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While prospects like Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson have long been household names, Brody Rodning may only be known by die-hard Blue Jays prospect followers and the people from Gaylord, MN, Sibley East High School, and Minnesota State, Mankato. However, more people should be talking about the hard-throwing left-handed relief pitching prospect who had 16 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League in 2021. Brody Rodning grew up on a farm, just outside of Gaylord, MN, a town of about 2,300 people southwest of the Twin Cities. A drive to Target Field will take just over an hour (depending on what time you are driving there!). He became a star athlete at Sibley East High School. He was a three-time letter winner in three sports. He was the quarterback on the football team. He was the leading scorer on the basketball team. But it was baseball where he really shined. As a senior, he went 4-2 with a 0.74 ERA. In 38 innings, he struck out 81 batters. Upon graduation, he took the short drive south to pitch at Minnesota State, Mankato, one of the strongest Division II teams in the country. As a freshman in 2015, he went 9-0 with a 2.85 ERA. In 66 1/3 innings, he walked 18 and struck out 65 batters. In his sophomore season, he went 6-2 with a 4.34 ERA. In 74 2/3 innings, he walked 36 and struck out 84 batters. In his junior year, he went 6-4 with a 3.47 ERA. In 70 innings, he had 34 walks and 77 strikeouts. Following his junior season, he was the 13th round draft choice of the Toronto Blue Jays. After one appearance in the Gulf Coast League, he was pushed to the Advanced Rookie League in Vancouver where he went 4-1 with a 4.64 ERA in 33 innings. Rodning spent the 2018 season in the Midwest League. In 35 games, all out of the bullpen, he went 5-3 with a 3.89 ERA. He pitched well for Lansing in 2019, but he only got into seven games due to time on the Injured List. As we all know, 2020 was the Covid pandemic year. There was no minor league season. Rodning was at home, helping on the family farm and playing catch at the local ball field. He reached out to his employer, the Blue Jays, and asked if he could play town ball for the Gaylord Islanders. The Minnesota Baseball Association had to approve it too. They did. He got to work some innings. He got to play in the outfield and even hit for the first time in years. As you would imagine, he was dominant on the mound. And just as nice, he got to play ball for the summer with his brother McKoy. You may recall that the 2021 minor-league season started about a month late due to Covid protocols. However, at the start of the MLB season, Rodning was pitching at the team's alternate site. When their regular season began, he was assigned to Double-A New Hampshire where he went 3-4 with a 5.58 ERA in 32 games. In 40 1/3 innings, he walked 18 and struck out 43 batters. The numbers may not jump out, but when you consider that he had a five-game stretch where he gave up 11 of his 25 earned runs in five games (6 2/3 innings). He was pretty dominant the rest of the season. With the Fisher Cats, Rodning was a teammate of Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson, at least until they were traded to the Twins in the Jose Berrios deal. Both new Twins prospects discussed what a great friend and teammate Rodning is, but they also noted the quality of his stuff on the mound. On Twins Spotlight in November, Wood Richardson said of Rodning, “(He’s a) hard-throwing lefty. Nasty slider. Nasty cutter. Great guy. One of those guys that throws across his body, it’s just so funky that no one can pick it up. His delivery is one of a kind, very unique. Hard-throwing lefty. One of those guys that just will come after you. Don’t care. He’ll just shut the door.” Last week, Martin said of Rodning, “Great teammate. Awesome guy. I talked to him sometime last week. Great teammate. Hard worker. And then facing him is an uncomfortable AB. He’s got a three-quarter slot. His fastball gets on you. He’s got good stuff. He’s a good baseball player.” Rodning told Twins Daily this weekend, “Both of them are great teammates, for sure, both on and off the field. The Twins definitely got two guys that are hungry and ready to grind.” Regarding Martin, Rodning said, “(He) is an incredible athlete and will succeed at any position he plays. He’s a winner, and that’s huge.” On Woods Richardson, Rodney said, “Sim, that man competes at any level he plays and always thinks he’s the best, which is a great characteristic to have. We’ll save the last words for Rodning’s agent, Matt Gaeta of Gaeta Sports Management. “His drive and relentless pursuit to better himself each and every day are contagious and inspiring. He’s been through a lot, on and off the field, but his vision and hunger for success are traits that will make him successful not only on the field but also off of it as well.” Rodning is in Dunedin, Florida, for spring training right now, excited to get the season going, hoping that he’ll be able to pitch at Target Field sometime. Martin and Woods Richardson are both in Ft. Myers, hoping to make Target Field their home field. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

