Julien has some sneaky strength in his bat. But that bat has a chance to be real, and you can never have too many bats! He's an Arraez type player defensively, with less arm strength. He's another IFer who probably can't field super well there (all the more reason to put Martin in the OF!). He's a good base runner (Twins need more of those!), but he's not fast. I don't think I've seen even a single scouting report have him at even a 50 grade (average) for speed. I know, I know he steals bases, but that doesn't make him fast. I don't consider Julien a great OF candidate. One suggests him not getting serious consideration until spring training 2024 after all of 2023 at AAA. That's a reason to start him in AAA for sure, but not a reason to have him down there all year which is how some of the previous comments read. He's buried and hasn't played a game at AAA. Larnach, Kirilloff, Celestino and Gordon ahead of him in LF. Polanco, Arraez and Gordon are ahead of him at 2B. We can’t afford Sano and Kepler type plateauings.īecause he's not at the top of the depth chart at 2B or LF. The key is to get these young players the coaching, training, and innings to keep (and continuously) developing their potential. Add Correa and get 100 games out of Buxton in CF and this looks like a strong lineup with enough cash to build a pitching staff to maintain a true open window for at least a couple of years. This group has a strong mix of pop, speed, OBP, and interchangeability/positional flexibility (for example, Gordon and Martin could be highly productive “super utilities”). Hopefully Kiriloff, Larnach and Wallner are part of the gang too. This should be our next, new young “core” (replacing Sano, Kepler and Polanco) arriving at different times but all together as a unit probably in ‘24. You could throw in Jeffers as well behind the dish. The Twins have seven solid young infielder prospects/major leaguers: Arraez, Miranda, Gordon, Lewis, Lee, Julien, and Martin. You could add Martin to that list but I think he will end up in the outfield.Īgree. Long term, with Lewis (hopefully he makes a complete recovery), Lee, and Julien, the infield looks like a real strength. If Martin continues to crush the ball as he is in the AFL, the Twins will have some tough decisions next year, either in the spring or midseason. He had another great game in the AFL yesterday, with two doubles and a walk and now is hitting. How do you view Julien at this point in his professional career? Can he be the Twins' second baseman of the future? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. He has inserted himself into the team's long-term plans and will be an exciting prospect to watch in the years ahead. If he continues on his current path, there is a chance he will make his big-league debut in 2023. The Twins have developed Julien from a late-round pick into one of the team's top-15 prospects. He likely won't be an above-average defender at any defensive position, but he can continue to improve at second base. Over 70% of his defensive innings have come at second base because his arm typically rates below average. All his defensive innings have come at second base in the AFL, and that's another area for him to improve as he gets closer to the big-league level.ĭuring his professional career, the Twins have used Julien at multiple defensive positions, including first base, second base, third base, and left field. Offensively, he has gone 7-for-23 with six runs scored, a double, and a stolen base. He drew ten walks in his first seven games compared to eight strikeouts. Julien is an on-base machine, and that trend has continued in limited AFL action. Luckily, he remedied some of those issues in 2022. He was roughly the same age as the competition at his level, so there was some concern with his lack of consistent contact and high strikeout totals. His 110 walks led all of the minor leagues, but he struck out in nearly 30% of his plate appearances. He split time between Low-A and High-A while hitting. Julien's pro debut had to wait until 2021 because of the shutdown, but he quickly made his mark on the Twins system. Minnesota took Edouard Julien with the 539th overall pick and went way over slot to sign him for $493,000. 841 OPS with 14 doubles and ten home runs in 65 games. During his final amateur season, he posted an. He was a draft-eligible sophomore because MLB ruled his secondary school year in Canada counted as a college season. Not many teams hit on an 18th-round draft pick, but the Twins may have found a sleeper in the 2019 MLB Draft. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge
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