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Join JD Cameron and Jeremy Nygaard for Episode 4 as they discuss the Twins draft with Baseball America's draft expert, Carlos Collazo. Listen to Carlos' reflections on the Twins class, under the radar picks, and prospects who are off to a fast start in pro ball. Carlos also reflects on the current state of the 2024 draft class, answers listeners draft questions, and answers some quickfire hypotheticals on the Holliday brothers. Time-Stamped Running Order 1:49 Welcome Carlos Collazo from Baseball America 4:00 Headlines/takeaways from each draft class 4:39 Twins 6:51 Cubs 8:43 Brewers 11:07 Carlos's "Under the Radar" Favorites 16:42 Impressive pro performances 17:10 Twins 18:12 Cubs 19:02 Brewers 20:40 2024 Draft Preview 21:40 How do you familiarize yourself with the names of the next class? 24:37 Strengths and weaknesses of 2024 draft 27:35 Who's Going to Emerge? 30:54 Listener Questions: 32:30 Brandon Winokur 35:45 Soto vs Knoth 39:20 Holliday Szn 47:33 Final Thoughts You can find Destination: The Show on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, iTunes, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music. The show is available on Libsyn, our podcasting platform, in addition to Youtube.

In the second episode - we tackle three main topics: Updated Farm System Rankings - We looked at how MLB Pipeline and BA ranked organizational talent for the Twins, Brewers, and Cubs. Draft Review for the Cubs - A deeper look at the Cubs picks. We will take turn our focus to the Brewers next week. Listener Questions - We answered questions on Marco Raya, Twins organizational pitching depth, and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Time Stamps: Farm System Rankings: 4:00 Favorite prospects in Cubs/Brewers Systems: 16:50 Jamie's Favorite Cubs/Brewers: 21:44 Cubs Draft Recap: 29:25 Matt Shaw Talk: 34:11 Jaxon Wiggins: 39:08 Listener Questions: 52:45 News and Notes: 1:02:47 You can find Destination: The Show on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, iTunes, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music. (There may be some delay in getting the first episode through their approval process.). The show is available on Libsyn, our podcasting platform. You're also able to watch the video-version on YouTube. We're welcome to any feedback, so please let us know in the comments below, feedback on the show pages or through Twitter (@J_D_Cameron, @jeremynygaard, @TheodoreTollef1, @DTS_POD1). If you liked what you heard, please leave us a five star rating and a positive review wherever you get your podcasts. Special thanks to Theo Tollefson for being the show's producer, Thiéres Rabelo for our logo and the crew of John Bonnes, Brock Beauchamp and Seth Stohs for their continued support of the show.

Charlee Soto is a right-handed pitcher from Florida who made his way to the Sunshine State after spending time in Philadelphia. He was a notable name through the PDP (Player Development Pipeline) Program. He consistently sat in the upper-90’s with his fastball and touched triple-digits. Somewhat familiar with the Twins, having been coached by LaTroy Hawkins and played at the Fort Myers complex, Soto is beamed on stage in Seattle when talking about the next step of his baseball journey. I caught up with Soto after he got a good night’s rest from draft night, and by that time, he had already checked in with Minnesota all-star Pablo Lopez. Here’s what he had to say: Twins Daily: You have one of the best fastballs in this draft. With arms like Paul Skenes and Rhett Lowder, that’s pretty impressive. What about your heater has made it such a reliable pitch beyond just the velocity? Charlee Soto: Aside from just the velocity of my fastball, the shape and the movement of the pitch set it apart. It’s not a flat, high-90. It has a lot of sink to it, and it’s heavy. I try to break bats and generate weak contact. I think it plays really, really well. TD: What does the rest of your arsenal look like outside of the fastball? What do you feel most comfortable throwing? CS: I throw a four-seam fastball, a circle-changeup, and a slider which has a little spike to it. Those three pitches I feel comfortable throwing equally, and can use them in any count to get ahead or if I’m behind and need a strike. I feel comfortable with each the whole way. TD: You’ve faced high-level competition against elite talent in the PDP program. What do you feel has most prepared you for pro ball? CS: The PDP program helped me a lot, not only in facing the best competition in the country which is what pro ball is going to look like, but just the way everything was run. We were at the field four hours before the game, we were up at 6:30 am. LaTroy Hawkins was one of my coaches, and having him there with so much professional experience it helped me get to learn what the pro side was like. TS: Getting into professional baseball, where do you see the greatest area for you to grow or develop as both a pitcher and an individual? CS: As a pitcher, I want to add one or two pitches to my arsenal. I think it would be good to have a fourth or fifth pitch. I want to go out there and dominate. As an individual, I want to grow. I want to meet new people and new coaches. I want to get better every day and be a leader. TD: You alluded to the high character of fellow Twins draft pick Walker Jenkins. It’s clear that you possess a very similar trait. How do you attribute your maturity and how you carry yourself on and off the field too? CS: I think the way I was raised helped a lot. My parents were hard on me, and being the younger sibling, my siblings guided my maturation at an early age. I’ve tried to think ahead of my years, and my brother going through the college experience has helped me to be an example. TD: Obviously, you’ve dealt with cold before having been in Philadelphia, and you’ve seen the Twins facilities in Fort Myers, but what do you know about the organization, and have you been to Target Field or Minnesota? CS: I have two buddies in the organization, Jose Salas and Omari Daniel. I talked to Pablo Lopez here at the hotel. They have all told me positive things and that the Twins do a very good job developing their players as both athletes and individuals. Pablo told me how quickly he fell in love with the organization. I’m just ready for it! TD: Last one, when you’re not playing baseball, what are some hobbies or things you like to do to stay loose and disconnect from the game? CS: I like doing a lot of community service work. I’m always around the game. My travel coach has a young team, and I always go support them. I feel like that’s huge because they always tell me I inspire them to be great so it’s great going out there and seeing a smile on their face. They have a special place in my heart. I like spending time with my family as well. We’re not always going to be together, so cherishing those special moments is important too. Welcome to Twins Territory, Charlee!

