Twins' Soto joins Jenkins, Rodriguez, Keaschall in respected prospect rankings

Charlee Soto joins three Twins prospects who are consensus top-100 future stars.
East Squad's Charlee Soto pitches against the West Squad during the Perfect Game All-American Classic at Chase Field on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022.

Perfect Game 11
East Squad's Charlee Soto pitches against the West Squad during the Perfect Game All-American Classic at Chase Field on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Perfect Game 11 / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The consensus prospect rankings around Major League Baseball make it clear that Minnesota has three prospects who stand out above the rest: Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodrguez and Luke Keaschall. However, a fourth Twins prospect has cracked the top-100 rankings from ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, and it's 19-year-old pitcher Charlee Soto.

In McDaniels' rankings, which were revealed Wednesday, Jenkins ranks third overall and is followed by Rodriguez (No. 27), Keaschall (No. 43) and Soto (No. 100).

Walker Jenkins, OF, No. 3

"I first closely scouted Jenkins in the summer between his sophomore and junior year of high school and immediately wrote 'J.D. Drew?' in my notes because of his sweet swing, advanced hit tool and power/speed combo," McDaniel wrote. "Luckily, that report has held up 3½ years later."

MLB Pipeline rank: 3

Keith Law rank: 4

Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, No. 27

"Rodriguez has similarities to Jasson Dominguez (No. 24) as a compactly built center fielder with big tools. Rodriguez has slightly more raw power, but both have shown similar in-game power output. Rodriguez is a much better defensive center fielder, but Dominguez is a faster runner," McDaniel wrote. "Rodriguez's batting eye ranks among the entire minor leagues, but he has well-below-average bat control, projecting for something like a .235 hitter who may lead the league in walk rate..."

MLB Pipeline rank: 37

Keith Law rank: 21

Luke Keaschall, IF, No. 43

McDaniel described Keaschall as an "on-base machine" who is "an every-day player of some sort, but he doesn't have a true plus tool or a clear best positional home, so he'll likely end up playing wherever his team has a need."

MLB Pipeline rank: 61

Keith Law rank: 62

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Charlee Soto, P, No. 100

"In his pro debut last season, his sinker sat 94-97 mph with heavy life, his cutter and slider both looked like they'll be major-league-average pitches, and his changeup continued to look like a plus pitch," says McDaniel. "There's still some expected gains to be made in command and pitch usage as he climbs the ladder, but the pieces are here for a Luis Castillo-type starter if it clicks."

Soto is not ranked in the top 100 from MLB Pipeline or Keith Law.


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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.