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The Twins have the number eight pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. As draft coverage at Twins Daily ramps up, read up on four pitchers the Twins could target in the first round. Yesterday, we looked at hitters the Twins might target in the first round, today, we’ll look at pitchers. A few notes before we begin. I mostly focused these two ‘overview’ pieces on who the Twins might take a number eight overall (as opposed to focusing on later picks). Additionally, I’ll profile these players in alphabetical order, there's no preference here. I think it’s worth pointing out that the Twins are extremely likely to take a hitter. That’s not a front office ‘thing’, it’s simply how the talent stacks up at the top of the board. In baseball, you take the best player available, no matter what. There is a group of 8-12 hitters, most of whom I think will come off the board before we see pitchers start to be picked. Assumptions Unlike yesterday, there are no assumptions to make in this scenario. If the Twins go with a pitcher in the first round, I expect them all to be available when Minnesota selects at eight overall. That’s reflective of the strength of this year’s draft class. The top of the first round is flush with extremely impressive, borderline elite bats. The pitching talent at the top of the class is much more scattered. Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford HS Lesko was the number one pitcher on the board and a consensus top ten pick until Tommy John surgery ended his season. In 2021, he managed 112 strikeouts in just 60 innings. Lesko offers a mid to high-90s fastball that he locates well. The biggest weapon in his arsenal is his changeup. The pitch has been described as one of the best prep changeups ever scouted. Lesko is committed to play for Vanderbilt, which, in combination with his injury, may pose an issue for a team picking him. Additionally, he falls into the riskiest draft sub-group, prep right-handed pitchers. Despite the uncertainty, Lesko has the highest upside of any pitcher in the draft and legitimate front-of-the-rotation potential. Brock Porter, RHP, Orchard Lake St. Marys Porter is a tall, slender prep prospect out of Michigan, a state that doesn't produce a ton of first-round talent. He has a 70-grade fastball that regularly hits 97 mph but he has also cranked up to 100 mph. Additionally, he carries a 70-grade changeup that has significant tumble. Porter also throws a curveball and a slider, both of which need more work but have a chance to be above-average pitches. Porter has work to do in refining his command, but his arsenal is so impressive, it has not been an issue to date. Porter is committed to Clemson, but could be the first pitcher taken in the first round in the wake of Lesko’s injury. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama A Tomah, Wisconsin, native, Prielipp has been ranked in the 30-50 range on most big boards throughout the draft process. His inclusion here is a result of the Twins being connected to him in recent weeks. Prielipp’s progress was hindered by Tommy John surgery in 2021 but a strong showing at the MLB draft combine has vaulted him into first-round consideration. He offers a mid-90s, 60-grade fastball, and a devastating 70-grade slider that had a 50% whiff rate in college. Prielipp is seen as a little bit of a draft wild card due to a limited track record, but two pitches above a 60 grade give him elite stuff. Kumar Rocker, RHP, Independent Ball Of all the pitching prospects in the 2022 draft class, Kumar Rocker has the most pedigree. In three years at Vanderbilt, he put up a 2.89 ERA and a 33.2 K%. After being drafted 10th overall by the Mets in 2021, he never signed due to concerns around his medical records. Rocker elected to pitch in independent baseball this spring, showing stuff that is in the same realm as his peak with the Commodores. Rocker has a fastball that reaches the upper 90s, a 70 grade slider, a cutter and a decent changeup. Rocker is an unknown in the 2022 draft class as it’s unclear how his medicals will be viewed and perceived by teams. He has the stuff and the track record to be a front of the rotation starting pitcher. Honorable Mentions Mississippi State right-hander Landon Sims was in-line to be the top college arm taken in the draft before Tommy John surgery ended his season. He has an electric fastball (velocity ad movement) and a wipeout slider. Florida prep lefty Brandon Barriera is a smaller framed lefty who is expected to go at the end of the first round. Gonzaga right-hander Gabriel Hughes has a strong fastball slider mix and a ton of projectability, as he will only be 20 on draft day. Tennessee righty Blake Tidwell missed the first six weeks of the season to injury but can ramp his fastball up to 99mph, with a deceptive arm slot. Lastly, Minnesota native and Iowa Adam Mazur is ranked on big boards around where the Twins will pick for the second time. Mazur struck out 98 in 92 innings pitched this spring, increasing his fastball velocity to the 94-97 mph range to compliment a sharp 12-6 curveball and a smooth mechanical approach. If the Twins take a pitcher at number eight overall, who would you like to see them draft and why? View full article

