TwinsAce

"He makes it look easy" is one of the highest compliments you can pay a person when it comes to something so immensely challenging as playing baseball at the highest level. 
And yet, that's Brooks Lee in a nutshell. The 2022 first-round pick has handled everything thrown at him with such a sense of grace and nonchalance that it's easy to see why the Twins keep throwing more.
Selected eighth overall out of Cal Poly, Lee impressed the organization enough with his smooth transition to the pro game that they advanced him rapidly over a two-month span. Following a brief opening stint at rookie ball, where he batted .353 in four games, Lee skipped right past Low-A and went straight to Cedar Rapids. 
In 25 games with the Kernels, the switch-hitter slashed .289/.395/.454 with four home runs and an 18-to-16 K/BB ratio. His performance was so impressive that he received a late promotion to Double-A, where he went 11-for-26 (.423) in six contests, including four playoff games.
This spring, the Twins are showing a ton of faith and belief in Lee. Oftentimes when a prospect drafted nine months earlier is invited to big-league camp, it's used as an opportunity to soak in the experience and acclimate to major-league surroundings. 
Not in Lee's case. They're throwing him right into the fire. Through the first four days of spring training games, Lee made three starts and handled the assignment with aplomb, notching four hits in nine at-bats.
"He’s clearly not overwhelmed with the situation," observed manager Rocco Baldelli after Lee went 2-for-3 against the Braves on Tuesday. 
For his part, Lee says he wasn't quite expecting to get this much early-spring action ... not that he's disappointed. "It's pretty surprising, but I signed up for it. I'm having a lot of fun."
For those familiar with Lee's background, his ability to take it all in stride and enjoy the moment shouldn't come as a huge shock.
The Coach's Kid 
The narrative about a coach's kid with supernatural baseball aptitude can be an overplayed trope, but in Lee's case it is impossible to deny. After starring for San Luis Obispo High School in California, he was considered a top name in the 2019 draft, but withdrew his name the day before, informing teams he intended to play at Cal Poly for his father Larry, who'd served as Mustangs head coach for nearly two decades. 
A 2020 season lost to injury and COVID was followed by an excellent 2021, where he batted .342 with a 1.010 OPS, and then an even better 2022, which featured a .357/.462/.664 slash line and cemented his status as a top-10 draft pick. 
Growing up as a coach's kid creates a deep and unique connection to the baseball field, and the fundamentals of the game. It's apparent to Lee's current manager, who himself was coached by his father as a youth. Rocco has credited Dan Baldelli with developing his love for the game, so he can relate to this special aspect of Lee's makeup.
"He’s a very relaxed guy when he’s at the ballpark," Baldelli said. "He gives off the impression that he is a coach’s son and he spent many, many, many years of his life at a baseball field, and he knows everything that goes on at the baseball field. It doesn’t feel like there’s a ton going on here that he’s completely unfamiliar with."
In particular, Baldelli has been impressed by Lee's ability to process information and adapt on the fly.
"The at-bats look good. He makes really good adjustments during at-bats, he finds a way to get his barrel kind of on a good plane. Depending on what’s going on in the count, depending on the pitcher he’s facing, he’s not a one-trick pony at the plate, that’s pretty clear from watching him."
This crucial quality helps explain why Lee emerged as a top 2022 draft prospect – MLB.com had him ranked as the fifth-best draft prospect ahead of time – and why the Twins were so delighted to get him with the No. 8 pick. 
So far he's been everything they could've hoped, with his initial performance standing out so much that Lee managed to sneak (ever-so-slightly) past Royce Lewis to claim the No. 1 spot on our latest Twins prospect rankings. 
Now all he has to contend with is a troubled history for those who've been in this position before.
Breaking a Pattern of Top Prospect Letdowns
I wrote recently about the track record for Twins prospects who've topped our rankings over the past 10 years. It's a list that includes:
Most recently, Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff, who are both grappling with potentially career-threatening health issues as we head into this season.  Austin Martin, who plummeted in the rankings following a tough encore season at Double-A in 2022. Fernando Romero, who fizzled out and never came close to reaching his high-end starter potential. Byron Buxton, whose career thus far has epitomized the disruptive power of uncontrollable forces impacting elite athletes, even when their on-field play matches their promise. Can Lee break the spell? His skill set is so advanced, balanced, and resilient that it feels almost impossible to envision a Martin-esque performance drop-off. Injuries are of course less predictable, and Lee hasn't been able to totally avoid their grip – he suffered a hyperextended knee in 2020 that required surgery – but he's fully healthy and without any restriction this spring.
That differentiates them from so many other players in camp, and has probably contributed to the number of opportunities available to him here in the first week of games.
The natural question now, for The Natural, is what comes next.
What's Ahead for Brooks Lee?
I'm assuming Lee will open the year at Double-A. That's a semi-aggressive assignment on its face, but so send him back to Single-A would feel almost unfair to the pitchers there.
Once he's settled in Wichita, Lee is instantly in range of a big-league promotion, and his showing this spring helps build confidence he'll be ready for the call whenever it comes. "Offensively, defensively, everything we’ve thrown at him, he’s handled it, done it, excelled at it, and he looks good," said Baldelli.
Assuming he picks up where he left off in the minors, it becomes a matter of when and where Lee's opportunity will arise in the majors. The Twins are hoping it won't come anytime soon at shortstop, where Correa is penciled in for years to come. 
The more imminent opportunity figures to come at third base, and it sort of feels like the organization is planning around such a scenario, maybe sooner than later. Playing third would be a relatively new experience for Lee, who played shortstop exclusively in college and has yet to appear anywhere else defensively as a pro. 
He said short is his favorite position, but added, "I love third too." Maybe it's meant to be. After all, Lee was named after legendary Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson. In the past, he's set his sights on an accordingly ambitious career path.
"Honestly, I think I should be a Hall of Famer when I grow up and be in the talk for one of the greatest of all time," Lee said back in 2021 as a redshirt freshman at Cal Poly. 
These days, he's a little more subdued in his goal-setting. Asked what he hopes to accomplish this year: "Just be satisfied with how I did at the end of the season, that’s all I care about. Haven’t really thought about stats or anything like that, or where I’m gonna be."
Sounds like a coach's kid. And while he doesn't have his dad in the dugout anymore, Larry is never too far away – Brooks says he talks to him "every day." Upon reaching the big leagues, Lee will have the luxury of a more contemporary mentor close at hand.
After Correa exited his spring training debut on Wednesday, I asked for his impressions of Lee thus far. 
"Man that kid is a stud," Correa said, with an added emphasis on the last word. "I really, really, really like this kid. I’m very high on him. Don’t be surprised if we see him up this year, he’s very, very good man. Everybody I talk to about him, it’s high praise. I don’t get impressed very easily. That was definitely a great pick by the Twins."
Just a couple of first-round shortstops who make it look easy.

Driveline Baseball has become something of a household name in baseball circles in recent years, as it’s extended its reach from youth baseball to the MLB level. Using the newest technology and data available in the baseball world, Driveline has its fair share of success stories among professional pitchers. In 2023, Joe Ryan and Tyler Mahle are looking to become the newest names added to the list.
Mahle and Ryan likely had very different goals in mind this offseason and each opted to take them to the pitching labs of Driveline Baseball. We often hear little about what specifically pitchers are working on during their offseason routine, but given the reputation of Driveline and the details that we’ve received, this news should be exciting to Twins fans.
Tyler Mahle
The first thought when hearing his name tied to Driveline was a recovery plan for whatever shoulder ailment ended his 2022 season. Instead, Mahle went about his business as usual this offseason, looking to make tweaks to his repertoire. Even when healthy last season, he seemed to be missing just a small piece of the puzzle.
Mahle opted to revamp his slider after the 2022 season. He has what’s classified as a slider and a cutter, though it’s fair to wonder whether both are the same pitch that classify differently at times, as the “slider” averaged a bit less velocity than the “cutter”. At any rate, these were his two worst pitches by most measures. Expected Batting Average and Slugging were markedly worse than his fastball and splitter for these two pitches, and it showed up in his platoon splits. 
Right-handed hitters put up an OPS of .784 against the right-handed Mahle, much worse than the .602 mark against left-handed hitters. It was clear he lacked an equalizer against same-handed hitters.
From the little we can see, Mahle has added more horizontal break to his slider and less vertical break. It appears to be a new look breaking ball, which is a welcome change based on how the previous one had difficulties equalizing right-handed hitters. For how well he’s performed against left-handed hitters in his career, if he can find any kind of similar success against righties, he could become a certified stud.
Joe Ryan
After being able to dominate the minors with mostly a fastball, the Twins tried to incorporate a slider to better equip Joe Ryan to start in the MLB. On the season, Ryan allowed just one less homer on the slider than he did his fastball, though he threw the slider roughly a third as much. Ryan seemed to find something to end the season, as the pitch was dominant in September by many measures including Expected Slugging and Batting Average, hard hit % etc. Ryan took that momentum to Driveline as well this winter.
For Ryan, further developing another pitch is a must. His fastball remained fantastic despite being used over 60% of the time, which means any kind of plus secondary offering would raise Ryan’s game to new heights. With the foundation he and the Twins built on the breaking ball, it’s exciting to think about what an offseason at Driveline could do for the pitch.
Ryan had more than one pitch in mind this winter. Unlike Mahle, Ryan is significantly better against same-handed hitters. His strikeouts markedly drop off, suggesting a need for a good matchup pitch for left-handed hitters. Because of this, Ryan worked on a split changeup this winter as well.
Of note, this is the same pitch that has been Tyler Mahle’s bread and butter secondary, and is a big reason for the lack of platoon splits in his career. Traditionally the pitch is a little faster and has more late life than the plain old changeup. This makes it a bit tougher to pick up by opposite handed hitters who typically have a better look at what’s coming from the pitcher. While it’s tough to say what to expect from Ryan debuting an entirely new pitch, it’s easy to look at the changeup he used just 12% of the time in 2022 and see room for improvement.
Tyler Mahle and Joe Ryan have high end upside. Both have good foundations in their repertoire, Ryan with his magical fastball and Mahle with his uncommon ability to negate platoon splits. It sounds like both went in search of the missing pieces this winter at Driveline, and it’ll be interesting to see how the new pitches look. There’s a possibility that both pitchers raise their games to new levels.

All player images are courtesy of ESPN.com

Derek Falvey rustled some feathers the other day when, in an article written by Phil Miller of the Star Tribune, the exec said, "[i]f we were to do anything at this point, it would likely be to add depth in the middle [innings]. We'll keep an open mind, but [relief pitching is] not a priority." It’s a shockingly straightforward answer not saturated with Falvey’s typical lawyer-ish flourishes.
Falvey and Miller covered the gambit in reliever talk in that article; I recommend people read the entire piece before outraging (that will never happen).
Initially, it’s tough to accept Falvey’s evaluation. I watched the same 2022 Twins team he did, and that squad specialized in blowing games in the late innings. They often failed to hold leads in games that really should have won. Cleveland proved to be a special problem, as Minnesota handed out late wins like Costco free samples as Tyler Thornburg and his ilk tried their darndest to not be a part of the problem. It didn't work, and they finished with the seventh-most meltdowns, a quick-and-dirty Fangraphs stat that uses win probability to determine poor reliever performance. But you don’t need to hear it from a number: that bullpen stunk.
Perhaps we’re looking at the issue too broadly, though. Yes, the relief corps was terrible in the first half of the season—Fangraphs pegged them as the 2nd worst in MLB—but they didn’t remain static. Michael Fulmer and Jorge López joined the squad. Caleb Thielber emerged as a tremendous, reliable arm. People with eyes determined that Emilio Pagán should probably not pitch late in games. Evolution took its course.
Quietly, so silent that no one cared to notice, the Twins bullpen improved drastically in the second half. Sure, they couldn’t fall further than before, but their bullpen now ranked 4th in MLB in FIP, only sitting behind the blue-blood organizations who consistently dominate the pitching charts. Part of that may be the inherent randomness in reliever performance, but tangible changes appeared to afflict the Twins for the better.
Take it from Falvey: "I feel like we saw a lot of progress as last season went on, and within a group that still can make even more progress as they gain experience."
Bullpens aren’t made of numbers. People pitch those innings, at least for now. Minnesota’s group includes four arms dancing around one year of MLB service time with another, Jorge Alcalá, who is about as green as the others. Is it unreasonable to believe that Jovani Moran succeeds in an expanded role, Griffin Jax finds another gear, or Trevor Megill fully realizes his strikeout potential? Jhoan Duran will continue melting faces in the near future. The teams main worry will be the complimenting pieces always at risk for the bullpen randomness bug; there's nothing that signing Corey Knebel would do to alleviate that. 
The issue with the Twins bullpen is perhaps one of perception: because they seemingly blew an incalculable number of games in 2022, they appear incompetent, doomed to blow games again. But that may not be fair. As this author noted in July, relievers are an odd group, one whose jobs rely on the starting pitcher's effectiveness; it could be an all-hand-on-deck night, or Rocco Baldelli may only need the services of two arms the do the job. Given Minnesota’s dreadfully short starting pitching, the bullpen felt an extreme strain. Much of those games were technically the fault of the relief corps, but part of the battle is placing those arms in a position to succeed; Minnesota lost that fight consistently in 2022. 
And they likely won’t have to carry that weight in 2023. With plenty of wood knocking, the 2023 Twins rotation appears a more trustworthy bunch than their previous counterparts. Swapping Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer for Kenta Maeda and Pablo López gives them a deep rotation. No arm sticks out as truly dominant, but their reliability should feed into the bullpen, removing pressure and allowing its hierarchy to remain intact. The days of Jharel Cotton saving games are over. 
It is risky. Fewer outcomes in baseball are less aesthetically pleasing than a late blown lead; the win should have been in hand, after all. If López doesn’t regain his Orioles form, Alcalá fails to show the improvement he flashed in 2021, or if any of the breakout 2022 arms regress, it could be a tough summer to bear.
 

Age: 22 (DOB: 1/10/2001)
2022 Stats (Alabama): DNP
ETA: 2025
2022 Ranking: NA

National Top 100 Rankings
BA: NR | MLB: NR | ATH: NR | BP: NR

What's To Like?
Video games have the ability to build players. You get so many attribute points that you can disperse into the creation of a player. Connor Prielipp might be a great example of that player you would build. 
 
