2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Brooks Lee was drafted 8th overall by the Twins out of Cal Poly

Lee, a switch-hitter, rarely strikes out and is equally impressive from both sides of the plate. His hit tool is projected to be his best tool, with great bat-to-ball skills and some projectable power. 

Defensively, Lee will begin his professional career as a shortstop, but will likely move to third base eventually. He has a very good arm, which should keep him on the left side of the infield. 

He is an average runner.

Anonymous scout on Lee:

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Lee is a really exciting prospect. Advanced on offense and defense. He loves to play. He's got such a high IQ it's like having another coach on the field. The area scout, Brian Tripp, spent a lot of time getting to know Brooks, driving up and down the 101 to see him. Never thought he'd be available at 8. Wouldn't put it past him to prove people wrong and stick at shortstop; he just loves to play the game. Could play anywhere. 

The Twins on Lee:

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Lee, 21, hit .357/.462/.664 (84-for-235) with 25 doubles, one triple, 15 home runs, 55 RBI, 46 walks and 56 runs scored in 58 games as a sophomore for the Mustangs in 2022. That season, he was named a D1Baseball.com Preseason and Midseason First-Team All-American, and a First-Team Preseason All-American by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Perfect Game. After being a finalist last season, Lee also won the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the nation's top college shortstop. The San Luis Obispo, California native was ranked as the second-best prospect entering this year’s draft by Baseball America, as well as the fifth best by MLB.com.

7/26 update: Great news for the Twins at a way lower figure than I anticipated. Overslot, but not even first round money. Heck, not even comp balance A money. Twins get a steal. Can't wait to see him get started.

Taken 48th overall, Prielipp was once a potential top pick in the draft before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He's fully recovered and should be able to pitch this summer as much as the Twins would like him to. 

The surgically-repaired left arm is awfully special. Prielipp's repertoire includes a low-to-mid-90s fastball, a devastating slider that sits in the mid-80s. He also has a change-up that is going to need work.

Despite only throwing 28 collegiate innings (in seven starts), Prielipp has shown the upside of a frontline starter.

The Twins on Prielipp:

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Prielipp, 21, went 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA (7.0 IP, 3 ER), one walk and 12 strikeouts in three starts for the Crimson Tide as a sophomore in 2021, his most recent season before sustaining an injury that required Tommy John surgery. He was Alabama’s No. 1 starting pitcher as a freshman in 2020, going 3-0 with 21.0 scoreless innings, five hits, six walks and 35 strikeouts in four starts before the COVID pandemic prematurely ended the season. The Tomah, Wisconsin native was named the state’s Gatorade High School Player of the Year in 2019, after going 6-2 with a 0.85 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 49.1 innings pitched his senior season at Tomah High School.

7/23 Update: Schobel will receive the full slot. Schobel's slot was adjusted from $1,001,500 to $1,002,000 when there was no compensation pick awarded for Michael Conforto. 

With the 68th overall draft pick, the Twins selected Tanner Schobel, a draft-eligible shortstop from Virginia Tech. 

Schobel is undersized at 5' 10", but was the Hokies #3 hitter and had success with the bat both collegiately and in the Cape Cod League. Schobel has a little bit of power in his small frame, but it's only to his pull-side.

Defensively, Schobel has been solid as a shortstop, but has played plenty of second base and third base too. While he will get every chance to stay at shortstop, he may end up filling a multi-position utility role. 

The Twins on Schobel:

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Schobel, 21, hit .362/.445/.689 (85-for-235) with 68 runs scored, 18 doubles, one triple, 19 home runs, 74 RBI and 35 walks in 59 games for the Hokies in 2022, leading the team in home runs, RBI and total bases (162). He attended high school at Walsingham Academy in Williamsburg, Virginia where he was a four-time All-State selection and led the Trojans to a pair of state titles.

Morris transferred to Texas Tech after three years in junior college.

Morris has a mid-90s fastball, a low-80s slider, and a curveball and a change-up. He'll be developed as a starter, but could find himself as a reliever if he doesn't refine his command.

The Twins on Morris:

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Morris, 20, went 8-2 with a 4.58 ERA (88.1 IP, 45 ER), 28 walks and 91 strikeouts in 16 games (15 starts) as a senior for Texas Tech in 2022, his lone season in Lubbock. Prior to joining the Red Raiders, Morris pitched three seasons at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, going 18-2 with a 3.23 ERA (175.2 IP, 63 ER), 63 walks and 215 strikeouts in 33 games (25 starts) for the Mavericks, including earning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year honors in 2021.

Ross played three years at Notre Dame College in Ohio, where he dominated with a career slashline of .405/.471/.758. Impressing in the Northwoods League this summer, Ross continued to put up video game numbers (.421/.503/.649). He's also shown to have a great eye at the plate.

