Which Twins prospects had their stock rise in 2024?

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As always, the Twins will need to lean heavily on their young players and prospects as they look to 2025, with reinforcements set to join Brooks Lee, David Festa, Zebby Matthews and others who were thrust into the spotlight in ‘24.

Who’s next?

3 players who forced their way onto the radar

RHP Andrew Morris (No. 6 among Twins' Top 30 prospects)
The latest in the line of the pitching prospects maximized to new heights by the Twins’ player development apparatus, Morris was unranked in 2023 and slotted in at No. 18 in the organization to begin the ‘24 season, but has soared all the way to No. 6 and was one of the club’s buzzier names asked after at the Trade Deadline.

Using a deceptive delivery and a big fastball that highlights a starter’s mix, Morris does everything the Twins want from a starter: He throws strikes, limits walks and prevents homers, having allowed only 10 in 218 1/3 career Minor League innings. He soared to Triple-A with a 2.37 ERA across three levels in ‘24 and is seemingly on the cusp of making the jump.

INF/OF Payton Eeles (No. 30)
The 24-year-old came out of absolutely nowhere and is listed at 5-foot-5 and 180 pounds. But boy, can he seriously hit. Undrafted out of Coastal Carolina and signed out of the independent Atlantic League, the Twins started Eeles at Single-A Fort Myers but saw him dominate opposing pitchers all the way up to Triple-A.

Hitting .306/.435/.497 in 111 games with 12 homers, 41 steals and nearly as many walks (67) as strikeouts (68) will get you on the radar -- and playing six defensive positions will absolutely help, too.

OF Carson McCusker (NR)
Serious kudos to the Twins’ independent league scouting, because the Frontier League is where they found McCusker, the imposing 6-foot-8, 250-pound outfielder who mashed all the way up to Triple-A by hitting .282 with an .841 OPS across two levels in ‘24.

Yes, he’s already 26, and yes, he could stand to strike out less -- but “right-handed bat with pop who can stand in a corner outfield spot and whack baseballs off lefties” is a role the Twins have tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to fill for essentially the entire Rocco Baldelli era.

2 possible breakout players to watch in 2025

LHP Connor Prielipp (No. 20)
Don’t be surprised if Prielipp is a very quick riser. The Twins were thrilled to get the University of Alabama-produced left-hander in the second round in 2022 due to injury, and after an internal brace surgery on his elbow, he returned in July to dominate High-A with 32 strikeouts and seven walks in 19 1/3 innings. His fastball-wipeout slider combination is both advanced and filthy from the left side.

RHP Marco Raya (No. 5)
Once again: Is this finally the year the Twins let Raya go a bit? His advanced pitch mix has never been the question -- though he struggled with walks in 2024 -- but it’s the smaller frame and injury history that have contributed to the limitations in his workload.

Still, he finished the season with a one-start taste of Triple-A -- and still only 22, he’ll almost certainly be added to the 40-man roster this offseason and start to poke into the MLB picture.

1 big question for next season

Is the next wave of young pitchers ready to impact the big leagues?

It’s one thing for the Twins to have a group of pitching prospects ready, on paper -- but it’s another for them to actually get to the Majors and perform in meaningful games.

The Twins saw that with Festa and Matthews, who both ranked in the overall Top 100 by MLB Pipeline but showed some growing pains at the big league level. Morris, Raya, C.J. Culpepper and Cory Lewis could be among that group next season. Can one or more deliver if needed?