Jamie Cameron

I agree. Just easily forgotten that Urshela was coming off back to back 3.0+ fWAR seasons prior to 2021. Agree with your placeholder take, though.

In 2019 and 2020, Gio Urshela was an offensive force for the Yankees. What does he offer the Twins at his best and his worst? What happened to his offense? Amid a maelstrom of often bizarre off-season moves, the Twins acquired Gio Urshela and much-maligned ex-wunderkind Gary Sanchez from the New York Yankees in exchange for Josh Donaldson (and his hefty contract), Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and backup backstop Ben Rortvedt. Of the incoming contingent from the Bronx, much of the initial attention has been leveled at Sanchez. The formerly prodigious, terse slugger was symbolically banished by Yankees fans long before being sent to Minnesota. There has been much less attention geared towards Urshela, himself seeking a return to prominence in pastures new. The casual throwaway line summarizing the Colombian’s place in this trade is simply ‘the Twins just downgraded at third base.’ On the most basic level, that’s true. Under the surface, however, Urshela and Donaldson aren’t worlds apart in recent seasons. In the last two seasons, Donaldson has accumulated 3.1 fWAR, Urshela 2.6. Go back a third season, and Donaldson leads 8.0 to 6.7. Urshela is a good player with a recent history of being a very good player. With this in mind, he deserves a more thorough examination of his talents than he has received thus far from Twins territory. So what does Urshela being to the table at his best and his worst? What’s left to work on in 2022? The Ceiling Originally signed by Cleveland as a free agent in 2008, Urshela spent time in the Guardians and Blue Jays organizations until he found his way to New York in 2018. That’s when Gio turned from nothing into something. In 2019, his first full season with the Yankees, Urshela accumulated 3.1 fWAR and managed a 132 wRC+. Urshela showed a particular propensity for hitting off-speed and breaking pitches, accumulating 12 runs of additional value against changeups and curveballs that season. The shortened 2020 season was more of the same, when Urshela returned an even better 133 wRC+, and would have accumulated 4.3 fWAR over a full 162 game season. The Colombian’s peripherals improved across the board, as he finished in the 86th percentile in MLB for average exit velocity and in the 98th percentile for xBA. The Floor Then 2021 happened. Urshela’s offense bottomed out last season. He took a significant tumble in every basic and advanced metric you would care to name. Most strikingly, Urshela’s xBA fell from .314 in 2020, to just .252 in 2021. Many of the advanced metrics showed Urshela was still hitting the ball hard. His exit velocities and the frequency with which he barreled the ball were in line with his numbers from 2019 and 2020, so where did the offense go? The most notable difference in Gio Urshela in 2021 was an inability to elevate the ball. Urshela’s average launch angle fluctuated from averaging 12.7 degrees during his outstanding 2019 and 2020 campaigns to just 7.5 degrees in 2021. The number of line drives he hit fell and the number of ground balls he hit increased significantly (around 8% on the season, equivalent to approximately 25-35 additional ground balls). To better understand this, I sought out some more expert advice. Matt Lisle, a hitting coach with years of MLB and college experience, offered this: ‘there are so many things that can contribute to that, the most common issue is just attack angle’. Lisle was quick to point out that he hadn’t studied Urshela’s swing directly, but let’s dig into ‘attack angle’ in more depth. Simply, attack angle is the angle of the bat’s path at impact relative to horizontal. Lisle also offered a useful graphic to demonstrate visually. While it’s no sure thing that Urshela’s attack angle is the root of his offensive struggles in 2021, it’s clear that elevating the ball is a critical next step if he is to return to his stellar offensive output from 2019 and 2020. Fielding and Financial Versatility While not an elite defender, Urshela also offers defensive versatility. In 2020 (his best season) he managed -1 OAA (outs above average) at third base, compared to the 1 OAA offered by Donaldson that season. Urshela’s defense has fluctuated in its consistency with his hitting in his seasons in the majors, but he won't be a defensive detractor. Urshela offers one more boon to the Twins, team control. Urshela is in his penultimate year of arbitration in 2022, being paid $6.5 million. His cost will increase in 2023 to around $9 million, not a huge number for a player who will likely be worth approximately 2.0 fWAR in 2022 and a similar number in 2023. While it’s likely Urshela is simply keeping the hot corner warm until the Twins deem Jose Miranda ready to takeover as everyday third-baseman, his presence provides a solid offensive and defensive floor at the position and the possibility he could rediscover the magic of 2019 and 2020. View full article

