A lot always gets made about how little the Minnesota Twins do either in the offseason or at the trade deadline, but it should be noted that the team does make transactional noise.
Minnesota plays it cautious — and frugal — when it comes to spending money or trade assets, but usually cooks at the MLB Draft. The franchise prides itself on being able to home grow talent and therefore not have to rely on buying its way into contention.
Last season was a nice little culmination of that approach. Guys like Royce Lewis, Edouard Julien, Matt Wallner, and Ryan Jeffers joined Byron Buxton and Max Kepler as prospects the Twins developed into important pieces of the lineup. Jose Miranda re-joined the party this year while Brooks Lee made his much anticipated debut.
The Twins know how to identify talent, or so it would seem, and added to that haul on Sunday by drafting Kaelen Culpepper in the first round. It’s a perfect opportunity to look back and see how that last group of first rounders have worked out and whether or not Minnesota deserves the credit it gets.
Grading the Minnesota Twins' last 5 first round draft picks
2020 - Aaron Sabato, 1B/North Carolina
- Round 1, Pick 27
- Current Team: Wichita Wind Surge (Double-A)
Things got off to a rough start for Aaron Sabato, who was part of a strange COVID class that didn't get the same assessment as he might have in another year. Due to the pandemic restricting what teams could do, front offices were sort of flying blind with the 2020 draft class thanks to not being able to evaluate a full season, and it set back the timeline for most players selected.
Minnesota has debuted one player from this class, but it was Austin Martin and not Sabato who remains in the minors. He's working his way up, though, having been promoted to Double-A Wichita after hitting .226 in Cedar Rapids. He's still a ways off from being in the conversation for a call-up, but he's starting to trend in the right direction.
Grade: C-
Players the Twins passed on: Bobby Miller (LAD), Jordan Westburg (BAL), Austin Wells (NYY)
2021 - Chase Petty, P/Mainland Regional High School (NJ)
- Round 1, Pick 26
- Current Team: Chatranooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds Double-A)
Chase Petty's time with the Twins was short-lived, but he ended up being a valuable piece for the franchise ragardless. Taken near the end of the first round in 2021, Petty was traded to the Cincinnati Reds less than a year later in exchange for Sonny Gray.
He didn't do much for Minnesota and took a while to settle in with the Reds, but ended up posting a 1.95 ERA last season in Single-A. That earned him a promotion to Double-A in 2024, and while his 5.26 ERA isn’t ideal, Petty has a 6-2 record and 71 strikeouts in 17 games.
Meanwhile, we all know what Gray did for the Twins so it’s hard to say acquiring a Cy Young candidate for Petty was a poor use of resources.
Grade: A
Players Twins passed on: Jackson Merrill (SD)