Twins Daily 2025 MLB Mock Draft 1.0: Twins Nab Two High-End College Players

[twinstalker]

8 hours ago, djvang said:

Sorry, but I don't understand the purpose of mock drafts.

 

How do you procrastinate?

[DocBauer]

Jamie, just curious, Bremner vs Wood, even though they are projected so close together.  IIRC correctly, Wood missed a lot of the 2024 season but has a ton of talent. And no doubt his CWS gives him momentum. Both have good stuff and potential. Why Bremner in particular?

[Mike Sixel]

Thanks for correcting me with facts and politely!

[DocBauer]

Also to Jamie, in the last podcast, you mentioned a later round CATCHER who you liked, but I missed the name. Would you please repeat the option you mentioned.

[Fatbat]

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

They took a 3rd round catcher just last year. And a 6th round catcher. They just traded for 2 catchers this offseason. Cardenas, Winkel, Jeffers, Diaw, Cossetti, Baez have all been drafted by this front office. Ricardo Olivar was an international signing as a catcher the same year as Emma was brought in. They signed Carlos Silva in 2023. Ricardo Pena and Jesus Peraza in 2022. That's 12 catchers I can name pretty easily. And that's missing at least 10 from just the 2017-2019 drafts alone. 

How many 3rd or 4th round catchers do you think you can name? Honestly. How many prospects in the minor league systems do you think you know of that were drafted in those rounds? 

Martin Maldonado is still playing major league baseball. For a World Series hopeful, no less (San Diego). He has only 21 fewer PAs than Vazquez. Vazquez is a terrible contract. They thought he could hit, that's why they paid him so much. But glove only veteran catchers are all over major league baseball. This idea that the Twins aren't drafting, trading for, or signing minor league catchers is nonsense. You complain that others aren't paying attention, but neither are you. You have your narrative and you're sticking to it because you're mad about Vazquez. So am I, but at least be honest about the situation. They were wrong about his bat so they paid him like a 2 way catcher when he isn't. But veteran, no bat catchers are all over the majors and are every year. Maldonado, Diaz, Bailey (who the Twins actually drafted in 2017), Herrera, Higashioka, Torrens, Hedges, Heim.

The Twins need catching. I'm not arguing that. But Vazquez types are all over the league. He's going to get a job next year. Just making about 7 mil less than he is this year. There's about 6 to 8 catchers a year drafted in the first 3 or 4 rounds of the draft. The Twins have taken multiple catchers in the top 3 rounds under this regime. Including just last year. This idea that the league is full of highly drafted catchers is wrong. It simply isn't true. The idea that Vazquez style catchers don't happen on other teams because they're all drafting catchers high and producing their own is wrong. It simply isn't true. Shoot, Ben Rortvedt was still getting run with Tampa for a while this year because the league is so catching starved. You think Vazquez is bad, go look at that guy's numbers. Yes, he's significantly cheaper, but, again, Vazquez's deal is because the Twins mistakenly thought he could hit so paid him like a 2 way guy. 

Since Falvey took over the number of catchers taken in the first 4 rounds of the MLB draft has gone 6, 8, 6, 8, 8, 10, 8, 13. That's an average of 8 with a peak of 13 last year and only twice hitting double digits. The Twins have taken 2 of those catchers (Jeffers and Diaw). So, of the 67 catchers taken in the first 4 rounds since Falvey took over the Twins have taken 2 of them. I know you can do the math here. With 30 teams in the league 67 catchers is just over 2 per team in those 8 years. The Twins are right on average. They're not ignoring the position to some great extent like you're trying to make it seem. Or, if they are, on average, every major league team is. I'm not going to go through and see if there's some team drafting a ton of them in the first 4 rounds. You can do that on your own and make some great point. But your argument that they're ignoring it to their detriment is false. They're simply failing to develop their catchers. But they're signing international catchers. They're trading for minor league catchers. And they're drafting catchers. Including in the top 4 rounds.

Why does anyone care what Vasguez is paid? Shouldn’t we just be mad that he is taking up a roster spot that could go to a young backup? I guess his elite pitch calling means nothing because we could just pencil in anyone to catch every 4th day….

The pohlads wouldn't spend the saved $9m salary on actual talent. They’d just buy some artwork or something not baseball related….