"It's been a long wait to be able to acquire and draft a player like Walker (Jenkins). It was a thrilling night, and we're super excited to be able to select him," Twins Director of Scouting Sean Johnson said at the end of a long first day of the draft. The general thought heading into the MLB Draft was that there were five elite talents. At that point, there were still a lot of excellent players, but those five were clearly at the top. Rumors, or even conversations, hinting that the Twins might draft a college bat if only a high school player remained from that top five. The strategy is logical. Pick a guy a few spots above where he would likely be picked and sign him for under the slot value. Then, use the saved money to go well above the slot on a player or two in the second or third rounds. A source I trust told me that was never really considered. Of course, it's always necessary to have contingency plans and think through what could happen. Michael Cuddyer has been very active with USA Baseball since his retirement, giving back to an organization that helped his development as a young player. Cuddyer coached the North Carolina native when he was 15 years old and in years since then. Denny Hocking was the manager of Team USA a year ago and coached Jenkins as well. He tweeted, "Twins got a great one in Walker. The fan base is going to fall in love with him." Doug Mientkiewicz tweeted, "Congrats Twins! You just got an ABSOLUTE STUD! Walker Jenkins is the best kid you will ever be around!! Plays with heart and he gets it! You just got a number one pick overall in any other draft!!" The Twins area scout for North Carolina is Ty Dawson. Of Jenkins, Sean Johnson said, "He's a five-tool player. We love his swing. We think he's got a chance for real power. He's a big kid, but he moves pretty well. He can really throw, and we think that he can really defend. You can't ask for much more than that when you're looking for a high school prospect. He's just a well-rounded player and a phenomenal person off the field. We asked a lot of people, and really no one had anything negative to say about Walker, his personality, his character, and his family. Just a great group of people and an awesome kid." Johnson added, "Just to have the opportunity to select a player like that who can do it all and impact the game on both sides is rare and something our group didn't want to pass up on. Another person who is incredibly impressed after spending time with Walker Jenkins is the Twins second draft pick of the night, Charlee Soto. Both players were participating in a Team USA event. Soto said, "I met him last summer at PDP (Player Development Pipeline). Unfortunately, he got injured there and couldn't finish it. He got injured and went to the hospital, but the next day he was at the field to support us. He was always supportive. He was always a leader. He was always getting us stuff in the dugout. He was a very, very humble kid, and I can't wait to get to work with him because I know we're going to bring a lot to Minnesota." In addition to Jenkins, Soto will have another friend in the Twins organization. He knows 2022 draft pick Omari Daniel. "I talk to him every now and then. He loves the process. He's developing every single day. He's told me a lot. Having someone inside the organization helps me a lot." Several players received invitations to attend the draft in Seattle. Asked why it was important for him to be in Seattle, he noted, "Last year, I played in a high school all-star game, and I actually attended the draft in LA. So, seeing all of those guys walk up on the stage after they got drafted, it just showed me that I want to be there one day. I want to be at the draft in person. I saw all the fans that were there cheering. That's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. When I got that email invite, I instantly said 'Yes.'" Charlee Soto stands 6-5. He's already got a big fastball in the mid-90s and has even touched triple-digits. He's worked on a slider and a circle changeup as well. Hocking mentioned to me after Day 1 of the draft was complete that Soto just missed making the National Team last summer. He "didn't feel he threw enough strikes at the time." (Hocking's added comment to me on the Twins first pick, "Walker Jenkins is amazing.”) Johnson said they saw Jenkins a lot in 2022 at events such as the East Coast Pro Challenge, Team USA, etc. "Really sound delivery. He's got three nice pitches now. Obviously, the velocity's there. He's been up to the upper-90s already. He's got a fantastic slider. He's got a really good feel for a changeup, and he throws strikes. Put all those things together, and we think he's got a chance to be a major-league starter. (He's an) awesome kid. (I) Got a chance to spend some time with him at the Combine. He came to a workout we had in Ft. Myers before the Combine. So we've had a lot of different punch points with Charlee. We were super excited that he made it down to our pick, and we're really glad to select him." "I look a lot at Gerrit Cole. Just the way he pitches, the way he does things. I feel like he pitches so calmly, so (passionately). And also, being born in Philly, I looked a lot at Roy Halladay. He was a great arm as well. I was always watching him on YouTube. Anywhere I could, I watched him and learned a lot from those two guys." Born in Philadelphia, the Soto family moved to