Maybe the idea that the Twins had little chance in a five-team American League playoff field was accurate. But if it was, it wasn’t a slam dunk proclamation, and with an extra team (or two) added, there are no excuses left for this front office. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have preached a desire for “sustained success” during their tenure running the Twins. They felt the breeze from a wide-open contention window following a two-year run where the Twins led the American League in regular-season wins. Many believe the team shouldn’t even try to get better one offseason later. It’s an understandable viewpoint. The American League is ratcheting up, even more so than what we’re accustomed to. The East has four legitimate World Series contenders, with the Mariners in the West looking to knock off the powerhouse Astros. In the Central, the White Sox sit at the peak of their powers, with the Tigers and Royals hoping to take steps forward. It won’t be easy. The belief that the Twins, coming off a horrifically disappointing 73-win season *can’t* improve enough to win is giving too much slack to this front office. Ownership hired them to build a sustainable winner, a team that would compete every year. They failed in 2021. Does that mean a “punt” in 2022 should be easily forgiven and understood? I’m not convinced. Listen, I understand there's a pitching pipeline coming. I cover the Minor League system on a daily basis, and I'm equally excited. Why does investing in the 2022 team automatically take away from the future? There's a happy medium here. The Twins signed Josh Donaldson to a four-year, $92 million contract to compete for the duration. They traded Brusdar Graterol for Kenta Maeda to solidify a rotation needing assistance. They extended Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler, and Miguel Sanó to build around. Did they really extend Byron Buxton just to waste his age-28 season? Deciding to throw away an entire season by not making impactful additions is not acceptable, especially with an expanded postseason. Why build all of that financial flexibility? For nothing? The Boston Red Sox won 24 out of 60 games in the shortened 2020 season. That followed an incredibly disappointing follow-up to a dominant World Series run, one that looked to set the tone for years to come. Instead of folding for 2021, the team invested by signing Kiké Hernández and Hunter Renfroe and trading for Adam Ottavino. Those moves weren’t earth-shattering, as the Red Sox had the offensive pieces in place to score runs in bunches. The rotation looked bleak, with Eduardo Rodríguez still recovering from myocarditis, Nick Pivetta struggling mightily in 2020, and Nathan Eovaldi throwing just 116 combined innings over the prior two seasons. Boston didn’t throw in the towel. They gave themselves a fighting chance, relied on a potent offense, and eventually appeared in the ALCS. I agree the Twins shouldn’t trade away the entire future, but they can give themselves a chance in a six or seven-team field with the right moves. This current Twins roster has little upside, but the floor is high enough offensively that the team could surprise this summer with substantial additions. It’s disheartening that the pain of the 2021 season eliminated this reality from so many minds. We shouldn’t let it. Don’t let this front office off the hook. They were brought in to build a consistent winner. The jury is out whether they'll stick to their word. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Order the Offseason Handbook — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook , or email

Way back in 2014, these two future stars were teammates on Team USA’s 15U national team. Royce Lewis and fellow top prospect Hunter Greene were from southern California. Austin Martin grew up in Orange Park, Florida, a suburb south of Jacksonville. The US roster was comprised of players from across the country. They worked out and made the team at the USA Baseball facilities in Cary, North Carolina. They played two exhibition games in Cary and then a game at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, before heading down to Mazatlan, Mexico, for the World Cup. The team began with a 14-2 win against Panama. Then they beat New Zealand 16-1. In their third game, they beat South Africa 25-0. Then the games got a little closer. They beat Japan (7-2), then Germany (11-1), then Cuba (10-2). Then the games got even closer. They beat Venezuela (6-2), then Chinese Taipei (5-4), and Mexico (10-9). That put them into the championship game, a rematch against Cuba in the Gold Medal game. After starting the tournament with nine straight wins, including that 10-2 win against Cuba, the US team lost 6-3 in the Gold Medal game. Martin and Lewis, who were roommates in Mexico, played in eight of the team’s ten games. Lewis started six games while Martin started four games. Lewis recorded 26 at-bats and hit .462/.533/.808 (1.341) with five doubles, two triples, and six stolen bases. Martin had 15 at-bats. He hit .533/.500/.733 (1.233) with three doubles. They returned home with World Cup Silver Medals and many great memories. Lewis and Martin were roommates throughout the entire Team USA experience. They both enjoyed their time together. Martin said on Friday, “We kind of fell out of contact a little bit, just two different parts of the country, two different paths in terms of our journey through baseball.” Royce Lewis was in California, and he was the #1 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of high school. Martin was in Florida. He was the 37th round draft pick by Cleveland in 2017, in part because he was committed to going to Vanderbilt, one of college baseball’s best programs. And, he became one of the best players in college baseball. Over two-plus college seasons in Nashville, Martin hit .368/.474/.532 (1.007) with 39 doubles, 14 homers, and 43 stolen bases. He walked more than he struck out. He also was part of Vandy’s 2019 College World Series championship team. Martin said of the experience, “I think I just matured a lot in the 2 1/2 years that I