3 Twins Prospects Off to Great Starts

[Nash Walker]

Hope springs eternal, and there’s no hope like a prospect in baseball. Several Twins prospects had a lovely first weekend, flashing the talent fans hope to see at Target Field soon.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand
The Twins selected Encarnacion-Strand in the fourth round of last year’s draft, investing in the right-handed corner infielder from Oklahoma State. Encarnacion-Strand dominated the Big 12 with a .361/.442/.661 slash and 35 extra-base hits in 56 games. He followed that up with an incredible debut at Low-A Fort Myers, hitting .391/.424/.598 in 22 games, prompting many to choose him as their breakout candidate for 2022. 

The Twins sent him to High-A Cedar Rapids, and he’s been nothing short of incredible. Encarnacion-Strand went 10-for-14 with three homers, two doubles, and 15 RBI through his first three games. Those 15 RBI are four more than the next high total for all minor leaguers despite Triple-A teams having played six games instead of three. It is six more than anyone below Triple-A. 

Already 22, Encarnacion-Strand could move quickly through the system, with evaluators impressed by his agility and hands at third base. 

Royce Lewis
After missing nearly three years of minor league action, Lewis hasn’t missed a beat. He is 7-for-21 with a homer and three doubles. Lewis has stolen three bases and made a handful of great plays at shortstop. He’s walked four times and been hit by two pitches while striking out seven times. 

Lewis’ talent speaks for itself, and he’s capable of dominating Triple-A and forcing the Twins’ hand this summer. He’ll likely go through a tough stretch or two due to the time off, but this start is precisely what the doctor ordered. The Twins have to be pleased with his first week of game action. 

Simeon Woods Richardson
Speaking of ultra-talented breakout candidates, Woods Richardson had a rough go at Double-A last year. He’s now a year older at 21 and has settled into his third organization. After walking 34 batters in 53 1/3 innings last year, refining command is undoubtedly a focus in 2022. 

Woods Richardson was excellent in his first start Saturday, striking out five over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and walked two. 46 of his 66 pitches were strikes, a great sign. Woods Richardson has the stuff and the size to become a mid-rotation force, and his first start was a step in the right direction.

 

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[Doctor Gast]

We have some really great prospects, the 3 you mentioned are 3 of my favorites. Miranda must've had the wind let go from his sails when he got sent down but he'll come back. Expect great things from Martin and a lot of our pitching prospects, My radar is also on Noah Miller and E Rod

[stringer bell]

8 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

We have some really great prospects, the 3 you mentioned are 3 of my favorites. Miranda must've had the wind let go from his sails when he got sent down but he'll come back. Expect great things from Martin and a lot of our pitching prospects, My radar is also on Noah Miller and E Rod

Noah Miller looked outstanding late in spring training. I didn't realize that Encarnacion-Strand was a third baseman. If he is for real, the Twins have an embarrassment of riches on the left side of the diamond in the minors. 

Why do people limit a starting pitching prospect to "middle of the rotation"? I think Woods-Richardson, Canterino and Balazovic, to name a few, have the potential to lead a rotation, maybe not as rookies but soon.

Finally, Martin appears to be off to a tough start in Wichita. I wonder if a permanent move away from shortstop might not help him. I like what I saw of him hitting in spring training, but he looked shaky in the field and he's already committed three errors in three games at AA. I realize that errors aren't the be-all and end-all in projecting a player's fielding ability, but the consensus since Martin was acquired was that he wouldn't be a major league shortstop. There doesn't appear to be room for him to play short at the next level and I'm confident his bat is capable to be advanced.

[Trov]

I will be honest I had not heard of Encarnacion-Strand until this early hot weekend.  He strikes me as someone that will need to keep proving he can put up numbers at each level until he is considered a serious prospect.  If he can really defend at 3rd and not just a bat only that will help.  

From what I saw, he has always hit well, but huge concerns about his chase rate and K rate.  Now, I was one that always defended Eddie for his chase rate, that sometimes there are guys that can expand the zone and get hits.  They are few and far between though.  The big question will be when he starts facing the same guys, scouting reports get out on him, and he faces higher competition if that chase rate really starts to hurt him with more K's and more weak contacts, or will he learn to be more selective on what he swings at. 

[RJA]

I agree with the list.  I would add Mark Contreras as a guy who has a great start after a nice year last year.  He has 2 homeruns, 7 RBI, 3 stolen basis and is hitting .353 with an 1.274 OPS.  He is a better prospect than many people realize.  

[stringer bell]

11 minutes ago, RJA said:

I agree with the list.  I would add Mark Contreras as a guy who has a great start after a nice year last year.  He has 2 homeruns, 7 RBI, 3 stolen basis and is hitting .353 with an 1.274 OPS.  He is a better prospect than many people realize.  

Great start for Contreras, but he's 27 and not on the 40-man roster. On a different roster, he might be a good candidate for fourth OF, but it is pretty hard to call him a prospect.

[RJA]

8 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Great start for Contreras, but he's 27 and not on the 40-man roster. On a different roster, he might be a good candidate for fourth OF, but it is pretty hard to call him a prospect.

Thanks for the comment stringer bell.  I don't think whether someone is on the 40 man determines his prospect status as that can change quickly.  As for his age, Rooker is 27 and we put him on our prospect lists right up until the trade.  Every player has a different development trajectory.  I am not suggesting he is Royce Lewis, but Garlick is not on the roster and neither is Cave, and if the Twins need a 4th outfielder (probably won't if sign Upton) I would take him over the other two.  Actually, Ted Schwerzler had a nice article about him on this site you might enjoy.  

