Jamie Cameron

I think that's a legit option, whether it's Neto, Gilbert, or whoever. There are very good prep/college arms in play at 48 and someone is bound to fall. Maybe I'll write up some options for the 48 pick if the Twins chose to go under slot at 8 if folks are interested...

A couple more names the Twins have been linked with in recent days: Drew Gilbert (OF, Tennessee and a Stillwater, MN native), and Cade Horton, RHP out of Oklahoma

Another guy who had a really aggressive leg kick coming out? Royce Lewis. Agree, it doesn't matter. I think the Twins have created a pretty 'player friendly' development environment where they work with what a player has and don't try to change too many fundamentals. Agree that Cross is probably the favorite. One big challenge in parsing the information. When industry types source info from teams, it's usually with assumptions about who will be left on the board, that gives us little to go on in terms of what the Twins think about guys like Brooks Lee, Elijah Green etc. I'm pretty confident there will be at least one curveball in the top 7 picks.

Zach Neto, a two-way college shortstop, has been heavily linked with the Twins in recent weeks. Who is he? Why might the Twins select him? Why might they stay away? Over the next week leading up to the draft, Jeremy and I will be writing more in-depth previews on ten players the Twins might take with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. Today, we look at a late riser in the draft process, Zach Neto, a college shortstop from Campbell University. Who is He? Zach Neto is a 6’0, 185-pound shortstop out of Campbell University in North Carolina. Neto will be 21 on draft day, having just completed his redshirt sophomore season. He was named Big South Conference player of the year in both 2021 and 2022. This season, he was a two-way player (an infielder and a relief pitcher) but will be drafted as an infielder in July. He’s likely to be Campbell’s first-ever 1st round pick in the MLB Draft. Why the Twins Will Draft Him Neto has an extremely strong all-round game. Throughout his college career, he put up a .751 SLG in three seasons and slugged 12 home runs in 2022. He posted a 3.43 ERA as a relief pitcher in 2022, through 21 innings. Finally, he is a strong base runner, going 28-33 in stolen bases throughout his college career. He also allayed fears of over-performing against pitching in a weaker conference by playing well in the wood-bat, Cape Cod league. Neto pumped a 93 mph fastball as a relief pitcher. While he will be drafted as an infielder, its indicative that he has the arms needed to stick at shortstop. Neto shows strong all-round tools, all grading at 55 better, except fielding (50). While he hasn’t developed a ton of power, his bat speed and barrel control are good enough to think it will develop in time. Neto is an intriguing prospect for the Twins. They have been heavily linked to him in the pre-draft process by a number of industry sources. It’s possible the Twins draft Neto, sign him to an under-slot deal, and use the additional bonus pool money on an arm at pick 48 as there are a number of intriguing options in that range. Why the Twins Won't Draft Him This is the first time since 2017 that the Twins will pick in the top ten, and hopefully, the last for a while. Neto doesn’t have one outstanding tool. It’s possible the Twins would be balking at a much better bat (hit, power, or both) by selecting him. Neto has a strange approach at the plate with a big leg-kick, a pause in his swing, and does not have elite bat speed. That approach could be something that hinders him at the plate against professional pitching. If one of the top seven consensus players in the draft (Jones, Holliday, Johnson, Green, Parada, Lee, Collier) were to make it to eight, the Twins may have a hard time passing a potentially elite upside. Neto is plenty to be excited about, however. His upside is a defensively sound, starting shortstop who hits well with 15-20 home run power potential. What are your thoughts on the Twins drafting Zach Neto? Do you think he’s a good fit for Minnesota? Share your opinions in the comments. View full article

Definitely agree that the Twins don't have good organizational depth at Catcher. However, i think the Twins are going to fall between the two you mention. Parada will be gone I think in the 4-7 range, maybe the teens for Susac.

Agree with you mostly, as usual. I started with Prielipp only as Jeremy took him as the Twins pick in the prospects live draft. I think the Twins will likely pass on him. I think he'll go early to mid teens though. If you are picking in the range, think about how appealing that upside is, with slightly less risk of not being a top ten pick. Most industry stuff still points towards a bat.