was there. Looking back at it now, I don’t necessarily think that I wasn’t ready, but I know that those 2 1/2 years at Vanderbilt have made me a lot more prepared for what’s to come.” By the time the Covid-shortened draft came in 2020, Martin was considered one of the best players in the draft. Some thought he could or even should go first overall. Instead, he went to the Toronto Blue Jays with the fifth overall pick (and signed the second-highest bonus). —----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Martin began his pro career in 2021 in Double-A with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. As you know, on July 31, he was traded with Simeon Woods Richardson to the Twins in exchange for Jose Berrios. He joined a group of very talented players with the Wichita Wind Surge and felt welcomed right away. “I think that group of people kind of helped me transition easier. As soon as I walked into the clubhouse, there were my teammates trying to help me get adjusted, show me where my locker was, show me where this is, what time we had to do that. I don’t think necessarily how talented that team was had to do with it, but more that group of guys and that group of people, of staff, is what made the transition so smooth, in my opinion.” Martin spent much of his time working out at Scott Boras’s facilities in Florida in the offseason. In addition, the Twins sent minor league hitting coordinator Bryce Berg to Florida to spend a couple of days working with Martin. Later, Triple-A hitting coach Ryan Smith spent some time with him as well. “It was really just an opportunity for us to connect and kind of just give an update on how things were going this offseason.” When the lockout ends, Royce Lewis will get back on the field, ready to play regular-season games for the first time since 2019. Martin and Lewis have reconnected since the trade, just not in person. “I actually talked to him maybe three or four days ago. Reached out just to see how he was doing. We had a really good conversation. I look forward to him getting down here and being able to see each other because I haven’t seen him since I was like 15 years old. So it’ll be good to catch up with him for sure.” Where will he play defensively? Minor League Director Alex Hassan previously said, “On the defensive end, we’re still evaluating him, to be honest. I feel really confident in his ability to play the outfield right now. He has real skill in the infield. He has the ability to make some plays. He played a lot of shortstop last year. If we had to say where his focus is going to be, especially early in camp, it’ll be on the infield and continue to refine him defensively. He’s going to get the bulk of his work at shortstop, but I do think there’s going to be an opportunity to move around the infield as well, but we’re going to start at shortstop and try to concentrate the majority of his work on the infield in the early going.” And Martin is just fine with that. Asked how he feels about potentially moving around the diamond, Martin responded, “Honestly, I look at it as a blessing, to be honest, because it's something that I didn't know I could do until I was in college, and I was kind of, I would say, forced to do it. It's a part of my identity as a baseball player now, and it's a part of my game. And I don't really think it's a negative thing. Is it challenging? Yeah, for sure. It's definitely challenging, but at the same time, I look at it as not everybody's able to do that. Not everybody's capable of being able to do that. So the fact that I can, it's something that I want to keep in my toolbox and keep trying to work on getting better at both infield and outfield.” Offensively, Martin is really good but still has things to learn. Hassan said, “ I think throughout his career, and certainly his college career, he was conscious of putting the ball in play, on making contact which is a good and unique skill in some ways, especially as the game is trending. I think there were things he would do mechanically to optimize for putting the ball in play. We don’t want to strip that away. We don’t want to take that away, but there are also instances where we think he can be more aggressive and look to drive the ball a bit more.” So, how does he go about doing that, adding power? Martin said, “It’s not much of an adjustment. Honestly, it’s just putting the barrel to the baseball, and I’m capable of doing that. I just need to do it more frequently.” Simple, right? Yes, there are mechanical things he is working on too with the Twins personnel too, but he wants to keep it simple. One thing that Martin has consistently done well in his baseball career, at every level, is get on base, and he very frequently is hit by pitches. Is that just how it will be, or does he think he can do anything about it? “I think I could definitely back up off the plate a little bit more, but being hit by baseballs is just been a part of my game since I could even tell you, to be honest. I’ve just always been a ball magnet.” Martin continued, maybe thinking forward, “Now that guys are throwing 98 to 100 mph, I kind of want to start moving out the way and lessening that a little bit, but it is what it is, honestly, a free base.” —---------------------------------------------------------- While both players have some question marks, Royce Lewis and Austin Martin have great versatility, strength, speed, athleticism, and baseball acumen. Twins fans should be excited and hope that the two talents that were teammates as 15-year-olds will be teammates for the long-term in the Minnesota Twins lineup. I guess if you wanted, you could say that Martin and Lewis Belong Together.