[stringer bell]

10 minutes ago, RJA said:

Thanks for the comment stringer bell.  I don't think whether someone is on the 40 man determines his prospect status as that can change quickly.  As for his age, Rooker is 27 and we put him on our prospect lists right up until the trade.  Every player has a different development trajectory.  I am not suggesting he is Royce Lewis, but Garlick is not on the roster and neither is Cave, and if the Twins need a 4th outfielder (probably won't if sign Upton) I would take him over the other two.  Actually, Ted Schwerzler had a nice article about him on this site you might enjoy.  

I didn't consider Rooker a prospect either. 27 and up rookies breaking in and making an impact are pretty rare. If the Twins part with Kepler or make Kirilloff an full-time first baseman, I think Contreras would be a good fit to be promoted and I think he would do okay. With the amount of injuries that occur, I would expect one of the three non-roster outfielders getting a chance with the big club at some point this year. Cave and Garlick have the advantage of MLB experience, but if Contreras has performed clearly better than those two, he might get the nod.

[Drew]

24 minutes ago, RJA said:

I don't think whether someone is on the 40 man determines his prospect status as that can change quickly.  As for his age, Rooker is 27 and we put him on our prospect lists right up until the trade.  Every player has a different development trajectory.  

I suppose a 27 year old could be a prospect but if that 27 year old is not yet on the 40 man roster I think that tells you the team themselves doesn't consider the player much of a prospect

[Thegrin]

That was an interesting short update on some of our fast starting prospects.  I hope yoou keep writing like this about the minors for those of us who otherwise wouldn't be up to date. 

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

Why do people limit a starting pitching prospect to "middle of the rotation"? I think Woods-Richardson, Canterino and Balazovic, to name a few, have the potential to lead a rotation, maybe not as rookies but soon.

Evaluators will rarely project a player to be a #1 starter or even a #2, because the flame-out rate is so high with pitchers. It's always "He's got the stuff to be a font-line starter, but until he refines a 3rd pitch/improves his command/gets consistently deeper into games we project him as a mid-rotation starter". It's essentially hedging your bets in an arena where there's always a LOT of uncertainty. (frankly, they're not wrong to do it.) If a guy emerges as an ace, it'll happen in MLB as well.

besides, there's still no agreement on what a #1 starter even is? Some people consider a #1 an "ace", a Cy Young candidate pitcher, etc. Others go "is he one of the best 25-30 pitchers in baseball?" 

[nicksaviking]

Great start for these guys. Lewis proving himself worthy would be an absolute boon to this organization.

Looks like he quieted down his swing too. Still has the minor leg kick, but seemed to me before he was injured that there were lots of extra dance moves in his set up and swing.

[Danchat]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

I didn't consider Rooker a prospect either. 27 and up rookies breaking in and making an impact are pretty rare. If the Twins part with Kepler or make Kirilloff an full-time first baseman, I think Contreras would be a good fit to be promoted and I think he would do okay. With the amount of injuries that occur, I would expect one of the three non-roster outfielders getting a chance with the big club at some point this year. Cave and Garlick have the advantage of MLB experience, but if Contreras has performed clearly better than those two, he might get the nod.

Contreras is at best a bench player so I wouldn't consider him to be much of a prospect either, but what really hurts him is that he's a LH hitter just like Kepler, Kirilloff, and Larnach. 

I would consider Yennier Cano, who is also 27, to be a prospect - he started very late in the MILB system and I think he still has very high upside as a reliever.

[roger]

Reading these comments left me with one question.  Should the Twins need a fourth outfielder to actually play a lot this year, who should it be? 

I know they added Celestino to the opening roster, but would Contreras actually be a better option?  Is it not true that Contreras plays all three outfield positions and was the best defensive outfielder in the organization (minor leagues only) last year?  I understand that Celestino was outta whack last year because of the premature callup, but didn't Contreras hit better while they were with the Saints?  Is it possible that Contreras would be the better player for the Twins, at least in 2022?

[RpR]

17 minutes ago, roger said:

Reading these comments left me with one question.  Should the Twins need a fourth outfielder to actually play a lot this year, who should it be? 

I know they added Celestino to the opening roster, but would Contreras actually be a better option?  Is it not true that Contreras plays all three outfield positions and was the best defensive outfielder in the organization (minor leagues only) last year?  I understand that Celestino was outta whack last year because of the premature callup, but didn't Contreras hit better while they were with the Saints?  Is it possible that Contreras would be the better player for the Twins, at least in 2022?

Maybe 2023 but 2022 big league is not training camp try-outs for rookies; last year was necessity, if they do it again the cellar will be their reward.

[Trov]

5 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

Great start for these guys. Lewis proving himself worthy would be an absolute boon to this organization.

Looks like he quieted down his swing too. Still has the minor leg kick, but seemed to me before he was injured that there were lots of extra dance moves in his set up and swing.

If Lewis can show he is healthy, and can provide offense, I bet we see him come up to play 3rd base much of this season and back up SS when needed.  I know Miranda is knocking too, but there is only so many at-bats to go around.  I would love to see the debates of Miranda, Lewis, and Martin all showing they deserve a chance, and having to argue if anyone on Majors should be traded or cut to make room.  Hopefully it is not who gets call up because of injuries or poor performances at MLB level.