Alabama starting pitcher Connor Prielipp is a name who has been linked with the Twins in recent weeks ahead of the MLB Draft. Who is he? Why might the Twins draft him? Why might they go in another direction? Over the next week leading up to July 17th, Jeremy and I will be writing more in-depth previews of ten players the Twins might take with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. On Wednesday night, Jeremy selected for the Twins in the annual Prospects Live Mock Draft, taking Connor Prielipp, a left-handed starting pitcher from the University of Alabama, so let’s start there. Who is He? Connor Prielipp is a 6’2, 210 lb. left-handed starting pitcher out of Tomah, Wisconsin. Prielipp has been on the prospect map for a while. He was the Wisconsin player of the year in 2019 and was drafted by the Red Sox in the 39th round. He fell due to concerns about his signability with a commitment to the University of Alabama in hand. Why the Twins Will Draft Him Prielipp is the lone pitcher the Twins have been publicly connected with in the industry during the pre-draft process, most recently by MLB.com. Make no mistake, prior to his injury in 2021, he was being touted as a lock to be picked in the 5-10 range in the first round of the draft. Prielipp has a serious pedigree and a serious arsenal of pitches. In his freshman season at Alabama, he didn’t allow a run in 21 innings of work (striking out 35) before COVID-19 halted the season. Prielipp’s slider is one of the better pitches in the entire draft (it generated close to a 50% whiff rate in college), and as we know, it’s a slider league. The pitch approaches 90 mph and has a sharp, late break. His fastball sits in the low to mid-90s. After throwing a bullpen in front of evaluators in May and at the MLB Draft Combine, many have suggested Prielipp could continue to add velocity to his fastball, with fluid, repeatable mechanics. Prielipp also has a changeup that has not been significantly developed yet, but could be an average pitch. Add 55-grade control to this mix and you have a possible left-handed, front of the rotation starting pitcher. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel calls Prielipp ‘clearly the best college arm in the draft’. Why the Twins Won't Draft Him The Derek Falvey-led front office does not have a track record of drafting college arms early. Drafting prep pitcher Chase Petty in 2021 was an extreme bucking of a trend of taking high floor, corner outfield or corner infield bat first college players. What’s different in 2022, however, is that the Twins have their highest draft selection since they took Royce Lewis number one overall in 2017. There are two primary reasons the Twins might not take Prielipp. Firstly, the way the top of the draft board is stacked. The presumptive top seven players in the draft when looking at trends across evaluators are (in no particular order) Druw Jones, Jackson Holliday, Elijah Green, Temarr Johnson, Cam Collier, Brooks Lee and Kevin Parada. If any team throws a wrench in the works and an outstanding bat on that list falls to the Twins at eight, I think they would jump at the chance. Finally, Prielipp’s injury muddies his status significantly. As Keith Law points out ‘he could be a high-end starter, he could easily end up in the bullpen. He’s thrown so little in games that the range of his potential outcomes is huge’. What are your thoughts on the Twins drafting Connor Prielipp? Do you think he’s a good fit for Minnesota? Would you take a chance on a limited track record? Share your thoughts in the comments. View full article

I'm really leery of Lesko. I have a personal bias against prep righties, as they burn out so often. I'd feel a lot more comfortable with Prielipp (subject of tomorrow's first in-depth profile) than Rocker. At least with Prielipp, he's had surgery, he's thrown a few times in front of talent evaluators, and the stuff seems pretty consistent (less some command that you'd expect to take a minute to come back).

Agree with this in that I think the Twins are better at developing arms. There's at least two starters at pretty much every level (especially lower) who are really exciting. I think high high end pitching talent is thin, but there's a ton of talent between 20-40 that I think makes sense to target at 48, as you mention.

One scenario I think is a possibility: Save on Neto and sign him under slot at 8, then use that to secure a good arm at 48. There are a ton of pitchers in the 20-40 range on most big boards that are pretty exciting.

I've gotten more into the idea of taking a pitcher in the last week. Up until a few weeks ago, it didn't make a ton of sense based on big boards etc. Very fascinated to know how that first 7 picks goes.

Horton has been an amazing ascension in the last month or so. I ran out of space for the amount of intriguing arms there are in this draft, especially in the 20-40 range. I think the Twins can get a great arm at 48, if they so choose.