The Twins on Ross:

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Ross, 20, hit .392/.452/.747 (73-for-186) with 20 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 60 RBI, 53 runs scored and 24 walks as a junior at Notre Dame College in 2022, leading the Falcons in most major offensive categories including batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS (1.199), hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, runs scored and total bases (139). He was named the Mountain East Conference Player of the Year and earned All-MEC First-Team honors, while leading the MEC in total bases and ranking among the conference leaders in hits (2nd), slugging percentage (2nd), RBI (2nd), OPS (3rd) and home runs (3rd). Ross was named a 2022 First Team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings, the first two-time All-American in Notre Dame history and second in MEC history, per the ABCA/Rawlings.

7/23 Update: 

Ortega's value is tied up mostly in his bat and he had a very solid season for Tennessee in 2022 after not making the team in 2021 and missing the 2020 season after having Tommy John surgery. 

Ortega put up big numbers (1070 OPS) this season, but not all scouts believe in his bat. The Twins are high on the hitter, who has quick hands and good hand-eye coordination.

Defensively, Ortega probably fits best at second base but may have the arm to handle third base. 

The Twins on Ortega:

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Ortega, 21, hit .323/.398/.672 (76-for-235) with 20 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs, 61 RBI, 25 walks and 57 runs scored in 66 games for the University of Tennessee as a junior in 2022, earning ABCA/Rawlings Southeast All-Region First-Team, Perfect Game All-American Second-Team, CoSIDA Academic All-District 3 First-Team and Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll honors that season. He hit three home runs and recorded five RBI in six NCAA playoff games for the Volunteers and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2022 NCAA Knoxville Regional.

The repertoire includes a low-90s fastball, a power curveball and a splitter. He's struggled with walks and throwing a hittable fastball, but there's stuff there. Had committed to use an extra year of eligibility at Virginia Tech.

The Twins on Jones:

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Jones, 22, went 7-3 with a 4.24 ERA (91.1 IP, 43 ER), one save, 25 walks and a program-record 114 strikeouts in 17 games (15 starts) for the University of Toledo in 2022, earning First-Team All-MAC and Academic All-MAC honors. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-hander ranked second in the MAC in strikeouts and innings pitched, and was fifth in ERA and tied for sixth in opponent batting average (.240). Jones was awarded the MAC Medal of Excellence in 2022, given annually to a male and female student athlete who distinguish themselves academically, athletically and through service and leadership.

Matthews is another senior who will come in under slot.

He's got a low-to-mid 90s fastball as well as a slider. Matthews struck out 122 in 95 2/3 innings for the Catamounts.

The Twins on Matthews:

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Matthews, 22, went 4-6 with a 3.67 ERA (95.2 IP, 39 ER), 21 walks and a Southern Conference-best 122 strikeouts in 22 games (10 starts) for Western Carolina in 2022, his second-straight season as team captain. He was a Preseason First-Team All-Southern Conference selection as a starting pitcher and earned SoCon Pitcher of the Month for May, after going 3-0 with one save, a 0.75 ERA, seven walks and 46 strikeouts in 36.0 innings that month. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound right-hander began his college baseball career at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tennessee, posting an 8-2 record and 2.79 ERA in 19 games (10 starts) prior to transferring to Western Carolina prior to the 2019 season.

7/26 Update: Lewis saves $24,100 versus slot (which was $164,100). While this marks the fourth reported deal in the top 10 rounds and has the Twins $157,300 over their allotted amount, they still have plenty of wiggle room ($188,185) without going 5% over.

Lewis is an "analytics darling" per Jonathan Mayo with a high-spin rate and great extension.

Lewis has a unique arsenal in that he features your typical fastball (low-90s), change-up, breaking ball (11-5 curveball), but also has a useable knuckleball.

At 6' 5", 220, Lewis looks the part of a pitcher and struck out 107 in 88 1/3 innings this year. He also walked 42. He had a 9-1 record with a 3.57 ERA.

Anonymous scout on Lewis:

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Twins area scout Brian Tripp did a lot of work on Lewis and really liked him. And the player development staff has done a great job with pitchers like Lewis. He's big, durable dude with great make-up. The analytics staff really like his pitch-action. He's got really intriguing stuff - including a power knuckleball that he doesn't throw a lot - and a chance to develop as a starter. 

