Thursday, October 15

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- It was a banner year for Twins player development, as products of the farm system made their mark all over the big league roster.

From Connor Prielipp in the rotation to Andrew Morris in the bullpen to Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper in the lineup, graduates of the Minnesota Minor League system gave significant reason for hope for the coming years. And while putting a rookie class like that onto the big league roster is naturally going to take a bite out of the top of your prospect list, there are still plenty of names to watch for 2027.

Here’s a look ahead to what you need to know for next year down on the farm.

3 players who forced their way onto the radar this year

C Vahn Lackey: Being drafted third overall will tend to put you on the radar, but Lackey didn’t disappoint. He put up a .250/.435/.424 line across Single-A and High-A, walked more than he struck out, and stole 13 bases in 25 games. He could still improve throwing out runners, but there’s little doubt he can stick behind the plate. Lackey (the Twins' No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline) is No. 18 in Pipeline's Top 100 for a reason. A lot of reasons, actually.

SS Marek Houston: There was never any question about Houston’s glove, but his breakout year at the plate made him a Top 100 prospect, landing at No. 54. Houston (Minnesota's No. 4 prospect) has smooth actions in the field and good speed -- he stole 50 bases this year -- and he added a .312/.392/.455 line at the plate for good measure. If Houston is even a pretty good hitter, with his defensive profile he’ll have a nice Major League career.

C/CF Khadim Diaw: He’s hit everywhere, always. But after staying mostly healthy in 2026 and continuing to produce even as he reached Double-A, the conversation started to change. Diaw, the Twins' No. 9 prospect, has good speed and an advanced approach at the plate, and really the only question is his position. He’s been very poor at throwing out runners, but he continues to get chances behind the plate because if he can stick there, the offensive ability could make him a special player. Center field is not a bad fallback.

2 possible breakout players to watch in 2027

RHP Adrian Bohorquez: You could argue that Bohorquez broke out in 2026, since he was the organization’s pitcher of the year. But the hope is definitely that there’s more to come from the 21-year-old Venezuelan righty, ranked the Twins' No. 18 prospect. He racked up 69 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings after missing several weeks due to injury, and finished the year with a great final outing for Double-A Wichita. 

C Carson Tinney: The other catcher the Twins selected in the 2026 Draft, don’t forget Tinney, their No. 10 prospect. He has immense power -- eight homers in 105 plate appearances in the Florida State League is no small feat -- and the belief is he has the tools to become a quality receiver. Tinney will ply his trade in Lackey’s shadow, but don’t be surprised if he builds on his offensive promise in his first full pro season.

1 big question

Emmanuel Rodriguez. To some extent, that’s the whole question. Rodriguez, the Twins' No. 5 prospect, got a very brief taste of the big leagues in 2026, and showed both reasons for enormous excitement and reasons for caution. His raw tools are unmistakable: power, speed, and a mature eye at the plate. He’s also had trouble staying healthy, strikes out a lot, and has a low enough contact rate that when he slumps, it can get very ugly.

Oh, and on top of all that, he’s out of options. Rodriguez’s upside is multi-time All-Star who’s a top-flight player on both sides of the ball. The question is whether he hits it, and how soon -- and how long the Twins can afford to take figuring it out.  

The Twins have been selected as a finalist for the Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic excellence, MLB’s highest honor that a team can receive. They’re being recognized for the Twins Community Fund’s “Girls Belong In Baseball” initiative, a year-round program that looks to make room for girls to play, enjoy, succeed, and feel safe and welcome in baseball. The initiative began in 2019 and has become a standard-bearer in the sport.

To vote for the Twins to receive the Selig Award, fans can visit this link. And for more details on the Twins’ commitment to girls in baseball, click here.

Manager Derek Shelton said more than once that if Brooks Lee had spent the whole year at third base, he’d have won a Gold Glove. Looks like he might be right. Lee was named a finalist for the Gold Glove Award at third on Wednesday, capping a pretty remarkable shift.

A year ago, Lee was coming off a season where it was clear he needed to improve defensively at shortstop, and the club told him as much. He worked to become quicker and more explosive, and it showed. But even so, about one-third of the way into the 2026 season, when Royce Lewis was optioned to Triple-A, Shelton approached Lee about a move to third.

Lee handled it professionally, and he has turned out to be an excellent defender at the hot corner. Now, he’s been officially recognized for it.

Minor League Baseball announced organizational and front office awards on Wednesday, and one Twins Minor League executive was honored. Matt Hamilton, the general manager at Double-A Wichita, was named the Executive of the Year in Double-A. This was Hamilton’s third year as GM of the Wind Surge.

As the weather cools and it turns a little dreary outside, here are some tunes for a chilly, gray day.

The Cure, “A Forest”

Alice In Chains, “I Stay Away”

Smashing Pumpkins, “Drown”

Portishead, “Sour Times”

Radiohead, “Exit Music (For A Film)”

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