From Chris Vallimont to Carlos Correa: Ranking Every Player on the 2022 Minnesota Twins from 40 to 1

In these rankings we will only be looking at players on the 40-man roster, and we will only be looking at their value to the Twins for the 2022 season. This is different from the Twins asset rankings that Nick Nelson does each year where he ranks the Twins players in terms of the long-term value they bring to the club. In these rankings, young prospects might be ranked lower than aging veterans and past production will typically trump future projection. In the simplest of terms, these rankings will answer the question, “Who would you rather have for the 2022 season?”

Tier 11: Likely Non-Contributors

40. Chris Vallimont
Vallimont struggled mightily in double-A last season, but was added to the 40-man roster to be protected in the Rule 5 draft. Don’t expect to see Vallimont contribute to the Twins this season.

39. Ronny Henriquez

38. Blayne Enlow
After undergoing Tommy John surgery last season, Enlow will look to get healthy in 2022 as he prepares to be a contributor for the club in 2023.

37. Drew Strotman
Strotman has been converted into a reliever and will work as such with the St. Paul Saints this season. He struggled as a starter after joining the Saints last year, but in a bullpen role he will likely get a shot with the Twins at some point in 2022.

36. Cole Sands

35. Jordan Balazovic
While he hopes to get a call up to the Majors at some point in 2022, Balazovic still has yet to pitch above the double-A level and will be starting the 2022 season on the injured list. Still a promising prospect, Balazovic will hope to string together some healthy months and work his way up to the Big Leagues.

Tier 10: Bench Utility Guys…With Upside?

34. Gilberto Celestino

33. Royce Lewis
Having not played in competitive baseball games since 2019, the 2022 season will be a big one for Royce Lewis. The former number one overall pick will look to prove that he still has what it takes to be a superstar in this league. Lewis will start the season in St. Paul and fight to work his way up to the Big Leagues where he can fill in all over the diamond.

32. Nick Gordon

31. Jose Miranda
Miranda exploded onto the scene in 2021 in Wichita and St. Paul, posting one of the best minor league seasons in Minnesota Twins history. Miranda will look to ride that momentum into the 2022 season, where it shouldn’t be long until he gets a call up to the Majors.

Tier 9: Who Keeps Their Job Longer?

30. Chris Archer
The most recently acquired player on the Minnesota Twins’ roster, Archer has shown what his ceiling can look like. The problem is, he hasn’t reached that ceiling since leaving the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018. Now with injuries and declining velocity, we’ll see how long he can stay in the rotation.

29. Dylan Bundy

Tier 8: Bullpen Cycle Guys

28. Cody Stashak
After bursting on the scene in 2019 with an extremely impressive run as a rookie, Stashak has struggled mightily with injury. Last season, Stashak didn't pitch at all after May, and now again this season the right hander finds himself on the injured list with bicep trouble. When healthy, Stashak has impressive upside, but until he can prove himself to be healthy, he finds himself at the bottom of the "Bullpen Cycle Guys."

27. Griffin Jax

26. Jovani Moran

After pitching the lights out in the Minors last season, Moran got called up to the Majors towards the end of the season where he struggled. Moran will begin the year in St. Paul, but is the type of high-upside left hander that could pop in his second stint up in the Big Leagues.

25. Josh Winder

24. Emilio Pagán

The "other guy" acquired in the Taylor Rogers trade, Pagán has shown that he has the ability to be a lights-out reliever. In 2019, the right-hander tossed a 2.31 ERA in 70.0 IP with the Tampa Bay Rays with a 12.3 K/9. After a couple of down seasons in San Diego, he has the makeup to be a potentially dominant reliever for the Twins with a few tweaks.

23. Danny Coulombe

22. Jhon Romero
The newly acquired Colombian product is still just 27-years-old and with little experience in the Major Leagues. Across double-A and triple-A last season, though, Romero posted a combined 2.95 ERA with a K/9 of 11.3.

