The Twins and all of their minor league affiliates have been done playing for a month now, but the Arizona Fall League is in full swing, and a handful of Twins minor leaguers are still playing. For those who don’t know much about the AFL, it is typically not a place where you see top 100 prospects dueling on a nightly basis. The Twins send 8 players each season to team up with minor leaguers from 4 other MLB organizations, mostly consisting of players who dealt with injuries during the summer and didn’t
play as many games as the team hoped for.
The pitching side has been a struggle as left-handers Cesar Lares and Ross Dunn have struggled to get outs, and Brian Zeldin has had limited opportunities, throwing just 2.1 innings across 5 appearances. Lares and Dunn are continuing to recover from major arm injuries that cost them the entire 2025 season along with a good portion of the 2026 season.
Lefty reliever Cleiber Maldonado has been a bright spot in a small sample size. After missing the entire 2025 season while recovering from elbow surgery, Maldonado made his return in July. He posted a 12.60 ERA, walking 16 batters in 15 innings but showed off impressive stuff, striking out 23 and running impressive whiff rates. In 4 AFL appearances, he has allowed 2 earned runs in 4.1 innings while striking out 7 and walking 3. Maldonado was playing well as a 20-year-old southpaw in Single-A before the elbow injury, and he is showing good signs this fall as the Twins hope for a breakout in 2027.
It was an uninspiring 2026 season for my No. 27 Twins prospect Kyle DeBarge. He played 120 games at Double-A, showing off excellent middle infield defense along with valuable speed on the bases, but the bat just never got there… until now, because DeBarge has been one of the hottest hitters in Arizona this fall, batting .367 with a 1.071 OPS in 14 games so far. He is still striking out too much for a smaller guy with limited raw power, but the swing decisions and walk rates have continued to improve throughout the season, and he is developing a nice feel for pulling fly balls. There is a limited ceiling on this profile, but DeBarge could carve out a major league bench role with his speed and defense.
No. 20 propsect Yasser Mercedes is having a good run of his own this fall, slashing .302/.389/.488 with 8 walks to 8 strikeouts in 13 games. It was a middling season for the 21-year-old in High-A this season as he struggled with contact and swing decisions on his way to an 88 wRC+ in 88 games at the level. He stole 52 bags this season and has the tools to be an impactful defender in the outfield. While its a small sample size, Yasser has looked more polished at the plate this fall, posting stronger contact rates and swing decisions with just a 14.8% strikeout rate. 2027 will be a big year for the toolsy outfielder as he looks to dominate his second go-around at High-A and push his way into the upper minors in his age 22 season.
After missing most of the second half of the season due to a hamstring strain, No. 25 prospect Enrique Jimenez has been playing limited action in Arizona. He only played 40 games this year between rookie ball, Single-A, and High-A, but posted a 118 wRC+ at 20 years old and showed off developing skills behind the dish. Jimenez has a solid bat and projects to be a quality backup or 3rd catcher if the defense continues to come along.
Outfielder Jacob McCombs is listed on the AFL roster as well, but is yet to play a game. In his first full professional season this summer, the 22-year-old played 67 games at High-A Cedar Rapids, slashing .268/.378/.452 for a 130 wRC+ with 16 stolen bags and was among the organizational leaders in outfield assists with 8.
It’s not the most exciting group of prospects, but with the major league season in the books, these guys are worth monitoring as fall action continues through mid November.
