Five Prospects That Will Help the Twins in 2023

[Ted Schwerzler]

Last season we saw the Minnesota Twins race out to an early season lead in the American League Central division. They held serve for the entirety of the summer, and despite making necessary additions at the trade deadline, sputtered late. In order to stay regain the division in 2023, they’ll need a few players to emerge from the farm.

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Despite a strong 2021 in the minor leagues, Jose Miranda did not start the year on the Twins Opening Day roster. He needed to wait for an opportunity and then ran with it once one presented itself. We saw Matt Wallner force his way into the big league outfield by season’s end, and a handful of pitchers including both Simeon Woods Richardson and Louie Varland made their way to the majors.

For Rocco Baldelli and the 2023 Minnesota Twins, plenty will be made about the remaining moves to come this offseason. There is no denying that Joey Gallo and Christian Vazquez aren’t enough to supplement this team. There is plenty more to be done in terms of acquisitions, but the more that Minnesota can draw from internal development the better.

Who are some of the names on the farm that could fill some gaps in the year ahead?

Edouard Julien
A late round pick from Auburn in 2019, Julien has progressed nicely. He put on a show during the Arizona Fall League this year, and it only further substantiated his .931 OPS from Double-A Wichita. His power stroke is legit, and that’s a strong asset from the second base position. He could be a replacement for Jorge Polanco should he suffer an injury, or he could move around the diamond some. Julien will be 24 in 2023, and there is almost no reason for him to start anywhere but Triple-A St. Paul this season. He has crushed the ball every place he has gone for Minnesota, and getting this type of production from an 18th round selection is a massive win.

Jordan Balazovic
If there was a Twins prospect that had a nightmarish 2022 it was Balazovic. He entered the season as arguably Minnesota’s best pitching prospect, and he ended it failing to remain among many top 15’s. His 3.62 ERA at Double-A Wichita last season looked to have him close to Major League ready. Then the season got off to a slow start with a knee injury, and despite suggesting he was healthy, a 7.39 ERA across 70 2/3 Triple-A innings followed. The strikeouts stayed, and while his command faltered some, Balazovic basically became a batting practice pitcher allowing a whopping 2.5 HR/9. His previous career worst was 1.1 HR/9 as an 18-year-old in 2017, and if that can be figured out, a sucessful rebound should be in store.

Brooks Lee
A candidate to be taken first overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, Lee fell into the Twins lap at number eight. He wound up advancing all the way to Double-A and posted an .839 OPS in his first professional season. I’m still not sure if Lee will remain a shortstop, but there is zero question about his hit tool. There is probably not a ton of power in the bat, but he’s going to be a consistent gap hitter, and he looks extremely refined at the dish already. Barring an unexpected turn of events at shortstop, Lee could factor into an infield that will include young talents like Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda as soon as this year. With a ton of pre-draft hype, he’s lived up to all of it.

David Festa
Another later round pick that Minnesota has turned into found money, Festa was taken in the 13th round out of Seton Hall. He threw just 8 1/3 innings as a pro during his 2021 debut. Last season he racked up 103 2/3 innings split between two Single-A levels and posted a combined 2.43 ERA. His 9.4 K/9 was strong and Festa allowed only six homers. It may be a leap to think he’ll jump up high enough to make a Major League debut in 2023, but there’s no reason he shouldn’t start at Double-A, and that basically puts him on the doorstep following strong performance. Festa could take a path similar to that of Louie Varland, Bailey Ober, or Josh Winder in being somewhat of an overlooked prospect that forces his way into significant action.

Blayne Enlow
Another season removed from his Tommy John surgery, this could be the one that Enlow puts it all together. He was a draft prospect that this front office targeted with saved pool money, and he was projected to have a power arm. Throughout his minor league career Enlow has certainly been a strikeout pitcher, and that came back last season. Command was a bit of an issue during his first exposure at Double-A, but that’s not entirely unexpected given the return from injury. He’s done a good job limiting homers and has progressed nicely from a physical development perspective. It remains to be seen if he’ll stay starting or transition to a bullpen role, but there is reason to believe he’s not far from contributing at the Major League level.

After a season in which we saw plenty of big league debuts, some from highly noteworthy Minnesota prospects, is there someone you’re excited for in the year ahead? Who do you think is worthy of this list and went unmentioned?

