MINNEAPOLIS -- Eduardo Tait is still very early in the climb, but the Twins prospect is starting to settle in.
That matters because Tait is not the typical player Minnesota picked up in last year’s Trade Deadline selloff. While several of the pieces from that deal -- Taj Bradley, Mick Abel, Kendry Rojas, Alan Roden and James Outman -- have already reached the Majors, Tait remains much farther away.
He is only 19, already in his second year in the Twins organization, and one of the youngest players in High-A. He also has the most at-bats by far of any 19-year-old in the Midwest League.
Minnesota’s No. 3 prospect has taken some early-season lumps, but the recent trend is moving in the right direction. His overall slash line, .224/.291/.455, doesn’t jump off the page.
The context does: he’s producing against pitchers who are older than he is, and he’s coming off a strong June after a rough May. The power has shown up, too.
Tait is tied for the fourth-most homers in the Midwest League with 15, and he’s tied for 13th with 14 doubles, which is a solid number for a catcher.
The biggest task for him right now is a familiar one for young hitters: finding the line between patience and passivity. Tait is trying to stay off bad pitches without letting good ones go by.
As he put it recently through interpreter and hitting/development coach Yeison Perez: “It depends on the situation,” Tait said recently through interpreter and hitting/development coach Yeison Perez. “If it’s a hitters’ count, the pitcher is behind, I can sit on pitches that I’m looking for.
If I don’t get the pitch, spit on it. If I’m behind, two strikes, then be protective of the zone.
But yeah, when I’m behind, I can choose what pitches to swing.”
The tools are easy to see. Tait has shown strong bat-to-ball ability even with the batting average lagging behind, and the power upside is real.
There’s still uncertainty about whether he stays behind the plate, but the Twins are giving him time to answer that question. A left-handed-hitting catcher with his offensive ceiling is a rare commodity.
That upside is part of why Minnesota targeted him in the deal that brought him over from the Phillies for Jhoan Duran. The trade was a major adjustment for Tait, who had just turned 19 at the time and was only in his second year in the United States after playing in the Dominican Summer League in 2023.
He’s still extremely young by pro standards, with just 300 professional games under his belt. And even with the attention that comes with being a Top 100 prospect, it’s easy to forget how much development is still ahead of him.
“At the beginning, when I got traded, it was a little hard for me,” he said. “I had to deal with new teammates.
In the past I was more comfortable with the teammates I had. But I got used to it and I have more relationships with the guys.
It’s a lot better. The guys have been really good, so I’m in a good spot with that right now.”
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