I’m bringing back this series again where I take a look at each of the Twins top 30 prospects, see how their season went, and what we hope to see moving forward. I’ll be using [MLB Pipeline’s](https://www.mlb.com/prospects/twins/) prospect rankings for this project. This year’s format has changed slightly to look at 2 players at once, with the intent of bringing some more eyeballs to guys that might otherwise not get many views. This likely won’t be a super deep dive in most cases, but more of a high level review and an opportunity to share where I’m at with each guy and open up some more targeted community discussion on them. Both proximity to the majors as well as prospect pedigree may impact this – those that may play a role on the Twins next year will naturally warrant more discussion than a back of the list guy with limited tape available where there will have to be a little more speculation. But I hope you enjoy and that this helps us all learn some new things and get to know our farm better!
You can catch up on prior episodes here:
* [Episode 1 – Walker Jenkins (#1) and Andrew Morris (#30)](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/17z7svo/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_1_walker)
* [Episode 2 – Brooks Lee (#2) and Noah Cardenas (#29)](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/181gzmw/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_2_brooks)
* [Episode 3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (#3) and Yunior Severino (#28)](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/182xpia/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_3_emmanuel)
* [Episode 4 – Marco Raya (#4) and Alejandro Hidalgo (#27)](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/187wfho/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_4_marco)
* [Episode 5 – Charlee Soto (#5) and Byron Chourio (#25)](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/1896iwi/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_5_charlee)
* [Episode 6 – Connor Prielipp (#6) and Ben Ross (#26)]( https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/189z0l8/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_6_connor)
* [Episode 7 – Tanner Schobel (#7) and Zebby Matthews (#24)](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/18ck5gv/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_7_tanner)
* [Episode 8 – Brandon Winokur (#8) and Noah Miller (#23)]( https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/18hvuy7/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_7_brandon)
* [Episode 9 – David Festa (#9) and Yasser Mercedes (#22)](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/18kuiz9/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_9_david)
* [Episode 10 – Danny De Andrade (#10) and Ricardo Olivar (#21)](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/18pgq7s/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_10_danny)
* [Episode 11 – Luke Keaschall (#11) and Austin Martin (#21)](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/18rblv9/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_11_luke)
* [Episode 12 – Jose Rodriguez (#12) and Kala’i Rosario (#19)](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/18sboem/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_12_jose)
* [Episode 13 – Cory Lewis (#13) and Matt Canterino (#18)](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/18vfi7y/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_13_cory)
* [Episode 14 – CJ Culpepper (#14) and Jose Salas (#17)](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/18vz70t/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_14_cj)
* [Episode 15 – Tanner Hall (#15) and Simeon Woods Richardson (#16)](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/18wtewz/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_15_tanner)
* [Episode 16 – Alex Isola, Andrew Cossetti, Anthony Prato, Bryan Acuna](https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/comments/18xmu9h/2023_twins_top_prospect_recaps_episode_16)
Now that we’ve completed going through MLB Pipeline’s top 30, it’s time to look at a handful of guys that missed the cut. I’ve picked out 12 additional prospects I’m guessing would fall in the next tier down that I think will be good to know their names. We’ll go through these 12 in a 3-part series, covering 4 prospects in each.
These guys are going to be ordered alphabetically by first name rather than trying to guess how MLB Pipeline would have ordered them, but you may see some of these guys appear with a numerical rank when we get to my personal top prospect lists. I’m also going to try to keep these sections a little shorter than in prior episodes since we’re covering more players per post here. Lastly, note that scouting grades listed here are pulled from Fangraph’s future value grades where available.
