Our winner in round 24 was Alerick Soularie. At the time I submitted the article he held a very slim lead over Emmanuel Rodriguez. Soularie should make his Twins minor league debut in May.

Twinkie Town 2021 Prospect Voting Results

1. Alex Kirilloff 68% (Lewis 19%, Balazovic 9%, Larnach 5%)
2. Royce Lewis 65% (Larnach 17%, Balazovic 16%, Duran 2%)
3. Trevor Larnach 37% (Balazovic 37%, Jeffers 21%, Duran 5%)
4. Jordan Balazovic 73% (Jeffers 18%, Duran 7%, Sabato 3%)
5. Ryan Jeffers 45% (Duran 43%, Sabato 6%, Canterino 6%)
6. Jhoan Duran 79% (Canterino 9%, Sabato 5%, Celestino 4%, Cavaco 2%)
7. Brent Rooker 47% (Canterino 26%, Sabato 15%, Celestino 8%, Cavaco 4%)
8. Matt Canterino 39% (Sabato 32%, Celestino 15%, Enlow 12%, Cavaco 2%)
9. Aaron Sabato 43% (Enlow 21%, Celestino 21%, Cavaco 10%, Urbina 6%)
10. Gilberto Celestino 36% (Enlow 33%, Cavaco 17%, Urbina 8%, Wallner 6%)
11. Blayne Enlow 41% (Winder 20%, Cavaco 19%, Urbina 15%, Wallner 5%)
12. Keoni Cavaco 29% (Winder 25%, Urbina 20%, Sands 14%, Wallner 11%)
13. Josh Winder 33% (Urbina 28%, Sands 19%, Wallner 13%, Miranda 7%)
14. Misael Urbina 42% (Colina 28%, Sands 17%, Wallner 12%, Miranda 1%)
15. Edwar Colina 35% (Sands 35%, Wallner 20%, Rodriguez 7%, Miranda 3%)
16. Cole Sands 47% (Wallner 27%, Vallimont 11%, Rodriguez 8%, Miranda 7%)
17. Matt Wallner 47% (Vallimont 20%, Rortvedt 15%, Rodriguez 11%, Miranda 6%)
18. Ben Rortvedt 32% (Vallimont 26%, Miranda 17%, Rodriguez 14%, Soularie 10%)
19. Travis Blankenhorn 29% (Vallimont 25%, Rodriguez 18%, Soularie 15%, Miranda 13%)
20. Bailey Ober 32% (Vallimont 28%, Rodriguez 16%, Miranda 13%, Soularie 11%)
21. Chris Vallimont 46% (Miranda 19%, Rodriguez 16%, Soularie 14%, De Andrade 4%)
22. Jose Miranda 40% (Soularie 27%, Rodriguez 19%, De Andrade 9%, Raya 5%)
23. Nick Gordon 38% (Rodriguez 30%, Soularie 21%, De Andrade 6%, Raya 5%)
24. Alerick Soularie 40% (Rodriguez 39%, De Andrade 9%, Holland 7%, Raya 6%)

I’ll add a third infield prospect for this round of voting. This player was a draft pick in 2019 and he had a pretty good debut that summer.

Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF

2021 Age: 18

2019 High Level: N/A

The Twins made Emmanuel Rodriguez their top international free agent signing of 2019 with a $2.7M bonus. The Dominican outfielder was ranked 10th on MLB’s list of international free agent prospects and 19th by Fangraphs. The 5’10” outfielder has a good approach at the plate and his left-handed swing has drawn favorable comparisons to Eddie Rosario. He will probably start his career as a CF and move to a corner as he gets closer to the majors. He is considered a good base runner and, also like Rosario, has a strong outfield arm. He will probably make his professional debut this summer in a foreign rookie league and is unlikely to be a Twin before 2024.

Danny De Andrade, SS

2021 Age: 16

2020 High Level: N/A

The international signing period opened recently and the Twins immediately closed a $2.2 million deal with Venezuelan shortstop Danny De Andrade. The 6 foot 160 lb infielder ranked 16th on MLB’s list of all international free agents in this signing period. The scouts like his bat speed and ability to drive the ball to all fields. They believe he can develop power and also think he can stick on the left side of the infield. De Andrade was training in the Dominican Republic because American scouts cannot go to Venezuela to evaluate players. Like all international free agent teenagers he is a long ways away from the major leagues. Expect him to get his first at-bats as a professional in the Dominican rookie league.

Marco Raya, P

2021 Age: 18

2020 High Level: N/A

The Twins selected Marco Raya with the 128th pick in the 2020 draft from United South High School in Laredo, TX. The Twins gave him a $410,000 signing bonus to get him to break his commitment to Texas Tech. He has four pitches including a fastball in the lower 90s with a lot of spin. At 6’0”, 170 lbs he’s not as big as most pitching prospects but is considered a good athlete and has shown repeatable mechanics. He was a young senior, only 17 years old at the time of the draft. Expect Raya to spend a lot of time at extended spring training with a debut for the Gulf Coast Twins this summer.

Will Holland, SS

2021 Age: 23

2019 High Level: Elizabethton (Rookie)

Will Holland played his college baseball at Auburn University. He was ranked as a preseason top 20 college talent after a promising sophomore year which included playing for the USA Baseball Collegiate National team. Despite a trip to the College World Series his 2019 junior year was ultimately disappointing as he slashed just .246/.376/.401 and dropped to the fifth round of the draft. The Twins signed him for an above-slot $575,000 bonus and sent him to Elizabethton. At Elizabethton he hit .192/.299/.376 in 146 plate appearances which continued his disappointing 2019 at the plate. The reports from 2020 instructionals were more positive with him looking more comfortable at the plate. Holland has good hands and defensive range at SS. On offense he has good power, a good eye and plus speed with 20HR/20SB potential but he needs to work on making consistent contact. Expect him to start this season at Class-A Fort Myers. If he can get the bat on the ball he could move quickly through the minors.

Spencer Steer, IF

2021 Age: 23

2019 High Level: Cedar Rapids (A)

Spencer Steer played his college baseball for the Oregon Ducks. His college highlights include being named First-Team All-Pac-12 Conference and Pac-12 Conference All-Defensive Team as well as holding many school batting records. The Twins picked him in the 3rd round of the 2019 draft and signed him with a $575,000 bonus. He started his professional career at Elizabethton and earned a promotion to Cedar Rapids after just 20 games by hitting .325/.442/.506. He finished his season at Cedar Rapids hitting .260/.358/.387 in 44 games. He won his all-conference defensive honors playing 3B for Oregon but has split time between 2B and 3B in the minors for the Twins. Despite the defensive accolades the scouts project him as a bat-first infield prospect at 2B or 3B. He should begin this season at Class A Fort Myers. If he keeps hitting he could move quickly up the ladder.