Twins Prospect News: Get to Know Kohl Stewart

Kohl Stewart should be no stranger to Minnesota Twins fans. Stewart is a Top 5 prospect in a stacked Twins farm system that Keith Law has ranked the number two system in baseball. Most people know the names Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano and Jose Berrios, but don’t sleep on Stewart. He may be one of their best yet.

Stewart was drafted fourth overall by the Twins in the first round of the 2013 draft. He was a two-sport superstar in high school and turned down a scholarship to Texas A & M to stick with baseball. Thus far, in just a season and a half, it appears to be the right decision.

The 20-year old right hander’s debut season couldn’t have gone better. He threw only 20 innings and wasn’t extended long enough in any game to earn a win, but his peripherals were phenomenal. He finished with a 1.35 ERA over seven appearances (four of which were starts) while striking out 24 over 20 innings. His 0.87 WHIP and .169 batting average against had the Twins drooling at the bit.

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2014 was more of the same, although Stewart dealt with his first speed bump spending some time on the DL with shoulder issues and then pitching much of the rest of the season with soreness to the shoulder. Still, he finished 3-5 with a 2.59 ERA over 19 starts. His WHIP rose a little bit to 1.14 and he was a bit more hittable as opposing hitters bat .233 against him, but this is part of the learning curve as a pitcher faces tougher competition. His strikeout ratio dropped significantly, however, as he struck out just 62 batters over 87 innings, but the Twins are hoping they can chalk this up to his shoulder issues.

Stewart is reverting to his old dual athlete ways this offseason to build up his shoulder strength.

"“It’s obviously a heavier ball, so it’s going to build you some arm strength,” Stewart told FoxSports. “When I was in high school coming up and I had continuously thrown the football every day, that really was key to me making strides in high school and becoming a prospect, I guess you could say. I think for me, the football is something that I like doing and it definitely helps my arm strength.”"

Stewart, who added that his shoulder has “never been as strong as it is right now,” enters the 2015 season not only as a Twins top five prospect but one of baseball’s top 50 prospects. Stewart has climbed the ladder of the MLB’s top prospects from his impeccable control as his 2014 1.14 WHIp and 2.48 walks per nine indicate. The 6 foot 3, 195 pounder has a polished three pitch arsenal, while he may be able to work on a fourth with a more polished changeup. His four-seam fastball sits in the mid-90s but can top out higher. His slider is improving each start he makes and is quickly developing into a pitch that can miss a lot of bats. Some scouting reports, such as prospect361.com, feel that he has high-end rotation material in his future.

Realistically, Stewart still has some work to do. He will most likely begin the season in High-A ball and after being stretched out a bit more be in Double-A before the All Star break. If his shoulder is healing up like he says it is, Stewart could ride the train all the way to Triple-A in 2015 and be ready to make an impact for 2016. It’s tough to tell a Twins’ fan to be patient, but with names like Buxton, Sano, and now Stewart on the horizon, the future could not look any better.

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