The draft lottery did the Twins beautifully. Despite finishing close to .500 on the season, they got bumped all the way up to the fifth pick in a year where there just so happened to be a clear top five talents. All they had to do was wait around and see which of the five made it past the top four picks, and their pick was made for them. Including that first pick, Walker Jenkins, this turned out to be a high school-heavy draft for them as they signed four of them in their first six picks and added two more high schoolers at the end of the draft, though they didn't sign. The Twins also started off with three bats in their first four picks, but after that only signed one more hitter the rest of the way, so the class itself is extremely pitching-heavy. Many of the college arms in this class are slight reclamation projects that had better sophomore seasons than junior seasons, with Minnesota believing in its ability to get them back to where they were.
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Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. "2-50" would indicate that a player was drafted in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-5: OF Walker Jenkins, South Brunswick HS [NC] {video}
Slot value: $7.14 million. Signing bonus: $7.14 million.
My rank: #3. MLB Pipeline: #4. Baseball America: #4. Prospects Live: #4.
Of course the Twins could have chosen an under slot candidate like Rhett Lowder or Chase Dollander in this spot, but with four of the clear top five talents gone in the first four picks, their decision was largely made for them. And you won't hear them complaining one bit, as Walker Jenkins is a potential superstar who I felt to be the top high school player in the country. This is about as complete a hitter as you will find in the high school ranks with few holes in his profile even under a microscope. He has easy plus power already and could grow into plus-plus power as he continues to fill out his 6'3" frame, though he's already plenty strong as is with an ideal build. The ball really jumps off his bat and that power plays to all fields and against good competition with ease. Not just a slugger, he's an excellent pure hitter that takes professional at bats and looks unfazed against elite competition. His swing could get long in the past, which was never an issue given his pitch selection and hand-eye coordination, but he's tightened that up as well and projects as a plus hitter. It's a smooth, efficient left handed operation where he keeps his hands tight and whips the barrel through the zone, creating natural loft that makes the most of his prodigious strength. He could profile for 30+ home runs annually with high on-base percentages. In the field, his above average and instincts speed enable him to play a solid center field for now, with a plus arm that will make him an above average right fielder at minimum. The Twins are believers in his ability to shake off internal competitors and make center field work in the long term, which has a very good chance of happening so long as he doesn't slow down with age. Lastly, teams have raved about his makeup, which is the cherry on top of a great all-around profile. Jenkins had some nagging injury concerns earlier in his high school career but has been completely healthy in 2023, dispelling any worries there. His pro debut couldn't have gone much better, either, as he slashed .362/.417/.571 with three home runs and a 14/9 strikeout to walk ratio over 26 games between the Florida Complex League and Low A Fort Myers.
CBA-34: RHP Charlee Soto, Reborn Christian HS [FL] {video}
Slot value: $2.48 million. Signing bonus: $2.48 million.
My rank: #30. MLB Pipeline: #28. Baseball America: #32. Prospects Live: #24.
Every January, some kid in Florida puts on a show and becomes the spring's first riser. That was Charlee Soto this year, who already had first round buzz to begin with. Though he plateaued a bit as the season wore on, the impression was a loud one and the Twins are adding one of the hardest throwing high schoolers in the country. He sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and touched triple digits early in the season with arm side run. Soto shows a hard slider with sweep and late bite that looks like an above average pitch, while his changeup has really come around as of late and will give him at least a third above average pitch, if not a true plus offering. The 6'5" righty is extremely physical for his age, and lately he's begun to grow into his large frame. The delivery has become less rigid and he's toned down the effort a bit, though he still has some room to improve in that area as he can lose the strike zone pretty quickly when he tries to throw 100. Soto is extremely young for a high school senior, having turned 18 more than a month after the draft, and has plenty of time to learn who he is as a pitcher. The Twins think they have another potential front of the rotation weapon after having traded away a somewhat similar prospect in Chase Petty, though Petty was a better athlete and Soto has more raw physicality.
2-49: SS Luke Keaschall, Arizona State {video}
Slot value: $1.74 million. Signing bonus: $1.5 million ($241,500 below slot value).
My rank: #63. MLB Pipeline: #90. Baseball America: #55. Prospects Live: #88.
