2023 Prospect Previews: The Best of the Rest

[Jamie Cameron]

Brooks Lee and Connor Prielipp headlined an exciting 2022 MLB Draft for the Minnesota Twins. Who are some lesser known prospects who have a chance to develop and shine? In the final installment of the prospect preview series, we look at some intriguing pick in rounds six through twenty.

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo

In the past five editions of this series, we’ve looked at the Twins first five picks in the 2022 MLB Draft. In each case, we’ve looked at scouting reports, the amateur careers, and where they are likely to start the 2023 season. In this final installment, we’ll turn our attention to rounds dix through twenty, to highlight interesting prospects or tools to look out for from remaining picks.

Unsigned Players
The Twins ended the 20 round draft with just two unsigned players, their final two rounds of the draft. In the 19th round, they drafted Garrett McMillan, a left-handed pitcher who returned to school for his senior year. In the 20th round, the Twins drafted prep outfielder Korbyn Dickerson, who opted to fulfill his commitment to Louisville. 

Best of the Rest
Listed as a shortstop, the Twins drafted Jorel Ortega in the sixth round for $50k under slot. Ortega was part of an incredible Tennessee team that put together one of the best college seasons in recent memory. Playing as their primary second baseman, Ortega slugged .672 with 18 home runs. Ortega’s offensive  breakout may be partially due to Lindsey Nelson Stadium being a launching pad, as scouts had mixed reviews on his offensive upside. He had a two-run single in his first and only at-bat in 2022 for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. On the play, he hurt his wrist and his season ended. 

In the 9th round, the Twins drafted UC-Santa Barbara’s Friday night starter, Cory Lewis. I’m not going to bury the lede here; Lewis throws a knuckleball that scouts think may be a viable pitch in his professional arsenal. Lewis is a classic Twins pick, highlighting a few exceptional skills and some inefficiencies the Twins can work to improve. Lewis’s fastball sits in the low 90s but has elite ride and vertical break. Lewis also gets great extension to get plenty of swing and miss up in the zone. Lewis also features a solid curveball and an emerging changeup. The Twins will likely use him as a starter and work to develop more velocity on his fastball.

In the 10th round, the Twins drafted infielder Dalton Shuffield for just $20k. Shuffield is a classic organizational player. In college, he strung together over 200 games from Texas State over five seasons, punctuating his career with a .397/.444/.668 line with 20 doubles and 14 home runs. With the raft of Twins injuries in 2022, Shuffield saw time at three different MiLB levels, making it all the way to Triple-A. In 25 games, he hit .305/.380/.537 with four home runs and 10 walks. Shuffield is a versatile infield gamer with surprising pop.

The Twins used some of their savings in previous rounds to draft shortstop Omari Daniel in the 14th round for $232,800. Daniel was a slightly surprising sign to me, as he seemed likely to follow through on his commitment to Oregon. He’s a true defensive shortstop with strong tools across the board (plus arm and above average speed). Before Tommy John surgery in 2022, Daniel had shown the ability to drive the ball hard but an inconsistent offensive skill set. Daniel has plenty of tools, but needs health and playing time.

Who are your favorite picks outside the top five rounds? Are there particular players or tools you are excited to see in 2023? Share your thoughts below.

Previous Articles in the Series
Brooks Lee
Connor Prielipp
Tanner Schobel
Andrew Morris
Ben Ross

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[Doctor Gast]

I was hoping you'd tell me. As I've stated before my main focus is catching. Since it'd be very unlikely to find an elite catcher the 1st round. Then I'd try to find the next best thing the next selection. There's a couple that we could find, Kyle Teal (Virginia) & Cole Carrigg (SD State). Getting any deeper waters, I have to admit I'm lost. The only possible name I could throw out there is Brandon Sproat RHP (Florida) maybe available 3rd round most likely 2nd. Gophers Klassen may be a surprise.

1st round note, some are disappointed with Chase Dollander's performance & his stock has fallen some to some. He could come available to the Twins if the Twins are interested. Also Wyatt Lanford is injured, IDK if that could dim his shine.

[Dman]

Shuffield was the surprise performer for me. A 5' 9" senior sign that looked like a money saving move and was an after thought for me.  His first year in pro ball he puts up a .305 average and 915 OPS. Those numbers would have been good in rookie ball but the majority of his at bats came at AAA.  While there he hit 271\314\542 for an OPS of 856.  That seems pretty amazing for a guy fresh out of college playing against near ready MLB pitching.  Pitchers with good breaking stuff usually hand cuffs less experienced bats but Shuffield held his own.  He is older though at 24 and it would be nice if they dumped him at AA so he could be a potential legit prospect for a year or two but we will see where he starts out.  At any rate he played extremely well for an after thought and if he has a good to great season this could be a case where a 10th round pick makes it.  From what I understand he has the defense to stay at short but likely a utility player unless his power does play then he can probably play just about anywhere.

