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The Minnesota Twins have a luxury that almost every other major-league team would love to have: an abundance of young catching talent in the minor leagues. According to Twins Daily’s prospect rankings, five of the organization’s top 20 prospects are backstops. Vahn Lackey headlines that group as the No. 2 prospect in the system, while Eduardo Tait checks in at No. 8. Carson Tinney, Khadim Diaw and Enrique Jimenez round out the group at No. 11, No. 13 and No. 20, respectively.
Obviously, not all of those players are going to become impactful major-league catchers. That’s the reality of having this much talent at one position. Some prospects will develop into everyday players, others could become useful backups, and some won’t make it to the majors at all. But that’s also what makes the Twins’ situation unique.
Minnesota already has three catchers on their major-league roster, and Derek Shelton and the Twins have shown they aren’t afraid to utilize multiple backstops when the situation calls for it. With so much catching talent coming through the system, the organization could eventually have more prospects than it realistically has room for. That could make some of them ...