Minnesota Twins Breakout MLB Prospects For 2025

Entering 2025, we’re projecting a number of Twins prospects to have the potential for a breakout season.

To qualify, a player must rank outside the organization’s Top 10 prospects entering the year. All scouting reports are from Baseball America’s 2025 Prospect handbook, which you can purchase here.

You can find Top 10 prospect rankings for all teams here and all breakout candidates here.

Eduardo Beltre, OF

Preseason Rank: 14
BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme

Track Record: The Twins made Beltre one of two cornerstones of their 2024 international signing period, signing the Dominican for $1,497,500. Beltre missed the first two weeks of the Dominican Summer League season with a wrist injury, but he showed no ill effects when he got back on the field. He finished second in the DSL in home runs (11), third in slugging percentage (.618) and third in OPS (1.071).

Scouting Report: The DSL is not a league where the stats have much predictive value, but what Beltre did as a 17-year-old was hard to ignore. Scouts were sold on Beltre’s above-average raw power and bat speed as an amateur, but he showed better hitting ability in his pro debut than expected. He showed the ability to recognize spin and he had a solid sense of when to swing and when to take. His swing is a little stiff with hints of an arm bar, and he will get a little pull happy at times. But his swing is compact and powerful. He’s a plus runner who is playing all three outfield spots, but his routes and reads need to improve. He has a plus arm that fits in right field.

The Future: Beltre checks all the boxes teams look for in a right fielder, and he could blossom into a Top 100 Prospect in the near future with a strong start in the States.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 45. POW: 60. RUN: 60. FLD: 50. ARM: 60.

Payton Eeles, 2B

Preseason Rank: 17
BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: Before Billy Milos left the Twins and went to scout for the Rockies, one of the players he turned in was Eels, an undersized Coastal Carolina hitter who was playing for the American Association’s Chicago Dogs. The Twins didn’t sign him then, but they did sign him off the Atlantic League’s Southern Maryland club in 2024, sending him to fill in at Low-A Fort Myers. He hit .331 there, so he earned a promotion to High-A Cedar Rapids. When St. Paul needed an infielder, Eeles was promoted to Triple-A in early July. From then through the end of the season, he was among the International League’s most productive hitters.

Scouting Report: As a hitter, Eeles proved a revelation. He has well-below average raw power, but he has the knack of making tons of solid contact, spraying the ball from the right field foul pole to the left field foul pole. He accentuates his 5-foot-5 stature by hitting from a crouch, which makes his strike zone seemingly microscopic. He has one of the best contact rates in the minors, which explains why he walked almost as much as he struck out. He’s an aggressive above-average runner. While short, the lefty hitter is well-built and stocky. Eeles is an above-average defender at second base and is playable at third, shortstop and in left field.

The Future: Eeles should be a useful big leaguer. His pro track record is quite short, but he hit .381 in five college seasons and .309 in indy ball. He should be able to get on base and play almost anywhere.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 55. POW: 30. RUN: 55. FLD: 55. ARM: 50.

Dameury Pena, 2B

Preseason Rank: 23
BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: He does it differently, but it’s hard not to think about former Twins second baseman Luis Arraez when watching Pena. Like Arraez, he wasn’t a top-tier signing, and he faces defensive questions, but if you watch him hit, you can’t help but be extremely impressed.

Scouting Report: Pena’s bat-to-ball skills are truly elite. He is a brutal at-bat for pitchers because he’s nearly impossible to finish off. He’s struck out in just 6.5% of his plate appearances, and he has more extra-base hits (19) than strikeouts (18). There’s some eventual power potential as well, even if he doesn’t have home run power yet. He hasn’t found a defensive home because he’s a bit stiff. He’s primarily played second base, but he’s below-average defensively there with limited range and adequate hands. He’s also played a bit of third base and left field, but he’s below-average at all three spots for now.

The Future: Pena’s bat is exceptionally impressive, and that will earn him plenty of chances to develop defensively. So far, his glove has lagged well behind his bat, but that will determine his long-term potential. If he has to eventually slide to first base, he won’t have the same impact as he will if he can become a plausible second baseman. He’s set to head to full-season ball at Low-A Fort Myers.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 60. POW: 40. RUN: 45. FLD: 40. ARM: 45.