[DocBauer]

A lot of you all need to STOP with your obsession with catchers being a top draft choice.  Remember Derek Parks? He was going to be a stud, right? Nope. So was  Rotveldt, and he's mediocre at best. 

If you want to hate on Jeffers, that's on you. But he was a 2nd round pick who's turned out OK. 

The Twins HAVEN'T ignored the catcher position, they just haven't added anyone as high as Jeffers recently.  

They've actually drafted a lot of catchers over the last few years. Unfortunately, they've mostly struck out. Bad scouting or guys just not developing? IDK. But Cardenas has reached AAA and if his contract approach  can work, his defense and arm plays. Diaw and Ferrer were drafted last year. They are both athletic catchers with offensive potential. But they are also both 2-3 years away. But Winkel and Cossetti have seemed to bottom out so far. Do you just think you draft a catcher and expect him to be a stud receiver and quality hitter in a couple of years and everything is fine?

It just doesn't work that way unless you get a Mauer type player. Instead, you draft or sign a collection of players and hope to develop a really good #1. If you want to blame the Twins for not yet finding another STUD who could replace Jeffers, or be a future All Star kind of backstop, then go ahead and and rake the FO and scouting department. 

[chpettit19]

8 hours ago, Fatbat said:

Im just hoping they find a Buster Posey type this year so we can enjoy some catching highlights over the next decade….

I'm all for getting another great catcher. I think everyone should be. I think every team is. But they're rare. Like super rare. And my argument is simply not to reach for a catcher early in the draft just because you've failed to develop more than Jeffers recently. Reaching for lesser prospects based on positional need is a great way to destroy your system quickly. 

The world of catcher defense is changing with robo-umps moving up the chain. Pitch framing is going away. It will be interesting to see what changes that has to catcher drafting and developing. Someone like Irish (from what I read) is expected to move off catcher because his bat is expected to be ready so quickly they don't want his defensive development behind the plate to slow him down. Same reason Harper moved to the OF immediately. If you don't have to worry about his pitch framing do you maybe give him a little time behind the plate early? Probably not still, but it's something for teams to think about as catcher defense is simplified. 

[Mike Sixel]

11 hours ago, DocBauer said:

A lot of you all need to STOP with your obsession with catchers being a top draft choice.  Remember Derek Parks? He was going to be a stud, right? Nope. So was  Rotveldt, and he's mediocre at best. 

If you want to hate on Jeffers, that's on you. But he was a 2nd round pick who's turned out OK. 

The Twins HAVEN'T ignored the catcher position, they just haven't added anyone as high as Jeffers recently.  

They've actually drafted a lot of catchers over the last few years. Unfortunately, they've mostly struck out. Bad scouting or guys just not developing? IDK. But Cardenas has reached AAA and if his contract approach  can work, his defense and arm plays. Diaw and Ferrer were drafted last year. They are both athletic catchers with offensive potential. But they are also both 2-3 years away. But Winkel and Cossetti have seemed to bottom out so far. Do you just think you draft a catcher and expect him to be a stud receiver and quality hitter in a couple of years and everything is fine?

It just doesn't work that way unless you get a Mauer type player. Instead, you draft or sign a collection of players and hope to develop a really good #1. If you want to blame the Twins for not yet finding another STUD who could replace Jeffers, or be a future All Star kind of backstop, then go ahead and and rake the FO and scouting department. 

I'm blaming them for not even having a backup quality guy. Or average starter other Jeffers in how many years? I'm not asking for a star. And I'm not obsessed, in merely commenting on it since it's clearly not working doing whatever they are doing. 

Much like I commented on the lack of pitching under the previous regime. 

[Fatbat]

Just looking at the 5 guys getting picked ahead and behind the #16 slot, you could probably just shuffle them around and get similar results. Solid 2 way catchers is a highly skilled profile and there is definitely a lack of them in the profession so it will always be talked about and it should be a priority in drafting/development. If you swing and miss on a 1st rd draft pick at catcher, it’s different than drafting a Sabato or Cavaco type.  It’s still the same in that its just one pick out of 19/20. I will die on the hill of taking a shot at a college catcher with 2 way skills over any HS SS or big hitting college OF with swing and miss and questionable defense. 

[DasBat]

First round I’m hoping for one of Summerhill or Hall.  Wouldn’t mind one of the college pitchers though.

I would go for more upside with the second pick.