. It's a metoric rise that has hit a snag due to injury, but all signs point toward him making the MLB roster soon. Had it not been for a herniated disc that caused him to miss the start of the season, chances are he'd have been the corresponding move when Royce Lewis was placed on the IL after Opening Day.
There was a path toward Lee outright making the Opening Day roster this spring, but even if he fell short of that before suffering an injury it's been clear for a while that it's only a matter of time before he gets the call.
#MNTwins rehabber Brooks Lee went 2-for-4 with a walk as the DH for the @MightyMussels tonight.
— John Vittas (@JohnVittas3) May 30, 2024
Got to hit from both sides of the plate, which he said was a key to completing his rehab assignment. pic.twitter.com/6ADm2p8FNZ
When he does, he'll add another powerful young bat to the Twins youth movement while also being able to fill some holes defensively. Minnesota has a fantastic problem on its hands thanks to the resurgence of Jose Miranda, who has played his way into a roster spot even after Lewis returns. That shouldn't hold Lee back from getting worked in, as he can play second base for Edouard Julien who can slide over to DH while Lewis mans third base and Miranda potentially platoons at first.
The addition of Lee was already going to be exciting, but the way the Twins other young players have developed makes things even better.
David Festa, SP
Festa has been lighting things up in St. Paul, posting a 2.77 ERA in ten starts with a 1-0 record and an insane 36.8 percent strikeout rate. He's been as dominant as anyone could have hoped, and seems to be much closer to a finished product than expected.
We all knew that Festa was going to be someone to watch in the minors this year, but the rate at which he's ascended is Brooks Lee-esque and it's one of the most exciting developments of the season.
Night is over for @davidfesta13 who goes 5.0 shutout allowing 1 hit while walking 1 and striking out 8. He set a franchise record by striking out 7 in a row from the 2nd batter of the game through the 8th batter. He retired the first 10 men he faced. 60 K's in 39 IP, 2.77 ERA pic.twitter.com/goEqPNPpyA
— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) May 25, 2024
As good as Festa has been, he still doesn't have a clear path to the MLB roster -- yet. It's still early and the Twins will likely need to make another pitching adjustment at some point over the summer. Right now all of the starting rotation slots are full with Simeon Woods Richardson having stepped up to fill the spot that Louie Varland vacated.
It's likely that Festa makes his debut sometime after the All-Star Break, but if he keeps pitching the way he is the Twins might have to move that timeline up.
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