Minnesota Twins 2023 MLB Draft Report Card
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Revisiting the 2023 Twins MLB Draft class after the conclusion of the minor league season.
Best Pure Hitter: Outfielder Walker Jenkins (1) was one of the most accomplished hitters in the 2023 draft class, and has both an advanced approach and solid contact skills to pair with his fearsome power. He has plus hitting upside and showed excellent contact skills in his pro debut, while rarely missing within the strike zone.
Best Power Hitter: Jenkins (1) has some of the best natural ability to tap into his plus raw power, and consistently drives the ball deep to both gaps. Outfielder Brandon Winokur (3) has tremendous strength and leverage, and can put on a show in batting practice, with gaudy top-end exit velocities. How much he gets to that power in games will depend on his contact.
Fastest Runner: Jenkins (1) is an above-average runner now who moves well particularly underway, but there’s a chance he slows down as he adds more mass to his frame. Second baseman Luke Keaschall (2) is also an above-average runner.
Best Defensive Player: The Twins had a pitching heavy class, so it’s no surprise that Jenkins (1) is taking home most of the offensive categories, but he is a sound defender in the outfield who can play all three outfield positions and should at least get a chance to stick in center, where he played most of his games in his pro debut. If he has to move to right field, he has above-average defensive tools there, including a plus throwing arm.
Best Fastball: Righthander Charlee Soto (1s) has vicious running life on a fastball that was consistently in the mid 90s and has been up to 97-98 at peak velocity. There were some questions about the shape of his fastball leading up to the draft, and he might be more of a sinker pitcher than a fastball up in the zone sort of arm, but there’s plenty of potential with his heater.
Best Secondary Pitch: Soto’s (1s) slider and changeup both have above-average or plus potential, but righthander Tanner Hall (4) has perhaps the most consistently plus secondary right now with his low-80s, tumbling changeup, which tunnels nicely off his fastball.
Best Pro Debut: Righthander Xander Hamilton (14) only pitched in 7.1 innings in rookie ball and with Low-A Fort Myers, but he struck out 13 batters in that stretch and allowed just one run. He throws a fastball in the low 90s.
Best Athlete: Jenkins (1) has excellent athletic testing numbers thanks to his size, speed and power. He has easy actions in the field and in the batter’s box with some of the best pure bat speed in the class.
Most Intriguing Background: Soto (1s) earned significant praise for his stuff across the board in the 2023 prep class despite the fact that he’s only been seriously focused on pitching for a few years. He previously played shortstop and hit, and if he makes a few tweaks and smooths out his delivery, he has massive upside potential on the bump.
Closest To The Majors: Minnesota invested in a number of high school players early in the 2023 draft, so it could take some time to see this class bear fruit in the bigs, but that should not be the case with Jenkins (1), who is of the tier of prep talent that typically moves quickly.
Best Day Three Pick (Or NDFA): Hamilton’s strong debut makes him a solid candidate here, but righthander Ty Langenberg (11) provides deception with a low-90s fastball and shows flashes of a good breaking ball. If he can improve his control, he’s an intriguing day three arm to monitor.
