Dman

Good to see Cavaco swinging a hot bat. Would really be nice if he took off as he is one of the few potential 5 tool guys in the system. Unfortunately the hit tool is the most important tool and he hasn't really shown much progress to this point. I was down on the CES pick when the Twins drafted yet another slow plodding corner power bat but boy has he been amazing. His first year of pro ball and he is already at AA and killing it there just like he has every level so far. He should have been a 1st round pick. I can't think of another college hitter that has moved this fast in the Twins system with this much success. Have to give the draft team credit as he was a real find in the 4th round. Hopefully he can improve that defense at third base but he looks like he has a major league bat IMO.

When I saw Festa in Beloit a week or two ago it looked like he was giving up some pretty hard contact to left handed batters and he struggled with his control from time to time. Still at the game I went to he was able to consistently get out of jams. To be honest his stuff did not look that impressive to me but he was getting a lot of weak contact in that game so it is better than it appears as he has had really good success all year at least until this last game. The Season is getting longer and I wonder if some of the younger starting arms are going to waiver down the stretch. I did not get to see Sabato in the game I went to as he ended up being the first base coach. So no idea what he looks like at the plate other than numbers that don't look that great. The poster before me has it right on Severino. He looks good to me still but not good enough for MLB and even though I still like the hit tool it has to be almost elite or he might not even make it out of MiLB. He has been hurt a lot. I don't see the Twins protecting him though. Javier won't be protected and as mentioned will likely hang around until he become a free agent. Gray is rule V eligible this year as is the whole college 2019 class but Gray won't end up on the 40 man. He still has contact concerns IMO and is no threat to be taken. Guys the Twins will likely need to worry about in rule V would be Canterino, Steer, Wallner, Varland, SWR, next tier being Headrick, Jullien, Isola and Legumina. With even more fringe guys like Mooney Lawyerson, Shulffer and SGL. 2019 was a pretty good draft year for the Twins. Also I have no idea how they feel about Palacios but he is still not the on the 40 man either. Lot's of guys to protect so Severino, Javier and Gray are the least of their worries if you ask me.

I'm excited about this guy. He could be a really good pick at 6. Hoping the Twins found someone late like CES with Ortega. Maybe not the same level of power but just a good solid contact bat. He should be fun to watch next year.

As of right now today even though he hasn't thrown a minor league pitch I guess based on reputation and the fact he might make it as a starter, sure I will go with Prielipp at number 1. My hopes are high for him with an elite pitch and good velocity. Maybe that change up turns out as well. Lots of good potential to be a number one or at least top of the rotation starter so for now I can give him the number 1 spot. I don't think Canterino is a starter but since he is on this list and if he could be a starter then he would be number two on my list with a solid chance to be number 1. He has elite pitches and has proved it pretty much all the way up. If he could maintain that without always being injured he would already be up with the Twins. I will give number 3 to Raya mainly based on age but to be honest I think the third spot should probably go to Cade Povich who has a better than advertised fastball and a really good change up IMO. He is older than Raya but his stats are stronger, is at a higher level and he has pitched more innings. Again I am giving number 4 to SWR based on age and I have soured on him some. I thought he might be more dominant than he has been. I could easily see Varland in this spot as their stats are pretty much the same at the same level and Louie has been able to take the mound the whole year. However if looking for greater upside I would go with Hajjar in this spot but since he is still in low A I can see Varland and SWR as better for now. Balazovich has been so bad I would move him out of the top 5 for now. IMO he needs to earn that elite status back. I would probably give the 5 spot to David Festa. He has moved up two levels already and looks like he might make it three levels yet. He has a fairly elite fastball and better slider than he gets credit for. He is rail thin so I don't if he can take on a starters load but I like him in the 5 spot for now. If this were my list I would have Prelipp number one for now until we know more about him. I wouldn't have Canterino in this list as I would have him as a reliever so number two would go to Raya. I would give Povich the three spot based on his High A dominance and K\9. I would give number 4 to SWR mainly based on age and level. At five it would be a toss up for me with Varland, Festa and Hajjar. If Hajjar had the numbers he has at High A I would give number 5 to him but low A is too low to know much about how things will translate as he moves up. So toss up it is. That would be my take on 1-5.

Wow, Cossetti is a dream pick for number 11. Already knows to simplify things at the plate. Has tapped into his power potential and already has a catching style the Twins like. Hard to believe he was available at number 11. Really loved what he had to say. Very excited to see how well he does his first full year. It is a long road ahead but I like his attitude and ability to get there.

Yeah I really liked that draft and the way they went with the young guys. It took 6 years but those 4 straight high school picks have all made their way to Major League Baseball and with Jax the first 5 picks of that draft have all made it. Even the 15 round pick Wells has made it. That was one heck of a draft. It will be hard for this one to beat that but I think the first three guys picked have a good chance to make it. After that though who knows. 2016's success looks like it could be hard to beat.

