The three hitting prospects the Twins need to call up

The Twins season is over, well not technically, but it’s over. We’re now entering the “exploration period” that we’ve all become familiar with because of 2011-2018. This is the period where you just call up anyone in the minor leagues performing pretty well and see what they can do at the major league level.

The Twins don’t seem to have actually entered that yet, because they’re still playing Andrelton Simmons and Jake Cave day in and day out. We know what those guys bring and we know they’re probably not a part of the future. This is why sending down Nick Gordon doesn’t make sense to me. He’s probably going to be terrible, but if he has even a 1% chance of being a MLB utility guy for the Twins then he has a better chance than Andrelton Simmons. Let Nick Gordon play!

Today, I have three hitting prospects that the Twins should call up. These are all players that have never played a major league game, so Nick Gordon misses the cut. He’s also the most obvious one. Let’s get into the guys the Twins need to call up before the season ends.

Honorable mentions: Nick Gordon, Drew Maggi, and Jimmy Kerrigan

I just talked about Nick Gordon but I’ll say it again. Call him up! Why not see more of him?! Drew Maggi is an interesting one—and someone I would LOVE for the Twins to call up. He doesn’t have a future here, but he’s a 32 year old career minor leaguer and he’s having his best season so far. It’s a feel good story for a guy to finally get his first MLB experience in his 11th season. Jimmy Kerrigan is just kind of a guy having a solid season. He’s 27 years old with an .852 OPS and 15 home runs in 73 games this season. Nothing crazy, but why not get a look?

3. Mark Contreras, 26 years old, L/R, Outfielder taken in the 9th round of the 2017 draft

• 2021 stats: .259/.340/.518 (.858) with 14 HR in 73 games split between AA and AAA

Contreras is very similar statistically and just one year younger than Jimmy Kerrigan, an honorable mention. Overall, I just like the upside of Contreras more, plus he’s a year younger than Kerrigan. He’s having a fine season and is someone the Twins could consider as a potential Jake Cave replacement in the future.

2. Trey Cabbage, 24 years old, L/R, OF/3B, taken in the 4th round of the 2015 draft

• 2021 stats: .262/.341/.556 (.897) with 21 home runs in 78 games split between A+ and AA

Cabbage not only has an awesome name, but is also a younger prospect who may actually have a future here. The first four guys listed all have a chance, but they’re aging and have the ceiling of a utility player right now. Cabbage is still 24 years old and looks to have really turned a corner during the 2020 lost season.

With Alex Kirilloff out for the season, Byron Buxton out for a while yet, Trevor Larnach struggling, and Jake Cave getting daily reps I really want to see the Twins try out some guys like Cabbage. He hasn’t reached AAA yet in his career but the jump from AA to the majors isn’t uncommon. AA also hasn’t been too much for him as he has a .913 OPS in 38 games, better than his .880 OPS at A+ this season in 40 games. I’d be interested in getting a “taste” out of Cabbage this season. Get it? Was that weird?

1. Jose Miranda, 23 years old, R/R, Infielder, taken in the 2nd round of the 2016 draft

• 2021 stats: .342/.406/.596 (1.002) with 23 home runs in 83 games between AA and AAA

If you’re looking for the one hitting prospect this season that will actually have the potential to put fans in the seats and get people excited about the team, it’s Jose Miranda. The guy has absolutely EXPLODED (not literally) in the minor leagues this season. He started 2021 by performing extremely well at the AA level with a .996 OPS in 47 games and everyone questioned if this was legit or not.

He was called up to AAA after that torrid start and he only got better, increasing his OPS to 1.008 in his first 32 games. He’s skyrocketing in prospect ranking and is a lock to be a Twins top 10 prospect next season. The numbers are absurd and I’m not sure what more it’s going to take for him to be called up. Recently, Derek Falvey said “I would tell you that there isn’t much [more we need to see].” when talking about Miranda and pitching prospect Jovani Moran. I full expect we will see Miranda at the big league level before the season ends.

Are there any hitting prospects I missed that you want to see called up in this lost season? Of the ones I listen, which one is your favorite and why is it Jose Miranda. Overall, I want some guys to be called up just so I don’t have to watch Andrelton Simmons attempt to swing a bat.

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