Today marks the deadline for MLB clubs to protect their next round of prospects eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, eliminating a significant hurdle that remains between those talented youngsters and the big leagues. One of those players has already been making quite the name for himself out in the desert -- and we’ll take a look in today’s Twins Beat Newsletter.

FANTASTIC FALL LEAGUE

The Twins already have reigning American League batting champion Luis Arraez set to anchor the top of their lineup for years to come. Pretty soon, the God of Walks might be joining him.

That’s how I’ve seen Twins No. 14 prospect Edouard Julien referred to in some corners of the internet, anyway. Coming off an all-time performance in the Arizona Fall League, Julien should finish Tuesday on Minnesota's 40-man roster, capping his year of continued evolution and meteoric rise from outside MLB Pipeline’s organizational top 30 to the cusp of the top 10.

"He had a heck of a fall, oh, gosh,” president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “I would say this: He really took major steps forward this year. He's always been a pretty good hitter. We always knew he had good plate discipline, he could walk, he knew the strike zone, all those things. I think he learned how to effectively get to a little bit more power, get his bat to ball as consistently as possible this year.”

Julien has had a fascinating player profile since the Twins took him in the 18th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, coupling solid power and strong baserunning skills with truly elite plate discipline that all combined for a spectacular showing in the 2022 AFL, the annual prospect showcase to which teams send players who could benefit from additional work and a higher level of competition.

The 23-year-old was in the running for AFL MVP (eventually won by Orioles prospect Heston Kjerstad), and he led the AFL in hitting (.400), on-base percentage (.563), OPS (1.249) and, of course, walks (23), while also finishing top three in hits (28) and homers (5) as part of an all-around masterclass that turned heads and took Glendale to the AFL Championship Game.

Julien’s .563 OBP was the third highest in AFL history, behind only Dustin Ackley (.581 in 2010) and Nate Roberts (.565 in '12).

It’s not just the ability to sit back and take the walk when it presents itself -- because that can sometimes lead to a too-passive approach in which too many hittable pitches go by. It’s also the newfound aggression to identify that hittable pitch early and get to his natural power, Julien says, which further accentuates the already-mature and advanced approach at the plate.

“I’ve worked on it this whole year. My main plan was to be able to attack pitches early in the count, and that’s what I’ve been trying to do,” Julien said to MLB.com in October. “Put a good swing and win the at-bat under three pitches. And if not, I just take my walk. Trust my eyes and be aggressive in the box.”

It’s funny to hear a player say, “If not, I just take my walk,” so matter-of-factly, as if that’s so easy. But to Julien, it really is. His 208 walks across the 2021-22 seasons led the Minors and were far ahead of the pack (second place had 178 walks in that span). He has coupled that with 35 homers, 53 steals and a .922 OPS up to Double-A.

One problem is that Julien doesn’t have a natural defensive home -- he focused mainly at second base in 2022 -- but if he keeps hitting this way into Triple-A, the Twins could be forced to make room sooner rather than later.

“I think he easily could factor into our plans next year, at some point during the course of the year,” Falvey said.

TRIVIA

Who led Twins relievers in innings pitched in 2022?

A.) Jhoan Duran

B.) Emilio Pagán

C.) Griffin Jax

D.) Caleb Thielbar

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE

Ready to lay eyes on the Twins’ new look? If you’re able, show up to the Mall of America Rotunda at 11:30 a.m. on Friday for the club’s unveiling of its brand refresh.

Following that event, Twins players and alumni will be available for photo opportunities with fans from 1-3 p.m., with T.C. Bear also around until 8:30 p.m. The Mall of America Twins Store will be exclusively stocked with new Twins merchandise following the unveiling.

QUOTABLE

“We knew that when we signed the contract; this potential reality was part of the equation for us. He's earned that right. He opts out. It doesn't change anything in terms of our conversations with Scott [Boras] and with the team of representatives we'll meet when we're here. We'll have another conversation. This is the stage of the offseason that any free agent has earned, the right to figure all of that out. So we'll stay in touch and see where that takes us, but I don't have anything specific right now.”-- Falvey, on the current situation with Carlos Correa

ON THE HORIZON

There aren’t any games going on at the moment, but this is a reasonably important part of the offseason for the nitty-gritty roster transactions ahead of free agency getting underway in earnest. Here’s what to look out for in the coming days:

Today, 5 p.m. CT: Deadline to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft (currently at 36 players).

Friday: Non-tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players (possible names to look out for here include Gio Urshela and Emilio Pagán).

TRIVIA ANSWER

C.) Griffin Jax

Jax led the way with 72 1/3 innings across 65 games, though he actually made two fewer appearances than Thielbar (59 1/3 innings in 67 appearances).

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