Jenkins will get much of the attention in Wichita from Twins fans and the national media.
However, the continued development of other top prospects is what separates organizations.
Prielipp is one of the system’s most exciting arms and has a chance to prove he can stick as a starting pitcher this season.
Olivar is a bat-first catcher who has an opportunity to refine his defensive skills in the upper minors.
The Twins don’t have a long-term answer at catcher, which opens the door for prospects like Olivar.
Rosario has gotten a lot of attention with his power production in the AFL over the last two seasons. Now, he must stay healthy and translate that power to the regular season.
Coaching and development throughout the system are critical, and the Wind Surge will have a mostly new coaching staff for the 2025 campaign.
Brian Dinkelman is entering his first season managing at the Double-A level. Dinkelman spent the previous five seasons as the manager of the Twins’ High-A affiliate Cedar Rapids Kernels.
He posted a winning record each season, propelling the Kernels to four consecutive postseason berths, including a Midwest League Championship in 2023.
Dinkelman will be joined on the coaching staff by hitting coaches Andrew Cresci and Yeison Perez, with Perez being the lone returning coach from the 2024 Wind Surge.
Ryan Ricci and Jesus Sanchez are the pitching coaches and will be in their first years coaching at Double-A. So, who will these coaches be working with to start the year?
Pitchers: RHP Darren Bowen, RHP Trent Baker, RHP Ricky Castro, RHP Joel Cesar, RHP Chase Chaney, RHP John Klein, RHP Cody Laweryson, RHP Angel Macuare, RHP Michael Martinez, LHP Jaylen Nowlin, RHP Mike Paredes, LHP Connor Prielipp, LHP Aaron Rozek, RHP John Stankiewicz, RHP Jarret Whorff
Prielipp is the highest-ranked pitching prospect on the Wind Surge roster as he currently sits 10th on the Twins Daily top-20 prospect list.
The Twins selected Prielipp in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft, but he has been limited to 30 professional innings due to multiple injuries.
Last season, he made seven starts (19 1/3 innings) at High-A and posted a 3.26 ERA with a 0.98 WHIP and a 41.6 K%. Minnesota will continue to allow him to start.
Still, it will be interesting to see if he gets relief opportunities as a lefty that could impact the big-league roster in the season’s second half.
Some other names might be familiar to Twins fans. Bowen was part of the Jorge Polanco trade and made 18 appearances at High-A last year with a 6.07 ERA.
Laweryson is entering his seventh season in the Twins organization. Last season was his first as a full-time reliever and he struck out 21.7% of batters.
Nowlin made 15 starts for Wichita last season and posted a 4.67 ERA with a 22.9 K%. Rozek saw time with the Twins this spring and has pitched parts of the last three seasons at Double-A.
Catchers: C Noah Cardenas, C Andrew Cossetti, C/OF Ricardo Olivar
Olivar currently ranks as Twins Daily’s 20th-best prospect, so it was interesting that the Twins left him unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft. Even with some defensive flexibility, Olivar’s offensive profile is what carries his potential as a prospect. Last season, he played 81 games at High-A and posted a .867 OPS with 31 extra-base hits.
He struggled in the transition to Double-A (19 games), but he was over two years younger than the average age of the competition.
Cossetti spent all of 2024 in Wichita and collected 29 extra-base hits in 87 games. Cardenas also returns to Double-A after struggling with a .587 OPS last season.
Infielders: INF Rubel Cespedes, INF/OF Jorel Ortega, INF/OF Ben Ross, INF Jake Rucker, INF Tanner Schobel, INF/OF Dalton Shuffield
Cespedes will be getting his first taste of Double-A. Last season, he got on base over 34% of the time while playing three infield positions.
Ortega combined for 26 extra-base hits in 122 Double-A games in 2024.
Ross is coming off an Arizona Fall League appearance where he posted a .817 OPS in 100 PA. Rucker is entering his third season in Wichita, averaging nine home runs and 22 doubles per season at Double-A. Schobel posted a .639 OPS with the Wind Surge last season but faced older pitchers in over 83% of his at-bats.
Shuffield has played at three different levels in every professional season, so he will move around again in 2025.
Outfielders: OF Allan Cerda, OF Tyler Dearden, OF Kyler Fedko, OF Walker Jenkins, OF Kala’i Rosario
Jenkins is the biggest name on the position player side, as Baseball America, MLB.com, and Baseball Prospectus each have him ranked among baseball’s top prospects. Last season, he missed time with a leg injury and still made it to Double-A in September.
In 82 games, he hit .282/.394/.439 (.833) with 32 extra-base hits. Some national outlets believe Jenkins needs to show more in-game power before he can be considered among baseball’s top prospects. His power will be a focus for him in his first full season in Wichita.
Rosario is also among Twins Daily’s top-20 prospects, entering the season ranked 18th. In 2024, he was limited to 70 games but posted a .757 OPS with 30 extra-base hits.
Minnesota sent him to the AFL for the second straight season, and he’s averaged an OPS above .800.
Cerda spent last season at Double-A in the Reds and Giants organization but was limited to 33 games.
Dearden was signed out of the independent leagues where he played for Lew Ford-managed Long Island Ducks. He played 36 games after signing and posted a .659 OPS. Fedko returns to Wichita where he played 77 games last season and got on base 32.7% of the time.
Wichita begins on the road against the Springfield Cardinals on Friday, April 4 at 6:35 PM CST. The Wind Surge home opener at the newly-renamed Equity Bank Park follows against the Midland Rockhounds on Tuesday, April 8 at 6:35 PM.
What questions do you have about the roster? What prospects have the best chance to move to Triple-A this year? Leave a comment and start the discussion.