Naturally, you'd love to probably make that perfect pitcher 6' 5' and 230 pounds, but you don't want to use too many of your points there, so you make him Prielipp's size (6' 2", 210) to avoid the stigmatism of only being six feet tall. And you make him left-handed because the lefty is always going to get a few more chances than a right-handed pitcher.
Then you start dabbling with pitch-mix. While a 100 mph fastball might be nice, you've realized it's not all about velocity anymore. So you bump that down to the low-to-mid 90s with deceptive movement because you're smart enough to know that the results will be better anyway. Since it's a video game and the only way you're really fooling anyone is with a breaking ball, you take all the attribute points you saved on your (sneaky good) fastball, and put them into your slider. With a speed that nears 90 mph and a spin rate over 2,900 rpm, you've equipped your build-a-prospect with an elite pitch. You're not crazy, so you kept some points to give your guy a change-up because if you're going to make it to The Show as a starter, you need that third pitch.
You also know that through development, you'll get plenty of time to work on the finer points of pitching - control, fastball command, and working on that third pitch. Your ceiling is super high. So high, in fact, that Baseball America has your prospect as their projected #1 starter of your team three years into the future.
That last part isn't even some trick. It's the truth. Connor Prielipp has the tools and potential to be the real deal.
What's Left to Work On
Yeah, so what I didn't tell you was you got extra attribute points because I saddled your build-a-prospect with a few less-than-ideal traits.
Connor Prielipp has a "grew up in the cold of the midwest" background. The track record of those types isn't long or great. While Wisconsin isn't a hotbed for pitchers, it's not a death wish either. There are actually three pitches in the Hall of Fame who were born in Wisconsin. (So what they were all born in the 1800s?) And Brad Radke too! It's entirely possible that baseball hasn't advanced to the point (yet) to realize that beer and cheese are actually what helps pitchers develop. But, whatever, Wisconsin is great. So are the people.
The biggest question mark about Connor Prielipp is his left elbow. Between the COVID shutdown and Tommy John surgery, Prielipp threw a grand total of 28 innings over seven starts since graduating from high school. At a minimum that will make you pause. At a maximum, you realize this prospect is almost entirely about projection.
Because while the tools are present, there is no track record; no sustained success. So there's literally nothing to not work on.
What's Next
To throw. In a game. To live hitters of another team.
Prielipp participated in Instructional League, which, to my knowledge has taken on a more development-type camp than game-play. But for all intents and purposes, there were no setbacks and he was full-go.
With the restructuring of the minor league system and what I'm sure will be a slow play to increase innings, it would be hard to believe that Prielipp will be throwing every five days all season. What would make sense is a slow build-up, staying in Ft. Myers after the teams break to keep working his way back. A piggyback approach where he throws three innings regularly and throws 60-65 innings between low-A and high-A over the course of the year would make a ton of sense. If the development stays on track and the arm stays healthy, maybe there's a discussion to open it up a little more for a late-season promotion to Wichita. 
The Twins can and absolutely should do everything they can to develop Prielipp into an important member of their big-league starting rotation, but that's going to require a ton of patience and good health.
And if those things happen, Prielipp isn't the Twins #7 prospect next year. He's going to be a Top 20 prospect globally.
Previous Rankings
Honorable Mentions
Prospects 21-30
Prospects 16-20
Prospects 11-15
Prospect 10 (Austin Martin)
Prospect 9 (Louie Varland) 
Prospect 8 (Jose Salas) 
 
   

After coming to terms with the Twins earlier today on a one-year $2.4M deal to avoid arbitration, Chris Paddack agreed to a contract extension that will allow the team to keep him pitching for the Twins for 2+ more years when he returns from Tommy John surgery later this season, Twins Daily has learned. Financial details of the contract have not been disclosed, but it is expected to be worth $10-15M in total value. 
Remember Chris Paddack? Of everything that went wrong with the 2022 Twins, Paddack’s early-season promise and immediate surgery happened so quickly that an adept gaslighter could convince one that he never existed in the first place. 
Paddack’s career arc is well-documented. The 27-year-old former starting pitching phenom traveled to San Diego from Miami in a trade for—you're going to love this—Fernando Rodney. From there, he shot up prospect lists and became a popular pick to become a major league regular. His 2019 rookie season proved promising, as the youngster made the opening day roster by surprise and accrued 140 ⅔ quality innings. The future seemed bright.
The future is also mean. Paddack’s fastball/changeup combo went from electric to the little shock that emanates from one of those fake gum gimmick toys. Paddack's numbers dropped with no useful third pitch in sight; however, his home runs continued to stay high, and both 2020 and 2021 were a wash.
Feeling the itch to trade someone, A.J. Preller moved Paddack, Emilio Pagán, and Brayan Medina for Taylor Rogers and Brent Rooker, announcing that it would be someone else’s problem to fix the former future ace.
Minnesota may have done that. Paddack carried a hilarious 1.72 FIP through five games—not giving up a homer will do that—and even appeared to have worked in an adequate slider to pair with his fastball and changeup. Then the elbow started barking. the Paddack now enjoys company in the double Tommy John club. No one wants to be a part of such a gathering.
Three members of the Twins' projected starting rotation will be free agents at the end of the year. The Twins are gambling that, in an age where high schoolers undergo the operation, a second Tommy John surgery simply means a pair of scars, and Paddack can return to being a promising pitcher on a staff in need of younger blood.
John Bonnes contributed to this story.

I've been listening and reading reactions from media, fans, this blog, etc. since FA opened. I'm pretty sure the front office went home pissed, bummed out, confused, and with all sorts of mixed emotions when Carlos Correa signed with the San Francisco Giants. It's deflating when an agent calls to say their client is going to go in another direction. 
I know this is the job we/they have signed up for, so it comes with criticism. You put a lot of time, effort, and emotions into something and must have it play out the way you want. It's even more exhausting when your job is evaluated every which way by outsiders, and you truly are doing what you think is best. You're not trying to be cheap or make it look like you're just putting in effort for show. You honestly are trying the best you can, given your circumstances. For fans and media, the armchair quarterback stuff is fun. I get it.
Did the Twins get played in this Correa saga? 
Were they played? A little by Correa's actions throughout 2022, but Derek and Thad are smart. They have dealt with Boras plenty. They know his playbook. They took a shot with the initial contract and tried to make the best of it. They knew it was a one-year deal unless Correa had a TERRIBLE year in 2022. 
They wanted to sell him and his family on the area, the culture, and the ballpark and show him what he could have. A season-long recruiting visit, so to speak. Before NIL, that stuff used to work in college. It can work in capped leagues where you must find advantages outside player salaries. You take care of the players' families. You upgrade the travel accommodations, nutrition, etc. -- things that don't count against a salary cap. It's a little more challenging in baseball. Those two knew the risks they assumed when entering this contract.
Plenty of comments claim the Twins should have known that 10 years for $285 would not get it done. A couple of points here:
Minnesota knew they would not be the highest bidder in the end. They were hoping to keep it close enough to stay in the race. Like many businesses, they hoped the relationship between the manager, club, ownership, and player meant something. 
Also, having been involved in player negotiations for many years, Boras took his best offers to San Francisco Giants and whoever else and told them you had 24 to 72 hours to match or beat it. San Francisco chose to be the highest bidder, for better or worse. Only time will tell. 
The Twins didn't get beat because ownership is cheap. They aren't cheap - they are disciplined. And I realize that makes fans upset. Some fans want the emotional owner who will do "whatever it takes." 
Were they aggressive enough while having Correa?
Phil Mackey had a little rant on YouTube yesterday saying the Twins should have been more aggressive in other areas, particularly pitching, for the one season they knew they had Correa. 
At first, I thought Phil was correct. But I thought about it more. 
You can argue with the results, but they were aggressive in acquiring starting pitching. They traded for the three of them for the 2022 season. If you want to debate the individual pitchers, I can understand that. Or, if you're going to argue trading for injured pitchers because they cost less, you can do that, too. The results were mixed from poor, to below average, to solid. But they were aggressive. We have yet to learn who else they tried to acquire via trade. We know the end results.
When players hire Boras in a situation as Correa did, they hire him to be a fixer. Here's how: 
In that first contract, he works on finding the best fit so the player can reestablish his value. Boras calls it a "pillow contract." Then he usually searches for the most significant deal he can find, either by Average Annual Value (AAV) or by total guaranteed money. Sometimes a big-time Boras free agent takes a little less to go where they want to go, but not often. That's the inherent risk of chasing "big fish," particularly chasing Boras clients. 
If you plan contingencies, you can avoid getting stuck holding the bag at the end. The Twins planned contingencies. It does not mean they will work out, but it's been reported they've met with Swanson and Rodon already. We don't know what options C, D, and E are. 
The focus on Correa
Aaron Gleeman wrote a fantastic article on The Athletic, laying it all out there. You should read it if you still need to. There are a lot of areas to fix on the Major League roster for 2023. 
They still need a shortstop. They need pitching. They need offense. They need pitching. (Yes, I know I listed it already). 
There are ways to work the roster without Correa and still improve it. It's still only December.
Jack Goin served in various roles in Baseball Operations with the Minnesota Twins from 2003-2017, including Director of Baseball Research and Director of Pro Scouting. He most recently served as a Pro Scout and Player Personnel Analyst with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2018-2021

Game Results:
Tuesday, 11/8 | Glendale 9, Peoria 3
Wednesday, 11/9 | Glendale 10, Mesa 4
Thursday, 11/10 | Salt River 2, Glendale 5
The Glendale Desert Dogs finished their season strong, going 3-0 in their final three games to secure the #2 spot in the standings. In the past, this meant they’d be playing in the AFL Championship game, but the league implemented a four-team playoff this season so they would have to win another game to make it that far.
IF Austin Martin
Week: 4-for-12, 4 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB (3 games)
Overall: .373/.454/.482 (.936 OPS)
Martin finished his AFL season with another solid week, batting .333 in three games and continuing to be a menace from the top of the order, scoring at least one run in each. He played center field in his first game of the week, then was back at shortstop for the last two.
In Tuesday’s win over Peoria, he helped key a six-run fifth inning with a single that loaded the bases. He’d later score on a bases-loaded single and finished 1-for-5. 
He was 2-for-4 and scored two runs in Wednesday’s 10-4 win over Mesa, leading off the game with a single, advancing to second base on a wild pitch, and scampering home on Edouard Julien’s single that followed for the game's first run. He’d cross the plate for the second time in the eighth to cap the Desert Dogs scoring on the game.
He did it a little differently in Thursday’s win over Salt River, finishing 1-for-3 but that lone hit, a single in the sixth inning, drove in two runners to tie the game at two, and Glendale went on to add three more runs in the frame to take the game and secure their playoff position. 
Martin was the epitome of your “prototypical leadoff hitter” in his time in the desert, getting on base at a .454 clip (ranking 6th in AFL play), stealing 10 bases (3rd), and scoring 23 runs in 21 games (2nd, to only Julien’s 24). His .936 OPS also ranked 11th in the circuit, while his 31 total hits were second to League MVP Heston Kjerstad’s 35, and his .373 batting average came in at third overall.
I’ve followed this league for a long time, and just like Royce Lewis’ MVP campaign of 2019 (where he had a .975 OPS after a .661 in the regular season), this performance absolutely should restore some prospect luster for Austin Martin. Now the Twins just need to find him a position, but I can see him functioning as a very athletic super-utility type when it comes to defense in the majors, much like how Luis Arraez got his start.
IF Edouard Julien
Week: 5-for-7, 3 R, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K (2 games)
Overall: .400/.563/.686 (1.249 OPS)
Julien saw action in two of their three wins on the week, batting second in each and serving as the second baseman in one and designated hitter in the other.
He got on base in four of his five trips to the plate against the Javelinas on Tuesday, finishing 2-for-3 with a run scored, RBI, and two walks.
In Wednesday’s big win over Mesa, it was Julien driving the ship, as his three singles in four at-bats led to three RBI and a pair of runs scored. Two of his hits came in a seven-run eighth inning that the Desert Dogs used to blow the game open. He led off the inning with a single and trotted home on a home run to the next batter that gave Glendale the lead 5-4. After they had batted around, his two-RBI single made the score 9-4. He also drew a walk to reach base in four of five trips for the second time during the week.
While he didn’t take home the AFL MVP award (Heston Kjerstad is a top 100 prospect, which has always factored into this award’s voting), instead having to settle for the Breakout Player of the Year Award, Julien was the best hitter in the entire AFL this year by a decent margin.
He ranked first in runs scored (24), walks (23), batting average (.400), on-base percentage (.563), and OPS (1.249). He was also third in total hits (28), second in slugging percentage (.686), tied for second in home runs (5), tied for third in RBI (17), and also stole six bases which ranked top ten in his 21 games played.
If Julien wasn’t a top-ten Minnesota Twins prospect before this, he should be there firmly now. Just imagine the pitch counts a lineup starting with Martin, Julien, and Luis Arraez could run up on starters in the majors someday soon.
C/1B Alex Isola
Week: 2-for-6, 1 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB (2 games)
Overall: .228/.343/.316 (.659 OPS)
Like Julien, Isola made the start in two of the Desert Dogs' three games on the week, playing first base in the games on Tuesday and Thursday.
He scored a run and drew two walks in his first game of the week, finishing 1-for-3 out of the sixth spot in the lineup.
He moved up to the cleanup position in the batting order for Thursday’s win over Salt River, and his two-RBI double in the sixth inning broke a 2-2 tie and put the Desert Dogs out front for good.
While Isola didn’t see as much action at the catcher position as he may have liked, he did improve as a hitter as the season wore on, moving into the middle of Glendale’s batting order for the final few weeks of the season after beginning as their number nine hitter. He also displayed a strong eye at the plate, drawing 10 walks compared to just 11 strikeouts on the season in his 16 games. His five doubles also matched Julien’s total and were second on the Desert Dogs to just Austin Martin on the season.
RHP Jon Olsen
Week: Did not pitch
Overall: 2-1, 5.27 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, .288 BAA, 10 BB, 17 K (13 2/3 IP)
Olsen did not pitch in any of Glendale’s final regular season games, but that was because they had him slotted for something better, which we will recap further below.
Overall on the season, Olsen’s stats may not look that great in the above, but what was important for him was getting some innings against increased competition after missing multiple seasons of development time. He recovered from a poor first outing in the AFL to be solid down the stretch, getting the win and allowing just one earned run in his last two starts. Over those final seven innings, he gave up just four hits, walked two, and struck out eight.
LHP Denny Bentley
Week: Did not pitch
Overall: 1-0, 3.18 ERA, 1.85 WHIP, .189 BAA, 14 BB, 9 K (11 1/3 IP)
The left-handed Bentley did not make any appearances in the final three games of the AFL regular season, but he did pitch in the playoffs.
He ends his regular season campaign with a solid ERA and batting average against numbers, but the walks remain worrisome as he issued them at a far higher rate than he piled up strikeouts. He has excelled particularly against same-sided hitters, but the command of his pitches will continue to be an area to work on for him. He ended his 2022 season in the bullpen of the Wichita Wind Surge, and I’d expect him to remain there to start the 2023 season.
RHP Ryan Shreve
Week: 1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (1 appearance)
Overall: 1-0, 1.84 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, .152 BAA, 8 BB, 12 K (14 2/3  IP)
Shreve was the only pitcher to make an appearance in any of the regular season games this week, and it came Wednesday’s win over Mesa. He was the first reliever summoned in the game, with one out in the bottom of the fourth after Glendale’s starter had given up the lead. He came in with a runner on third base and walked the first batter, but recovered to strike out the next two and keep the Solar Sox from expanding their lead. Back out for the fifth, he delivered a one-two-three inning, needing just five pitches to do so.
Shreve was one of the Desert Dogs' top performers out of their bullpen, ranking second on their team in ERA (1.84) and WHIP (1.02) while holding hitters to a team-best .152 batting average against. He gave up a few walks early in the campaign, but over his final three weeks struck out seven compared to just two walks allowed in his final 6 2/3 innings. 
RHP Francis Peguero
Week: Did not pitch
Overall: 1-1, 2.45 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, .227 BAA, 8 BB, 9 K (11 IP)
Like three of the other four pitchers on this list, Peguero did not make an appearance in any of Glendale’s final three regular-season games but did see action in the playoffs.
New to the Minnesota Twins organization for 2022 after being part of the Sonny Gray trade package from the Cincinnati Reds, there wasn’t a lot known about this pitcher. While he walked basically nobody during the season with Wichita, that number spiked significantly in AFL play. Despite that, he was still good at keeping runs off the scoreboard, finishing several of the games for the Desert Dogs.
AFL Playoffs
Friday, 11/11 - Semifinal | Peoria 3, Glendale 6
In the semifinal game against the Peoria Javelinas on Friday, the Twins' own Jon Olsen made the start for the home team. He went the first two innings, pitching a scoreless first before running into trouble in the second. He got two quick outs, but the next five hitters would reach base via walks or singles before they were able to escape by catching a runner trying to advance an extra base on the last of those hits. Before it was over he had allowed three runs, and the Javelinas had an early 3-0 lead.
After clawing back with a pair of runs of their own in the second, it was Alex Isola who tied the game for Glendale with his home run to left-center leading off the fourth.
Francis Peguero came out of the bullpen for the fifth and delivered a scoreless inning in his only appearance of the week. He allowed a single to the leadoff man but got outs from the next three hitters, including one strikeout to keep the game tied at the time.
In the bottom of the seventh, it was Austin Martin who gave the Desert Dogs their first lead with an RBI single, and they would hold on to win and advance to the championship game against the Surprise Saguaros. 
Martin was 1-for-3 with a run scored, RBI, and walk in this one, playing centerfield while Edouard Julien finished 1-for-4 with three strikeouts. Isola finished 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk in addition to the big home run.
Saturday, 11/12 - Championship Game | Glendale 6, Surprise 7 (11 innings)
The title game against Surprise was a back-and-forth affair throughout, with either team never leading by more than two runs, and the game being tied on five separate occasions.
Martin was again the leadoff man playing center field to start, followed by Julien at his usual second base spot. Isola was also at first base, hitting sixth.
Julien drew a walk in the first but was thrown out trying to steal second base to end the inning. This would be a familiar theme on the night for him, as he drew a walk in four of his six plate appearances, finishing 0-for-2 with a run scored in the game. In the top of the sixth, his walk to lead off resulted in him scoring a run to give Glendale a 3-2 lead. He also made a play in the extra innings to keep it going:
Pitchers Denny Bentley and Ryan Shreve both made appearances in this one, being the first two relievers out of the bullpen after their starter was done. Bentley came on with one out in the third after a home run tied the game at one, and allowed a walk but otherwise got out of the inning. He also got two quick outs in the fourth before another walk brought on Shreve for the final out. Shreve then picked up a pair of strikeouts in the fifth, but an error led to a 2-2 tie after five.
Tied at four after nine innings, the game went to extras, where the teams again traded blows, each scoring one run in the tenth, but Martin did his best to win the game for Glendale in both the ninth and eleventh innings.
He was at the plate with the score 4-4 in the ninth, when his groundball to short ended with the runner coming home being thrown out. Then in the eleventh with two outs and runners on first and second, Martin delivered a single into right field to give the Desert Dogs a 6-5 lead.
It took only two batters with the runner starting on second base for Surprise to dash their hopes in the bottom half, as two consecutive RBI singles won the game for the team that ended the regular season with the best record.
Martin finished 1-for-6 with an RBI, and Isola was 0-for-4 with a walk in the championship game.
While they weren’t able to take it home, it was an exciting game and season for Twins prospects. Austin Martin and Edouard Julien were fantastic throughout, leading Glendale to the final game and coming as close as they possibly could to winning it for them. Congrats on all the players for a fun season, and I look forward to 2023!
Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the prospects playing in the AFL this week!

