When you think of an MLB player, what do you see? How about their career arc?

You probably envision someone who is around 6’0”, 200 lbs., who got drafted out of high school or college and worked their way up the minor league system to play in the pros.

If you’re a Minnesota Twins fan, you probably envision an average player, someone like Kody Clemens. He’s the best example of the type of player – size, weight, and trajectory – who reaches the majors.

However, there is one player who, while not yet on Minnesota’s 40-man roster, shows that the conventional is boring.

Average is just that: average.

Payton Eeles has yet to play a big-league game. Still, he has quietly but successfully found himself No. 16 on FanGraphs’ list of top Twins prospects.

Standing at 5’5”, 180 lbs., Eeles is an inch shorter but 15 lbs. heavier than Jose Altuve, the current shortest player in the majors. And unlike many in the MLB, Eeles’ path to the Twins, while not the easiest route, is pretty on brand.

Eeles went undrafted out of Coastal Carolina, so he joined the American Association of Professional Baseball, an independent baseball league. Before joining the Twins system, the St. Paul Saints played in the American Association. Caleb Thielbar pitched for the Saints in their Indy days, and Max Scherzer played one season with the Fort Worth Cats.

Minnesota’s scouts discovered Eeles and quickly signed him to a contract in 2024. Eeles signed after playing only six games with the Atlantic League’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. After receiving the call, he reported to the Twins’ Single-A affiliate in Fort Myers.

Eeles quickly ascended through Minnesota’s minor league system, reaching Triple-A on July 4 last year.

In the two seasons with the Twins minor league system, he hasn’t hit worse than his .262/.366/.274 slash line in June of this year.

Eeles’ poor June may be related to returning from knee surgery in March, which caused him to spend the first two months of the season on the Triple-A IL and rehab with Single-A Fort Myers.

While Eeles has only been in the system for two seasons, the stats speak for themselves. His career slash line (.302/.420/.455) is better than some players who have already seen big league action, including Jonah Bride (.284/.402/.457) and Jose Miranda (.270/.331/.424).

Eeles’ size does help at the plate. Because he has a small strike zone, pitchers can’t nibble on the outsides of the strike zone.

Don’t let Eeles’ size fool you about his ability at the plate or on the base paths. Per FanGraphs, he’s second on the Saints in batting average and first in singles and stolen bases among players with over 100 plate appearances.

As a left-handed hitter, Eeles continues to break the mold at the plate in another interesting aspect. While lefties are known for causing the defense to swing their fielders’ pull side, Eeles hits the ball to the opposite side of the field 44.3% of the time, which is the third-highest rate in Triple-A. Defenders must position themselves to play balls to the opposite field, resulting in more ground balls through the infield.

While the 2025 season has become a lost season for the Twins, it has opened opportunities for players like James Outman and Ryan Fitzgerald to gain experience in the big-league system.

Outman and Fitzgerald have earned their big-league call-ups. Still, it might be time for the Twins to take the road less traveled and go with a player who has come to make his living on being anything but average.