While the OP mentioned Fans saying how many Shortstops do the Twins need? I think that is somewhat misleading. Most of those shortstops are predicted to move off the position and really become utility players. If all those picks were "true" shortstops then lay it on me I love it. We need them. The Twins took 5 infielders in the top ten picks and seven over all. 6 of those were shortstops so what gives? The Twins in general seem to like fairly balanced drafts and for the last 4 years rarely picked any shortstops. Usually 1 or 2 per draft and none in 2020. Shortstop has pretty much always been a position that the Twins system has been in short supply and it is not for a lack of trying spending 1-1 pick on Lewis, signing Javier to one of the biggest FA contracts ever and reaching for Cavaco in the first round just to shore up the position. The only one close so far is Lewis taken all the way back in 2017. While the Twins haven't been lucky generating shortstop talent they appear to be rich in utility talents Arraez, Gordon, Miranda, Palacios, Steer, Martin, Jullien, Prato, Cavaco and Miller and Possibly including Lewis unless you see him as sure fire shortstop. While Utility players can play 2nd, 3rd and short in a pinch that list above doesn't even include guys in the system tied to one spot like CES, Gray and Severino. If you are counting that is 11 straight up utility players at the MLB level and with potential to make it to the MLB level. Some like Prato and Cavaco appear to be long shots at this time and if you wanted to take them out that still leaves 9 guys to play primarily two spots 2nd and 3rd and maybe short in a pinch. That is more than enough utility talent for quite some time. So why did the Twins take all those shortstops this year? It was totally out of character for them. They have never drafted this many shortstops since Falvine took over. I couldn't make much sense of it. I looked hard through the system though and “true” shortstop is a bit more barren than I realized. At A ball we have Miller who has held his own so far this year but since he is high schooler it is going to take some time yet. At high A the Twins have Holland and Javier. Holland is 24 and will be 25 next year and is still in High A with a .691 OPS and 32% K rate. It seems pretty obvious he doesn't have the contact skills to make it. He looks like he could be on his way out. Javier is still only 23 but is only in high A with only a .690 OPS. He has been better as of late but he doesn't look like an answer either. That is it there is no one else there at High A. You can see why the Twins tried so hard to make Martin work at short because without him there is nothing at short at AA. The Twins were so desperate for someone to play they plugged in defensive whiz Ozoria and his .580 OPS just to fill the hole. So that is two levels with essentially no one exceling at short and low A needing depth beyond Miller. Essentially they could use another 5 guys at short. The question is are the guys they picked actually shortstops or utility players. A lot of scouts are already saying it is just a matter of time before Lee moves off of short. There are mixed opinions on Schobel but several outlets again feel his ultimate home is utility player. No one knows much about Ross and he has good speed so he could be an answer but he also is from a D2 school so will have to wait and see. Schuffield looks like a sure thing to stick at short but he is a 5 year senior and already 23 the bat doesn't look quite as good and he looks more likely to be a backup option than a star shortstop. The two high school shortstops they drafted would likely be five to six years away if they can sign them but both project well to stick at short but will they sign them? Have to wait and see. So my question for the OP is did the Twins really draft a bunch of shortstops or are these really more utility players in disguise? I mean Sano, Steer, Cavaco, and tons of others were drafted as "shortstops" but were all projected to move off and to no ones surprise they have all moved off the position. Granted many felt Lewis might not stick there either and I still think he can play there. Still after drafting 6 more shortstops I still don't know that the Twins have solved their shortstop issue.

They can't and won't trade Correa without losing the clubhouse. It isn't going to happen. Also they are still in first place and even if they do fall back they will need him down the stretch in the battle for the division. To be honest no one is going to pay what it would take to move him for two months of help and the possibility he walks. It would practically take a miracle for them to trade him. It is so remote it hardly seems worth considering at all.

Yeah I would drop Martin to 5 as well. Lewis is still a 5 tool player and his hit tool looked just fine so no more worries about that hanging over his head. He is number 1 for me. Lee is a rare Switch hitting force at the plate that could be a plus defender at third. He has All Star potential if it all comes together so I agree with having him at number 2. At 3 I am going with Rodriguez and the good eye at the plate and what appears to be a special bat and he should be solid defensively in a corner if not above average. Another huge bat in the system. Prielipp at 4 for me and he could end up higher but I just don't know what to expect post injury. He could drop if he ends up reliever material so need more info before I would move him higher than this. Martin is on the list so will give him the 5 spot but I like Steer and Wallner better. Steer is a more balanced hitter with a good eye and Wallner has power to all fields with hard contact on everything. The system looks like it is OK for good hitter even after all the graduations.

Great bat to ball skills are generally the best predictor of hitting success and he has those in spades. He just needs to keep his body healthy and keep doing what he is already doing. He was the player I wanted to fall to the Twins the most out of any other College player in the top 10 of the draft. A switch hitting elite bat is very. very hard to find and with a chance at elite defense at third base he has a chance at All Star potential if it all clicks. I really felt the Twins got lucky for once as it looked like they were going to get squeezed out of the top 7 bats only to have possibly the best bat fall to number 8.

