Houston, the Twins' first-round pick in 2025, established himself as an MLB-wide top-100 prospect by showing more offensive upside than expected right away.
Aaron and John talk about the Twins limping to the finish line just like last season, trying to find glimpses of a brighter future with Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez, the outlook for Byron Buxton after hip surgery, and players who stepped up vs. dropped out of the team's long-term plans.
Houston, the Twins' first-round pick in 2025, established himself as an MLB-wide top-100 prospect by showing more offensive upside than expected right away.
Kaelen Culpepper's injury may end his season early, but it also means he'll retain rookie/prospect status for 2027, with Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez.
Jenkins, the Twins' highest-ranked prospect since Byron Buxton, has the second-lowest batting average (.089) through 15 career games in team history.
With the 23-year-old Rodriguez joining 21-year-old Walker Jenkins and 24-year-old Luke Keaschall, there's a changing of the guard in the Twins' outfield.
Slashing payroll yet again and ignoring glaring weaknesses during the offseason went every bit as badly as feared, but the Twins' problems didn't end there.
Plus how Emmanuel Rodriguez used up his options, Keaschall's best position, not expecting extensions, non-tender candidates, and talking Timberwolves.
Buxton still hopes to play again this season, but it's clear his lingering hip injury is significant. Plus, two Triple-A players join the expanded September roster.
For the third straight season, the Twins have fallen apart after the All-Star break, despite a new manager, a new general manager, and a new Pohlad in charge.
Aaron Gleeman has been covering the Minnesota Twins for over 25 years. He co-hosts the Gleeman and The Geek podcast and was previously senior writer at The Athletic, editor-in-chief at Baseball Prospectus, and senior writer at NBC Sports.
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