The name Minnesota Twins fans need to become familiar with is Emmanuel Rodriguez. He's 20 years old, 5-foot-10 and about 210 pounds. He plays the outfield and is considered one of the organization's best prospects.
Just how good could he become? Well, Keith Law, who covers the MLB for The Athletic, named Rodriguez as the 48th-best prospect in 2023 (subscription required). That's nice, but what Law said about Rodriguez is compelling for Twins fans.
"It is huge raw power with an explosive swing, but at the same time, he’s very under control, which is unusual for lots of power hitters — except for some of the elite ones," Law rote. "He’s playing center now but the odds are strong he’ll end up in right. He needs more reps, and if he had a weakness last year, it was against changeups, but he might be a top-10 prospect in baseball by midseason if what we saw last spring holds up."
It's that last part about becoming a "top-10 prospect in baseball by midseason" if last year's performance is any indication of what's to come.
Rodriguez hit .272/.492/.551 with nine home runs, five doubles, three triples, 11 steals and 57 walks in 47 games at Single-A last season. He was crushing baseballs until a torn meniscus in his right knee ended his season in June.
Law isn't alone in thinking Rodriguez could become a star. Look what Jim Callis of MLB.com recently wrote about him: "He has the tools and skills to rank among the very best prospects in baseball if he can stay healthy and keep performing at that level."
Callis added: "Rodriguez has the chance to be a plus hitter with power to match and eye-popping walk totals."
Rodriguez is the Twins' top prospect in the eyes of Law, but most rankings have shortstops Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis ahead of Rodriguez in Minnesota's farm system.
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