DocBauer

4th year senior. Hit .387 this past season with 19 doubles, 3 trips, and 6 HR with 61 RBI. *school website

This one was way out left field to ne, no pun intended. Has to be a $ move.

6' 1" 220lbs, bats RH. Five HR in the post season for FL State. Definitely power potential, nit that's about all I can find.

Young and athletic with actual HIT ability. If he's got a natural feel for the position, you can develop the rest, similar to Jeffers. I'd rather have a good catcher who can hit and be a good offensive player vs a great defensive catcher who just can't hit worth a darn.

Interesting. I had my eye a bit on Derek Bender from Coastal Carolina who also does some catching. Might not have tremendous power. More of a balance of hit tool and power. Did well in the Cape Cod league.

Of course I'm hoping the Twins have cut a deal with Oakie. I'm betting a lot of fan bases are hoping for the same. I'm really hoping for a pair of quality college LHP early similar to Hajjar and Povich. The system could really use more legitimate LH SP options to work with. I wonder about Ryan Prager from Texas A&M. His growth might be tapped out, but he's a PITCHER with control and good secondary offerings. Could the Twins find a couple more mph in his fastball? I find myself wondering if there might be a true 1B with power and hit ability in the mid rounds worth grabbing. You don't select 1B unless they appear special. But they don't have much there in the minors. I'd consider one in the mid rounds if the potential is there.

Ever since he was mentioned on a fairly recent podcast I've had my eye on Ryan Campos. He's not the biggest guy in the world, and the power might not be great, but he's got a good hit tool, makes contact, takes walks, and is a LH hitter. Reportedly high IQ, good instincts, good makeup. I think you take all of that and develop the defense like you did with Jeffers and end up with a better than average hitter as a backstop. I think Josh Caron might be a late developer as a hitter with some power and a good arm. Ryan Stafford from Cal Poly might be interesting. He's kinda small for a catcher, and it's doubtful he evr develops a lot of power. But he's got some natural hit ability, performed well in the Cape Cod league, and has a solid arm and better than average athleticism for a catcher. The Twins are obviously pretty familiar with Cal Poly these days. I don't think any of these guys have been selected yet. Gut feeling is Campos has the most upside. I like smart catchers who can HIT and decent skills behind the plate and then develop them. I'd rather have solid defense and a good bat rather than a poor bat and great defense.

Yep. But still have to grab a couple position players, just to fill rosters and hope to strike gold. There's a catcher or two that have my eye. I'm wondering if the Twins saved a little $ on any of the first 3 picks to grab and sign another HS arm in the 3rd round? Certainly some interesting kids still out there. A college arm that Jeremy mentioned, Ryan Prager from Texas A&M, would be a perfect fit for the Twins philosophy. He's 6' 3", 200 lbs, and is probably maxed out physically. But he's got control and a good change, solid slider and FB. If they could coach up a couple mph on his FB, he might be a steal.

The most "fun" pick of the night. He wasn't my first choice as there were a couple other young arms ranked ahead of him. But not only might there be a $ concern that's hard to meet to keep them from college, but the growth and growth potential of Hill is interesting. Scouting report says he grew 3", added 15lbs and a good 3-4mph from last summer until now. Imagine him with 20 more lbs in 2 years, greater velocity, and better control/command. I like HS pitchers who are good but are just hitting their big growth spurt.

Agreed. But a generally consensus 1st round pick at this spot is tough to dislike. Love the power, do have concerns about the hit/contact ability. But it feels to me he's a bit of a late bloomer after leaving Clemson for Tennessee and becoming a 3B. Hea got the arm, and they say h3 improved as the season went along. Might end up at 1B, but sure he'll stick at 3B for as long as possible. I have this "CES similar but a better defense" vibe about him. I agree that I might have gone a different route. There were certainly some arms I really liked on the board. But again, the Twins feel top bats disappear early, while untapped arms are available later. And they might be right. While I expected a SS, the first 3 picks didn't roll out like I had thought. But I don't dislike any pick on an individual basis.

Just recent history for the Twins, Dozier, Sano, Polanco, Arraez, Miranda, Castro, and Lewis were all SS originally. And I'm sure I'm forgetting someone.

Do I like this pick better than Culpepper? Mmmm...maybe. Seems he may be the better overall SS with as much or more speed. The OB might not be tremendous, but not a lot of K's and good hit and contact ability. If he can hit 30 doubles and 14-15 HR with his speed he could be really good. Are 2 SS just because they are best players available? Is there a bit of an insurance factor her for Correa? I guess I thought a HS kid made more sense, but one of Debarge or Culpepper might be the replacement in 2-3 years, so it's making more sense as I think about it. Brecht would have been really tempting to me. And with Culpepper already in the fold, the potential in that arm might have been my choice. But there's some real risk with his control. And the Twins believe there are arms to develop later, but the really good bats disappear quickly. I do like Debarge as a player for sure.