Having lost their top two starters to a deadline sell-off trade and Tommy John surgery, the Twins headed into last offseason with a barren rotation outlook. It was unclear exactly how Derek Falvey and Thad Levine would realistically be able to offset these big losses.
Yes, they had money to spend. But the next premier frontline starting pitcher to choose Minnesota in free agency would be the first. Some creativity was gonna be needed to field a contending staff, and Levine hinted as much early on.
The general manager's quotes led me to write a column around this time last year: Are the Twins About to Build a Radically Unconventional Pitching Staff?
“I think with the challenge comes opportunity,” Levine had said. “We’re going to be as creative as we can be in terms of not being necessarily hemmed into the notion of it has to look exactly the way it has always looked. We may end up looking at this from the lens of how many multi-inning guys can we add to a staff and how far does that take us?”
The Twins followed through on their foreshadowing ... to an extent. With their only stable veteran workhorses – José Berríos, Kenta Maeda, and Michael Pineda – out of the picture for 2022, the team didn't acquire proven inning-eaters to replace them. Instead, their pickups were Sonny Gray, Dylan Bundy, Chris Archer and Chris Paddack, none of whom had thrown even 140 innings the prior season.
Meanwhile, the only rotation incumbents were Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober, who had thrown a collective 120 innings in the big leagues.
The front office assembled a staff full of pretty good pitchers who were – almost uniformly – unequipped to provide any length, and so we saw Levine's vision more or less come to life: vast numbers of different arms rotating in and out to cobble together nine-inning games.
The Twins used a franchise-record 38 different pitchers. Their starters averaged 4.8 innings, second-fewest in the American League. They used six or more different pitchers in a game 31 times. 
Radically unconventional indeed. And, had this approach been successful, you wouldn't hear me complaining. But clearly it was not. The Twins ranked 19th in ERA, 19th in FIP, 20th in fWAR. Even for a club that was built around the strength of its lineup, that's not nearly good enough.
The plan, at its core, was not a terrible one: maximize the stuff of your pitchers in shorter stints, shield them from multiple trips through the order, and possibly reduce injuries from overuse. 
Alas, none of those supposed benefits came to fruition. So what went wrong, and what can we learn? Was the entire philosophy bunk, or was the execution botched? 
I would argue, probably more of the latter. There might be some merit to the concept, provided the Twins heed these lessons learned:
The starters weren't good enough, or healthy enough, even in shortened starts.
I don't dislike the idea of signing a cheap pitcher – who doesn't have the repertoire or durability to go deep – for the back of your rotation and unleashing him in highly effective 4-5 inning bursts. The problem is that this group lacked the capacity to be highly effective even with this usage.
Bundy held his own the first time through the lineup, then got mashed the second time through (.291/.327/.534), often making the third time a moot point. Archer posted an 85 ERA+ despite almost never pitching past the fourth. He placed a heavy weight on the bullpen every fifth day, and rarely left them in a good spot.
Meanwhile, the cautious management wasn't enough to prevent Ober, who only once threw even 90 pitches in a start, from being derailed by a season-ruining groin injury. It wasn't enough to prevent Gray, who grumbled about Rocco Baldelli's early hooks, from multiple significant hamstring injuries.
If the Twins want an approach like this to pay dividends, they need to find pitchers who are actually capable of excelling in shorter starts (a la Andrew Heaney) and they need to better help their players physically adapt to the altered routines.
You've got to have at least one starter who can be the workhorse.
Even with all of the above being addressed, I still think you've got to have at least one starting pitcher in your rotation who you can count on to give you some length. This strategy built around five-and-flies, piggybacking and the like becomes a lot more palatable when there is a fixture like Berríos routinely firing 6-7 innings each time through the rotation. 
That likely contributed to the decision to acquire Tyler Mahle at the deadline. He threw 180 innings in 2021 (would've led the Twins by 60), and had completed six or more frames in eight of nine starts for the Reds leading up the trade. 
Of course, Mahle proved to be the opposite of a remedy for Minnesota, and now only adds to the uncertainty of a 2023 rotation in desperate need of stable and dependable durability.
Their bullpen wasn't built adequately to handle the burden.
This is what really gets me. Levine talked about "looking at this from the lens of how many multi-inning guys can we add to a staff," and then their only bullpen addition of the offseason was Joe Smith, who could barely be counted on for one inning.
The Twins rarely carried anything resembling a long man on the staff, and would typically just march out endless one-inning relievers after short starts. This led to them frequently burning through all of their high-leverage arms on one night and burning out the back end of their bullpen for the next. 
To make a system like this work, you've got to have an array of arms capable of getting more than three outs on a regular basis. The routine of four-inning starts followed by 5-6 relievers is not a workable formula as we saw.
Losing your pitching coach mid-season doesn't help.
This one can't so much be blamed on the front office and their planning. It's difficult to anticipate such a disruptive event in the heart of your season, and Wes Johnson's abrupt departure made matters tougher as the Twins tried to hold together their experimental pitching staff through the second half.
Pete Maki undoubtedly played a significant role in architecting this year's plan, and now, as the apparent choice going forward at pitching coach, he'll be able to more directly pull the strings and execute to his preferences. 
So, to summarize...
The model of building a pitching staff with reduced emphasis on traditional 6-7 inning starters isn't bad in theory. Indeed, there's plenty of evidence that it is the inexorable direction of baseball at large. But if the Twins want to lean into this movement as they did in 2022, they need to get better at. That means:
Filling the rotation with starters who can at least stay healthy and excel in 4-5 inning starts. Finding at least one workhorse type starter who can reliably give you 6+ innings each turn. Equipping the bullpen with enough firepower and multi-inning relievers to shoulder the load. Having one central mastermind oversee the operation (and if it's not working, find someone new). As you're looking through the options available in our bullpen chapter of the Offseason Handbook, these are lessons worth keeping in mind.

The Twins have found their Injured List to be as full as their Active Roster a lot the last few years. Whether it was his fault or not, Michael Salazar took the hit for the injuries when the Twins fired him after the season. 
On Thursday, Nick Paparesta, who has been the Oakland A's Head Athletic Trainer for the past 12 seasons, was hired in the same role for the Twins. Before getting that job, he had spent three seasons as an Assistant Athletic Trainer with the Tampa Bay Rays. He had spent two years in their minor league system. And before that, he spent 11 seasons in the Cleveland organization, including four at Triple-A Buffalo. 

1996 Watertown card. 
It appears to be a lateral move for the veteran trainer, and yet, he grew up in North Ft. Myers, so at least for spring training and the offseason, it's a chance to return home. 
Did you know that each year MLB recognizes the "Major League Athletic Training Staff of the Year" with an award. His training staffs won the award in 2009 (with the Rays) and in 2018 (with the A's). Paparesta has even been selected as an All Star when he served as the head athletic trainer for the American League in the 2017 All Star game. 
The 49-year-old comes to the Twins organization hoping to find ways to keep the Twins players off of the Injured List and on the field. For much more on Paparesta, check out this 12+ minute interview from about a year ago. 
 

Brooks Lee came to the Twins as a shortstop prospect with plenty of promise. He may have some of the best bat-to-ball skills of any draftee in recent memory, and there’s plenty of indication that he can stick at shortstop. Needing to supplement a farm system that has seen plenty of graduations over the past year, a talent like Lee is the exact type of player you’d like to land.
There is no denying that year one as a professional went anything but exceptional. Lee started in the Complex League but lasted just four games before outgrowing the competition. He then skipped Low-A Fort Myers entirely and went to High-A Cedar Rapids. In 25 games in Iowa, he posted an .848 OPS, and when the season ended, it was evident he could help Double-A Wichita during their postseason run. To say that the hype around him has increased would be putting it lightly.
Joining a group of talented infield prospects such as Austin Martin and Royce Lewis, Lee provides plenty of promise. I caught up with the star prospect as he reflected on his 2022, what the offseason entails, and how 2023 may look.
Twins Daily: Entering pro ball, what is the thing that most took you by surprise? Maybe something that was opposite of your expectations?
Brooks Lee: I think what took me most by surprise was the speed of the game. It seemed like people still ran hard down to first base and did things that normally wouldn’t be done because of how long the season is. It was nice to see people still playing the game hard.
TD: You had a wildly successful debut, what can you most attribute that to?
BL: I think working hard and smarter has contributed to my success on the field. My confidence has stayed high, and I also really enjoy playing this game, which is necessary. It was a short debut of games for me, but I am excited to see what a full season has in store for me. Hoping to keep producing on offense and defense.
TD: Although the time at Double-A was brief, what was the biggest difference you noticed between that level and Single-A?
BL: The biggest difference from High-A to Double-A was the pitching. It seemed as if every team had some good flamethrowers who also executed their off-speed pitches wherever they wanted, and in any count. The starters had multiple pitches that they could manipulate very well with a very low error rate. I also thought pitches were in the zone more often which is helpful for me.
TD: Now with exposure behind you, what are you most focused on for training this offseason?
BL: I think the focus of the off-season will be about hitting pitches that had given me more trouble than others and continue trying to develop my speed and strength. The Twins have been very helpful in creating a plan for me to come back better than the year before.
TD: How would you evaluate the production from this year? What is a weakness you’re trying to improve on?
BL: I think I can continue to get better in all areas. For offense, I want to develop more power, and I’m sure that will come with seeing more professional pitching. Usually, my doubles come in bunches, but next year I would like to hit a lot more than I showed this summer. My speed is a weakness, so my first step will be critical in my development as a shortstop.
TD: Thinking ahead to next season, what is something you want to accomplish in 2023?
BL: As of right now, I haven’t thought of many goals for next year, but hitting well above .300 is always a goal. At the end of the year, no matter what level I am at, I will hopefully be looking forward to competing and winning a championship.
TD: Ending on a light note, off the diamond, what are you doing to relax and unwind this offseason?
BL: I don’t do much outside of baseball, but I always enjoy my off time with my girlfriend. She is at Cal Poly where I went, so it is nice to spend time with her and family. Being in San Luis Obispo is great, and I enjoy being by the water any chance I get. I don’t think there will be much time away from baseball, and I’m all good with that!
 

