Twins Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Pablo Lopez, Royce Lewis, Jhoan Duran, Carlos Correa, Joe Ryan and More
Discussing the top fantasy players from the Minnesota Twins as the 2024 season approaches.
The fantasy baseball season is closing in quickly. FantasySP has published a number of articles about the top players at every position, and while those kinds of stories will continue until the regular season starts up, we wanted to make sure we covered as many fantasy players as possible, so it’s time to look at options on a team–by-team basis.
We’ve covered several teams already, and those articles can be found at the links below:
American League - Texas Rangers (hitters and pitchers), Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros (hitters and pitchers)
National League - Los Angeles Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves (hitters and pitchers), Pittsburgh Pirates
Now, we’ll take a look at the Minnesota Twins.
Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!
Top Fantasy Pitchers
We’ll kick things off by talking about the Twins’ pitchers, because the first three players off draft boards, according to the FantasySP Average Draft Position list, are pitchers.
Starter Pablo Lopez is the first Minnesota player selected, ranking 26th with an ADP mark of 28.84.
The Twins’ top starter excelled in his first season with the team, making 32 starts and posting a 3.66 earned run average across 194 innings pitched. He struck out 234 batters and finished with an 11-8 record.
Lopez has been great the past two seasons, with the 2023 season being the best in his career. He’s almost 28 years old, so he’s probably at least got a couple more similar seasons in his arm.
He’s going late in the third round according to the draft data we have, which is early, but still seems like great value for what he did last year and the year before that. He’s a solid No. 1 starting option, but I’d personally prefer him as my No. 2 guy.
Joe Ryan is next up, ranking 63rd with an ADP mark of 70.13.
Ryan made 29 starts and won 11 games last season, but his ERA nearly rose a full point from the previous season. His ERA was 4.51, which explains the 10 losses he had. Ryan struck out 197 batters over 161 2/3 innings.
I’m a little surprised to see Ryan’s ADP after looking at his numbers from last year. There’s reason to believe he could bounce back, but I’d prefer to take that chance a couple rounds after his current ADP. If you can’t do that, I’d try to avoid taking a gamble on Ryan given that this is still a premium pick.
Close Jhoan Duran is next off draft boards, ranking 89th with a mark of 94.74.
Duran has been a monster since getting the call to the big leagues in 2022, posting a 2.15 ERA over 130 innings. Last season, Duran went 3-6 with 27 saves and a 2.45 ERA, while striking out 84 batters over 62 1/3 innings.
There’s no reason to believe he won’t be the closer for the Twins all season (and for the foreseeable future). He’s the seventh closer off draft boards so far, and there’s an argument to be made that he could finish as the top fantasy closer in 2024. If you don’t want to spend an earlier pick on a closer, Duran is a player you could target several rounds later who could possibly put up similar numbers.
Bailey Ober is the next Minnesota pitcher on the list, ranking 132nd with a mark of 133.34.
Ober should be the team’s No. 3 starter after making 26 starts for the team last season. He went 8-6 with a 3.43 ERA, striking out 146 batters over 144 1/3 innings.
Those are really good numbers, especially if you can get him near his current ADP. Even if he regresses a touch, I’d still feel like you’re getting solid value out of Ober at this stage of drafts. Having him as a fifth starter or later really gives your rotation a good chance of powering you in 2024.
Louie Varland is the last Minnesota pitcher on the ADP list, ranking 272nd with a mark of 218.
Varland finished 4-3 a season ago across 17 appearances and 10 starts. He had a 4.63 ERA and 71 strikeouts over 68 innings.
At this point, Varland looks to be competing for a spot at the end of the rotation, but might be on the outside looking in right now. Even if he makes the rotation, the fact that he’s not already locked up a rotation spot probably means you shouldn't be spending a draft pick on him, even late in drafts. I view him as a streaming option to start the season.
Chris Paddack and Anthony DeSclafani are most often projected as the team’s final two starters.
DeSclafani pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 2023, making 19 appearances (18 starts). He went 4-8 with a 4.88 ERA, striking out 79 batters over 99 2/3 innings. Paddack made just two appearances for Minnesota last year. He’s got a career 4.21 ERA over five years, which includes 335 1/3 innings pitched.
Paddack and DeSclafani should join Varland as streaming options to start the season.
Top Fantasy Hitters
Royce Lewis is the first Minnesota hitter off draft boards, ranking 95th with a mark of 99.39.
Lewis has looked great across his 70 total MLB games over the past two seasons. He’s a career .307 hitters, with an on-base percentage of .364. He’s homered 17 times among 28 total extra-base hits and 79 total hits. Lewis has scored 41 runs, driven in 57 and stolen six bases.
The big thing for Lewis is going to be games played, as his 162-game averages are elite. He’s definitely a risk near his ADP, but his upside is off the charts. If you decide to take Lewis, make sure you have a strong backup plan for third base if he misses extended time again.
Carlos Correa is next up, ranking 178th with a mark of 158.97.
Correa’s production fell off big time in 2023. His average dropped 61 points and his OBP fell 54 points, but he still was able to match most of his other numbers from his first season in Minnesota. Correa had a .230 average, .312 on-base percentage, 118 total hits, 49 extra-base hits (18 homers), 65RBIs and 60 runs scored.
If he’s able to get back closer to his career averages, he’ll be a draft steal. I like him as a backup shortstop option or infield/utility starter. There’s risk involved, but again, there’s also some big upside.
Max Kepler and Carlos Santana are both going within a couple picks of each other. Kepler ranks 230th with a mark of 190.38, while Santana ranks 233rd with a mark of 194.71.
Kepler is another player who struggled to get full seasons in. He played 130 games in 2023, finishing with a .260 average, .332 on-base percentage, 114 total hits, 66 RBIs and 72 runs scored. He homered 24 times among his 48 extra-base hits.
That’s pretty good production for a full season, so if he’s able to get closer to 162 games played, you’re talking about another draft steal with Kepler. He’s a good final starting outfielder or top backup that you can start at an additional outfield or utility spot when he’s hot at the plate.
Santana played 146 games between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers in 2023. He had a .240 average and .318 on-base percentage. Santana tallied 132 total hits, 57 of which went for extra bases (including 23 homers). He drove in 86 runs and scored 78 times.
The first baseman is a good backup option at the position, and could start at an additional infield/utility spot. Like in Kepler’s situation, there’s not a ton of risk drafting Santana near his ADP.
Byron Buxton is the last Minnesota hitter on the ADP list, ranking 311th with a mark of 261.
If you think of fantasy stars that have their production destroyed by injuries, Buxton is probably at the top of the list. He hasn’t played over 100 games in eight of his nine years in the big leagues.
Buxton played 85 games a season ago, finishing with a .207 average, .294 on-base percentage, 63 total hits, 42 RBIs, nine steals and 49 runs. He homered 17 times among his 35 total extra-base hits.
Buxton is one of the riskiest fantasy players to draft, but this late in drafts, it doesn’t matter nearly as much as a pick in the first 15 or so rounds. If he ends up playing over 100 games, I’d call it a win. I’d personally look elsewhere with one of my final picks though.
Ryan Jeffers is the team’s projected primary catcher, with Christian Vazquez backing him up. The team’s other three starters are in projected platoons, with Edouard Julien, Matt Wallner and Alex Kirilloff on the strong side of the platoons.
Keep an eye on all these guys in case they get hot during the season. Fantasy SP will help you identify the best streaming options all season, so check back for that.
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