Ben Rortvedt

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #26 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Rortvedt was part of a strong Wisconsin high school class in 2016 that included Gavin Lux. He was drafted 56th overall by the Twins and signed for $900,000. Rortvedt progressed to Double-A Pensacola in 2019 before finishing the year on the injured list with a knee injury. He got back on the field for instructional league in 2020 and was added to the 40-man roster after the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Rortvedt has standout defensive skills behind the plate. He is an excellent receiver and blocker and draws high praise for his ability to work with pitchers. He has adapted to Minnesota's one-knee catching philosophy with aplomb and has plus arm strength, allowing him to frequently throw runners out from one knee. Rortvedt's offense is a different story. He has a choppy, top-hand heavy swing and slow bat speed, resulting mostly in ground balls and infield flies. He generally hits the ball the other way, so learning to elevate more frequently to his pull side has been an emphasis.
  
  THE FUTURE: Rortvedt's catch-and-throw ability offers him a path to the majors as a backup. Barring a sudden, significant change, he does not project to hit enough to be more.
• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #23 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Concerns about Rortvedt's bat have somewhat come true, but he's proven to be an even better defender than projected. Rortvedt's season ended in early August as he finished the year on the injured list with a knee injury. He should be fine to start the 2020 season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Rortvedt is one of the more athletic and flexible receivers in the minors. He is a plus defender with a plus arm and plus accuracy, making him a significant asset behind the plate. There's not a lot of projection in his bat. He has modest pull power, but he doesn't generate consistent enough contact to get to it regularly. With a slow bat, he projects as a below-average hitter with below-average power.
  
  THE FUTURE: In a league where pitch framing is valued, Rortvedt can truly help a big league club thanks to his ability to help pitchers get borderline pitches called as strikes. But if MLB switches to an automated system for ball and strikes, his biggest asset disappears and he would be much less valuable as a prospect.
• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #22 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Signed away from an Arkansas commitment for $900,000, Rortvedt is a rare Wisconsin prep product taken in the first three rounds who looked better in his second stint in the Midwest League.
  
  Scouting Report: Fiery and competitive, he shows a plus arm and continues to polish his footwork, blocking and game-calling. Most importantly, after some initial resistance, he worked on his pitch framing with minor league catching coordinator Tanner Swanson. A below-average runner with a wiry, compact frame, Rortvedt shows tremendous flexibility and is more than athletic enough for the position. At the plate, however, he has struggled to decide what type of hitter he wants to be. While his default mode tends to be spraying line drives with a short, quick swing, the Twins’ development staff wants to see him sacrifice some contact to get to more of his pull-side power. He handled a promotion to high Class A Fort Myers, helping the Miracle to a Florida State League championship.
  
  The Future: Defense will get Rortvedt to the majors, but he’ll need to hit to stay there long-term.
• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #23 prospect in 2017
  Wisconsin high school draftees are a rare breed, with just 26 drafted and signed in the top 10 rounds in the 50-year history of the draft prior to 2016. Rortvedt joined that exclusive group when the Twins took him in the second round and signed him for $900,000 to forgo an Arkansas commitment. Old for his draft class--he turned 19 in September--Rortvedt earned a promotion to Rookie-level Elizabethton in July, where he joined first-rounder Alex Kirilloff. Rortvedt packs wiry strength into a compact frame and flashes above-average power potential from the left side with his short, quick swing. He is defensively raw and needs to polish his footwork and blocking behind the plate, but his mobility and above-average arm give him defensive upside. The Twins love his motor and competitiveness, and he has the makeup teams look for in catchers. Rortvedt is always going to face questions about his size, but his strength and grit give him the chance to be a regular at catcher. Rortvedt could open 2017 at low Class A Cedar Rapids.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #82 prospect in 2016 draft
  High school players are rarely drafted and sign out of Wisconsin high schools, but the track record for those who do is a frightening one. In the history of the draft there have been 26 Wisconsin high school players who were drafted and signed in the top 10 rounds. Four of them have made the majors, only one (Erik Cordier) of whom was drafted in the past 45 years. Six of the seven picked in the past 30 years have failed to make it out of Class A. Rortvedt, like Gavin Lux, has the tools to escape those odds--he has above-average power potential from the left side with a swing that has leverage. He can get caught on his front foot too often and struggle with contact at times. Rortvedt produces average to a tick above-average pop times behind the plate, but his receiving needs some polish. The Arkansas signee is old for the draft class (he'll turn 19 shortly after the season ends) but he should be picked in the top three-to-four rounds.

