12 Fits for the Minnesota Twins in the 2025 MLB Draft

[Jamie Cameron]

Image courtesy of © Saul Young/News Sentinel

We’re almost there.

Day one of the 2025 MLB Draft kicks off at 5:00 p.m. CT on Sunday. Our full Twins Daily Mock Draft Board is linked here, but ahead of the first round, I’ve compiled a list of 11 eligible prospects from the top 100 consensus rankings who align with the Twins’ tendencies. Each includes their consensus rank and my full write-up from the board. Drop your favorites in the comments.

13. Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

Bremner is a young-for-the-class right-hander with legit starter traits. At 6’2”, 190, he’s an elite mover with a high-upside frame and room to add strength. His fastball sits 94–96 mph (T98) with late carry (19” IVB), paired with a devastating changeup — arguably MLB-ready — that generates 20” of fade and over a 40% whiff rate. His slider is solid, though clearly the third pitch.

After a slow start in 2025, he finished strong: 77.1 IP, 2.14 FIP, 35.8 K%, 6.1 BB%. There’s room for command refinement and maybe an expanded arsenal, but don’t let the early-season dip fool you — he has playoff starter upside.

14. Gavin Fien, INF, Great Oaks HS, CA

Fien, a Texas commit, is a physical 6’3” third baseman/outfielder with one of the best prep bats in the class. His swing — high hands, toe tap into a leg kick — is unorthodox but consistently on time. It’s line-drive power now, with more to come.

The glove, arm, and speed are average, so he’ll have to hit. Still, he’s an arrow-up bat in a draft light on polished prep hitters.

15. Gavin Kilen, INF, Tennessee

Kilen is a compact, high-contact middle infielder who’s added pop in 2025. He traded a bit of contact for power and it worked — his EV90 jumped to 104 mph with a Max EV of 108. He’s patient, doesn’t chase, and can elevate pull-side.

Kilen finished 2025 hitting .357/.441/.671 with 15 HR, 139 wRC+, 12.2 BB%, and just 11 K%. A high-floor, versatile profile with a chance to stick up the middle.

18. Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek HS, GA

Daniel Pierce is a right-handed hitting prep shortstop prospect out of Georgia. He's one of the more polished defensive shortstop prospects in the class with smooth actions, quick lateral movement, and a plus arm that can make all the throws needed to stick there long term.

The bat isn't yet as loud as some of the supplementary tools. It's solid bat-to-ball and pure hitting skills, with a good eye and approach at the plate. A drafting organization will be betting his hit tool develops to, at worst, above average. At present, the power is fringy. Pierce is a plus runner too, adding more avenues to accrue value for a drafting team. The ceiling will be determined by how the bat develops, but this is one of the better pro shortstop profiles in the class.

22. Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon HS, WA

Neyens and Ethan Holliday have some similarities in their profiles, for me. Neyens has serious raw power and a patient approach, but there are hit tool and defensive questions. He starts from a wide base with a big leg kick and high hands. When he connects, the ball jumps, but breaking balls have given him fits.

He’s a below-average runner but moves well and has a plus arm. If he makes enough contact, he could be one of the better power bats in the class.

28. Devin Taylor, OF, Indiana

Taylor might be the safest hit/power bat in the college class. The lefty corner outfielder has average arm strength, below-average speed, and major offensive juice: .374/.494/.706 with 18 HR, 19.3 BB%, and 11.2 K% in 2025 for Indiana.

He consistently barrels the ball (EV90 of 107, Max EV of 112) and doesn’t chase much. Taylor showed growth each year at Indiana and backed it up in the Cape. One of the most complete college bats available.

45. Charles Davalan, OF, Arkansas

A compact Canadian-born outfielder, Davalan transferred from FGCU and broke out in 2025: .346/.433/.561 with 14 HR, 11 BB%, and 8.5 K%. Known for his bat-to-ball skills, he added impact this year, with EVs over 110 mph.

He’s undersized but strong and athletic. The hit tool carries this profile, and his performance against better SEC pitching moved him up boards.

