Twins Daily Draft Preview: Kevin Parada

[Jamie Cameron]

Kevin Parada had one of the great seasons from a college catcher in 2022. Could he fall to the Twins at number eight overall?

 

As we continue to profile players the Twins might select at number eight overall on July 17th we look at Kevin Parada, a catcher from Georgia Tech who had a season for the ages in 2022.

Who is He?
Kevin Parada is a 6’1, 210 pound catcher out of Georgia Tech University. Across five major industry sources, his ranking on big boards ranges from sixth to seventh overall, making him one of the most consistently evaluated prospects in the top ten. Parada checks in at seventh overall on the Twins Daily Consensus Big Board. He will be 20 on draft day.

Why the Twins Will Draft Him
Simply put, Kevin Parada is an absolute baller. In 2022, Parada put up one of the great recent seasons by a catcher in college baseball. He hit .360/.453/.715 with 26 home runs, 88 RBIs, 30 walks, and just 31 strikeouts in 59 games. Sheesh.

Parada has history and pedigree as a prospect. He was one of the best catching prospects in the country as a high schooler approaching the 2020 draft. Instead, he chose to fulfill his commitment to Georgia Tech. 

Parada has an extremely unorthodox-looking approach at the plate, his bat almost laying on his back pointed at the ground. It’s hard to argue with the results, however. Parada has 60-grade hit and power tools and projects as a 20-25 home run hitter with a .275-.290 average at the big league level at a premier defensive position. Parada also cut his strikeout rate in 2022 from 16.9% to just 9.5%. His ability to adjust and improve quickly will be key defensively, where his skill set has drawn mixed reviews. With his proven and complete offensive skillset in place, however, who cares?

Why the Twins Won't Draft Him
Parada is one of very few prospects in the consensus top ten to have such a tightly knit clustering of evaluations (Druw Jones and Gavin Cross are the other two). While it’s likely that a team throws a wrench in the works in round one and a consensus top seven player falls to the Twins, it seems unlikely that it will be Parada. His combination of prospect pedigree going back to high school, incredible production at Georgia Tech, and defensive position at catcher make him extremely likely to be a top-six overall pick. If he falls to eight, the Twins should be ecstatic, as he’s a high-upside, long-term solution at one of the most challenging positions in the game.

What are your thoughts on the Twins drafting Kevin Parada? Do you think he’s a good fit for Minnesota? Share your thoughts in the comments.

 

 

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[roger]

Yes, he is the man I hope is available and they take.

[RJA]

Absolutely would be a fit.  As you suggest, in many ways, the catching position is the most difficult position to fill at the major league level.  The number of catchers with modest offensive skills that have long careers is remarkable. If a team has a catcher with both defensive and offensive prowess, it is a huge advantage.  But, I think the chances of Parada being available at 8 are nil.

[chpettit19]

Would absolutely love the Twins to get Parada, but I see basically no chance of him falling to 8. Lots of talk about Washington being in love with him and him being the favorite to go #5 to them.

[Dman]

I just don't see Parada making it to the Twins.  Even if he slipped past Washington he would be a dream pick for the Marlins and probably the Cubs as well.  A catcher who is likely a fast mover because the bat will be advanced would be hard to pass up.  Seems like a pretty safe pick as well with the good eye at the plate.  We can dream but the odds are long that he makes it to the Twins.

[Jamie Cameron]

21 minutes ago, Dman said:

I just don't see Parada making it to the Twins.  Even if he slipped past Washington he would be a dream pick for the Marlins and probably the Cubs as well.  A catcher who is likely a fast mover because the bat will be advanced would be hard to pass up.  Seems like a pretty safe pick as well with the good eye at the plate.  We can dream but the odds are long that he makes it to the Twins.

Definitely long odds but wanted to write this for the sake of thoroughness as someone is likely to fall. I've seen him get to #9 overall in mocks, so I'll keep dreaming ?

[Dman]

4 minutes ago, Jamie Cameron said:

Definitely long odds but wanted to write this for the sake of thoroughness as someone is likely to fall. I've seen him get to #9 overall in mocks, so I'll keep dreaming ?

I love that you write about the draft so I am not complaining at all.  We all want him to fall to us but being at 8 is a tough spot this year IMO.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Thanks for these informative and timely articles Jamie. Well done. If the Twins wanted Parada badly, but felt he would be drafted before #8, how can the Twins persuade a team to draft Parada early and then trade him to the Twins? With his hitting skills, do you anticipate Parada will remain a catcher into his 30's? 

[2wins87]

Parada falling out of the top 7 seems like maybe the ideal scenario for the Twins.

Unfortunately it has seemed less and less likely as the summer has gone on.  I doubt there's more than a 5% chance of him being avaiable.  That's probably on the high end.

[Blyleven2011]

If he is available  , pay the man ...

Catcher and hitter is a position of need  ... 

Best prospect  I like so far but don't think he will be available  to us as other teams have interest  but if he surprisingly drops in our lap ,,, sign the man 

[big dog]

Draft-and-trade isn’t possible with these picks, right? I don’t see any other way he falls to 8, but stranger things have happened. Would love to have him. 

[bunsen82]

I think Parada is the one that falls, someone is going to draft a lower level prospect to save major money to use later in the the draft.  Now the thing is will the Twins take him and I think they should.  We have some catchers in the minor leagues,  but no one of Parada's pedigree.   

[Doctor Gast]

If the Twin are able to draft Parada, it'll be a very successful draft.

[Irishman]

3 hours ago, big dog said:

Draft-and-trade isn’t possible with these picks, right? I don’t see any other way he falls to 8, but stranger things have happened. Would love to have him. 

I don't think Kevin Parada would be there at #8.   Draft-and-trade is not allowed.   Unless Parada falls tp 8, Twins better nab Parada!

[SteelDodo]

Ditto everyone's thoughts. I love him, but doubt he falls.

Not sure if you're planning this already, but can I make a request for a profile on Susac? He seems like an almost comparable C and one that likely will be available. He's on my short list if one of the big 6-7 don't fall.