Get to Know Twins Draft Pick, RHP Charlee Soto

[Ted Schwerzler]

Heading into the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft the Minnesota Twins were set to make a selection with the fifth overall pick. From there they also got another addition in Competitive Balance Round A and grabbed prep pitcher Charlee Soto 34th overall. He couldn’t be more excited to be joining the organization.

 

Image courtesy of Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Charlee Soto is a right-handed pitcher from Florida who made his way to the Sunshine State after spending time in Philadelphia. He was a notable name through the PDP (Player Development Pipeline) Program. He consistently sat in the upper-90’s with his fastball and touched triple-digits. Somewhat familiar with the Twins, having been coached by LaTroy Hawkins and played at the Fort Myers complex, Soto is beamed on stage in Seattle when talking about the next step of his baseball journey.

I caught up with Soto after he got a good night’s rest from draft night, and by that time, he had already checked in with Minnesota all-star Pablo Lopez. Here’s what he had to say:

Twins Daily: You have one of the best fastballs in this draft. With arms like Paul Skenes and Rhett Lowder, that’s pretty impressive. What about your heater has made it such a reliable pitch beyond just the velocity?

Charlee Soto: Aside from just the velocity of my fastball, the shape and the movement of the pitch set it apart. It’s not a flat, high-90. It has a lot of sink to it, and it’s heavy. I try to break bats and generate weak contact. I think it plays really, really well.

TD: What does the rest of your arsenal look like outside of the fastball? What do you feel most comfortable throwing?

CS: I throw a four-seam fastball, a circle-changeup, and a slider which has a little spike to it. Those three pitches I feel comfortable throwing equally, and can use them in any count to get ahead or if I’m behind and need a strike. I feel comfortable with each the whole way.

TD: You’ve faced high-level competition against elite talent in the PDP program. What do you feel has most prepared you for pro ball?

CS: The PDP program helped me a lot, not only in facing the best competition in the country which is what pro ball is going to look like, but just the way everything was run. We were at the field four hours before the game, we were up at 6:30 am. LaTroy Hawkins was one of my coaches, and having him there with so much professional experience it helped me get to learn what the pro side was like.

TS: Getting into professional baseball, where do you see the greatest area for you to grow or develop as both a pitcher and an individual?

CS: As a pitcher, I want to add one or two pitches to my arsenal. I think it would be good to have a fourth or fifth pitch. I want to go out there and dominate. As an individual, I want to grow. I want to meet new people and new coaches. I want to get better every day and be a leader.

TD: You alluded to the high character of fellow Twins draft pick Walker Jenkins. It’s clear that you possess a very similar trait. How do you attribute your maturity and how you carry yourself on and off the field too?

CS: I think the way I was raised helped a lot. My parents were hard on me, and being the younger sibling, my siblings guided my maturation at an early age. I’ve tried to think ahead of my years, and my brother going through the college experience has helped me to be an example.

TD: Obviously, you’ve dealt with cold before having been in Philadelphia, and you’ve seen the Twins facilities in Fort Myers, but what do you know about the organization, and have you been to Target Field or Minnesota?

CS: I have two buddies in the organization, Jose Salas and Omari Daniel. I talked to Pablo Lopez here at the hotel. They have all told me positive things and that the Twins do a very good job developing their players as both athletes and individuals. Pablo told me how quickly he fell in love with the organization. I’m just ready for it!

TD: Last one, when you’re not playing baseball, what are some hobbies or things you like to do to stay loose and disconnect from the game?

CS: I like doing a lot of community service work. I’m always around the game. My travel coach has a young team, and I always go support them. I feel like that’s huge because they always tell me I inspire them to be great so it’s great going out there and seeing a smile on their face. They have a special place in my heart. I like spending time with my family as well. We’re not always going to be together, so cherishing those special moments is important too.

Welcome to Twins Territory, Charlee!