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[EGFTShaw]

First, looking forward to seeing how they progress. ?

What I think a lot of people in this offseason have forgotten with the collapse in September, is this: "Last season we saw the Minnesota Twins race out to an early season lead in the American League Central division."

I am on record for wanting C4 back, but he was not the reason for this jump.  Sure he helped with is presence, approach, his work on the field.  

But this team as we have it now are the same bunch essentially, (swapping a few players), as the one that led the division until September with some extra potential if everyone is reasonably healthy, (dear god we had a lot of injuries and yet still led the division for that long), and Maeda coming back (SP or RP he is a plus addition).

So, count me in as a thinking they can be contenders again in the division.  That bar is not nearly as high in the AL Central as it is in the AL East or NL East/West.

 

[Baumer67]

Matt Canterino, hoping he comes back at some time this year and can contribute.

[Ted Schwerzler]

8 minutes ago, Baumer67 said:

Matt Canterino, hoping he comes back at some time this year and can contribute.

Would have included him, but the late TJ makes me uncertain if he returns this year.

[mikelink45]

Enlow is the one I have no faith in.  I feel bad for doubting him, but following all the TD reports I just think he is lacking in something - tangible or intangible I am not sure. I just went on the BR page to check out my feelings and it confirmed for me that he is not moving up and he is not performing as his draft would predict.

I like Julien, I was higher on Steer, but that is no option anymore. 

Festa has the statistics I would have expected from Blayne.  I look forward to more exposure for him.

And Balazovic is someone I have really been looking forward to seeing and last year was really disappointing. 

[tony&rodney]

Julien seems close, maybe closer than we expect. The one thing that stood out to me about Julien's at bats is how well he controlled the pitcher-batter engagement. Julien could benefit from looking to do more damage early in counts, but he is one player I expect to benefit from the better umpiring at the MLB level. He needs a home defensively or perhaps breaks in as a DH. I am ready to see Julien get an opportunity this season.

[Doctor Gast]

It'll be interesting how these players develop but the only one that'll see any real playing time is Julien. We shouldn't see any down time from Polanco but if it were the case, I hope we wouldn't have to depend on Julien at 2B. I'd sooner see Martin there.

[nicksaviking]

Of all the questionable decisions the team made last year, never promoting Julian to AAA was among the most puzzling.

If he keeps pitching well, hopefully the Twins do follow the aggressive path with Festa though. Having Varland going from A ball to the majors in a season at least shows they have a blueprint to work that angle.

[Ted Schwerzler]

57 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Enlow is the one I have no faith in.  I feel bad for doubting him, but following all the TD reports I just think he is lacking in something - tangible or intangible I am not sure. I just went on the BR page to check out my feelings and it confirmed for me that he is not moving up and he is not performing as his draft would predict.

I like Julien, I was higher on Steer, but that is no option anymore. 

Festa has the statistics I would have expected from Blayne.  I look forward to more exposure for him.

And Balazovic is someone I have really been looking forward to seeing and last year was really disappointing. 

Blayne is coming off a TJ return. The makeup is solid. The arm stuff is good. This is a make or break year for him.

[Ted Schwerzler]

44 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

He needs a home defensively or perhaps breaks in as a DH. I am ready to see Julien get an opportunity this season.

He may benefit if Polanco gets injured as the defensive bar to clear at 2B is not high.

[h2oface]

Did "Matt Wallner force his way into the big league outfield by season’s end," or was it that all the options were gone, injured, outfield decimated, and he was the next up? 

[Major League Ready]

I don't see any of these five as the most probable.  Do we no longer consider Varland and SWR prospects.  Those two would be the most probable IMO.  Would love for the Balazovic prediction to come through but he gave us little reason to believe last year.  Festa is too far down the depth chart as he is behind Varland and SWR.

Same question for Wallner.  He has not lost prospect status after 65 abs, right?  Martin is also more likely to get a shot than Julien because of his defensive versatility unless Polanco has a prolonged injury.  I don't see Lee getting here soon either.

[se7799]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Enlow is the one I have no faith in.  I feel bad for doubting him, but following all the TD reports I just think he is lacking in something - tangible or intangible I am not sure. I just went on the BR page to check out my feelings and it confirmed for me that he is not moving up and he is not performing as his draft would predict.

