With the 2026 season fully behind us, I decided to take a look at all of the top prospects who are likely to contribute to the major league roster next season. From the franchise cornerstones to the middle relievers, these are all of the prospects that I think could provide significant value to the Twins in 2027.
The Stars
We got a glimpse of what long-time No. 1 prospect Walker Jenkins can do in the big leagues, and after struggling for his first couple weeks, Jenkins finished the season on an absolute tear.
Over his final 10 games, he slashed .385/.400/.615 for a 186 wRC+ and just a 7.5% strikeout rate. With an all-around elite skillset, Jenkins should be in the Opening Day lineup and has a chance to be one of the Twins most productive players in 2027.
Emmanuel Rodriguez finally got his chance with the Twins in September, and while he struggled some with swing decisions and ran a 33.3% strikeout rate, his batted ball data and advance metrics were phenomenal in the small sample size. E-Rod’s elite power gives him a limitless ceiling, and he has flashed some big impact in the outfield as well. Now out of options, the Twins will be forced to keep him on the major league roster in 2027, and he is capable of providing some major thump to the middle of the lineup.
While the stats and batted ball data were nothing special for Kaelen Culpepper in his first 33 major league games, he looks like he can be an impact player on offense and in the field next season. Culpepper has excellent bat speed but struggled to square the ball up and generate high-end exit velocities. He also has extreme chase issues, running a 42.8% O-Swing in his first major league stint. Still, the glove looked sharp, and he has all the raw talent needed to be an impactful hitter.
Marek Houston is on track to begin next season in Triple-A with anticipation for a 2027 debut. He looked the part in Double-A, slashing .301/.379/.450 in 60 games while playing exceptional defense at shortstop. The Twins cannot wait to add his speed and defense to the major league squad, and there is increasing hope that his bat can provide some real impact.
Starters
There is a lot to like about the direction the Twins rotation is headed in 2027. They just hired Brian Reith out of the Rays organization to be their new pitching coach, and the staff is set to be headlined by the veteran trio of Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, and Taj Bradley. Connor Prielipp has shown frontline potential and looks to build off his promising rookie campaign, and Zebby Matthews finally looked like the pitcher we hoped he would become over his final 7 starts. The Twins also have control over Dean Kremer and Bailey Ober if they want them, both of whom were quality back-end starters this year. As injuries undoubtably occur, the Twins have a nice assortment of replacements waiting at the top of the farm system.
Of all the pitching prospects in the Twins system, Kendry Rojas is sure to be one of the top contributors to the Twins staff in 2027. While he nibbled too much and struggled with walks this year, he showed an impressive feel for location along with mid-rotation stuff. If he can improve his stuff even more next year and lengthen his outings, Rojas can firmly fit into the Twins rotation. Otherwise, he is a fun lefty bullpen arm.
Now two years into his pro career, Ryan Gallagher struggled in Triple-A this summer, but he possesses all of the tools needed to be a quality innings eater in the Twins rotation. Strike-throwing has been inconsistent and he could use some added fastball velocity, but if we see some improvements going into 2027, Gallagher will fit nicely as a 7th or 8th starter option.
Riley Quick still has a ways to go in his development, but with improved command, his electric stuff could absolutely push him into the Twins rotation in 2027. Quick was terrorized by walks and homers this season, but elite strikeout and whiff rates were able to keep his numbers afloat. There is potential for a huge breakout next year if he can stay health and be more of a pitcher than a thrower.
Righty flamethrower Adrian Bohorquez has struggled with injuries and is only 4 starts into his Double-A tenure, but he is developing well, and his overpowering stuff may force him into the majors one way or another in 2027. The big question with Bohorquez is if he can consistently get lefties out. He was dominant against righties in 2026, allowing just a .194 SLG with a 32.1% strikeout rate but a .344 SLG with a 23.1% strikeout rate against lefites. The back end of the bullpen may be a better fit if he can’t find a put-away pitch for left-handed hitters.
Eli Jones had his season end in late May due to injury, but he was pitching well in his first taste of Double-A, and he projects well as a back-end strike-thrower. Jones had a velo spike into the mid-90s this year, and with further stuff development, he has a chance to provide some innings to the Twins rotation in 2027.
Role Players
Its impossible to not get caught up in the excitement of prospects like Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez, but the Twins need to get production out their second-tier prospects as well. These guys maybe don’t quite have the ceiling or the polish of a high-end prospect, but there is potential for significant value with them in the right role.
After struggling to hit the ball in Double-A the last two years, Ben Ross had an unlikely breakout in 2026, posting a 108 wRC+ in Triple-A and making his MLB debut in September. While Ross lacks true bat talent, his elite swing decisions allow him to put together good at-bats. Defensively, he can play anywhere in the infield or outfield at a high level and is a plus runner. There is a lot to like about keeping Ben Ross on the roster as a bench utility defender and pinch runner.
Hendry Mendez struggled a bit down the stretch as he dealt with injuries, but he still finished the season with a 107 wRC+ in 78 games at Triple-A, and he has one of the most impressive offensive skillsets in the system. With plus contact skills, violent bat speed, and elite swing decisions, the only thing holding Mendez back at the plate is his extreme ground ball rates. While he is a poor outfield defender and will be better suited at DH, he profiles as an on-base machine with some big upside if he can elevate the ball more.