I think Merecedes early stats in the DSL are some of the better numbers I have seen from a Twins high level prospect in the year they signed them. Have to see if he can keep it up though as those guys can be volatile with the generally aggressive swing early and often approach. Still it would be nice to have a young, good sized, fairly speedy centerfielder prospect in the system. He could be just what this system needs as there isn't much there right now.

Sounds like a perfect Twins player. Kind of seems piranha like and a guy who can battle his tail off. I am looking forward to seeing him play short and I hope he can be a real option there as this system is short on shortstop talent. Sounded like the Twins were there to see Cross and came away equally impressed with Schobel. Hoping those bat to ball skills continue to be elite all the way up to MLB. Sounds like the Twins got a good one.

Nice writeup Doc! Couldn't agree more. He has been a different hitter this year. Seems more well rounded and really hitting the ball hard. That is an amazing week not sure I have ever seen one quite like it, Things are looking up for the 25 year old Williams.

His ratings are a bit all over the place. I generally end up agreeing with Fangraphs more often than not but MLB.com had him at 96 and rated average as a defender and I have seen him described as pretty much average in all phases by several outlets so not sure what to think. He was on the same team as Cross and put up better numbers so one would think his hit tool would be rated higher but I think most scouting services feel he has reached his peak and there isn't much more to develop thus the average ratings and concerns about power. Despite his average tools it seems a number of people felt he was quite under rated and should\could have been a late first round pick. If you believe that then one could say the Twins came away with 3 first round picks. Law had the following to say about him. Chance to stay at shortstop isn't exactly a ringing endorsement as an "elite defender" at MLB level. I think he is a good player and if he does end up actually playing short I will be thrilled with the pick but if just another utility guy I think they could have done more to help the team in that spot. "Tanner Schobel (2A) was one of my gut-feel guys, not a huge upside play but an advanced hitter with a compact swing and good eye at the plate. He led Tech with 19 homers this year, although I think he’s probably more of a high-doubles guy with the wood bat, and he has a chance to stay at shortstop. It’s a quiet mix of skills that, together, could add up to an everyday player or even a bit more."

I like how he knows he needs to take care of his body and does the work needed to be ready for his next time out. Hopefully the Twins can work with him to gain a few extra ticks on the fastball and round out his other pitches. Looks like reliever material to me but if he is another Varland type then will probably prove me wrong.

With no real coveted pitching prospects to send in trade it looks like Minnesota comes up light for starting pitching at the deadline. I think they have plenty of interesting guys for relievers though. Also trades for starters generally are for the higher revenue teams who if the deal doesn't work out can buy their way out of it. When Pittsburgh went all in for Archer and it didn't work it started a rebuild. It isn't a road Tampa, Cleveland, or Oakland have traveled down with any success either. It seems to go against the main philosophies of this FO if you ask me. If Berrios is the model for a trade then it would take at least one top 100 player and another highly rated prospect or someone like Miranda, Larnach or Kirilloff plus a solid minor league pitcher to get a deal done. The offer will have to be more attractive than what other teams are willing to put out there. After giving up a bunch for a starter the Twins would still need to likely get two more relief arms as well depleting the farm even more. It kind of feels like there are too many holes to fill IMO. We will know in a couple of weeks what magic the FO can work to strengthen this team.

Draft over let the signings begin. Not sure how they are going to sign those high schoolers but I guess we will find out soon enough.

Twins seem determined to beef up\renew the system with shortstops. They are up to 6 right now. No outfielders needed I guess.

Sounds almost too good to be true to sign.

Totally agree! Hope they can sign this kid. I think this is first high school prospect they have drafted.

Looks like you called it! Nice job! Maybe the Twins should include you in their scouting group.

The Twins doubling down on catchers. When are they gonna pick some toolsy outfielders? Baez looks like a good pick here as well. Has some power but might need some work on the eye at the plate. Still a very nice pick at 12 if you ask me. Keep'em coming Draft team.

And we all can be happy as they finally picked a catcher. Another player with a good eye at the plate and good power. Looks like a smaller school though. Still I like the hitters they have been selecting. They all seem to have a good eye to start with so that should help them early on. Just not sure how well those small school players translate though.

I didn't really think Hamilton was much of a prospect until 2021 when he started out hot at the plate. He got my attention and then promptly slumped the rest of the way. Thought he might be done for good and didn't give him much of a chance other than depth to start the year but the bat was back and he has been more consistent this year. I honestly think he could be a solid backup catcher. He's no All Star but I think he is solid and a good third catcher candidate.

Honestly I am not expecting much from day three. If the Twins can find some more guys like last year: Fedko, Festa, Nowlin, Parades, Perez and Ohl then that would be pretty darn good. If I had my wish it would be to find some younger guys at the high school level or JC and develop them in the system. They get a chance to mold them that way and they have the equipment to help them develop faster IMO. Still finding a few guys that might make difference in those rounds would be good enough for me. We all know that unfortunately about 90% of these picks are not going to make it. Some will get very, very close and more than half will wipe out fairly early. It is a hard long road to become the best of the best and then get privilege of playing Major league Baseball. I hope they all make it but will be happy to get two or three good player out of this draft.