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: Luke Keaschall, SS

Team: Wichita Wind Surge (Double-A)
Highest Rank: No. 66 (Baseball America)

The Twins added three new players to its Top 100 group, and Luke Keaschall is perhaps the biggest name to watch. He used a strong start to the season in Cedar Rapids to get promoted to Double-A Wichita, something that saw him hit .335/.457/.544 with seven home runs and 21 RBI with the Kernels.

Keaschall hasn't spent a ton of time with the Wind Surge, but he's hitting .256 in 39 plate appearances since being called up and has a collective .936 OPS on the season. He's a name that has started to gain some traction in the rumor mill, as Keaschall is a popular pick for folks trying to fins top prospects the Twins might be willing to trade in order to land a key piece for the MLB roster.

The problem is that he's playing so well it's hard to justify dealing him. Minnesota doesn't like to dip too deep into its farm system for trade bait, and Keaschall is rising fast. He's already cracked Baseball American's Top 100, clocking in at No. 66 and will likely be making MLB Pipeline's ranking if he keeps building on his success in Wichita.

He's a potential infield utility man of the future for the Twins, or a guy who can get flipped to help land Jesus Luzardo or another key piece. The point is the future is bright for Keaschall and he looks to be next-in-line to be a popular name for Twins fans to follow once Brooks Lee gets called up.