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[Mike Sixel]

I love that these guys come here for this. Also, great that he's talked to Lopez.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

As much as I really like the Soto pick,  how much does it say that Lopez reached out to this kid and was a great ambassador for the Twins and the Minnesota Twins community as a whole.  As much as I still dislike trading Arreaz,  I really think having Lopez on our team especially with an extended contract was worth it.  

[Mike Sixel]

4 minutes ago, IA Bean Counter said:

As much as I really like the Soto pick,  how much does it say that Lopez reached out to this kid and was a great ambassador for the Twins and the Minnesota Twins community as a whole.  As much as I still dislike Arreaz,  I really think having Lopez on our team especially with an extended contract was worth it.  

I assume you mean trading Arreaz......

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

1 minute ago, Mike Sixel said:

I assume you mean trading Arreaz......

:)  correct,  I don't always talk clearly,  add in transferring to typing,  some things definitely get jumbled.

[laloesch]

41 minutes ago, IA Bean Counter said:

As much as I really like the Soto pick,  how much does it say that Lopez reached out to this kid and was a great ambassador for the Twins and the Minnesota Twins community as a whole.  As much as I still dislike trading Arreaz,  I really think having Lopez on our team especially with an extended contract was worth it.  

That is nice to see Lopez step up and provide advice to Soto.  The Arraez trade stings badly, but this is also good as well.  Mentorship figures are really important when bringing new talent.

[Fatbat]

I love this pick!!! and the draft as a whole. I have no doubt that Charlee is going to be a great player because he is a good young man. I cant imagine his ceiling is anything less than a dominating SP. 

[DocBauer]

Only "known" this young man since Sunday but I'm already so impressed by him. He came to th3 draft last year to just be a part of the experience. He brought like half of his family with him this year to enjoy the whole process with him. He was very impressive in his pair of brief interviews with the MLB Network host panel. He's active in his community and supports the youth team of his coach. 

He is a very impressive young man! Oh, he's also only 17yo, 6' 5", 210lbs, throws in the mid to upper 90's, has a good slider, and a solid change. And he seems driven to want to be the best he can be and learn. 

Kudos to Lopez for immediately reaching out to him and telling him about the organization. I just love how every new addition to the team speaks glowingly about the organization and how they and their families are treated. And every time I read about draftees, and prospects, or tune in to interviews that Seth does, all these guys come across as intelligent and high character. If character was a 6th tool, I think the Twins look pretty hard for it.

Can't wait to see Soto on the hill!

[gman]

I'm hoping that by 2027 he is starting to make noise in the system. Seems like a long way away. Hopefully he is another member of a continually  strong rotation.

[awmonahan]

I get the pick now. What a tremendously level-headed interview for a HS age player. I don't know if Pablo reached out to him or the other way around, but it sounds like he seeks out advice from the right people (Pablo, LaTroy, etc.). I'd place a bet on him. 

[rwilfong86]

Another Puerto Rican in the system 👏

[Doctor Wu]

I love these reports on the newly drafted players. Thank you! It sounds like the front office did some good homework on Soto, and got a kid with not only some impressive skills, but a great attitude too. Thrilled to have him in the organization. Now don't go out and trade him next year!

[Doctor Gast]

Soto is the one I'm most excited about of all our draftees. I like his talent, his attitude & maturity for such a young man. Usually the SPing process is long & laboress but with the mentoring of LaTroy & Pablo, I see him surprise a lot of people. 

[jmlease1]

Really interesting prospect. Always a fair amount of risk with high school pitchers, but there's a lot to like about Soto and things that might mitigate the risk. Having a big fastball that isn't flat at his age is impressive. It seems really likely that he'll add weight and strength in the next couple of years that can hopefully help keep him strong and healthy (maybe even add velocity to an already impressive fastball?). It'll be really interesting to see how his command and control develops in the minors and what his pitch mix starts to look like as the Twins work with him. heavy fastball, circle change, and slider is a nice base to work from.

I do think it's cool that he's already been coached by LaTroy Hawkins and has connections to players already in the system. Lot of potential with this kid, and he sounds like he has his head on straight.