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MLB MLB Spring Training Twins prospects Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins and Gabriel Gonzalez are already comfortable playing in the same outfield. Is Target Field's on the horizon? Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Nick Cammett, Joe Robbins, Brace Hemmelgarn / Getty Images FORT MYERS, Fla. — They’re on the verge of reaching the big leagues, expected to begin the season only 20 minutes away from Target Field. As they close in on achieving their dreams, a trio of Minnesota Twins Triple-A outfield prospects is focused on making developmental strides to better prepare themselves. Advertisement Even so, you needn’t squint very hard to see a time in the near future where Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins and Gabriel Gonzalez are patrolling the Twins outfield. But for now, each is looking to address potential questions. Whether it’s adding bat speed to increase power, improving defense or finding ways to stay in the lineup, each prospect is working to be ready whenever the Twins promote them to the majors. “We know it’s there, ” Rodriguez said through an interpreter. “We know it, but we can only control what we can control. We’re going to let the front office decide when it’s our turn. We’re going to keep playing hard and do our best every day. We want to win as much as we can. We see it. We know it’s there. ” The group unquestionably possesses the talent to play at the next level. Jenkins is a consensus top-20 prospect in baseball; Rodriguez is a former top-20 prospect who, despite battling several years of injuries, still ranks between 48th and 75th; and Gonzalez is a one-time top-100 prospect. Jenkins and Rodriguez, in particular, are loaded with physical tools. Scouts grade each as possessing above-average power potential, enough speed that playing center field in the majors isn’t unreasonable, and strong arms. While Gonzalez doesn’t run as well or hit for as much power, his hitting grades highly, and he might possess the best arm of the three. Each finished the 2025 season at Triple-A St. Paul. Even though the Twins outfield doesn’t currently have any vacancies, it may not be long before one, two or even all three are in the majors. “It’s definitely crossed my mind, ” Gonzalez said through an interpreter. “We played together in Triple A, shared the same outfield, and we get along very well. But it’s definitely crossed my mind that in the future we could share the same at Target Field. ” Advertisement Jenkins, 21, and Rodriguez, who turns 23 on Saturday, each soared through the farm system. Despite missing significant playing time with injuries, they’ve always been viewed as an essential part of the organization’s future. For Gonzalez, 22, it took turning things around with a career-best year following a disappointing first season with the Twins in 2024, when he was acquired from Seattle in the Jorge Polanco trade. Whereas he finished with a combined . 707 OPS in 2024, Gonzalez made approach changes and hit . 329/. 395/. 513 with 38 doubles and 15 homers across three levels last season. Rodriguez hit . 269/. 431/. 409 with 16 extra-base hits in 65 games while Jenkins batted . 286/. 399/. 451 with 29 extra-base hits in 84 games. “I honestly think they’re underrated, ” Jenkins said. “I don’t think people have been able to really see (Rodriguez) and how good he is when he stays healthy. Gabby plays well wherever he goes. That’s only going to show the higher he moves. … I’m big on surrounding yourself with people that are going to make you better. ” Twins fans should soon get a better sense for each prospect’s style, as they’re all certain to see more playing time with Byron Buxton leaving to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic that begins next week. Already, each player seems to be aware of what he must do to improve. Gonzalez is focused on defense. “I’m making it a huge emphasis, ” he said. “At the big-league level, people play good defense. The game speeds up on you. Everything is hit harder and further. So, I need to focus on my defense. ” Rodriguez, who’s never played more than 99 games in a season and has averaged 59 per year since 2021, knows his big key is staying on the field. He also needs to become more aggressive at the plate, but that’s something that will come with more playing time. To stay healthy, Rodriguez spent part of the offseason in his native Dominican Republic before traveling to Tampa, Fla. , for specialized work with an athletic trainer. Advertisement “I worked more on conditioning and my start-stop, ” Rodriguez said. “A lot of the game revolves around start-stopping and being able to slow down after being at a high speed. I focused more on that. ” Meanwhile, Jenkins, for whom good health is also key, is trying to improve his bat speed in search of more power. Though some gains should come with physical maturation, Jenkins, who has outstanding bat-to-ball skills, is actively looking to swing harder and impact the ball to hit for more power. “I’m a relatively big guy, ” Jenkins said. “For some of my numbers, they’re just like, ‘Dude, you just have to swing it. You just have to go up there and swing harder. ’ Sometimes, you get into certain counts and you kind of slap the ball a certain way. It’s like, ‘Go impact it. ’” If each continues to improve, any of them could make an impact on the Twins sooner rather than later. After playing together to end last season, the trio knows they’re on the cusp and have discussed the possibility. “We’ve talked about it, ” Gonzalez said. “We all get along. We feel like we have great vibes out there in the outfield. If it were to come true, it’d be an incredible experience. ” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Dan Hayes is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Minnesota Twins. Dan joined The Athletic after 5 1/2 years at NBC Sports Chicago and eight years at The North County Times, where he covered the Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, four World Series, the NBA Finals, NHL Stanley Cup Final, NASCAR, UFC, Little League World Series, PGA and the NFL. Follow Dan on Twitter @Dan Hayes MLB