If there’s been one thing the Minnesota Twins have prided themselves on over the years, it’s building a solid farm system ful of top young talent.
Joe Mauer is the shining example of that, as he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2001 and was elected to the Hall of Fame this past week. He was the face of the Twins franchise his entire career, but the fact that he was home grown talent takes his legacy the extra mile.
It’s a high bar to clear, but the Twins have done well hitting the jackpot in the years since. Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis were both top picks who went through the farm system as The Next Guy, and both have so far delivered on at least part of that promise.
Buxton is one of the faces of the franchise, and an MVP-caliber player when he’s fully healthy, and Lewis helped lead a youth movement last year that included huge rookie campaigns from Edouard Julien and Matt Wallner.
It’s not just top guys who have come through the Twins system and become contributors. The beloved 2000s teams were built on the shoulders of players like Torii Hunter, Doug Mientkiewicz, Corey Koskie, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer, and others who were developed in-house rather than added after the fact.
That’s a core value the Twins still cling to, and it seems like it’s about to pay off again in similar fashion. MLB revealed its updated list of the best prospects in baseball and the Twins dominate the ranking with three players landing in the Top 50.
Minnesota Twins land three prospects in MLB’s Top 100 ranking
Walker Jenkins unsurprisingly led the way, but was joined by Brooks Lee and Emmanuel Rodriguez in the ranking.
Rank | Player | Position | ETA |
|---|---|---|---|
10 | Walker Jenkins | OF | 2027 |
18 | Brooks Lee | 2B/SS | 2024 |
42 | Emmanuel Rodriguez | OF | 2025 |
None of Minnesota’s prospects are ranked outside of the Top 50, which is one of the surest signs of how bright the future is for the Twins. Other than Rodriguez, who is expected to rise in the rankings with a strong outing in 2024, two players rank in the Top 20.
That’s insane, but it’s also a testament to the Twins scouting department.
Minnesota is one of six teams to have more than one prospect ranked in the Top 20, joining Baltimore, Texas, Washington, Tampa Bay, and San Diego.
Texas might be the best off, as the Rangers are coming off a World Series and have the No. 5 and No. 6 top prospect in Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford. Jenkins isn’t far behind, coming in at No. 10 while Lee is No. 18. Rodriguez rounds things out ranking No. 42, but let’s not sit here and pretend like that’s some sort of slight.
Minnesota having three prospects in the Top 50 is bonkers, and all three guys are lined up to be a part of the next Twins core. Lee is expected to get called up at some point this season, with E-Rod likely to be in the mix next year. That will help build a nice bridge between the veteran crew the Twins have now — guys like Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton — and who will step into that role around 2027 when Jenkins is expected to be the next big debut for Minnesota.
That means while the going is good now, things are even brighter on the horizon. Minnesota needs to capitalize on this championship window now, but it’s nice knowing that after it closes it might not be long before another one opens.