There’s no denying that the 2021 club failed to meet expectations. Coming off two-straight American League Central Division championships, the thought was that the club would contend for a third. Unfortunately, they wound up as cellar-dwellers instead, and 2022 stands as an opportunity to right the ship. All was not lost individually, though, as a handful of solid performances were tallied. Looking at a few key guys, here are some expectations in relation to where they finished a season ago: Byron Buxton OVER 4.2 fWAR Of the numbers below, this one gets the most tricky when considering lost games. WAR is a compiling stat, and the less runway a player has, the more difficult it becomes to accumulate. That said, Buxton played at an MVP level last season and posted a 4.2 fWAR in just 61 games. I’d be relatively shocked if the regular season isn’t something like 120 games, and he should blow by that number. Buxton’s performance wasn’t a fluke last season, and his injuries have gotten to the point where they may be. Whatever the season length is, give me a full year of health for the newly-extended centerfielder and watch this all-encompassing stat be gaudy. Miguel Sano OVER .778 OPS Suggesting the slugging first basemen had an awful start would be putting things lightly. He tallied a .675 OPS through the first two months of the season, and it seemed like his bat couldn’t catch up to a fastball. After June 1, a period of 97 games, Sano turned things around to the tune of an .817 OPS. From July 1 onward, that OPS rose to .824. It’s not as though Sano will all of a sudden stop striking out, but he remains a relatively disciplined hitter within the zone. If he can shed even a month of the slump, we have seen him streak through in recent years, an above-average .800 OPS should be well within his reach. Trevor Larnach and Alex Kirilloff OVER .750 OPS Two of the best hitting prospects Minnesota has seen in a long time; both flopped in their rookie seasons. Larnach was demoted with a .672 OPS, and Kirilloff wound up needing surgery after owning just a .722 OPS. The former dealt with an ankle problem that no doubt impacted his base in the box, and the latter was sapped of his power after playing through a nagging wrist that had previously been a problem in his career. Both tore up the minors when healthy, and their advanced eye combined with a strong approach at the plate bore plenty of fruit. I’d be far from shocked if we don’t see a substantial turnaround from both given a clean bill of health. Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober UNDER 4.00 ERA Projection systems seem to like Ryan quite a bit, and if that’s the case, he stands to improve upon the 4.05 ERA from his first five big league starts. Ryan will likely surrender his fair share of longballs without much velocity on his fastball. The ability to miss bats and stinginess of allowing walks can’t be overstated, and that proved to be a recipe for success last season. Ober gave up a hefty amount of dingers on the flip side, but a handful came in droves. Like Ryan, Ober limits free passes while mowing down the competition, and the impact of that combination is significant. Neither should be expected to be aces, but something in the mid-to-high threes from an ERA standpoint seems logical. If we were dealing with a traditional season and counting stats were easier to evaluate, Jorge Polanco and Jorge Alcala make sense in this space. As much as Polanco has broken out from an offensive standpoint, a repeat of his 33-home run performance seems unlikely. It’s not as though he hasn’t previously displayed that power, but the big number would prove hard to replicate. I like Alcala to pick up plenty of save opportunities in the bullpen. Minnesota has had multiple guys shine in the closer role over the past handful of years, and a double-digit tally for the blossoming Dominican seems pretty fair. What do you think? Are there any rebound candidates I missed? MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

This was a great weekend in college baseball. As usual, there were upsets, standout performances, and an increasing wave of the incredible talent that is finally getting the attention it deserves in the midst of the MLB lockout. Let’s dig into the highlights and all the action from a great weekend. Weekly Recap Friday night was full of upsets in the top 25. The number one team in the country finally lost. UCLA beat Texas in the Shriners College Classic behind an outstanding performance from their pitching staff. UCLA also managed a win over Oklahoma, 15-3, before falling narrowly to Baylor in their last game of the weekend. Texas fell to 11-1 on the season and remain the best team in the country in the early going. After the Longhorns' loss, there are five remaining undefeated teams in college baseball, the B1G 10s Purdue among