State of the Minnesota Twins Farm System After the Fire Sale

The 2025 trade deadline brought sweeping change to the Minnesota Twins organization.

In a series of blockbuster moves, the front office dealt away multiple big-league contributors — including Jhoan Duran, Carlos Correa and Griffin Jax — in what can only be described as a full-on fire sale.

The immediate goal was clear: restock a thin farm system with both upper-level contributors and long-term upside. While the top of the system remained unchanged with Walker Jenkins entrenched as the face of the future, the influx of talent has dramatically reshaped the depth chart.

What was once a shallow pool now looks like one of the deeper systems in baseball, with enough impact arms to potentially anchor the Twins’ next competitive window.

Crown Jewel – Hitters

Walker Jenkins, OF (AA)

The centerpiece of the Twins’ farm system is Walker Jenkins, the 20-year-old outfielder selected 5th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. After missing some early-season time with injury, Jenkins has quickly reminded evaluators why he was considered one of the most polished high school bats in years.

His smooth left-handed swing allows him to cover the entire plate, and his advanced approach has already translated against upper-level pitching — walking in 13.6% of his plate appearances while striking out just 18.1% in Double-A.

Beyond the swing decisions, Jenkins pairs this discipline with a strong bat-to-ball skill set, posting an 81.3% contact rate.

While his exit velocities don’t yet jump off the page compared to other top prospects, Jenkins offsets that with quality contact in the air (40.8% groundball rate) and enough athleticism to pressure defenses on the basepaths.

Defensively, he has shown the ability to stick in center field — occasionally flashing above-average instincts — but even if he shifts to a corner, his bat profiles to carry the role.

The combination of high offensive floor, burgeoning in-game power, and defensive versatility makes Jenkins not only the crown jewel of the Twins’ system, but one of the best prospects in baseball, currently ranked No. 20 on our top 100.

Crown Jewel – Pitchers

Dasan Hill, LHP (A/A+)

The most exciting arm in the Twins’ system is Dasan Hill, their 2024 Competitive Balance Round A selection. A tall, loose left-hander, Hill already boasts a major-league caliber fastball and a pair of secondaries that flash above average.

His heater sits in the mid-90s and touches the upper ranges, featuring late cut-ride action that makes it especially tough on left-handed hitters from his crossfire release.

At the lower levels, the fastball alone has been overwhelming, but it’s the quality of his secondaries that elevates his ceiling. Hill’s slider is a wipeout offering against lefties, tunneling seamlessly off the fastball, while his curveball — his primary weapon against righties — shows sharp vertical break and similar deception.

He has also experimented with a changeup, though for now it’s primarily a three-pitch mix. The key developmental hurdle will be consistency in the strike zone. Hill has struck out hitters at an impressive 11.8 K/9 but also walked batters at a 5.8 BB/9 clip.

Even if his command wavers, the combination of fastball-slider alone could make him a dominant bullpen weapon. 

The Twins have handled him conservatively, rarely asking for more than four innings in an outing during his first full season of pro ball. Still, across 54.2 innings between Low-A and High-A, the 19-year-old has shown enough to establish himself as the crown jewel of the Twins’ pitching pipeline.

Best of the Rest – Hitters

Eduardo Tait, C (High-A)

The centerpiece of the Jhoan Duran trade, Tait is already a consensus Top 100 prospect at just 18 years old. He’s flashing plus-plus exit velocities from the left side and showing encouraging defensive progress behind the plate. The key developmental hurdle is refining his overly aggressive approach, but considering his age and current level, there’s plenty of time for growth.

Kaelen Culpepper, SS (AA)

Culpepper is in the middle of a breakout campaign, producing a 141 wRC+ between High-A and Double-A while proving he can handle shortstop defensively. He’s cut his groundball rate as the season has progressed, leading to more impactful contact. If this trajectory continues, he could realistically be Minnesota’s starting shortstop by 2026.

Gabriel Gonzalez, OF (AAA)

Perhaps the most confounding player in the system, Gonzalez has been the Twins’ most productive bat in 2025 with a 148 wRC+ across three levels. His 87% zone-contact rate at Triple-A highlights his plus hit tool, though his poor defense in the outfield means the bat must carry the profile. Still only 21, he’s already in the upper minors with a chance to force his way into Minnesota’s plans soon.

Best of the Rest – Pitchers

Mick Abel, RHP (AAA)

Acquired from Philadelphia in the Jhoan Duran deal, Abel has looked dominant in his first three starts with Minnesota, striking out 41% of batters faced and piling up 11 punchouts in his most recent outing. His mid-90s fastball, paired with a sharp cutter and slider, gives right-handers fits.

The Twins have a strong track record of refining arsenals, and Abel could unlock another level after a full offseason in the Pete Maki lab.

Taj Bradley, RHP (AAA)

A deadline add in exchange for Griffin Jax, Bradley arrives with significant MLB experience already under his belt. The 24-year-old righty leans on a fastball-cutter foundation and flashes above-average stuff across the board. Given his age, repertoire, and track record, Bradley looks like a strong bet to slot into the Twins’ rotation as soon as Opening Day 2026.

