LIVE: Rays-Twins Spring Breakout
Adam Berry
@adamdberry
Do-Hyoung Park
@dohyoungparkFORT MYERS, Fla. -- On Saturday, March 16, the Twins will host the Rays at Hammond Stadium in Spring Breakout, a first-of-its-kind exhibition featuring the top prospects in each farm system. Here’s everything to know about that game and this exciting new event.
What is Spring Breakout?
MLB Spring Breakout is a four-day event showcasing baseball’s future: the current stars of Minor League Baseball. The inaugural edition will be held from March 14-17 at Grapefruit and Cactus League stadiums during Spring Training. A series of 16 exhibition games will be played between teams comprised of each MLB organization’s top prospects, creating a new touchpoint on the baseball calendar that celebrates our sport’s budding talent.
What time is the Rays-Twins game?
The Spring Breakout game will be Game 2 of a doubleheader, with Game 1 being a standard Spring Training game that starts at 1:05 p.m. ET. The estimated start time for the Spring Breakout game is 4:05.
Which position player prospects are expected to play?
Rays
There should be high-end prospects all over the diamond for the Rays, but there’s an especially intriguing mix of young talent in the infield. MLB's No. 4 overall prospect Junior Caminero -- a late addition to the roster -- is the headliner of the group, and he'll be joined by shortstop Carson Williams, MLB Pipeline’s No. 20 overall prospect, and three other infielders ranked among the club’s top 10 prospects: slugging first baseman Xavier Isaac, top 2023 Draft pick Brayden Taylor and slick-fielding shortstop Adrian Santana. The next line of talent is worth noting, too, with first baseman Tre’ Morgan and infielders Willy Vasquez and Cooper Kinney.
Dominic Keegan, the club’s top catching prospect, should get the nod behind the plate. He’ll be joined by Kenny Piper -- his likely partner in Double-A to start the season -- who hit 20 homers last year and has a cannon of a throwing arm. The outfield group is led by center fielder Chandler Simpson, the speedster who stole 94 bases last season.
Twins
The Breakout game was poised to be a prime opportunity for Twins fans to get a glimpse of what could be the club’s future outfield, with a projected starting trio of Gabriel Gonzalez, Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez, who are three of the club’s top four prospects and all ranked in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100. But president of baseball operations Derek Falvey announced on Thursday that Jenkins will sit out the game after sustaining a strain in his left quad.
“Ultimately [we] just want to be smart, get him ready for the regular season and the full year that’s ahead of him, rather than just that game itself,” Falvey said. “But he’ll be a participant among his teammates, certainly for the day.”
Gonzalez and Rodriguez are still slated to play, and considering they are relatively far from the Majors, it should be an exciting look into the future, whereas shortstop Brooks Lee -- also in the top 100 -- will anchor the infield ahead of a likely callup sometime in 2024.
Which pitching prospects are expected to play?
Rays
The Rays are missing the sort of elite pitching prospects that typically define their system. But there are a few arms on the roster to keep an eye on. The duo of Trevor Martin (Rays’ No. 20 prospect) and Marcus Johnson (No. 21) pitched well for Single-A Charleston last year and should advance together to High-A Bowling Green this year. The Rays should also get a look at lefty Keyshawn Askew, who isn’t ranked among their Top 30 Prospects but impressed the big league staff with his deceptive delivery and sneaky stuff during some early Spring Training appearances.
Twins
Three big names headline the Twins’ pitching group: David Festa (No. 5), Marco Raya (No. 6) and Charlee Soto (No. 7), who are the most significant standouts at various stages of development in the organization. Festa finished the season at Triple-A St. Paul and should impact the Majors at some point in 2024. Raya topped out at Double-A Wichita and is still very young at 21. Soto was the No. 34 overall pick in the 2023 Draft and has been impressing with big stuff on the back fields this spring.
Why are certain top prospects not listed on the rosters?
Rays prospect Curtis Mead, their No. 3 prospect, isn’t on the Spring Breakout roster. He's in big league camp and is one of the top candidates for a bench spot.
Only one of the Twins’ top 10 prospects isn’t on the Spring Breakout roster: right-handed pitcher C.J. Culpepper (No. 8), who had a minor tweak of his hamstring while running early in camp. Though it isn’t serious, the Twins opted not to push it by having Culpepper pitch in the game.