Where the Twins' Top 30 prospects are starting season

With the Minor League season opening this week, here's where the Twins’ Top 30 Prospects are projected to start:

1. Brooks Lee (MLB No. 31), SS -- Wichita (Double-A)
2. Royce Lewis (MLB No. 45), SS -- Injured (torn right ACL rehab)
3. Emmanuel Rodriguez (MLB No. 88), OF -- Cedar Rapids (High-A)
4. Edouard Julien, 2B -- St. Paul (Triple-A)
5. Connor Prielipp, LHP -- Cedar Rapids (High-A)
6. Marco Raya, RHP -- Injured (right shoulder)
7. Matt Wallner, OF -- St. Paul (Triple-A)
8. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP -- St. Paul (Triple-A)
9. Jose Salas, INF -- Cedar Rapids (High-A)
10. Louie Varland, RHP -- St. Paul (Triple-A)
11. David Festa, RHP -- Wichita (Double-A)
12. Austin Martin, SS -- Injured (right UCL sprain rehab)
13. Matt Canterino, RHP -- Injured (Tommy John rehab)
14. Noah Miller, SS -- Cedar Rapids (High-A)
15. Yasser Mercedes, OF -- Extended spring training
16. Danny De Andrade, SS -- Fort Myers (Single-A)
17. Tanner Schobel, SS -- Cedar Rapids (High-A)
18. Bryan Acuna, SS -- Extended spring training
19. Jose Rodriguez, OF -- Extended spring training
20. Ronny Henriquez, RHP -- Injured (right elbow)
21. Jordan Balazovic, RHP -- St. Paul (Triple-A)
22. Misael Urbina, OF -- Cedar Rapids (High-A)
23. Alejandro Hidalgo, RHP -- Cedar Rapids (High-A)
24. Rafael Cruz, 3B -- Extended spring training
25. Brent Headrick, LHP -- St. Paul (Triple-A)
26. Ariel Castro, OF -- Dominican Summer League
27. Ricardo Olivar, C -- Fort Myers (Single-A)
28. Sean Mooney, RHP -- Injured (right shoulder fatigue)
29. Ben Ross, UTIL -- Cedar Rapids (High-A)
30. Jaylen Nowlin, LHP -- Cedar Rapids (High-A)

Team to watch
St. Paul has four of the top 10, led by fan favorite Edouard Julien, but the nod should go to Cedar Rapids. Not only do the Kernels have nine members of the Top 30, but Emmanuel Rodriguez is in the Top 100 and is primed for a huge breakout and jump up those rankings.

Teams on MLB.TV and MiLB.TV
Triple-A St. Paul
Double-A Wichita
High-A Cedar Rapids

Players we could see in MLB in 2023
Any of those four in the top 10 in St. Paul could very well reach the big leagues this year. All but Julien have touched the Majors already. Lefty Brent Headrick might have a limited ceiling, but he could eat innings in the back of a Major League rotation soon.

New faces
Connor Prielipp had Tommy John surgery in May of his sophomore year at Alabama, so he didn’t throw a competitive pitch as a junior in 2022. He did throw a bullpen and at the Draft Combine, showing enough for the Twins to take him in the second round of last year’s Draft. He’ll debut with Cedar Rapids. The Twins signed three players from MLB Pipeline’s Top 50 international prospect list and all three got seven figures. The list is led by Ariel Castro, the outfielder who was No. 11 on that international list, who will start his career in the Dominican Summer League.

On the shelf
No one is more excited to see Royce Lewis graduate off of prospect lists than… Royce Lewis, and he’ll eventually do so once he’s done rehabbing his right knee. Marco Raya is shelved by a right shoulder issue, as is Sean Mooney. Both are targeting a mid-to-late April return, Raya to Cedar Rapids, Mooney to Wichita. Austin Martin is rehabbing from a sprained right UCL and is hoping to head to St. Paul in May. Matt Canterino is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and isn’t expected to pitch this year. Ronny Henriquez has been sidelined by a right elbow issue.