Here are the Twins' 2023 Top 30 prospects

For the first time since 2017, there’s a new sheriff in town.

Royce Lewis was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 Draft, became the Twins’ top prospect as soon as he joined the organization and appeared at No. 1 for the 2018 preseason Top 30. After a five-year reign, Lewis has been supplanted by the Twins’ top pick in the 2022 Draft, fellow shortstop Brooks Lee.

• MLB Pipeline | Top 100 prospects | Prospect video

Lewis, who certainly would prefer to have graduated off of prospect lists by now rather than have to come back from two torn ACLs, isn’t far behind, at No. 2. And Emmanuel Rodriguez, who rounds out their Top 100 contingent, is a prospect who could easily make a huge leap up rankings with a healthy and full season.

The Twins historically have had a deep system that continually sends players up to the big leagues and that should continue to be the case, even if there won’t be much in the way of elite-level guys getting there this year. (If Lewis comes back, he could get there, and keep an eye on No. 4 prospect Edouard Julien’s bat.)

Last year’s list graduated a bunch of arms who have the chance to be mainstays in Minnesota, like Joe Ryan and Jhoan Duran and contributors like Josh Winder and Jovani Moran. If the Twins want to dip into the pitching pool again, look for Simeon Woods Richardson and Louie Varland to graduate, with guys like Ronny Henriquez and Brent Headrick possibilities to be asked to chip in.

Here’s a look at the Twins’ top prospects:
1. Brooks Lee, SS (MLB No. 31)
2. Royce Lewis, SS (MLB No. 45)
3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF (MLB No. 88)
4. Edouard Julien, 2B
5. Connor Prielipp, LHP
Complete Top 30 list »

Biggest jump/fall

Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2022 preseason list to the 2023 preseason list:

Jump: David Festa, RHP (2022: NR | 2023: 11)
As a 13th-rounder in 2021, Festa entered the organization with relatively limited expectations. But the 6-foot-6 right-hander jumped onto the radar screen in a big way by posting a 2.43 ERA and 9.4 K/9 rate across two levels of A ball, leading the organization in ERA among all Minor League pitchers with 100 or more innings pitched in 2022.

Fall: Aaron Sabato, 1B (2022: 16 | 2023: NR)
Sabato’s power potential and advanced approach while at North Carolina landed him in the first round of the 2020 Draft. There’s been some pop, including 22 homers between High-A and Double-A last year, but he’s hit just .209/.355/.424 in his two years of pro ball.

Top 30s
NLE: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
ALE: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
NLC: CIN | CHC | MIL | PIT | STL
ALC: CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIN
NLW: AZ | COL | LAD | SD | SF
ALW: HOU | LAA | OAK | SEA | TEX

Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.

Hit: 65 -- Brooks Lee
Power: 60 -- Matt Wallner (Emmanuel Rodriguez)
Run: 70 -- Royce Lewis
Arm: 65 -- Matt Wallner
Defense: 55 -- Noah Miller (Royce Lewis, Danny De Andrade)
Fastball: 60 -- Connor Prielipp (Marco Raya, David Festa, Jordan Balazovic)
Curveball: 55 -- Simeon Woods Richardson
Slider: 70 -- Connor Prielipp
Changeup: 60 -- Simeon Woods Richardson
Control: 55 -- Connor Prielipp

How they were built
Draft: 16 | International: 9 | Trade: 5

Breakdown by ETA
2023: 10 | 2024: 4 | 2025: 10 | 2026: 5 | 2027: 1

Breakdown by position
C: 1 | 2B: 1 | 3B: 1 | SS: 9 | OF: 6 | RHP: 9 | LHP: 3