Kissimmee, Florida, when he was young. He has been to the Twins facilities in Ft. Myers. That's where some of the Team USA trials took place. He said he was impressed by the weight rooms, the facilities, and the cafeteria. He graduated recently from Reborn Christian Academy, and faith is something he says has helped him along the way, particularly in recent days. "Today, I was leaving everything in God's hands because I knew he was going to choose the best route for me, and He did. Being a part of the Twins organization, He put that for me. He was the man in control. I was stressing a little bit, but I wasn't stressing a whole lot because I knew he had big plans for me." A friend of his recently moved to Minnesota. On Saturday, he sent Soto a photo of him in a boat in the middle of the lake and asked him when he was going to join him. "I think it was a sign that I just didn't see." The Twins area scout for central Florida is Brett Dowdy. He and other Twins evaluators saw a lot of Soto over the past couple of years, but he took significant steps forward this spring. Johnson noted, "Early in the spring, our guys were buzzing about how good he was and just how much they loved his pitches, his mound presence, and his ability to manage the game. That was all really positive signals for a group. He was a guy we kind of had circled with our second pick. We didn't know if he would make it, obviously, but we were certainly hopeful going into the night." After drafting two high-ceiling high school players with their first two picks, the Twins went to the college ranks for their second-round pick. Luke Keaschall was the 49th overall pick. He spent two seasons at the University of San Francisco, hitting over .300 in both years and developing his game. He then transferred to Arizona State this past year. In 55 games, he hit .353/.443/.725 (1.168) with 25 doubles and 18 home runs. He also was 18-for-20 in stolen base attempts. Johnson on Keaschall "A wrestling background in high school. A guy who did really well at the University of San Francisco, and then we got to see him a lot more this spring at Arizona State. We were really drawn to him. He's just a dynamic athlete. I think he's got a chance to play a lot of different positions. Offensively, he controls the strike zone. I think he had 18 home runs this spring. He takes good at-bats and has a chance to play all over the diamond. We'll figure out where he fits in eventually. And a terrific kid. One of our favorites that we connected with at the Combine. We think the makeup is a separator. It's special, which is rare. Most guys are more in the middle. We really fell in love with Luke." The "Four Corners" area scout for the Twins is Chandler Wagoner. Arguably, the night's best moment came after the Twins third pick. Television cameras finally showed the Twins draft room. In it, there was a jersey with the name Radcliff on it. All of the scouts were wearing a white visor, just like the one Mike Radcliff wore to ballparks all over the country, all over the globe. It was a really nice, emotional moment and was important to many in the organization. Johnson said they were hoping it would happen earlier in the night, but they were thrilled it happened. "We wanted to have the jersey in the shot, and we all came up with the idea. It was for our scouting brethren. The scouts that knew Mike well, they always saw him in a visor. That was his look pretty much every game he went to. That was our way of paying tribute to him so that other people in the industry would understand right away. We finally got the shot. It was a beautiful moment." Johnson tried to recall his thoughts on Jenkins and the other picks. "The last time we saw him together was at the Perfect Game All-American Game in Phoenix in late August. That's when he put the highest 'follow' he could on Walker. I remember reading that report when it came in. Maybe this is Mike saying this is who he wants if he's not here when the draft gets here. He was a big Walker Jenkins fan; I'll say that. And he saw Charlee Soto as well. He was right in line with how we thought about him. He thought he was a first-day talent. I know he's smiling. We thought about him a lot after we took Walker Jenkins." The scouts headed to their hotel rooms after the draft was complete. Hopefully, they can all get some good rest. But more work will be done on Monday afternoon when the draft resumes. Starting at 1:00 central time, teams will make their Rounds 3 through 10 picks. "We'll resume in the morning before we get going. We'll just kind of stare at the board and kind of map out a plan for the next few rounds. (Day 2) is seemingly always the most hectic day because you're constantly pivoting, as your board falls apart, to different scenarios and ideas. Signabilities change overnight and into tomorrow. We collect as much information as we can on where agents are with players and how to proceed after that. We'll get going a few hours before the draft starts and try to prepare as best we can." There is reason for excitement about the Twins first day of the draft. All three players are exciting, as you would hope from Top 50 picks. Be sure to stop by Twins Daily all afternoon to find out who the next seven players will become members of the Twins organization. Discuss in the comments below what you think of the Twins choices, what you might have done differently and more.