You always have great thoughts, appreciate you reading. DeLauter is interesting. Law just put out a piece saying he doesn't even view him as a first rounder so he's becoming divisive. As far as Parada, if he was there, I'd take him. Base runners is only a small portion of catcher defense and the added value of plus hit and power tools there would be huge. Excited to see how the arms continue to develop, none have cracked the top 10 in most boards yet (aside from Lesko). There are actually a few good lefties who will go in the first, along with Barriera, there's Ferris, Barco, and Schultz)

Thanks for reading, really appreciate it. Mazur is absolutely a helium prospect right now. I've been tracking him pretty closely at Iowa. The Twins lost a pick for signing Correa but got a competitive balance pick at #69 overall. If Mazur keeps up his development and performance, he'll probably be a top 50 guy but who knows. The top of the college pitching class is weak this year. I also think we're starting to see the fruits of the Twins labor in terms of pitching development. They'll be supremely confident of taking guys like Mazur, Hajjar, Povich etc. and continuing their strong development paths.

Here's the latest from the world of college baseball, including an introduction to a new name the Twins may target with the 2022 number eight overall pick, and an updated Twins' pick in a national mock draft. MLB baseball is imminent! As the Twins get ready to head north, college baseball continues to produce an incredibly entertaining, high-quality season. Here’s the latest from Jeremy Nygaard, capturing news and notes as we shuffle towards the draft in July. Here’s some news, updates, and highlights from weeks 5 and 6 of the college baseball season. Weekly Recap After a brief hiatus, the college baseball notebook is back. There’s been plenty of action in the last two weeks, including yet another team at number one. After sweeping previous number one Mississippi last weekend, the number one team in the country entering week 6 was Tennessee. The Volunteers have shown a balanced team so far this season, led by high octane pitching arms Ben Joyce (145 overall in Baseball America’s top 200), and sophomore Chase Dollander, both of whom have been dominant. After claiming the number one spot, Tennessee traveled to Nashville to play perennial powerhouse Vanderbilt and finished the weekend with a sweep. The Volunteers moved to 27-1 on the season, including a 9-0 conference record, a remarkable start to the season. Elsewhere the rest of the top ten nationally is rounded out by Virginia, Arkansas, OSU, Texas Tech, Oregon St, Mississippi, Texas, Miami, and Arizona. Maryland is the lone Big-10 representative in the top 25, currently at 24 with a 22-6 record overall. At the end of the weekend, here is where Baseball America has the top 25 teams. Moment of the Week How this for an incredible play from Georgia Tech’s Jadyn Jackson, who somehow caught this ball against Virginia (with the bases loaded). Potential #8 Pick Performances As the college season drifts on, there are more prospects entering the realm of possibilities for the Twins' first-round pick in the July draft. After spotlighting Elijah Green last week, this week, we’re introducing Daniel Susac, a catcher from the University of Arizona this week. Like Kevin Parada, Susac has rocketed up draft boards and mock drafts due to a strong start to the 2022 season. The 6’4 catcher was a freshman All-American in his first season with the Wildcats, hitting .335 with 12 home runs. Susac has a strong arm and should be able to stick behind the plate, despite being unusually tall for a catcher. Susac is hitting .412 on the 2022 season and has already clubbed six home runs, well on his way to surpassing his 2021 total and rivaling Kevin Parada for the status of top catcher available in July. Here are the latest number for draft-eligible college players the Twins may have interest in at number eight overall. Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly, 47-110 (.427), 6 HR, 35 RBI, 25 BB, 6 K Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech, 44-110 (.400), 8 HR, 35 RBI, 30 BB, 17 K Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech, 44-118 (.373), 11 HR, 40 RBI, 19 BB, 13 K Jacob Berry, CI, LSU, 40-113 (.354), 8 HR, 28 RBI, 12 BB, 12 K Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech, 31-94 (.330), 5 HR, 17 RBI, 12 BB, 10 K Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison, 31-75 (.413), 6 HR, 29 RBI, 25 BB, 20 K Daniel Susac, C, Arizona, 52-125 (.412), 6 HR, 30 RBI, 11 BB, 21 K Who are you most interested in as a potential number eight pick for the Minnesota Twins? Join the discussion in the comments. View full article

