The division reports debuted last year. The goal of this article series is to provide a quick overview of all dynasty-relevant information from each division. Each team has multiple minor league levels, each containing plenty of impactful prospects, which can feel impossible to keep up with. This article series, which will be updated once per month, will help dynasty managers stay up-to-date on performances, injuries, promotions, and more. New this season is the inclusion of tiers in the rankings. Next to their rank, each prospect is assigned a tier. The tier range is 1-5.
- Tier 1: A potential difference-making dynasty prospect. Somebody who would rank in the top-20ish prospects for dynasty baseball
- Tier 2: A still very good dynasty prospect who holds plenty of value. This prospect would typically rank in the 21-75 range
- Tier 3: A mid-tier prospect who could be valuable but has questions and concerns present in his profile, ranking in the 76-150 range
- Tier 4: A prospect who is worth knowing, but is reserved for deeper leagues. This prospect would rank 151-250
- Tier 5: The rest of the prospects fall into Tier 5
The Twins have not had the best of starts to the 2025 season, going 13-18 in the first month of the year. Things are starting to turn around both for the Major League club and their minor league affiliates as the calendar turns to May, aside from the St. Paul Saints having 11 rained-out games over 38 days. Let’s break down how the Twins’ top 10 prospects performed during the first month of the season and what setbacks some players have had.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Performances:
- If there was any question whether Zebby Matthews had anything left to prove in the minor leagues, the only thing left was to throw as fast as he could throw the ball. Matthews’s velocity on his four-seamer has topped over 99 MPH a few times and averaged around 96.7 MPH. Besides one start this season where Matthews allowed four walks for the first time in his pro career, he’s shown he is Major League ready, pitching to a 2.30 ERA in 27.1 innings along with a strikeout rate of 29.6% and a walk rate of 7.8%. The 7.8% walk rate is a career-high for Matthews in his pro career, which may seem alarming for him, but for any other pitcher, it sits at an all-star level and just speaks to his impeccable command of the strike zone. With the Twins’ starting rotation fully healthy and performing well right now, it’s unclear when Matthews may be in the Majors again this season. But dynasty owners can be certain they’ll see Matthews in the Majors this season, improving upon his debut in 2024.
- The Twins’ top pick from the 2024 draft, Kaelen Culpepper, has lived up to his expectations to start the 2025 season in High-A Cedar Rapids. Culpepper only played in 11 games during April as he suffered a right wrist sprain that had him on the shelf for 11 days, but when he was healthy, he had a .293/.370/.463 slash line with one home run and seven RBI, and is continuing to improve on those numbers in May. If Culpepper keeps up his performance, he will be a favorite on the Kernels roster to earn a promotion to Double-A as the summer months come closer, making him a sleeper pick for dynasty teams to stash on their rosters.
- Marco Raya looked to be heading in the right direction at the end of 2024 as a starter. He averaged five innings per start and finished the year strong with his Triple-A debut. After being added to the 40-man roster and starting his 2025 season in Triple-A, results have not gone the way he hoped. Raya has only pitched three full innings twice in the five starts he’s had so far this season and owns an ERA of 9.00 in 12 innings with a 22.4% strikeout rate and 17.9% walk rate. The bad start to 2025 has seen some of Raya’s prospect stock drop, and though he has always been a pitcher, the Twins have played the safe with caution when it comes to pitch count and innings limit; they don’t seem to be moving away from it anytime soon. Raya may be a top-10 prospect that dynasty owners will want to hold off on and see if his long-term future will stick in the rotation or if he will be moved to the bullpen before the end of 2025.
Notable Prospect News and Promotions:
- Luke Keaschall had an impressive start to his MLB career when the Twins called him up to join the team on Friday, April 18. He tied a rookie record, getting five steals in just his first five games, and was looking to extend that record further, but that was until he got hit by a pitch by Angels starter Kyle Hendricks and received a fractured forearm on the other end. Keaschall will be out until July. Despite the setback, Keaschall still started his career with an on-base streak, reaching in all seven games with a .368/.538/.526 slash line with a couple of RBI. He’ll still be a player for dynasty fantasy teams to keep tabs on as he will not turn 23 until August 15 and still has a chance to light things on fire for the Twins in the second half of 2025.
- Twins top prospect Walker Jenkins will be on the IL at least through the end of May, as Jenkins is on the IL with a left ankle sprain, which he battled through during spring training. Jenkins only played in two games with Double-A Wichita before he was added to the IL once again and has received a cortisone injection for it. This does setback the outside chance that Jenkins would have had to make his MLB debut with the Twins in September this season, but if he comes back healthy and on a tear at the plate, Twins fans and dynasty owners can expect one of baseball’s best prospects to still make his way to Minnesota in a St. Paul Saints uniform later this year.
