Minnesota Twins infielder Luke Keaschall made a strong first impression in 2025 with the ball club. While he only appeared in 49 contests, Keaschall slashed .309/.382/.445 across 207 plate appearances. It was a limited sample size so he finished just ninth in American League Rookie of the Year voting. Nevertheless, Keaschall looks like a future star.

Does that mean he will emerge as an American League MVP candidate as soon as this year, though? Well, according to Matt Vasgersian of MLB Network, the answer is yes.

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Vasgersian and Harold Reynolds were asked to predict the final top five AL MVP voting results for the 2026 season during an episode of MLB Network’s Hot Stove. While Vasgersian did predict Aaron Judge to win the award once again — which obviously isn’t all that bold — the analyst had Keaschall as No. 3 overall.

Another surprise in Vasgersian’s prediction was that Junior Caminero was No. 2 overall. He also had Nick Kurtz and Jarren Duran in the fourth and fifth spots. It’s a bold prediction to say the least, but it would not be shocking to see at least one of the young players in Vasgersian’s prediction make an MVP run.

“I love Luke Keaschall,” Vasgersian said during the episode.

Reynolds’ prediction was not quite as bold, but was seemingly much more realistic. The former player predicted Judge to win it all with Bobby Witt Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jose Ramirez and Kurtz trailing the New York Yankees star in that order.

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Judge and Kurts were the only players to appear in both predictions. As mentioned, Judge’s presence is not surprising. He’s the best player in the American League right now. Kurts is an up-and-coming star who appears to be poised for a big campaign.

So, what about Luke Keaschall? Is there reason to believe he can make an MVP run?

Keaschall is a player who has consistently swung the bat well ever since reaching professional baseball. From 2023-2025 in the minor leagues, he slashed .294/.411/.458 to go along with 19 home runs. As mentioned, Keaschall continued to find success in MLB a season ago.

Pitchers will adjust, though. However, Keaschall seems to have the ability to hit regardless. Finishing third in AL MVP voting may not happen — although anything is possible — but it would not be surprising to see the infielder end up representing the Twins at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game in July.