A new team at number one, a college pitcher who throws 104 mph, and a new prep prospect to add to the Twins mix at number eight. Read about the week that was in college baseball. What a week in Twins Territory! Carlos Correa is a Twin (still cannot believe it), spring training games are up and running. The 2022 season is imminent. Late last week, Jeremy Nygaard updated his comprehensive draft coverage with new resources and a brand new top eight, make sure you check it out! Here’s some news, updates, and highlights from the week that was in Week 5 of the college baseball season. Weekly Recap Another week passes, another team occupies the number one spot in the country. Mississippi ascended to the throne this week, after winning a series at Auburn. The victory game the Rebels wins in their first five series of the season behind a high octane offense that is averaging almost ten runs per game. Perennial powerhouse Oregon State climbed the rankings to number two, followed by Texas, Virginia, and Vanderbilt to round out the top five. Notre Dame slid all the way to number eleven, after being swept, at home by Louisville (who enter the top 25 this week). Miami also reentered the top 25 at 24, LSU and USC fell from the top 25 after disappointing weeks, respectively. At the end of the fifth weekend of the season, here is where Baseball America has the top 25 teams. Moment of the Week How’s this for a recovery from LSU first baseman Tre Morgan, who caught up with an errant throw to beat a Texas A&M runner looking to take an extra base. How’s this for a blast? OSU’s Nolan Mclean (currently the 58th overall prospect heading into the 2022 draft per Baseball America), obliterated this pitch 472 feet to right-center field. Lastly, I cannot get enough of Tennessee's Ben Joyce. Imagine facing this at-bat in a college game. Potential #8 Pick Performances Last week we introduced Kevin Parada and Gavin Cross. This week it’s time to introduce a prep prospect to the top 10 pick mix, IMG Academy’s Elijah Green. Green has been a consensus top ten (and usually top-five pick) since folks in the industry began releasing content and rankings for the 2022 draft. Currently ranked at number five on Baseball America’s latest pre-draft rankings, the 18-year-old, 6’3 outfielder is simply an incredible athlete. Green is still trending to being off the board by the time the Twins pick at #8 in July, but his combination of size, power, and speed make him one of the highest upside players in a draft with plenty of impact prep bats. Expect Green to be in the top 5-10 mix come July. Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly, 32-73 (.438), 3 HR, 25 RBI, 18 BB, 4 K Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech, 29-77 (.377), 4 HR, 21 RBI, 21 BB, 13 K Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech, 34-85 (.400), 8 HR, 30 RBI, 13 BB, 8 K Jacob Berry, CI, LSU, 29-83 (.382), 8 HR, 22 RBI, 7 BB, 9 K Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech, 21-68 (.309), 2 HR, 10 RBI, 8 BB, 5 K Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison 22-50 (.440), 4 HR, 22 RBI, 13 BB, 13 K Who are you most interested in as a potential number eight pick for the Minnesota Twins? Join the discussion in the comments. View full article