21. Joe Smith

20. Jharel Cotton

19. Jhoan Duran
Maybe this ranking is a little too optimistic for how young and unproven he is, but Jhoan Duran has a higher ceiling than almost any other arm in this bullpen. Since being moved to a full-time reliever role, Duran has upped his velocity to consistently hitting triple digits, to go along with a nasty ‘splinker’. Duran could easily be this team’s closer by season’s end.

Tier 7: Which Catcher is Better?

18. Gary Sánchez
Did you know that Gary Sánchez is the fastest catcher in MLB history to hit 100 home runs? Sánchez came up with the New York Yankees as a super prospect and immediately showed off his big time power en route to some incredible seasons. Over the last two seasons, though, the swing for Sánchez has looked ugly, and his poor defense lends to him being more of a DH than a catcher. If a change in scenery can spark the offense for him again, though, he could do some special things.

17. Ryan Jeffers

Tier 5: X-Factor Bats

16. Trevor Larnach

15. Gio Urshela
Urshela broke out in a big way in 2019, when he posted a .889 OPS over 132 games with the Yankees. After another strong season in 2020, Urshela regressed in 2021 to the tune of a .720 OPS. Urshela can play multiple spots in the infield, but whether or not his bat can rebound is what makes him an X-Factor for the Twins in 2022.

Tier 4: Back of Bullpen Studs

14. Jorge Alcala
After struggling to start the year in 2021, Alcala thrived down the stretch. Over the last 22 innings of last season, Alcala allowed just two earned runs while striking out 27. We could quickly see Alcala working his way to higher and higher leverage spots this season.

13. Caleb Thielbar

12. Tyler Duffey
A prime bounceback candidate, Tyler Duffey will look to return to his 2020 form after a tough 2021 that saw his K/9 decline from 11.6 to 8.8, however he still managed to turn in an excellent 3.18 ERA.

Tier 3: Young Gun Arms

11. Bailey Ober

10. Chris Paddack

9. Joe Ryan
Ryan was acquired last season in a trade deadline deal for Nelson Cruz and quickly became a fan favorite. In his sophomore season, Ryan has already been named Opening Day starter and hopes are high for the right hander. Ryan is no doubt a Major League pitcher, but the question with him is upside. Does he have the upside to be a top of the rotation starter?

Tier 2: The Next Best

8. Max Kepler
After a breakout season in 2019, Kepler regressed in 2020 and was even worse in 2021. Last season, Kepler finished the year with a lowly OPS of .719. He still has the power and still has the glove to be a fringe all-star player, but he needs to prove that this season, otherwise he might wear out his welcome in Minnesota.

7. Alex Kirilloff
Alex Kirilloff jumped out of the gates really strong in a Twins uniform, showing that his hype as a highly-touted prospect was deserved. The injury bug hit him hard though, as a wrist injury severely diminished his power and he limped through the season to a mediocre .722 OPS. Now, with a healthy wrist, Kirilloff figures to impact the Twins team more this season and provide middle-of-the-order numbers by the end of the season.

6. Miguel Sanó

5. Luis Arraez

Tier 1: 2022 Team MVP Candidates

4. Sonny Gray
While Sonny Gray profiles more as a number two than a number one, Gray has the upside to be an ace pitcher for the Minnesota Twins in 2022. If he can replicate his 2019 numbers and give the Minnesota Twins a true, no-doubt ace that they have been starved for, he certainly has the potential to be the MVP of the Twins in 2022.

3. Jorge Polanco

2. Byron Buxton
An argument could definitely be made for Byron Buxton to fill the number one spot on these rankings. Pound for pound, game for game, Buxton arguably produces more value than any other player in baseball. Like always with Byron, though, health is the question. If Buxton can play 140+ games for the Twins this year, he will likely finish the season in the number one spot.

1. Carlos Correa
In signing Carlos Correa, the Minnesota Twins are bringing in who is now the best player on the team. Correa does everything that you look for in a star player. He plays a premium position, offers gold-glove level defense and excellent offense. The best part, he’s only just entering his prime, as he is still just 27-years-old.

Do you agree with the rankings above? Who is ranked too high? Too low? Leave your disagreements in the rankings below and let’s have a conversation!