Twins 1 of 5 teams to not see player from 2020 Draft debut in MLB

After the Houston Astros called up Shay Whitcomb to their Major League roster on Friday, five teams still have not seen a player from the 2020 MLB Draft debut at the pro level.

One of those teams is the Minnesota Twins. The other four are the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies, according to Céspedes Family BBQ on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Some notable names that came from this draft include Garrett Crochet (White Sox), Jordan Westburg (Orioles), Spencer Strider (Braves), and Bryce Elder (Braves). The Twins' Austin Martin was also selected as the fifth overall pick to the Toronto Blue Jays before he was sent to Minnesota in the José Berrios trade.

Let's take a look at the players the Twins drafted that year and see how they're faring in their young careers.

Related: Minnesota Twins farm system ranked among best in MLB

Aaron Sabato, 1B/DH

Sabato was picked No. 27 overall out of the University of North Carolina.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound slugger showed massive raw power coming out of college and had shown some patience at the plate. While at UNC, Sabato had eye-popping stats, posting OPS figures of 1.149 and 1.186 in 2019 and 2020, respectively. During his freshman season, he had a slugging percentage close to .700.

His MiLB journey has taken some dips and turns as he started out in A-ball and worked his way to Double-A Wichita in 2022 before becoming stagnant in his progression.

His first three years in the minors saw his strikeout percentage tick up more than what was seen in college and he struggled to find consistency at the plate. However, during his time in the Arizona Fall League in 2023, he started to find his groove once more.

Sabato posted a .905 OPS with seven homers in 18 games. He was able to carry that momentum into the Double-A season, tallying over 30 extra-base hits in 31 games.

But the 25-year-old has once again seen his performance dip in 2024. He's battled some injuries that has twice landed him on short IL stints and is hitting an unimpressive .215/.311/.388 with 9 home runs and 28 RBI in 61 games.

The right-handed bat isn't mentioned on the club's top 30 prospects but the team still hopes he can someday make in impression in the big leagues.

Alerick Soularie, OF

Once touted as someone who could control the strike zone and display a lot of bat-to-ball skills, Soularie finds himself out of the Twins' organization and not currently on any MLB team.

The second-round, 59th overall pick failed to bring his hitting talents with him to the minor leagues after leaving the University of Tennessee. As a Volunteer his first year, he led the SEC with a .466 on-base percentage and had homered five times his second year before the season was cut short due to the COVID pandemic.

The 6-foot, 170-pound outfielder wasn't known for great athleticism nor power, but had impressed scouts enough to the point he was selected early in the 2020 draft.

His production at the plate worsened each of the three seasons he was in the Twins' organization, leading to Soularie being released by Double-A Wichita on May 24. He was then picked up by the San Francisco Giants' Double-A affiliate six days later but eventually released again on July 24.

In 818 at-bats at the MiLB level, Soularie has a .224/.337/.711 line with 27 home runs, 106 RBI and 64 stolen bases. He remains a free agent as of Friday.

Marco Raya, RHP

Raya is the highlight of this group, as he was selected in the fourth round No. 128 overall in the 2020 draft.

As of Friday, he currently is ranked as the Twins' eighth-best prospect and he's expected to make his MLB debut as soon as next year.

The 22-year-old has been handled carefully by the franchise, as a shoulder strain sidelined him for the entire 2021 season and threw just short of 130 innings combined during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Even though he was progressing slowly, he made it to Double-A before his 21st birthday.

According to MLB.com:

"He's always had plenty of fastball, a pitch that was averaging around 96 mph, with high spin up in the zone. His real out pitch is his slider, missing a ton of bats at 84-85 mph, also with elite spin rates. He can land his slightly slower curve with depth to give hitters a different look, and the Twins think his changeup has improved the most, going from a below-average pitch when he was in Single-A to an offspeed offering that flashes plus with fade and depth. He's working on a cutter to round out his arsenal and has had good early returns with it, a harder Walker Buehler-ish kind of pitch."

The starting pitcher has seen his ERA rise from the time he was prompted from Single-A to Double-A above 5.00, but the team has seen improvement in all of his pitches and Raya still needs to prove he can handle a full workload as a starter going forward.

He pitched 6 shutout innings in his last start, giving up 2 hits and walking one while striking out 3 on Aug. 9. It was the first time Raya has pitched that many innings, showing the Twins might be loosening up his restrictions.

Kala'i Rosario, OF

The fourth and final pick of the 2020 draft, Rosario isn't one of the more highly regarded prospects but as long as he's been on the field, he's been turning heads.

Picked in the fifth round and No. 158 overall, Rosario — much alike Sabato — was selected based on his main skill: raw power. In 330 games played in the minors, Rosario has belted 44 home runs across four different levels in the Twins' organization.

The 22-year-old is hitting .241/.342/.417 with an OPS of .759 this season in 52 games in Double-A. He also has 6 homers and 30 RBI.

However, the outfielder has missed some time this season as he's dealing with an ongoing elbow injury. Rosario was initially placed on the 7-day IL on June 12 and moved to the 60-day IL the following day.

The 6-foot, 205-pound right-handed bat may find himself with the Twins if he can stay healthy and continue the pace he's shown so far in his young career.