Jamie Cameron

The Twins added top catching prospect Eduardo Tait in the Jhoan Duran trade. What are his strengths and opportunities? How does he fit in the Twins system? View full video

Image courtesy of © Kyle Ross-Imagn Images Mick Abel is a 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher. Originally drafted 15th overall by the Phillies in the COVID-shortened 2020 MLB Draft. He’s a prospect with plenty of past hype and a fair amount of fatigue associated with him, having hit a high-water mark of being ranked the 35th-best prospect in the sport by Baseball America before the 2023 season. Let’s start with the ingredients, because they are exciting. Abel is tall, with a lean frame. It’s a good delivery for me, too, and he’s young for his level—even though it feels like he’s been around forever. There’s an established four-plus pitch mix for Abel, with excellent velocity through his arsenal, a good feel for spin, and close to seven feet of extension. Control, command, and neutralizing lefties in the majors have been the bugaboos, to date. Abel has looked like a different pitcher in Triple A in 2025. He’s logged 74 innings with a 2.31 ERA (3.55 FIP), managing a healthy 26.6% strikeout rate, and a less-healthy 10.5% walk rate, which is an improvement on 2024. The strike-throwing percentage is hovering between 63-64%; you’d like to see that increase a bit. The stuff is good, folks. It’s a fastball thrown 45% of the time that sits at 96 mph; a sinker 15% of the time that sits a tick lower; a power slider thrown 14% of the time that sits 87 mph; and an 82-mph curveball he throws around 22% of the time. There’s a changeup here, too, with negligible usage (around 4%). More to come on that. Abel had a hard time against lefties in his brief stint in the majors. He pitched 25 innings and gave up six home runs against left-handed hitters. Ouch. What might the Twins do with ingredients and productivity that hasn’t ever quite matched up? I think they’ll try to tweak the shapes of his breaking balls. It’s possible that they add a cutter to his mix, too, and work on his changeup, in service of helping him be more effective against left-handed hitters and enabling the arsenal to play more effectively together. Where would we slide Abel into Twins prospect lists? This is a little more challenging than with Eduardo Tait. It depends on how you weigh current level versus upside. For me, Abel fits in the cluster of talented arms in the Twins organization who are fringy top-100 prospects. If we assume a top five of Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Luke Keaschall, Kaelen Culpepper, Tait (in any order you like), Abel fits in the 6-8 range. I might have Connor Prielipp (currently on two top-100 lists), ahead by a nose. Abel probably gets the nod over Charlee Soto and Dasan Hill, given his prospect pedigree and proximity to the majors. There’s another lens through which we might assess Abel’s worth to the organization. The Twins have Pablo López and Joe Ryan (hopefully) leading the rotation as playoff-caliber starters. Bailey Ober is a wild card right now, so let’s set him aside. In Abel, David Festa, and Zebby Matthews, the Twins have a trio of top-100 caliber starting pitching prospects (who recently graduated or are about to). You only need one of the three to take a step forward toward being the caliber of pitcher who could start a playoff game for you. The other two fill up the back of the rotation, or, eventually, are high-leverage relievers if that doesn’t work out. While the Duran trade is tough for fans to process, I think there’s a good chance that in six years, the Twins come out on top in terms of value here (unless the Phillies win the World Series). A solid outcome for Abel would be a reliable, back-end starter, but there’s room here for much more. View full article