College baseball started nationwide over the weekend and one name notably absent during the showdown in Nashville between Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State was former Commodore pitcher Kumar Rocker. Rocker, as you may recall, was drafted by the Mets last year but did not sign before the signing deadline. When Kumar Rocker and the Mets failed to reach an agreement last summer, it left few options for Rocker's baseball future: return to Vanderbilt for his senior season or play professionally, albeit in a league not affiliated with Major League Baseball. It became apparent quickly, if not immediately, that Rocker, who is represented by super-agent Scott Boras, would not be returning to play college baseball. So here we are in February, draft season upon us, with the most well-known draft-eligible pitcher appearing destined for independent baseball, eventually. The journey from now until the draft is going to be clouded in mystery. Let's look back at the path Kumar Rocker took to get here. Kumar, son of former NFL player Tracy Rocker, was drafted out of a Georgia high school by the Rockies in the 28th round of the 2018 draft but elected to enroll at Vanderbilt where he quickly burst onto the scene. The success he had as a freshman was unprecedented: striking out 114 batters in 99 2/3 innings, Rocker won 12 games and had an ERA of 3.25, but his persona grew as a big-game pitcher as he led the Commodores to a national championship. Along the way, Rocker was the eighth pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the NCAA tournament, but the first to ever do it in a Super Regional Game. He set a College World Series record, fanning 11 against Michigan on his way to a 2-0, 1.46 ERA in the CWS, taking home Most Outstanding Player honors. All the momentum he took into his sophomore year, which he also started with a bang came to a screeching halt when COVID shut it down in early March of 2020. Rocker, though, returned to dominance in the spring of 2021, posting a 14-4 record with an ERA of 2.73. He struck out 179 batters in 122 innings. But four of his starts, including his last one in the College World Series, are best described as clunkers and some of the polish that made Rocker such a shiny prospect had started to wear off. Teammate Jack Leiter flew past Rocker on draft boards and prospect lists and Rocker, who was widely mocked as the first overall picks for much of the spring, started to tumble amidst concerns that, physically, something wasn't right. The Mets, picking 10th, had agreed to pay Rocker well over-slot and executed their whole draft around this idea. The $6 million agreement was public knowledge before the paint was even dry on the rest of the draft. Rocker probably wouldn't have dropped to the Mets if this agreement wasn't in place before the draft started. And that's where things took a weird turn. Rocker, who didn't participate in the pre-draft sharing of medical information, was deemed to have some shoulder/elbow irregularities in a post-draft physical done by the Mets. Boras, on the other hand, shared that imagining showed no discernable difference from an MRI Rocker had done years prior. The Mets held firm and didn't even offer Rocker a contract (and they didn't have to because of the lack of shared medical information). Kumar Rocker will be draft-eligible again in 2022. Where, when and how much he throws prior to the draft will remain a mystery. But when the draft starts, there's little doubt that Rocker won't be among the best available arms. The question, though, is whether or not there are enough answers for the Twins to feel comfortable drafting him. Don't forget to check out the other content here at TwinsDaily. Our draft series kicked off last week and we'll have more throughout the weeks leading up to the draft. February 15 update And there's the prospect rankings series as well. Honorable Mentions Prospects 16-20 Prospects 11-15 #10: Josh Winder, RHP #9: Chase Petty, RHP #8: Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP #7: Jhoan Duran, RHP #6: Matt Canterino, RHP #5: Joe Ryan, RHP #4: Jordan Balazovic, RHP #3: Coming tomorrow View full article