Outfielder Harrison Bader was one of the many players the Minnesota Twins dealt at last summer's trade deadline. Since he was set to be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2025 season, moving the outfielder made sense for the Twins, who were clearly not going to make the postseason. The Twins traded Bader to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for outfielder Hendry Mendez and right-handed pitcher Geremy Villoria. Since the Twins made several more notable trades in July involving stars such as Carlos Correa, Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Louis Varland, the Bader trade tends to get less attention among Twins Territory. However, the emergence of one of the prospects Minnesota acquired for the outfielder revives memories of the trade.
Mendez, the Twins' No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has performed about as well as the Twins could've asked for since being acquired by Minnesota. In 33 games with Double-A Wichita last season, Mendez, a left-handed batter and fielder, slashed .324/.461/.450 (159 wRC+) with three homers and 16 RBI. He began the 2026 season with the Wind Surge, hitting .281/.363/.494 (120 wRC+) with four home runs and 21 RBI over 24 games before earning a promotion to Triple-A St Paul on May 5.
Since being promoted to the Saints, Mendez, 22, has been on an absolute tear at the plate, slashing .357/.481/.452 (153 wRC+) with a homer and nine RBI in 11 games.
It's now a two home run inning for the team with more homers than anyone else in baseball. And congrats to Hendry Mendez, his first big fly at Triple-A. A 3-run blast to straightaway center. It's a 5-run second inning. Mendez has a hit in 8 of 9 games with the Saints pic.twitter.com/vXERyysQxU
— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) May 16, 2026
Mendez could be Twins' first baseman of future
While Mendez has primarily played left field since joining the Twins organization, he's logged 11 innings at first base this season. Since the Twins have an abundance of promising outfield prospects, the team likely wants the ability to play Mendez at first base, a position the Twins have lacked a long-term option at since Joe Mauer retired in 2018.
If Mendez continues his offensive tear in the minors, fans can expect to see him in the majors next season, if not later in 2026. Mendez and Gabriel Gonzalez may be competing to be the Twins' first baseman of the future.
Villoria has also shown promise since becoming a Twins prospect. At just 17 years old, the righty has yet to allow a run this season with four strikeouts across 4 2/3 innings in the Florida Complex League. Since he's not even an adult yet, Villoria likely won't reach the upper levels of the minors for at least a few more seasons.
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