Charlee Soto is a 17 year old pitcher out of Reborn Academy, Florida. He is ranked 36th overall on the Twins Daily Consensus Board with rankings between 28 and 55 in the boards I use at inputs. On the mound, Soto is a physical, impressive presence at 6'5, 210 pounds. Soto converted to pitching full time relatively recently, after playing as a shortstop for most of his early baseball career. On the mound, Soto's arsenal is headlined by a lively fastball, that sits between 94-96 mph but can grab 97-98 mph with regularity with good life at the top of the zone. He has a little noise in his operation on the mound, but that's hardly surprising for a player relatively new to pitching. Soto has a pair of exciting secondaries. He features a sharp biting slider that sits in the mid 80s with plenty of bite and good spin rates (2300-2500 rpm). Additionally, he has a feel for a split change with a ton of good tumble and fade. Soto has just average control currently, hardly surprising for a pitching prospect so young. He has one of the quickest arms in the entire draft class, and the Twins have shown a proclivity for adding velocity to their pitchers. Soto has the size, projectability, and emerging arsenal to be a force on the mound. The Twins will likely bring him along slowly (think Marco Raya). The clay is there to mold. The ingredients are incredibly exciting. What do you think of the Charlee Soto pick? Join the conversation in the comments below.

The term “personal cheeseball” (better represented by #personalcheeseball) originated over twenty years ago in the Baseball America offices when former writer and current Twins scout John Manuel started using it as “shorthand for a personal favorite that does not reflect the popular consensus.” And, again, as a warning, my radar isn’t reflective of any single team’s preferences or draft board. It’s pretty amazing that 10 of the 12 top active pitchers in career bWAR were first-round draft picks. Clayton Kershaw (7th overall), Justin Verlander (2nd), Zack Greinke (6th), Max Scherzer (11th), Cole Hamels (still active? Hmmm; 17th), Adam Wainwright (29th), Chris Sale (13th), Madison Bumgarner (10th), Gerrit Cole (1st) and Stephen Strasburg (1st) all went in the first round. Amazingly, all but two went in the top 13 picks. A vast majority of the elite pitchers in the game today never even had the opportunity to be drafted by most teams. There are only two others - Corey Kluber (4th round) and Jacob deGrom (9th round) - who are outliers to that trend. When teams draft a pitcher (or any player really) on the second day of the draft, they’d love to find someone who will eventually contribute at the big league level. Most don’t. And very few become stars at the major league level. But that doesn’t means teams don’t try. Today, we’ll look at five pitchers expected to go either late on Day 1 or on Day 2. Will any of them make a major league impact? That’s a question we won’t be able to answer for many years. Charlee Soto, Florida prep (committed to Central Florida): Soto has been trending up, so much so that he’s likely to be drafted on the first day, if not the first round. A long, young dude with a big arm, it’s easy to dream about Soto being at the front of a rotation in the future. Soto could be a prime candidate to “fall” to a team who just happens to have some extra money banked up and someone I'd put near the top of potential draft candidates at #34 or #49. Zander Mueth, Illinois prep (committed to Mississippi): It would be easy to say many of the same things about Mueth, who is also a big, young right-hander with electric stuff. Mueth trends a little lower as he battles control, but should hear his name called early on Day 2. At some point after that, he’d likely honor his college commitment and re-enter the 2026 draft. Sean Sullivan, Wake Forest: Sullivan will be pitching in the upcoming College World Series, so the lefty still has some time to make an impact on his draft stock. His stuff doesn’t jump out at you, but his results do as he has a K/9 of over 15 on the season. Some may consider him the best college lefty in the draft, while others don’t have him in the Top 100. For my money, he’d be a steal if he falls to the fourth round. Connor O’Halloran, Michigan: Another lefty who doesn’t have eye-popping stuff, but gets results, O’Halloran will probably come off the board during the second half of Day 2. I think there might be more in the tank, though, and with the right development, you could see a mid-rotation starter. And if not, he’s a serviceable bullpen arm. Lebarron Johnson, Texas: Johnson has the ideal pitcher build and a repertoire to support it. His mid-to-high 90s fastball works well with his low-90s slider. But there are enough other question marks to push Johnson to the second day. Some team is going to hope to develop him into a starter, knowing that even if that doesn’t pan out, the fastball/slider combo is playable. There are plenty of others that could have been listed here. This isn’t to say anyone is or isn’t going to be a good draft or baseball prospect. If you have your own local #personalcheeseball, leave it in the comments!