All of Luke Keaschall’s hard work and dedication is finally paying off. The Minnesota Twins’ No. 3 prospect made his Major League debut on Friday night against the Atlanta Braves. He was the DH and batted 8th. The 22-year-old was a second-round selection in 2023 out of Arizona State. His strong points are a contact hitter with exceptional speed.
Keaschall Delivers In Debut
In his first Major League at-bat, with a runner on third and one out, Keaschall wasted no time in getting his first hit and RBI, in his first taste. A Bryce Elder slider was dumped into right field for an opposite-field flare. His knock doubled the Twins lead to 2-0 in the 2nd. He also recorded his first steal, beating the Braves battery to second.
He upped the ante in the 4th, lacing a double. His first extra-base hit. He ended up scoring his first run on an Edouard Julien sacrifice fly. Even his outs were impressive. In the 6th, he lined out to right field, showing a little power. He grounded out to third in the top of the 9th, trying to help the Twins rally, but eventually fell 6-4 in Atlanta.
Keaschall has had a decent minor league career. He split time in 2024 between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita and slugged a .903 OPS with 15 home runs in 103 games. This season, in 14 games with Triple-A St. Paul, he slashed .261/.379.348. In 2024, he stole 23 bases. The Twins are hoping these flashes of power and speed will transfer to the big leagues.
The Twins
The Twins have been struggling badly to start the year. They optioned José Miranda, who matched the Major League record by getting a hit in 12 straight at-bats. Currently sitting in 4th place in the American League West at 7-13, they have a long way to climb to overcome the 4.5 games from the first-place Detroit Tigers.
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