I also like pick number 17 Alec Sayre.  The batting average was only .244 but the OBP was .448.  I am a big believer in guys who have a good eye at the plate as they work their way into favorable counts they usually get something good to hit and if not are not making outs swinging out of the zone.  Not much power so that is something he will need to improve on but for pick 17 there are things to work with and I will be watching him this year.

I like both catchers but the sample size is too small to know much.  Same with most of the pitchers just didn't do enough so nothing much I can say other than I hope they all work out.  Should be a fun A ball team to watch and it will be interesting which players excel this year.

[farmerguychris]

Sounds like fate for Jorel Ortega - Welcome to the Twins  - go out there and play....and get injured.  Good grief!

I'm intrigued by Cory Lewis - Don't knuckleball pitchers normally throw a 4-seam that hits about 80mph?  Would be pretty cool to see him toss in the mid-90's one pitch and then a floater the moves all over the place on the following pitch.

 

[nicksaviking]

I don't know how Zebby Mathews doesn't get a write up. There's zero chance a guy with the name Zebby doesn't make it to the big leagues.

[DocBauer]

Flabbergasted that Shuffield, even as an older player, could come in as a rookie at play and hit that well, even though his AAA time was as a late season fill in. I don't know if he has much of a ceiling, but who knows. Agree with Dman, perhaps slot him at AA and see what happens.

Ben Ross has already gotten run due to his college and independent league numbers, so will leave him alone in regard to comments.

I am always drawn to catchers. Cossetti showed a live bat in college but didn't play post draft. (1 game I think). Will the bat play? How good is his defense? I'm more intrigued by Nate Baez behind the dish. He's more athletic than your typical backstop, and didn't become a full time catcher until last year. He's just got to be rough around the edges, but there is real potential with his athleticism if he puts in the work.

Stinks Ortega got hurt right away. He reminds me of a 2B version of CES, drafted the year before. The bat potential is intriguing, can he keep it up? Can he remain at 2B?

I was surprised Omari Daniel signed. I also thought he'd go to college. He has to get his arm right. But he was a TOP HS SS recruit. He's going to start low in the system, naturally, but healthy and any questions about NOT going to college would have him selected at least a few rounds earlier.

I'm very interested in both Zebby Matthews and Cory Lewis. Both are in the 6' 4-5" range with long frames that might not be fully developed. Both could see upticks in velocity to the mid to upper 90's. They remind me of Festa, ready to mature and emerge. The fact that Lewis seems to have a legit knuckleball, not just a gimmick, makes him even more interesting. Other than Prielipp, I like the potential of these two more than any other arm drafted.

Lastly, and I'm probably being sentimental, but I'm going to be watching 18th round pick Zachary Veen closely. He has 3 pitches and only throws around 90. But a LHP who averages 10K per 9 IP and only walks 3 in 49 innings gets my attention. And he showed the same control and K rate in the Cape Cod league. Could he crank up the velocity to 93-94 maybe as a pro? Could he make it at 92 with a solid breaking ball and change? I just can't ignore the control and K rates. Might he be a solid BP arm in a few years?

This draft is obviously defined by Lee and Prielipp. But there's a handful of infielders that at least offer various degrees of potential. And a couple of arms that aren't exactly longshots, but are intriguing possibilities. Really want to see one of the catchers reach their potential and Baez could surprise. Don't know that it was a great draft beyond the obvious, and it will take a few years to know the outcome, but I can see a handful of surprises here that could rival the 2019 draft. Potentially. 

 

[Jamie Cameron]

9 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

I was hoping you'd tell me. As I've stated before my main focus is catching. Since it'd be very unlikely to find an elite catcher the 1st round. Then I'd try to find the next best thing the next selection. There's a couple that we could find, Kyle Teal (Virginia) & Cole Carrigg (SD State). Getting any deeper waters, I have to admit I'm lost. The only possible name I could throw out there is Brandon Sproat RHP (LSU) maybe available 3rd round

1st round note, some are disappointed with Chase Dollander's performance & his stock has fallen some to some. He could come available to the Twins if the Twins are interested. Also Wyatt Lanford is injured, IDK if that could dim his shine.

Thanks for reading and commenting! For catchers, there's 4 guys in my top 56 right now, some of them high school level so play other positions.

Kyle Teel (Virginia), Blake Mitchell (Prep), Gavin Grahovac (Prep), and Ralphy Velazquez (Prep). Teel and Mitchell are the legit guys at each level, both top 25 ish prospects. Teel is having a particularly loud spring offensively.

Sproat just threw a one-hitter last week. He was on the consensus board last year but returned to school. There's a cluster of good college pitcher the Twins could target at 34 or 49, so a good name to watch. Dollander is still part of the consensus top 4, but there's so much time for things to change. I'd be shocked if Langford was available at 5, despite the injury. I would sprint to the podium with his name in hand if he was.