them. Minnesota played at US Bank Stadium in a tournament field that included the number three team in the country, Notre Dame. The Gophers currently have a 4-9 record due to a poor first week of the season in Fort Myers. Minnesota played well over the weekend, falling narrowly to Notre Dame 3-1, and number 25 West Virginia 5-4, despite a solid effort from starting pitcher Sam Ireland. At the end of the third weekend of the young season, here is where Baseball America has the top 25 teams. Notable Performances Outstanding Mississippi State right-handed pitcher Landon Sims had to leave his start this weekend with elbow soreness. Sims ad struck out ten of eleven hitters faced through that portion of the game. There has been no official update/diagnosis on his injury. Here’s a name to watch, Ben Joyce. The Tennessee right-hander throws a sinker up to 103 mph. He has been lighting up the radar gun and garnering the attention of anyone who pays attention to college baseball in the first few weeks of the season. Moment of the Week There’s only one winner this week. Druw Jones (son of Andruw) and a strong contender for the number one overall pick in June, headed to the plate in a game on Friday to chants of ‘overrated’ from opposition fans. He proceeded to deposit a high fastball at 92 mph over the wall in straight away centerfield. Awesome. Potential #8 Pick Performances Here’s a first look at a potential pick for the Twins in June. Dylan Lesko is a right-handed pitcher out of Georgia committed to Vanderbilt. He offers a mid-90s fastball and a devastating change that ESPN’s prospect guru Kiley McDaniel compares to that of Grayson Rodriguez, one of the top pitching prospects in minor league baseball. According to Darren Wolfson, the Twins had a solid scouting presence to watch LSU’s Jacob Berry this weekend. Additionally, Cal Poly SS Brooks Lee had a nice weekend, hitting his second home run of the season and striking out for only the first time in 50 plate appearances. Here are updates from the top eight of Baseball America’s 2022 draft board. I’ll work on adding more players to this pool as the weeks go by, the prep season gets up and running, and big-boards get adjusted. Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly, 20-42 (.476), 2 HR, 16 RBI, 12 BB, 1 K Jacob Berry, CI, LSU, 17-50 (.340), 5 HR, 14 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech, 16-42 (.381), 2 HR, 11 RBI, 16 BB, 8 K Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison 17-37 (.459), 3 HR, 18 RBI, 7 BB, 10 K What was your favorite college baseball moment of the week? Which prospects or team are you most excited about watching? Join the discussion in the comments.

The financial impact of the lockout and CBA issues have primarily been the most contentious points. Players are looking to secure stronger futures for the next generation, while owners are looking to stretch their return on investment even further. We’ve been fed the notion that losses were substantial in 2020, and potentially even 2021, due to Covid, but I’m guessing the reality lies closer to a decrease in revenues. With the assumption that these astute business people are not operating castle appreciating organizations in the red, they’re likely seeing this round of negotiating as a way to recoup some of those revenues. That would’ve been the case in 2020 when just a 60-game prorated portion of salaries was paid. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred imposed that season instead of the league agreeing with the union to the longest season possible. It’s no secret that owners rake in their largest payouts from the postseason, and so a blueprint of reduced regular-season games would always stand to benefit those at the top. Specifically for 2022, I wondered what the Minnesota Twins would be pocketing due to this shutdown. As of now, owners are arguing that canceled games will result in lost pay for players or no back pay on their salaries. Baseball-Reference and Spotrac currently have the Pohlad’s doling out an estimated $85 million for 2022. A traditional MLB calendar is defined as 186 days long, with 172 required for a full year of service. That regular-season calendar was set to begin on March 31, 2022. At this point, Rob Manfred has canceled the first two series of the season, and it seems a good bet more are coming. At $85 million, the Pohlad’s save roughly $456k per day wiped off the calendar. Seven days into the canceled action, they’ve already been able to pocket $3.198 million. We’re getting to a point where the month of April looks to be in jeopardy as a whole. In that scenario, 31 calendar days will have been torn up, a savings of $14.16 million. What we’re getting at here is undoubtedly a logical assessment of what we’ve been told. The group of owners dug in on monetary issues may definitely be looking at the first month as