Twins land 3 in new MLB prospect rankings, all in top 50

Twins have the No. 10, 18 and 42nd ranked prospects.

Three Minnesota Twins prospects are included in the updated 2024 MLB Pipeline top 100 that was unveiled Friday night on MLB Network. 

Checking in at No. 10 overall is outfielder Walker Jenkins. He's followed by shortstop Brooks Lee at No. 18 and outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez at No. 42. 

Jenkins, 18, was ranked 16th overall in Pipeline's top 100. Lee was No. 18 and Rodriguez was No. 48. They were the only three Twins in the top 100 in the final 2023 rankings. 

Jenkins was the fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft and he ranks fifth among outfield prospects in Pipeline's rankings. The top 20 is dominated by outfielders and shortstops. 

Some believe Jenkins, who projects as a center fielder, could be the best prospect in baseball by the time 2024 is over. 

"With a strong 6-foot-3 frame and a ton of bat speed from the left side of the plate, Jenkins has the chance to be a plus hitter with plus power," his Pipeline bio reads. "He can punish good velocity, showing the ability to turn on balls already and hit them out to his pull side, though his double-plus raw pop shows up to the opposite field as well. He makes a ton of hard contact, and in his pro debut, he didn’t swing and miss much, with his hit tool right now a touch ahead of his in-game power."

Lee, 22, who ranks sixth among shortstops, is on the cusp of making his MLB debut, having jumped to Triple-A St. Paul last summer after dominating Double-A Wichita. He was the eighth overall pick in the 2022 draft and slashed .292/.365/.476 with 11 home runs and 61 RBI in 87 games at Double-A before his numbers dipped to .237/.304/.428 with five homers and 23 RBI in 38 games at Triple-A. 

Lee's Pipeline bio says: "He can make hard contact from both sides of the plate, though he drove the ball more as a left-handed hitter in 2023. He’ll never sell out for power, but more pop should show up in games as he continues to physically mature, add strength and make adjustments."

Rodriguez, 20, is one of the top power-hitting prospects in the majors. 

"The left-handed-hitting outfielder has a very exciting combination of raw power, bat speed and plate discipline that has evaluators bullish on his future potential," Pipeline's description of him reads. "He registers high exit velocities and can drive the ball to all fields with plus power in his future."

Twins prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez :: © Landon Bost/Naples Daily News/USA TODAY Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK