Twins preseason capsule: Younger stars provide hope

Minnesota Twins

2024 record: 82-80 (4th place, AL Central)

He gone: INF Kyle Farmer, OF Max Kepler, OF Manuel Margot, IF Carlos Santana.

New faces: OF Harrison Bader, LHP Danny Coulombe, INF Ty France.

Biggest question entering Opening Day: Could "not" talking about staying healthy have a positive karmic effect on the clubhouse? As with recent seasons, Minnesota enters with anticipation behind a group of stars in their early 30s or younger. We see you, OF Byron Buxton, SS Carlos Correa, and 3B Royce Lewis -- and Twins fans hope to seldom (or ideally, never) see you on the injured list this season.

Top prospect: Ranked by both MLB.com and ESPN as the third-best prospect in baseball, OF Walker Jenkins offers a lot to like. He navigated early-season hamstring injuries to bat .282 across four levels in 2024, eventually climbing to Double-A.

Breakout player: The Twins are looking to OF Matt Wallner to help account for Kepler's departure and are banking on his ability to keep churning after he was sent to Triple-A following a prolonged slump to start 2024. Wallner hit 13 home runs in the majors, one of eight Twins in double figures in that category, but he knows his production and stability must increase.

2025 outlook: Minnesota appeared primed for the playoffs at the start of September before fading to a 7-18 finish. The Twins return the heart of a sound starting rotation, including RHPs Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober, but after largely standing pat in free agency, the team is betting on its luck to turn. For starters, the offense must produce a consistent, feared and healthy threat to compensate for the departure of Santana, who led the Twins with 23 homers and 71 RBIs last season.

--Field Level Media