Jeremy Nygaard

I know what you're thinking, "Wait a second. I thought you promised only one pitcher in your ten profiles?" And that is exactly the truth. But since we're suckers for the draft, we expanded the coverage and push those profiles over 10. As a result, you're getting another pitcher. Cade Horton wasn't on our radar when we mapped out our draft coverage. And he probably doesn't need to be now. But we didn't want to leave any stone unturned and when we've heard #8 mentioned as Horton's ceiling... well, that makes our ears perk up. Who is He? Cade Horton is a right-handed, two-way, draft-eligible redshirt freshman for the Oklahoma Sooners. He's less two-way now and more pitcher, but that's really ambitious to say about a guy with all of 53 2/3 collegiate innings under his belt (as opposed to 168 plate appearances). Horton, though, took the world by storm by dominating in the College World Series. Years prior, a post-draft performance like that propels him to the top of the 2023 mock drafts. But because the draft is later now, Omaha heroics can pay immediate dividends. Horton, the prospect, is a 20-year-old, just over six foot, power arm who is less than a year and a half removed from Tommy John surgery. He's possesses a mid-to-high 90s fastball with movement, a potentially devastating near-90 mph slider and a curveball that isn't great, but is there. Why Will the Twins Draft Him? The upside is incredible and this meteoric rise didn't come from nowhere. He was a potential first-day pick in 2020, but had an enormous price tag. Now healthy and given the opportunity, he's everything scouts believed he could be. It's no secret the Twins are led by a group that cherishes pitching - and if you don't believe that, go look at prospect lists from the mid-2010s - and Horton may have the highest ceiling of any pitcher in the entire draft, college or pro. Horton, like Connor Prielipp, just needs an extended opportunity to show that, when and if healthy, he can be one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. Why the Twins Won't Draft Him? 52 2/3 college innings. About 17 months removed from Tommy John surgery. Bonus demands that don't seem to have come down from when he was a high schooler. Putting your faith in a 6' 1" pitcher to be a frontline guy... Want me to go on? There's a number of reasons to not draft him, but the reality is that you can find warts on every prospect. A wise baseball man once told me that "players get told their whole lives what they can't do, we're drafting players based on what they can do" and what Horton can do - albeit in a small sample size - is very impressive. The mention of the price tag in almost every draft report doesn't go unnoticed and may mark Horton as a prime example of someone who is going to drop a little and then sign for way over slot. Could a team like the Royals have a replay of their 2013 draft? One that saw them draft Hunter Dozier at #8, pay him mid-first round money, only to turn around and give 34th overall pick Sean Manaea the fifth biggest bonus of the draft? Horton, in this example, is Manaea... and I would guess not the Royals given they just traded the prime pick (35) to make this happen. Do the Twins get crafty with #8 (Jett Williams and $3.2 million?) and then play the waiting game on Horton at #48 (and $4 million?), because that would be quite a feat. (And is completely conjecture before anyone flies off the handle.) What do you do? Interest in Horton or just a flat pass? View full article

It happens all the time. As soon as the the Mets got a whiff that Rocker might tumble out of the top 5 last year, there was an offer of $6 million. His reps then told teams, "our price tag is $6m." As you start to hear of teams being "out" on guys, some times it has to do with their ability. But I'd guess oftentimes it has to do with money. Part of the area scouts job is to know what it's going to cost to get sign the player they scouted. That's why it's pretty uncommon to not get top-10 round guys signed. And when you see it, it's usually due to medicals. The Twins had an agreement in place with Kyle Cody almost immediately, but when he underwent his physical, there was something the Twins didn't like. So much is done behind the scenes and before the draft and teams want to stretch every dollar as far as it can go. If you didn't partake in the "backroom shenanigans", you'd be putting yourself at a severe disadvantage. When Mark Prior fell to the Pirates and didn't sign, there was definitely a team behind them that thought they were getting Prior at an agreed-upon price.

