3 Minnesota Twins prospects who have improved their stock, 2 who hurt it
By Josh Hill
Both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America recently updated their list of the Top 100 prospects in MLB, with the Minnesota Twins getting good news in each ranking.
Collectively the Twins have seven Top 100 prospects, with the latest rankings adding a total of three to the pre-existing pile. Already Minnesota had Walker Jenkins, Brooks Lee, and Emmanuel Rodriguez as locks, while adding Gabriel Gonzalez in a trade with the Mariners back in January.
Recently David Festa joined the party in the MLB Pipeline ranking, while both Zebby Matthews and Luke Keaschall were added to Baseball America's list of top prospects.
It's a pretty clear indication of how bright future is, especially considering how much young players have already started to contribute over the last few years. On the macro things are pretty great, but the latest rankings also reflect some ebbs and flows that had a more positive impact on some prospects than it did on others.
3 Twins prospects who have improved their stock, 2 who have hurt it
Stock Down: Gabriel Gonzalez, OF
Team: Cedar Rapids Kernels (High Single-A)
Highest Rank: No. 83 (MLB Pipeline)
Of the Twins group of top prospects, Gabriel Gonzalez seems to be the most concerning. It's not that he's dropping off after being acquired from Seattle, it's that he hasn't really improved. Gonzalez fell six spots from No. 76 to No. 83 in MLB Pipeline's update, and didn't even make the cut in Baseball America's list.
His stagnation is also juxtaposed against the rise of other Twins prospects in the farm sytem. Matthews, Keaschall, and Festa are all climbers with both Jenkins and E-Rod moving up too.
Gonzalez still hasn't turned 21 years old and is slashing .265/.315/.456 at High Single-A right now, so there's plenty of upside. He's someone who has been mentioned in potential trade packages that are floating around the rumor mill, which also seems to be an indication that this is merely a bump in the road for a guy who remains a Top 100 prospect in baseball.