50. Angel Cervantes, RHP, Warren HS, CA

One of my favorite arms in the class. Cervantes is a projectable 6’2” prep righty with a clean delivery and four-pitch mix. His fastball sits 90–92 (T94) with ride, and his changeup is elite — fade, depth, and swing-and-miss.

The secondaries need refinement (curve and slider blur), but he has advanced feel for spin. He’ll still be 17 on draft day and checks a lot of boxes: projection, polish, athleticism. He’s a top-50 talent.

68. Joseph Dzierwa, LHP, Michigan State

A 6’8” lefty with a breakout 2025 campaign. Dzierwa throws from a three-quarters slot with a slingy delivery. His fastball ticked up to 91.6 mph (T95) with decent spin (2600 RPM), and his changeup is his best pitch — 26% zone whiff with great separation.

His breaking stuff lags behind — his slider and curve combined for just 11% usage — but his strike-throwing is elite: 73% strikes with the fastball, 69% with the changeup. He’s a moldable arm who fits an org that develops velo and pitch design.

75. Korbyn Dickerson, OF, Indiana

I’ll die on this hill: Dickerson is under-ranked. Drafted by the Twins in 2022, he transferred from Louisville to Indiana and exploded in 2025: .314/.381/.632 with 19 HR, 123 wRC+, 9 BB%, and 18.8 K%.

There’s some swing noise, but the raw tools are loud — 117 Max EV, 109.8 EV90. There’s hit tool risk (especially vs. offspeed), but he’s a plus athlete with a shot to stick in center. If a team can refine his swing decisions, he’s a potential star.

83. Mitch Voit, 2B, Michigan

Voit, a former two-way guy, focused solely on hitting in 2025 and emerged as a solid hit/power college bat. He hit .346/.471/.668 with 14 HR, a 157 wRC+, 15.3 BB%, and just a 13 K%. His EV90 sat at 105.6 mph and he whiffed just 11.7% in zone.

There’s plus speed and an above-average arm. With versatility and OBP skills, Voit could hit 15–20 HR as a pro — a well-rounded offensive profile that tends to rise in the draft.

92. Easton Carmichael, C, Oklahoma

Carmichael surged into the second tier of college catchers in 2025. The righty swinger has solid bat-to-ball skills, a disciplined approach, and surprising pull power (17 HR). He boosted his walk rate from 6.9% to 9.1% and kept the K-rate under 16%.

Defensively, he’s a work in progress — receiving, blocking, and arm strength are all a bit light. But if you value offensive skills behind the plate, Carmichael’s a legit name to watch.

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[Dman]

Jamie, love those profiles but there are two players the Twins have appeared to be tied to that you didn't mention.  One would be Summerhill who on some lists has fallen pretty far back which is strange considering the tools he brings even if he might lack some power projection.  The other is Houston who on the current consensus board falls at 16 which is the Twins pick.

I get that he is falling some because the power might not be there and we've seen what that means looking at Austin Martin that it can be hard to get over a .700 OPS without power.  Still I think he will be an attractive pick for the Twins. My reasoning is below.

  I know he is a high floor low ceiling guy, but he should be a quick moving up the middle player with 4 above average tools with power being the thing holding him back. With his frame I really don’t see much more power coming, but I am sure the Twins will work with him on pull side power.

The second thing is when you look at Culpepper versus Houston there isn’t a ton of difference other than Culpepper had slightly better bat speed and exit velocities.  Houston appears to be the better defender and has a hit tool pretty equal to Culpepper minus some power.  

Having two players that could actually stick at shortstop in the system would be a great thing to have.  With the lack of power Houston could end up in a Willi Castro type roll except he would likely be a very good to elite shortstop defensively.  That should be his floor though.

The only other comparable would be Aloy who has excellent power for a shortstop and the infield in general but doesn’t have the contact rates Houston has or speed.  Aloy also has chase issues although they said that about Culpepper too.

For as unexciting a pick as it might be I think it is a good one.  If he does find a little Brian Dozier in himself it would be a great pick.

