[LansdowneSt]

The Twins went in two different routes for their first two picks in the 2019 MLB Draft. With the 13th overall pick, the club selected Keoni Cavaco, a high school shortstop that saw his stock rise significantly leading into the draft. Later in the first round, Minnesota selected Matt Wallner, a strong bat with plenty of college experience.

Minnesota had originally drafted Wallner in 2016 as a pitcher, but he stayed true to his college commitment at the University of North Dakota. Unfortunately, he learned the UND was eliminating its baseball program. Fortunately, he found his way to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. This decision helped his development as he was a three-year starter at the University of Southern Mississippi. In each college season, he posted an OPS of 1.093 or higher, and he set the school’s career home run mark when he hit 23 homers as a junior. His arm was so good in college that the team used him as a reliever with a fastball in the mid-90s. The Twins followed his progress in college and took him in the Competitive Balance Round in 2019.

Twins fans will quickly become acquainted with this fact of life: When Matt Wallner hits home runs, they’re hardly ever cheap shots. So, when the Twins’ No. 5 prospect showcased his prodigious power in his 2022 Major League debut with a big swing against former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber on Saturday, of course he immediately knew it was gone.

"Yeah, I was pretty sure,” Wallner said. - twinsdaily.com and mlb.com