Image courtesy of © Peter Ackerman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Twins have a new global top-100 prospect. They have a new top catching prospect. On Wednesday afternoon, the Twins traded beloved closer Jhoan Duran to the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher Eduardo Tait and right-handed pitcher Mick Abel. Who is Tait? Where does he fit among Twins prospects? What are his strengths and weaknesses? Let’s dig in. Eduardo Tait (Tah-eet) is an 18-year-old, left-handed-hitting catching prospect, signed for $90,000 out of Panama in the 2023 international signing window. Tait was ranked the 50th-best prospect by Baseball America, 56th overall by MLB Pipeline, and 63rd by Just Baseball. Tait is a thick-bodied catcher who sets up in the batter’s box with an unusual, sternum-high hand set. It gives way to a sizable leg kick in his load. There’s good bat speed, quick hands and what looks like a short, semi-adjustable stroke here. There’s also serious strength and power. Tait posted some of the best exit velocities in the Florida State League, logging batted-ball speeds north of 113 mph as an 18-year-old. That’s Emmanuel Rodriguez-level age-adjusted power. What are the warts, offensively? Tait is an aggressive hitter. He’s walked just 8.3% of the time thus far in 2025. He swings aggressively (54.8%), and chases often. The Twins have shown a proclivity for leaning into offensive profiles with chase tendencies, with some success. Luke Keaschall and Kaelen Culpepper are two recent, notable examples. The rest of the offensive profile is solid. Tait has an overall contact rate approaching 80%, and despite some holes in his swing, he should get to his power plenty often, the more he plays. This should be an output with good bat-to-ball skills, above-average to plus power, and a fringe-average on-base skillset. That’s valuable in and of itself, the more so for a left-handed hitting catcher. But what of the defense? Tait has a plus arm (he nabbed over 32% of base runners in A ball). By all accounts, his receiving has improved significantly this year. You’d be safe to say that the bat is better than the glove, currently. Specifically, if Tait can move more fluidly as a backstop, he could put his physical tools to better use. He’s a good athlete, though, so there’s reason for optimism there. In 82 games across Low A and High A in 2025, he’s hitting .255/.319/.434 with 11 home runs and a 107 wRC+. He’ll be assigned to High-A Cedar Rapids. Where does Tait fit in the Twins system? Overall, I’d rank him 5th, behind Walker Jenkins, Rodriguez, Keaschall, and Culpepper. For me, that says more about my conviction on Culpepper than some kind of ding on Tait. I think there’s a plausible argument to rank him anywhere from 3rd to 6th, depending on how you value defensive positioning, upside, and proximity to the majors. Tait is a good distance from impacting the major-league team. This is a slower burn, a longer-term play than any of the four above him on my list. This is not the type of return that plays into the ‘sustainable winner’ mantra so frequently expressed by this front office. Instead, it’s the type of return that leaves you asking: ‘who’s next?' View full article

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 88 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie hop on an emergency episode to discuss the Chris Paddack trade to the Tigers. The guys dig into the reality of accruing value via prospects and shedding salary and try to place new catching prospect Enrique Jimenez in the Twins system, speculating that he might debut at Fort Myers in short order. The guys touch on Pierson Ohl being called up to make his MLB debut against the Red Sox and what his role might be down the stretch of the season, before some reckless speculation about how many and who of the rest of the roster might be shifted before Thursday’s deadline. 0:00 Intro 4:00 Twins Trade Chris Paddack 7:50 Twins Acquire Enrique Jimenez 18:42 Pierson Ohl Called Up 28:10 Do any of the big names go? You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 87 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie compare updated Twins top 20 prospect lists. They start by digging into the guys at the top, including injury-impacted seasons for Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez, and an incredible 2025 from Kaelen Culpepper (with great insights on St. Paul from Theo). The guys dig into how to position the new draftees, including Marek Houston, Riley Quick, and high upside prepster Quentin Young. Finally, in the back half of the top 20, they talk through some catching options that could eventually impact the big league roster, and who might be flying under the radar. 0:00 Intro and Housekeeping 3:11 Draft Wrap-up 5:31 Twins Draft Signings 9:59 Twins Top 20 Prospect Update 12:45 Walker Jenkins 18:15 Luke Keaschall and Emmanuel Rodriguez 28:47 Kaelen Culpepper 34:42 Connor Prielipp 37:45 Marek Houston 40:05 Charlee Soto 42:15 Dasan Hill 45:25 Riley Quick 48:39 Marco Raya 54:00 Gabriel Gonzalez 58:35 Andrew Morris 1:02:02 Kyle DeBarge 1:06:01 Brandon Winokur 1:09:58 Quentin Young 1:13:24 CJ Culpepper 1:16:24 Ricardo Olivar 1:19:45 Khadim Diaw 1:22:05 BIlly Amick 1:24:35 Jose Olivares 1:26:00 James Ellwanger 1:27:31 Danny De Andrade 1:29:05 Trade Deadline You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Walker JenkinsLuke KeaschallEmmanuel RodriguezKaelen CulpepperConnor PrielippCharlee SotoDasan HillMarek HoustonRiley QuickMarco RayaAndrew MorrisGabriel GonzalezBrandon WinokurKyle DeBargeCJ CulpepperRicardo OlivarQuentin YoungBilly AmickJames EllwangerKhadim Diaw

Walker JenkinsLuke KeaschallEmmanuel RodriguezKaelen CulpepperConnor PrielippCharlee SotoDasan HillMarek HoustonRiley QuickMarco RayaAndrew MorrisGabriel GonzalezBrandon WinokurKyle DeBargeCJ CulpepperRicardo OlivarQuentin YoungBilly AmickJames EllwangerKhadim Diaw