I see Culpepper ad a better defensive version of Keaschall. Both have hit and contact ability and good control of the zone. They've noth got good speed. But Culpepper has the better hands, better overall athleticism, and stronger arm. That's why he's considered a true SS. My problem is if he can't stick at SS, will he have enough power/offense to warrant a move to 3B? I guess it's safe to day he could play 2B pretty easily. He was a safe pick, while still having upside as well. I just don't know if I would have gone this direction. I think I would have gone with Slade Caldwell as a future CF with hit ability and speed to drive the opposition crazy. If they really wanted a SS, why not someone like young with potential like Wyatt Sanford to groom from 18yo to being the team's SS in about 4 years? Again, nothing wrong with Culpepper. We might all be in love with him a year from now and be celebrating. And at the 21st spot this year, you could have gone a lot of directions. He's a fine choice. I just think I would have gone a different direction.

I think 50/50 one of the top college bats reaches the Twins at 21? I think it comes down to the number of college and HS arms that are taken between now and 21. Not holding my breath, but am crossing fingers that Carson Benge MIGHT slip to 21

Annnnnnd.......we're off! Bazzana to Cleveland, just like it was supposed to be the past couple of months.

Nothing against Keaschall, but I didn't understand the pick at the time, despite hearing the Twins were just in love with him and his game. I thought there were guys available that filled better needs. And didn't they draft another 2B/utility player in virtually the same spot the year before in Schobel? (Yes, I understand they are different sizes and different players). And a big YES to him being a DH early this season due to injury, so the prospect report on his defense isn't exactly accurate. From what I hear, the arm just isn't strong enough for 3B...which is too bad if true...but good enough for LF/CF. He seems to be athletic enough to turn himself in to a decent 2B. I mean, even if he wasn't a particularly good college SS, he did play there. If he could play there, he should be able to make the 2B transition. I like him playing some 1B. He might bring better defensive value at 2B or the OF, but I've never had a problem with a good, productive athlete at 1B instead of the classic, slow, big bodied slugger. He looks pretty special as a hitter. They'll find a spot or a role for him. And I'm hoping for a cup of coffee at AAA to end the season, but that's definitely where he'll be playing next year. He's definitely top 10 in the system. But #2? IDK. Rodriguez looks pretty special. And there's a handful of pitchers who might want to talk about their worth on such a list. And really, not sure what number he's ranked matters. He's good! And I'm glad he's ours.

I'm kinda with you and @Brandonhere. In THEORY, you could see the Twins grab someone like Slade Caldwell at #1, then grab a SS like Sanford or Lewis with the first comp pick, and then a couple HS arms in the next round. Now, it probably doesn't play out that way exactly. And who knows, the Twins might grab ONLY college kids, LOL. But opportunity and system depth just makes the early part of this draft a prime opportunity to focus on the prep options to help build up the lower portion of the minor league system, knowing there's enough depth in the system to bring those prospects along slowly, with high upside potential, and hit the college guys late on.

Very good game for Soto! But for those not paying close attention, Christian MacLeod is having a quality year in Cedar Rapids. The tall LH was selected in the 5th round of the 2021 draft. Unless you want to count 1.2 IP that he threw after being drafted, he didn't throw again until last season, 2023, due to injury. TJ I believe. His walks are a little high, but the ERA and K per 9 is good. Keep an eye on him as I'm certain you'll see him in Wichita next season.

Guess I'm going to end up repeating what I said in a different thread.... But to @Dman concerning Brecht, I don't think he slides to 21 either. And I also think the Brewers are a good option to taking him. But if he does, he's got 3 different outcomes: 1} washout who never gets control, 2} high end reliever since he never gets enough control, at least over a 3rd offering, 3} he becomes a front of the rotation arm. That's a lot of variance, but when picking 21st in a not so deep draft, maybe you take that shot on upside? If history shows us anything, there will be a surprise or two before pick 21, possibly even a team or two playing the over/under slot game and a top college bat might still slide to the Twins at 21. I'd call it 50/50? When you look at an interesting collection of HS SS through the first 30-40 picks, and a collection of HS arms that is supposed to be two rounds deep, I keep thinking the Twins might go heavy today. Might they select as many as 3 prep players this early? They would seem to have the bonus pool $ to do so. And when I look at the lower minors, I think there's a fit for a young arm or two and a young SS to take time to develop for the future. IDK, but it's going to be interesting and a bit exciting to have 4 of the top 69 pick.