Draft years for both players below according to MLB.com (I will say other sites have Houston as a plus hitter and given what I have read I have him rated that way)
Hit: Houston 50   Culpepper 55
Power: Houston 45   Culpepper 45
Run: Houston  55  Culpepper 50
Arm: Houston  55  Culpepper 60
Field: Houston  60  Culpepper 50
Overall: Houston 55   Culpepper 50
So bottom line MLB.com has Houston as the better player.  Time will tell if that is true especially with as good as Culpepper has been. Still if he is the Twins pick I can see why.
 

 

 

 

[Jamie Cameron]

20 minutes ago, Dman said:

Jamie, love those profiles but there are two players the Twins have appeared to be tied to that you didn't mention.  One would be Summerhill who on some lists has fallen pretty far back which is strange considering the tools he brings even if he might lack some power projection.  The other is Houston who on the current consensus board falls at 16 which is the Twins pick.

I get that he is falling some because the power might not be there and we've seen what that means looking at Austin Martin that it can be hard to get over a .700 OPS without power.  Still I think he will be an attractive pick for the Twins. My reasoning is below.

  I know he is a high floor low ceiling guy, but he should be a quick moving up the middle player with 4 above average tools with power being the thing holding him back. With his frame I really don’t see much more power coming, but I am sure the Twins will work with him on pull side power.

The second thing is when you look at Culpepper versus Houston there isn’t a ton of difference other than Culpepper had slightly better bat speed and exit velocities.  Houston appears to be the better defender and has a hit tool pretty equal to Culpepper minus some power.  

Having two players that could actually stick at shortstop in the system would be a great thing to have.  With the lack of power Houston could end up in a Willi Castro type roll except he would likely be a very good to elite shortstop defensively.  That should be his floor though.

The only other comparable would be Aloy who has excellent power for a shortstop and the infield in general but doesn’t have the contact rates Houston has or speed.  Aloy also has chase issues although they said that about Culpepper too.

For as unexciting a pick as it might be I think it is a good one.  If he does find a little Brian Dozier in himself it would be a great pick.

Draft years for both players below according to MLB.com (I will say other sites have Houston as a plus hitter and given what I have read I have him rated that way)
Hit: Houston 50   Culpepper 55
Power: Houston 45   Culpepper 45
Run: Houston  55  Culpepper 50
Arm: Houston  55  Culpepper 60
Field: Houston  60  Culpepper 50
Overall: Houston 55   Culpepper 50
So bottom line MLB.com has Houston as the better player.  Time will tell if that is true especially with as good as Culpepper has been. Still if he is the Twins pick I can see why.
 

 

 

 

There's definitely a ton of guys with steam. There's a few reasons I didn't include them:

Mostly - this is a list of guys who I think are fits who I like a ton. Summerhill and Houston aren't my flavor, so I'm ignoring them lol. Both of those guys don't do a ton for me personally. Houston had fairly large home (band box) vs road splits and hit the majority of his home runs in non-conference play.

Side bar but it's clear Culpepper's defense and overall profile was underestimated industry wide. Everything you said about Summerhill and Houston is true, they're logical fits. Just wanted to get some down board guys on the list so went with a couple preps (Fien, Pierce, Neyens) and a couple of college options for 16 (Bremner, Kilen, Taylor) to represent how the choice might play out.

Thanks for reading and commenting on all this content during the draft cycle, really appreciate the engagement.

[thelanges5]

So Bremner and Taylor in round 1? Sounds good to me. Thanks for putting this together. Seems like the Twins prefer college vs prep in Rd1. 

[tony&rodney]

I have only seen one player in person in this year's draft class. My preference is for the Twins to draft position players who are athletic, to include defensive skills (quick footwork, soft hands, and excellent arm strength), at least  above average foot speed, and strong hand eye coordination (bat to ball). Players can always grow into power as they master their swing and recognize pitches. Kirby Puckett is the perfect example. 

Pitching is always about arm strength and ability to locate 2-5 pitches. Bremner and Cervantes  fit the profile. The Twins have had success drafting pitchers.

Thank you for your work on the draft. I enjoy reading about these guys.

 

[Jamie Cameron]

5 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

So Bremner and Taylor in round 1? Sounds good to me. Thanks for putting this together. Seems like the Twins prefer college vs prep in Rd1. 

