Twins’ 2022 Draft Class Is Becoming a Big-League Success Story

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images

When players hear their names called during the MLB Draft, the dream is obvious. Everyone wants to reach the major leagues, but the reality is that only a small percentage of players from any draft class eventually make it to the highest level.

Zebby Matthews remembers being reminded of that reality shortly after the Minnesota Twins selected him in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Western Carolina.

“I don't know the numbers on how many guys in a draft class each year make it to the big leagues, but they told us there was a slim chance that a lot of us would make it, which I think kind of scared some of us,” Matthews said. “Some were like, ‘It's going to be me.’”

Four years later, that draft class has done considerably better than those odds might have suggested. The Twins have had five members of their 2022 draft class on the big-league roster in recent weeks, with Ben Ross being demoted to Triple-A St. Paul to make room for Emmanuel Rodriguez. That puts an impressive number of players from one draft class together at the major-league level.

Each player took a different path to get there, but they now share something that few draft classes get to experience. They get to work alongside teammates who went through the same draft process and spent the last four years trying to reach the same destination.

3B Brooks Lee– First Round

Lee was the Twins’ first selection in the 2022 draft, going No. 8 overall out of Cal Poly. He was viewed as one of the more advanced college hitters in the class, and his progression through the organization reflected that reputation.

Unlike several of his fellow 2022 draftees, Lee did not spend much time playing alongside them in the lower levels of the system. He began his first full professional season with Double-A Wichita and continued moving quickly through the organization.

Lee reached the majors during the 2024 season and has since become part of Minnesota’s long-term plans in the infield. His path was different from many members of the class, but he now finds himself sharing a big-league clubhouse with players who were selected several rounds after him.

LHP Connor Prielipp– Second Round

Prielipp was one of the most talented pitchers available when Minnesota selected him in the second round. His path to the majors, however, was slowed by injuries. Those setbacks limited him to only 30 combined innings during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. For a young pitcher trying to establish himself in professional baseball, losing that much development time could have been a major obstacle.

The players from his draft class never seemed particularly concerned about whether Prielipp would eventually make it. His talent was obvious, and once he was healthy, there was an expectation that he would not need an extended stay in the minor leagues. That belief became reality when Prielipp finally reached Minnesota this season.

RHP Andrew Morris– Fourth Round

Morris was selected in the fourth round out of Texas Tech, and his professional development included plenty of time alongside other members of the 2022 class. He and Matthews were teammates at High-A Cedar Rapids during the 2023 Midwest League playoffs. That Kernels team went on to win the league championship, giving the two pitchers an early shared accomplishment in their professional careers.

Now they have another shared experience: pitching for the Twins.

“What was cool is I got called up and then a couple days later [Prielipp] got called up,” Morris said. “He was my roommate after the draft. It's just cool to think about how far we've come. Getting to be up here and getting to go to work with him every day is pretty cool.”

Morris' journey has seen him shift from starter to reliever, but it has put him in position to contribute to Minnesota's pitching staff at the biggest level.

UTL Ben Ross– Fifth Round

Ross was Minnesota's fifth-round selection in 2022 out of Notre Dame. He developed into a versatile infield option while working his way through the organization. His path has included stops alongside several other members of this draft class, eventually leading to his major-league debut.

Ross recently found himself sharing the big-league clubhouse with four other players from his draft class. His latest stint with Minnesota ended when the Twins needed to make room for Rodriguez, sending Ross back to Triple-A. Still, his arrival at the major-league level is another indication of the depth produced by Minnesota's 2022 draft.

RHP Zebby Matthews– Eighth Round

Matthews might have had the longest odds of the group. An eighth-round pick from Western Carolina, he was not one of the players expected to reach the majors quickly. Instead, he steadily worked his way through the Twins' system and became one of the organization's more intriguing pitching prospects.

Matthews shared the field with Morris at Cedar Rapids during the 2023 championship run. Now, the two are teammates in Minnesota. His story also gives additional meaning to the comment he heard shortly after being drafted. Someone had warned the group that only a small percentage would ultimately reach the majors. Matthews proved to be one of those players who did.

A Class That Took Different Paths

One of the most interesting aspects of Minnesota's 2022 draft class is how differently its members reached the majors. Lee was already playing at Double-A during his first full professional season. Prielipp's development was interrupted by injuries. Morris and Matthews developed together at Cedar Rapids. Ross steadily climbed through the organization before earning his opportunity. There was no single blueprint. There was, however, a common destination.

Morris, Matthews and Prielipp all spent significant portions of their development together, while Lee and Ross took different routes through the system. The result is an unusually large group of players from one draft class now getting an opportunity to contribute at the major-league level.

The 2022 class isn't finished producing players, either. Tanner Schobel and C.J. Culpepper are among the members of the class currently at Triple-A St. Paul who could potentially contribute to Minnesota's roster in 2027. That makes it possible that the Twins could eventually have even more members of the class together at the highest level.

The MLB Draft is always a numbers game. Hundreds of players are selected each year, but only a fraction reach the majors, and an even smaller percentage establish themselves as meaningful contributors.

Minnesota's 2022 class has already beaten those odds. Lee, Prielipp, Morris, Ross and Matthews have taken vastly different routes, but all have reached the major leagues within four years of being drafted. More importantly, several remain candidates to play meaningful roles for the Twins beyond this season.

