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Baseball continues to evolve, and front offices view defensive value in various ways. Positional flexibility becomes essential as players get closer to the big leagues, and the Twins might prefer positionless prospects. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Prospect development isn't a linear path, and a player's long-term defensive future is far from decided the day he signs with an organization. Former Twins like Miguel Sano, Brian Dozier, and Trevor Plouffe originally signed as shortstops, but their long-term defensive position would differ. Teams value when a player can be a strong offensive asset and provide defensive value at multiple positions. Looking at the Twins' top prospects, most of the players don't have a permanent defensive position. Here is a rundown of Twins Daily's top position players with projections of their defensive futures. Brooks Lee TD Prospect Rank: 1 The Twins drafted Lee as a shortstop, and that's the only defensive position he has played in his brief professional career. Many expect him to add muscle as he climbs the organizational ladder, which means a likely shift to a different defensive position. He has a very strong arm, so third base is his projected defensive home. If third doesn't work, the Twins could move Lee to second base or a corner outfield spot. Royce Lewis TD Prospect Rank: 2 Lewis has played over 2600 defensive innings at shortstop in his professional career, but there have been questions about his long-term defensive position. Last season, the Twins used Lewis at shortstop when Carlos Correa was on the IL, but then the team had him start working at other positions. Lewis has been praised for his athleticism throughout his career, so he can fit at second base or in the outfield, even though that's where he was injured last season. Emmanuel Rodriguez TD Prospect Rank: 3 Rodriguez has played most of his professional career in center field, with five starts in the corner outfield. He turns 20 years old at the end of February, and expectations are for him to put on more muscle. His 2022 season was cut short by a knee injury, which might also cause him to lose a step. Rodriguez's powerful bat is one of the best in the Twins system, and he seems destined for a corner outfield spot. Edouard Julien TD Prospect Rank: 5 Julien has shot up prospect rankings after a breakout 2022 campaign, including moving up 14 spots on Twins Daily's offseason rankings. Second base has been his primary defensive position over the last two seasons, but he has made 18 appearances or more at first base, third base, and left field. He played a lot of second base in the Arizona Fall League, and there were mixed reports on his performance. His defensive versatility can help him reach the big leagues at some point in 2023. Jose Salas TD Prospect Rank: 8 Salas has yet to make his debut in the Twins system after joining the organization in the Luis Arraez and Pablo Lopez trade. Baseball Prospectus has him ranked as baseball's 93rd-best prospect. As a 19-year-old, he played shortstop, third base, and second base at two different levels last season. He made 16-of-18 starts at shortstop in the AFL, so it was a clear focus for him. Some scouts think he can stick at shortstop, but other options include second base, third base, or center field. Austin Martin TD Prospect Rank: 10 In college, Martin played all over the diamond before being selected by the Blue Jays with a top-five pick. Since turning pro, Martin has played shortstop and centerfield. He has suffered some growing pains since joining the Twins organization, including throwing issues at shortstop. His best long-term fit might be in the outfield because of his athleticism. It's also possible that he will shift to a super-utility role. What positions will these prospects play at the big-league level? Who will be the best defender? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

“Je vais être de retour!!” -- Edouard Julien in a since-deleted tweet sent on June 24, 2019. And with that - which translates to “I will be back!!” - Julien’s Twins career appeared to be over before it started as the draft-eligible sophomore announced his intentions to return to Auburn for his junior season. Oh, how things change in a hurry. At the time, it made perfect sense. Even Auburn couldn’t figure out exactly where to play Edouard Julien on the field. As a freshman, he started 59 games between designated hitter, first base, and second base. As a sophomore, he started 62 games at third base. There was no question about his bat, though. That belonged in the lineup. His final game as a Tiger saw these worlds collide. Against Mississippi State in the College World Series, Julien hit a massive two-run home run in the top of the second inning to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. It was a 429-foot blast to right field that, at the time, was tied for the longest in the history of TD Ameritrade Park. He later singled in another run to push the lead to 3-0. In the bottom of the final frame, the Tigers gave up two run, but still had the lead. One out away. Tying run 90 feet from home. And a routine ground ball to third base. Three batters later, Mississippi State was celebrating their walk-off victory. No one would have blamed Julien for going back to Auburn to try to help his team back to Omaha. But money - nearly a half million dollars - talks and the Twins now have one of the best guys at getting on base in all the minor leagues. Age: 23 (DOB: 4/30/1999)2022 Stats: (AA): 508 PA, .300/.441/.490, 17 HR, 67 RBI, 19 SB, 98 BB, 125K. (AFL) 96 PA, .400/.563/.686, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 6 SB, 23 BB, 22K.ETA: 20232022 Ranking: 19National Top 100 RankingsBA: NR | MLB: NR | ATH: NR | BP: NR What's To Like The bat. The eye. The legs. Julien's entire offensive arsenal is loaded. In an offseason that saw the Twins offload Luis Arraez, the organization has a ready-made replacement. Julien has been able to get on base in almost 44% of his minor-league plate appearances. You could make a pretty good argument that no one is better suited to bat lead-off. He's stolen 53 bases over the last two seasons. He has slugged nearly .500, you could argue that his bat belongs right in the middle of the lineup. You could literally make any argument you wanted about getting Julien in the lineup because he is prolific with the bat in his hands and a lineup with him in it is better than one without. What's Left to Work OnIf you're talking about someone with an elite offensive package and he's only #5 on the team's prospect rankings, you've either got the best system in baseball (it's not that) or there is something significant that sticks out that needs to be talked about here. The Twins - like Auburn - have used Julien all over defensively. He's started double-digit games in his career at first base, second base, third base, and left field. And as you slide down the defensive totem pole as Julien has (and Arraez did), it makes the presence of elite offensive skills even more important. Because the last stop is as a designated hitter. Ideally, Julien either finds a comfortable home (second base? left field?), but the most likely scenario involves him being used all over the infield and in left field. There's a lot of work to do here yet, but the reality remains that Julien is a low-ceiling defender. What's Next After a successful full-season run at Wichita followed by an outstanding fall in Arizona, Julien will almost assuredly start his season in St. Paul. From there, what happens in 2023 is going to be dependent on a handful of things. Assuming the bat doesn't regress, Julien will get ample opportunities to hone his defensive skills in the infield and, likely, in the outfield. But the performance and health of those above him will be the biggest factor. Before all that, though, Julien will compete for Team Canada in the WBC. Julien figures to get plenty of plate appearances and will likely find himself playing second base. Will he use this opportunity as a springboard for his upcoming season? Luis Arraez got an opportunity and ran with it all the way to a batting title. Maybe that's all Julien needs too... and the defensive side will sort itself out in time. Previous InstallmentsHonorable Mention Prospects 21-30 Prospects 16-20 Prospects 11-15 Prospect #10: Austin Martin, SS Prospect #9: Louie Varland, RHP Prospect #8: Jose Salas, INF Prospect #7: Connor Prielipp, LHP Prospect #6: Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Prospect #5: Edouard Julien, 2B View full article