Kendry Rojas, LHP (AAA)

Acquired in the Louie Varland trade, Rojas began the year without experience above High-A and has already climbed to Triple-A. He was electric in Double-A, striking out hitters at a 14.5 K/9 clip while generating a 57% groundball rate.

Though he’s hit some turbulence at the higher level, his ability to miss bats and keep the ball on the ground makes him a very promising 22-year-old lefty with upward momentum.

Loss of Helium – Hitters

Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF (AAA)

Once a consensus Top 40 prospect — and even ranked inside the Top 20 by Just Baseball — Rodriguez has seen his stock tumble due to a mix of injuries and inconsistency.

His elite plate discipline borders on passivity, and while he still posts borderline double-plus exit velocities, it comes with significant swing-and-miss, reflected in a 77% zone-contact rate at Triple-A.

This season, he’s paired that with a 50% groundball rate, sapping his in-game power, though a 21.7% HR/FB rate shows he still punishes the ball when it’s elevated.

At just 22 years old, Rodriguez retains plenty of upside, but he must prove he can stay healthy and sustain consistent production to recapture his once-elite prospect allure.

Loss of Helium – Pitchers

Charlee Soto, RHP (High-A)

Soto looked poised for a breakout in 2025, opening the year with a 1.38 ERA over his first three starts at High-A and flashing frontline potential.

At 6-foot-5 with a fastball that has touched 100 mph, plus a changeup and slider that already grade above average, the ceiling remains enormous.

Unfortunately, a triceps injury has kept him sidelined since April, causing his stock to tumble down prospect lists. The tools and upside are still very real, but his place in the organizational and national hierarchy has slipped considerably from where it stood to begin the year.

Potential Risers – Hitters

Brandon Winokur, INF (High-A)

Signed away from a UCLA commitment as an over-slot 3rd-rounder in 2023, Winokur has begun to show why the Twins were so aggressive to land him.

Originally drafted as a shortstop, he’s held his own there but likely projects best at third base, where his plus arm and above-average athleticism could make him an asset defensively.

At 6-foot-6 with long levers, contact was always going to be a challenge, and his first full pro season reflected that. However, a mechanical adjustment — starting with his hands higher and further from his body — has allowed him to better sync up his swing and unlock his plus raw power. He has improved his contact rates from 63.4% in 2024 at low A up to 68.2% in 2025 at high A.

While still far from perfect, it is an encouraging sign to see progress at a higher level.  With a clearer defensive home and a swing change paying dividends, Winokur looks like a 2026 breakout candidate. At just 20 years old, he has the upside to rise quickly through the system if he continues to perform at the upper levels.

Potential Risers – Pitchers

Ryan Gallagher, RHP (AA)

A 2024 draftee out of UC Santa Barbara, Gallagher fits the exact archetype the Twins have developed so well in recent years. His fastball only sits in the low-90s, but thanks to strong extension and induced vertical break, it plays above its velocity.

The Twins have a proven track record of squeezing more velocity and effectiveness out of similar profiles — think Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, David Festa, and Zebby Matthews. Gallagher could follow a comparable path, moving quickly through the upper minors in 2026 and potentially breaking into the big leagues as a reliable back-end starter.

Developmental Longshots – Hitters

Teilon Serrano, INF (DSL)

DSL stats only tell part of the story, but Serrano has already stood out with his raw tools. At just 17 years old, he’s posted plus exit velocities, including a peak of 108 mph, hinting at real offensive upside. If he comes stateside in 2026, Serrano could quickly emerge as a name to watch and a candidate to climb prospect lists once evaluators get a longer look.

Quentin Young, INF (Complex)

The nephew of Delmon and Dmitri Young, Quentin brings plenty of bloodline intrigue along with an athletic, toolsy profile. Drafted with an overslot 2nd-round pick, he offers plus raw power, though his long swing mechanics leave him vulnerable against quality spin.

Defensively, he was drafted as a shortstop but is widely expected to move off the position, with his eventual home still uncertain. For a Twins regime in search of impact bats, Young’s development will be a priority — and a potential high-reward gamble.

Overall Outlook

The Twins’ farm system looks dramatically different in the wake of the deadline fire sale. While the very top of the system — headlined by Walker Jenkins — remained intact, the depth and quality throughout the organization took a notable step forward.

On the position-player side, the system is still somewhat light on high-impact offensive pieces beyond Jenkins and Eduardo Tait, but Kaelen Culpepper and Emmanuel Rodriguez provide more stability and upside than before.

The real story, however, is on the pitching side, where Minnesota now boasts enviable depth.

With Mick Abel, Taj Bradley, and Kendry Rojas all knocking on the door, the Twins could realistically see three new rotation arms by next June. Dasan Hill and Charlee Soto headline the younger wave, while Ryan Gallagher provides another intriguing developmental track.

It’s a group that many organizations would love to have, particularly in an era where controllable pitching is the sport’s scarcest commodity.

All told, the Twins now boast a system that comfortably grades as a Top 7 farm in baseball. That’s the kind of organizational positioning you should expect after a fire sale, but the exciting part is how quickly this group could move.

With Jenkins maturing, Tait emerging, and several pitchers on the cusp of the majors, Minnesota’s system is not only strong today — it has the potential to become one of the best in the sport in short order.