For the players who made it to Minnesota, there is something special about looking across the clubhouse and seeing familiar faces from that first summer in professional baseball. They remember the warning. They remember the uncertainty. And now they get to experience something that seemed like a distant possibility when they were drafted: going to work together in the major leagues. The Twins' 2022 draft class may not have arrived at the same time, but it has arrived together.

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What stands out about this specific draft class? What can the Twins expect from this group in the future? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Coach]

BTW, the loss to the Yankees last night must have been too depressing to write about.

[MeleMouth]

It's great that they got five players who made it to the majors from the class, although the jury is still out on whether several of them will last. It would have been even better if they had drafted two other pitchers who were taken after Prielipp: Misiorowski or Messick.

[jmlease1]

Unfortunately, Morris has struggled quite a bit lately, and is looking like a much bigger question mark. I had thought he was going to be a guy you could pencil in as a set-up man for next season, but right now he looks like he needs some time in the lab to find solutions to getting hit. He had a rough august and is following it up with a worse Sept...but maybe it's a little bit related to how much he's gotten used and not being used to the patterns of relief?

Lee I have a fair amount of confidence that there's still some more to be found there. Getting him off SS will help, and he's improved as a hitter every season in MLB, and it's notable that whatever injury problems he's had with his back and shoulder seem to either be behind him or are well-managed enough that it's not making a difference. He's starting to look like a quality starter, and you need those.

I think the upside is still there with Prielipp, but he's not there yet. He's been a little unlucky, but he's also just given up a little too much too. The good thing is he finally seems healthy and despite pitching more this season than his entire professional career to this point, doesn't appear to be hitting the wall; he struggled in august (hey, there's quite the pattern here!) but has rebounded nicely in Sept. 

The 2022 draft has produced a bunch of guys that have made MLB, which is a success...but so far outside of Lee there's not a lot of significant contributions yet and certainly no star power.

[Blyleven2011]

23 minutes ago, Coach said:

BTW, the loss to the Yankees last night must have been too depressing to write about.

I was thinking the same thing , I guess because the Yankees clinched a playoff spot they didn’t want to give them any praise by beating the living 💩 out of the twins , once again bullpen is not capable or equal in pitching to a Winning ball club …

nice that we had some good players drafted  in 2022 and 2023 …

still a work in progress with some showing potential …

keaschall and Culpepper have shown the most promise on offense in their first years , you could add Lewis showed promise in his first year but has regressed …

 

[Twins GFP]

You do realize you are commenting positively on a Falvey draft right?

[sitting back and grabbing my popcorn]

[Blyleven2011]

9 minutes ago, Twins GFP said:

You do realize you are commenting positively on a Falvey draft right?

[sitting back and grabbing my popcorn]

Even a blind squirrel can find a couple of acorns once in awhile …

[MapleGroveTwinsFan]

16 minutes ago, Twins GFP said:

You do realize you are commenting positively on a Falvey draft right?

[sitting back and grabbing my popcorn]

Couldn't one argue he put the team in position to draft those guys that highly? 

[wesnewy]

1 hour ago, Coach said:

BTW, the loss to the Yankees last night must have been too depressing to write about.

[ewen21]

This article is about 4 years too soon.  There is no way to determine whether 2022 was a successful draft or not.   I know we all WANT this to be true but we can't make it true by writing flowery pieces accentuating the positives.  In the short term, I see our lineup for next year and I do not think it is going to be better.  Middle of the pack is the best we can hope for and the starting pitching for me will ALWAYS be a question mark until I start seeing young pitchers drafted by us, raised by us, pitching at  a reasonable high level.  It just doesn't even seem possible at this point.  If Zebby Matthews and Connor Prielipp are what we bragg on for 2027 then my goodness.

 

And as some already mentioned, this article is pretty timely.  We get crushed by the Yankees and then bang zooom....someone has to sell hope.  No need for it, actually, although it is kind of charming and cute

[D.C Twins]

1 hour ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Even a blind squirrel can find a couple of acorns once in awhile …

Stopped clock is accurate twice a day... 

[D.C Twins]

1 hour ago, Twins GFP said:

You do realize you are commenting positively on a Falvey draft right?

[sitting back and grabbing my popcorn]

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

For where the class is now and after trading the majority of the 21 class - we really needed this class to pan out.  Lee still has some upside but the ceiling isn't massive.   He will be solid player and at best an All Star 1-2 times during his career.   Ultimately i would take that.  Priellip and Matthews have upside and historical performance that they can be mid to high end starters with a little reliever risk with Matthews.  Morris looked marvelous up until the trade deadline and has struggled since.  I hope he just wore down but my bigger concern is he was tipping pitches again.  Ross and Schobel may give you a little bit of utility play but I am not expecting a lot.    

[ewen21]

Any analysis of our homegrown pitching for the upcoming season must involve strong consideration based in WHIP and how they pitched when they were truly needed.  There were days this season when there were important games in the month of July to give us a reasonable chance to make the postseason (if that even mattered).  One cannot discount a game in Chicago just after the all star break when Matthews was just God awful, dispensing hits as if he was conscripted to do so.  These games are part of his development arc and he has failed.   Then days later in Cleveland Ryan came out and threw gopher ball after gopher ball like you never really see.  I have watched baseball games that I can remember since 1972.  I don't know if I have ever seen what Ryan did right there and when we were talking about making a run?  Are you kidding?  You have to post up better than that.  These are only two games, but for heaven's sake it was bad and it really was proof for me this team did not have what it takes.  There is a mindset that HAS TO be adjusted somehow.  You cannot blame just the front office or the guy in the manager's seat.  He has been just fine.