The Twins already gave fans a preview of the future in 2026, and now the attention shifts to who might be next. Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper and Emmanuel Rodriguez all broke through last season after entering the year as three of the organization’s top four prospects, and Connor Prielipp, Gabriel Gonzalez, Kendry Rojas and Andrew Morris also got their first big-league looks. With the season over, the question becomes which of Minnesota’s top young players could be next in line for 2027.
Vahn Lackey sits at the top of the list, and he may be the boldest bet of the bunch. The Twins’ No. 2 prospect was taken third overall in the 2026 MLB Draft, and the appeal is obvious: he looks like a well-rounded catcher, which is a rare thing to find.
In his first pro action this summer, Lackey hit .250/.435/.424 in 25 games split between Low-A and High-A. He piled up eight extra-base hits, went 13-for-15 on stolen base attempts and walked more often than he struck out.
Add in the arm strength he showed behind the plate, and the package is easy to dream on. The big question is timing, but there’s a path to it.
With Ryan Jeffers headed out the door, the Twins could have playing time available behind the plate in 2027. If Lackey handles the upper levels quickly, he could reach Target Field sooner than expected.
Marek Houston is another name that looks ready to move fast. Minnesota’s No. 4 prospect has long been viewed as the organization’s best defensive prospect, but his bat took a major step in 2026.
Across 116 games between High-A and Double-A, he hit .312 with a .392 on-base percentage and an .847 OPS. He also hit 42 extra-base hits and stole 50 bases.
Offensively, his trajectory looks very similar to Culpepper’s before Culpepper debuted this season. Defensively, Houston is considered the more polished infielder.
Put those together, and a 2027 debut starts to make a lot of sense.
Riley Quick brings a different kind of upside. The hard-throwing right-hander struck out 110 batters in 81 2/3 innings across Low-A, High-A and Double-A, a 30.6% strikeout rate that shows the miss is real.
But the rest of the numbers show why he’s still a work in progress. His walk rate was 13.4%, and he closed the year with a 6.68 ERA at Double-A.
That said, the raw stuff is good enough to keep him in the conversation. There’s clearly more development needed, especially in the command department, but a strong offseason could set up a real jump next year and put him on the radar for Target Field in 2027.
Hendry Mendez might be the safest of the five to actually get there. The Twins’ No. 7 prospect hit .281/.374/.430 between Double-A and Triple-A this season, and his bat looks ready for a major-league opportunity.
He’s more contact-oriented than power-driven, though he can still hit the ball hard. He also spent most of the year in Triple-A, which separates him from some of the other names on this list.
The defensive fit is still a question, since he has developed as a corner outfielder but could wind up at first base if he has a future in the majors as a fielder. Either way, the offensive profile gives him a chance to win a role, and being on the 40-man roster only helps his case.
Ryan Gallagher rounds out the group. Acquired from the Cubs at the 2025 trade deadline in the Willi Castro deal, he has climbed to No. 15 on the Twins Daily Top 20 prospects list.
He doesn’t overpower hitters with a blazing fastball, but he works with deception and secondary pitches that can still generate plenty of swing-and-miss. His 6.44 ERA at Triple-A doesn’t jump off the page, yet the underlying indicators were more encouraging, with his expected ERA and FIP both sitting in the high-4.00s.
Like Quick, he’ll need to trim the walks, but the ingredients are there for a big-league callup next season if the refinement comes.
A lot can still change before Opening Day. Some of these players could stall out, and others could force the Twins to make room faster than expected. But after seeing so many of the organization’s prospects reach the majors in 2026, it’s not hard to see another wave coming behind them.
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Walker Jenkins Is Making The Twins Look Right For Calling Him Up
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Even with the Twins out of playoff contention, Jenkins stretch at the plate has made the promotion look worthwhile in the larger sense. He still has rookie eligibility left for 2027, and his path to this point has already included multiple injuries, which makes every productive game feel a little more meaningful for a team trying to gauge what comes next. What Minnesota is watching now is whether this late-season burst is the start of a longer run toward becoming a regular outfield option. [Read more 🡒]