Payton Eeles

The Twins signed Eeles out of the Atlantic League in May of 2024 and he began his affiliated-ball career at Single-A and quickly got promoted to High-A. He was so good at High-A (170 wRC+, 3:11 K:BB in 13 games) that they jumped him directly over Double-A to Triple-A for his final 64 games of the campaign. Eeles was 24 last season, so his work at Triple-A is what's relevant. He slashed .299/.419/.500 with eight home runs, 20 steals and a a 14.6 percent strikeout rate in 260 plate appearances in the International League. The 5-foot-5 Eeles proved to be a great contact hitter, but his 20.3 percent hard-hit rate in the minors was quite poor considering he was a couple years older than many of the pitchers he faced early in the year. He's unlikely to hit double-digit home runs over a full big-league season. Eeles is an aggressive base runner with above-average speed, so if he's playing regularly, he could hit for a high average while stealing 20-plus bases. He fits best at second base and is capable of playing a few other spots as needed, but the Twins have a position player logjam of sorts and Eeles may not fit in as more than a bench player if he does get the call in 2025. Read Past Outlooks