Here are the Twins' 2022 Top 30 Prospects
Do-Hyoung Park
@dohyoungparkA championship-winning formula for the Twins will almost certainly involve a homegrown core of young pitchers, and 2022 should finally be the year when all the development under president of baseball operations Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine should start to impact the big leagues in earnest.
It was the Twins' homegrown offensive talent that led them to back-to-back American League Central championships in 2019 and '20, and following a surprise last-place finish in '21, they're immediately retooling to compete this season and next with an eye on the young talent at the cusp of the big leagues. Six of the organization's top 10 prospects will begin the season on the 40-man roster, including the top four arms in the system.
When those hurlers mature to the Majors, they'll join the likes of Bailey Ober and position players Alex Kirilloff and Ryan Jeffers, who established themselves last year. Could they also be joined by No. 1 prospect Royce Lewis, who missed the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL and hasn't seen professional action in two years? Can reigning Twins Minor League Player of the Year Jose Miranda carry the massive production from his breakout '21 into the big leagues?
What the Twins' deep farm system lacks in uber-high-end talent, it makes up for in depth of contributors all over the diamond who will be counted on soon -- and if Minnesota makes another push for the playoffs, those youngsters will be right in the middle of things.
Here¡¯s a look at the Twins' top prospects:
1. Royce Lewis, SS (MLB No. 46)
2. Austin Martin, OF/SS (MLB No. 52)
3. Jose Miranda, 3B/2B/1B (MLB No. 95)
4. Joe Ryan, RHP (MLB No. 97)
5. Jordan Balazovic, RHP
Complete Top 30 list ?
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2021 preseason list to the 2022 preseason list.
Jump: Spencer Steer (2021: NR | 2022: 11) -- Conditioning work and slight mechanical tweaks in Steer's swing led to a breakout 24-homer season for the previously light-hitting infielder, adding a needed element of power to his advanced approach and bat-to-ball ability.
Fall: Keoni Cavaco (2021: 10 | 2022: 23) -- The Twins have been hard at work trying to correct Cavaco's overly uphill swing path, but the former first-round pick still hasn't been able to consistently convert his talent to on-field production -- and concussion issues in '21 didn't help.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 60 -- Jose Miranda (Austin Martin)
Power: 60 -- Matt Wallner (Aaron Sabato)
Run: 70 -- Royce Lewis
Arm: 65 -- Matt Wallner
Defense: 60 -- Jermaine Palacios
Fastball: 70 -- Jhoan Duran
Curveball: 55 -- Matt Canterino (Simeon Woods Richardson, Blayne Enlow)
Slider: 55 -- Josh Winder (Joe Ryan, Jordan Balazovic, Matt Canterino, Ronny Henriquez, Drew Strotman, Chris Vallimont)
Changeup: 60 -- Steve Hajjar (Simeon Woods Richardson, Jovani Moran)
Control: 60 -- Joe Ryan
How they were built
Draft: 19 | International: 3 | Trade: 8
Breakdown by ETA
2022: 14 | 2023: 6 | 2024: 8 | 2025: 2
Breakdown by position
1B: 1 | 2B: 1 | 3B: 2 | SS: 5 | OF: 5 | RHP: 13 | LHP: 3