Update Reveals New MN Twins Top 100 Prospect; Others Tumble Down List…

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Eduardo Tait - Minnesota Twins prospect
Credit: Peter Ackerman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There are a few different places where you can check in on the best minor leaguers in the Minnesota Twins system. If you’re looking for MLB prospect rankings, most fans and media members reference Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, the latter of which is owned and operated by the league.

Some prospect rankings update more often than others. The MLB Pipeline list receives a major update following the MLB Draft and MLB trade deadline. And after the MN Twins’ historic 2025 midseason sell-off, there were a lot of reasons to keep an eye out for this year’s deadline update.

Minnesota Twins prospect rankings update – post MLB trade deadline

On Monday, when the MLB Pipeline’s post deadline prospect update went through, the Twins debuted a whopping 11 new faces in their top 30 organizational rankings.

In total, Minnesota landed five youngsters on the updated top 100 prospect rankings. Only one of those five were acquired before the deadline a couple weeks ago — 18 y/o catcher Eduardo Tait (No. 54), who was sent to the Twins by Philadelphia in the Jhoan Duran deal.

The other four — Walker Jenkins (No. 14), Luke Keaschall (No. 64), Emmanuel Rodriguez (No. 72) and Kaelen Culpepper (No. 77) — were already in the organization entering the season.

Emmanuel Rodriguez tumbles down MLB top 100 rankings

For the better part of the last two years, the Minnesota Twins top two prospects have been 20-year-old OF Walker Jenkins and 22-year-old OF Emmanuel Rodriguez, in that order. That is no longer the case, however.

After reaching as high as 37th at MLB Pipeline coming into the season, and top 20 at both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, Rodriguez dropped all the way to 72 in the latest Pipeline update. The problem for E-Rod hasn’t been his skillset… but instead, his availability.

Rodriguez was on the injured list with a right hip issue from June 2 through July 8th. He returned for just 10 days before landing back on the IL with a right oblique strain (July 18th). In total, Emmanuel Rodriguez has played just 43 games for St. Paul this season. And those are only the beginning of his minor league injury woes.

Related: Insider Compares MN Twins Rookie to MVP Candidate

Rodriguez has been largely the same prospect, when available. His .254/.411/.428 slash line could be better, but he has been more aggressive and willing to attack earlier in counts, something the Minnesota Twins have been asking him to do. It’s his inability to remain on the field that is hurting his prospect stock, though.

MN Twins’ top prospects are getting close…

Walker Jenkins — who has had his own health issues since being drafted No. 5 overall in 2023 — has been great at Double-A (.315/.421/.500 at Double-A), which makes his drop from 3rd overall prior to the season a bit odd.

He and Wichita teammate, Kaelen Culpepper, should both be ticketed for St. Paul by year’s end, if healthy and playing at a high level. Culpepper has been tearing up Double-A too, slashing .338/.402/.541. He earned his first top 100 ranking at MLB Pipeline pre-All-Star Game.

Eduardo Tait was the top piece acquired by the Twins during the trade deadline, and one of the highest rated prospects across the league to be dealt before July 31. Only Leo De Vries (No. 3), who was traded to the Athletics, is ranked higher.

Rounding out the group is Luke Keaschall, who will likely exhaust rookie status by the end of the season. He returned from the injured list after suffering a broken forearm. He immediately homered, then walked off the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

Deadline acquisitions litter Twins top 30 prospects list

With the draft and trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the Minnesota Twins farm system has seen an influx of new faces. As mentioned earlier, 11 of the players acquired over the past month are now considered top 30 organizational prospects, per MLB Pipeline.

Related: Former GM Admits MN Twins Can’t Keep Top Tier Talent

Top pick Marek Houston, who is considered an already above-average major league defender at shortstop, makes his debut as the 8th prospect. The Duran return from the Phillies shows up as the top acquisitions, which also makes sense.

Minnesota crushed Louie Varland by sending him to the Blue Jays. Derek Falvey insists Kendry Rojas was worth it, and MLB Pipeline has the new lefty starting prospect at 7th. Riley Quick, the Alabama product, slots in just behind fellow former Crimson Tide pitcher Connor Prielipp.

Ryan Gallagher (Cubs trade for Willi Castro) and Enrique Jimenez (Tigers trade for Chris Paddack) were the only other deadline additions to make the cut. Adding a bunch of draft prospects to the system is always a positive reflection of scouting as well.

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