The latest mock featured here is a dual mock draft done by Jamie Cameron and me. We alternated back and forth of the Top 30 selections on this upcoming weekend's draft. Note: We completed this mock draft about week ago and would probably do it differently today. 1.) Orioles - Druw Jones, OF, Wesleyan (GA) HS - I’m not going to overthink or overplay this if I’m the Orioles I’m taking the best prospect and the most exciting prospect. They could get creative, certainly, with their almost-$17 million-bonus pool and a bevy of early picks (1, 33, 42, 67, 81), but they’d have to be absolutely positive that they could push the guys they want to them and I think there’s too much risk in that. (JN) 2.) Diamondbacks - Jackson Holliday, SS, Stillwater (OK) HS - It looks likely to be between whoever falls here out of Jones and Holliday. Holliday is widely considered to have one of the best swings in the draft and has had an exceptional spring. If it’s not Holliday, the Diamondbacks might consider one of the other elite high school bats. (JC) 3.) Rangers - Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech - I think the Rangers would prefer to take Holliday and are really hoping the Orioles cut a deal and Jones drops to second, leaving Holliday in their laps, but after t,hat I have to go the college route. You have to go all the way back to 2003 (John Danks) to find the Rangers taking a prep player in the Top 10, which shows a clear preference in taking a college player. (JN) 4.) Pirates - Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly - Lee has an increasing range, even reaching the Twins at eight in a recent mock draft. Lee’s hit tool represents one of surest things in this draft class, and possible savings over the prep bats that the Pirates might be interested in. (JC) 5.) Nationals - Elijah Green, OF, IMG Academy - Personally, I’d love to see the Nationals go with Berry here, which guarantees one of the Twins top few assumed choices falls to eight, but for the sake of this exercise and that some people absolutely rave about Green, this is the direction I’m going. (JN) 6.) Marlins - Temarr Johnson, SS, Mays HS, Atlanta - Maybe the best pure hitter in the entire draft class. Number six is probably the floor for Johnson. This would be an amazing get for the Marlins here. (JC) 7.) Cubs - Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola JC - I think the Cubs draft board and the Twins draft board probably look pretty similar in that they’d be elated to take either Johnson or Collier (or Green, if he happens to slide). 8.) Twins - Jacob Berry, CI, LSU - I have to admit I don’t love this pick. I’m married to the hope of a top seven talent falling to the Twins at eight. With most mock drafts and big boards relying on consensus talent, we don’t have a ton of information about how the Twins view those top seven players. Berry, Neto, and Cross have been the college hitters most heavily linked to the Twins. While Berry is a little positionless, a switch-hitter with plus hit and plus power is too good to pass up here. (JC) 9.) Royals - Brock Porter, RHP, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (MI) HS - This marks the fourth straight year the Royals have had a Top 10 pick. They’ve hit three of the four demographics (just not college pitcher), so it’s possible they round it out with Connor Prielipp. Porter is the top healthy prep pitcher and has been frequently connected to Kansas City. (JN) 10.) Rockies - Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech - The Rockies have been primarily linked to college bats. In this scenario, Gavin Cross is a great option. Likely a corner outfielder long-term, he has put up elite exit velocities all spring. (JC) 11.) Mets - Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama - The Mets will pick again soon and I’ve long thought they’d get a pitcher with one and a hitter with the other. With the next two teams more likely to select a pitcher and many hitters still left, I went the pitcher route. (JN) 12.) Tigers - Justin Crawford, OF, Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas - The teens are where things will get even less predictable. Crawford (son of Carl) has been moving up boards recently. Predictably, Crawford is an elite runner with a solid hit tool and projectable power. (JC) 13.) Angels - Kumar Rocker, RHP, Vanderbilt/Tri-City (Frontier League) - Rocker is going to go in the first round and maybe this is too early, but the Angels need to get competitive in a hurry and Rocker could help the major league team considerably sooner than a swing-for-the-fence high school pitcher. (JN) 14.) Mets - Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech - The Mets are in a unique position with two top fifteen picks. Jung has fallen a little due to fading a little at the end of the season and being a defensive tweener. Zoom out and focus on his .468 OBP and 20% BB% throughout his collegiate career and there’s plenty to be excited by. (JC) 15.) Padres - Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford (GA) HS - Good value on the top prep pitcher before he went down with an elbow injury. The Padres have never been afraid to take a risk. (JN) 16.) Guardians - Zach Neto, SS, Campbell - It looks less and less likely Neto will make it this far. Recent mock drafts have him going as high as seven to the Cubs. A good defender with a plus arm and a good offensive skill set is too good to pass up here. (JC) 17.) Phillies - Brandon Barriera, LHP, American Heritage (FL) HS - Barriera shut it down after his regular season to prepare for the draft and it hasn’t hurt his draft stock at all. He may be in play to be the first high school pitcher selected. (JN) 18.) Reds - Daniel Susac, C, Arizona - There’s some pretty good steam for Susac to Cincinnati. Susac has put up good number in a power five conference for two consecutive seasons. He projects for solid defense, good power, and a low on-base percentage. (JC) 19.) A’s - Dylan Beavers, OF, California - The A’s are sticking close to home, opting for a California-grown player in the first round for the third straight year. (JN) 20.) Braves - Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State - We’re getting into educated guesses here (maybe just guesses). The Braves have been linked to a number of college pitchers. Hjerpe has two secondary offerings that may develop into excellent pitches. That may offset his mediocre fastball. (JC) 21.) Mariners - Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison - A rough early season dimmed a once very bright chance that DeLauter went off the board in the Top 10. Mariners have a track record of taking college hitters and this could be a great value. (JN) 22.) Cardinals - Jett Williams, SS, Rockwall Heath HS (Texas) - This is a little lower than Williams is being taken in most mocks (10-15 range). Williams has excellent tools but will need time to develop. He’s just 5’8”, but has drawn comparisons to Alex Bregman. (JC) 23.) Blue Jays - Jordan Beck, OF, Tennessee - The Blue Jays take a college bat here. (JN) 24.) Red Sox - Sterlin Thompson, OF, Florida - The Red Sox have gone hard after good hit tools recently (Mayer, Casas). Here they grab one of the better outfielders in college baseball. (JC) 25.) Yankees - Robby Snelling, LHP, McQueen (NV) HS - There isn’t any steam here, but if Snelling were to fall, the Yankees seem like a team that would meet higher demands. (JN) 26.) White Sox - Gabriel Hughes, RHP, Gonzaga - There are a ton of interesting arms in this range in the first round. The White Sox like power arms. Hughes has the potential to be a really good one. (JC) 27.) Brewers - Cade Horton, RHP, Oklahoma - The Brewers seem most likely to go with a college pitcher. Horton helped him immensely on the biggest stage at the College World Series. (JN) 28.) Astros - Blake Tidwell, RHP, Tennessee - Tidwell has some of the best stuff of any college pitcher in the draft but was limited this season by a shoulder injury. He’s one of the first-round prospects with the widest selection ranges. (JC) 29.) Rays - Jackson Ferris, LHP, IMG Academy - The Rays say “no so fast” to the teams hoping the highly-ranked prep would fall to them and they could use some savings. The Rays love arms and they got a good one. (JN) 30.) Giants - Drew Gilbert, OF, Tennessee - Other teams won’t like playing against Gilbert. Opposing fans won’t like Gilbert. The Stillwater native had one of the best seasons of any college hitter and has been linked as high as eighth overall with the Twins. (JC) What do you think of our mock draft of the first round? Who will get more selections correct? Which picks are most wrong? Discuss in the COMMENTS today. View full article

