Seth Stohs

Always interesting to see how catchers do when they come into the organization. Generally, if you look at the catchers throughout the organization, especially in the lower levels, most of the catchers catch just twice a week. Hard to get into an offensive rhythm like that, but they want lots of guys ready defensively and getting reps because it is such a position of attrition. Then again, always interesting to see which catchers get an opportunity to DH. Ryan Jeffers caught a couple times a week and DHd pretty much every other game.

Celestino optioned, Coulombe to 60 Day IL.

Thanks to @Dave Overlund for being willing to try this out... Now, let us know who is right, who is wrong, and who you would vote for below.

I agree with this... Without listening back, Sean Johnson said that he's a "kitchen sink" guy. Doesn't throw real hard, maybe 92 with room to increase that potentially, and a ton of pitch options... Now, over time the Twins, with him, will likely talk about the pitch mix, what are effective pitches or not... but Sean said that at least to start, he will throw the knuckleball some... and that it can be a really good pitch as he throws it like 80 mph. So, it's definitely not the traditional knuckler.

First of all, I echo the comments saying 'Great Job, @Jamie Cameron! As for the shortstop thing... I think it's their intent to just draft best available... In 2019 and 2021, there was a bigger focus on pitching because those drafts had some pitching depth. The general thought on this draft is that pitching was weak. Sean said a big focus was on up-the-middle guys. Of course, that doesn't mean that they'll all stay there, and that's OK. Lee wasn't the #8 overall pick because of his defense. It's because hit bat plays anywhere, and if it's SS, great. Schobel already played mostly 2B. Daniel and Lopez are likely going to college. Everyone gets how hard it is to find an MLB shortstop, so you draft a bunch of them, and try to develop them, and if not, they are great athletes and can move. That's a good thing.

Absolutely have been, and just FYI... several more scheduled over the next few days!!

Williams was 5-for-50 to start the 2021 season in Cedar Rapids... Then he moved up to Wichita, and he hasn't stopped hitting. And his power stretch in recent weeks is incredible. Also, Yasser Mercedes has sure done well to start his career.

So, uhh... there are some catchers.

Well, @Jeremy Nygaard, you got one name right again this year!! That Comp pick was drafted.. oh wait, that was by the Brewers... I'll give you credit!

Of course, but it was very clear from how Sean Johnson said things, and the Noah Miller/Brooks Lee comp told me a lot. They loved Noah Miller, and this tells me they were thrilled with getting Lee. And, Priellip, I've talked to a few guys. They really like him and were surprised he was still there.

It's all the same people. Deron Johnson's still around. Sean Johnson was promoted. Mike Radcliff is involved. The cross-checkers have been around a long time. One thing they do now is include player development in evaluating players and the communication is great between departments.

80 players heard their name called on Sunday night, altering the course of their lives, or at least their potential bank accounts. The top 68 draft spots have a slot value of over $1 million. The Twins had three picks in that top 68 picks, and they couldn’t be happier with the players they selected. Let’s start with the basics. The draft was filled with surprises at the start. After Jackson Holliday and Druw Jones went with the top two picks, the Rangers messed up a lot of mock draft boards by selecting righty Kumar Rocker with the third overall pick. In addition, the Cubs used the seventh overall pick on Oklahoma right-hander Cade Horton. That left the Twins with several options that we have read a lot about, including Cam Collier (18th, Reds), Gavin Cross (9th, Royals), Kevin Parada (11th, Mets) and others. The Twins scouting department was ecstatic that shortstop Brooks Lee was available. “We see him as a playmaker. He’s a creative, skilled, and instinctual player,” Scouting Director Sean Johnson said following the first day of picks. Lee could have been a very high pick out of high school but, as Johnson noted, “chose to go play for his dad, Larry Lee, who is a heavily decorated college coach, and they have a very close connection. He comes from a really strong baseball family.” Interestingly, Johnson noted that in 2021, when the Twins selected Wisconsin prep shortstop Noah Miller, they were comparing him to Brooks Lee, who the Twins have been watching for several years going back to high school. He noted, they both “have really good instincts, elite baseball IQ, great feel for the game, really great feel to hit in the batter’s box.” “We think, whether he plays shortstop, or second or third or wherever he ends up, we think that he has a chance to have impact power to go along with the hit skills that he possesses.” Lefty Conner Prielipp was the team’s second-round pick (#48 overall) out of the University of Alabama. He had Tommy John surgery in May of 2021, but he has thrown bullpens and was impressive at the draft combine. Many believe he has the talent to be a top-of-the-rotation starter in time. Several Twins scouts saw him before the injury, but they have been around him a lot. The area scout, Matt Williams, and the supervisor, Derek Dunbar, got the chance to know him. Johnson said, “Our scouting staff has absolutely loved the pitcher, loved the pitches. The uniqueness of the slider is a real draw. It’s a high-velocity breaking ball that you don’t see a lot because his grip on it is pretty unique.” Johnson also said that Alabama head coach Brad Bohanon was very helpful in giving the Twins insight on his makeup and the type of person he is off the field. At the combine, he was up to 95 or 96 mph and the breaking ball was at 90, and he flashed a changeup. It was an impressive outing (just 20 pitches), and it certainly is a signal that he’s tracking toward full health.” In 2021, the Twins drafted Steve Hajjar in the second round. They added Cade Povich in the third round. In the fifth round, they took Christian MacLeod. All three are left-handed, and Prielipp adds another left-handed arm with upside to the mix. Is this a trend? A strategy? Or, just who the best pitcher was on their board at the time. Johnson said, “Our aim is not to acquire left or right-handed pitching, it’s just impact pitching, regardless of which hand they throw with. So obviously it’s a little more unique being left-handed. A guy with his kind of pitches and upside is exciting to turn over to our player development group which has done such an amazing job with a lot of the pitchers we have taken in the last couple of years. To be able to add him into the mix is really exciting for our future, as it pertains to pitching prospects in our system. Finally, with the 68th overall pick, the Twins took infielder Tanner Schobel from Virginia Tech. Now, he is listed at 5-10 and 170 pounds, but his stats might surprise you. This season, he hit .362/.445/.689 with 18 doubles, a triple, 19 home runs, and 74 RBI. He led the Hokies in home runs, RBI and total bases, a team that included Gavin Cross who was taken by the Royals with the ninth overall pick. “He really performed. He’s a guy that grows on you a little bit. He’s not the most physical guy on the board, but he’s got surprising strength and he can jolt the ball farther than you’d ever think he could,” Johnson continued. “His makeup is really good. Comes from a really great background, and family. He’s really competitive. He was the leader on that Virginia Tech team.” The Twins went to watch Gavin Cross a lot, but “The more you see that team play, the more you appreciated Schrobel’s game. He’s got a chance to stay in the middle of the diamond. He’s got a fast swing with some sneaky power. Like Brooks Lee, he’s got plus-intangibles.” Fair to say that the draft couldn’t have gone much better for the Twins. They have two players that probably should have gone higher in the draft fall to them, and their third pick is clearly a guy they really like too and maybe even drafted just a little higher than he might rank, knowing that they don’t have a third-round pick on Monday and he would be gone long before Round 4. The Twins draft room was very happy, according to Johnson. “We were just saying in the room that some years, it feels like you don’t get any bounces falling your way, and some years you feel like some of them go, but you never feel like they all fall that way. But to get the three guys we got tonight, felt like a really good night for our room. We coveted all three players. We were hopeful that ones would make it to certain ranges on the board, and the fact that they did, our room is in a really good spot going into Day 2.” Here’s hoping that Sean Johnson and the personnel at Target Field are just as excited about Day 2’s selections. Regarding Day 2, Johnson said, "Day 2 always seems to be the craziest!" View full article

