3 Minnesota Twins prospects who have improved their stock, 2 who hurt it

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.

Stock Up: David Festa, P

Team: St. Paul Saints (Triple-A)
Highest Rank: No. 100 (MLB Pipeline)

One prospect that shot up the rankings was David Festa, someone who many Twins fans think should have already been in the conversation as a top prospect. He was Minnesota's best young pitcher coming into the season and has only solidified that standing with his performance at Triple-A so far.

Festa generated 15 whiffs in his last start, running 32.6 whiff percentage while striking out six batters in five innings of work. That's sort of been his style all season, as Festa has jumped from one of the best pitching prospects in the Twins farm system to one of the best in all of baseball.

He has a 3.56 ERA and 1-2 record on the season, but the way he's able to force weak contact is a big reason to get excited about what he might be able to do in the majors.

Remember that Simeon Woods Richardson didn't truly pop until his third time up with the Twins, and now he's worked his way into being a key piece of the rotation this year. Festa is still a little ways off from getting called up, but the struggles at the back of the rotation might create some space and he's likely to be the next-man-up if there's an injury to a starter.

He cracked the MLB Pipeline Top 100 in the final spot of the ranking, but everything he's doing suggests he'll only continue to rise.

Stock Down: Brooks Lee, 2B

Team: St. Paul Saints (Triple-A)
Highest Rank: No. 14 (MLB Pipeline)

One major letdown in the latest rankings was how far Brooks Lee tumbled in the Baseball America list. He fell ten spots to No. 45, although he moved up in the MLB Pipeline ranking despite being injured for almost all of the season so far.

That's likely why he took a tumble in the eyes of Baseball America, but Lee dropping some spots shouldn't be viewed as him starting to slide in the wrong direction. If anything, it's par for the course in terms of what his herniated disc has done to hold him back this year.

Lee was fighting for an Opening Day roster spot but a back injury in the final week of Spring Training ended his quest. He would have probably gotten called up after Royce Lewis went down with a right quad strain, but because he was injured Lee wasn't an option for the Twins.

Now he's in a tough spot at Triple-A St. Paul because he's battling Edouard Julien for whatever roster spot eventually opens up for Minnesota. Both Lee and Julien can replace Kyle Farmer and Willi Castro at second base, but only one of them will likely get the call.

There's almost no chance that we don't see Lee in the big leagues at some point, it's just a matter of how soon it is. his injury has. knocked him off the timeline he was originally on and has dinged him in the top prospect rankings but it all seems as though it will be a temporary setback.

Stock Up: Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF

Team: Wichita Wind Surge (Double-A)
Highest Rank: No. 16 (Baseball America)

No Twins prospect took a bigger jump than Emmanuel Rodriguez, and it's not hard to see why. He's been on fire this season at Double-A to the point where fans were actively calling for him to get promoted and replace someone like Manuel Margot who is underperforming.

So far this year E-Rod is hitting .298/.479/.621 with a 1.100 OPS as well as making some key steps toward becoming a defensive menace. He missed time with an injury in late-April but that didn't stop him from earning Minor League Player of the Month status, which further highlights how impressive he's been.

His strides have been reflected in his rise in each top prospect ranking. Rodriguez clocked in at No. 31 in MLB Pipeline's updated ranking, and jumped 43 spots up to No. 13 overall in Baseball America's most recent list. That's absolutely wild, especially considering that makes him the second-best prospect in the Twins farm system according to Baseball America -- something that makes him a 2B to Brooks Lee.

The issue with Rodriguez has been injuries, which unfortunately have plagued young Twins stars. He hit the IL on Friday which makes it the third time this season he'll miss time due to an injury. It's a less than ideal break, but one that hasn't held him back thus far.

Rodriguez has an outside chance of jumping from Double-A all the way to the Majors, and at the very least is on track to make some wave and get promoted to Triple-A at some point this season.

More Minnesota Twins news and rumors