Jamie Cameron

Walker JenkinsEmmanuel RodriguezLuke KeaschallKaelen CulpepperConnor PrielippCharlee SotoDasan HillAndrew MorrisMarco RayaKyle DeBargeBrandon WinokurBilly AmickCJ CulpepperRayne DonconKhadim DiawRicardo OlivarTanner SchobelGabriel GonzalezEduardo BeltreCole Peschl

Walker JenkinsEmmanuel RodriguezLuke KeaschallKaelen CulpepperConnor PrielippCharlee SotoDasan HillAndrew MorrisMarco RayaKyle DeBargeBrandon WinokurBilly AmickCJ CulpepperRayne DonconKhadim DiawRicardo OlivarTanner SchobelGabriel GonzalezEduardo BeltreCole Peschl

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 81 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie welcome Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo back to the show for their annual MLB Draft preview show. The guys dig into a ton of different draft topics and questions. They start by examining the case for 1:1, before talking college catching, college pitching, and unpacking a loaded prep shortstop demographic. Carlos pins down some developmental next steps for a thin crop of college bats, before picking preferences from similar players types and finishing the show with some listener questions 0:00 Intro - welcome Carlos Collazo 1:33 How many guys can go 1:1? 4:46 College catching 8:01 Prep shortstops 15:24 College arms 22:17 College bats 28:20 Injured crop of players 30:30 Who should be higher? 33:12 Either/Or 38:40 Listener Questions 45:11 Thanks Carlos 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

Best way to think about this class imo: Less impact talent at the very top (than last two seasons) Good depth (quality of player through 50-70 picks. Overall, about an average class imo.

I liked how this round worked out too, Cory. Thanks for reading. One wondering I keep having: The Twins are great at developing mid-to-late round arms into solid-to-good MLB starters, how would they do with an elite tier arm from the college ranks?

Appreciate it my friend, thanks for the kind words!

Image courtesy of © Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images This draft cycle, we’re going to try something new. Every few weeks, I’ll be posting an article here listing out who the Twins would select based on their position on the consensus draft board. As the consensus board is updated, the players in those spots will be adjusted and I’ll post another update. This is not a mock draft. Rather, I’m hoping it’ll give readers an idea of the caliber of talent in each of the team’s first few picks. Additionally, it should help readers who want to dig into draft coverage a bit more get familiar with the class. Here would be the Twins first three picks by consensus draft ranking as of 06.06.25 1st Round (16th Overall): Steele Hall, Hewitt-Trussville HS, AL Hall is one of the buzziest names in the prep class. So despite being nestled close to 50th in the first few iterations of the consensus board, expect him to climb significantly as the cycle goes on. He also reclassified from the 2025 class, so he'll be one of the youngest prospects in the class at 17 years old on draft day. He's a right-handed-hitting, prep shortstop from Alabama, committed to Tennessee. Despite an undersized frame, Hall is an explosive athlete and an elite mover. He has bounce, lateral quickness, and legit plus to double-plus speed. Add a plus arm to the mix, and he has a chance to stick at shortstop at the next level. Offensively, it's a hit over power profile, but the power is headed in the right direction, underpinned by a compact swing and improved bat speed. The power grade might get to average when it's all said and done, with all of his other tools above average to plus. Comp A (36th Overall): Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville Forbes has been one of the biggest surprises (pleasant) at the midpoint of the 2025 college season. His stuff has taken a significant leap forward, and he's one of several up-and-coming college arms in this class. It's a great frame at 6'3, 220. It's big-time arm talent, too. It's a fastball that sits 94-96 mph from a low release. It's been as high as 98 mph. Forbes has a sweeper he throws in the high 70s to low 80s. There's plenty of horizontal break on that pitch; he'll need to firm it up some when he turns pro. He throws a changeup, too, which has looked promising, although it could use a little more velocity separation from his fastball. Forbes' 2025 has been impressive. It's also noteworthy that he was previously a two-way player and, as such, hasn't focused solely on pitching for that long. The frame and stuff are there for a pitching-savvy organization. He has a chance to start at the next level. 2nd Round (54th Overall): JB Middleton, RHP, Southern Miss Middleton is an undersized right-handed pitcher out of Southern Miss who was largely used as a reliever in his first two seasons before transitioning to a full-time starter in 2025, with outstanding results. It's a fastball that will sit 93-95 mph but can be cranked up to 97 mph with solid ride at the top of the zone. Middleton also has a complimentary gyro-type slider that he throws hard in the high 80s, which generates plenty of whiffs. Finally, there's a changeup, a pitch that is exclusively deployed against lefties and is possibly a little too firm given his fastball velo. While Middleton isn't facing the stiffest competition in the country, he's posted consistently throughout 2025. It's a K% approaching 30% and a walk rate of around 6% with a 2.77 FIP in early May. His ceiling will be dictated by how much a team feels like they can tweak the arsenal and continue to add velo. Who are you excited by in this draft class? Let us know in the comments. View full article

