Twins finish 2021 draft with prep for 2022 already well underway

DENVER — The Twins finished the 2021 draft by selecting 10 more college players on Tuesday, and just in time, too: The 2022 draft is coming up fast.

"We really had to juggle watching two draft classes at the same time," due to this year's 20 rounds being held as part of All-Star festivities, about three weeks later than usual, said Sean Johnson, the Twins' scouting director.

Summer leagues and player showcases for players who will be draft-eligible next June or July have already started, so the attention of Twins' scouts has been divided between who to pick now and who to watch later. Four are already in Tampa for a showcase that starts Wednesday, and Johnson will be watching Cape Cod League games for college players this weekend.

"We've been everywhere, stretched a little thin," Johnson said. "It's been more of a challenge, put it that way."

The results don't show it, though, according to Johnson, who said of the Twins' 21-member draft class — seven right-handed pitchers, four lefties, five infielders, three catchers and two outfielders — that "I'm proud of our group."

Brandon Birdsell was the Twins' first pick of the day, a Texas Tech reliever who Johnson believes can transition to a starter. "A guy with big pitches, high velocity, good breaking ball," who lasted until the 11th round due to some injuries this spring. "He had the best pitches on the board, in our opinion, so we grabbed him right away."

From there, the strategy was to go with pitching over position players, five in the next eight picks, particularly since they have experienced such a shortage in their minor-league system this year.

Johnson said he expects all 21 draftees to sign with the Twins over the next couple of weeks. The Twins will also try to recruit a handful of undrafted players, but fewer than five, to their system.