[Jamie Cameron]

7 hours ago, farmerguychris said:

Sounds like fate for Jorel Ortega - Welcome to the Twins  - go out there and play....and get injured.  Good grief!

I'm intrigued by Cory Lewis - Don't knuckleball pitchers normally throw a 4-seam that hits about 80mph?  Would be pretty cool to see him toss in the mid-90's one pitch and then a floater the moves all over the place on the following pitch.

 

His knuckleball is definitely not the focus, just a cool add on. His profile is really similar to someone like Odorizzi. Fastball that plays up in the zone, and Twins are great at adding velo. I like him as a name to watch.

[terrydactyls]

10 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

I was hoping you'd tell me. As I've stated before my main focus is catching. Since it'd be very unlikely to find an elite catcher the 1st round. Then I'd try to find the next best thing the next selection. There's a couple that we could find, Kyle Teal (Virginia) & Cole Carrigg (SD State). Getting any deeper waters, I have to admit I'm lost. The only possible name I could throw out there is Brandon Sproat RHP (LSU) maybe available 3rd round

1st round note, some are disappointed with Chase Dollander's performance & his stock has fallen some to some. He could come available to the Twins if the Twins are interested. Also Wyatt Lanford is injured, IDK if that could dim his shine.

This thread is about the 2022 draft, not what they "should" do this summer.  We all know you are adamant that the Twins have a catcher as their primary target.  But there is no need to rant about it in a thread about a completely different topic.

[Bodie]

11 hours ago, Jamie Cameron said:

His knuckleball is definitely not the focus, just a cool add on. His profile is really similar to someone like Odorizzi. Fastball that plays up in the zone, and Twins are great at adding velo. I like him as a name to watch.

Not to be "that guy", but the Twins are definitely NOT a team noted for adding velocity.  Wes Johnson was known for it, but is now doing his voodoo for the Bayou Bengals.  If the Twins are historically known for anything doing with velocity it is the polar opposite - convincing guys to take a bit off to improve control.

That being said,  a 90 mph fastball can and has worked in the majors since day one.  

[Doctor Gast]

17 hours ago, Jamie Cameron said:

Thanks for reading and commenting! For catchers, there's 4 guys in my top 56 right now, some of them high school level so play other positions.

Kyle Teel (Virginia), Blake Mitchell (Prep), Gavin Grahovac (Prep), and Ralphy Velazquez (Prep). Teel and Mitchell are the legit guys at each level, both top 25 ish prospects. Teel is having a particularly loud spring offensively.

Sproat just threw a one-hitter last week. He was on the consensus board last year but returned to school. There's a cluster of good college pitcher the Twins could target at 34 or 49, so a good name to watch. Dollander is still part of the consensus top 4, but there's so much time for things to change. I'd be shocked if Langford was available at 5, despite the injury. I would sprint to the podium with his name in hand if he was.

Thanks Jamie! Sorry, I didn't catch your response right away.

In my mind Crews is cemented in #1, but the others I think there'll be a lot of surprises from Fall rankings to actual day of the draft. 

As for catchers I'm more interested in college because we'll need someone who can step up into the MLB level as soon as possible and rake. So I'm less interested in prep draftees.

Also Gophers Klassen could surprise some people. He has great velo and it looks like he trending up as far his control is concerned.

[Doctor Gast]

14 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

This thread is about the 2022 draft, not what they "should" do this summer.  We all know you are adamant that the Twins have a catcher as their primary target.  But there is no need to rant about it in a thread about a completely different topic.

My bad, I misunderstood the objective. After I read a few texts I realized my mistake. I didn't realize I was ranting. I'm sorry I offended you.

 

[Doctor Gast]

3 hours ago, Bodie said:

 Wes Johnson was known for it, but is now doing his voodoo for the Bayou Bengals. 

Very interesting Bodie, I've never heard that term before. You made me think.

[Jamie Cameron]

11 hours ago, Bodie said:

Not to be "that guy", but the Twins are definitely NOT a team noted for adding velocity.  Wes Johnson was known for it, but is now doing his voodoo for the Bayou Bengals.  If the Twins are historically known for anything doing with velocity it is the polar opposite - convincing guys to take a bit off to improve control.

That being said,  a 90 mph fastball can and has worked in the majors since day one.  

You aren't being 'that guy', but there's more to it than Johnson. The Twins are good at adding velo as an org. It's been widely known and written about, whether internally, or engaging guys at Driveline etc. P. Lopez, Ryan, Jax, Ober all have velo jumps. TONS of their prospects have also. Johnson certainly and fairly have earned this reputation, but there's even video of Sean Johnson talking about this as an organizational strength after the draft last year.