Get to Know Twins Draft Pick OF Brandon Winokur

[Ted Schwerzler]

While the Minnesota Twins were excited to have the fifth selection in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, the system was going to see an influx of talent by adding four players within the first 82 selections. A five-tool-talent in the form of Brandon Winokur was their selection with the third round pick.

 

Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the assumption that Minnesota would again lean towards college bats, they opted to take three prep players with their first four picks. Brandon Winokur was the second outfielder they grabbed, and despite playing plenty of shortstop in high school, the assumption is that he fits best in one of the corners at the next level.

Finding five-tool talents isn’t necessarily the most difficult thing, but being able to refine and develop them is what separates the best players. Winokur absolutely falls into the category of a player that has it all, and his big 6’6” frame will be fun to watch grow through professional ball.

I had the opportunity to talk with him prior to his celebratory Dairy Queen S’mores Blizzard, and here’s what he had to say:

Twins Daily: Tell me a little bit about your game, takeaways from the senior year of high school, and how you’d describe yourself at the plate and in the field?

Brandon Winokur: My senior season was pretty successful. I ended up with nine jacks, batted .365, a couple stolen bases, and defensive runs saved. It was a great year overall. I couldn’t have asked for anything better, and I’ve loved Edison High School for four years. I like to find balance in my game. I’m a really competitive guy, but I like to play loose and have a lot of fun when I play baseball. It stems from my love of the game from when I was little. I never take myself too seriously. I have tried to model my game after different players across MLB. Growing up watching Mike Trout, Angels Stadium is like a 20 minute drive, being a five-tool player made me want to hone in on all five skills. Once I got to 6’6” it’s been a little more difficult to keep my speed, but I’ve done a lot of hill runs and things like that to stay in that shape.

TD: There were a lot of notes regarding you being a five-tool player with all of the raw tools. What would you say from a development standpoint are the things you’re most excited about honing your game as far as those tools?

BW: You know what, I am looking forward to every single new day that I go out to the field, there will be a new challenge for me. I feel like that’s the beauty of baseball. There are always new challenges for me to adapt to and overcome. Now matter if I go 0-for-5 or 5-for-5, I’m up for the challenge. I’m excited to expand in all areas of my game.

TD: The Twins took three high schoolers in the first four picks this year, which hasn’t been customary for them. All three of you exude maturity and come across as well put together individuals and ballplayers. Where does that come from for you?

BW: I had the opportunity to play with Walker (Jenkins) and Charlee (Soto) in the PDP League last year and that was an absolute blast. Those were two of the guys that I felt like I connected with the most, which is funny since we all got drafted by the same team. I feel like my family has 99% to do with my maturity. I’ve grown up in a household where my dad is a fire captain at Newport Beach and my mom is a stay at home mom, they run a tight ship. That was the best thing for me. I told them what my dream was when I was little, and they kept me on this path. I’ve grown up with good morals that have come from my family My aunt and uncle, granny and papa, I feel like I’ve grown up in a great environment with a lot of role models at my side. I just want to be like them. My dad gets to go out and make a difference every day in his job, that’s a big deal to me. My mom has been great to me and my brother. It has everything to do with family. I’ve grown up in a great environment.

TD: What do you know about the Twins organization. Have you been to Target Field or Minnesota?

BW: I have not been to Minnesota, but I am looking forward to the first day I get to take batting practice out there. I have actually seen that stadium a lot because I usually put the HitTrax on Target Field because it’s absolutely beautiful. I don’t know much about Minnesota, Royce Lewis was a draft pick a couple of years ago around here. There’s a lot of history there. Kirby Puckett, Rod Carew, as of recently Byron Buxton, it’s a great organization. I’m absolutely blessed to have this opportunity to go play for a team like them.

TD: What does it look like having been excited to play for UCLA and then shift into being excited for an opportunity to play professional ball? What does that thought process look like?

BW: For me since day one, the dream has been to play professional baseball. UCLA has had an amazing history for everything. I love coach Savage, I love those assistant coaches. Since day one though, professional baseball was the goal. I want to go out and go win a championship. I don’t go into things without wanting to win. I’m ready to go prove myself and I’m ready to work.

TD: Outside of baseball, or when you’re not at the field, how do you get away from the game?

BW: I’ve always had a close circle of friends that I hang out with. Phil, Josh, Emerson, Ben, my brother, I usually like hanging out with them. Annelise too. I play a lot of basketball, the beach is five minutes from here, that’s a great outlet. We hang out playing video games, chopping it up at the field, it’s always a good time.

Welcome to Twins Territory, Brandon!

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[Nashvilletwin]

Sounds like a fine young man. Stay good, We will be rooting for your success.

[Mike Sixel]

Thanks to him for doing this!

