There’s a lot of risk involved using high draft picks on prep pitchers, which is why it’s not something the Minnesota Twins often do. They made an exception in 2023 with Charlee Soto, selecting him as a 17-year-old out of Reborn Christian Academy in Florida with the 34th overall pick and signing him to a $2.48 million bonus.

We’ve seen some of that risk play out since. In his first season (2024), Soto struggled to a 5.23 ERA in 21 appearances for Low-A Ft. Myers while having his workload heavily managed, and in his second season (2025) he was limited to just 13 innings by arm issues.

A triceps strain sidelined Soto after just three starts in Cedar Rapids, and in August he had a procedure to remove a partially detached bone spur in his elbow. The good news is that there was no structural damage, and this spring Soto is healthy and back in action. His extraordinary potential earns him a spot on the back end of Twins Daily’s top 10 despite the unignorable question marks.

Charlee Soto
Age: 20 (DOB: 8/31/05)
2025 Stats (A+): 13 IP, 1.38 ERA, 10.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 1.00 WHIP
ETA: 2028
2025 Ranking: 4

National Top 100 Rankings
BA: NR | MLB: NR | ATH: NR | BP: NR | ESPN: 94

What’s To Like
While the Twins realized the risks of investing in young pitching talent, they’ve already also witnessed some of the upside. Soto, well built at 6-foot-3, is a stellar athlete with a premium arm. He was reaching the upper-90s by the end of his first full season in 2024, and was touching triple-digits early last year before going down with the triceps injury. 

His 1-7 record and 5.23 ERA from 2024 don’t cast an accurate portrayal of Soto’s first season in the minors. He more than held his own as an 18-year-old at Fort Myers, striking out 87 in 74 innings and allowing just six home runs. Last year Soto appeared well on his way to taking the next step, throwing absolute gas through his first three starts at High-A Cedar Rapids with a 15-to-4 K/BB ratio and just two runs allowed in 13 innings.

The velocity on Soto’s fastball is eye-catching, and he’s got a solid slider as well, but the signature offering is his changeup. Buzzing in at up to 90 MPH with a ton of arm-side drop, it’s viewed as one of the best changeups in all of the minors, and should help him suppress left-handed hitters if he can spot it. 

There’s sort of an “out of sight, out of mind” dynamic at play with Soto since we didn’t see him pitch after April last year. As such, he’s a trendy breakout pick among prospect heads and he’ll be one of the most exciting players in the Twins system to follow in 2026.

What’s Left To Work On
Velocity isn’t everything for a fastball. Even a 100 MPH heater will be punished by advanced hitters if it lacks shape and movement. That’s been one of the knocks on Soto, whose fastball tended to come in pretty straight and has been susceptible to hard contact when not placed with precision. The righty started working in a sinker variant to supplement his four-seamer, and that could give his overall arsenal a significant boost, but it remains a work in progress.

Generally speaking, the quality of stuff is not in question here. Soto has struck out 102 hitters through 87 pro innings as a teenager, and still feels like he’s revving up and settling in. Health is going to be the big hurdle to overcome. Missing almost an entire season due to arm issues before turning 20 is far from ideal, but hardly damning. 

It does leave Soto with some work to do in order to build up as a starter and establish a stamina baseline. If all goes well for him this year it wouldn’t be a shock to see Soto reach Double-A by September, but it will likely take some time for him to develop physically and emerge as a factor in the big-league plans.  

What’s Next
Hopefully, a fully healthy season to showcase what he can do. Soto’s mission will be to keep on refining while reliably taking the mound each turn and hopefully surpassing 100 innings. The crew from Destination The Show recently remarked on Soto’s wide range of outcomes, which spans from frontline starter to volatile reliever to injury flameout. We should get a much better idea this year of where the 20-year-old will land. 

Catch Up on the Rest of Twins Daily’s Top 20 Prospects

(Part 1)

20. James Ellwanger, RHP
19. Khadim Diaw, C/CF
18. C.J. Culpepper, RHP
17. Kyle DeBarge, 2B/SS/CF
16. Hendry Mendez, OF

(Part 2)

15. Marco Raya, RHP
14. Quentin Young, SS
13. Brandon Winokur, SS/CF
12. Andrew Morris, RHP
11. Riley Quick, RHP

10. Charlee Soto, RHP

Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins’ top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!

View Twins Top Prospects