The Twins have the number eight pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. As draft coverage at Twins Daily ramps up, read up on four pitchers the Twins could target in the first round. Yesterday, we looked at hitters the Twins might target in the first round, today, we’ll look at pitchers. A few notes before we begin. I mostly focused these two ‘overview’ pieces on who the Twins might take a number eight overall (as opposed to focusing on later picks). Additionally, I’ll profile these players in alphabetical order, there's no preference here. I think it’s worth pointing out that the Twins are extremely likely to take a hitter. That’s not a front office ‘thing’, it’s simply how the talent stacks up at the top of the board. In baseball, you take the best player available, no matter what. There is a group of 8-12 hitters, most of whom I think will come off the board before we see pitchers start to be picked. Assumptions Unlike yesterday, there are no assumptions to make in this scenario. If the Twins go with a pitcher in the first round, I expect them all to be available when Minnesota selects at eight overall. That’s reflective of the strength of this year’s draft class. The top of the first round is flush with extremely impressive, borderline elite bats. The pitching talent at the top of the class is much more scattered. Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford HS Lesko was the number one pitcher on the board and a consensus top ten pick until Tommy John surgery ended his season. In 2021, he managed 112 strikeouts in just 60 innings. Lesko offers a mid to high-90s fastball that he locates well. The biggest weapon in his arsenal is his changeup. The pitch has been described as one of the best prep changeups ever scouted. Lesko is committed to play for Vanderbilt, which, in combination with his injury, may pose an issue for a team picking him. Additionally, he falls into the riskiest draft sub-group, prep right-handed pitchers. Despite the uncertainty, Lesko has the highest upside of any pitcher in the draft and legitimate front-of-the-rotation potential. Brock Porter, RHP, Orchard Lake St. Marys Porter is a tall, slender prep prospect out of Michigan, a state that doesn't produce a ton of first-round talent. He has a 70-grade fastball that regularly hits 97 mph but he has also cranked up to 100 mph. Additionally, he carries a 70-grade changeup that has significant tumble. Porter also throws a curveball and a slider, both of which need more work but have a chance to be above-average pitches. Porter has work to do in refining his command, but his arsenal is so impressive, it has not been an issue to date. Porter is committed to Clemson, but could be the first pitcher taken in the first round in the wake of Lesko’s injury. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama A Tomah, Wisconsin, native, Prielipp has been ranked in the 30-50 range on most big boards throughout the draft process. His inclusion here is a result of the Twins being connected to him in recent weeks. Prielipp’s progress was hindered by Tommy John surgery in 2021 but a strong showing at the MLB draft combine has vaulted him into first-round consideration. He offers a mid-90s, 60-grade fastball, and a devastating 70-grade slider that had a 50% whiff rate in college. Prielipp is seen as a little bit of a draft wild card due to a limited track record, but two pitches above a 60 grade give him elite stuff. Kumar Rocker, RHP, Independent Ball Of all the pitching prospects in the 2022 draft class, Kumar Rocker has the most pedigree. In three years at Vanderbilt, he put up a 2.89 ERA and a 33.2 K%. After being drafted 10th overall by the Mets in 2021, he never signed due to concerns around his medical records. Rocker elected to pitch in independent baseball this spring, showing stuff that is in the same realm as his peak with the Commodores. Rocker has a fastball that reaches the upper 90s, a 70 grade slider, a cutter and a decent changeup. Rocker is an unknown in the 2022 draft class as it’s unclear how his medicals will be viewed and perceived by teams. He has the stuff and the track record to be a front of the rotation starting pitcher. Honorable Mentions Mississippi State right-hander Landon Sims was in-line to be the top college arm taken in the draft before Tommy John surgery ended his season. He has an electric fastball (velocity ad movement) and a wipeout slider. Florida prep lefty Brandon Barriera is a smaller framed lefty who is expected to go at the end of the first round. Gonzaga right-hander Gabriel Hughes has a strong fastball slider mix and a ton of projectability, as he will only be 20 on draft day. Tennessee righty Blake Tidwell missed the first six weeks of the season to injury but can ramp his fastball up to 99mph, with a deceptive arm slot. Lastly, Minnesota native and Iowa Adam Mazur is ranked on big boards around where the Twins will pick for the second time. Mazur struck out 98 in 92 innings pitched this spring, increasing his fastball velocity to the 94-97 mph range to compliment a sharp 12-6 curveball and a smooth mechanical approach. If the Twins take a pitcher at number eight overall, who would you like to see them draft and why? View full article

Thanks for reading and commenting. I agree with all your major points. My one add is, someone pretty much always makes an unusual pick, Fingers crossed for that outcome.

I saw that too. I'd have a really difficult time passing on Green, His athleticism is unbelievable.

Appreciate you! Texas did not rub off on me enough I guess lol. I updated it!

I knew you would have thoughts! Agree with most of what you said. I do think it's important to differentiate Berry from a Sabato type, his hit and power tools both match (60 grade), not that case when Sabato came out. I think they're trending towards Neto also

Absolutely agree. He's been mocked in the 4-7 range a ton in the last few weeks. I think the Twins is the floor for him now, which is disappointing.

