It’s exciting to have access to Statcast data from the Minor Leagues on Baseball Savant, thanks to this year’s new update. Although it’s not comprehensive due to the lack of tracking technology in all parks, it allows us to follow Charlee Soto, the organization’s No. 7 prospect.
Soto, drafted with the No. 34 pick in last summer’s MLB Draft, is impressing at just 18 years old while pitching in full-season ball with Single-A Fort Myers. There was much anticipation within and outside the organization to see how his stuff, reaching speeds near 100 mph in Spring Training, would fare in competitive play—and he’s living up to expectations.
Among the subset of players tracked by Statcast in the organization, Soto’s four-seam fastball ranks sixth in average velocity among individual pitches, hitting 95.4 mph. This places him behind Jhoan Duran’s four-seamer and splitter, Jorge Alcala’s four-seamer and sinker, and Ryan Jensen’s four-seamer.
During this spring’s inaugural Spring Breakout game, Soto showcased his potential by reaching 98.5 mph in an intense inning. Though he hasn’t surpassed 97.5 mph in a game for the Mighty Mussels, Soto, who won’t turn 19 until Aug. 31, is focused on learning and development at this level, especially considering his age.
“It’s just enjoyable being around all those guys,” Soto remarked after the Spring Breakout game. “I was around Pablo López, Duran a little bit. Just being around those big guys, you learn a lot from them on the weight room side and on the baseball side, as well.”
Soto’s focus has been on refining his sinker and slider alongside his powerful fastball. He aims for his sinker to match the speed of his four-seamer, and so far, his 95.1 mph sinker average is close to his four-seamer. Additionally, he’s exhibiting promising control with 26 strikeouts and nine walks in 20 innings with Fort Myers.
Soto’s development will undoubtedly be gradual, given his youth. However, when it comes to powerful arms transitioning to competitive play, there’s a lot of potential in Soto’s abilities. This was most evident in a standout performance on April 13, where he pitched four hitless innings with seven strikeouts in Clearwater.
Other Standout players
Now, let’s spotlight some standout players from the Twins’ other Minor League teams:
Triple-A St. Paul: DaShawn Keirsey Jr. appears to provide solid center-field depth for the Twins. Despite being left unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft last offseason, Keirsey was named the organizational Player of the Month for April. He boasts impressive stats, slashing .294/.380/.551 with six home runs and nine steals, leading the team in both categories.
Double-A Wichita: Zebby Matthews, the Twins’ eighth-round pick in the 2022 Draft, is making waves. The 23-year-old right-hander was recently promoted to Double-A and continues to impress with remarkable statistics—he has yet to issue a single walk in 29 1/3 innings pitched. Matthews, ranked as the club’s No. 20 prospect, has recorded 37 strikeouts and holds a stellar 1.23 ERA across five starts.
High-A Cedar Rapids: Rubel Cespedes is having a breakout season, despite being on the older side for this level at 23. As a corner infielder, Cespedes’ impressive numbers speak for themselves—he boasts a .337/.421/.596 slash line with five home runs and a league-leading 33 RBIs in the Midwest League.
