Twins promote pitching prospects Marco Raya, Cory Lewis to Triple-A

Raya is the No. 2-rated pitcher in Minnesota's minor league system.

Pitchers and catchers take part in the Minnesota Twins spring training workouts at Hammond Stadium on Fort Myers on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. / Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK

In what could be a teaser for the start of the 2025 baseball season, the Minnesota Twins on Monday promoted pitching prospects Marco Raya and Cory Lewis to Triple-A St. Paul. The right-handers won't get much of a taste of Triple-A baseball since the season comes to a close this week, but it's an indication that the Twins think they are prepared to make the leap.

Raya, 22, is Minnesota's No. 2-ranked pitcher in the minors, according to MLB Pipeline. The only pitcher rated above him is Zebby Matthews, who is already up with the Twins. Overall, he's ranked as the sixth-best Twins prospect.

The 2022 fourth-round pick had a 4.27 ERA in 24 starts at Double-A Wichita, but he turned up the volume by posting a 2.09 ERA in his last eight appearances. Overall, he struck out 99 batters in 99.2 innings.

Pipeline's scouting report on Raya is intriguing: "He's always had plenty of fastball, a pitch that was averaging around 96 mph, with high spin up in the zone. His real out pitch is his slider, missing a ton of bats at 84-85 mph, also with elite spin rates. He can land his slightly slower curve with depth to give hitters a different look, and the Twins think his changeup has improved the most, going from a below-average pitch when he was in Single-A to an offspeed offering that flashes plus with fade and depth. He's working on a cutter to round out his arsenal and has had good early returns with it, a harder Walker Buehler-ish kind of pitch."

Marco Raya ends his 2024 season with a bang in the Double-A @WindSurgeICT win🌟

5 IP / 2 H / 0 R / 3 BB / 5 K

He gave up 1 run or fewer in five of his last six starts all while setting a new career high in innings pitched 📈#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/dHtOKTJd0x

— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) September 14, 2024

Lewis is ranked by Pipeline as Minnesota's No. 14 overall prospect and the seventh-best pitching prospect in the organization. The 23-year-old made 15 appearances, including 13 starts, at Double-A and finished with an impressive 2.59 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 66 innings. He has a 1.38 ERA in his past six sarts.

Lewis, 23, is rated the No. 21 prospect in the Twins system by MLB Pipeline. He has spent most of the season with the Wind Surge, where he made 15 appearances (13 starts), going 2-6 with a 2.59 ERA. In 66.0 innings, he walked 34 and struck out 80 and held opponents to a .227 batting average. He made three minor league rehab appearances with the FCL Twins and Fort Myers, recovering from a right shoulder impingement. Since August 1, Lewis has allowed six earned runs in his last 39.0 innings, posting a 1.38 ERA in that span.

(Our Twins conversation starts at the 38:00 minute mark in the embed below.)