The Twins have the number eight pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. As draft coverage at Twins Daily ramps up, read up on six hitters the Twins might target in the first round. The dust has finally settled on the college baseball season. On Sunday, Ole Miss wrapped up their first-ever NCAA Baseball National Championship, keeping the championship in-state (Mississippi State won in 2021). Now, it’s MLB Draft season. Jeremy Nygaard has had you covered brilliantly throughout the spring. Over the next three weeks at Twins Daily, there will be daily coverage of names to know, player profiles, mock drafts, and more. To kick things off this week, I’ll be dropping an overview of some hitters to know and some pitchers to know heading into the first round on July 17th. A few notes before we begin. I mostly focused these two ‘overview’ pieces on who the Twins might take a number eight overall (as opposed to focusing on later picks). Additionally, I won’t go in-depth on players who the consensus believes will be gone by the time the Twins pick (I know, a dangerous game). Lastly, I’ll profile these players in alphabetical order, there's no preference here. So, essentially, who are some names the Twins might take at number eight, who are likely to still be around? Assumptions I’m going to assume the following players are off the board by the time the Twins pick at eight: Druw Jones, Jackson Holliday, Brooks Lee, Elijah Green, and Temarr Johnson (who the Twins are apparently high on). It’s also true that there are usually a few, outlandishly huge wrenches thrown into the draft works right from the jump resulting in some unexpected names being in play on draft night. Anyone on this list falling to eight would be an enormous boon for the Twins. Jacob Berry, CI, LSU Berry hasn’t moved much from a top ten spot on most big boards and in most mock drafts since the beginning of the college baseball season, a testament to his consistency. Berry played at LSU this season after transferring from Arizona. He’s a switch-hitting corner infield with 60-grade hit and power tools, although he has been more effective from the left side of the plate in his young career. There are questions about Berry’s long-term defensive home (likely to be first base). Berry has been extremely productive in two of the best conferences in the country. He should be a top twelve pick and move quickly through the minor leagues. Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola JC Collier is one of the most exciting players in this draft class and has joined an impressive class of high-school-aged hitters that includes Jones, Johnson, and Green. Collier will be just 17 on draft day (he left high school after his sophomore year), and spent this year playing for Chipola JC in Florida (former home of current Twins prospect Andrew Bechtold). Collier slugged .537 at Chipola to go with eight home runs and 12 walks. Collier shows good defense at third base with a strong arm. Collier projects to stay at third base and has a ton of projectability given his age. It’s likely he is off the board by the time the Twins pick and is trending closer to the top five picks as the draft approaches. Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech Cross, an outfielder from Virginia Tech, is one of the players most consistently linked with the Minnesota Twins from start to finish in the pre-draft process. Simply put, he does everything well. In 2022, he slugged .627 for the Hokies with 14 home runs and 11 stolen bases. Cross profiles as a power outfield bat, despite also possessing a strong hit tool. In 2022, he cut his K% from 20% to 14% and upped his BB% by close to five points. Cross projects to be an excellent defensive corner outfielder, despite playing center field for Virginia Tech. His only offensive weakness is a high propensity to swing and miss against breaking pitches, a trait he must curtail to be successful at the major league level. Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Jace’s older brother, Josh, was a first-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2019. Jung put together an impressive season at Texas Tech on the back of 60-grade hit and power tools. In 2022, Jung slugged 14 home runs but perhaps more impressively, managed a 20% BB%. Jung, like Berry, is another name that has consistently appeared in the top half of the first round since the beginning of the season. There’s a good chance he’s still on the board when the Twins pick at eight. Zach Neto, SS, Campbell Neto to the Twins is a connection that has really gained traction in the last few weeks. A late riser in the draft process, he’s scattered a little more over mock drafts and big boards than some other prospects. Neto has a unique profile compared to other hitters the Twins might draft. Neto was a two-way player at Campbell, pumping a 93 mph fastball as a relief pitcher, and playing all over the infield, primarily as a shortstop in 2022. He will be drafted as an infielder, however, with the athleticism, defensive chops, and arm to stick at short. Neto clubbed 15 home runs in 2022 and is also a plus base runner, going 28-33 in his college career. Neto is predicted to go in the teens in the first round. Speculatively, I wonder if the Twins consider taking Neto, saving some money against his slot to add to their offer for their next pick at number 48 overall. Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech I couldn’t skip Kevin Parada, even though he will likely be off the board by the time the Twins pick at eight overall, due to a personal obsession. Parada had a season for the ages in 2022, blasting 26 home runs and driving in 88 runs in just 59 games. Parada has work to do defensively to be a strong presence behind the plate, but his elite offensive toolset makes him likely to go in the top five picks. Honorable Mentions Arizona catcher Daniel Susac had a tremendous 2022 season, slugging .598 with 12 home runs, 19 doubles, and elite exit velocities to go along with an improving defensive skillset and excellent athleticism. The Twins have been increasingly linked to Pennsylvania prep shortstop Cole Young in recent weeks. The 18-year-old shortstop has an elite hit tool to go with a strong all-round game. Tennessee outfielder Jordan Beck was linked to the Twins earlier in the pre-draft process, and star center fielder Drew Gilbert (a Stillwater, MN, native) is predicted to go in the 15-25 range in the first round. Could he be a fit for the Twins? Finally, the Twins have been connected with Nevada prep outfielder Justin Crawford in recent weeks (son of former Rays’ speedster Carl Crawford). If the Twins take a hitter at number eight overall, who would you like to see them draft and why? View full article

