6 Twins make updated top-100 prospects from Baseball America

Five of the six Twins in the top 100 are ranked among the top 54.

Fort Myers Mighty Mussels outfielder Walker Jenkins (27) catches a ball from the dugout during the second inning of a game against the Tampa Tarpons at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers on Friday, June 28, 2024. / Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA

Nearly 10% of the top 54 prospects in Major League Baseball – as they are viewed in the eyes of Baseball America – are members of the Minnesota Twins organization.

Baseball America unveiled its updated top-100 prospects on Wednesday and six Twins made the list, including four in the top 50 and five in the top 54. They are:

6. Walker Jenkins
14. Emmanuel Rodriguez
28. Brooks Lee
48. Luke Keaschall
54. Zebby Matthews
93. David Festa

Jenkins, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft, hasn't put up big numbers in 19 games at Class A Fort Myers. The 19-year-old is slashing .243/.357/.371 with two homers and 20 RBIs in 84 at-bats. He missed a good chunk of the start of the season due to a strained hamstring that suffered on Opening Day.

Rodriguez, 21, is slashing .298/.479/.621 with eight homers, 12 doubles and two triples in 37 games at Double-A Wichita this season. He suffered a sprained thumb on June 5 and hasn't played since.

Lee, who could be on the verge of making his Twins debut if Royce Lewis' latest injury requires a stint on the injured list, jumped from No. 42 to 28 in the updated rankings.

"Lee’s recurring back issues linger in the back of the mind like a nagging headache. There’s always the worry that they could derail what could be. But when Lee is healthy, like he is now, he also shows why it’s easy to imagine a healthy Lee racking up 2,000 hits over the next 20 years," Baseball America says.

Keaschall jumped from No. 63 to 48 in the rankings.

"Keaschall keeps bouncing between center field, second base and DH as the Twins try to figure out where he best fits defensively," Baseball America says of the 21-year-old. "But no one mentions his glove when bringing up Keaschall, because he projects to be a plus hitter with average power. Keaschall doesn’t give pitchers a lot of ways to get him out. He can catch up to a fastball, but he also recognizes spin and destroys a changeup if the pitcher tips it at all. And he has a solid awareness of how to lay off pitches out of the zone. He’s the kind of grinder who pitchers hate, but it’s a hate born from respect."

Rocketing up the rankings in even more dramatic fashion is Matthews, who went from No. 97 to 54.

"In his first 12 outings this year, Matthews has yet to walk two batters in any game. He’s thrown 70% strikes in every one of his last eight starts. He’s a control artist, but he also has the ability to reach back for 99 mph when he needs it, and he has a trio of quality secondary offerings," Baseball America says.

Festa, who will start for the Twins against the Tigers on Wednesday, cracked the top 100 from Baseball America for the first time. The right-hander made his MLB debut against the Diamondbacks last week and allowed five runs on seven hits in five innings.