I'd encourage everyone to take a shot at their own 10-round mock. I put the rankings of those four sites to try to make where guys are coming off the board as realistic as possible. So if a guy was ranked in the Top 35 on all four or three of those four publications, they weren't options at 48. I tried to give myself other guidelines too. Going in, my intention was to take a college and high school player with my first two picks. Originally, I had Jett Williams and falling college pitcher Peyton Pallette at 48. The one name that never changed was Dom Keegan, because he's a really good bat with a chance to stick behind the plate. I thought getting a catcher was important, but wanted to swing for the fences on developing the defensive side while getting an existing hitter. I did want to add some left-handed pitchers, but everyone of them that was in my range to draft were always pitchability/low-ceiling lefties that didn't do anything for me. Not drafting *any shortstops* wasn't intentional, in fact, one iteration had me taking three (Williams, Nazier Mule and Aiva Arquette). Obviously the benefit of hindsight while doing this exercise is really nice. Don't like it? Start over. And that's not at all how it really works, obviously. Clark Elliott, an outfielder from Michigan, checks all the boxes to be drafted by the Twins and was on the list until the very end. Taking Cross eliminated the need, in my opinion, of taking another college outfielder. I do think the top 10 is going to be very heavy pitching. I'd set the o/u at 7. So drafting a catcher, shortstop and center fielder leaves a small chance to take a pure hitter. Of course, this is all very speculative so we might see something completely different play out.