I like Julien, I was higher on Steer, but that is no option anymore. 

Festa has the statistics I would have expected from Blayne.  I look forward to more exposure for him.

And Balazovic is someone I have really been looking forward to seeing and last year was really disappointing. 

What is it on his BR page that confirms he is not moving up in your opinion?

[mikelink45]

25 minutes ago, se7799 said:

What is it on his BR page that confirms he is not moving up in your opinion?

For a player of his draft position and all the information that we have had about him I expected him to be one of those pitchers who moved through the system.  He was in AA at 23 and it did not go well. A+ is the level that he has attained with success.  At this point he needs to get into AA and shine.  Time to get things moving - he will be 24 during the season, if he does well he is AAA at 25,   MLB 26.  His WHIP which I think is an essential stat has been bad for most years.  

I cannot say that you or anyone else would be discouraged by the statistics, but I see him as an upside back of the rotation guy and the early notes I remember indicated much better was expected. 

[se7799]

9 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

For a player of his draft position and all the information that we have had about him I expected him to be one of those pitchers who moved through the system.  He was in AA at 23 and it did not go well. A+ is the level that he has attained with success.  At this point he needs to get into AA and shine.  Time to get things moving - he will be 24 during the season, if he does well he is AAA at 25,   MLB 26.  His WHIP which I think is an essential stat has been bad for most years.  

I cannot say that you or anyone else would be discouraged by the statistics, but I see him as an upside back of the rotation guy and the early notes I remember indicated much better was expected. 

I believe the talent is still there.  I hear what you are saying...but he missed 2 years of development. He had TJ surgery and also was shut down a year do to milb losing a season.  His upside and talent is still there, but missing 2 years of development hurt his time line.  I believe he will make multiple starts in the big leagues this year.  So in my opinion being 24 while missing 2 years and fully healthy, his story is just getting started.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, Major League Ready said:

I don't see any of these five as the most probable.  Do we no longer consider Varland and SWR prospects.  Those two would be the most probable IMO.  Would love for the Balazovic prediction to come through but he gave us little reason to believe last year.  Festa is too far down the depth chart as he is behind Varland and SWR.

Same question for Wallner.  He has not lost prospect status after 65 abs, right?  Martin is also more likely to get a shot than Julien because of his defensive versatility unless Polanco has a prolonged injury.  I don't see Lee getting here soon either.

Ya, your list is better. Varland, SWR, Wallner and Martin. Where is Lewis in this list? Unless he's hurt again, he'll be up.

[DocBauer]

Nice to see someone finally mention Martin. I'm actually starting to get excited about him after a strong last couple of months last year and his AFL appearance. (Though I know the AFL is offense centric).

Brent Headrick is one of my "under the radar" choices for help in 2023.

 

[Major League Ready]

41 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Ya, your list is better. Varland, SWR, Wallner and Martin. Where is Lewis in this list? Unless he's hurt again, he'll be up.

I was pondering if he would be #1 or #2 behind Varland.  Then, somehow, I managed to forget to mention him.  Of course, the big question is how much time will he miss?  Who knows maybe Martin will follow the Miranda script and give us all a very pleasant surprise. 

[chpettit19]

2 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

I don't see any of these five as the most probable.  Do we no longer consider Varland and SWR prospects.  Those two would be the most probable IMO.  Would love for the Balazovic prediction to come through but he gave us little reason to believe last year.  Festa is too far down the depth chart as he is behind Varland and SWR.

Same question for Wallner.  He has not lost prospect status after 65 abs, right?  Martin is also more likely to get a shot than Julien because of his defensive versatility unless Polanco has a prolonged injury.  I don't see Lee getting here soon either.

Agree Varland and SWR are the most likely starters, although it looks like Ted went with guys who hadn't debuted yet, and not just guys with rookie eligibility.

Not sure why Martin, who's not on the 40-man, would be more likely than Julien, who is on the 40-man, to debut. Only versatility he provides beyond Julien is OF, but there's already 9 outfielders on the 40-man so I wouldn't expect him to get a shot over any of them.

Lee is in AA already. He does anything like he did at the end of the year last year for the first 3 months of this season and there's no reason he couldn't, or shouldn't, debut halfway through 2023.

