No fewer than ten rookies debuted for the Twins in 2025, and they can be grouped together a bit. Some, like Mickey Gasper, and DaShawn Keirsey looked overmatched. Some, like Carson McCusker and Alan Roden had such a limited opportunity (and didn’t do much with it) that it’s tough to project much from. Still others struggled but were miscast, asked to do too much by pitching in bulk innings, but may find success in one-inning roles: I’m looking at you, Travis Adams and Pierson Ohl.
Finally, you have the guys that flashed a bit, but again, in small samples. These are the runners-up, in no particular order.
Mick Abel – 4 GS, 14 IP, 27.3 K%, 10.6 BB%, 8.36 ERA, 2.99 FIP, 0.1 fWAR
Abel had two rough outings, one decent one, and one brilliant start that telegraphs the sort of upside that had the Twins willing to trade Jhoan Duran to acquire him. Hitting 98 consistently and with legitimate secondary pitches, the fulcrum on which his upside balances is his ability to throw strikes. If he can get there, he’s got a real possibility to be a playoff-caliber starter. If not, his worst-case scenario is probably a setup-caliber reliever.
Cody Laweryson – 5 games, 7-2/3 IP, 26.9 K%, 0.0 BB%, 1.17 ERA, 1.31 FIP. 0.3 fWAR
Despite pitching fewer than eight innings, Laweryson looked legit — preventing hard contact, getting hitters to chase, and not walking anyone. With the state of the Twins bullpen heading into 2026, Laweryson can be at least penciled in — that is, unless the Twins sign four or five backend weapons in free agency. (Just kidding.)
Ryan Fitzgerald – 24 games, .196/.302/.457/.759, 106 wRC+, 0.3 fWAR, 4 HR, 1 SB
He’s too old to be a prospect, but when the 31-year-old finally got the call, Fitzgerald showed enough that he likely has a path to being a utility infielder for the Twins next season; he certainly won’t have a long enough leash to block any real prospects though. His fielding at short, second, and third was average, and he hit enough (106 wRC+) that he’s not a liability at the plate. In fact, despite a .759 OPS, he had an unsustainably low .147 BABIP, suggesting that he has some room to grow.
Alright. Enough buildup. It’s time for the Twins Daily Rookie of the Year. Surprising exactly nobody, it’s Luke Keaschall. And for good reason, too, even though the rest of the rookie class was a bit lacking.
Luke Keaschall – 49 games, .302/.382/.445, 134 wRC+, 1.6 fWAR, 4 HR, 14 SB
Luke Keaschall entered the 2025 season as a top-50-ish prospect in baseball after being picked in the second round of the 2023 draft. His ascension was rapid, and he entered the Twins scene with a bang, immediately showing that he belongs. Sporting one of the shortest (yet slowest) swings in baseball (right up there with Luis Arraez and Steven Kwan), he has been able to wait to make his swing decisions until the last second. This has allowed him to make contact at an elite rate, and to use all fields roughly equally. He has shown good awareness of the strike zone as well. All of this together, he took a ton of walks, didn’t strike out much at all, and hit over .300 in his rookie campaign. Plus, his 85th percentile sprint speed allowed him to steal 14 bags in 17 tries. The only real thing working against him as a hitter is that his swing style does limit his game power, making him more of a doubles hitter than a home run threat. Still, as the Twins look to get younger, more athletic, and faster, Keaschall has typified the sort of player that can get on base and then cause chaos.
Defensively, Keaschall is a work in progress as he didn’t look good at second base. His arm strength has been almost non-existent. Part of that is skill-based, but part is likely due to his ongoing recovery from Tommy John surgery late last season. 2026 will reveal a lot regarding his future home: can he be an average-ish second baseman, or will he need to move to the outfield? Either way, the bat should play.
Let’s look at a few of his accomplishments:
He knocked in ten in his first ten games, the most in Twins team history.
He stole five bags in his first seven games.
He reached base 20 times in his first ten games, second-most in team history, tied with Kirby Puckett.
He was named the American League Player of the Week in his second week in the majors.
I would be remiss to not also discuss some of his big moments: the game winners and the fun.
On August 10th, against the Royals, he hit a walkoff homer in the bottom of the 11th, his first career walkoff.
He hasn’t looked overmatched, even when facing the best pitchers in baseball. On August 14th, he hits an RBI single off of Tarik Skubal. The Twins lost,
On September 7th, he successfully stole home on a double steal.
By the way, Keaschall was also quite clutch throughout his debut season. In less than a third of a season, he accumulated 1.14 WPA, meaning he netted the team roughly two wins through situational hitting.
So there you have it. Keaschall was an exciting rookie, beset by fluke injuries, who is penned into the 2026 opening day lineup. With his skill set, he should be a key part of the next, hopefully more successful core. In 2026, this award will likely be more of a battle, with several of the Twins’ top prospects likely to debut. However, Keaschall has set a high bar for his future peers. Maybe, just maybe, we will be talking about him as team MVP in 2026.