THE AMERICAN LEAGUE
NEW YORK YANKEES: If you can pull yourself away from cheering for the Cowboys, the Lakers, and Notre Dame, this is your team. Also, you are the devil. I hope they break into every Aaron Judge at-bat to show highlights of preseason NHL games. On the plus side, the longer they’re in the playoffs that’s less time for Josh Donaldson to dedicate to his first love (racism).
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS: There are those who say, “Well, if the Twins can’t win, I hope the AL Central winner does.” These are the people who fall for every Facebook multi-level marketing scam. They have a garage full of LulaRoe tights. Don’t listen to them.
SEATTLE MARINERS: No one deserves to win a World Series. The ideal outcome to this year’s playoffs would be for all 12 participants to get a teamwide case of mono and the league declaring Minnesota the champion since they’re healthy and have kind eyes. Some blowhards might say this title would have an asterisk but it would still be 100x more legit than any title won during the color barrier era so I’ll see you all on the parade route.
ANYWAY, since this likely won’t happen, Seattle seems cool. They probably should have won one when they won a thousand games in 2001. You can root for them, sure. My American League pick.
TAMPA BAY RAYS: Until they re-rebrand as the Devil Rays, I can’t in good conscience advise cheering for this team. Which is a bummer, because their goofy, awful stadium reminds me of the Metrodome, a goofy, incredible stadium.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS: They already have Ruffles All-Dressed chips. They need nothing else from us.
HOUSTON ASTROS: No.
THE NATIONAL LEAGUE
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: This city’s sports fans are true criminals and hooligans yet achieve a level of dirtbag grace that other metro areas can only hope to attain. That said, the Eagles just won a Super Bowl and look great again. They don’t need our help.
SAN DIEGO PADRES: I honestly quit paying attention when Fernando Tatis, Jr. got suspended. Remember when their uniforms were yellow and brown?
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: See HOUSTON ASTROS
LOS ANGELES DODGERS: If you care whether they win or lose you’re more invested than their fans are.
ATLANTA BRAVES: They have both Eddie Rosario and future MVP Robbie Grossman, god bless them both. However, they also have the racist chant and Ron Gant was out and sucks to be you, Lonnie Smith. Worst franchise in sports. Walk into the ocean, bozos.
NEW YORK METS: They won a World Series with the entire team out of their minds on cocaine and beat Boston, the most insufferable sports city in America, to do it. They have Ed Escobar, one of the greatest Twins of all time. I hope they win every game 17-2 and they build a statue of Ed. THIS IS YOUR TEAM, MINNESOTA. LOVE THEM LIKE ED LOVES YOU.

Call this a cupcake article. Call it a blanket frosting over reality. Perhaps an escape from the truth. 
Part of the beauty of being a fan is riding the emotional roller coaster that comes along with the everyday affairs of your team. The wins foster jubilance and joy. The losses lament pain and vitriol. Yet emotions aside, there's an obligation to look at the reality. 
The 2022 Minnesota Twins will not make the MLB playoffs. Despite holding serve in the American League Central for a bulk of the season, injuries and lackluster play plagued one of the youngest teams in the league in a way that will most likely result in a bronze medal in what many consider baseball's weakest division. 
Disappointing? Absolutely.  An utter failure? Far from it. 
Professional sports and baseball in particular are often viewed through a black and white, championship or bust lens. The fact the Twins won't be playing in October is certainly a shame...yet it would be foolish to not address the number of overwhelming successes that took place for the 2022 Twins, many of which were far from expected. 
Don't disseminate your disappointment, but acknowledge the good that took place. 
1. Jose Miranda is Everything We Hoped For
Jose Miranda had one of, if not the best season in Twins minor league history last year, slashing .344/.401/.572 (.973) between Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul. After 21 games with the Saints this year, Miranda was called up to Target Field. 
Each transition up the minor league ladder is an added layer of difficulty; it's no secret that the jump from Triple-A to the bigs is the most difficult, separating big leaguers from Four-A players. 
Miranda has shown that he belongs in the MLB, and that he can serve as a valuable asset for the Twins for years to come. After a slow month of May, Miranda shunned the doubters with 22 hits, 13 RBI, and a .306 batting average in the month of June. The power-packed corner infielder pumped up the noise in July with a .353/.405/.603 slash line. 
Miranda has slashed .273/.327/.764 through the season and has cemented himself as a leader in the Twins' offensive lineup. Just 24 years old, imagine what consistent middle of the lineup would like like with Buxton, (hopefully) Correa, and Miranda. The future is bright. 
2. The Veteran the Twins Needed
The Twins have struck out with veteran pitching acquisitions in years past. Not with Sonny Gray. Acquired prior to the season in exchange for 2021 top draft pick Chase Petty, Gray has served as the anchor for a young and often injury-ridden staff. 
Slated to start today's game, Gray is 8-5 on the season with a 3.08 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 24 starts. Like most other pieces of the pitching staff, Gray too has struggled with injuries throughout the course of the year. Still, the 32-year-old has remained quite consistent. Gray's May was especially dominant, going 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in five starts. 
With Joe Ryan finding his groove and Bailey Ober returning to health (not to mention the return of Kenta Maeda and Chris Paddock), Gray has the potential to be a cornerstone of a rock-solid starting pitching staff in 2022. Whether he's the ace or three/four man, Gray's consistency has and will continue to bolster a fairly inexperienced staff.
3. Smiles-a-Plenty...at Last
You can't help but smile when you see Nick Gordon smile...and after the incredible 2022 season that he's had. Drafted as the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 2014 Draft by the Twins, Nick Gordon was expected by many to make a splash as a marquee player early on in his career. 
Yet for various reasons, Gordon didn't hit his stride early on. 
It's a tough league and amounting to the expectations of the front office, fans, and media is hard, especially as a first round pick. 
Perhaps it made Gordon's 2022 season that much sweeter. Gordon has slashed .276/.323./.761 so far this season with 9 homers and 45 RBI. He's been a staple 'yes man' in the field, playing all over the place when his number is called. As at matter of fact, the same can be said at the plate. Flash G has batted everywhere from cleanup to the nine-hole in the order and has consistently produced results. 
Yes, there's room for improvement on the base paths, that will come with time. Yet at the end of the day, Gordon's story is one that all fans should appreciate alongside the fact that he's amounted into about as good of a utility-man as an organization can ask for. 
4.  An Ace in the Making
People knew Joe Ryan was good when the Twins acquired him in the Nelson Cruz trade last season. The entire league now knows that Ryan can become one of the league's elite pitchers with a few tune ups in years to come. 
Ryan is sitting at 12-8 with a 3.70 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through 26 starts in 2022. He's proven to be the guy with the 'it factor' in the Twins' rotation; a rock-solid fastball, sneaky good breaking pitches, the ability to go long, and a swagger that cannot be underappreciated. Yes, one can bring up the fact that six of Ryan's losses have come against likely playoff teams and ten of his 12 wins have come against teams that won't be playing in October. 
Don't read into it too much. Yes, the bar has been set high...but it's because everyone sees the talent in the west-coast arm. And while high expectations can be great, let's remember that Joe Ryan is a rookie. He's got all the time  in the world to develop and it will be fascinating to see what the 26-year-old amounts to in his hopefully storied career. 
5. Hometown Products Shine in Fourth Quarter...and all Season
Everyone loves a good hometown kid story...the Twins have seen three of them this season.
Former North St. Paul RHP and Concordia-St. Paul alum Louie Varland was called up on September 7 to pitch against the Yankees in the Bronx. He was electric, allowing just two runs on three hits while striking out seven in 5 1/3 innings. Varland squared off against MVP candidate Shohei Ohtani in his Target Field debut on September 23, pitching a respectable 5 2/3 innings of seven-hit, three-run ball while striking out three. 
Forest Lake's Matt Wallner has been outstanding since being called up on September 17. The power hitter has nine hits (including two homers and two doubles) and six RBI in his first 37 at bats and crushed his first Target Field homer last night off of "old friend" Lance Lynn. 
Yes, Wallner will strikeout a lot, but that's still pretty impressive for a power hitter in his first 11 games.  What's most impressive is the Wallner started last season at High-A Cedar Rapids and Varland started at Low-A Fort Myers...talk about progress!
On top of all of that, Randolph, Minnesota native Caleb Thielbar has has an outstanding season in the bullpen. Set to start coaching Division II baseball for Augustana less than three years ago, Thielbar has tallied just 0.79 HR/9 and 2.86 BB/9 through 2022. His fastball is consistently touching 94 and 95 MPH and is still complemented by a picture-esque curveball that can go as low as the high 60's. 
What's your favorite moment from the 2022 Minnesota Twins season? Drop a comment below!
 

Emilio Pagán has not only been bad this season for the Minnesota Twins, but has been one of the worst relievers in baseball going on three seasons now. Our friend Aaron Gleeman said it best:
Continuing to trot out Pagán every few days is actively harming the Minnesota Twins. He continues to harm the team and his upside is certainly not high enough to warrant the catastrophic performances we see from him on a weekly basis. Additionally, the Minnesota Twins have plenty of players just 15 minutes away from Target Field who could fill in for Pagán. There’s a great chance that these players would perform better than Pagán, and would give each of them valuable experience with an eye toward sticking in the bullpen for years to come.
These four players are better options for the Minnesota Twins’ bullpen than Emilio Pagán:
Jovani Moran
Jovani Moran should be a familiar name for Minnesota Twins fans as he has been up with the Twins many times this season. In his time with the Twins, Moran has been more than solid, owning a 1.93 ERA in 23 1/3 innings in 2022. Moran is a left-handed pitcher who possesses a nasty changeup that can neutralize right-handers. Moran is certainly a pitcher who has a future in this Twins bullpen and the fact that Emilio Pagán is getting more play than him isn’t right.
Ronny Henriquez
Ronny Henriquez was acquired from the Texas Rangers in the Mitch Garver/Isaiah Kiner-Falefa swap early in the 2022 offseason. Henriquez has not been amazing for the Twins in 2022, owning a 5.90 ERA for the AAA affiliate, but he has been better as of late. In 26 innings since June 21, the right-hander owns a 3.12 ERA with a 29/8 K/BB ratio. What makes Henriquez an intriguing option for the Minnesota Twins bullpen is that he has yet to be tested in a true 1-2 inning bullpen role. Henriquez can get to the upper 90s with his fastball and his pitch repertoire might just be one that thrives in a bullpen role rather than the 4-5 inning stretches that he has been pitching with the Saints this season. Henriquez is currently on the 40-man roster with the Minnesota Twins.
Evan Sisk
The Minnesota Twins acquired Evan Sisk in its trade with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021 for J.A. Happ. Sisk performed extremely well this season in Wichita and was moved up to the St. Paul Saints where he has continued his great pitching out of the bullpen. In 14 innings with the St. Paul Saints in 2022, Sisk owns a 2.57 ERA with a K/9 of 9.6. Sisk is not currently on the 40-man roster for the Twins so would need to be added if he were to be called up to the big-league club.
Drew Strotman
Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Nelson Cruz trade last summer, Drew Strotman struggled mightily as a starting pitcher with the Minnesota Twins in 2021. Coming into 2022, the Twins opted to convert Strotman into a reliever and he continued to struggle in the early months of this season. Over the past month and a half, though, Strotman appears to have turned a corner and become somewhat of a weapon for the St. Paul Saints. Over his last 10 appearances, Strotman has a 1.32 ERA and opponents are hitting just .180 off of him. On the season, Strotman has demonstrated the ability to miss bats, boasting a K/9 in the double digits. 
Control can be an issue for Strotman, but when he’s able to locate his pitches, he can be really solid. Strotman is already on the 40-man roster, so no roster finagling would need to be done with a Strotman call-up. 
Do you agree that these options would be better for the Twins’ bullpen than Emilio Pagán? How would you rank your confidence in these names? Leave a comment below and start the conversation!
 

You can go more in-depth on any specific player in the Twins Daily Draft Tracker. 
I'll give you the class overview here. 
All of the Top 10 round selections and seven of the Day 3 selections are signed, sealed and delivered. We'll keep you updated at Twins Daily as they all embark soon on their professional careers. 
Only Brooks Lee (first round) and Connor Prielipp (second round) came in over slot. Surprisingly enough, Lee's bonus was more over slot than Prielipp's. Both figure to enter the Twins Top 10 prospects and it isn't out of the question to consider Lee and Prielipp the organization's top hitting and pitching prospect, respectively. 
In order to get both players signed to over slot deals, the Twins had to shave money off their Day 2 picks. Each one of those players came in under slot - between $24,100 and $178,500 - to guarantee the Twins could make that happen.
Now that the dust has settled and figures are public, there are a few interesting tidbits.
The Twins spent $9,933,700 of their $10,081,500 bonus pool, meaning they still have $147,800 remaining to spend. Additionally, they could spend 105% of their bonus pool without any penalty. That means the Twins could spend up to $651,875 more.
Omari Daniel has not signed yet, but he will be reporting to Fort Myers this weekend and is likely to forego his college eligibility to begin his professional career. Sources have indicated that Daniel's bonus will not exceed $125,000, which would require the signing team to dip into their bonus pool.
So that leaves Garrett McMillan (Alabama) and Korbyn Dickerson (Kentucky prep committed to Louisville). Both have said publicly they will not be signing and that would be the expected outcome. The Twins could offer either one $272,800 (sixth round money) to sign. That would put them right at the limit of their bonus pool. If they wanted to use the 5% extra, they could sign either to $776,875 (which is basically third round money) or they could offer each $450,937 (late fourth round money). 
A late signing after professing publicly that a player is returning isn't unprecedented. The Twins signed Edouard Julien for $493,000 in 2019 after he stated he was going back to Auburn
As the signing deadline approaches next week, the only question remains... will either McMillan or Dickerson change their mind?

