How Many Twins Prospects Are in Various New Top-100 Rankings?

Minnesota features at least four prospects in four different publications' top 100, including six in ESPN's latest top 100.

Walker Jenkins absolutely crushed his second homer in a St. Paul Saints uniform on Sunday. | St. Paul Saints

The Twins' farm system is well-represented in a handful of major publications' updated preseason top-100 prospect rankings. Highly-touted outfielder Walker Jenkins leads the group of exciting prospects making their way through Minnesota's farm system. Meanwhile, the Twins' smattering of infield and pitching prospects also get attention in recently-released lists.

Lets dive in...

ESPN

9. Walker Jenkins, CF
38. Eduardo Tait, C
54. Connor Prielipp, LHP
79. Kaelen Culpepper, SS
94. Charlee Soto, RHP
97. Emmanuel Rodriguez, CF

Minnesota features a whopping six players in ESPN's updated rankings, which is the most Twins in any of the major publications. Jenkins comes in as a top-10 prospect in all of baseball. Young catching prospect Eduardo Tait, acquired in the Jhoan Duran trade last July, also comes in within the top 50. Lefty Connor Prielipp just misses joining Jenkins and Tait in the top 50, but ESPN lists him as a "potential No. 2 starter if he can stay healthy." Prielipp finished the 2025 season with Triple-A St. Paul and could make his major league debut in 2026 as a member of the Twins' bullpen.

Culpepper finished 2025 with a .289 average and .844 OPS split between High-A and Double-A. The 23-year-old continues to rise quickly after the Twins selected him in the first round of the 2024 draft. Righty Charlee Soto and oft-injured Triple-A outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez round out Minnesota's representation in ESPN's top 100 list.

MLB Pipeline

14. Walker Jenkins, OF
52. Kaelen Culpepper, SS
65. Eduardo Tait, C
74. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF

Jenkins falls out of the top 10 in MLB Pipeline's rankings after he began the 2025 season as the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball. Despite the drop-off in rankings, Jenkins rose through Minnesota's system last season, finishing in Triple-A, where hit two home runs and drove in eight RBIs on a .719 OPS in his first 23 games at the level. It was a bit of a drop-off, though not an unexpected one, after he posted a .912 OPS in 52 games at Double-A Wichita before his promotion. Jenkins will begin this season with St. Paul, but could certainly make his MLB debut at age 21 this year.

Culpepper, Tait, and Rodriguez are the other three Twins to make MLB Pipeline's list ahead of the 2026 campaign. Tait jumps up to No. 65 to start 2026 after being ranked No. 93 at the start of 2025. Rodriguez's ranking continues to fluctuate. He steadily climbed from No. 88 pre-2023 to No. 42 pre-2024 to No. 37 pre-2025, but he now drops to No. 74, as injuries have made it hard for him to stay on the field in each of the last two seasons. He should debut for the Twins this season if healthy.

The Athletic

11. Walker Jenkins, OF
57. Emmanuel Rodriguez, CF
82. Kaelen Culpepper, SS
93. Eduardo Tait, C

Jenkins drops from No. 4 in Keith Law's 2025 rankings to No. 11 to begin the 2026 season.

"I’m worried about his trouble staying healthy, but not worried about the offensive profile, even with the hiccup in St. Paul to end the year," writes Law. "He’s got a fantastic swing that will allow him to barrel the ball very consistently, and there’s 25-plus homer power in there as he refines his approach."

Like Jenkins, Rodriguez slipped in Law's rankings, largely due to injury. However, Culpepper and Tait, who were both unranked in 2025, debut in Law's 2026 rankings.

Baseball America

5. Walker Jenkins, OF
57. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF
74. Kaelen Culpepper, SS
94. Connor Prielipp, LHP

Jenkins earns his highest ranking of the pre-2026 cycle from Baseball America, who has him as the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball. Meanwhile, Rodriguez comes in just outside the top 50 and Prielipp makes his only other appearance, earning a No. 94 ranking from BA.

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