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KEEP IN MIND: Alex Kirilloff, Ben Rortvedt, Nick Gordon, Ryan Jeffers and Trevor Larnach have or will soon graduate from prospect status.
10. OF Matt Wallner (bats L, throws R)
Age: 23
ETA: 2023
2021 stats: 17 G, .333/.384/.621 (165 wRC+), 4 HR, 3 2B, 2 3B, 38% K, 6.8% BB
2021 preseason ranking: 13
Wallner’s history already made him a prospect to watch when the Twins selected him with the 39th overall pick in the 2019 draft. He grew up a Twins fan and starred at Forest Lake High School before committing to Southern Mississippi, where he hit a robust .337/.461/.652 in three seasons. Wallner smashed 58 homers and 39 doubles in 189 games for the Golden Eagles, flashing his immense power from the left side.
Wallner, listed at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, has already become a fear bat as a professional. He produced 31 extra-base hits in 65 games with a .357 on-base percentage in 2019 and was crushing before a wrist injury halted his season this summer. Wallner oozes raw pop, but his ability to hit for a high average and draw walks has raised his ceiling as a prospect. He’s hitting .274/.363/.487 in 82 minor-league games.
Spending most of his time in right field, Wallner projects as a middle-of-the-order corner outfielder, perhaps joining his counterparts Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach in the heart of Minnesota’s lineup. Healing from the wrist injury that has held him out since late May is in order first, but if he can return healthy and hitting, Wallner could easily work himself to Wichita (or even St.Paul) by season’s end.
Minnesotans take a certain amount of pride in homegrown players. It remains true that the top six Minnesota-born bWAR leaders since 1961 all played for the Twins at some point. Hopefully Wallner follows that lead!
9. 1B Aaron Sabato (bats R, throws R)
Age: 22
ETA: 2023
2021 stats: 53 G, .184/.373/.291 (101 wRC+), 10 2B, 3 HR, 21% BB, 31% K
2021 preseason ranking: 8
Sabato fell to the Twins at pick No. 27 in the 2020 draft, perhaps due to questions about his defensive home. The Twins went slightly over slot to land the slugging first baseman, who hit .332/.459/.698 with 25 homers in 83 games at North Carolina. He walked in over 16% of his plate appearances and struck out under 20% of the time for the Heels, solidifying himself as one of the best pure hitters in college baseball.
The Twins certainly have their type: large, powerful, excelling college bats are their M.O., and Sabato fits the bill. The 22-year-old hasn’t lived up to the first-round moxie just yet, as he’s hitting a paltry .184 with a .291 slugging percentage through 53 games for the Mighty Mussels.
It’s hard to get excited about a slugging percentage below .300 in Low-A for such a coveted power bat, but Sabato has shown signs of a breakout. He’s incredible at controlling the strike-zone, evidenced by a tremendous .409 on-base percentage over his last 22 games. Sabato has walked 50 times this season, the most in the Low-A Southeast, tied with teammate Edouard Julien.
Patience is the key here. Sabato is adjusting to professional baseball and everything that comes with it. His walk rate is encouraging and proves he has a strong idea of what to swing at. When he starts hitting those pitches in the zone, look out. Sabato has raw power for days.
8. RHP Josh Winder
Age: 24
ETA: 2021
2021 stats: 11 GS, 60 ⅓ IP, 1.94 ERA, 0.895 WHIP, 32% K, 5% BB
2021 preseason ranking: N/R
Winder could be the first, long-awaited product of the the Falvine pitching pipeline. Already displaying elite command through the minors, Winder added significant velocity to his fastball. Now throwing 95-97 with his heater and spotting up a great curveball and a developing changeup, Winder has become a legitimate starting pitching prospect.
Winder was outstanding for Cedar Rapids in 2019 with a 2.65 ERA in 21 starts. The difference: a strikeout rate of 24%. The walk rate was remained similarly low, but Winder’s strikeout numbers have soared. He’s punching out 32% of batters at the highest levels in the minors. Winder was the best pitcher in the Double-A Central before his promotion to St.Paul, where he carried a no-hitter into the sixth in his first start.
There’s not much more Winder can do to impress. His ERA is sub-2, his strikeout rate is elite and he’s walked just 12 of 228 batters. He’s completely broken out in an extremely exciting way.
This is how they drew it up. Finding starters with already-great command and helping to increase their velocity is the ticket to building a pipeline of impact pitching. Winder put in the work and is being rewarded in a huge way. There’s a very good chance he’ll get the opportunity to pitch for the Twins later this summer and solidify himself into their plans for 2022. Giddy up.
7. OF Gilberto Celestino (bats R, throws L)
Age: 22
ETA: Arrived
2021 stats: 15 G w/MIN: .163/.200/.349 (46 wRC+), 2 HR, 18% K, 4% BB
2021 preseason ranking: 11
Uniquely, Celestino has moved up our prospect board despite looking mostly overmatched for the Twins. His defense in center is evidently solid-to-elite and his bat has shown signals of life. Celestino is sporting a .963 OPS over his last 19 plate appearances. His promotion was undoubtedly premature, but Celly has steadily improved since getting the call.
Celestino’s right-handed swing packs a lot of punch. He generates power with a large but controlled leg kick, and the ball flys when he makes contact. His upside offensively lies in that deceptive power and a low strikeout rate through the minors. There’s hope that a .265/.325/.400 hitter lies within for Celestino, which would make him a quality regular with great defense in center.
Byron Buxton has treated Twins fans by flashing his unbelievable tools and world-best defense in centerfield for years. Celestino likely won’t reach those heights, but there’s reason to be excited about Celly and his future for the Twins in center and at the plate.
6. SS Keoni Cavaco (bats R, throws R)
Age: 20
ETA: 2024
2021 stats: 30 G, .259/.331/.339 (90 wRC+), 4 2B, 3B, HR, 8.9% BB, 27% K
2021 preseason ranking: 7
Cavaco has begun a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins after missing nearly a month with a concussion. Cavaco was starting to heat up, hitting .344/.400/.438 with a double and a triple in nine games before the injury.
Drafted out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California in 2019, Cavaco was touted as a high-upside shortstop with tools for days. He struggled in his first taste of pro ball, hitting just .172 with a .470 OPS in 92 plate appearances with the FCL Twins.
Cavaco just turned 20, is incredibly athletic and stands at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds. He’s what you would describe as a “raw” prospect, one that clearly has the attributes to grow into a star. The Twins bought into the tools when they took him with the 13th overall pick.
After Royce Lewis, another first-round high school shortstop, there may not be another player in this system with more upside than Cavaco.
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