Credit to Sean Johnson, the Scouting Director, and his entire scouting staff!

My guess... and it's just that. He'll sign. Spend a couple of weeks at the Complex. Then move up to Ft. Myers for a month, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends at Cedar Rapids. I'd also venture to guess that they will instruct the hitting coaches not to change a thing, They probably won't touch his swing at all this season. Just let him play. He's the best hitter in the draft already.

OK, Dude just got drafted following his junior season in college, he's 21, and he's "too old?" He was top 5 on most every board. I can't imagine not loving this pick.

I'm not sure on Rich Becker. He had a couple of nice OBP seasons... His big issue was the strikeouts, so you wonder if he played today if teams would even care. He'd be an on-base machine with some power. As for Romero, he was a mid-to-upper 90s guy who had some really nice starts at the beginning of his career. Lots of weird stuff there. Agree on Jay too. Keith Law was big on him and thinks the Twins should have kept him starting longer, but as you said, at minimum, I thought he'd be a strong lefty out of the bullpen. The FB/SL combo was Perkins-like. But then he had lots of arm issues, like Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and such.

Define "Good Arm"... A couple of 30 year old minor league veterans isn't going to get you much of anything. When the Twins traded JR Murphy, who was in AAA at the time, they got Gabriel Moya, a middling lefty reliever. And that was for a catcher in the same boat.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand also promoted, from Cedar Rapids to Wichita... per both Cedar Rapids and Wichita press release.

Darren Wolfson is reporting that Matt Wallner is joining the Saints. My assumption is that will happen after Saturday's Futures Game, rather than maybe playing one game for St. Paul and then going to LA with Spencer Steer. But, maybe.

Povich's 'ceiling' is right there with Balazovic, Canterino, Raya, etc. Great stuff. Competitive. Lefthanded. CES - He'll have to put in some work to stick at third. If he does, he can. If he isn't able to improve, then nope. Probably a hot streak, but we can hope.

Aguiar is a big dude... definitely a corner guy.

Short Answer: Not Very.

Also, I just can't not say something... Matt Wallner to Catcher????? ?

I think that guy they traded will be very lucky if he can have a career as solid as Drew Butera's!! Even offensively! First and foremost, let's just hope he gets healthy one of these years so we can find out. He is obviously the best defensively of the whole group, and right in that Butera class. Both are tremendous athletes, which I believe helps a lot. Jeffers is going to be just fine. He's more than solid defensively and he will hit. I still have no doubt. And even now, his offensive numbers are just over league average for a catcher. Sanchez, I'm fine with either way. He hasn't been as brutal defensively as I thought he'd be, and offensively, I do think he'll be fine. Obviously I wouldn't (and likely they won't) pay him $10M/year, but maybe he likes it here so much he's willing to do a two year, $10M deal, and I'd be on board with that. All that said, this scouting department has always valued catchers and usually takes at least one in the top 10 rounds, and then take another 2-3 later, and then sign a few more. Catcher is a position of attrition. It's hard to get to the big leaguers, period, much less as a catcher. The Mauer types are rare. Remember Joey Bart went #2 overall the year the Twins got Jeffers in the 2nd round.