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 80 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie start by walking through some updates on Twins prospects who have received top 100 prospect consideration this season, including newly minted top 100 shortstop Kaelen Culpepper. The guys walk through the never ending cycle of injuries to top Twins prospects, including Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Khadim Diaw. Jamie and Jeremy then walk all the college infield profiles for the forthcoming draft who are currently inside the top 50 consensus players. They talk through their performances this season and discuss possible team fits that might make sense for the Blue Jays, Brewers, and Twins. 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

Laviolette was the consensus number one prospect in this class coming in and just hasn't hit. I'm personally not a fan of prospects with his profile. It's massive power, he's a good athlete, good approach (rarely chases) but there's also real swing and miss in the zone and his swing looked really stiff this year. One basic trend I tend to pay really close attention to with draft prospects is general improvement trends. Models pay attention to age and level adjusted numbers, so you want to see a first round SEC bat improve year-over-year. Lav was 146 wRC+ last year, 119 this year. He also exceeds the type of college K% I'd be comfortable with. IF he hits as a pro, he could be a monster, I just have real doubts about whether that will be the case.

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 79 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie start by walking through some updates on Twins prospects of to a good start. They begin with an incredible listener provided update on Khadim Diaw before asking if he belongs in the Twins top 20 prospects. The guys go on to talk about Kaelen Culpepper’s excellent start and ask when he might be in line for a promotion to AA. They then recap Gabby Gonzalez’ promotion to Wichita and ask if there’s a viable path for him to contribute in the majors. Jamie and Jeremy then walk through a 36-pick mock draft using the 2025 cycle. They do their best to identify some fits based on organizational trends and some based on talent and value. Along the way they reflect on some of the difference between this class and the previous two. 0:00 Intro 3:44 Housekeeping starting Khadim Diaw 19:00 Mock Draft 20:00 Picks 1-5 26:51 Picks 6-10 34:09 Picks 11-15 41:59 Picks 16-25 55:46 Picks 26-26 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

Irish's profile has grown on me a ton bc of the athleticism, consistently improving performance in the SEC etc. I think I might go with him over Stevenson at this point. Stevenson has quite a few bat-to-ball questions. All things being equal, Twins usually like prospects to check that box.

I do think a prep player is a possibility. Someone like Kayson Cunningham, JoJo Parker, or Gavin Fien are all around the Twins range.

I like Hall a ton. He's one of the biggest risers on the prep side this season. Neyens I don't love.

Summerhill would fit in the 50-55 range for defense. Average to above average (at a premium defensive position.

I definitely think the Twins will dip into the prep side, there's lots of interesting guys. This is ONLY based on where prospect are ranked at this time. I'd expect a prep as one of their first 4 picks, similar to last year. Almost NEED to given their bonus pool situation. Thanks for reading.