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Gabriel Gonzalez is a confounding baseball player. He sits squarely at the intersection of many of my own personal prospect biases. I don’t favor this type of prospect. And yet, he’s raking. Because he’s raking (and because I lost a friendly wager), it’s time to give his performance a more thorough examination. What is he? What might he become? Gonzalez was acquired in the Jorge Polanco trade in January 2024. The Twins acquired Anthony DeSclafani, Justin Topa, Darren Bowen, and Gonzalez in return for the longtime fan favorite second baseman. Gonzalez was the headliner of the return on the prospect side for the Twins. Originally signed out of Venezuela by the Mariners, Gonzalez came to the Twins with a hyper-aggressive top-100 prospect ranking from MLB Pipeline (#79) entering the 2024 season. Gonzalez missed all of May and a chunk of June 2024 due to injury, and struggled at High A as a 19-year-old, managing a .706 OPS and a 106 wRC+. What had been touted as a potentially plus hit tool didn't look like one at that point. What a difference a year makes, eh? After managing a .907 OPS in 34 games during a second stint at Cedar Rapids, Gonzalez has kicked on in Wichita. In 47 games at Double A, he’s hitting .370/.453/.522 with two home runs (22 extra base hits), a 9.7% walk rate, a measly 11.6% strikeout rate, and a healthy 173 wRC+. Let’s dig into what Gonzalez does well. I think we can see where the plus hit tool prognostication came from. Gonzalez uses the whole field beautifully. In his emerging Double-A sample, his batted-ball events find the pull side, center of the field, and opposite side 39% of the time, 23.2% of the time, and 37.8% of the time, respectively. You can’t live out the ‘take what you’re given’ hitting adage more aptly than that. Gonzalez has also turned into a line-drive machine. It’s a rate approaching 29% at Wichita, well above his 21% mark at Cedar Rapids in 2024. There are also really good bat-to-ball skills here. His current overall contact rate of 86% is well above average. This is undeniably an impressive turnaround from Gonzalez. I think it’s fair to say he’s rediscovered some of his lost shine from 2024. So, am I prepared to admit defeat and buy Gonzalez prospect stock? Not so fast. There’s a case to be made that it’s still an extremely narrow pathway for Gonzalez as an MLB regular, for two primary reasons: not enough quality supplementary tools, and questions about his power production relative to his defensive position. At a high level, from this seat, it’s a plus arm, below-average glove, and a below-average run tool for Gonzalez. He has the arm to stick in right field, but the mobility isn’t great, and the routes and defensive actions are a bit raw. That’s not to say he can’t take steps forward, but it is to say that right now, he profiles as a below-average defensive outfielder who doesn’t run well. Next, there’s the power. Gonzalez has been a doubles machine at Double A (18 in his first 47 games). He hit 18 home runs in 116 games in Seattle’s farm system in 2023. Since then, though, he's clubbed just 11 home runs in 157 games at High A and Double A. That doesn’t clear the bar for a big-league corner outfielder. His .152 ISO would rank 46th out of 60 qualified MLB outfielders. As currently constructed, it’s fringy power. One final concern that’s worth noting for Gonzalez is his swing rate. It’s come down plenty since his DSL days, but at roughly 52%, he’s still a free swinger. There’s a narrow path to tread for aggressive hitters with good bat-to-ball skills. The potential pitfall is eroding quality of contact, the higher he climbs the ladder. How do we square all this? Simply, by saying that Gonzalez has had a tremendous 2025 season. That’s undeniable. Unless some combination of the defense and power ticks up, however, I’ll have a hard time envisioning him as a high-quality MLB regular. The profile ends up feeling a lot like that of Avisaíl García. People loved to dream on García, but in roughly 4,300 career plate appearances, he had a 100 OPS+. Then, too, García debuted in the majors at a younger age than Gonzalez's right now, and he was huge, whereas Gonzalez is a sturdy but compact 5-foot-11. For me, he fits a 'tweener profile, not quite an everyday player. He'd be better as a right-handed platoon bat. For now, all he can do is to continue hitting anything and everything thrown his way, a task he’s taken to with gusto and great success in 2025. View full article

Good s*** Cody, enjoyed it.