I think it's around 50/50 for prep vs college bat at 16, despite what the mocks say. Obviously depends on how the board shakes out in front. 

[DasBat]

I am hoping prep bat with the first pick.  Would be severely disappointed if they go with Taylor, he just doesn’t do much for me.  One high school pitcher that interests me is Appenzler.  What are your thoughts on him?  Thanks for all the draft content.  I always look forward to reading 

[Jamie Cameron]

32 minutes ago, DasBat said:

I am hoping prep bat with the first pick.  Would be severely disappointed if they go with Taylor, he just doesn’t do much for me.  One high school pitcher that interests me is Appenzler.  What are your thoughts on him?  Thanks for all the draft content.  I always look forward to reading 

Appenzeller is a fun projectability lefty. It's a similar frame to Dasan Hill this time last year. I think folks were expecting him (App) to take a velo bump this spring that didn't emerge a ton. In general, I don't love the prep pitching in this class outside of Aaron Watson, Landon Harmon, and Angel Cervantes.

[Doctor Gast]

Bremner & Steele Hall (SS) are fine picks if we have a chance in the 1st round. My choices for 1st compensation are catchers Boline & Stevenson; they are well-rounded catchers. If Cameron Appenzeller (LHP) is available in the second round, I'd pick him.

[rdehring]

Appreciate all you do, Jamie, leading up to the draft.  

Seeing I know nothing about any of these players, am eagerly awaiting what the Twins actually do tonight and tomorrow.  Will then look forward to your in depth analysis of who they actually took.

Do have a question, however.  With the changes to college athletics these past months/years, will there be changes on how the top high school athletes look at their college options?  Yes, most big schools, like the Big 10, won't be giving much or any revenue sharing dollars to baseball.  But I suspect some of the better Southern and West Coast schools with the big baseball programs may throw some dollars to the sport, as well as some NIL money.  Also, those smaller schools with big baseball programs would be free to find money for their top recruits.  

My question, have you heard anything or suspect that it will be more difficult to sign some of these college bound kids now that they can make a lot more in college than in the minor leagues, not counting their bonus?  Doubt it will affect any of the higher first round guys with the multi million dollar bonuses.  But sure could make a difference for those guys picked after round one or two.

 

[Jamie Cameron]

17 minutes ago, rdehring said:

Appreciate all you do, Jamie, leading up to the draft.  

Seeing I know nothing about any of these players, am eagerly awaiting what the Twins actually do tonight and tomorrow.  Will then look forward to your in depth analysis of who they actually took.

Do have a question, however.  With the changes to college athletics these past months/years, will there be changes on how the top high school athletes look at their college options?  Yes, most big schools, like the Big 10, won't be giving much or any revenue sharing dollars to baseball.  But I suspect some of the better Southern and West Coast schools with the big baseball programs may throw some dollars to the sport, as well as some NIL money.  Also, those smaller schools with big baseball programs would be free to find money for their top recruits.  

My question, have you heard anything or suspect that it will be more difficult to sign some of these college bound kids now that they can make a lot more in college than in the minor leagues, not counting their bonus?  Doubt it will affect any of the higher first round guys with the multi million dollar bonuses.  But sure could make a difference for those guys picked after round one or two.

 

Thanks for the kind words. I'll have plenty of words in the next few days for sure.

I think the number of prep players being selected was already trending down prior to NIL. More and more teams moving to analytically driven approaches means risk mitigation is part of your calculus. PLUS, if you're a team who pay into revenue sharing like the Cubs, you are limited in terms of picks and capital, so you want to make safer choices.

That said, there are major shifting college baseball roster rules this year. The hypothesis seems to be with limited roster space, we might see more prep players sign in the $750,000-$1 million range. We'll see if that actually pans out.

[terrydactyls]

Most of your hitters appear to have below average defensive skills.  This is the major flaw in Twins' drafting.  They seem to look for power, power, and more power.  And now they have Larnach and Wallner in the outfield, Lewis and France (not a draft pick) in the infield, and guys like Sabato and McCusker at AAA.  Please look for someone who can catch and throw also.

