In the weeks following the 2022 season, the morale of Twins fans had never been lower.
Minnesota led the American League Central for most of the year and were tied for first place on Sept. 4. However, they went 11-20 down the stretch and finished 14 games behind the Cleveland Guardians, prompting some fans to want a change – whether it be manager Rocco Baldelli or the front office duo of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine.
Instead, the Twins opted to keep its brain trust and coaching staff together with the exception of head trainer Michael Salazaar. Without changes, the pressure is on for a new wave of prospects to live up to the hype to help boost faith in the current regime.
The Twins organization was recently ranked 19th by The Athletic’s Keith Law, but they have some players at the top that could make an impact in 2023.
It starts with their first draft pick Royce Lewis. Lewis’s path to the majors has been littered with obstacles including two ACL tears in a span of 15 months, but the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft seems to be a cornerstone for the franchise moving forward.
Coming off his initial ACL tear a year ago, Lewis hit .313/.405/.534 with five homers and 12 stolen bases in 34 games at Triple-A St. Paul. He continued to hit with the Twins, going 12-for-40 (.300) with two homers in 12 games before re-tearing his ACL last May.
Royce Lewis appreciation Tweet. pic.twitter.com/pQDIX1AUkE
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 8, 2022
Lewis’s future may seem cloudy since he will miss the first half of the upcoming season and Carlos Correa signed a six-year deal to return to the Twins, but Lewis also showed an ability to play around the diamond, logging time at third base and the outfield in recent years.
Even if Lewis is unable to contribute immediately, the Twins have enough reinforcements in the minors to pick up the slack.
Brooks Lee was the eighth overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft and wasted no time acclimating to professional baseball. In 31 games between rookie ball, High-A and Double-A, Lee hit .303/.389/.451 with four homers and 15 RBI.
That’s the second long ball in three games for top @Twins prospect Brooks Lee!
The eighth overall pick of the 2022 Draft now has four homers for the @CRKernels. pic.twitter.com/WN7Gsg7izx
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 4, 2022
The performance was good enough for Lee to earn an invite to spring training and draw a rave review from Correa, who believes he’ll be in the majors sooner than later.
“Man, that kid is a stud,” Correa said on March 3. “I really, really like this kid. I’m very, very high on him. Don’t be surprised if we see him up this year.”
Even outside of spring training, Twins prospects are painting a bright future in the World Baseball Classic. Edouard Julien has been raking for Team Canada in the tournament, going 7-for-13 at the plate with a pair of homers and five walks.
Edouard Julien continues his stellar WBC (7-for-13) with his second homer of the tournament for @baseballcanada! pic.twitter.com/8sjAETcRlz
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 15, 2023
An 18th-round pick by the Twins in the 2019 draft, Julien burst onto the scene by hitting .300/.441/.490 with 17 homers, 67 RBI and 19 stolen bases at Double-A Wichita last season and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel described Julien as a “positionless Canadian-born hitting robot sent from the future.”
Even Correa got into the superlatives when asked about Julien this season.
I asked Carlos Correa what he thinks about prospect Edouard Julien early in camp.
"My god, the kid can hit, man."
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) March 1, 2023
Other prospects have already made their way to Minnesota and could be poised for a larger role in 2023.
Forest Lake native Matt Wallner hit .277/.412/.542 with 27 homers between Double-A and Triple-A last season and made his major league debut in September. Projected to start this year at Triple-A St. Paul, Wallner should be one of the top prospects to earn a call-up this season.
Simeon Woods Richardson and Louie Varland made their MLB debuts last September and appear to be on the doorstep for potentially bigger roles at the MLB level.
Things look even better as you go deeper into the organization.
Top #MNTwins OF prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez is progressing well following knee surgery in mid-June. He went home to the Dominican right before the hurricane hit. He’s wrapping up his rehab at the Twins Academy in the DR. Have heard a ton of good about him. pic.twitter.com/UcGXijBKiY
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) October 14, 2022
Emmanuel Rodriguez broke out in Low-A Fort Myers before tearing his meniscus last June while 2022 second-round pick Connor Prielipp, Marco Raya and Jose Salas, who was acquired in the Luis Arraez trade, could also make a big leap in the minors this season.
The Twins also hold the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft, which is loaded with advanced prospects such as Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford, Mississippi shortstop Jacob Gonzalez and LSU right-hander Paul Skenes.
Jim Schlossnagle on LSU’s Paul Skenes: “I’ve been doing this 33 years and Stephen Strasburg, Mark Prior and Paul Skenes are the best I’ve ever seen. He’s pitching in the wrong league, I’ll tell you that. He needs to be in the American or National League.” pic.twitter.com/gtKre6HrW5
— Harrison Valentine (@HValentineLSU) March 18, 2023
Of course, none of this could matter to Twins fans who have watched Byron Buxton repeatedly land on the injury list and Miguel Sanó go from super prospect to unemployed in the course of eight years. But Buxton and Sanó were surrounded by a prospect pool that included Jose Berríos, Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario, in addition Alex Meyer, Kohl Stewart and Nick Burdi.
It’s a reminder that not every prospect is going to turn out but this group seems stronger and deeper than the mid-2010s prospects that eventually became the 2019 team that won 101 games.
Losing faith from a fan base is a lot different, though, from being on the hot seat. Saying Falvey and Levine are on the hot seat would be an very bold claim considering Minnesota has historically been extremely patient with leadership.
Since Andy McPhail was promoted to general manager in 1984, only six men have held the title of general managerin Minnesota, including Rob Antony, who held the title on an interim basis in 2016.
That includes Terry Ryan, who built the nucleus that won six division titles during the 2000s and returned to the team after Bill Smith was fired in 2011.
If you’re thinking that new Twins chairman Joe Pohlad might have a different approach, an interview with Dan Hayes of The Athletic showed that he’s willing to hand the day-to-day baseball decisions to the front office.
“I have it in my mind — don’t be that annoying owner where you’re just always popping in and checking in what’s going on,” Pohlad said. “I know that I’m familiar with their process and how they work and the cadence in which they work. And so, when there’s something going on, (Falvey will) come talk to me. But also, when I have a thought, I run it by him. But it’s definitely more of a strategic, big-picture conversation than it is, ‘Hey, should we pursue or trade X, Y, and Z?’”
That approach is similar to the one that Carl and Jim Pohlad had when running the team, but it also shows his faith in the current front office and what they’re building in the organization.
There’s plenty of work to do to make sure the incoming wave of prospects finds meaningful roles at the major league level, but if it produces more hits than misses, the Twins’ patient approach could pay dividends.
