Baseball Prospectus has released its top 101 prospects for 2023 and four players rising through the ranks with the Minnesota Twins made the list. And they didn’t just sneak into the top 101, none of them are ranked lower than 53.
Minnesota’s No. 1 prospect, shortstop Brooks Lee, is ranked 37th overall. Lee was the eighth overall pick in the 2022 draft after hitting .357/.462/.664 at Cal Poly. He also played in the Cape Cod League last summer and had a 21-game stretch where he hit .405/.432/.667 with six home runs.
“Talk to any scout about the switch-hitting infielder and the first thing that comes up are his otherworldly bat-to-ball skills. He almost never strikes out and has made consistent hard contact everywhere he’s been,” says the scouting report from MLB Pipeline.
Lee is projected to begin the 2023 season at Class AA.
Just behind Lee is Royce Lewis at No. 40. Lewis needs no introduction. The former No. 1 overall pick is currently recovering from his second torn ACL and is expected to be back with the Twins sometime this summer.
The other two in the top 101 probably aren’t as recognizable. Outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez checks in at No. 42 and right-handed pitcher Marco Raya is ranked 53rd.
“There aren’t many in the Twins organization who have more raw power than Rodriguez does and he has the chance to be an impact left-handed hitter with bat speed,” says the scouting report on him from MLB Pipeline.
In 47 games at Class A Fort Myers last season, Rodriguez slashed .272/.492/.551 with nine homers, five doubles and three triples. He’s still only 19 years old.
Raya, a 20-year-old pitcher taken in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, can light up the radar gun with a fastball that reportedly touched 95-97 mph in 2022.
Opponents hit a paltry .199 against Raya at Class A Fort Myers last season, where he went 3-2 with a 3.05 ERA in 19 games (17 starts). He allowed just 47 hits in 65 innings while striking out 76 batters.
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