In their efforts to make the MLB Draft a primetime event, Major League Baseball announced that the draft will take place over two days between July 13 and July 14. The first night will highlight the selections of the first three rounds, compensatory rounds, competitive balance, and the prospect incentive rounds. The Minnesota Twins hold the No. 16 selection in the first round.
Mock drafts are becoming more prevalent with the start of the draft being just over a month away, and in the latest version from Bleacher Report, the Twins were gifted a prospect who was once billed as a potential No. 1 pick. Joel Reuter has the Twins taking slugging Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette.
LaViolette was looking like a potential No. 1 pick after his sophomore campaign, hitting over .300 with 29 home runs, but his 2025 season has seen some regression. Still, as Reuter writes, there is plenty to like about LaViolette's profile.
"Instead, his stock has slid as he hit .258 with a 25.2 percent strikeout rate, albeit with 18 home runs and a healthy .427 on-base percentage. There's a lot of boom-or-bust potential here, but if he makes enough consistent contact to utilize his power, there is 40-homer upside in his bat," Reuter explains.
Twins finally land their power bat in latest 2025 MLB mock draft
The middle of the first round is an area where teams will be taking chances on prospects with a higher upside, but also an increased potential of not panning out. LaViolette would be a worthwhile gamble for the Twins, considering that he does possess the potential to be a prolific power hitter at the Major League level. When looking at the Twins' Major League roster, the lack of power is a glaring weakness. It stands to reason that the Twins would look to provide a long-term fix to that need at some point during the draft.
Having said that, it's worth mentioning that the Twins' top two prospects are both outfielders in Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez. The Twins may not be racing to the podium to take another outfielder with their first selection in the 2025 MLB Draft.