Image courtesy of © Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images This draft cycle, we’re going to try something new. Every few weeks, I’ll be posting an article here listing out who the Twins would select based on their position on the consensus draft board. As the consensus board is updated, the players in those spots will be adjusted and I’ll post another update. This is not a mock draft. Rather, I’m hoping it’ll give readers an idea of the caliber of talent in each of the team’s first few picks. Additionally, it should help readers who want to dig into draft coverage a bit more get familiar with the class. Here would be the Twins first three picks by consensus draft ranking as of 05.16.25 1st Round (16th Overall): Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona In a draft class that lacks high impact college bats, Brendan Summerhill might be a sweet spot where, skill, track record, and draft spot meet. Summerhill is a left-handed hitting outfielder who was productive in 2024. He posted a .950 OPS to go with 8 home runs (32 extra base hits) in addition to 31 walks and 36 strikeouts in 58 games. He backed this up with a strong summer on the Cape (.798 OPS). Summerhill has a well-rounded offensive skillset. His EV90 (104 mph) and Max EV (110 mph) were both around 75th percentile in D1 baseball, and he's already maximizing pulled batted ball events. Summerhill backs up solid impact with strong bat-to-ball skills. A 86% contact rate and 83rd percentile in zone whiff percentage are further buoyed by excellent out of zone contact, and the fact that Summerhill doesn't chase too much (64th percentile). The remaining questions ahead of 2025 were the efficacy of Summerhill as a defensive center fielder as a pro and how much power he can get to, as there seems to be more in the tank than he produced in 2024. Injury has prevented him from answering those questions definitively. Importantly, he’s back playing down the stretch for the Wildcats. He's one of only a few college bats where hit and power might be above average in tandem. If a team can layer a little extra power onto his profile, he’ll be a complete hitter. Comp A (36th Overall): Andrew Fischer, CI, Tennessee Andrew Fischer is one of the more complete college hitting profiles in this class, having established a track record of performance and consistent improvement in both the ACC and SEC. A transfer from Ole' Miss to Tennessee, Fischer has a physical frame at 6'1, 200 and an approach that's consistently improved throughout his time in college ball. He takes his walks, and strikes out an acceptable amount. There's a ton of bat speed and juice in the profile, Fisher had a 113 mph Max EV and a EV90 north of 106 mph in 2024. Fischer has answered some questions about his hit tool so far in 2025. He's become more selective at the plate and cut into his strikeout rate significantly (14% versus 21% in 2024). He has an above average arm, but the speed and defense are lacking. Being able to show he has a chance to stick at third base in 2025 would aid his draft stock, but the emerging hit power combo should have him in the top 40 range regardless. 2nd Round (54th Overall): Marcus Phillips, RHP, Tennessee Marcus Phillips worked primarily as a reliever in his first two seasons at Tennessee before transitioning into a starting role in 2025. The fastball is tough. He can get a run and ride heater up to 100 mph, sitting at 97 mph with good extension from a lower release height. His breaking pitch is a power slider, with good horizontal break, that he throws in the 88-92 mph range, something that pro teams will covet. There's also the makings of a good changeup, with a ton of horizontal break, but he throws it incredibly hard (92 mph) and there might not be enough velo separation from the fastball there yet. Through his first 13 starts he's impressed. He's striking out more hitters (28.5%) and walking less (8.5%). The strike throwing had been a little spotty entering 2025. If he continues to shove through the rest of the SEC slate, he has an argument for some of the best pure stuff of any college arm. View full article