  MINNESOTA TWINS $651,875     Player Round Slot Bonus $147,800     Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly 1 $5,442,400 $5,675,000 -$232,600     Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama 2 $1,662,700 $1,825,000 -$162,300     Tanner Schobel, SS, Virginia Tech"}" style="font-size:9pt; padding:2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align:bottom">Tanner Schobel, SS, Virginia Tech CB $1,002,000 $1,002,000 $0     Andrew Morris, RHP, Texas Tech"}" style="font-size:9pt; padding:2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align:bottom">Andrew Morris, RHP, Texas Tech 4 $533,300 $500,000 $33,300     Ben Ross, SS, Notre Dame Coll."}" style="font-size:9pt; padding:2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align:bottom">Ben Ross, SS, Notre Dame Coll. 5 $398,500 $220,000 $178,500     Jorel Ortega, 2B, Tennessee"}" style="font-size:9pt; padding:2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align:bottom">Jorel Ortega, 2B, Tennessee 6 $301,200 $250,000 $51,200     Kyle Jones, RHP, Toledo"}" style="font-size:9pt; padding:2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align:bottom">Kyle Jones, RHP, Toledo 7 $235,600 $176,700 $58,900     Zebby Matthews, RHP, W. Carolina"}" style="font-size:9pt; padding:2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align:bottom">Zebby Matthews, RHP, W. Carolina 8 $187,900 $125,000 $62,900     Cory Lewis, RHP, UC-Santa Barbara"}" style="font-size:8pt; padding:2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align:bottom">Cory Lewis, RHP, UC-Santa Barbara 9 $164,100 $140,000 $24,100     Dalton Shuffield, SS, Texas State"}" style="font-size:9pt; padding:2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align:bottom">Dalton Shuffield, SS, Texas State 10 $153,800 $20,000 $133,800     Andrew Cossetti, C, St. Joseph's"}" style="font-size:9pt; padding:2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align:bottom">Andrew Cossetti, C, St. Joseph's 11 - $125,000       Nate Baez, C, Arizona State"}" style="font-size:9pt; padding:2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align:bottom">Nate Baez, C, Arizona State 12 - $125,000       C.J. Culpepper, RHP, Cal Baptist"}" style="font-size:9pt; padding:2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align:bottom">C.J. Culpepper, RHP, Cal Baptist 13 - $125,000       Omari Daniel, SS, The Walker School 14 - Agreed       Ben Ethridge, RHP, So. Miss."}" style="font-size:9pt; padding:2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align:bottom">Ben Ethridge, RHP, So. Miss. 15 - $125,000       Jankel Ortiz, SS, Ac. Pres. HS (PR) 16 - $125,000       Alec Sayre, OF, Wright State"}" style="font-size:9pt; padding:2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align:bottom">Alec Sayre, OF, Wright State 17 - $100,000       Zachary Veen, LHP, Point Loma 18 - $80,000       Garrett McMillan, RHP, Alabama 19 - intends to return to Alabama     Korbyn Dickerson, OF, Trinity HS (KY) 20 - intends to go to Louisville                

Brooks Lee was considered to be a contender for the first overall pick at different points during the draft cycle. An elite hitter with incredible bat-to-ball skills, Lee could’ve helped any number of teams making a selection at the top of this draft. He was an incredible talent for Cal Poly, and he replicated the success in Cape Cod action. Playing for his dad, Larry, at Cal Poly always seemed to be part of the plan, but there was never any doubt that he’d be a top-tier big league prospect.
He has now agreed to an over-slot deal with the Twins, checking in at roughly $5.6 million. He still needs to sign the paperwork, but his big league career is set to begin. Before it does, I had the opportunity to check in with him.
Twins Daily: As someone that came into the draft looking like a top pick, how was the leadup and anticipation to draft day for you? What was the experience like?
Brooks Lee: It was a pretty different experience, unlike the one I had in high school, because in high school I was still deciding whether I wanted to go play for my dad or not. This draft I was already past that and super excited to see where I would land.
TD: You got to play for your dad in college and have been around a high level of baseball for quite some time. How has that shaped you as a player?
BL: I think it was super beneficial that I got to be around the game at such a young age. I feel like I see the game from a different perspective at times, in a good way. For much of my life I have been involved with college baseball so I believe it’s really helped in the areas of dealing with failure and learning how to create a winning culture. 
TD: Every publication has written about your elite bat-to-ball skills. What about your preparation and process make you so good at the plate?
BL: I have a unique way of hitting and have always been this way. I think the bat-to-ball skills is something that was developed from a really young age. I was forced to swing at every pitch no matter where it was in batting practice which later on helped hitting different pitches in certain areas, especially with two strikes. I love to hit and talk about that part of the game, so it’s super enjoyable to prepare in this area and learn ways to be more advanced.
TD: When looking at the next level, what are things about your game that you think will help ease the transition, and what areas are you most looking to develop?
BL: I think my understanding of the game is what will help in the biggest way. I will never say I know everything about the game but being around coach and dad who knew so much will definitely help. The areas I want to get better at are speed and arm strength.
TD: What do you know about the Minnesota Twins? Have you ever been to Target Field?
BL: I know that the Twins are in 1st place in the AL Central and I’m excited to help them keep trending in the right direction whenever that time may be. I played summer ball in Minnesota a couple of years ago and loved it, so I can’t wait to be back doing what I love there.
TD: As a person or player, what do you want Twins Territory to know about you?
BL: I am a hard-working, selfless kid from California who just wants to win.
 

Looking at the MLB.com pre-draft rankings, Tanner Schobel found himself checking it at 96th. He started every game of his college career, and has played both up-the-middle positions. Schobel broke out in a big way playing in the Cape Cod League last summer, and he continued to ride that momentum towards a solid season with the Hokies.
Looking forward to getting his professional career started, Schobel was kind enough to answer a few questions first.
Twins Daily: You started all 111 games during your college career. Making a pretty substantial offensive leap over the last two seasons, what would you attribute most to the growth?
Tanner Schobel: Through my two seasons at Virginia Tech I would attribute my growth to the scouting reports that our coaches put in place for us as well as developing and maturing in the weight room as well as in my workouts on the field. Also being around experienced players like Gavin Cross, Nick Biddison, Cade Hunter, and many more I was able to grow in my game and learn from them. 
TD: Power production showed up this season, was there a change in approach to generate that? How much do you lean into analytics when looking to improve your swing?
TS: My power numbers were much better this season due to getting stronger in the weight room and paying closer attention to detail. In our pre-game and pre-weekend scout meetings, I would recognize patterns that pitchers would fall into. I would study the at bats before me and get a good idea of what kind of pitch I was getting in which counts. I would also try and pick up on the locations that the pitchers were trying to target. By doing this I had a game plan and a set approach and was able to put good swings on pitches that I was comfortable doing damage with. 
TD: As a defender ,the Twins tabbed you as a shortstop. Having played second base as well, is there a side of the diamond you feel more comfortable on? How would you describe your defensive abilities?
TS: At school, I was very comfortable filling in whatever role my coaches wanted of me. If it was at second base, I would do my best to be the best second baseman. If it was at shortstop, I would do my best to be the best shortstop. I am very comfortable on both sides of the infield and view myself as the type of player that can play any position asked of me to help our team win the most amount of games. 
TD: When transitioning to pro ball, what is the one thing about your game you feel most confident in and where's an area you look forward to further developing?
TS: Going into professional baseball I am most confident in my knowledge of the game, especially in the batter's box. Being able to have a set game plan and approach that I developed throughout college and have been successful with is really exciting for me moving forward. I understand the game is only getting harder and that I will have to make adjustments physically and mentally but I feel like I have a very good foundation and am excited to get going with it. As I continue to grow in professional baseball I am looking forward to becoming more versatile and learning from the very talented and hardworking players around me. There are things within my game that I may not notice that my teammates and coaches will point out and I’m excited to soak in a ton of information to help me be the best baseball player I can be. 
TD: What do you know about the Minnesota Twins? Have you ever been to Target Field?
TS: What I know about the Minnesota Twins is that they are very good at developing their players within the organization from top to bottom and that they want their players to succeed and will give them every opportunity to succeed. I have never been to Target Field before or Minnesota in general but I am excited to make it there someday and compete for the Twins. 
TD: Either as a person or a player, what is something you want Twins Territory to know about you?
TS: Something I want Twins Territory to know about me is they will get nothing but my absolute best and I’m excited to win a whole lot of ball games with them.
 

A Michigan native, Kyle Jones is a four-year senior from the University of Toledo. A starting pitcher for the Rockets, Jones was a workhorse throwing 91 1/3 innings this past season. He posted a 4.24 ERA alongside 11.3 K/9. He became the third pitcher Minnesota selected in the 2022 MLB draft, and was noted as a high-character guy by a few different people I reached out to.
I caught up with Jones after his selection to ask a few questions and introduce him to Twins Territory.
Twins Daily: Working as a starter this season for Toledo, what does your repertoire look like and what is your best pitch?
Kyle Jones: As a starter this year for Toledo, I worked with a four-seam fastball, spike curveball, and splitter. This summer I have been working on adding a cutter to my arsenal as well. My best pitch has always been my curveball since it has been hard with late break. My splitter played pretty well this year in spots and I’m excited to gain confidence with it.
TD: How do you set yourself up to attack hitters? What type of pitcher would you describe yourself as and what goes into your preparation?
KJ: I try to get ahead in the count as early as possible to reduce walks and let my offspeed work. I see myself as a pitchability guy since I can get swings and misses on my offspeed and fill up the strike zone. I stick to my weekly routine as much as possible to make sure that I am ready to go whenever I get on the mound. This includes mobility, conditioning, lifting, and a weekly bullpen.
TD: The 114 strikeouts across just 91 1/3 innings are more than impressive, but then paired with just 25 walks, your ability to command the zone looks even better. What do you think can separate you as a pitcher in professional baseball?
KJ: I think that being able to throw three pitches for strikes without walking many will be a separator for me professionally. I also think that being routine-oriented can help me stay healthy and consistent throughout the season.
TD: Minnesota is trending towards an organization that heavily employs advanced analytics. What is your background with using the data and incorporating it into the way you pitch?
KJ: I love having access to analytics whenever I have the chance. In the past, I have done pitch design sessions and training with Rapsodo which has been great for me to learn about my arsenal and metrics. Being at a mid-major, we do not always have access to Trackman data during the season, but I try to use it whenever I have the chance. I am really looking forward to diving deeper into the analytical part of pitching and am excited that the Twins will be able to provide that.
TD: What do you know about the Minnesota Twins? Have you ever been to Target Field?
KJ: Growing up in Detroit, I had watched the Tigers play the Twins, but have never been to Minnesota or Target Field. I know they have been playing some good baseball recently and am excited to contribute to the organization!
TD: What is something you want Twins Territory to know about you as a person or player?
KJ: I just want to say that I can’t wait to get down to Fort Myers and get going with the Twins. I also want to give a shoutout to my family for all the love and support throughout my career as well as to all my coaches who have gotten me to where I am today.
 

No prep players. No toolsy outfielders. Not a single catcher.
It may not have been the Day 2 that everyone was hoping for, but it was the Day 2 the team needed after a near-perfect opening night.
You can check out the Twins Draft Tracker for more information on each of the first ten picks. That
will continue to be a work-in-progress as we get more information on the players. 
But as far as the draft today went, it shouldn't have been too surprising. After having Brooks Lee fall into their lap at #8 and then Connor Prielipp tumble all the way to #48, there is no doubt the Twins worked even later into the night to try to figure out exactly how much money it was going to cost to sign those two players. And I'm *guessing* $7 million isn't going to be enough.
 
Maybe it's $8 million. Maybe it's $9 million. I don't know. But I bet the Twins draft room has a pretty good idea. 
So this afternoon, it wasn't a question of, "who is the best guy we can get in the fourth round for slot?" but instead a question of, "Who do we like the most that will sign for $100K?" and "Who is the guy we like the most that will sign for $40K?" 
Now let's not confuse that strategy with punting picks or not taking baseball players. Mitch Garver was one of those players and he was great. Some of these guys were going to be Day 2 picks anyway. Some of these guys were probably favorites of the organization to be early Day 3 picks. 
And a lot of them have something intriguing about them, whether it's that they've crushed pitching (in a small sample) or have hit for ridiculous averages or throw a knuckleball. 

Player Round Slot Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly 1 $5,439,500 Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama 2 $1,621,900 Tanner Schobel, SS, Virginia Tech CB $1,001,500 Andrew Morris, RHP, Texas Tech 4 $533,100 Ben Ross, SS, Notre Dame Coll. 5 $398,200 Jorel Ortega, SS, Tennessee 6 $301,000 Kyle Jones, RHP, Toledo 7 $235,400 Zebby Matthews, RHP, W. Carolina 8 $187,700 Cory Lewis, RHP, UC-Santa Barbara 9 $164,000 Dalton Shuffield, SS, Texas State 10 $153,700 We'll be back tomorrow for 10 more rounds. Expect more college pitching and more guys that can hit.
And probably a few guys that crouch behind the plate.
Of course, if it works out that the Twins do have some money saved after today's picks, maybe they draft a guy or two with a little bit higher price tag tomorrow. (That is what the 11th round is for after all.)
We'll see you in the Day 3 thread tomorrow!

Industry buzz had the Twins interested in Connor Prielipp at number eight overall in the draft. Instead, they were able to nab him with their second pick at #48 overall. The slot value for the #48 pick is $1.62 million. Jeremy Nygaard drafted Prielipp at #8 overall for the Twins in the Prospects Live Mock Draft.
Prielipp already has two plus pitches. The first is a 60 grade fastball that sits 93-95 mph. His slider is his best secondary pitch and one of the better offerings in the entire draft. It generated 50% whiffs when he threw it in college. Finally, he has a serviceable changeup that is already above average, and can be developed further. Prielipp had good command pre-surgery, but this may take some time to return.
Prielipp didn't allow a run in 21 innings pitched in the 2021 season before COVID halted play in the SEC. He struck out 35 hitters. Prielipp is 6'2, 205 pounds and still has a ton of projectability to add velocity, an endeavor the Twins have shown proficiency with. When he is fully recovered, I'd expect them to be able to add a tick or two to his fastball as he fills out more.
Prielipp missed the entire 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery. The Tomah, Wisconsin native was in line to be a top ten overall talent in the draft has he remained healthy. With his surgery and rehab behind him, Prielipp was able to throw multiple times in front of talent evaluators in late spring, including at the MLB Combine. Expect the Twins to bring Prielipp along slowly, but the upside here is a front of the rotation arm. Prielipp fell due to such a limited track record. If he can remain healthy, the Twins may have a steal at 48 overall. Prielipp was recommended by Twins scout Matt Williams.
What do you think of the Twins taking Connor Prielipp at #48 overall?
 

I’ve been working on this project for Twins Daily for a long time. As part of our draft coverage this season, we are not releasing a ‘Top 50 Prospects’ piece. Instead, we’re going to do something different, that I hope will grow and evolve over time, a ‘Consensus Big Board’.