The Twins rebounded to take game two of their doubleheader and increase their divisional lead to three games. A strong start from Josh Winder was backed up by home runs from Jorge Polanco, Jose Miranda, and Byron Buxton. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Josh Winder 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO (81 pitches, 59 strikes) Homeruns: Jorge Polanco (8), Jose Miranda (5), Byron Buxton (20) Top 3 WPA: Josh Winder .251, Jorge Polanco .222, Luis Arraez .146 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) On Tuesday evening, after a frustrating afternoon loss, the Twins concluded their double header against the Guardians. Here’s how they lined up for game two. Early in the game, shadows were creeping across the mount, making for tricky sight lines for hitters on both sides. Josh Winder, acting as the Twins 27th player for the double-header, struggled a little in the early going. In the first inning, Winder worked around a walk and a single. In the second, a leadoff double. In each case, Winder really clamped down after allowing baserunners, gaining increasing command of his fastball and slider. The Twins offense, meanwhile, began to assert control in the third inning against Konnor Pilkington. Luis Arraez tripled home Carlos Correa, who comically waited to be helped up from his slide at home plate after a long run. Jorge Polanco followed this with a 409-foot home run to left field, increasing the Twins lead to 3-0 after three innings. After the second inning, Winder began to impress. In the next four innings, the only base runners he allowed were two doubles and a hit batter. He worked through six scoreless innings, and despite only striking out one, had Cleveland’s hitters off balance. Winder, when healthy, continues to look like a legitimately high ceiling starting pitcher, with a mid-90s fastball, an excellent slider, and a BB% of just 7.4% entering today’s start. In the top of the fourth inning, back to back base running blunders cost the Twins the opportunity to increase their lead. Ryan Jeffers smoked a fly ball to right field, but was slow out of the box and was thrown out at second base on a perfect relay from the Guardians defense. Jose Miranda followed this up by being caught off third base on an attempted squeeze play, keeping the score 3-0. The Twins added a run in the fifth on a Jorge Polanco groundout that was ruled a double play on the field. The Twins successfully challenged and increased the lead to 4-0. In the top of the sixth, Miranda made up for his base running blunder by crushing a long home run to left field, increasing the lead to 5-0. The Twins turned it over to their bullpen in the seventh inning, which was in good shape after back-to-back strong starts from Twins starting pitchers. Tyler Duffey pitched a scoreless seventh inning, giving up a single and striking out a batter. Jovani Moran worked the eighth inning, taking care of the Guardians second, third, and fourth hitters in order. In the top of the ninth, the Twins added on. Byron Buxton crushed a 427 foot home run to straight away center field, his 20th of the season, a career high, on June 28th. Moran returned in the ninth inning, again retiring the side in order. The Twins moved to 5-4 in their season series against the Guardians, and restored their three game lead in the AL Central heading into game four of the series on Wednesday night. Bullpen Usage Chart FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Duffey 28 0 15 0 12 55 Cotton 0 25 0 24 0 49 Pagan 0 0 22 0 22 44 Thornburg 7 35 0 0 0 42 Moran 0 0 0 0 34 34 Jax 0 12 0 0 21 33 Theilbar 0 0 19 0 10 29 Duran 0 0 18 0 0 18 Next Up On Wednesday, the Twins will continue their series against Cleveland. Dylan Bundy goes for the Twins, against Cal Quantrill for the Guardians. First pitch is at 6:10 CT. Postgame Interviews View full article