With all that said, in episode 17, we’ll be looking at Cody Laweryson, Dashawn Keirsey, Jackson Hicks, Jair Camargo
———————–
# Cody Laweryson
———————–
# A refresher
Laweryson is a 25-year old RHP out of the University of Maine. The Twins acquired him in the 2019 MLB draft (round 14, pick 419 overall). Laweryson’s scouting grades:
Fastball | Slider | Changeup | Control | Overall
:– | :– | :– | :– | :–
30 | 40 | 45 | 70 | 35
# The stats
Level | W | L | ERA | FIP | IP | H | ER | BB | K | WHIP
:– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :–
AAA | 3 | 4 | 4.80 | 6.10 | 50.2 | 52 | 27 | 25 | 51 | 1.520
Total | 3 | 4 | 4.80 | 6.10 | 50.2 | 52 | 27 | 25 | 51 | 1.520
# Why he’s here
Laweryson pitched extremely well for us in 2019 after being drafted, putting up a 1.57 ERA over 46 innings primarily in rookie ball, striking out 63 batters while walking 10. He ended the season on an absolutely dominant note, throwing 6 scoreless, 3-hit innings while striking out 15 and walking none. Unfortunately, that momentum did not carry over when he returned in action in 2021, perhaps aided by being unable to make his season debut until June, but this year Laweryson struggled, putting up a 4.91 ERA in just under 60 innings, though he maintained a strong K/9 of 11.2 while striking out 73 batters.
The big reason Laweryson is on this list is thanks to a dominant 2022 season. After transitioning to the bullpen for Cedar Rapids, Laweryson threw 35 innings of 2.57 ERA ball, striking out 42 batters and walking 12. After a June promotion to AA, he was even better, putting up a 1.06 ERA over 60 innings while retaining a good K/9 of 10.4. Laweryson did return to make 6 consecutive starts at the end of the season where he continued to be great, posting a 1.23 ERA over that run, including a dominant 1-hit, 7 inning outing where he struck out 8 batters.
In 2023 Laweryson joined AAA and was slated as a full-time reliever, though he still got a few short starts likely acting as an opener. Like 2021, though, Laweryson took a step backwards, again posting a high ERA of 4.80 over 50 innings, while putting up a career high 4.4 BB/9 and a career low 9.1 K/9. Laweryson earns a mention here by having a few elite seasons under his belt with high strikeout upside. If he’s able to return to form for the Saints this season, it’s easy to see him appearing for the Twins this year, even if it’s only on a short term basis. It’s worth noting that Laweryson is surprisingly a very soft thrower – his fastball sits on the upper 80s despite his 6’4”, 205 pound frame. Still, he’s unquestionably gotten the most out of his stuff even without a single pitch grading above average, thanks to strong command and control of the strike zone enabling him to post a 10.7 K/9 in the minors. The lack of pure stuff, plus his limitations as a reliever only, make it hard for him to come close to a top 30 prospect, but he’s shown low ERA, high strikeout stuff in the past and has the potential to be another unexpected source of innings in the Twins bullpen.
# 2023 highlights
I couldn’t dig up much of Laweryson from 2023, so we’ll have to enjoy this [2022 strikeout of Fernando Tatis Jr](https://twitter.com/milb_central/status/1556094309635686401) instead.
———————–
# DaShawn Keirsey
———————–
# A refresher
Keirsey is a 26-year old LHH outfielder out of the University of Utah. The Twins acquired in the 2018 MLB draft (round 4, pick 124 overall). Keirsey’s scouting grades:
Hit | Power | Run | Arm | Field | Overall
:– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :–
50 | 55 | 60 | 45 | 50 | 35
# The stats
Level | G | AB | H | 2B | HR | RBI | SB | K | BB | AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+
:– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :–
AA | 91 | 361 | 110 | 17 | 13 | 48 | 31 | 93 | 31 | .305 | .363 | .488 | 123
AAA | 39 | 129 | 34 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 8 | 31 | 19 | .264 | .375 | .364 | 93
Total | 130 | 490 | 144 | 18 | 15 | 61 | 39 | 124 | 50 | .294 | .366 | .455 | x
# Why he’s here
Keirsey is likely to be one of the more well known prospects in this follow-up series thanks to recent uncertainty at center field for the Twins. Before we get there, let’s fly through Keirsey’s minor league career quick. After 3 seasons of consecutive growth at Utah and a breakthrough junior year, Keirsey played his way into a 4th round draft pick selection and got off to a strong start that year in rookie ball, slashing .301/.371/.427 in his first 26 games. His next two seasons sandwiching the canceled 2020 year, though, were poor. After going .150/.266/.170 in 43 games in 2019, he followed it up with a .211/.305/.428 showing in 2021, and entered 2022 as a soon to be 24 year old that had yet to play past High-A.