[Dman]

If he can control the strike zone and end up with a plus hit tool this kid is going to a monster out there.  Gonna be watching him on his way up through the minors.

[gman]

May be too big to play shortstop, but if he can play shortstop then he should at least get the opportunity to play third base or first base. He has a plus throwing arm, so third maybe a better use of his talent. If he loses a little foot speed as he ages, he doesn't have to run a lot to field the position well. See him in four years? Maybe 2027?

[jmlease1]

I love the fact that he puts Target Field on for HitTrax. That's just kinda neat. I love Target Field and it's cool to hear a high school kid who has never been here throw a little love on it. 

He seems like another prospect who wants to work, wants to be coached, and has the drive to succeed. here's hoping for good health and success!

[jkcarew]

Really like this pick.

Does anyone have a take on signability issues?

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

31 minutes ago, jkcarew said:

Really like this pick.

Does anyone have a take on signability issues?

I am sure they agreed to an amount, but even so you read the article it says he appreciates the coaches and college but going to mlb was always his goal.  Pretty clear he is signing.  

[weitz41]

Sounds like a great young man. Wishing him the best. I've been only to two MLB stadiums, Target field and Miller field. Target is 10X better then Miller/Am fam field. IDC where he plays. Sounds like he's got the raw tools to play all over the diamond.

[Dave Borton]

Quote

I’ve grown up with good morals that have come from my family My aunt and uncle, granny and papa, I feel like I’ve grown up in a great environment with a lot of role models at my side. 

Man, how I wish every child could have this kind of support.

[Doctor Wu]

Another good article to whet our baseball appetites! Looking forward to seeing this kid on the field, or at least reading more about him. Sounds like we got a good one!

[madtowntwin]

Based solely on the measurables of height / weight and tools at a HS level - Am I the only one that has Dave Winfield come to mind?? 

[Seth Stohs]

1 hour ago, madtowntwin said:

Based solely on the measurables of height / weight and tools at a HS level - Am I the only one that has Dave Winfield come to mind?? 

I made that some comp in my mind and sent it to someone... 

That person then chastised me for comping a draft pick to a Hall of Famer. Ha! 

But I still like it! 

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, Seth Stohs said:

I made that some comp in my mind and sent it to someone... 

That person then chastised me for comping a draft pick to a Hall of Famer. Ha! 

But I still like it! 

Comparing anyone to such an elite athlete across sports is fools gold, but just comparing their size? that's fine....

[Obsvr]

not gonna lie...hitting .365 in high school ball is a bit of a red flag.

[tony&rodney]

We won't know for a couple of years how this pick goes. A couple of points that might make sense. Hitting .365 versus his competition in SoCal is like a .500 or better average in the Midwest. Weather affects bat speed, pitchers, basically everything.

It is easy to think of Dave Winfield, but you will remember that Winfield was a full grown man who went right from the College World Series to being the starting right fielder for the San Diego Padres and never looked back on his way to a Hall of Fame career. Still, a guy with size, speed, and skills sounds exciting and I thought of that too.

[Ted Schwerzler]

On 7/12/2023 at 3:18 PM, jkcarew said:

Really like this pick.

Does anyone have a take on signability issues?

He's done already. Will have the number on Sunday

[Ted Schwerzler]

23 hours ago, davidborton said:

Man, how I wish every child could have this kind of support.

I have talked with more than a few prospects over the years. Brandon is toe for toe with Royce.

[Ted Schwerzler]

8 hours ago, Obsvr said:

not gonna lie...hitting .365 in high school ball is a bit of a red flag.

Remember that he was walked in the vast majority of his ABs.

[jmlease1]

11 hours ago, Ted Schwerzler said:

Remember that he was walked in the vast majority of his ABs.

That's probably a little bit of a challenge for some of these elite HS hitters: they could expand the zone and swing more and rack up more hits and HRs against that level of competition, but they also are trying to develop good habits and take walks, show they know the strike zone, etc.

Winokur is an interesting player. Should be fun to watch him develop.

With a bunch of HS kids entering the system I think it's going to be very interesting to see where the Twins place them in the minors and how fast they adjust and advance. (also how fast the franchise pushes them too; I don't think there's any clear pattern for them on how aggressive they are with younger players. Plenty of examples of them going slow on a guy as well as aggressive moves, so with a guy like Winokur he could be playing complex ball this year and be in low A next season...or he could do an extra season in the "rookie" leagues)

[AZTwin]

$1.5M signing on a $900K slot value.  Very nice!  He ended up getting the slot value of a mid-late 2nd round pick (equivalent to pick 55).  My guess is that we saved a bit on our second round pick.

[IndianaTwin]

Winner, winner, S’mores Blizzard dinner!