[Beast]

Help us get the #1 overall pick in 2024?

To be serious, I’m not confident we’ll see any of them.

I would like to see them be that aggressive with Lee.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

Agree Varland and SWR are the most likely starters, although it looks like Ted went with guys who hadn't debuted yet, and not just guys with rookie eligibility.

Not sure why Martin, who's not on the 40-man, would be more likely than Julien, who is on the 40-man, to debut. Only versatility he provides beyond Julien is OF, but there's already 9 outfielders on the 40-man so I wouldn't expect him to get a shot over any of them.

Lee is in AA already. He does anything like he did at the end of the year last year for the first 3 months of this season and there's no reason he couldn't, or shouldn't, debut halfway through 2023.

Would you deal Miranda or Lee in a big trade? They seem redundant. 

[chpettit19]

32 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Would you deal Miranda or Lee in a big trade? They seem redundant. 

I mean I'm willing to trade anyone if the price is right. Is the trade for a young, proven front end starter, or up the middle star, with at least 4 years of control? Sure. Is it for someone they'd need to extend in the next year or two and we know they won't pay market rate so wouldn't extend them? No.

I also don't see them as all that redundant. Lee has the hands and arm to be a spare SS (I think he lacks the range to be an ideal everyday guy) until he gets to his late 20s, and I like the idea of having that extra insurance. Miranda can play both corners. And I don't see them going with a fulltime DH anytime in the near future so that gives them another spot to rotate through. I think they both have a really high likelihood of being .280 and 20 HRs type hitters and I want as many of those guys in the lineup as I can get.

I don't see much of any redundancies on the infield for the Twins. And, honestly, don't really see it in the OF either. I think Kepler and Polanco are on their last legs, and Kepler may not even be on the roster come March. Gallo is a 1 year guy. Buxton is the only veteran locked up long-term. Don't trust Arraez's knees and he's a no power 1B/DH against righties only (I hate typing that cuz he's my favorite current Twin). Larnach, Kirilloff, Miranda, Lewis, Lee, Julien, Gordon, Buxton, Jeffers, Arraez, Vazquez, Wallner are 12 guys I see being here even in 2024. Maybe Polanco is the 13th position player for that year. Celestino is a AAAA guy to me. Hopefully Martin keeps the momentum from the AFL going and then he'd be the 13th guy. Or, more likely, at least 1 of those 12 doesn't succeed as we hope, and maybe Martin replaces them. Or we know there's always a need for a 14th guy to be ready in AAA cuz of Buxton's health. We can hope Rodriguez flies through the system, but I'm not betting on that (and he's an OFer so not blocked by Miranda or Lee in your question). There's always other guys who pop up seemingly out of nowhere (Steer and Julien types), but I'm not betting on that either. The rest of their prospects are either not even in the system yet (#5 pick this year) or years away (Miller, Urbina, etc.). 

I don't see any trades that really take this team to the next level. It's either morgaging the future with Lee, Lewis, Miranda types, or not bringing back top end talent for Kepler, Arraez, or Polanco types. It's why I'm so frustrated that they sat out free agency waiting on Correa. They have a solid floor built between veterans and the current prospect wave. What they needed was some high end talent added to supplement them. At this point I think they are who they are. And either the new prospect wave stays healthy and produces or they fail and it's time to blow it up and plan for the next wave in 3 years (and if that's the case I hope its a new FO doing the rebuild).

All my thoughts on these position players is echoed for the pitchers. The current wave is here and they passed on all the top end pitchers. Bring in a Fulmer type, but otherwise it's time to sink or swim with the kids. They don't have enough depth to send a bunch away for an arm, and they don't have the big ticket prospects to get a truly front of the rotation arm anyways. Through a lot of their own doing, and some bad luck with health, they're in a spot without many options. Bad year for them to cut payroll, but here we are.

[HoskenPowell]

Enlow released today I believe.

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, HoskenPowell said:

Enlow released today I believe.

Designated for assignment, you mean? I didn't see further news of a release. DFA could be a precursor to a trade, but likely will just be passing him through waivers in hopes to keep him. That does mean risking losing him, if some other team wants to devote a 40-man spot to a pitcher not especially close to major-league ready.