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 86 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie do a full recap of the 2025 MLB Draft. They dig in on the primary picks for the Blue Jays, Padres, and Red Sox before spending some time on the Cubs. Is Chicago leaning into more college upside and volatility than other teams? The guys spend a good amount of time examining the Brewers draft, one of Jamie’s favorites, in which the Brewers took a typical power-hitting corner infield bat before loading up on interesting prep profiles. Finally, they review a tweaked approach from the Twins, who leaned into more volatility and upside with the college arms, digging in specifically on Riley Quick, James Ellwanger, Jason Reitz, and Matt Barr. 0:00 Intro 4:25 Housekeeping 7:50 Episode 86 coverage plan 8:30 Toronto Blue Jays 17:59 San Diego Padres 21:40 Boston Red Sox 27:53 Chicago Cubs 38:48 Milwaukee Brewers 52:11 Minnesota Twins 53:36 Marek Houston 1:00:19 Quentin Young 1:04:20 Riley Quick 1:11:00 James Ellwanger, Jason Reitz, Matt Barr 1:21:23 Closing You can support the show by downloading it from your preferred podcast platform, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review, and also share or retweet DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Yeah Reitz is a fun one. However tall you think he's going to look, you won't be prepared for what he actually looks like :)

It's really hard to get immediate scouting info on guys who aren't on boards that are 500-700 deep. I did my best.

I'd be surprised if they don't agree with Barr, Twins don't usually take signability risks (like the Brewers), but he does have a good commitment. Idk about the C thing. Everyone really seems to want them to stock up. I'll try and ask around about that.

Daniels had an incredible season, I hope they get him signed. I think R5 is pretty high for a JUCO guy, he has decent leverage with a Tennessee commit (who do exceptionally well with high octane arms) so I'm sure they know the price. RE the pitching development stuff. I think after the success of the '22 guys (Lewis, Zebby, Morris etc) we haven't seen as many of the college arms take a big step forwards in subsequent years. I think they view polishing arsenals as a hole, and figuring out what works for guys as a strength, so that'll be the meat on the bone with some of the guys who already throw hard, in addition to getting a little more juice if it's there to be had.

They did sign a UDFA free agent C yesterday (Ian Daugherty). Perhaps I'll ask around about C and see what I can find out.