The Twins agreed to terms on a franchise trajectory-altering signing in the early hours of Saturday morning, signing Carlos Correa to a three-year, $103.5 million contract. Come and read up on Correa, his potential impact in Minnesota and what it means for the rest of the Twins offseason. How’s this for a Story? The best free agent this offseason just signed with the Minnesota Twins. In an absolutely stunning turn-of-events, Carlos Correa and the Minnesota Twins agreed to a three-year, $103.5 million contract early on Saturday morning. Earlier on Friday evening, Thad Levine had made comment on the unusually slowly unfolding trade market stifling moves, a reality frustrating Twins fans in their thirst for the team to add talent to the major league roster. Well, the Twins sure were working in immaculate, exquisite silence on this one. The delicious irony of trading the expensive contract of aging third baseman Josh Donaldson, only to sign the All-Star shortstop coveted by the Yankees with the newly-freed funds, is a breathtakingly brazen and exquisite move almost too delightful to put into words. The Contract and Correa’s Market It’s innumerable the amount that Twins’ fans have collectively thought, written, tweeted, and spoken the phrase ‘we’re not getting Correa’ since pre-lockout free agency began, and with good reason. No one saw this coming. So how did the Twins acquire Correa? What does it indicate about his market, and what does the deal look like? The three-year $103.5 million pact makes Correa the highest-paid infielder by average annual value in Major League Baseball. That sentence in itself is a marvel to type. The Twins' ability to land this deal is surely linked to the shorter, high-AAV (Average Annual Value) contract. One would think they would not have been able to contend with other suitors' offers over a longer number of years, but even this assumption is something we should call into question. This signing will result in Twins fans having a free agency-based reckoning with themselves, to reconsider what is and what is not on the table with future targets. Correa’s three-year deal comes with player opt-outs after year one and year two, allowing Correa to test the waters of free agency if he wishes. Should he see out the entirety of his contract, he will be with the Twins through the end of his age-29 season. There will be time to agonize over Correa’s likely pre-contract-ending opt-out later. For now, who cares? What are the Twins Getting? So what are the Twins getting in Correa? Simply put, a superstar. Correa put up the best season of his career in 2021, amassing a whopping 5.8 fWAR over 148 games played for the Houston Astros. In 2021, Correa has a career high in home runs (26) while posting a 134 wRC+, .485 SLG, and .364 wOBA. By any offensive measure you care to choose, he’s elite. Defensively, Correa posted 12 OAA (outs above average), good for sixth in the league behind only Nicky Lopez, Francisco Lindor, Nick Ahmed, Andrelton Simmons, and Brandon Crawford. Put simply, the Twins were able to secure the single free agent who could move the needle most in the 2022 season, for any team in the league. Oh and by the way, he rakes at Target Field. Correa has had a clean bill of health in recent seasons, spending one 2021 trip on the IL due to health protocols, and one more in the shortened 2020 season due to a back problem. If you go back further to 2019, Correa spent a chunk of the season on the IL with back and rib injuries, but that season has been the exception, not the norm, since he made his MLB debut in 2015. What about the Prospects? The Correa move is a seismic pivot for the Twins, who just a week ago, traded Mitch Garver to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Isiah Kiner-Falefa with the intention that he be their starting shortstop. Talk about an adjustment. It's easy to wonder what is next for the Twins shortstop prospects, particularly Royce Lewis, their number one draft pick in the 2017 draft. Lewis has undergone an uncanny streak of bad luck in recent seasons, punctuated by a lost season due to the pandemic in 2020 and another due to injury in 2021. The Correa deal both protects Lewis and highlights his bright future with the Twins. Lewis can get a season under his belt, moving through the high minors while Correa patrols shortstop for the Twins in 2022. It seems likely that Correa will opt out and test the waters of free agency after his first, or second season in Minnesota, meaning that if Lewis can get his development back on track, there’s a spot for him with the Twins at the major league level in 2023 and beyond. It’s a win-win in terms of competing in 2022 and maintaining flexibility at the position in the future. What is next for the 2022 Twins? So, er, what now? Two things are clear in the aftermath of signing Correa. First of all the Twins are clearly, undoubtedly working hard to win right now. Lastly, they still have work to do. While the signing of Correa could not have worked out more perfectly for the front office with their ‘let the off-season come to us’, approach, the same cannot be said for the rotation. The Twins currently have Sonny Gray, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, and Dylan Bundy penciled into a very underwhelming starting five just a few short weeks from the start of the regular season. There are undoubted moves coming to address this. Whether it is Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, or a pitcher we have not considered yet (scrambles to check the starters for every team in the league), Twins fans can be left with little doubt the additional help is on the way. What a great comfort and excitement that is. Whether Correa spends one season or three in Minnesota, the signing has indelibly altered the franchise. Correa is, by far, the best free agent the Twins have ever attracted. We will forever have to question the tired refrain of ‘player x isn’t coming here’ or ‘we have no shot’. The Twins just signed the number one free agent this off-season, let that sink in. Carlos Correa plays for the Minnesota Twins. View full article