I always love draft day! On the one hand, this class is not nearly as deep as last season and the Twins are picking much later than the past couple of years so that's a bit of a downer. On the other hand, we have 4 of the top 69 picks and a larger $ pool than normal based on the supplemental picks. Additionally, the draft is interesting as college bats are in short supply, HS arms seem to go through the first 2 rounds, and there's an interesting group of talent HS SS through the first 40 picks or so. Based on how drafts normally seem to work, and with this one rather deep in HS prospects, I can see a surprise or two, including a team or two playing the over/under slot game, and a college bat sliding down to 21 that's not supposed to be there. Wouldn't surprise me a bit. I think this draft is the perfect scenario based on available talent and $ to play with for the Twins to go a little heavy early on with HS talent. I can see a scenario where the Twins end up with 2 or 3 prep kids today, say a SS and a couple of arms. After that, of course, we're going to see a ton of college arms from all over and a sprinkling of college position players, including a couple of mid round catchers I'd wager. I'm excited to see how today goes!

Agreed he is NOT Pedroia. He's much bigger in height and muscle, soni really don't get the comparison. He turns 22yo in a couple of days and is already at AA after being drafted last season, and is almost ready for AAA thr way he mashes and sees the ball. I'm hoping he gets a cup of coffee there at least this season, but that's where he'll undoubtedly begin 2025. He played a lot of SS in college, but it's my understanding he's just not a real SS at this level, and his arm might not be strong enough for 3B, which explains him not playing there at this point. But range and arm strength both good enough for LF and CF on addition to 2B. I like the idea of him working at 1B as well. Why not? It just increases his value to thr team to be able to mix and match the best lineups possible. I scratched my head a little when he was drafted. I know you don't draft for need necessarily in the ML draft, but I didn't expect a 2B/athlete type that early. Boy am I glad now they rolled with their gut and just tool thr best guy avaulable.

Want to be very clear that I'm NOT saying DON'T make a trade or upgrade. But I do agree in principal with the OP that the Twins don't...or shouldn't...need a RH arm for the pen. Now, not everyone will finish the season 100%, and not everyone will pitch awesome, but as of this moment we're talking about Duran, Jax, Stewart, Alcala, Staumont, Topa, Sands, and Varland. That's 8 possibles before SWR or Paddack possibly switched to the pen. I'd like to think that's enough to choose from to put together a pen for the post season....and the rest of the regular one...that you can rely on. Go ahead, add another good, solid option that you feel you can honestly trust in the 7th inning if you can and it doesn't cost you much. But I'd really like to have a couple LH arms for that pen as well, and I just don't trust Thielbar to be the Thielbar of old...no pun intended...after a 7 short but effective outings. And Okert isn't a #1 lefty. And while Funderburk has better stuff than either of those guys, he's a young man still figuring out his stuff. So to me, any priority for the pen should be from the left side.

I understand Ober as a functional scale, no sense getting someone "below" him, however you define that. I can also follow @ashbury that maybe you set your sites lower, if necessary, and STILL add someone solid for depth options if nothing else. But I do have to question any idea that Ober isn't a playoff caliber starter. As of this day, his ERA is about .75 higher than 2023, however, it's actually lower than last year over his last 7 appearances. Further, he's on pace for more IP than last season, with a slightly higher K per 9, but slightly higher BB per 9 and WHIP. His AVG, OB%, and ABIP are slightly lower than 2023, but his SLG% is slightly higher. If WINS are a statistic you like to use as a measuring stick, he's already equalled last year. All this to say Ober was very good in 2023. His numbers are very, very comparable to last season, with a couple very close ups and downs. If the guy never had to face the Royals his numbers would be even better. WOOF! I think he's a legitimate, quality #3 starter. So to me, he's already a playoff caliber starter. I don't know how you can do better unless you give up an awful lot for a rental, hut I guess if you DID find someone better, you'd have a hell of a potential 1-4.

I'm probably going to just repeat what's been pretty much said...buuuuut.....next year if not later this season: Lewis is 3B Correa is SS Lee is 2B, but also covers SS/3B Julien is at 1B, but also covers 2B and spends time at DH Miranda is at 1B, but also covers 3B and spends time at DH I understand anyone can DH on any given day, but you're going to want to keep all 5 of those guys in the lineup as much as possible. For that reason, I can see Julien and Miranda leading the team in DH AB. So there's PLENTY of room for all 5 of these guys on the club, even before we talk about any potential injuries. UNTIL Rodriguez is ready for his first shot, the "starting" OF for NEXT year, will be a probable combination of Larnach, Buxton, and Wallner. Martin is the RH option who covers at least 2 of those spots, if not all 3. He can also play a little 2B if needed, 3B in a pinch, but I think most of his INF days are coming to a close. (Also possible they look for a good FA or nice, inexpensive trade option to compete with Martin and push him down the ladder a notch). Catcher is probably not going to change with Jeffers and Vazquez. Castro, of course, is a legitimate 6 or 7 spot position player who's in the lineup daily. I refer to him as the Twins 10th starter. That leaves 1 spot open. That could be a healthy Kirilloff...for once...who could be a great role player at 1B/OF/DH/PH. Or it could be someone currently in St Paul, say Keirsey for example, making a very interesting duo bench option with Martin. Or it might be someone from St Paul's team this year, or someone currently outside the organization. My whole point being, a quick examination sees a single, potential, opening on the roster for 2025 and plenty of room to keep the INF intact if the Twins want.