Likely out of necessity, the Twins set him to AA for the 2022 season where Keirsey finally showed signs of breaking through. In 121 games he hit .271 with 26 doubles, though a poor strikeout rate helped limit his OBP to .329, and overall he was still a slightly below average AA bat with a 96 wRC+. But that season helped at least put him back on schedule and got the ball rolling into 2023, where Keirsey took advantage of his opportunity. Over 90 games again with AA, Keirsey slashed .305/.363/.488 along with 31 steals, earning him a late season promotion to AAA in early August. Keirsey faded a bit with the Saints, but was still at least putting out average-ish production, with a .264/.375/.364 line in 39 games, equating to a 93 wRC+ at AAA.
Keirsey is finding his stride at the right time, and has worked his way into at least the conversation as a potential center field backup option. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Keirsey at Target Field at some point this year due to inevitable injuries, but he is still a fair ways back on the depth chart for now. If and when we do see his debut, we can expect a speedy, strong defender, but it’d be prudent to keep offensive expectations minimal unless he shows signs of repeating or one-upping his strong AA showing – like the reason he went unselected in the Rule 5 Draft this offseason. In the near term, Keirsey’s best role would be a late inning pinch runner and defensive substitution. Until he proves his AA stint this year was not a fluke, he seems to fit best long term as a 4th outfielder type, but there is some room for him to grow further.
# 2023 highlights
* [Named Twins minor league hitter of the week in late August](https://twitter.com/TwinsPlayerDev/status/1695869271664996727)
* [Triples on a 3-4 day at the plate](https://twitter.com/TwinsPlayerDev/status/1697628727088120231)
* [Torii-esque home run robbery named minor league baseball defensive play of the year finalist](https://twitter.com/TwinsPlayerDev/status/1708165762924401064)
———————–
# Jackson Hicks
———————–
# A refresher
Hicks is a 25-year old RHP out of the University of North Carolina. The Twins acquired in summer 2021 after signing him to a minor league contract. Hicks’ scouting grades are not available on Fangraphs.
# The stats
Level | W | L | ERA | FIP | IP | H | ER | BB | K | WHIP
:– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :–
A | 6 | 1 | 3.22 | 3.51 | 50.1 | 46 | 18 | 19 | 65 | 1.291
A+ | 0 | 0 | 14.14 | 1.93 | 7.0 | 15 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 2.571
Total | 6 | 1 | 5.02 | x | 57.1 | 61 | 29 | 22 | 75 | 1.448
# Why he’s here
After going undrafted, Hicks pitched in Independent league baseball prior to getting on the Twins radar and signing a minor league contract in summer 2021. Hicks’ first action in pro ball was rocky, giving up 12 earned runs across 14 innings at rookie ball, but he rebounded well in 2022. Over 50 innings with Low-A Fort Myers, he threw to a 2.98 ERA while striking out 58 batters. He continued to pitch well this season, again with Fort Myers, posting a 3.22 ERA in another 50 innings with 65 strikeouts, but a few bad outings after a promotion to Cedar Rapids ballooned his season ERA up to 4.55 in total.
It’s ambitious to group Hicks in to the near misses of our top 30 with hit or miss results thus far, as a 25 year old pure reliever that hasn’t been above High-A. But it’s worth recognizing that Hicks put up the 3rd highest strikeout rate of any Twins pitcher in the minor leagues this year at 29.8%, behind only Kody Funderburk and David Festa. While he’s so under the radar that it’s difficult to even dig up much information about what he throws and if he has actual upside in the organization, a near 30% strikeout rate is going to get you noticed. 2024 will be a big season for Hicks as he’ll be thrown into a big step up at AA. If he can hang there, he could start to move into the conversation of potential future bullpen options.