an opportunity to cut losses. Most organizations have not filled out their rosters and have more to spend in doing so, but that significant reduction in costs would undoubtedly help them lick the wounds suggested in previous seasons. Assuming reports of rebates being unnecessary to Regional Sports Networks (RSN) if less than 25 games are canceled, it’s a perfect storm. The sentiment that ownership is primarily out to maximize profits has been there for quite some time. As bad of a figurehead as Rob Manfred is, he’s representative of the wishes his owners are pursuing. Right now, it certainly looks plausible that the group is going for the least amount of action they need to pay for, with the most significant amount they earn on. As fans, we all lose, and some have even funded this venture by offering interest on dollars paid for season tickets or Spring Training games that were never going to occur. It’s certainly possible none of this is desired, and it’s all just a byproduct of a nasty work stoppage instituted by the league. Maybe the union will negotiate back pay for the players. Right now, though, I’d be against any owner going on record with their intentions, and we’re left to connect the dots. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

Multiple players are in the discussion for the top prospect in Twins history. Some honorable mentions to this list include Michael Cuddyer, Aaron Hicks, and Kyle Gibson. Baseball America started ranking prospects in 1990, so who cracks the back half of the top-10 prospects in Twins history? 10. Jason Kubel Top-100 Peak: 17 Most of the players on this list were high draft picks, but Minnesota took Kubel in the 12th round. During the 2004 season, he hit .353/.414/.590 (1.004) with 42 doubles and 22 home runs. He was only 22-years old at the time, so he was over five years younger than the average age of the competition at Triple-A, where he played 90 games. Minnesota sent him to the Arizona Fall League that winter and suffered a severe knee injury that cost him the entire 2005 season. Kubel ended up playing a decade at the big-league level, but he was trending at being one of the best prospects in team history before the knee injury. 9. David McCarty Top-100 Peak: 16 After finishing in last place in 1990, the Twins took Dave McCarty with the third overall pick in the 1991 Draft. Minnesota was aggressive with him as they sent him directly to High-A for his pro debut, and he finished at Double-A. His college experience at Stanford helped him to a .907 OPS, and Baseball America ranked him as baseball’s 22nd best prospect before the 1992 season. He’d make it to Triple-A that next season, and he combined to hit .284/.370/.448 (.818) with 39 extra-base hits in 136 games. His big-league career was underwhelming as he had a .676 OPS and a -2.1 WAR in 11 seasons. 8. Justin Morneau Top-100 Peak: 14 Minnesota took Morneau with their third-round pick in 1999, but it took him a couple of seasons for him to make his mark in the prospect world. Baseball America got excited about Morneau following his 2001 minor league season as he posted an .886 OPS between three levels. Over the next three winters, they included Morneau as one of their top-25 prospects. He entered the 2002 season at #21, the 2003 season at #14, and the 2004 season at #16. Morneau also appeared in two Futures Games during that stretch. He became one of the most critical players in Twins history and helped the team to multiple division titles. 7. Willie Banks Top-100 Peak: 13 Banks may be an unfamiliar name to younger Twins fans, but Minnesota selected him with the third overall pick back in 1987. He allowed 51 earned runs in 65 2/3 innings in his professional debut. However, he bounced back nicely the following season and posted a 3.72 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 125 2/3 innings. In 1990, Baseball America’s inaugural top-100 list had Banks as baseball’s 13th best prospect. He improved at High- and Double-A the following season as his ERA dropped by more than a run, and his WHIP decreased from 1.72 to 1.20. Banks pitched nine years at the big-league level with seven different organizations. 6. Todd Walker Top-100 Peak: 7 Minnesota selected Walker with the eighth overall pick in the 1994 MLB Draft out of LSU. He ranked as one of baseball’s top-40 prospects in every minor league season, but his 1996 season was unbelievable. In 135 Triple-A games, he hit .339/.400/.599 (.999) with 28 home runs, 41 doubles, and nine triples. For his entire minor league career, he posted a .905 OPS, which he wasn’t able to replicate at the big-league level. Still, he hit .289/.348/.435 (.783 OPS) across 12 seasons. Did any of these names surprise you? Leave a COMMENT, start the discussion, and stop by later this week to see the top-5. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email