If you missed it, here's a link to part 1 (prospects 56-26).
What and Why?
I’ve always enjoyed draft coverage and analysis, in all sports. Arif Hasan of The Athletic releases a consensus big board for the NFL Draft each year. The concept is simple, there’s value in consensus. Why rely on one set of rankings, or one big board, when you can rely on many? The consensus big board is simply an amalgamation of a few key industry sources on the MLB draft that will (hopefully) give more and greater insight into how prospects are viewed and the variance of those evaluations, a level of variance that is typically greater in MLB than in other major sports.
How?
As this is a first version of this process I kept things simple. I combined rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, ESPN (Kiley McDaniel), The Athletic (Keith Law), and Prospects Live to form a consensus top 56 prospects for the 2022 MLB draft. This is part two (prospects 25-1). I hope that this is a valuable resource for Twins fans and Twins Daily readers. Ultimately, I hope it is a useful resource for baseball fans of any team. If it’s well received, I plan on expanding the 2023 version to be a top 100 and include more sources. Additionally, I’d welcome any constructive feedback folks have, or simply to know whether you value this type of content.
Notes
For each prospect, they are listed by name, position, then high school or college attended. Their listed age is their age on draft day (July 17th). Additionally, you’ll notice a ‘high’ and ‘low’ number. These indicate what was the highest position that player appeared in a ranking from the sources I used and what was the lowest, giving an idea of if the evaluations are clustered or if there is a greater range for that prospect. Finally, ties (there were only a few) were broken by median, then mode. If they were still tied after that, I averaged the middle two evaluations. There’s a brief write up of each player to try and give a flavor of what the strengths and areas of growth in their games, but the majority of the work was compiling the data that went into the rankings.
Let’s get stuck in to part two.
25. Carson Whisenhunt, LHP, East Carolina
Age: 21 B/T: L/L
High: 17 Low: 40
Evaluators were eagerly awaiting Whisenhunt’s 2022 season when he was ruled ineligible for the year after failing a drug test. Whisenhunt maintained the failed test was unintentional and due to supplements taken in the offseason. Whisenhunt has a fastball that sits between 92-95 mph and one of the best changeups in the draft (it generated close to 60% whiffs in 2021). Lastly, he has an average curveball and above average command. Whisenhunt has a polished skillset, with an elite off-speed pitch. Combine that with some projectability and its likely his name is called in the first round on July 17th.
24. Sterlin Thompson, OF, Florida
Age: 21 B/T: L/R
High: 19 Low: 36
Thompson is a 6’4 outfielder out of Florida who has shown a plus hit tool in his time with the Gators. Although he didn’t display obvious power, Thompson has a strong, line drive swing that could produce more power based on the size of his frame. Thompson has a good arm in the field and is likely destined for a corner outfield spot at the big league level. Thompson is a high floor, lower ceiling type prospect that makes sense at the back of the first round of beginning of the second.
23. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama
Age: 21 B/T: L/L
High: 17 Low: 37
Prielipp looked destined to be a top ten overall pick before needing Tommy John surgery in 2021. With that out the way, Prelipp made his return and has thrown multiple bullpen sessions for evaluators in late spring. Prielipp boasts the type of arsenal that could make its way to the top 25 of global prospect lists. Two plus pitches, a good fastball and a devastating slider, an above average changeup and solid command. While he has a limited track record of pitching in games, Prielipp has the tools to become a frontline starting pitcher. He is one of the few pitchers the Twins have been linked to in the pre-draft process (along with Cade Horton). If the Twins want to gamble on a high upside arm, he should be available at eight.
22. Gabriel Hughes, RHP, Gonzaga
Age: 20 B/T: R/R 
High: 22 Low: 30
With a range of just eight in his evaluations across five major industry outlets, Hughes represents one of the most consistently evaluated college pitching prospects in this draft class. Hughes has the prototypical starting pitching body, at 6’4, 220 lbs. Hughes has a fastball that sits 93-94 mph but can reach 97 mph. He has a good but inconsistent slider that has the spin profile to become a plus pitch. Hughes also has a changeup that needs further development. There’s plenty of projectability here with a big frame and being just 20 years old on draft day. In a pretty thin class of college arms, Hughes is a safe bet to be a back of the rotation starter.
21. Jordan Beck, OF, Tennessee
Age: 21 B/T: R/R
High: 14 Low: 36
Beck was a name evaluators linked to the Twins in early spring, connecting his profile to a player type the Derek Falvey led front office has often targeted in early rounds. Beck is a 6’3 outfielder with a strong athletic profile. He has good bat speed and generates good power, while having good speed for his size and a strong arm. The questions around Beck are rooted in his contact rates, as he can be overly aggressive at the plate. If his hit tool develops, Beck will be a very strong all around player and good value in the mid to late first round.
20. Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison
Age: 20 B/T: L/L
High: 15 Low: 35
DeLauter was close to a consensus top ten pick for the majority of the spring (except Law) before slipping at the end of the season. DeLauter put up incredible numbers at James Madison, albeit against middling opposition. A broken foot ended his 2022 season after a solid start. If DeLauter hits, he profiles as a middle of the order, bat first outfielder. He has plus raw power, is a good athlete with solid speed, and should be a solid defensive corner outfielder. 
19. Justin Crawford, Bishop Gorman HS, NV
Age: 18 B/T: L/R
High: 13 Low: 27
Justin Crawford is the son of Carl, former Tampa Bay Rays outfielder, speedster, and former All Star. Unsurprisingly, Crawford’s tools are set of by 70-grade speed and a 60-grade arm. Crawford already has a good hit tool, with strong bat to ball skills and has begun to generate hard contact and drive the ball with more consistency. Crawford is committed to LSU, but the opportunity for him to be an outstanding defensive center fielder with the potential for his hitting to continue to develop make him a safe bet for the middle of the first round. Someone is buying.
18. Drew Gilbert, OF, Tennessee 
Age: 21 B/T: L/L
High: 11 Low: 32
Minnesota represent. Stillwater’s own Drew Gilbert has rocketed up draft boards this spring due to his strong performance for an incredible Volunteers team. Although undersized at 5’9, he hit 10 home runs and 20 doubles in 54 games for the Vols and was consistently the best hitter on the best regular season team in the country. Gilbert doesn’t have a weak tool and doesn’t have an outstanding one either. Some evaluators are split on whether there is more projectability in his game due to his smaller size. There has been steam linking him to the Twins in recent weeks, but it may be little more than a home town connection. Gilbert is the kind of player opposition players hate playing against and opposing fans love to hate. He’s likely to be a mid first round selection.
17. Cole Young, North Allegheny High School, PA
Age: 18 B/T: L/R
High: 12 Low: 33
Pennsylvania is hardly a prep baseball hotbed. Alas, it produces one of the better high school prospects in the 2022 draft. Young’s plus tool currently is hit bat, with good contact skills. Young has a good enough arm and defense to remain at shortstop permanently, and has plenty of room and time to build on his already excellent hit tool. He is committed to Duke.
16. Brandon Barriera, LHP, American Heritage High School, FL
Age: 18 B/T: L/L
High: 15 Low: 22
Barriera is a high school prep arm to dream on. The Vanderbilt commit has a fastball the regularly touches 96 mph, a good slider with a ton of horizontal movement, and a solid changeup. Add already above average command, some remaining projectability and a remarkably tight cluster of evaluations for a prep pitcher (a range of 15-22) and Barriera has the upside of a mid-rotation starting pitcher, with an already fairly polished skillset.
15. Jett Williams, SS/OF, Rockwall-Heath High School, TX
Age: 18 B/T: S/R
High: 11 Low: 21
Williams is one of the smallest players in the entire draft class, but he packs some excellent tools into a small package. Williams has good bat speed, leading to an above average hit tool and room to grow into more power. Williams has good strike zone control and rarely swings and misses. He has plus speed (has to with that name!). If a team thinks he can stick at shortstop, his already advanced plate approach should have him drafted in the teens.
14. Daniel Susac, C, Arizona
Age: 21 B/T: R/R
High: 11 Low: 23
Susac has been a prospect of interest to Twins Daily readers due to a lack of organizational depth at catcher. Susac is a draft eligible sophomore, just turned 21. Despite his large frame (6’4) he moves well, has a rocket of an arm, and should be at least an average defender behind the plate. He has above average hit and power tools at the plate, hitting 12 home runs and 19 doubles in 2022 for the Wildcats. While he does chase off-speed and breaking balls, Susac has the ability to be a well above average offensive big-league backstop, with at least average defense.
13. Brock Porter, RHP, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s High School, MI
Age: 19 B/T: R/R
High: 9 Low: 24
Like Cole Young, Porter is another excellent prep prospect from a state that doesn’t typically produce that many. With Dylan Lesko recovering from Tommy John surgery, Porter is the best healthy prep arm in the draft class. At 6’3, 188 pounds, Porter has good amount of projectability left as he fills out. Porter already has two 70-grade pitches, a fastball that sits in the upper 90s, and a changeup that has a ton of horizontal action. Porter is committed to Clemson, but has a good chance to be the first pitcher off the board in a draft lacking in high end arm talent.
12. Zach Neto, SS, Campbell
Age: 21 B/T: R/R
High: 9 Low: 17
Neto is a prospect whose stock is on the rise, and has been connected with the Twins at eight overall considerably in recent weeks. The shortstop prospect is likely to be Campbell’s first ever first round pick. Simply put, he does everything well. Neto slugged .751 over three collegiate seasons, and excelled in the Cape Cod league prior to the 2022 season. Neto is an aggressive base runner and has a great arm (he hit 93 mph as a relief pitcher in college). His arm, movement, and defense make him likely to stick a shortstop, although he played all infield positions in college and that defensive versatility never hurts. Neto is one of a handful of players who might be considered ‘favorites’ to be drafted by the Twins at eight.
11. Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford High School, GA
Age: 18 B/T: R/R
High: 8 Low: 15
Lesko was a lock to be a top 10 pick and was trending towards the top five when he was hurt and Tommy John surgery ended his season. On talent alone, he’s the best prep arm in the class and could prove a good value pick in the teens. Lesko has a mid 90s fastball that tops out at 97 mph with the ability to command it well. This is paired with a devastating, 70-grade changeup, one that has been called ‘one of the best prep changeups ever scouted’. Lesko also features an above average curveball and good command. In 2021, he struck out 112 batters in just 60 innings of work. He has the tools needed to be a front of the rotation starting pitcher, but his injury has clouded his status ahead of Sunday.
10. Jacob Berry, CI, LSU
Age: 21 B/T: S/R
High: 7 Low: 27
Berry is a switch hitting corner outfielder who has drawn comparisons for his offensive game to Andrew Vaughn. Berry has good plate discipline, 60-grade hit and power tools, and is equally effective from both sides of the plate. While Berry is a little positionless, he probably fits best long term at first base. Many Twins fans have balked at the idea of drafting Berry as a stale, uninteresting pattern of the front office (bat first college players), but the bat is a true weapon. He’s one of three college hitters (Cross and Neto) most likely to be drafted by the Twins at eight IF the first round sticks to the consensus board through seven picks.
9. Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech
Age: 21 B/T: L/R
High: 8 Low: 13
The younger brother of Texas Rangers prospect Josh Jung, Jace is another bat first college player whose offensive tools deserve plenty of respect. Like Berry, Jung as 60-grade hit and power tools, displaying line drive ability all over the field. Jung has great discipline, owning a career 19 BB%. Similarly to Berry, his defensive home is uncertain. Jung’s bat more than makes up for this however, as there’s .285 hitter with 25-30 home run power upside.
8. Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech
Age: 21 B/T: L/L
High: 8 Low: 10
Cross has some of the most consistent evaluations in the entire draft class, with a range of just two across five evaluations on the consensus big board, ridiculous. The strong, athletic outfielder is a half step below Berry and Jung in terms of his hit and power tools, but miles ahead defensively. Although he played center field for the Hokies, he profiles as a defensively strong corner outfielder at the big league level with a solid arm and good speed. I’d bet Cross is among the first 12 picks on July 17th and is player who has been consistently linked to the Twins, who will value his outstanding exit velocities.
7. Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech
Age: 21 B/T: R/R
High: 6 Low: 7
College catchers don’t often have seasons like Parada did in 2022. In 59 games he hit 26 home runs and drove in 88 runners. Parada has a weird setup at the plate, laying the barrel of hit bat almost flat on his back, pointing straight down at the ground. Whatever works though, right? Parada grades out with 60-grade hit and power tools (around .285, 25 home run power). Although his defense is not yet a strength, it’s solid enough for him to be at least average behind the dish. Hitters with his upside and production at premium defensive positions don’t come around often. Parada will likely be off the board in the first six picks.
6. Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola JC
Age: 17 B/T: L/R
High: 2 Low: 8
Along with Walter Ford, Collier is one of two 17 year old's in the consensus top 56. Collier is a third baseman with big league bloodlines. He left high school after his sophomore year and transferred to Chipola, one of the best JC programs in the country (Andrew Bechtold is an alum). Collier slugged .537 with eight home runs. Collier already has a 60-grade hit tool and above average power. At 6’2, 210 pounds, there’s plenty left in the tank too. With a cannon of an arm, he’ll easily stick at third base. Collier could become an absolute monster if he hits a solid percentile on his development trajectory. He’s been mocked to the Twins plenty, but chances are he’s going in the first seven picks. He’s currently committed to Louisville.
5. Elijah Green, OF, IMG Academy, FL
Age: 18 B/T: R/R
High: 2 Low: 7
Green is the best athlete in this class, bar none. Son of a Pro-Bowl tight end, Green’s tools are off the charts. A recent mock described him as a ‘more physical Byron Buxton’. Wow. Green has 70-grade power and is a 70-grade runner. A plus arm, combined with his athleticism mean he should be able to play elite center field defense. His remaining question marks are around his hit tool. If he can continue to develop it to be above average, Green could be an franchise caliber player.
4. Brooks Lee, SS, Cal-Poly
Age: 21 B/T: S/R
High: 2 Low: 5
The Twins have been doing their due diligence scouting Lee in recent days. While there have been mock drafts where he made it to eight, it’s likely the floor is too high, and the hit tool too good, for that to happen. If it did, the Twins should be sprinting to the podium. Lee played at Cal Poly under the coaching of his father (and well respected hitting coach) Larry Lee. He has a legit 70-grade hit tool, with the ability to develop above average power. He has a good glove and excellent arm but limited quickness inhibit his infield range and its likely he eventually moves to third base. Lee hardly ever strikes out, with elite bat to ball skills. He put together a .667 SLG in a spell in the Cape Cod league against solid competition. He has the best hit tool in college baseball and he’s as safe a pick as you can get in the top five.
3. Termarr Johnson, 2B/SS Mays High School, GA
Age: 18 B/T: L/R
High: 2 Low: 7
Johnson has been consistently at the top of draft boards since the beginning of the pre-draft process. A compact 5’8, he has an elite hit tool and approach for a high-school player, with one of the smoothest swings in the draft. Don’t let his height fool you, however, Johnson has plus power as well thanks to great bat speed and barrel control. Johnson has a solid arm and a good glove, but is likely destined for second base long term. The Twins have been said to be interested in both Johnson and Collier, were one of the prep bats fall to them at eight.
2. Jackson Holliday, SS, Stillwater High School, OK
Age: 18 B/T: L/R
High: 2 Low: 6
Holliday ascended to the top of draft boards in the second half of the spring, and boy was it a rapid rise. The son of former Cardinal Matt Holliday, Jackson seems like a lock for a top three pick. An increase in size and weight this spring boosted Holliday’s stock, such that he already has above average power to go with plus hit, a plus arm, and a plus run tool. His uncle would stand to be his head coach in college if he makes it to campus, but Holliday is beginning to look more and more like a future star.
1. Druw Jones, OF, Wesleyan High School, GA
Age: 18 B/T: R/R
High: 1 Low: 1
It’s simple. Druw Jones is the consensus number one prospect ahead of the draft. Like, on every big board you can find. The son of should-be-Hall-of-Famer Andruw Jones, there’s plenty that reminds of the great center fielder in his son’s game. Simply put, Jones is a five tool talent. Jones has a swing that is still developing but will generate plus power and is already driving the ball to all fields against good pitching. His athleticism really shines in the field, with plus speed, a plus arm, and incredible defense that should make him an elite center fielder for a decade. Jones is committed to Vanderbilt but should be the first or second overall selection.
Who would you like to see the Twins take at 8? How about at 48? Where do you think the two Minnesotan's in the consensus 56 will go? Share your thoughts in the chat.
 
