\n\tHere at the start of 2026, we’re taking stock of talent in the Twins organization by ranking their top 20 player assets. We went over the the ground rules in our introductory post on Monday, but the short version is this: We’re trying to answer the question, “Which current players in the organization are most indispensable to fulfilling the vision of building a champion?”\n<\/p>\n
\n\tYou can read Monday’s<\/a>, Tuesday’s<\/a> and Wednesday’s<\/a> posts for breakdowns of each player, but here’s a quick glance at the list so far:\n<\/p>\n \t\t20. Marek Houston<\/a>, SS<\/p>\n \t\t19. Ryan Jeffers<\/a>, C<\/p>\n \t\t18. Brooks Lee<\/a>, SS<\/p>\n \t\t17. Bailey Ober<\/a>, RHP<\/p>\n \t\t16. Connor Prielipp<\/a>, LHP<\/p>\n \t\t15. David Festa<\/a>, RHP<\/p>\n \t\t14. Eduardo Tait<\/a>, C<\/p>\n \t\t13. Royce Lewis<\/a>, 3B<\/p>\n \t\t12. Matt Wallner<\/a>, RF<\/p>\n \t\t11. Zebby Matthews<\/a>, RHP<\/p>\n \t\t10. Taj Bradley<\/a>, RHP<\/p>\n \t\t9. Mick Abel<\/a>, RHP<\/p>\n \t\t8. Byron Buxton<\/a>, CF<\/p>\n \t\t7. Emmanuel Rodriguez<\/a>, CF<\/p>\n \t\t6. Simeon Woods Richardson<\/a>, RHP<\/p>\n \n\tNow, without further ado, here are the five most important players and prospects for the outlook of the Minnesota Twins, from my view.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe Top 20 Twins Player Assets of 2026: 1-5\n<\/p>\n \n\t5. Kaelen Culpepper<\/a>, SS \n\tThe biggest riser of the Twins system in 2025. It came at a very opportune time with Carlos Correa<\/a>‘s departure opening up shortstop as the franchise’s most critical long-term question mark. Right now Brooks Lee is manning the position but he hasn’t shown much, leaving the door open for Culpepper to potentially step in soon if he can keep building on his breakthrough in the minors.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe 2024 first-rounder’s first full season in the pros was split almost equally between High-A and Double-A. Culpepper raked at both stops, posting a cumulative .289\/.375\/.469 slash line with 20 homers and 25 steals. He played shortstop almost exclusively, generating some belief that he can stick there in the majors, although that’s far from assured.\n<\/p>\n \n\tRight now he looks like Minnesota’s best long-term bet at shortstop, with third base as a potential fallback if the defensive skills aren’t quite sharp enough. That’ll be a fine outcome so long as he can keep riding a standout bat. Culpepper is very much in play for a 2026 debut.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t4. Pablo L\u00f3pez<\/a>, RHP \n\tOn one hand, it’s really hard to rank L\u00f3pez this highly as a player making $42 million over the next two seasons for a team hampered by payroll constraints. Recent injury issues don’t help his case. On the other hand, what L\u00f3pez brings for Minnesota is almost irreplaceable: a proven frontline starter who has dominated in the playoffs, and is in the heart of his prime coming off a 2.74 ERA.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tTo the extent that the Twins have any aspirations of contending for a title in the next two years, L\u00f3pez will be foundational. And if they decide it’s not in the cards, then trading him would bring back a level of future value to substantially bolster a rebuild.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t3. Joe Ryan<\/a>, RHP \n\tThe same things I just said about L\u00f3pez basically apply to Ryan as well. He also achieved a high watermark for performance in 2025 (3.42 ERA) while earning his first All-Star nod. Unlike L\u00f3pez, he reached a new workload peak too, totaling 171 frames over 30 starts.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe financial factor looms large here: Ryan is in line to receive (via arbitration) only a fraction of L\u00f3pez’s guaranteed commitment in his final two years before free agency. That’s obviously a major consideration for a Twins team with capped spending capability, and it makes him generally more desirable for potential trade partners as well.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t2. Luke Keaschall<\/a>, 2B \n\tKeaschall’s stellar big-league debut was one of the biggest bright spots for the 2025 Twins, obscured somewhat by a broken arm that cost him more than half the season. When on the field, he made a memorable first impression, batting .302 with four homers, 14 doubles and 14 stolen bases in 49 games. Keaschall showed an uncommonly advanced eye at the plate, drawing 19 walks against 29 strikeouts and reaching base at a .382 clip.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tThere are legitimate questions about how much power he’ll be able to generate. A potential transition to the outfield<\/a> might downgrade his value a bit (unless he can really shine defensively, which he didn’t at second). But those relative drawbacks pale in comparison to the ability he’s already shown. With his speed and his control of the strike zone, you can more or less write Keaschall’s name into the top of the lineup for years to come.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t1. Walker Jenkins<\/a>, OF \n\tIt’s nearly time. Jenkins has been painted as The Next Big Thing ever since he was drafted fifth overall in 2023, and he’s been living up to the hype as a prospect, at least in between injuries. The 20-year-old’s meteoric ascent through the minors has only been made more striking by all the time he’s missed; there’s clearly a ton of faith from the organization in his skills and makeup.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tMinnesota’s decision to promote Jenkins to Triple-A near the end of the season \u2013 warranted, but fairly aggressive \u2013 signals that they envision him in their big-league plans sooner than later. While it should be emphasized that there’s no such thing as a sure thing, and even success stories often take time to materialize … Jenkins is awfully easy to dream on. The few prospects of his caliber who’ve come through the system \u2013 Joe Mauer<\/a>, Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis \u2013 have all made major impacts in the majors. They’ve also proven you can’t do it alone, which is why even a 99th percentile outcome for Jenkins (first-ballot Hall of Famer, like Mauer) would require others above him on this list to support the cause.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\tThere you have it. My ranking of the top 20 player assets in the Twins organization entering the 2026 season. You can find the full list summarized below. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Who would you have moved up or down? Who missed the cut that shouldn’t have? Who’s overhyped and who’s underrated? Sound off in the comment section.\n<\/p>\n \t\tWalker Jenkins, OF\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\tLuke Keaschall, 2B\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\tJoe Ryan, RHP<\/p>\n
Age: 23
Controlled through: 2031+
2025 Ranking: NR\n<\/p>\n
Age: 29
Controlled through: 2027
2025 Ranking: 5\n<\/p>\n
Age: 29
Controlled through: 2027
2025 Ranking: 4\n<\/p>\n
Age: 23
Controlled through: 2031
2025 Ranking: 15\n<\/p>\n
Age: 20
Controlled through: 2031+
2025 Ranking: 1\n<\/p>\n