We got mixed results out of Brandon Winokur’s bat this year as he pushed into Double-A. He totaled 21 homers and 30 stolen bags with average offensive production across 127 games. His defense has continued to develop nicely as Winokur has the athleticism and arm to be a plus defender at third base and center field. There is plus raw power in the tank, and if he can maintain his 79% zone contact rate while improving his swing decisions, there is some big slug potential. 2027 will be a very interesting year for Brandon Winokur as he pushes close to the majors.
Khadim Diaw is one of the most well-rounded prospects in the Twins system and has also been one of the most productive since he joined the organization in 2024. He lacks raw power, but plus contact skills and an extremely patient approach make Diaw an on-base machine. He also possesses an intriguing catcher/outfield defensive profile that would give the Twins some valuable versatility. It’s unclear exactly how high the offensive ceiling is or if he will end up playing any catcher at the major league level, but he is set to begin 2027 in Triple-A with a good chance of debuting at some point next summer.
Relievers
The Twins bullpen is looking closer to average now with Jeff Hoffman, Andrew Morris, Yoendrys Gomez, and Kody Funderburk all locked in for 2027 along with a handful of other solid arms. There is an intriguing group of relievers in the upper minors with clear concerns but impressive stuff that could thrust them into the Twins bullpen next season. Don’t forget about David Festa or Matt Canterino either!
It was an interesting season for longtime top prospect Marco Raya this year. After a rough start, he caught fire in May and made his MLB debut in June, but only threw 6 innings before an injury put him on the IL for two weeks. He came back and struggled a bit, but finished the season by running a 1.56 ERA with 25 strikeouts and 6 walks over his last 17.1 innings in Triple-A. His 5.32 season ERA is not pretty, but out of 276 pitchers with at least 50 innings at Triple-A, Raya ranked 16th in xFIP and 22nd in K-BB%. With a mid-90s fastball and a trio of devastating secondaries that generate whiffs against both righties and lefties, Marco Raya has the stuff to be an electric bullpen arm if he can put it all together.
A 2027 debut for 8th round pick Thomas Burns is very aggressive but it’s possible. There are significant concerns with his command and strike-throwing ability, but he joined the organization immediately having some of the best stuff in the entire system. He has an outlier fastball in the upper 90s with elite carry. His cutter and changeup are both big whiff pitches as well if he can command them. I don’t think a 2027 debut is likely for Thomas Burns, especially in the Twins organization, but he has legitimate closer potential if the Twins can get him to throw enough strikes. The hope is that he will move through the system very quickly.
C.J. Culpepper got middling results in Triple-A this year after making a move to the bullpen. As an east-west pitcher with limited whiff, Culpepper succeeds by generating lots of weak ground contact, similar to Kody Funderburk. He finished the season with a 4.71 ERA and 5.09 FIP in 57.1 Triple-A innings, striking out 58 and walking 34. While Culpepper can be an effective middle reliever for the Twins in 2027, we need to see some strike-throwing improvements to really make the groundballer profile work.
2025 Indy ball signing Ruddy Gomez has had a two-year stretch that we cannot ignore. His devastating slider has carried him all the way from rookie ball to Triple-A in two seasons, where he ran a 3.00 ERA and 2.99 FIP in Double-A this season, and looked pretty good in his short stint in St. Paul to finish the season. His slider has dominated at every level, and if Gomez can improve the shape on his mid-90s fastball, we are almost surely looking at a big league reliever and a 2027 debut.
The 2027 campaign of Alejandro Hidalgo is one that I am particularly interested in. Getting excited about a guy who holds a 6.75 ERA in Triple-A this season and a 5.80 ERA in his minor league career seems weird, but Hidalgo has posted elite strikeout numbers with respectable strike-throwing. Home runs have been a devastating issue, but he could be a couple minor tweaks away from being a big league reliever at just 23 years old.
Maybe There’s Something There?
I was ready to give up on Kala’i Rosario, who returned to Double-A for a third season this year and saw his strikeout rate spike up to 31% while his overall production dropped significantly from last year. Naturally, he found a spark in Triple-A at the end of August and finished the season by slashing .315/.322/.674 for a 146 wRC+ over his last 22 games. The plus power was on full display and he was making quality swing decisions while running a manageable 79% zone contact rate. He is playable in a corner outfield spot and has a little bit of speed. The projection is questionable, though, as he hits righties better than lefties and is a pull-happy hitter that doesn’t do any damage on the outer half of the plate. At his current state he will be taken advantage of in the majors, but at 24 years old with impressive raw power and a history of production, I won’t give up just yet.
After a huge 2025 campaign driven by immense batted ball luck, Gabriel Gonzalez came back down to Earth in 2026, running a 91 wRC+ in 114 games at Triple-A. He can hit for contact and has shown tangible improvement in his plate approach, but the lack of raw power and defensive value will make it tough for Gonzalez to find a role at the major league level.