Embarrassing! lol. I feel like it happens to me a lot where I forget basic facts!

That was Fangraphs, but for sure good question. Not exactly sure when Andrew pulled that, so could be some combo of IKF, Polanco, Urshela etc. depending on the time stamp

That got me too. It's an insanely narrow path, though.

It's hard to erase the mess that was the 2021 Minnesota Twins from our collective memories. It was bad. The 2022 Minnesota Twins have a chance to be great. In this piece, we lay out some pathways for the Twins to finish their roster construction ahead of a new season and the outcomes they might produce. The availability heuristic is humanities’ tendency to use information that comes to mind quickly when making decisions, inferences, or predictions. Also known as recency bias, the concept is pervasive in sports. Try, for example, convincing yourself that the Vikings could do anything except sign a defensive tackle the minute free agency opens, it’s almost impossible. Baseball is no different than other sports in this regard. Consider the Twins' win-loss record over the last decade and it's easy to see why fans take a ‘what have you done for me lately’ approach to the team. This applies in numerous ways to Minnesota. It’s easy to assume that the White Sox will run away with a poor AL Central in 2022 after the Twins collapse in 2021, and they might. Take a peek under the hood, however, and the Twins are poised to compete. Let’s dig in. Baseball Prospectus dropped its initial PECOTA standings on Tuesday. If you’re not familiar, PECOTA is Baseball Prospectus’ projection system, that is used to simulate end-of-season records for all 30 teams. As of March 15th, PECOTA has the Twins finishing second in the Central at 84-78, not so terribly far behind the 91-71 White Sox. First of all, wow. I am deep in the weeds on Twins Twitter. It’s been understandably sour this offseason. Let’s ground ourselves in the fact that this team, as currently constructed, is a .500 team. Even though a large part of this stems from the Twins getting to play a lot of games against pretty bad teams, it still feels pretty hard to accept, given the Twins have just traded their best two right-handed hitters in Josh Donaldson and Mitch Garver. Garver was a fan favorite and will be sorely missed. Donaldson was divisive and is probably undergoing mediation with Gerritt Cole in the parking lot of the Yankees spring training complex in Tampa. Jokes aside, we know the Twins still have plenty of work to do this offseason. I wrote this winter about the Twins' pursuit of a 40-WAR team in 2022, so let’s look at some possible remaining paths and what outcomes they might result in. The Twins currently sit in 16th with a cumulative fWAR of 36.3 (although this is changing by minute). Let’s examine some possible next steps for the Twins and how they might us towards that magical 40 fWAR mark. For the purposes of these pathways, I’m ignoring the bullpen for a couple of reasons; relief pitching doesn’t lend itself well to fWAR, and I ain’t got time for that. So, here goes. Pathway 1: Acquire an Elite Shortstop and an Elite Starting Pitcher Twins sign SS Trevor Story: 4.5 fWAR Twins trade for SP Frankie Montas: 3.2 fWAR This would net the Twins around 7 additional fWAR and bring them to around a 43 fWAR projection. That’s well within playoff range, but also still a distance from the White Sox mark of 47 fWAR. This is a team ready to challenge for the division and certainly compete for a wild card spot. Pathway 2: Acquire an Elite Starting Pitcher and Mediocre Shortstop Twins trade for SP Frankie Montas: 3.2 fWAR Twins trade for SS Elvis Andrus: 0.9 fWAR In this package trade, the Twins acquire Montas and Andrus together, Andrus as a salary dump for Oakland. This would bring the Twins to a 40.5 fWAR and they likely compete for a wild card spot. Pathway 3: Acquire a Mediocre Starting Pitcher and Elite Shortstop The Twins sign SP Michael Pineda: 1.8 fWAR The Twins sign SS Trevor Story: 4.5 fWAR This is where we see the value of potentially adding Story for the Twins. This path would bring the Twins to a projection of 42.6 fWAR before any additional outfield, right-handed bat, and bullpen enhancements. In short, Trevor Story is by far the highest leverage player the Twins have a realistic chance of adding. Pathway 4: Mediocre Everything The Twins sign SP Michael Pineda: 1.8 fWAR The Twins trade for SS Elvis Andrus: 0.9 fWAR I’m not suggesting the Twins would or should do this, I’m merely using it as an example as Andrus offers very little for 2022. In the ‘bare minimum’ pathway, the Twins get to 39.0 fWAR. After the tumult of trading Garver, flipping Kiner-Falefa to the Yankees, and trading away Donaldson, combined with the acquisition of Gray, this would be a brutal disappointment. Again, it’s just an example to underscore the divergence of the paths ahead for the Twins. The Twins are in a much better spot for 2022 than we are conditioned to think. How much they are willing to risk moving forwards will determine if this years’ team is likely to be average, or has a chance to be great. View full article