The Twins are getting a very interesting prospect in Luke Keaschall. He began his career at San Francisco, known for producing Adam Cimber and the Zimmer brothers (Kyle and Bradley) but not too much else lately. There he started nearly every game in his two seasons and performed both summers in the Cape Cod League (combined .280/.345/.403), earning a transfer opportunity to Arizona State. His numbers only grew against better pitching, slashing .353/.443/.725 with 18 home runs, 18 stolen bases, and a 28/22 strikeout to walk ratio over 55 games, and he pushed his way into the second round. Despite slugging over .700 this year, for me, Keaschall stands out most for his bat to ball ability. He has an extremely adjustable right handed swing that helps him get to balls all over the zone while still elevating them with authority. He's an aggressive hitter, but he rarely swings and misses even when he chases and given his ability to do damage on balls out of the zone, that's not a huge issue for me, though it does lead to a low walk rate. After hitting 12 home runs in 110 games over two years at San Francisco, he broke out for 18 in 55 games for Arizona State, though there's reason to be a bit skeptical of his ultimate power production in pro ball. With average exit velocities, most of his power plays to the pull side when he turns on it, and at 6'1", 190 pounds he's not very physical. Playing in Tempe, Arizona during a time of heightened offense in college baseball inflates the numbers a bit, and he could come back down to earth with wood bats and more neutral settings in pro ball. Still, with his innate ability to manipulate the barrel, he should be able to put out 10-15 home runs per season while hitting for a good average. The Santa Cruz native is also a versatile defender that has shown well at multiple positions, though to this point he's a master of none. He's an above average runner that can cover some ground in the outfield and has seen plenty of time at shortstop, though his overall tools are a bit light for the latter and he likely fits better at second base going forward. He's very young, having turned 21 more than a month after the draft, which could give him a little more time to fill out. So far, the Twins are moving him quickly and he has been up to the task, slashing .288/.414/.477 with three home runs, eleven stolen bases, and a 25/19 strikeout to walk ratio over 31 games between the Florida Complex League, Low A Fort Myers, and High A Cedar Rapids.
3-82: OF Brandon Winokur, Edison HS [CA] {video}
Slot value: $859,700. Signing bonus: $1.5 million ($640,100 above slot value).
My rank: #122. MLB Pipeline: #74. Baseball America: #86. Prospects Live: #197.
The Twins spent big on Brandon Winokur, giving him the same signing bonus as second rounder Luke Keaschall in order to sign him away from a UCLA commitment. Winokur is a special talent that hasn't quite put it all together yet but comes with a ton of upside. He stands out with a big, projectable 6'5" frame that's about as ideal as they come, and he's already begun to grow into it. He shows above average power at this point from a leveraged right handed swing, and that should get to plus as he fills out. Though he's disciplined at the plate and everything is trending in the right direction, the swing is still a bit raw. It can get flat at times, while his noisy load and long arms lead to swing and miss in the zone against higher quality stuff. That's nothing new for lanky young hitters, who often take more time to learn to control their barrel within the zone, but it's certainly an extra piece of development and something to note. The Southern California native is a great athlete that has turned in plus run times and shows off a cannon arm, having touched 96 as a pitcher for Edison High School. If he doesn't slow down as he fills out, this could lead to a future in center field, though becoming an above average right fielder is more likely than not. As with his offense, his defense is a bit raw and will need to be cleaned up a bit. It's a profile that needs a lot of work, but it's also the kind of profile that could explode with the right kind of pro coaching. There's five tool upside here even if it comes with considerable risk. He was productive in the Florida Complex League, slashing .288/.338/.545 with four home runs and a 23/4 strikeout to walk ratio in 17 games.
4-114: RHP Tanner Hall, Southern Miss {video}
Slot value: $586,000. Signing bonus: $510,000 ($76,000 below slot value).
My rank: #101. MLB Pipeline: #92. Baseball America: #113. Prospects Live: #124.
Tanner Hall brings more of an old school profile on the mound, giving a nice contrast to the power armed Charlee Soto. He was untouchable as a sophomore at Southern Miss (2.81 ERA, 146/14 K/BB) and after an inconsistent first half of his 2023 season, got hot down the stretch and finished with a 2.48 ERA and a 124/33 strikeout to walk ratio over 112.1 innings. One of college baseball's great workhorses whether he has his best stuff or not, Hall was one of just two Division I pitchers (along with Cal State Northridge's/West Virginia's Blaine Traxel) to throw one hundred innings in both 2022 and 2023. He gets it done with an unremarkable fastball, sitting around 90 with running and sinking action and scraping 94-95 at his peak. His slider is an above average sweeper that misses bats, while his plus changeup is easily his best pitch with the bottom falling out just before it reaches the plate. He leans heavily on that changeup, often willing to double, triple, or quadruple up on it. Hall's command took a slight step back in 2023, but it likely projects as plus down the line with his ability to locate his full arsenal to all four quadrants of the zone. His offspeed stuff helps him miss bats, but in order to create some margin for error in pro ball, he'll need to add a tick of velocity to his fastball. The 6'1" righty is not overly physical or projectable so it's not a given that he'll find it, which could lead to a future in the bullpen where he can more effectively pitch off his changeup like he did in college. Still, it's hard to argue with a guy who ran a 29.4% career strikeout rate at Southern Miss compared to just a 5.2% walk rate, two numbers that correlate strongly to pro success. He could become a #4 starter with a little bit more velocity.
5-150: RHP Dylan Questad, Waterford HS [WI] {video}
Slot value: $412,600. Signing bonus: $500,000 ($77,400 above slot value).
My rank: #200. MLB Pipeline: #194. Baseball America: #95. Prospects Live: #309.
