Twins get value picks in top 2 rounds of MLB draft with SS Brooks Lee, P Connor Prielipp
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins seemingly got a steal with their first pick in Sunday night's MLB draft.
At eighth overall, the Twins took shortstop Brooks Lee out of Cal Poly. The 21-year-old was seen by many as one of the top prospects in the draft. MLB.com ranked him fifth and called him the best college hitter in the 2022 class.
"He almost never strikes out and has made consistent hard contact everywhere he's been," the MLB.com scouting report reads. "He can drive the ball from both sides of the plate and as he's gotten more physical, it's easy to project him having better-than-average power in the future."
CBS Sports had Lee ranked as the second best overall player in the draft, and said the Twins got "one of the better value picks in the draft."
"We have a simple rule of thumb. If you get the No. 2 ranked player at pick No. 8, then you get an A," R.J. Anderson wrote.
With Royce Lewis in the pipeline, it's possible Lee switches positions in the future, with MLB.com predicting he ends up at third base.
The Twin made two more picks Sunday night, taking Alabama pitcher Connor Prielipp at No. 48 and Virginia Tech's Tanner Schobel at 68.
The left-handed Prielipp had Tommy John surgery last May, and was seen by some as a top prospect before that. MLB.com had him ranked as the 25th-best player in the draft.
"He pitches with confidence and while he doesn't have the smoothest delivery, he's athletic and locates his pitches where he wants," the MLB.com scouting report reads. "Assuming a return to full health, he has all the ingredients to become a frontline starter."
While Schobel is listed as a shortstop, MLB.com's scouting report notes he's likely to settle in as a second baseman.
"While Schobel is more a 'sum of his parts' type of player, he does use his largely average tools very well," the scouting report reads. "An average runner, Schobel could end up being a very skilled super-utility type if a regular role doesn't happen."
With the first half of the season behind them, the Twins sit at 50-44, two games ahead of the second place Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central.
