Minnesota Twins Breakout MLB Prospects Entering 2024

Breakout Prospects

Luke Keaschall, 2B

Preseason rank: 11
BA Grade: 50. Risk: High.

TRACK RECORD: After winning West Coast Conference freshman of the year in the first of two excellent seasons at San Francisco, Keaschall transferred to Arizona State for his junior season. It paid off as he more than doubled his home run total while hitting .353. He made an immediate impact as a pro, got on base and stole 11 bags in 11 tries.

SCOUTING REPORT: Keaschall is a well-rounded player. He can play numerous positions and is an above-average runner, but it’s his bat that most interests evaluators. He has a long track record of hitting with a short and level swing that produces plenty of contact and low strikeout rates. He should be able to produce .270-.280 batting averages, low strikeout rates and plenty of doubles. His below-average power relies on him getting pitches to pull, but he showed more pop than expected with a wood bat in his pro debut. Keaschall played shortstop at San Francisco and second base at Arizona State, and second, third and center as a Twin. His funky arm action and fringe-average arm limit him in the infield, but his hands are soft and he makes the routine play. 

THE FUTURE: Most who watch Keaschall seem to fall in love with his ability to make whatever team he plays for better. He seems to be a favorite of most scouts who see him. No one is sure exactly where he’ll end up defensively, but there’s plenty of belief he’ll hit and figure out a way to make an impact.

Scouting Grades
Hitting: 55. Power: 40. Run: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50.

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Dameury Pena, 2B

Preseason rank: 27
BA Grade: 50. Risk: Extreme.

TRACK RECORD: Pena’s thumbnail scouting report may sound familiar to Twins fans: he’s a second baseman who will have to work to stay there and doesn’t really have a chance to play shortstop. His power is modest at best. He doesn’t run particularly well. Pretty much everything other than his hitting ability is fringy at best, but he’s such a polished, competent hitter that it may not matter, as he’s got a chance to hit .300 regularly if he develops as hoped.

SCOUTING REPORT: Pena can really hit. He just missed qualifying, but with a few more plate appearances he would have finished second in the Dominican Summer League in batting average. He has plenty of barrel control and adaptability to his swing, which allows him to make tons of contact. Pitchers quickly learn that getting a swing and miss from Pena is worthy of a celebration—his 10% swing-and-miss rate was best among all Twins minor leaguers with 20 or more plate appearances. It’s generally hard to put a plus hit tool on a 18-year-old who has yet to play in the U.S., but Pena inspires a lot of confidence. He should eventually get to below-average power but it’s a swing geared for average more than pop. Defensively, he’s going to need to take thousands of ground balls. His hands are hard, his range is limited and his arm is fringe-average.

THE FUTURE: Pena is going to need to be an elite hitter to have MLB value, but as Luis Arraez has shown before him, if you can challenge for batting titles, teams can live with a lot of fringe tools otherwise. Pena is more than ready to come to make his stateside debut.

Scouting Grades
Hitting: 60. Power: 40. Run: 45. Fielding: 40. Arm: 45.