Keith Law posted his third mock draft and there were some juicy tidbits of information that should make Twins fans (cautiously) optimistic. View full video

Jamie Cameron and Jeremy Nygaard put their first-round mock together, alternating draft choices for the Top 30 picks. View full video

I get the need for a catcher and I mocked that the Twins take one in the Top 10 rounds. It's certainly a possibility they use a higher pick - like they did with Jeffers - where they see something that they like and take a guy a lot higher than other boards have him. They've also commonly taken players and later moved them behind the plate, guys like Caleb Hamilton and Andrew Bechtold. I don't know anything about the Twins and Dom Keegan in particular, but he's a perfect example of the type of player the Twins may (over)value. If they view him as someone who can stick behind the dish, they could take him much earlier. It's clear the Twins lack high-quality depth; look at the Fangraphs top 40 and see it includes no catchers. But then they have a section called "Loads of Catching Depth," where they highlight five different catching prospects in the system, so there is hope. Plus, it wouldn't shock me at all to see the Twins extend Gary Sanchez and lock him and Jeffers in as the catching duo for the next handful of years.

This would be, in my opinion, one of the most ideal scenarios. If the Marlins are really out on him and the Cubs aren't likely to take him, that would be huge... but I still think the Pirates make sense.

It might be wishful thinking, hoping that Termarr Johnson falls to the Twins at #8. But if he did, would it be possible to pass on a player that Baseball America says is, "one of the most advanced pure hitters to come out of high school since... Joe Mauer"? I think not. Who Is He? Termarr Johnson is a prep infielder from Mays High School in Atlanta, Georgia. While it is likely that Johnson is drafted as a shortstop, his future home is expedited to be second base. A bit undersized (5' 8", 195), you're not buying the Arizona State commit for his glove. You're getting him because you believe that his left-handed bat is as good as advertised. And it is one of the most advertised tools in all of the draft. Why the Twins Will Draft Him The Twins have taken bat-first players a few times under the leadership of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine. Termarr Johnson is a high-ceiling bat first player. MLB.com wrote that "one scout gave him a double Hall of Famer comparison by calling him a combination of Wade Boggs' plate discipline and Vladimir Guerrero Sr.'s bat-to-ball skills." Such lofty comparisons are really unfair, but that should give you an idea of the type of ceiling that you'd get by drafting Johnson. It would be easy to peg a smaller guy as a slap hitter, but that's not Johnson either. Baseball America sums it all up by saying that Johnson "has the rare amateur combination of excellent bat-to-ball skills, an advanced approach at the plate, impressive pitch recognition and more power than you’d expect given his frame, thanks to excellent bat speed and precise barrel accuracy." MLB.com suggests that 25-30 home runs is a possibility. Could you even imagine? Why the Twins Won't Draft Him In the Collier profile, I wrote that the Twins wouldn't draft Collier only if he's gone or if a higher-rated prospect fell to them. It's completely my opinion, but I think Johnson might be the only (possibly available) player ranked higher than Collier. Sure, Druw Jones and Jackson Holliday are universally ranked higher, but the chances of either of them falling are slim to none. The chance of Johnson falling is certainly slim, but there is an avenue to where it happens. The other thing that should be mentioned is that that Johnson just committed to Arizona State recently. It's not unusual for highly-rated prep prospects to be committed to a college, but that usually happens much earlier in the high school career. I'm not questioning his signability. I think it's a 99.99% chance he goes pro. Maybe his representation suggested he commit to give him some leverage, I don't know. How highly do you rank Johnson? View full article