Appreciate you reading and commenting!

Thanks for reading! That is a really interesting comparison that I had not thought of (Jeffers). The only note I'd add on that (I think your comp is a really good one) is that Parada is against much stiffer competition than Jeffers was at UNC Wilmington, additionally, Parada was a pretty heralded prep bat before going to college. I'll be watching him with interested as his beginning of the season has been amazing! Thanks again for reading and commenting.

For the first time this season, we've added two names to our 2022 Draft #8 overall pick watch list. Come and find out who they are and read up on the week that was in college baseball. The Twins are back up and running. What a weekend! If you want to take a short break from the madness of the offseason, come and read up on the week that was in college baseball. Weekly Recap There’s a new number one team in the country. For the first time in over 20 years, Notre Dame occupies the top spot in this week's top 25. They swept a series with North Carolina State to open ACC play, while previous #1 Texas went 2-3 on the week. Mississippi, Oregon State, Texas, and Virginia round out the top five for the week. At the end of the second weekend of the young season, here is where Baseball America has the top 25 teams. Moment of the Week This week, despite a poor week overall and being knocked off their perch as the number one team in the country, the moment of the week comes from Texas’ Ivan Melendez. This insane bat-flip almost ended up on the pitchers' mound! Or, if you’re more into pitching, how about Texas State beating Texas and giving the Texas dugout the ‘horns down’. Potential #8 Pick Performances For the first time this season, I’m adding a couple of names to the Minnesota Twins watch-list for the number eight overall pick, Kevin Parada and Gavin Cross. Parada is unquestionably one of the breakout stars of the season in college baseball so far. Parada is likely to have a strong hit tool and good power (especially to the pull side). Parada has an excellent arm and is a strong athlete overall, but there are mixed reviews of his catching skill-set overall. Georgia Tech has a long history of developing outstanding catchers (Joey Bart, Matt Wieters, and Jason Varitek among them). Parada is a name to watch for the remainder of the 2022 season. Cross spent a good chunk of the summer with Simeon Woods-Richardson as part of USA Baseball’s Olympic team. A 6’3, 210 lbs. left-handed outfielder out of Virginia Tech, Cross had an excellent 2021, hitting .345 with 11 home runs for the Hokies. Cross has a strong arm, solid speed, and the potential for plus power. He fits the profile of the high-floor caliber player the Twins often target in the first round of the draft. Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly, 28-63 (.444), 3 HR, 23 RBI, 14 BB, 3 K Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech, 23-65 (.354), 3 HR, 16 RBI, 17 BB, 13 K Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech, 30-66 (.455), 8 HR, 28 RBI, 13 BB, 6 K Jacob Berry, CI, LSU, 26-68 (.382), 8 HR, 21 RBI, 5 BB, 5 K Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech, 19-53 (.358), 2 HR, 10 RBI, 6 BB, 4 K Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison 17-37 (.459), 3 HR, 18 RBI, 7 BB, 10 K Who are you most interested in as a potential number eight pick for the Minnesota Twins? Join the discussion in the comments. View full article

