December 19, 2022

Two familiar names to Canadian and Blue Jays fans stand out on Baseball America’s top 10 list of Minnesota Twins prospects.

While SS-OF Royce Lewis is the top man, the highly-respected Baseball America has Edouard Julien rated No. 4. Julien (Quebec, Que.) earned the Canadian Baseball Network offensive player and the Randy Echlin award as the 14th winner.

In 10th spot is RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, the key piece of the Marcus Stroman trade to the New York Mets in 2019. In 2021, former No. 1 pick Austin Martin and Richardson were sent to the Twins for José Berríos.

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Baseball America’s scouting report …

4. Edouard Julien | 2B

Born: Apr 30, 1999

Bats: B. Throws: R

Ht: 6’2” Wt: 195

Signed By: Jack Powell

Minors: .300/.441/.490 | 17 HR | 19 SB | 400 AB

Track Record: When the Twins drafted Julien in 2019, the Quebec native was one of the youngest eligible college players in the class. He had been a consistent power threat at Auburn, and his 429-foot home run in the 2019 College World Series was at the time tied for the longest in TD Ameritrade Park history. As a pro, Julien has been an on-base machine. His 208 walks during the 2021-22 seasons are 30 more than any other minor leaguer, and his .437 on-base percentage is best at the 700 plate appearance cutoff. Julien boosted his stock in the Arizona Fall League, which he led with a .400 average, .563 OBP and 1.249 OPS while popping five homers in 21 games.

Scouting Report: Julien’s combination of strengths and weaknesses makes him an intriguing but somewhat limited prospect. He knows how to work counts and get on base, and his above-average power will make a pitcher pay for a mistake. But going back to his college days at Auburn, he has struggled to find a position to play. The Twins have worked extensively with Julien on his defense, but he still lacks a clear position. His hands have improved, but his limited range makes him well below-average at second base. He also played third base at Auburn and then in 2021 as a Twins minor leaguer, but left field or first base are his most likely landing spots. Even at those positions, the hope is he can be playable defensively. Before 2022, Julien had never hit even .275 in a season, either as a pro or at Auburn, but he raised that to .300 at Double-A Wichita. As a hitter, Julien works counts, hits line drives and has average power to punish a pitcher who falls behind in the count. He’s not nearly as effective against lefthanders.