Image courtesy of © Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Well, that’s a wrap, folks. The Twins' 2025 MLB Draft class is complete. I gotta say, I hate the shortened format. It’s already a cram session. Here’s a recap of what the Twins did on Day Two. To keep this consumable, I’ve kept writeups to ‘the headlines’. There’s some in-depth analysis on what I think are some interesting trends and developments at the top. Analysis Guys, the Twins are doing something different. We know some of the tendencies of the organization in the middle and late phases of the draft. Take a bunch of college right-handed pitchers. They will send them to velo camp, add 2-3 ticks to a bunch of fastballs, and as sure as the sun rises, a new regen of Zebby Matthews will appear. We know the Twins add velo well and add pitches to develop arsenals well. What if the arm talent was better to begin with? After taking Riley Quick (who has been up to 99 mph) in Compensation Round A, the Twins took James Ellwanger in the third round; he’s also been up to 99 mph. Jason Reitz has been up to 98 mph, and Matt Barr (my favorite mid-round pick) has been up to 97 mph. The Twins are leaning into higher-end starting velocity for the arms they draft. What’s the impact of this going to be? Well, that’s the fun part: we get to find out. Probably more flameouts and more volatility. Maybe some frustrating injuries. Definitely more upside. This is a gambit I like, and I hope it continues. If you can turn an 8th-round Matthews (who threw 92 mph with 70% strikes) into a back-end to mid-rotation guy, what can you do with Barr, his 97-mph high-spin heater, and a pair of breakers he can impart exceptional spin on? Here’s some headlines of their day two guys. Round 4: Jason Reitz, RHP, Oregon Impossibly tall (6-foot-11) right-handed pitcher who began as a reliever before ending his collegiate career at Oregon. Fastball sits 93-94 mph, but has been as high as 98 mph. There’s a slider, changeup and cutter in his mix. In 64 1/3 IP in 2025, he managed a 3.01 FIP with a 26.8% strikeout rate. Round 5: Matt Barr, RHP, SUNY Niagara CC Barr has a great frame at 6-foot-6, 200 pounds. It’s a high-spin fastball at 97 mph, with elite spin traits on his slider/curveball combo. It’s raw, but it’s a good delivery. Very much in line with JUCO picks the Brewers have made in recent seasons. Barr is committed to Tennessee. Round 6: Bruin Agbayani, SS, St. Louis School, HI Agbayani is the son of Benny, who spent a few seasons in the big leagues. Bruin was committed to the University of Michigan and made a strong impression at the MLB Combine. It’s a hit-over-power profile that may grow into more extra-base impact with a projectable frame. Agbayani probably won’t stick at shortstop, but could stick somewhere else on the dirt. It's funny how familiar this pick feels, after the team took Quentin Young on Day One. Round 7: Jacob McCombs, OF, UC Irvine McCombs is a 21-year-old draft-eligible sophomore. The left-handed-hitting outfielder mashed for a talented Anteaters lineup, hitting .352/.446/.635 with 13 home runs and a 162 wRC+. It’s really solid bat-to-ball skills, with a measly 11.5% strikeout rate; his approach could use some refinement. Round 8: Ryan Sprock, 3B, Elon Sprock is a stocky corner infielder out of Elon with good bat speed and above-average power. He controls the strike zone well, walking 12.2% of the time and striking out just 13.3% of the time in 2025. Sprock ripped 13 home runs and carried a solid 136 wRC+ in 2025. The bat is carrying this profile. Round 9: Justin Mitrovich, RHP, Elon I love the Mitrovich pick. It’s really solid stuff, albeit with a little bit of a crossfire-fueled, unconventional delivery. Mitrovich sits in the low 90s with his fastball, but he’s been as high as 96 mph with a solid slider/changeup combo. A 3.56 FIP with slightly too many walks is solid clay for the Twins to work with. Get him in the lab for an arsenal makeover and a few extra ticks on the fastball. Rounds 10: Shai Robinson, SS, Illinois State Robinson is a shortstop out of Illinois State who has been oft-injured in his college career. It’s a plus arm with infield versatility. There’s a good approach with more walks than strikeouts. Robinson showed some pull side power in 2025, finishing with 10 home runs. Round 11: Ryan Daniels, 2B, Connecticut A left-handed hitting infielder out of UConn, Daniels mashed in 2025. He managed a 175 wRC+, a 15.9% walk rate, a 16.3% strikeout rate, and 18 home runs. Likely a second baseman at the next level. Round 12: Kolten Smith, RHP, Georgia Smith came into 2025 with some pedigree and had a poor season, managing a 4.80 FIP, albeit with a 31.4% strikeout rate. Smith, when on, can run his fastball up to 96 mph, with a sweeper and additional offerings who throws enough strikes to continue starting. Round 13: Callan Fang, RHP, Harvard Fang is a fun arm out of Harvard. A good frame with a quick arm, Fang has been up to 95 mph with his fastball, though it struggles to generate whiffs. There’s a good changeup in the mix, too, in addition to a breaking ball that needs more velo. Fang is a good strike thrower. He’s a solid bet to come out in 2026 with a pretty different looking arsenal. Round 14: Merit Jones, RHP, Utah The Twins drafted Jones in 2024 but he returned to school. He had a poor 2025 but performed extremely well in the MLB Draft League. Rounds 15: Reed Moring, RHP, UC Santa Barbara A righty out of UCSB who had limited innings in 2025. Moring had a 3.60 FIP, striking out 28% of hitters (great) and walking 16% (less great) in just 17.2 IP. Round 16: Jonathan Stevens, RHP, Alabama Stevens hasn’t pitched for Alabama, appearing most recently on the Cape for Bourne. I got very little here guys, give us a day or two! Round 17: JP Smith, 3B, Sacramento State Smith is a 20 year old, right-handed hitting infielder out of Sac State. It’s big time juice with a lot of swing and miss issues and hit tool questions. In 2025, he took almost 12% off his strikeout rate, while also sacrificing some home run power in the process. Round 18: Matthew Dalquist, RHP, UC San Diego A multi-year starter at UCSD, Dalquist is a bit more what we are used to with some of the Twins later round arms, extreme strike throwing and control. He walked just 3.7% of hitters in 2025. There’s not enough swing and miss generated as yet, but we know what the Twins do well with pitchers. Round 19: Matthew Becker, LHP, South Carolina A 22-year-old lefty senior sign. Becker put up a 3.98 FIP in 47.1 innings in the SEC in 2025, not bad. It’s whiff generating stuff with a strikeout rate approaching 30%, but too many walks sprinkled in here too. Round 20: Michael Hilker, RHP, Arizona Hilker was limited to two starts and some relief appearances for Arizona in 2025 (22.1 IP). He managed a 1.59 FIP with a 29 % strikeout rate and a 4.3% walk rate. View full article

Thanks y'all for the engagement and the kind words about the stream. We really enjoy doing it. Will have videos, articles, podcast etc. breaking down day two and beyond in the next few days.