Thanks so much for the kind words, they are truly appreciated. Agree on the Druw Jones moment, absolutely amazing! Agree that a college bat is most likely at the moment, but a long way to go. Thanks for reading!

It was an action packed weekend full of upsets in college baseball, as Twins fans started to see more glimpses of players the organization might select at number eight in June. Here's a round up of the week in college baseball. This was a great weekend in college baseball. As usual, there were upsets, standout performances, and an increasing wave of the incredible talent that is finally getting the attention it deserves in the midst of the MLB lockout. Let’s dig into the highlights and all the action from a great weekend. Weekly Recap Friday night was full of upsets in the top 25. The number one team in the country finally lost. UCLA beat Texas in the Shriners College Classic behind an outstanding performance from their pitching staff. UCLA also managed a win over Oklahoma, 15-3, before falling narrowly to Baylor in their last game of the weekend. Texas fell to 11-1 on the season and remain the best team in the country in the early going. After the Longhorns' loss, there are five remaining undefeated teams in college baseball, the B1G 10s Purdue among them. Minnesota played at US Bank Stadium in a tournament field that included the number three team in the country, Notre Dame. The Gophers currently have a 4-9 record due to a poor first week of the season in Fort Myers. Minnesota played well over the weekend, falling narrowly to Notre Dame 3-1, and number 25 West Virginia 5-4, despite a solid effort from starting pitcher Sam Ireland. At the end of the third weekend of the young season, here is where Baseball America has the top 25 teams. Notable Performances Outstanding Mississippi State right-handed pitcher Landon Sims had to leave his start this weekend with elbow soreness. Sims ad struck out ten of eleven hitters faced through that portion of the game. There has been no official update/diagnosis on his injury. Here’s a name to watch, Ben Joyce. The Tennessee right-hander throws a sinker up to 103 mph. He has been lighting up the radar gun and garnering the attention of anyone who pays attention to college baseball in the first few weeks of the season. Moment of the Week There’s only one winner this week. Druw Jones (son of Andruw) and a strong contender for the number one overall pick in June, headed to the plate in a game on Friday to chants of ‘overrated’ from opposition fans. He proceeded to deposit a high fastball at 92 mph over the wall in straight away centerfield. Awesome. Potential #8 Pick Performances Here’s a first look at a potential pick for the Twins in June. Dylan Lesko is a right-handed pitcher out of Georgia committed to Vanderbilt. He offers a mid-90s fastball and a devastating change that ESPN’s prospect guru Kiley McDaniel compares to that of Grayson Rodriguez, one of the top pitching prospects in minor league baseball. According to Darren Wolfson, the Twins had a solid scouting presence to watch LSU’s Jacob Berry this weekend. Additionally, Cal Poly SS Brooks Lee had a nice weekend, hitting his second home run of the season and striking out for only the first time in 50 plate appearances. Here are updates from the top eight of Baseball America’s 2022 draft board. I’ll work on adding more players to this pool as the weeks go by, the prep season gets up and running, and big-boards get adjusted. Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly, 20-42 (.476), 2 HR, 16 RBI, 12 BB, 1 K Jacob Berry, CI, LSU, 17-50 (.340), 5 HR, 14 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech, 16-42 (.381), 2 HR, 11 RBI, 16 BB, 8 K Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison 17-37 (.459), 3 HR, 18 RBI, 7 BB, 10 K What was your favorite college baseball moment of the week? Which prospects or team are you most excited about watching? Join the discussion in the comments. View full article

If I wasn't being clear, it's his nickname. His actual name is Tommy White, which is much more boring haha