Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Twins will hold their first full-squad spring training practice on Monday, as we inch closer to the start of Grapefruit League play next weekend.
How the next six months will go at Target Field is anyone’s guess. Tom Pohlad says they can return to the postseason, but his decision to cut another $20-$30 million in payroll won’t make that an easy promise to payoff.
If the MN Twins are going to have a successful 2026, they will need all of their stars to stay healthy and play well, including Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton for the second-straight season.
Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
But let’s be real, the Twins need more than that if they are going to return to the playoffs. For starters, they’ll need some of their talented youngsters, both on the mound and in the batter’s box, to take a step up in their development.
That means once-top prospects like Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee and Zebby Matthews providing the type of youthful jolt the Twins haven’t seen in years.
Minnesota Twins young stud Luke Keaschall for MVP…?
There’s one other young Twin who probably has a better chance of stepping up in 2026 than any of the aforementioned former top prospects — second baseman/outfielder Luke Keaschall.
How good could the MN Twins rookie be in 2026? Well, let’s ask MLB Network host and longtime baseball broadcaster Matt Vasgersian, who is so high on what Luke Keaschall will bring Minnesota in 2026 that he has him projected THIRD in his 2026 MVP projections.
Matt Vasgersian thinks Junior Caminero and Luke Keaschall will both be AL MVP finalists this season 😳#MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/xQ1B32IxFx
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 14, 2026
“Top-five AL MVP – Judge, I love Luke Keaschall, Nick Kurtz is no surprise, and I love Duran.”
Matt Vasgersian – MLB Network
Related: MN Twins Sign Proven Reliever to Prove-It Deal
Luke Keaschall has flown under the radar all offseason, mostly due to missing a large part of 2025 with a broken hand. Prior to his injury last year, Keaschall blew onto the big league scene like a coke bottle that just had an entire package of Mentos dropped into it.
In only 207 big league plate appearances, the 23-year-old hit .302 with a .827 OPS and 128 OPS+. He hit 4 home runs, stole 14 bases, batted in 28 runs and scored 25 more.
My personal projected top 10 second baseman for 2026:
1. Ketel Marte
2. Jazz Chisholm Jr
3. Nico Hoerner
4. Brice Turang
5. Luke Keaschall (🎥)
6. Brendan Donovan
7. Gleyber Torres
8. Ernie Clement
9. Jackson Holliday
10. José Altuve pic.twitter.com/9zWBoCfprn
— Damon (@Damon98_) February 8, 2026
For a one month stretch, Keaschall was one of the best players in the league, collecting 2.0 bWAR in just 49 games played. If he can stay healthy in 2026… he very well could make Matt Vasgersian look like the smartest media personality in baseball.
Mentioned in this article: Luke Keaschall
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