Omari Daniel Excited for Healthy 2024, and Lots of At-Bats

[Seth Stohs]

Adversity. Injury. Perseverance. Support. Positive Vibes. Each of those words have played a significant role in the life of Twins minor-league infielder Omari Daniel. Hear from him in our newest Twins Spotlight video, talking about how the time he's missed due to injury has tested his positive mindset. With the help of a large support group, he keeps working hard and hopes to put together a big season in 2024.

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

Omari Daniel grew up in Atlanta, but his favorite team isn't the obvious choice. You won't guess, so I'll just tell you that his favorite baseball team is the Pittsburgh Pirates. His favorite player, of course, was Andrew McCutchen. He said, "My mom's from Pittsburgh."

He quickly switched direction and said, "But I'm a Twins fans right now. The Twins are my Number One team!" 

He can remember being in the front yard, with his dad tossing him wiffle balls when he was just three years old. He played football and other sports in his youth, but he chose to play two sports in high school. 

As a sophomore, the transferred to The Walker School in Marietta--a small, private, college prep school. While there were some decent athletes and opportunities for sports, it is much more of an academically-driven school, Daniel was a star two-guard on the basketball court. He teamed with some future Division I players to win a lot of games. On the baseball field, though, he found the sport that he enjoyed most. That sophomore year, he was on a team with Gino Groover. Groover went to North Carolina State, and in 2023, he was the second-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In case you were wondering, one player from The Walker School has pitched in the big leagues... Twins legend David Hale.

Between his junior and senior years of high school, Daniel started hearing from a lot of college coaches. He committed to the University of Oregon, despite never making a trip there. For him, it was entirely about the trust that he had built up over time and through communication with the coaching staff.

Plans Change
Unfortunately, he missed most of his senior season of baseball. An infielder, he was asked to come to the mound and get the last out of a contest. On a pitch, he felt it. The pain. The pop. A trip to the doctor and they found a full tear of his UCL. Within a couple of weeks, he had Tommy John surgery. 

Sure, he was disappointed to not be able to play that season, but he was able to keep his head up. He has a strong positive attitude and a strong support group of family, coaches, and "brothers" ("I've got a lot of brothers. I call them brothers. I've got a lot of brothers that I go to.") that kept him going. 

He decided to to go to a junior college in Florida to start his academic career and start to rehab. He would then go to Oregon as a sophomore.

Plans Change Again
His parents kept him positive. In July, he was at home, watching the draft. "I watch all of the drafts. I have a lot of friends in those drafts." 

On Day 3, he was still listening in to the draft. His mom, his girlfriend and some other friends were around. "I'm cleaning the dishes and I hear 'Omari Daniel." We're all stunned. I just didn't believe it. I called my agent. He called me back laughing. I called Jack Powell (Twins area scout)." 

Daniel said that he assumed if he would get drafted it would be by the Twins. Jack Powell, long-time scout and one of the co-stars in Trouble with the Curve, was in frequent contact with him. Powell sent him text messages at least weekly, even after his surgery.

It was the 14th round, but he said, "Hearing my name get called was a great thing." 

Decision Time
It is a good position to be in, but Daniel had a tough decision to make. Would he sign with the Twins? Or, would he go to junior college, and then spend a couple of years at Oregon, and see how he progressed and where he might fall in the draft in 2025. If that was the route, he would be three years into a college education as well. 

"It took me a couple of days. I ran down the situation to every athlete I know. I ran it by my parents," Daniel said. "It was a really tough decision, because I was getting 50/50 answers. But I feel like I made the best decision I could have."

He decided to sign. He couldn't play, but he was a part of the team. He was in the dugout for home games. He was allowed to travel to road games. It was important for him to learn about team chemistry, get to know his teammates, work on his Spanish and communication. 

He continued to rehab. He had just started throwing two weeks before everyone was sent home because of the hurricane. He continued to rehab at home in Atlanta and came into the 2023 season without limitations. 

Ouch! 
Daniel got back on the field in 'real' games when the Florida Complex League season began. He played in 17 games, before his season came to an early end, with an injury to his left (non-throwing) labrum. He obviously wanted to keep playing, but that's the kind of injury that lingers long-term if not taken care of right away. 

Again, Daniel's positive attitude was tested, but he continued to work. He is already back at 100% ("No restrictions.") and down in Ft. Myers getting ready for this upcoming season ("8:30. Every morning!"). He's got big goals for the 2024 season. Most of all, he just wants to stay healthy and get at-bats. He has missed a lot of time over the past two years and he wants to make up for those lost ABs. 

Timeline
Obviously, I encourage everyone to watch the full video. We were able to keep the full interview to about 40 minutes. There were some technical issues/connection issues a few times throughout, but you'll be able to keep up with the conversation. You can find this show and other videos in the Twins Daily Videos page. If you aren't able to watch the video straight through, hopefully the below checklist of topics will help you be able to watch it over several occasions. 

2:45: What was the focus of the offseason?
2:55: How has the recovery from labrum surgery been?
3:30: Earliest baseball memories. 
4:25: Favorite team, favorite players. 
5:45: Did you play other sports? 
7:20: What is The Walker School? Is it a sports school? Favorite classes?
9:10: What was your prep career like? Were you good? How good is baseball in Georgia?
11:00: When did you start going to the regional/national events or camps?
13:25: When did college coaches start talking to you? 
14:15: What was it the you liked about Oregon?
14:50: Injury and Tommy John surgery. 
16:25: How was the mental side of the process? Support group?
18:45: The Draft 
22:00: The Decision: Tough Decision

Let us know what you think of Daniel's chances for the future, and who you'd like to hear from in a future Twins Spotlight.

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[Dman]

I am excited for what Daniel might be able to do.  IMO it all comes down to the bat.  If he makes gains there he has all the other tools be really, really good.  If the bat doesn't work it will be hard to move up.  Hope he has a great 2024.

[roger]

Recall when he was drafted most thought he wouldn't sign and were surprised when he did.  Must admit, have forgotten about him.  Thought he might be special back then, lets cross our fingers.

[Fatbat]

Yup. He has been 100% off the radar. I hope he has a huge 2024 season! 

[awmonahan]

Stay healthy and best of luck, Omari.

[jmlease1]

He's had some tough breaks so far, but he's still very young and simply hasn't had a chance to show what he can do with his talent. Maybe he can meet with Royce Lewis in FL this year during spring training and get some tips and encouragement. He does seem to have the kind of attitude you need to bounce back from this kind of start. Good luck, hope he stays healthy and gets to really show what he can be as a player!

[Doctor Wu]

I knew next to nothing about Omari Daniel before reading this article, so thanks for the information, Seth. And also good to hear that others are excited about Daniel's potential. He could end up being one of those sneaky-good picks that turns into a surefire MLB regular, or at least that's my hope. As jmlease1 suggested, having someone like Royce Lewis being a mentor would be huge.