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Dasan Hill) That didn’t take long. Just ten months after being drafted by the Minnesota Twins with the very nice 69th overall pick, Dasan Hill was named the 85th best global prospect by Baseball America. That feels aggressive for someone who, at the time of writing, has thrown 12 professional innings. Let’s talk about it. Before we dig into strengths and opportunities from Hill’s early showing, it’s worth digging into the aggressiveness of the ranking. Here’s my working hypothesis. In general, the industry is trending towards a more frequent and more aggressive ranking of prospects. Why? Two reasons; with increasing prospect-based content, there’s pressure to be ‘first’ (or close to it) on a guy. That’s not a criticism of BA. I’m a paid, very happy subscriber. It’s simply calling out an observation. Secondly, and more relevantly; prospect numbers 70-125 are fairly interchangeable. So what about Hill, eh? How has he looked? How is he performing? What do the first glimpses of his arsenal tell us about him? There are some clues in his signing of how bullish the Twins were on Hill. They signed him for $2 million to forgo his commitment to DBU. That’s towards the upper end of prep bonuses outside the first round of the 2024 draft. Next, the frame. He’s listed at 6’5, 160 pounds. He’s definitely put on some good weight since being drafted, but it’s easy to see the vision here. A prospect whose velo popped into the mid-90s pre-draft with a premium projectable frame. The early returns have been encouraging. Hill has made four appearances, the most recent of which he was removed from after 1.1 innings with back tightness. He’s been pretty dominant so far in his age-19 season. 12 innings pitched, a 2.84 FIP, a 43.8 K%, and a 10.4 BB%. Insert your own small sample size caveat here, but that’s an encouraging start. I’ve caught most of Hill’s starts this season and there are two tangible takeaways; no one at Low-A can touch his breaking/off-speed stuff, and the strikes can come and go. I’d expect the latter to be true for a prep draftee in their first professional season. Hill has thrown 60% strikes in 2025 (dragged down by his most recent appearance). He’ll need to be closer to 70% when it’s all said and done. Hill throws from a higher three quarter slot. There’s some deception in the delivery with a little crossfire there. He keeps the ball hidden well behind his head through his delivery. Hill doesn’t have much extension, a trait the Twins seem to like in their pitchers (Ober, Pablo, Paddack etc.) Hill has two fastball shapes, a four seamer and a two seamer, the latter being what he is relying on more heavily early in his pro career. Hill’s fastballs are probably his least interesting pitch currently. It’s the one that’s potentially going to get damaged by right-handed hitters as, against righties specifically, he’s leaving it over the heart of the plate significantly more (~15%) than against lefties. Still, we should note the wins too. Hill has added velo since joining the Twins. In his spring training outings, his fastball was up to 99 mph. So far in game action, it’s touched 98 mph. That’s going to create some margin for error. Hill’s secondary pitches are where he separates himself for a pitcher so young. He has three offerings, a slider, curveball, and changeup, all of which look strong in the early going. Hill’s slider averages 81.7 mph. I’d expect that to firm up through his pro career. It has two plane movement, both sweep and drop and through those first 12 innings, is generating a whiff rate north of 60%. It looks like a nightmare for Low-A hitters. The curveball looks similar, just with around 9 inches more drop than the slider. This pitch sits at 79.2 mph on average (this will need to creep up, too). While it’s not as good a pitch as the slider, what’s been impressive is Hill’s ability to command it. He can consistently place it on the bottom right corner of the strike zone against right-handed hitters, rendering anyone unable to do much with it. Finally, Hill’s changeup. This will be a crucial pitch in helping to neutralize right-handed hitters. This might be his best pitch. It gets a ton of late fade and is averaging over 15 inches of horizontal break, thrown around 84 mph on average, close to an ideal velocity separation from his fastballs. There’s plenty to work on here and we’re taking a peak at very small sample sizes with Hill in his pro debut. What I would say stand out early on, are the quality of depth of the pitches in his arsenal, in addition to his ability to command some of his off-speed and breaking pitches effectively. That’s not a combination you often see in a prep draftee in their first pro season. Let’s hope we get to see plenty more in 2025. View full article

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 78 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie start by recapping the Brewers finalizing the Quinn Priester trade by sending John Holobetz to the Red Sox as the player to be named later. Then they dig into the impact of a two day draft in July versus the three day event it has been the last several years. The guys go on to discuss Twins prospects off to good/tough starts at each MiLB level focusing on prospects who are less famous within the Twins system. Finally, they answer questions about flipping tires, cooking omelets, and relocating the Twins to a MiLB stadium. 0:00 Intro 4:00 Preister trade finalized 7:22 Changes to the MLB Draft 10:43 Affiliate check ins 22:57 Cedar Rapids Check In 33:20 Wichita Check In 41:12 St. Paul Check In 56:58 Listener Questions 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