Get to Know Twins Draft Pick, RHP Paulshawn Pasqualotto

One of the best names in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, Paulshawn Pasqualotto joins the Minnesota Twins after blowing out his elbow during the 2021 season. Pitching for the University of California, Pasqualotto had hopes of going between the fourth and eighth rounds, but Minnesota found substantial value getting him just a bit later.

Now recovered from the elbow surgery, Pasqualotto is looking to quickly ascend the ranks of Minnesota’s farm system, and has hopes of establishing himself as a legitimate weapon sooner rather than later.

I caught up with him this week following his draft selection, and here’s what he had to say:

Paulshawn Pasqualotto: It’s definitely a team I didn’t expect to go to as I had a few other teams that showed a bit more interest. Anything can happen on draft day though. I was honestly projected to go four-to-eight, and for whatever reason I dropped to the 12th, and I can’t really control that. I feel really good going to the Twins. I feel very welcomed.

Twins Daily: You’ve had a journey in college that has been stunted by Tommy John surgery; how does dealing with the unexpected change or shape your maturity and the way you enter professional baseball?

PP: It sucked because I feel like I did everything I could prior to blowing out for that not to happen, and I think it’s inevitable in some cases. Throwing is not necessarily a very healthy thing to do, especially if you throw at a decent velocity. I think it helped me maturity wise because I got to sit there for the last half of the season. I think I made the right decision sitting out and watching a year-and-a-half of baseball. Talking with pitchers such as Mitch White, and Aaron Shortridge, that’s something I have taken note of. Both have previously gotten TJ so understanding where they have come from is huge. I wanted to learn as much as I could sitting in the dugout rather than just wasting my time and going through the motions. I definitely realized that I can’t take baseball for granted because it can be taken from you at any moment.

TD: So often Tommy John surgery is assumed to be just a routine thing at this point. How do you handle that journey mentally?

PP: It’s definitely tough. You can do everything right and still have something go wrong. For example, Dustin May had to get flexor tendon surgery. I’m sure he took his rehab seriously, and yet he still had to go get a second surgery. Things happen and surgery doesn’t always go smoothly. I could have done everything right and come back throwing 85 mph and maybe I’m not in this position right now. Trusting you’re going to be back fine, and trying to be optimistic is all you can do. I was rehabbing three to five days at times. It’s tough mentally. Surrounding myself with my teammates and family, having that support system, was definitely the number one thing. It’s something I feel like I grew from, and I try to believe everything happens for a reason.

TD: You played in the Cape Cod league this past summer. How do you feel like that set you up for professional baseball?

PP: I feel ready to jump into pro ball. I think it prepared me well. Having Coach (Mike) Roberts as a resource was great. He taught me a lot of things, and being surrounded by the best of the best players. Being able to pick the brains of players around you is huge, everyone is going through it and your teammates are also trying to be the best. Being able to build relationships with players from schools all around the country was great. It was a really cool experience. I have never got to stay with a host family, and that was a really cool experience as well. Funny thing, my roommate for the Cape was Tucker Novotny who plays for the University of Minnesota. He was super hyped up for me getting drafted by the Twins.

TD: What does your arsenal look like, and what do you typically utilize while on the mound?

PP: My best pitch is my changeup. I had a plus curveball my freshman year, and working back towards that is something I’ve had to do post Tommy John. Command is the last thing that seems to come back from the surgery. It’s tough to be patient. My curveball is something that I think can give me a big boost when I get it all back. It was even with my changeup if not better. This year was about 50/50 between my fastball and changeup, so if I have that third pitch it’s a whole new ballgame.

TD: What do you know about the Twins organization or Minnesota as a whole?

PP: Honestly, not much. My friends saw a Twitter post about the player development and my agent mentioned how good it was as well. That made me really excited. I saw the organization really likes changeups and that fits me well.

TD: When not on the mound, what do you like to do away from the game to stay loose and take your mind off of baseball?

PP: I like to hang out with my teammates, friends, and family. I didn’t have an abundance of downtime at Cal with school, training, and practice. I don’t really play video games like I used to. I don’t really watch TV or anything, so spending time with people around me is pretty much it. 

Welcome to Twins Territory, Paulshawn!

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