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.
Emmanuel Rodriguez 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/qPkuks5KHt
— Twins Central (@TwinsCentral1) April 12, 2024
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.