After grabbing their first five picks out of southern North Carolina, Florida, Arizona (by way of California), Southern California, and Mississippi (by way of Louisiana), respectively, the Twins finally got out of the palm tree states to bring in a kid out of the Upper Midwest. Dylan Questad will come to the Twin Cities by way of Waterford, Wisconsin, about halfway between Milwaukee and Madison, so he'll be their first draftee this year that is no stranger to the cold. The former Arkansas recruit has a power right arm, sitting in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and touching 97 with huge riding action. His secondary stuff is more of a work in progress, with his curveball being his most established offspeed pitch and showing average at its best. He's also working in a slider and changeup that have caught up to the curveball, though none in particular stand out as putaway pitches just yet. The 6'1" righty is pretty filled out at this point with a sturdy frame, but does throw with some effort that can impact his command. While the fastball projects as a plus pitch, it can get hit because his secondary stuff doesn't play well off of it yet and because he can fall behind in the count and be forced to throw it over the plate. The Twins will work hard to develop that secondary stuff and keep hitters off his fastball, with the hope that he can become a mid-rotation starter down the line. If the command doesn't come around, he could fall back as a bullpen option that focuses on one secondary pitch and hopes to add another tick to that power heater.
9-267: RHP Jack Dougherty, Mississippi {video}
Slot value: $179,000. Signing bonus: $160,000 ($19,000 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked. Prospects Live: unranked.
Jack Dougherty has spent three years as a swingman for Ole Miss, though he did look better as a sophomore in 2022 (4.91 ERA, 61/16 K/BB in 44 IP) than he did as a junior in 2023 (6.27 ERA, 65/22 K/BB in 60.1 IP). He sits in the low 90's with his running fastball and can get into the mid 90's early in starts. The slider has added power and gives him at least an average secondary option, while he's mixing in a newer curveball and changeup now as well. While the fastball velocity isn't overwhelming, he maintains it through his starts, so the focus for the Twins will be on finding more consistency in his offspeed stuff. The 6'4" righty is plenty physical with a pretty easy delivery, and he has maintained single digit walk rates all three years in Oxford. He has a shot to crack it as a #5 starter if that secondary stuff comes along.
10-297: LHP Ross Dunn, Arizona State {video}
Slot value: $168,100. Signing bonus: $150,000 ($18,100 below slot value).
My rank: #174. MLB Pipeline: #140. Baseball America: #187. Prospects Live: #149.
Arizona State's top two transfers this past season came from opposite coasts and had opposite seasons. Luke Keaschall (San Francisco) established himself as perhaps the best all-around player on the roster and pushed his way from preseason third round projections to a second round selection, while Ross Dunn (Florida State) was extremely inconsistent and fell from second round projections to a tenth round selection. They both come together again in the Twins organization, where Minnesota thinks they can get Dunn back to what made him such an intriguing prospect. He's coming off an up and down season in which he posted a solid 4.27 ERA despite the hitter friendly conditions, adding an 84/44 strikeout to walk ratio over 65.1 innings that probably tells a better story. His fastball velocity has been inconsistent, dipping below 90 at times but frequently touching as high as 96 at others. His slider flashes plus at its best but doesn't always get there, while his changeup looks like a solid average pitch. Dunn has the kind of strong 6'3" frame you like in a pitcher, utilizing an athletic drop and drive delivery that creates some deception. He doesn't throw with a ton of effort, but the command has never materialized and he is still below average in that regard. Between the lack of command and in the inconsistent stuff, there's a lot the Twins need to line up to make a starter out of Dunn, with the more likely projection being that of a fastball/slider lefty reliever.
11-327: RHP Ty Langenberg, Iowa {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: #204. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #259. Prospects Live: #353.
Ty Langenberg, like Ross Dunn, was a lot of scouts' pick to click coming into the 2023 season but unfortunately didn't take that next step forward. He finished with a respectable 4.15 ERA and an 86/34 strikeout to walk ratio over 78 innings, fairly similar numbers to what he had in 2022. Langenberg sits in the low 90's with his fastball and touches 95 at peak with some running action. His slider flashes above average when he gets good sweeping action on it, while he splits the difference with a cutter and also shows an above average changeup. His whole arsenal is searching for its identity a little bit, with inconsistent movement patters that flash promise but rarely show consistency. The 6'2" righty is very athletic on the mound with some projection and a delivery he repeats well for above average command. Between the size, athleticism, and command, it's great clay for the Twins to try to get creative with and mold into a big league starting pitcher. Iowa is one of the more data-heavy programs, though, and if they couldn't find a way to put it all together for Langenberg after having success with Adam Mazur and Brody Brecht, I'm a little concerned. But he's still in a solid spot and this is a great find in the eleventh round. He's also somewhat of a hometown pick for Minnesota, having grown up three and a half hours south of the Twin Cities on I-35 in the northwestern Des Moines suburb of Urbandale, Iowa. He has had mixed results so far in pro ball, having allowed four runs (three earned) in 7.1 innings while striking out five and walking four between brief stops in the Florida Complex League and Low A Fort Myers.