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Rortvedt was part of a strong Wisconsin high school class in 2016 that included Gavin Lux. He was drafted 56th overall by the Twins and signed for $900,000. Rortvedt progressed to Double-A Pensacola in 2019 before finishing the year on the injured list with a knee injury. He got back on the field for instructional league in 2020 and was added to the 40-man roster after the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Rortvedt has standout defensive skills behind the plate. He is an excellent receiver and blocker and draws high praise for his ability to work with pitchers. He has adapted to Minnesota's one-knee catching philosophy with aplomb and has plus arm strength, allowing him to frequently throw runners out from one knee. Rortvedt's offense is a different story. He has a choppy, top-hand heavy swing and slow bat speed, resulting mostly in ground balls and infield flies. He generally hits the ball the other way, so learning to elevate more frequently to his pull side has been an emphasis.
  
  THE FUTURE: Rortvedt's catch-and-throw ability offers him a path to the majors as a backup. Barring a sudden, significant change, he does not project to hit enough to be more.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Rortvedt was part of a strong Wisconsin high school class in 2016 that included Gavin Lux. He was drafted 56th overall by the Twins and signed for $900,000. Rortvedt progressed to Double-A Pensacola in 2019 before finishing the year on the injured list with a knee injury. He got back on the field for instructional league in 2020 and was added to the 40-man roster after the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Rortvedt has standout defensive skills behind the plate. He is an excellent receiver and blocker and draws high praise for his ability to work with pitchers. He has adapted to Minnesota's one-knee catching philosophy with aplomb and has plus arm strength, allowing him to frequently throw runners out from one knee. Rortvedt's offense is a different story. He has a choppy, top-hand heavy swing and slow bat speed, resulting mostly in ground balls and infield flies. He generally hits the ball the other way, so learning to elevate more frequently to his pull side has been an emphasis.
  
  THE FUTURE: Rortvedt's catch-and-throw ability offers him a path to the majors as a backup. Barring a sudden, significant change, he does not project to hit enough to be more.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Concerns about Rortvedt’s bat have somewhat come true, but he’s proven to be an even better defender than projected. Rortvedt’s season ended in early August as he finished the year on the injured list with a knee injury. He should be fine to start the 2020 season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Rortvedt is one of the more athletic and flexible receivers in the minors. He is a plus BA GRADE 45 Risk: High BA GRADE 45 Risk: High BA GRADE 45 Risk: High defender with a plus arm and plus accuracy, making him a significant asset behind the plate. There’s not a lot of projection in his bat. He has modest pull power, but he doesn’t generate consistent enough contact to get to it regularly. With a slow bat, he projects as a below-average hitter with below-average power.
  
  THE FUTURE: In a league where pitch framing is valued, Rortvedt can truly help a big league club thanks to his ability to help pitchers get borderline pitches called as strikes. But if MLB switches to an automated system for ball and strikes, his biggest asset disappears and he would be much less valuable as a prospect.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Concerns about Rortvedt's bat have somewhat come true, but he's proven to be an even better defender than projected. Rortvedt's season ended in early August as he finished the year on the injured list with a knee injury. He should be fine to start the 2020 season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Rortvedt is one of the more athletic and flexible receivers in the minors. He is a plus defender with a plus arm and plus accuracy, making him a significant asset behind the plate. There's not a lot of projection in his bat. He has modest pull power, but he doesn't generate consistent enough contact to get to it regularly. With a slow bat, he projects as a below-average hitter with below-average power.
  
  THE FUTURE: In a league where pitch framing is valued, Rortvedt can truly help a big league club thanks to his ability to help pitchers get borderline pitches called as strikes. But if MLB switches to an automated system for ball and strikes, his biggest asset disappears and he would be much less valuable as a prospect.