[LyleCole]

I would like to see the mock draft The Athletic presented with Oklahoma pitcher Kyson Witherspoon being selected at 16.   That would be perfect.

They have another college pitcher I would be interested in Santa Barbara Tyler Bremmer going 13th.

Lot of high school and college middle infielders available in that range of the draft and my actual prediction of who they select is Georgia high school SS Daniel Pierce 

 

[LambchoP]

Whoever we grab, I hope they pan out and move quickly through the system like Culpeper. We have a few good looking bats at AA already, we could use some real good SP prospects. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as too much pitching:)

[madtowntwin]

Love your board and its legitimacy is exemplified as I've seen several of these players as part of "Expert Drafts." But here's the thing - A player (or two) is going to fall lower than expected. Who might that be? I agree with your Bremner evaluation and ranking...He seems to already have developed two strong pitches. At the very least - That talent would carry well to the bullpen. Should he continue to develop top of the line starter is not out of the question. In a sense, he has already fallen in that he was top 5 pick preseason...Nice article. Draft Day is here....Win Twins!!

[Einstein]

If they go college RHP at 16, I think I would prefer Gage Wood to Bremner.  

[madtowntwin]

I am now going to demonstrate my Wisconsin Bias and feature some of State's best talent available in this year's draft - One you already hit on!! Gavin Kilen 2B Tennessee. There is also Mitch Voit 2B Michigan. Will Vierling C Murray State has really developed nicely - For all the TDers wanting to add catching talent. 

Some really good pitching talent is available - The best of whom may be a HS Pitcher from Hartland-Arrowhead. Peter Kussow drew scouts to his games all season. At 6'5" 215# his physique is practically already there. Predicted to receive the highest draft bonus ever by a WI pitcher. Stud written all over him. 

Other WI Pitchers at the college level include Nate Snead RHP Tennessee. Alex Breckheimer RHP Kansas. Rory Fox RHP Notre Dame who was exceptional all around HS athlete. On Wisconsin! Win Twins!!

[AKTwinsFan]

Gage wood first round for sure. 

[Dman]

3 hours ago, Jamie Cameron said:

There's definitely a ton of guys with steam. There's a few reasons I didn't include them:

Mostly - this is a list of guys who I think are fits who I like a ton. Summerhill and Houston aren't my flavor, so I'm ignoring them lol. Both of those guys don't do a ton for me personally. Houston had fairly large home (band box) vs road splits and hit the majority of his home runs in non-conference play.

Side bar but it's clear Culpepper's defense and overall profile was underestimated industry wide. Everything you said about Summerhill and Houston is true, they're logical fits. Just wanted to get some down board guys on the list so went with a couple preps (Fien, Pierce, Neyens) and a couple of college options for 16 (Bremner, Kilen, Taylor) to represent how the choice might play out.

Thanks for reading and commenting on all this content during the draft cycle, really appreciate the engagement.

Thanks for the feedback!  You are master at this I just come along for the ride.

I will say I don't see Bremnar falling to the Twins as he is mentioned with every team from the A's to our pick.  Long odds there, but I love the arm.

Fein and Pierce are interesting.  I like both profiles. Wouldn't mind either one.

I like Kilen's profile.  Seems a safe bet to hit and with power coming could be a Culpepper type pick, but if doesn't stick at short it feels we like have a lot of second base types stacked up and I prefer up the middle or a special arm at 16.  

Neyens a total Twins pick but high risk.  I hate questionable hit tools.  Blows up way too often.

Taylor is growing on me but I don't see him or Davalan making it to 36.  They would be interesting as money saving move, but with questionable defense hard to forgo that at 16 if someone is there.

Would love, love the Cervantes pick.  Lot's of teams in on those few high school arms.  Probably going to need a fair bit of money to get one.  I am betting the Twins have something lined up for lessor known arms but we will see.

Would be kind of cool if they got Dickerson again.  I mean that's why they drafted him the first time to hopefully get a shot the second time.  Not sure how I feel about those numbers after moving, but Twins scouts will know.

Glad you threw in at least one catcher.  You would have gotten clobbered if you didn't mention at least one.  I think third round for a catcher makes sense.  We'll see what they do.