I liked this team when they broke camp...for the most part. It wasn't perfect, but I liked it. I liked it even better, projection wise, about a month in when a couple injured RP would be back. My expectations were a team that was going to win about 90-92 games. I thought they had a shot at a couple more wins if a couple of things broke just right. Imagine my surprise and disappointment when they started off 7-13 and lost Royce the first game of the year. You have to count all games, and the whole season. But going in to the double header on Wednesday the 11th, the Twins had the best record in baseball since April 22, which was basically the end of their big losing streak. I believe they were also first in runs league wide since that time. Woulda, coulda, shoulda, but if the team hadn't started so ridiculously bad and inconsistent, they'd probably be in 1st in the ALC right now. They say you can't win a pennant in April, but you can lose one. I suppose that's true. But we still have half a season left, and while the Twins are looking at a solid WC lock at the moment, I'm going to hold out for a Cleveland slump and the Twins taking over 1st. Other than that ridiculous and frustrating start, what's SURPRISED me is HOW the Twins have GOTTEN to where they are. I saw Ryan and Ober doing well, but I didn't see Lopez struggling this much, or Varland just imploding. I didn't see Julien and Wallner getting off to such poor starts, but I also wasn't sure about Buxton being so healthy, or Miranda coming back so strong and even improving over his rookie season. And honestly, despite some tough games here and there, the pen has been every bit as good as could be expected, if not more so, when you look at the number of injuries. My goodness, I believe there were 7 guys on the IL at one point that were marked for potential pen duty? Going forward? (other than decent health) 1) Lopez's biggest problem doesn't appear to be stuff. It's a lack of consistency. It's as if all the hits in a game keep coming bunched in a single inning. Is he due a couple adjustments and some better "luck" for greater consistency? I'm going to disagree with a lot of opinions on here, I like the Twins top 3 SP just fine, if they just keep doing what they are doing, or are capable of doing. If we make the second round, it's a toss up of SWR or Paddack as the #4, but that's months away right now. I really don't know who you're going to trade for, mid season, during an "auction", when all but a handful of teams are still in the hunt right now. I'm never opposed to making the team better, but I just don't see anything happening without paying a king's ransom at this point. 2) If Stewart can come back and finish out the season, with the improved and now trusted Alcala, as well as Duran and Jax, that's a really good 4 to work with. Can Varland give the pen a big boost come September and through the playoffs? I don't see why not, and that might be his future. Now we're at 5 big arms before we get to anyone else. Sands has largely been solid all year as a 6th inning, and sometimes 7th inning, arm. Can Topa come all the way back? What about Staumont adding velocity and his new slider and starting to look like a possible option? And one of SWR or Paddack would also be available for the pen, yes? From the LH side, I like Okert as a #2 guy. He's not great, but he's generally solid. Funderburk has the best stuff from the left side of anyone right now, but he's a rookie still working on command. And while Thielbar's last several appearances have looked much better, I don't know that I'm even close to saying he's "fixed" at this point. So I'm one of those that would be interested in a LH arm for the pen if the right deal can be found. 3) Martin...when back healthy...and Margot are a bit redundant on the roster. But Margot has the advantage of experience. And after a horrible start, Margot got himself hot about a month or so ago and has done nice work. Can he keep it up? Maybe...maybe not. He can always be cut in favor of keeping the younger Martin, or, replaced with a trade if they can find a deal that they really like at the deadline. But it had better be a smart option otherwise why not just stick with Martin instead? But a healthy Lewis, Lee up now, Wallner HOPEFULLY ready to stick for good, all we need from the offense, IMO, is to stay healthy and just keep doing what they've been doing. This is a really nice ballclub. They're on pace for more than 90 wins, even though they're playing at about a 100 win pace currently. I don't expect a major addition, but I can see room for a couple rentals if the price is right. I don't think anyone wants to see the system wiped out by big cost for a couple short term options. But if the right move is there, and the cost is right, I say make an add or two and let's see what happens. But I think this team is pretty good as is. I'm just surprised they're about as good as I expected, but just in different ways and with different contributors than I expected when the season began.