The Twins on Lewis:

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Lewis, 21, went 9-1 with a 3.57 ERA (88.1 IP, 35 ER), 42 walks and 107 strikeouts in 16 starts at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2022. After redshirting in 2020, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-hander earned All-Conference honors with the Gauchos in 2021, serving as the team’s Friday night starter and helping UCSB win the Big West Conference title. Prior to joining UCSB, Lewis played first base and pitched for four years at Marina High School, where he’s a member of the school’s Hall of Fame for leading the baseball team to league titles in 2016 and 2019.

Shuffield was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year this past season, which saw him bat .378 with 13 home runs and 16 stolen bases. 

He's also a good defensive shortstop.

Another senior-sign who will save the Twins money against their bonus pool.

The Twins on Shuffield:

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Shuffield, 23, hit .378/.444/.668 (90-for-238) with 20 doubles, five triples, 13 home runs, 48 RBI, 28 walks and 78 runs scored in 61 games for Texas State University in 2022 en route to winning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound infielder was a Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist and garnered Collegiate Baseball Newspaper All-America Second-Team and ABCA/Rawlings Central All-Region Second-Team honors for his performance. The San Antonio, Texas native also played in all 61 of the Bobcats’ games and set a single-season program record with 78 runs scored.

The 6-foot, 215-pound catcher put up a 2022 slashline of .327/.454/.714 with 19 HR and 65 RBI. He broke single-season home run and RBI records for the school as well as the career home run record.

Anonymous scout on Baez:

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Hasn't been a full-time catcher, but that's the plan now. Worked out for the Twins in California before the draft. Love the bat and think there's a higher ceiling there. Best case he's a two-way catcher. Great value in the 12th round.

Baez has been the primary catcher at Arizona State but has also played all around the infield and in left field. In the tough Pac-10 conference, Baez put up a .355/.424/.664 slashline in 2022.

Anonymous scout on Culpepper:

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A young junior who doesn't turn 21 until November. Had a pre-draft workout with the Twins and threw a bullpen. Area scout John Leavitt did a great job on him. He just hasn't thrown a ton of innings and didn't finish his starts great. He's got a ceiling to be a starter, but unsure of future role because of those lack of innings.

Culpepper (6' 3", 193) is low-90s fastball, slider guy. His slider is a developing pitch with a high spin rate.

7/26 Update: After the Twins announce they've signed 17 of the 20 draft picks, we've confirmed that Daniel will be the 18th member of the class to sign.

A tooled up prep, Daniel has a chance to stick at shortstop as an above-average defender with an above-average arm. 55 runner. The question is going to be how his hit-tool develops. 

7/19 Update: There have been lots of questions and speculations about Daniel as it sounds as though he isn't heading to Oregon until 2024 and why that may be. We have an answer: Daniel hurt his elbow pitching this season and underwent Tommy John surgery. He'll be attending a Florida junior college this year, but it remains to be seen how much he'll even be able to play.

This may be an opportunity for the Twins to take advantage of the new "Draft and Follow" rules. Players who go unsigned by the August 1 deadline and enroll in a junior college can still sign with their drafting team up until one week before next year's draft. Teams can sign DNFs for up to $225k without anything counting towards their draft pool. We'll leave Daniel as pending for now, even though that is likely the path both parties will take.

Committed to Oregon, Daniel is a highly-projectible high-school shortstop. Daniel is very smooth defensively and has a nice (6' 2", 180) frame. 

From an anonymous scout:

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Good-looking prospect. Ceiling as an offensive shortstop, but might outgrow and move to third base. Bat plays either way. 70 arm, 60 glove, 60 power, 55 run, 50 hit. 

Ethridge struck out 39 in 34 2/3 innings this season for the Golden Eagles, but was very hittable (allowed 33) and gave up a lot of runs early in the season. He seemed to have righted the ship, winning his last five decisions and only allowing two earned run over that time (10 2/3 innings).

Another highly projectable shortstop from the prep ranks, Ortiz was originally committed to UAB, but is now planning on starting his collegiate career at San Jacinto Junior College. Enrolling in a junior college would leave Ortiz eligible to sign up until a week before the 2023 draft.

Ortiz is a very smooth defender with a big arm and a high-upside bat. 

Sayre was the Horizon League Player of the Year in 2022. He batted .358/.446/.576 with 10 home runs, nine stolen bases and almost as many walks (35) as strikeouts (38).

Anonymous scout on Veen: 

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He's got three pitches - a fastball, breaking ball and a changeup - and throws an insane amount of strikes. He's not overpowering (FB around 90). You take a chance on a left-hander who competes like he does and throws strikes like he does. The player development staff can take a guy who throws his pitches for strikes already and make those pitches better. 

In 49 innings for Point Loma, Veen struck out 59 while only walking three. After posting a 0.51 WHIP for the Sea Lions, Veen went to the Cape Cod League where he continued his success, striking out 14 in 13 1/3 innings.