Love your content.  I will be on the stream listening to your analysis.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Thanks Jamie for all your excellent work on these prospects...and others. My question is : Should the Twins consider drafting Irish,  Bodine or Stevenson, if available? The organization seems to have few, if any, budding prospects at catcher. 

[arby58]

2 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

Most of your hitters appear to have below average defensive skills.  This is the major flaw in Twins' drafting.  They seem to look for power, power, and more power.  And now they have Larnach and Wallner in the outfield, Lewis and France (not a draft pick) in the infield, and guys like Sabato and McCusker at AAA.  

Lewis was considered a strong athlete with speed. Injuries messed that up, but that was not because of perceived 'Twins preferences.'

[DocBauer]

Over at MLB.COM Mayo and Callis presented their final mock draft. Mayo had Bremner going to the Twins and Callis had him going a couple picks earlier.

I'm a big fan of Mayo! LOL

Does Cervantes make sense at 36 as an overdraft but potential steal? I doubt he makes it to the Twin's 2nd round pick. 

Dzweira with our #2, third pick overall? Love a projectable LH. We're still short in that area. And being a college arm, he might be a quick riser, whether for the rotation or the pen. 

I'll go with you on Dickerson. Our 3rd rounder? If he's that underrated, someone might also like him and take a shot earlier. 

Doubt it happens, but would be sweet for Carmichael to reach us in the 4th round, our 5th selection. But I'm betting he's gone in the 3rd round. 

 

[terrydactyls]

1 hour ago, arby58 said:

Lewis was considered a strong athlete with speed. Injuries messed that up, but that was not because of perceived 'Twins preferences.'

But still no mention of defense which was my point. 

Let me give you an example.  In the late 70's I umpired intramural softball games at the University of Minnesota.  One day I umpired a game featuring guys from the School of Law.  Former Viking Alan Page was on the roster for the law school and I would think most people would agree that he was a "strong athete with speed".  Worst softball player I ever saw.  

[Mike Sixel]

4 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

Most of your hitters appear to have below average defensive skills.  This is the major flaw in Twins' drafting.  They seem to look for power, power, and more power.  And now they have Larnach and Wallner in the outfield, Lewis and France (not a draft pick) in the infield, and guys like Sabato and McCusker at AAA.  Please look for someone who can catch and throw also.

That simply isn't true the last few years. They've taken totally different types than you say. 

I prefer no HS pitchers early. 

[Patzky]

Well..Irish is available if we want him 

[tony&rodney]

Damn Jamie, You sure were on Tyler Bremner. I have never seen him play. Suffice it to say, he rose up the board.

Love your stuff. Keep it going.

[terrydactyls]

9 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

That simply isn't true the last few years. They've taken totally different types than you say. 

I prefer no HS pitchers early. 

Here is a summary of the positional picks in the top 10 rounds by the Twins and I've added what the TD draft reviews said about these players.  Not a whole lot said about defense.

 

In 2024, the Twins selected 8 positional players in their top 10 picks. Kaelen Culpepper had the best defensive summary.  The TD draft review said " Defensively, it's a plus arm, with good defensive actions and athleticism. Regardless of whether Culpepper ends up sticking at SS as a pro, or slides over to 2B or 3B, it should be an above average defensive profile." Kyle DeBarge's defense was described as "he might not be the smoothest operator at shortstop, his arm and lateral quickness aid his range, and he has a decent shot of sticking there as a professional." Billy Amick's defense was described as "While it's fringe average defense at the moment, an above average arm helps ameliorate some of the rawness and there's increasing confidence he can at least start his pro career at third base. Khadim Diaw had the following writeup.  "He hasn't been behind the dish a ton, but he is agile and has plus arm strength that could play there. He's seen time in all three outfield positions, and while he's best suited for a corner, he's capable in center." Jaime Ferrer - no mention of defense. Caden Kendel's defense was described as "does a lot of things well on the field as a solid runner and defender with above-average arm strength." Derek Bender was drafted as a catcher but the review said he was "a tweener catcher profile who probably doesn't project to stay there defensively but has enough bat to play first base or even a corner outfield position." Peyton Carr had no mention of defense in his review except to say he 'might' be able to play 3B.