 

I’ve been working on this project for Twins Daily for a long time. As part of our draft coverage this season, we are not releasing a ‘Top 50 Prospects’ piece. Instead, we’re going to do something different, that I hope will grow and evolve over time, a ‘Consensus Big Board’.
What and Why?
I’ve always enjoyed draft coverage and analysis, in all sports. Arif Hasan of The Athletic releases a consensus big board for the NFL Draft each year. The concept is simple, there’s value in consensus. Why rely on one set of rankings, or one big board, when you can rely on many? The consensus big board is simply an amalgamation of a few key industry sources on the MLB draft that will (hopefully) give more and greater insight into how prospects are viewed and the variance of those evaluations, a level of variance that is typically greater in MLB than in other major sports.
How?
As this is a first version of this process I kept things simple. I combined rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, ESPN (Kiley McDaniel), The Athletic (Keith Law), and Prospects Live to form a consensus top 56 prospects for the 2022 MLB draft. This will be split into part one (56-26), and part two (26-1). I hope that this is a valuable resource for Twins fans and Twins Daily readers. Ultimately, I hope it is a useful resource for baseball fans of any team. If it’s well received, I plan on expanding the 2023 version to be a top 100 and include more sources. Additionally, I’d welcome any constructive feedback folks have, or simply to know whether you value this type of content.
Notes
For each prospect, they are listed by name, position, then high school or college attended. Their listed age is their age on draft day (July 17th). Additionally, you’ll notice a ‘high’ and ‘low’ number. These indicate what was the highest position that player appeared in a ranking from the sources I used and what was the lowest, giving an idea of if the evaluations are clustered or if there is a greater range for that prospect. Finally, ties (there were only a few) were broken by median, then mode. If they were still tied after that, I averaged the middle two evaluations. There’s a brief write up of each player to try and give a flavor of what the strengths and areas of growth in their games, but the majority of the work was compiling the data that went into the rankings.
Before we start, a huge shout of appreciation to all the amazing outlets that do this work. In particular, Carlos Collazo and Geoff Pontes at BA, Joe Doyle and Will Hoefer at Prospects Live and the many other scouts (both amateur and professional) who provide amazing video, analysis, and content. Let’s get stuck in.
NOTE: MLB Pipeline updated their rankings between me finalizing the consensus rankings on 07.12 and publishing them on 07.14 The update did not offer me enough time to add new rankings to the consensus board but there were minimal shifts to final MLB Pipeline rankings.
56. Mikey Romero, SS, Orange Lutheran HS, CA
Age: 18 B/T: L/R
High: 40 Low: 79
The LSU commit is one of the best high school shortstop prospects in this year’s draft. Romero has the chance to have a plus hit tool and is a smooth defender but needs to add strength and power to generate more hard contact.
55. Roman Anthony, OF, Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, FL
Age: 18 B/T: L/R
High: 31 Low: 74
Anthony is a powerful athlete and likely, an eventual corner outfielder (he plays center field currently). He has good power and has improved his contact this spring, whilst offering a good arm and solid defense. Anthony is committed to Ole Miss.
54. Adam Mazur, RHP, Iowa
Age: 21 B/T: R/R
High: 24 Low: 70
Minnesota represent! Mazur is from Woodbury, MN, and has rocketed up draft boards after an outstanding 2022 season. Mazur has two distinct fastballs, one of which he cranks up to 97 mph. Mazur struck out 98 in 93 plus innings of work in 2022. There’s a wide range of evaluations for Mazur, but his stock has risen significantly this spring.
53. Logan Tanner, C, Mississippi St
Age: 21 B/T: R/R
High: 37 Low: 69
Tanner is a solid defensive catcher with an absolute rocket of an arm (he hit 96 mph with his fastball in college). He has the potential to have above average, 20 home run power. Combined with good strike zone control, Tanner is one of the better college-catching prospects this season.
52. Jonathan Cannon, RHP, Georgia
Age: 22 B/T: R/R
High: 45 Low: 60
Cannon is a tall (6’6), lean right-handed starting pitcher coming off his third season at Georgia. He offers a mid-90s fastball, a sinker, slider, and a cutter and boasts outstanding command. Cannon profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starting pitcher and should be able to move through the minor leagues at a good clip.
51. Landon Sims, RHP, Mississippi St
Age: 21 B/T: R/R
High: 22 Low: 70
Sims is a college pitcher with a ton of variance in his evaluations, due to Tommy John surgery in March at the beginning of the college season. Had Sims stayed healthy and continued his strong production from the beginning of the season, he would have been a lock for the front end of the first round. He carries an excellent mid-90s fastball and a wipeout slider. If he sticks as a starter he profiles as a middle of the rotation arm, but there’s a good chance he ends up as an elite, high-leverage bullpen arm.
50. Cayden Wallace, 3B, Arkansas
Age: 20 B/T: R/R
High: 31 Low: 71
Wallace hit 15 home runs in his 2022 season with Arkansas. Although he is an average hitter with average power, he is a good defender at the hot corner, a solid base runner and has one of the best infield arms in college baseball.
49. Jake Bennett, LHP, Oklahoma
Age: 21 B/T: L/L
High: 39 Low: 68
Bennett has an ideal build and skillset to become a back of the rotation starting pitcher in the major leagues. He’s 6’6, 235 pounds. He has a solid delivery with some deception, and has reverse splits due to a plus changeup which right handed hitters struggle with. Bennett also offers a solid fastball and a sweeping slider, in addition to good command. He still has some projectability because of his size, but the floor is already decently high.
48. Walter Ford, RHP, Pace High School, FL
Age: 17 B/T: R/R
High: 29 Low: 53
At just 17, Ford is one of the youngest prospects in the consensus top 56 (along with Cam Collier). Ford is an Alabama commit with an upper 90s fastball and a sharp slider. Ford has spotty command and needs to develop a third pitch, but he’s incredibly young and there is plenty of time for him to develop and outgrow these challenges.
47. Eric Brown, SS, Coastal Carolina
Age: 21 B/T: R/R
High: 28 Low: 63
Brown is an excellent athlete and player with no one standout tool because they are all good. Despite a weird setup at the plate, he slugged .566 this spring with more walks than strikeouts. Brown has also proven himself in the Cape Cod league, earning an All-Star nod. A good arm and smooth movement make him one of the better defensive college shortstops, with a chance to stick at the position. 
46. Spencer Jones, OF, Vanderbilt
Age: 21 B/T: L/L
High: 20 Low: 80
You won’t come across a ton of 6’7 outfielders. Jones is an excellent athlete who has the potential to develop plus power. Jones hit 12 home runs and 20 doubles this spring for the Commodores. Jones is a good runner and solid defender but has a strikeout rate that needs to be curtailed in pro ball.
45. Payton Pallette, RHP, Arkansas
Age: 21 B/T: R/R
High: 37 Low: 58
Pallette’s season was lost to Tommy John surgery after moving to a starting pitching role in 2021. He throws a solid to good mid 90s fastball and an excellent curveball. If Pallette can stay healthy and meets his ceiling, he could profile as a number two type starter in the majors.
44. Henry Bolte, OF, Palo Alto High School, CA
Age: 18 B/T: R/R
High: 40 Low: NR
Bolte is less well know than he should be when considering his tools, due to some of the prep high school outfielders at the top of the board (Jones and Green). He’s 6’3, 200 pounds and has some of the best tools on the draft board. Bolte has easy plus raw power and plus speed. His hit tool, and his commitment to the University of Texas, remain the biggest questions marks on his considerable upside.
43. Dalton Rushing, C, Louisville
Age: 21 B/T: L/R
High: 31 Low: 50
Rushing succeeded Henry Davis as Louisville’s primary catcher after Davis was drafted number one overall in 2021, no easy feat. Rushing had an impressive season with the bat in 2022, swatting 22 home runs to go with a cool 17% walk rate. Were it not for Kevin Parada, his offensive numbers would be more widely heralded. Rushing has a good arm and both solid and improving receiving behind the plate. 
42. J. R. Ritchie, RHP, Bainbridge High School, WA
Age: 19 B/T: R/R
High: 21 Low: 52
Ritchie struck out 84 hitters in 39.1 innings this spring. In addition, his fastball velocity took a leap, sitting in the mid 90s but reaching 97 mph. Ritchie also has a curveball and a slider, with solid command. Although there’s not a ton of projectability given his smaller size, Ritchie has plenty to be excited about. He’s committed to UCLA.
41. Thomas Harrington, RHP, Campbell
Age: 21 B/T: R/R
High: 35 Low: 48
Harrington has a nice profile as a draft-eligible sophomore who will just be 21 on draft day. Harrington has elite command and possessed one of the best K:BB ratios in the country in 2022. Over 15 starts, he managed a 30.0 K% and 4.9 BB%. On the mound he throws a fastball in the low to mid-90s. Harrington also possesses a changeup with good tumble and a slider, that can both be above average to good pitches. He already has a high floor, and projects to develop further with the upside of a number three starter.
40. Jacob Miller, RHP, Liberty Union High School, OH
Age: 18 B/T: R/R
High: 29 Low: 59
Miller is a Louisville commit who has cranked his fastball up a notch this spring, reaching 96 mph. He also has two good breaking pitches, a slider and a curveball, with a changeup that can still be developed to be a solid pitch. Miller has good command and attacks the strike zone well. He should be picked in the first two rounds.
39. Owen Murphy, SS/RHP, Riverside-Brookfield High School, IL
Age: 18 B/T: R/R
High: 27 Low: NR
Murphy is a two-way prospect committed to Notre Dame. On the mound he throws a low to mid 90s, high spin, four seam fastball. His secondary offerings are led by a good, slurvy curveball, and a developing changeup. Scouts has complimented Murphy’s competitive nature on the mound. He profiles as a mid-rotation starting pitcher.
38. Noah Schultz, LHP, Oswego East High School, IL
Age: 18 B/T: L/L
High: 24 Low: 49
A 6’9 left-handed pitcher who will be just 18 on draft day, there’s a ton to like about Schultz. Schultz has a three quarter arm slot which, when paired with his length, makes his slider pretty baffling to hitters, especially lefties. His fastball sits in the low to mid 90s and he possesses good command and body control, particularly for a pitcher of his size. Schultz is thought to be a difficult sign away from the Commodores. 
37. Brock Jones, OF, Stanford
Age: 21 B/T: L/L
High: 20 Low: 57
Jones is an excellent all around athlete who boasts strong physical tools across the board. His hit tool and a weak arm are his biggest detractors right now. Jones has the opportunity to develop 20 all-aroundhome run power and to stick at center field, with good speed, range, and excellent defense.
36. Cade Horton, RHP, Oklahoma
Age: 20 B/T: R/R
High: 14 Low: 93
There are few players in the 2022 draft class with a wider range of evaluations than Cade Horton, a college right-handed pitcher the Twins have been linked with. Horton ascended draft boards at a remarkable pace off the back of an incredible College World Series performance for Oklahoma. Horton throws a high spin, high carry, 98 mph fastball, a hard slider he cranks up to 90 mph, and a slower curveball. Horton’s profile gives him the ceiling of a number two starting pitcher and his ascent has put him firmly in the round one conversation.
35. Dylan Beavers, OF, Cal
Age: 20 B/T: L/R
High: 22 Low: 52
Beavers is a 6’4, college outfielder with some of the most exciting tools at his position in the draft. He has easy plus power, good speed, strong defense, and an excellent arm. There are lots of questions about his hit tool however as he’s often late to the ball. Beavers upside is a low batting average (.235) with 25-30 home run power who can be an excellent defensive corner outfielder.
34. Justin Campbell, RHP, Oklahoma St
Age: 21 B/T: L/R
High: 27 Low: 39
At 6’7, 220 pounds, Justin Campbell is a big-bodied starting pitcher with a unique approach angle that hitters struggle to pick up. Campbell struck out 141 hitters in 101 innings in 2022 while walking just 25. Campbell’s fastball sits 92-94 mph but can go higher, with good run. Additionally, he offers a solid curveball, developing slider, and an good changeup. Campbell’s high floor will allow him to move quickly in the minors and he profiles as a number three or four starter in the major leagues.
33. Tucker Toman, 3B, Hammond High School, SC
Age: 18 B/T: S/R
High: 15 Low: 44
Toman is one of many LSU commitments that could be drafted in the early rounds in mid July. Toman has a fairly wide range of evaluations, typical of a high school prospect. At his best, Toman has a good approach from both sides of the plate, driving the ball to all fields. He has one of the best combinations of hit and power tools of any high schooler in the class, but his defense is fringy at the moment.
32. Kumar Rocker, RHP, Independent Ball
Age: 22 B/T: R/R
High: 19 Low: 54
Rocker is one of the most famous prospects in the entire draft after the Mets balked at signing him due to his medicals in 2021. Rocker has an awesome one two punch with a fastball that an get to 99 mph and a devastating slider. Details of a shoulder surgery in September were recently made public. On talent alone, Rocker is the best non-prep arm in the class. Where he is selected, hinges entirely on his medicals.
31. Blake Tidwell, RHP, Tennessee
Age: 21 B/T: R/R
High: 25 Low: 52
Tidwell missed the first six weeks of the 2022 season due to shoulder soreness. Had he not, he’d likely feature higher on the consensus big board. The Tennessee right-hander features a fastball he can run up to 99 mph, a good sweeping slider, an above average changeup that generated a ton of whiffs, and a developing curveball. Although his command can use some refinement. There’s plenty of clay to be molded here into a good major league starting pitcher.
30. Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon St
Age: 21 B/T: L/L
High: 18 Low: 56
Hjerpe has a huge evaluation range for a college pitcher, from 18 overall to 56 overall. Hjerpe doesn’t have a great fastball, which sits at 90-92 mph. Hjerpe combines it with a breaking ball from a three quarters slot that leads to a ton of deception. While Hjerpe doesn’t have a huge ceiling, being a left-handed college starting pitcher will likely elevate his floor to the back of the first round.
29. Jackson Ferris, LHP, IMG Academy, FL
Age: 18 B/T: L/L
High: 19 Low: 41
Ferris was an early first-round favorite prior to the beginning of the 2022 season. The 18 year old Ole Miss commit has plenty of projectability in a 6’4, 195 pound frame. Ferris’ fastball sits between 93-95 mph and he has an above average slider and changeup to compliment it. Ferris has suffered from inconsistent command at times, but has plenty of time to develop. He profiles as a mid-rotation starting pitcher if it all comes together. 
28. Robbie Snelling, LHP, McQueen High School, NV
Age: 18 B/T: R/L
High: 16 Low: 55
Snelling is yet another LSU commit who is getting attention in the first two rounds of the draft (good luck telling Wes Johnson ‘no’). Snelling has been a helium prospect this spring, rapidly rising up draft boards in the latter half of the season. On the mound, he throws a fastball that sits between 90-95 mph, an excellent, sharply breaking curveball, and a changeup that he uses infrequently and needs further development. Snelling has good control and his projectability should lead to plenty of interest in the first round.
27. Jacob Melton, OF, Oregon St
Age: 21 B/T: L/L
High: 25 Low: 40
Melton is a college outfielder with a strong all around game. In 2022 he hit 15 home runs, slugged .684, and stole 20 bases. Excellent speed and solid defense give him the opportunity to stick at center field. Melton has a bit too much swing and miss at the plate, but has a strong overall profile and should move relatively quickly when drafted.
26. Peyton Graham, SS/3B, Oklahoma
Age: 21 B/T: R/R
High: 26 Low: 36
Graham has a tight clustering of evaluations due to his solid athleticism and strong overall tools. He slugged .661 with 19 home runs and 32 stolen bases in the regular season for an incredibly successful Oklahoma team. While Graham produces good exit velocities, he is a free swinger who could stand to cut down his strikeout and whiff rates. He has the ability to play multiple infield positions and his strong all-around game should give him a solid floor as an average major league regular.
The second part of the Consensus Big Board (26-1 overall) will be posted at Twins Daily on Friday, July 15th. Who are players you think would be a good fit for the Twins at 48 overall? Or even 8? Share your thoughts in the comments. Any feedback on the project, format etc. will be gratefully received.
 