# 2023 highlights
I wasn’t able to dig up any highlights of Hicks this season.
———————–
# Jair Camargo
———————–
# A refresher
Camargo is a 24-year old RHH catcher from Colombia. The Twins acquired in him via trade from the Dodgers as part of the Kenta Maeda/Brusdar Graterol deal in February 2020. Camargo’s scouting grades:
Hit | Power | Run | Field | Overall
:– | :– | :– | :– | :–
40 | 65 | 20 | 45 | 35
# The stats
Level | G | AB | H | 2B | HR | RBI | SB | K | BB | AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+
:– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :– | :–
AAA | 90 | 332 | 86 | 16 | 21 | 63 | 2 | 119 | 29 | .259 | .323 | .503 | 100
Total | 90 | 332 | 86 | 16 | 21 | 63 | 2 | 119 | 29 | .259 | .323 | .503 | 100
# Why he’s here
Camargo was a relatively unheralded prospect who signed a minor league free agent contract in summer 2015 at the age of 16. He spent the next 4 seasons with the Dodgers, only working his way up to Low-A, before being included in the Maeda/Graterol trade that brought him to Minnesota. After the canceled minor league 2020 season, Camargo made his Twins debut at A+ Cedar Rapids in 2021 and would spend the full season there, with uninspiring results of .236/.279/.418 along with a 38% strikeout rate. He would break out next year, though, jumping up to a .296/.314/.496 slash over 28 games with Cedar Rapids before earning a promotion to AA. His 46 games after the promotion would be hit or miss – he was able to retain his high power numbers with 5 doubles, 12 home runs, and a .472 slugging percentage, but his batting average dropped back to .239 and his OBP remained low at .306.
All that set the stage for 2023, where Camargo reported to AAA, where he played 90 games and had his best professional season yet. He set career highs in home runs, OBP, SLG, and near-career highs in doubles and batting average. In total, Camargo hit 16 doubles, 21 home runs, and slashed .259/.323/.503. Camargo is a free swinger – he struck out 119 times in 90 games this year, and that 32.3% rate is the best of his career. Historically Camargo has rarely taken any walks either, but over both this season and last has worked his walk rate up to 8%, which is slightly below average at best, but was a required development benchmark to improve upon his prior rate closer to 4%.
Most significantly, Camargo was added to the 40-man roster at the start of November, protecting him not only from the Rule 5 draft, but also ensuring Camargo will forgo minor league free agency which he otherwise would have been eligible for. While his Joey Gallo-level swing and miss and strikeout rates severely limit Camargo’s ceiling, the prodigious power he’s found over the past 2 seasons is also very rare from the catcher slot. While he’s going to be an overall low-OBP type hitter, it’s worth mentioning that Camargo slashed .307/.398/.573 against LHPs this year. It’s just as likely that’s an anomaly as it is a new-found skill, as his slash against lefties was .253/.281/.550 in 2022, but it’s something worth monitoring (though Ryan Jeffers is historically better against lefties than righties too). We should remember Camargo is still only 24 years old, and has been young at every level of pro ball he’s played in, perhaps a reason to hold out hope that Camargo can continue to improve upon his K/BB as time goes on. At any rate, Camargo is presumably the 1st catcher in line after Jeffers and Christian Vazquez, so it’s very possible we see him up with the Twins sometime this season – the logical bet would be the Twins don’t make it through 2024 using only 2 catchers for the entire season like they miraculously did this year. His upside is similar to prime Gary Sanchez – bat first, power first, high strikeout type catcher.
# 2023 highlights
* [Camargo sends a baseball 495 – yes, 495 – feet](https://twitter.com/TwinsPlayerDev/status/1656461432765005826)
* [June walkoff grand slam](https://twitter.com/TwinsPlayerDev/status/1674162057682329600)
* [September blast goes nearly 450](https://twitter.com/TwinsPlayerDev/status/1706083214194843753)
* [Top 5 longest home runs of 2023](https://twitter.com/TwinsPlayerDev/status/1727427946607206625)