In 2023, the Twins selected four positional players in the top 10 picks. Walter Jenkins was described as having "a good runner and route runner in the field with a plus arm." Luke Keutchel's defense was "his long term home isn't shortstop, as he doesn't have the arm. A shift to second base makes sense." Brandon Winokur's defense was described a "While his ability to use his raw tools consistently in games is one question, another is where he plays defensively long-term." Jay Harry did not have much written about his defense except to say "his range and arm strength will likely shift him elsewhere in pro ball, possibly to second base. "    Harry was traded quickly for Tevor Richards.

In 2022, the Twins selected 5 positional players in the top 10.  The TD draft website listed: Brooks Lee as having a "very good arm". Tanner Schobel as "solid" and possibly a utility player. Dalton Schuffield is a "good defensive shortstop". Ben Ross has no mention of defense. Jorel Ortega has no mention of defense except that he might be either a 2B or 3B.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, terrydactyls said:

Here is a summary of the positional picks in the top 10 rounds by the Twins and I've added what the TD draft reviews said about these players.  Not a whole lot said about defense.

 

In 2024, the Twins selected 8 positional players in their top 10 picks. Kaelen Culpepper had the best defensive summary.  The TD draft review said " Defensively, it's a plus arm, with good defensive actions and athleticism. Regardless of whether Culpepper ends up sticking at SS as a pro, or slides over to 2B or 3B, it should be an above average defensive profile." Kyle DeBarge's defense was described as "he might not be the smoothest operator at shortstop, his arm and lateral quickness aid his range, and he has a decent shot of sticking there as a professional." Billy Amick's defense was described as "While it's fringe average defense at the moment, an above average arm helps ameliorate some of the rawness and there's increasing confidence he can at least start his pro career at third base. Khadim Diaw had the following writeup.  "He hasn't been behind the dish a ton, but he is agile and has plus arm strength that could play there. He's seen time in all three outfield positions, and while he's best suited for a corner, he's capable in center." Jaime Ferrer - no mention of defense. Caden Kendel's defense was described as "does a lot of things well on the field as a solid runner and defender with above-average arm strength." Derek Bender was drafted as a catcher but the review said he was "a tweener catcher profile who probably doesn't project to stay there defensively but has enough bat to play first base or even a corner outfield position." Peyton Carr had no mention of defense in his review except to say he 'might' be able to play 3B.

In 2023, the Twins selected four positional players in the top 10 picks. Walter Jenkins was described as having "a good runner and route runner in the field with a plus arm." Luke Keutchel's defense was "his long term home isn't shortstop, as he doesn't have the arm. A shift to second base makes sense." Brandon Winokur's defense was described a "While his ability to use his raw tools consistently in games is one question, another is where he plays defensively long-term." Jay Harry did not have much written about his defense except to say "his range and arm strength will likely shift him elsewhere in pro ball, possibly to second base. "    Harry was traded quickly for Tevor Richards.

In 2022, the Twins selected 5 positional players in the top 10.  The TD draft website listed: Brooks Lee as having a "very good arm". Tanner Schobel as "solid" and possibly a utility player. Dalton Schuffield is a "good defensive shortstop". Ben Ross has no mention of defense. Jorel Ortega has no mention of defense except that he might be either a 2B or 3B.

Your looking past round three? It's totally random after that. 

[arby58]

11 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

But still no mention of defense which was my point. 

Let me give you an example.  In the late 70's I umpired intramural softball games at the University of Minnesota.  One day I umpired a game featuring guys from the School of Law.  Former Viking Alan Page was on the roster for the law school and I would think most people would agree that he was a "strong athete with speed".  Worst softball player I ever saw.  

Lewis was drafted as a shortstop, as most high high school position picks are. Shortstops and defense are synonymous. I guess I thought you would know that.

[terrydactyls]

10 hours ago, arby58 said:

Lewis was drafted as a shortstop, as most high high school position picks are. Shortstops and defense are synonymous. I guess I thought you would know that.

If that's true, why is he a sub-standard 3B?