 

RHP Dennis Santana, Texas Rangers
Dennis Santana, 26, is enjoying a breakout season for the Rangers. Traded at the 2021 deadline, Santana had posted a horrifying 6.42 ERA in 40 2/3 innings as a member of the Dodgers. They DFA’ed him and then dealt him to Texas, where he’s finally learned to harness his now upper-90s fastball. Santana, 26, owns a 2.41 ERA in 33 2/3 innings, mostly setting up for a solid Rangers bullpen. Santana’s walk rate is below 7%, a career-low, and he’s throwing harder than ever. Santana is a master at limiting hard contact and has yet to allow a homer in 2022. 
Santana has held righties to a measly .190 average and .476 OPS. Lefties haven’t fared much better, hitting .182 with a .510 OPS. Working primarily with a mid-90s turbo sinker and a hard, swing-and-miss slider, Santana induces a ton of groundballs. He just turned 26 and is under team control through 2025. The Rangers have expressed a desire to hold onto their young players, but if the right package of prospects comes along, it’s unlikely they’d cling too hard to the flier they took on Santana last summer. 

RHP Tanner Rainey, Washington Nationals
Things haven’t gone well for the Nationals. They’re likely to sell, and it’s fair to wonder when they’ll compete again. Their current closer, Tanner Rainey, seems like a prime trade candidate. Rainey, 29, started his season with eight scoreless outings. He’s allowed 11 runs in 20 innings since, coughing up five homers in the process. The surface numbers don’t pop out for Rainey, who owns a 5.52 career ERA, but there are reasons for hope. His fastball averages just under 97 MPH with a high spin rate, and righties have whiffed on 56% of swings on his slider. His stuff is nasty, evidenced by nearly 13 strikeouts per nine innings in his career. 
Rainey is under team control through 2025, so if the Twins can help clean up his 11% walk rate, there’s long-term value here. He has closing experience, is right-handed, and would fit nicely alongside Jhoan Duran. Rainey isn’t a surefire bet to pay off, and his results are lukewarm, but he has a great arm and would likely cost less than Santana or someone like Jorge López. The question is whether he can be trusted more than Tyler Duffey or Trevor Megill. Even if the answer is no, the Twins could use any bullpen help they can get. 
RHP Alexis Díaz, Cincinnati Reds
Drafted in the 12th round in 2015, Alexis Díaz settled into a relief role in the Reds’ Minor League system, working his way up to a set-up role in the 2022 Major League bullpen. Díaz, 25, has a 2.32 ERA on the season, holding opponents to a .506 OPS in 31 innings. He’s walked too many, but Díaz is a prototypical late-inning reliever, just like his brother Edwin. Díaz throws a mid-90s fastball with a great slider. and right-handed hitters are 5-for-52 (.096) with one extra-base hit against him. 
The Twins and Reds worked out a trade post-lockout, and rumors are that the sides have been in contact about Luis Castillo. Díaz is a rookie and under control through 2027, so the Reds may be disinclined to trade him now. It’s fun to dream of a scenario where the Twins acquire Castillo and Díaz in the same deal, bolstering two units at once. That trade would likely cost multiple top prospects, especially since Castillo is one of the only frontline starters known to be available. 
The Bottom Line
The most likely route for the Twins is a trade or two for a rental reliever. It may benefit them, though, to explore deals for players under contract beyond 2022. The bullpen picture is murky, and controllable relievers could give the Twins the luxury of keeping Matt Canterino, Josh Winder, and other top-pitching prospects as starters. Of course, that could come at a more significant cost. 
What do you think? Comment below!

The inaugural Twins-mock was posted in 2014. Nick Gordon (Round 1) and Max Murphy (Round 9) were hits. But only three (including Gordon) ever made a major league appearance.
There were two more hits in 2015 (Kyle Cody and Trey Cabbage), but the story here is the other names that I drafted. Dillon Tate hasn’t lived up to the high draft status, but he’s been a productive reliever. Logan Allen has bounced around a little bit over his four seasons in the MLB. Joey Bart probably wouldn’t have signed in the sixth round. (He was drafted in the 27th round.) Bart became the second overall pick in 2018. I was taking Jake Cronenworth in the seventh round - which was where he was selected - but as a pitcher. Cronenworth went on to finish runner-up in the 2020 Rookie of the Year race and made the All-Star game in 2021.
My streak of multiple correct picks came to an end in 2016, when I only correctly predicted Alex Kirilloff. Will Smith went much higher in real-life (deservedly so). Daulton Jefferies was in the A’s starting rotation before getting injured. Keegan Akin has made the majors. (And I’ve hit on pretty much everyone to play in Baltimore’s bullpen.) As has Stephen Nogosek with the Mets. 
My final attempt came all the way back in 2017, when I incorrectly projected the Twins to select Kyle Wright. After a mostly down major league career, Wright has had a really good 2022. My streak continued as I correctly pegged Blayne Enlow going to the Twins, though he hasn’t debuted due to injury. Riley Adams (Washington) has made the majors, as has Michael Baumann with, you guessed it, Baltimore! 
Now after a four-year absence, I’ll see if I can correctly predict any of the Twins first 10 picks. It’s 10 picks because, despite forfeiting one to sign Carlos Correa, the Twins received a competitive balance pick. 
Note: This is my third attempt after not liking my first two projections. And that starts with my first pick. 
Round 1 (Pick 8 - $5,439,500): Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech. Cross has been the name most frequently connected to the Twins at #8. I think the Twins would be very likely to take almost any of the Top 7 names if they fell to them, though Termarr Johnson and Cam Collier seem to be the two they’d be happiest to see fall. The other side of that coin is that the Mets are lurking at #11 and may try to force someone to slide down to them. (BA: 10; MLB: 10; ESPN: 10; Athletic: 10)
Round 2 (Pick 48 - $1,621,900): Jacob Miller, RHP, Liberty Union (Ohio) High School. When you take a high school pitcher early, you’re betting on upside. The floor is going to be low. Miller has a powerful arm as well as showing a feel for spinning the ball. Bonus points for being from the Midwest. (BA: 34; MLB: 37; ESPN: 43; Athletic: 42)
Comp Round B (Pick 68 - $1,001,500): Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Crowder JC. The Twins have added a number of guys who throw in the low-to-mid-90s and then they unlock a few more MPHs on their fastball. Misiorowski already throws over 100, so maybe it’s time the Twins take a hard thrower and help refine his command and secondary pitches. (BA: 68; MLB: 78; ESPN: NR; Athletic: 95)
Round 4 (Pick 114 - $533,100): Henry Williams, RHP, Duke. The first of two Duke picks, Williams just had Tommy John surgery in December and will probably require a dip into the bonus pool to get this done. Hasn’t thrown a ton of college innings, but has shown plenty of upside. May bet on himself and return to Duke for another season. (BA: 179; MLB: 81; ESPN: 109; Athletic: 62)
Round 5 (Pick 144 - $398,200): Dom Keegan, C/1B, Vanderbilt. Keegan has a great bat and a chance to stick behind the plate. But there’s a wide range on where he could go. It’s tough to get a read on “seniors” as they have an option to go back to school for an extra (COVID) year. (BA: 227; MLB: 97; ESPN: 128; Athletic: 76)
Round 6 (Pick 174 - $301,000): Marcus Johnson, RHP, Duke. Johnson moved from a bullpen role to the rotation this year for the Blue Devils. He has a mid-to-high 90s fastball and a slider with a high-spin rate. With less than 130 college innings under his belt, there is reason to believe that Johnson’s trajectory could continue to climb. (BA: 129; MLB: 139; ESPN: NR; Athletic: NR)
Round 7 (Pick 204 - $235,400): Michael Knorr, RHP, Coastal Carolina. Knorr looks the part of a starting pitcher but is somewhat of a project. He’s equipped with a big-time fastball, yet lacks great command of it and doesn’t have great feel for throwing a breaking ball. The Twins have had success in leveling up college pitchers recently and should continue to roll the dice in that area. (BA: 128; MLB: 176; ESPN: NR; Athletic: NR)
Round 8 (Pick 234 - $187,700): Steven Zobac, RHP, Cal. New to full-time pitching, Zobac looked the part after moving exclusively to the mound. Equipped with a low-90s fastball and a good slider, there’s still potential to develop a third pitch and continue to improve while keeping his focus on the mound. (BA: 252; MLB: 241; ESPN: NR; Athletic: NR)
Round 9 (Pick 264 - $164,000): Alex Kachel, 3B, Fresno State. Instead of spending the 8th overall pick on a great bat with a questionable defensive home, we’re going that direction in the 9th round. Kachel can hit, but can he field? (BA: 228; MLB: NR; ESPN: NR; Athletic: NR)
Round 10 (Pick 294 - $153,700): Derek Diamond, RHP, Ole Miss. Diamond really struggled this past year - allowing multiple earned runs in 14 or 16 appearances. But he showed plenty of signs of having draftable characteristics last year. If a team is able to unlock that, they’ve found a prospect. (BA: 212; MLB: NR; ESPN: NR; Athletic: NR)
 

Over the next week leading up to July 17th, Jeremy and I will be writing more in-depth previews of ten players the Twins might take with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. On Wednesday night, Jeremy selected for the Twins in the annual Prospects Live Mock Draft, taking Connor Prielipp, a left-handed starting pitcher from the University of Alabama, so let’s start there.
 
Who is He?
Connor Prielipp is a 6’2, 210 lb. left-handed starting pitcher out of Tomah, Wisconsin. Prielipp has been on the prospect map for a while. He was the Wisconsin player of the year in 2019 and was drafted by the Red Sox in the 39th round. He fell due to concerns about his signability with a commitment to the University of Alabama in hand.
Why the Twins Will Draft Him
Prielipp is the lone pitcher the Twins have been publicly connected with in the industry during the pre-draft process, most recently by MLB.com. Make no mistake, prior to his injury in 2021, he was being touted as a lock to be picked in the 5-10 range in the first round of the draft. Prielipp has a serious pedigree and a serious arsenal of pitches.
In his freshman season at Alabama, he didn’t allow a run in 21 innings of work (striking out 35) before COVID-19 halted the season. Prielipp’s slider is one of the better pitches in the entire draft (it generated close to a 50% whiff rate in college), and as we know, it’s a slider league. The pitch approaches 90 mph and has a sharp, late break. His fastball sits in the low to mid-90s. After throwing a bullpen in front of evaluators in May and at the MLB Draft Combine, many have suggested Prielipp could continue to add velocity to his fastball, with fluid, repeatable mechanics.
Prielipp also has a changeup that has not been significantly developed yet, but could be an average pitch. Add 55-grade control to this mix and you have a possible left-handed, front of the rotation starting pitcher. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel calls Prielipp ‘clearly the best college arm in the draft’.
Why the Twins Won't Draft Him
The Derek Falvey-led front office does not have a track record of drafting college arms early. Drafting prep pitcher Chase Petty in 2021 was an extreme bucking of a trend of taking high floor, corner outfield or corner infield bat first college players. What’s different in 2022, however, is that the Twins have their highest draft selection since they took Royce Lewis number one overall in 2017.
There are two primary reasons the Twins might not take Prielipp. Firstly, the way the top of the draft board is stacked. The presumptive top seven players in the draft when looking at trends across evaluators are (in no particular order) Druw Jones, Jackson Holliday, Elijah Green, Temarr Johnson, Cam Collier, Brooks Lee and Kevin Parada. If any team throws a wrench in the works and an outstanding bat on that list falls to the Twins at eight, I think they would jump at the chance.
Finally, Prielipp’s injury muddies his status significantly. As Keith Law points out ‘he could be a high-end starter, he could easily end up in the bullpen. He’s thrown so little in games that the range of his potential outcomes is huge’.
What are your thoughts on the Twins drafting Connor Prielipp? Do you think he’s a good fit for Minnesota? Would you take a chance on a limited track record? Share your thoughts in the comments.