Twins' likeliest Rule 5 Draft candidate could ignite another pitching staff very soon

Among the Minnesota Twins' top prospects, there is no shortage of pitching. Of the club's Top 30 prospects, 14 of them are pitchers, including Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year Connor Prielipp (No. 9) and 6-foot-5 teenager Dasan Hill (No. 7), who is climbing the ladder at an astronomical rate.

Towards the bottom of the list is No. 24 Jose Olivares. a 22-year-old right-hander with a world of promise. Unfortunately, that potential may not come fruition within the Twins' organization. With the 2025 MLB Rule 5 Draft coming up on December 10 in Orlando, Florida, Olivares is Rule 5 eligible and is the likeliest player to get taken from Minnesota.

Twins' No. 24 prospect Jose Olivares' Rule 5 eligibility puts him in danger of leaving Minnesota

The 6-foot-1 righty is going to be viewed as a project with tremendous upside. He struck out 107 batters with High-A Cedar Rapids this season across 90.1 innings. Of his 22 appearances, 10 of them saw six or more strikeouts, giving him a career 9.7 K/9.

Olivares' main problem is his command. He walked 57 batters this past season, including four or more six times. Experts can point towards his four-pitch arsenal as the root of his problem. Yes, they are all good pitches, but Olivares cannot perfect a certain pitch because he is throwing all four offerings too many times. This has led to too many missed pitches during games, but if he can hone in on mastering half of those pitches, then he is in good shape. A lot of teams might salivate at the opportunity to strengthen his skills.

Olivares can rear back and hit his fastball in the upper 90s, so when you mix that in with three other pitches with plenty of life, it could spell out a future MLB starter. But only if he develops correctly. A team might take that chance in the Rule 5 draft, but if they don't, Twins fans should be happy if winds up staying.