As the 2023 Draft approached, Brandon Winokur was seen as a bit of a raw prep talent with five potential tools and an unclear defensive home. A couple years after signing with the Twins for a well-above-slot bonus of $1.5 million in the third round, he kind of fits the same profile.
A 6-foot-6 giant with three plus tools in his especially raw power, speed and arm, Winokur has moved around the diamond as a pro. He’s seen the most time at his high school position, shortstop, but has also logged plenty of games at third base and in center field. Perhaps his best position is the batter’s box.
“I like hitting, I'll leave it at that,” Winokur deadpanned. “I love hitting … nah, I’m just kidding. Third base, short, center, for me, it doesn't matter. Seriously, as long as I'm playing. I think it's kind of exciting every day to look up and be like, ‘Oh, I'm playing third today, or oh, I'm playing short.’ So I love either of them.”
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The Twins' No. 13 prospect saw time at both positions on the left side of the infield during his opening week of Arizona Fall League action. There’s no question the 20-year old takes pride in proving to doubters that someone his size can stay on the dirt.
“I think there's no reason I can't play shortstop or third base going into the future,” Winokur said. “I think as long as I keep working hard and keep doing the things I need to do, I don't see any limits for me. I always try to think, there's no reason I can't go play third or short, keep working hard and making plays that some other people can't make, just because I am 6-6. I think it's a big advantage.”
Winokur also would like to take more advantage of his natural tools. He hit 14 homers and stole 23 bases during his first full season at age 19 in the Florida State League. Then he moved up to High-A Cedar Rapids this past season, finishing with 17 home runs and 26 steals. Part of the work he’s doing with the Peoria Javelinas this fall is ironing out some inconsistencies with his setup and swing so he can get to that pop more regularly.
“Tapping into power in-game is hard, and I think it's hard for everybody, but I think the last two years for me, it's just being consistent with those mechanics,” Winokur said. “I've made some slight changes, even these last two weeks, even coming here, just to have that consistent power in-game.
“I think just being loose, staying free, kind of helps me, and just helping using my levers, like kind of allowing my body to do what it needs to do. I try to keep it simple, then hopefully pump some out during the Fall League.”
Part of the key for Winokur will be to manage his swing-and-miss. There’s been incremental progress, going from a 28 percent strikeout rate in 2024 to to 24.8 percent this past season. He showed improvement over the course of the Midwest League season as well: After hitting .204 with a .670 OPS and 25.9 percent K rate over the first three months, he upped that to .258, .727 and 23.1 over the remainder of the campaign. It’s clear his goal is to become a more complete hitter.
“I hate striking out,” he said. “I don't think anybody likes striking out. And I'm never going to act like I'm okay with it.
“[Decreasing my strikeout rate], that was a big thing going into this season. I do want to kind of put the ball in play a little bit more, especially [with] two strikes. That's the thing that the Twins had in mind for me. So I'm glad they did, because we worked on it and definitely helped this year.”
Twins hitters in the Fall League
Billy Amick, 3B/1B (No. 16): The Twins nabbed Amick in the second round of the 2024 Draft out of Tennessee and he posted an OPS of .867 with a High-A Cedar Rapids team that made it to the Midwest League Championship Series. But he only played 59 total games, missing a lot of time with oblique and shoulder injuries, so he’s making up for lost at-bats this fall.
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Hendry Mendez, OF (No. 25): Wherever Mendez goes, he hits, albeit without a ton of impact in the past. In 2025, he batted .290 with an OPS of .808 before the Phillies traded him to the Twins at the Deadline for Harrison Bader. He then hit .324/.461/.450 with Double-A Wichita after the trade. He also swatted 11 homers, by far, a career high. He hit the ball very hard over the Fall League’s opening week.
Twins pitchers in the Fall League
Miguelangel Boadas, RHP: Signed for $80,000 back in July 2019, Boadas had elbow surgery in 2024 and his time in the Arizona Fall League marks his first competitive innings back on the mound. His fastball held solid during rehab and averaged 95 mph in his first AFL outing. In addition to shaking the rust off, he needs to particularly improve consistency in spinning breaking stuff.
Jakob Hall, RHP: A starter at Oral Roberts, Hall has mostly been a reliever since the Twins took him in the eighth round of the 2024 Draft. He does have four pitches to work with: A low-90s fastball, a gyro slider, a changeup with some depth and a two-plane curve that was his best bat-misser during the season.
Hunter Hoopes, RHP: A former Tread performance coach, Hoopes signed with the Twins as a free agent in 2024 after he hit 100 mph in a bullpen. Typically, his 93-mph heater has good life and his secondaries -- a slider and splitter -- feature solid depth. The 25-year old touched Double-A by the end of the year and needs to keep working.
Dylan Questad, RHP: A Wisconsin high schooler taken by the Twins in the fifth round of the 2023 Draft, Questad features some arm strength, albeit with spotty command. Only 20, he brings a career 10.7 K/9 rate to the Fall League, using a fastball up to 96 mph, a mid-80s cutter, upper-70s curve and a splitter. But he’s also walked 7.5 per nine, something he’s surely focusing on now.
Zander Sechrist, LHP: Sechrist not only won a college championship with Tennessee in 2024, he was the starting pitcher -- and winner -- of the clincher against Texas A&M. He’s a soft-tossing lefty (average fastball velocity was 86 mph in the Florida State League this year) with an east-west arsenal who is good at filling up the strike zone.