Twins maximize Day 2 with high-upside high schoolers, college pitchers

MINNEAPOLIS -- The first benefit of the Twins’ leap up the board due to the inaugural Draft Lottery manifested in a big way on Sunday, when their move up to No. 5 in the first round allowed them to select outfielder Walker Jenkins, who was described as a No. 1 overall caliber talent in most Drafts.

And then, the next benefit of that good fortune manifested itself as Day 2 progressed on Monday, with Rounds 3-10 of the 2023 MLB Draft.

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Day 2 is usually when the Twins aggressively attack the college ranks, but the additional $2.3 million the organization gained in bonus pool money this season allowed it to access a larger group of high-upside high school players. The Twins took advantage by taking five-tool outfielder Brandon Winokur in the third round and top Wisconsin prep arm Dylan Questad in the fifth.

“I think today, we were able to maximize some of those dollars that we usually don't have,” said Twins vice president of amateur scouting Sean Johnson. “Gave us a chance to select some more high school players than we normally do. A great opportunity.”

High school emphasis
The selections of Winokur and Questad capped a highly unusual start to the Draft for the Twins under this regime, as they selected high-upside high schoolers with four of their first six selections -- including Jenkins and Florida high school right-hander Charlee Soto on Sunday -- before they began their customary run on collegiate talent.

Armed with the fourth-largest bonus pool in the Draft, Johnson said the Twins are confident they’ll sign all four of those high school talents to the organization, including getting Winokur away from his UCLA commitment and Questad away from his Arkansas commitment.

Winokur, ranked No. 74 among MLB Pipeline’s Draft prospects, boasts tremendous athleticism in his 6-foot-5 frame, moving better than most his size with a more compact swing than many players that large, too. His athleticism has played all over the field defensively.

“He is 100 percent a great athlete,” Johnson said. “This is a guy who showed up at one of our pre-Draft workouts, and he stood out in the outfield, he stood out at shortstop, and he's a giant kid, but he moves really, really well.”

And Questad is the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year in Wisconsin, the first prep arm from the state to be selected in the first five rounds since 2006.

‘Low-hanging fruit’
If recent Drafts are any indication, it’s a good bet that one or more of the college pitchers taken late on Day 2 could blossom into a big leaguer, because the Twins have consistently improved and maximized these talents, from Bailey Ober, Josh Winder and Louie Varland in years past to the likes of David Festa and Cory Lewis, who are currently on the rise in the Minors.

The Twins’ scouting department has had great results working hand in hand with the player development staff to identify pitchers with clear mechanical, pitch selection or arsenal improvements -- or with unique stuff that they can maximize, as they did when last year they selected Lewis, who throws a knuckleball as a secondary pitch.

“It's pretty much how our playbook goes when we get to these rounds,” Johnson said. “It's to try to identify those pitchers who may have some optimization, maybe some low-hanging fruit that we can help once we get them on board.”

That group this year could include fourth-rounder Tanner Hall from Southern Miss, seventh-rounder Nolan Santos from Bethune-Cookman, eighth-rounder Jace Stoffal from Oregon, ninth-rounder Jack Dougherty from Ole Miss and 10th-rounder Ross Dunn from Arizona State.

An eye on contact
Similarly, the Twins eye hitters who can control the strike zone and make contact, often with confidence that they can teach those hitters more power as they develop them -- as they’ve recently done with the likes of Jose Miranda, Spencer Steer and Edouard Julien.

That’s the mold second-rounder Luke Keaschall fit into on Sunday -- and on Monday in the sixth round, the Twins added Penn State shortstop Jay Harry, who slashed .299/.376/.463 with 21 strikeouts and 20 walks in 50 games for the Nittany Lions as a junior.

“That's usually something that catches our scouts' eye and something that we've held up a lot, just because it gives us a good starting point,” Johnson said. “We just believe if a hitter can command and control the strike zone, you can sacrifice some of that batting average or line-drive ability to maybe get into future power.”