The Twins-only 10-round Mock Draft was a late addition to the 2022 Plan. During my first run covering the draft at TwinsDaily, it was an annual staple. It was always fun and looking back sparked some good memories. The inaugural Twins-mock was posted in 2014. Nick Gordon (Round 1) and Max Murphy (Round 9) were hits. But only three (including Gordon) ever made a major league appearance. There were two more hits in 2015 (Kyle Cody and Trey Cabbage), but the story here is the other names that I drafted. Dillon Tate hasn’t lived up to the high draft status, but he’s been a productive reliever. Logan Allen has bounced around a little bit over his four season in the MLB. Joey Bart probably wouldn’t have signed in the sixth round. (He was drafted in the 27th round.) Bart became the second overall pick in 2018. I was taking Jake Cronenworth in the seventh round - which was where he was selected - but as a pitcher. Cronenworth went on to finish runner-up in the 2020 Rookie of the Year race and made the All-Star game in 2021. My streak of multiple correct picks came to an end in 2016, when I only correctly predicted Alex Kirilloff. Will Smith went much higher in real-life (deservedly so). Daulton Jefferies was in the A’s starting rotation before getting injured. Keegan Akin has made the majors. (And I’ve hit on pretty much everyone to play in Baltimore’s bullpen.) As has Stephen Nogosek with the Mets. My final attempt came all the way back in 2017, when I incorrectly projected the Twins to select Kyle Wright. After a mostly down major league career, Wright has had a really good 2022. My streak continued as I correctly pegged Blayne Enlow going to the Twins, though he hasn’t debuted due to injury. Riley Adams (Washington) has made the majors, as has Michael Baumann with, you guessed it, Baltimore! Now after a four-year absence, I’ll see if I can correctly predict any of the Twins first 10 picks. It’s 10 picks because, despite forfeiting one to sign Carlos Correa, the Twins received a competitive balance pick. Note: This is my third attempt after not liking my first two projections. And that starts with my first pick. Round 1 (Pick 8 - $5,439,500): Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech. Cross has been the name most frequently connected to the Twins at #8. I think the Twins would be very likely to take almost any of the Top 7 names if they fell to them, though Termarr Johnson and Cam Collier seem to be the two they’d be happiest to see fall. The other side of that coin is that the Mets are lurking at #11 and may try to force someone to slide down to them. (BA: 10; MLB: 10; ESPN: 10; Athletic: 10) Round 2 (Pick 48 - $1,621,900): Jacob Miller, RHP, Liberty Union (Ohio) High School. When you take a high school pitcher early, you’re betting on upside. The floor is going to be low. Miller has a powerful arm as well as showing a feel for spinning the ball. Bonus points for being from the midwest. (BA: 34; MLB: 37; ESPN: 43; Athletic: 42) Comp Round B (Pick 68 - $1,001,500): Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Crowder JC. The Twins have added a number of guys who throw in the low-to-mid-90s and then they unlock a few more MPHs on their fastball. Misiorowski already throws over 100, so maybe it’s time the Twins take a hard thrower and help refine his command and secondary pitches. (BA: 68; MLB: 78; ESPN: NR; Athletic: 95) Round 4 (Pick 114 - $533,100): Henry Williams, RHP, Duke. The first of two Duke picks, Williams just had Tommy John surgery in December and will probably require a dip into the bonus pool to get this done. Hasn’t thrown a ton of college innings, but has shown plenty of upside. May bet on himself and return to Duke for another season. (BA: 179; MLB: 81; ESPN: 109; Athletic: 62) Round 5 (Pick 144 - $398,200): Dom Keegan, C/1B, Vanderbilt. Keegan has a great bat and a chance to stick behind the plate. But there’s a wide range on where he could go. It’s tough to get a read on “seniors” as they have an option to go back to school for an extra (COVID) year. (BA: 227; MLB: 97; ESPN: 128; Athletic: 76) Round 6 (Pick 174 - $301,000): Marcus Johnson, RHP, Duke. Johnson moved from a bullpen role to the rotation this year for the Blue Devils. He has a mid-to-high 90s fastball and a slider with a high-spin rate. With less than 130 college innings under his belt, there is reason to believe that Johnson’s trajectory could continue to climb. (BA: 129; MLB: 139; ESPN: NR; Athletic: NR) Round 7 (Pick 204 - $235,400): Michael Knorr, RHP, Coastal Carolina. Knorr looks the part of a starting pitcher but is somewhat of a project. He’s equipped with a big-time fastball, yet lacks great command of it and doesn’t have great feel for throwing a breaking ball. The Twins have had success in leveling up college pitchers recently and should continue to roll the dice in that area. (BA: 128; MLB: 176; ESPN: NR; Athletic: NR) Round 8 (Pick 234 - $187,700): Steven Zobac, RHP, Cal. New to full-time pitching, Zobac looked the part after moving exclusively to the mound. Equipped with a low-90s fastball and a good slider, there’s still potential to develop a third pitch and continue to improve while keeping his focus on the mound. (BA: 252; MLB: 241; ESPN: NR; Athletic: NR) Round 9 (Pick 264 - $164,000): Alex Kachel, 3B, Fresno State. Instead of spending the 8th overall pick on a great bat with a questionable defensive home, we’re going that direction in the 9th round. Kachel can hit, but can he field? (BA: 228; MLB: NR; ESPN: NR; Athletic: NR) Round 10 (Pick 294 - $153,700): Derek Diamond, RHP, Ole Miss. Diamond really struggled this past year - allowing multiple earned runs in 14 or 16 appearances. But he showed plenty of signs of having draftable characteristics last year. If a team is able to unlock that, they’ve found a prospect. (BA: 212; MLB: NR; ESPN: NR; Athletic: NR) View full article

That's how I feel too. But Callis has him going to the Twins at 8 in his newest mock.

This is less true now, but over a relatively good chunk of time, almost no major league shortstops were drafted from a four-year college. In fact, at the time I read that, Brandon Crawford was the only guy that stuck, all the other starting shortstops were high school or international. Dansby Swanson and Trea Turner have helped overcome that stigma a bit, but old beliefs die hard in the scouting ranks. That's not to say that Williams has a better chance to stick at shortstop than Neto, but Williams' future is at shortstop, then center field, then second base... and Neto's is at shortstop, then second base. Williams is certainly the premium athlete of the two and has the higher ceiling.

Cam Collier has become one of the most popular names among Twins fans as they look forward to the 2022 MLB Draft in just over a week. Collier's route to draft-eligibility is a rare one for sure, but it seems to have worked out pretty well for the teenager. Over the next two weeks, we're going to be providing you with profiles of 10 players the Twins could take with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft on July 17. Who is He? Cam Collier, son of former MLB player Lou Collier, is a JUCO player from Chipola (FL). But that's not nearly the whole story. Collier was originally in the Class of 2023 class, but graduated from high school earlier and enrolled early in a junior college to make him draft-eligible a year earlier. (Sound familiar? Bryce Harper took a similar path.) Collier, who is committed to Louisville, was destined to be one of the prospects of 2023. But now that's had a strong season at a higher level, not to mention making an appearance in the Cape Cod League this summer, Collier's raised his prospect status about as much as anyone could have imagined he would. Why the Twins Will Draft Him Collier offers all the traits that the Twins find very appealing. At Chipola, Collier, with his sweet left-handed swing, produced a .333/.419/.537 slash line. He hit eight home runs and 12 doubles. He almost walked (25 times) as much as he struck out (33 times). He's doing this against guys two, three, four years older than him. Producing at an advanced level despite being only 17? The analytic-driven Twins must adore that. Playing for the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League, Collier wasn't as good. He started out with three hits in his first three games before going to the Draft Combine. He returned a week later and got another hit in his first game back. At that point, he had a .333/.500/.333 slash line with four walks and three strikeouts. But hit a cold streak after that, finishing one for his last 11. Defensively, Collier had the glove and the arm to stick at third base. He's athletic enough that he could play in the outfield if he happened to be blocked. And even if fills out so - as 17-year-old eventually do - he has the offensive profile that he could play first base. And not for nothing, the Twins have taken players with major league bloodlines before. If drafted by the Twins, he would immediately jump into their top tier of prospects. Why the Twins Won't Draft Him Quite simply, it's either because he's gone or because the draft fell in such an unforeseen way that a higher-rated prospect (and I'm not convinced there's many, if any) fell to them. Or - and there's no reason to believe this is true - he's given the Twins such a lofty bonus demand that they can't meet it. There's also no reason to believe the Twins wouldn't be elated if Collier fell to them. He checks nearly all of the boxes. Is there any way you pass on Collier if he's available at #8? View full article

Who? That's probably the first thing you said when you saw the name above. And that's fair. I haven't seen a mock yet that had the Twins selecting the prep infielder from Texas. But that doesn't mean it's not a name you should have on your radar. Over the next two weeks, we're going to be providing you with profiles of 10 players the Twins could take with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft on July 17. Who is He? Jett Williams is an 18-year-old prep shortstop/center fielder from Rockwall-Heath (TX) High School. While Keith Law (11), Baseball America (15), MLB (21), and ESPN (25) all have him outside the Top 10, there are some characteristics in the ball player that the Twins really, really like. At 5-8, Williams, a Mississippi State commit, is undersized and that is likely to give some teams pause. But he's fast, can hit and is almost a lock to play up the middle defensively. Why the Twins Will Draft Him The Twins value the traits that Williams possesses and though they've never used such a high pick on a player of this stature, scouting director Sean Johnson has raved about both Dustin Pedroia and Alex Bregman, from his days as a crosschecker. What isn't to like, really? Baseball America calls his hand speed "eye-opening." MLB.com says he "rarely swings and misses." He's fast. Everyone cites his "plus-speed" and while he might not be Buxton Fast, BA says it's not uncommon for normal singles to become doubles and normal doubles to become triples (or "show off doubles"). Think Luis Arraez, but right-handed and faster. Think a faster version of Brian Dozier, without the magnificent hair and 40-home run pull power. There's an exciting ceiling here. Why the Twins Won't Draft Him He's small. He's not the prototypical athletic marvel that top picks typically are. Look at Byron Buxton. Look at Carlos Correa. If you saw those guys on the street, you might mistake them for professional football players of the American variety. Williams looks more like a European football player. There are players that fit the "Twins mold" much better. Big, powerful dudes that project to hit 30 homers a year and end up in a corner. And not that it's a reason to not draft him - the Twins haven't put a huge emphasis on defense while drafting - but there are some that don't know if Williams can stick at shortstop. No one is putting a plus grade on his arm and most shortstops have, at minimum, an above average arm. The most glowing endorsement of his arm was Baseball America calling it "solid average." MLB.com did mention that his shoulder bothered him during the summer and that's why his arm is considered what it is. But no one is doubting his ability to play an up-the-middle position. Given all that you've learned now, is Williams someone you could consider with the eighth pick? View full article

We'll be taking a deeper dive into 10 prospects over the last two weeks leading up to the draft. Who are you hoping the Twins take? Who are you hoping they avoid? View full video

All this talk about catching, I'd keep my eye on Vanderbilt C/1B Dominic Keegan. He's got the qualities in a hitter the Twins like and the Twins typically believe they can develop the defensive side. He could definitely be an option at 48 or 68.