Twins select LHP Steven Hajjar with 61st pick

After grabbing high schoolers with their first two picks, the Twins have selected a college arm in the second round, grabbing Michigan lefty Steven Hajjar. Hajjar is another northerner, as a Massachusetts native, in addition to being a Big Ten guy.

As a redshirt sophomore at Michigan, he’s picked up some accolades including all-conference first team, and all-region second team. He threw 81 innings in 2021, including 5.0 innings to get the win in a 21-5 blowout at the Gophers in April.

Here is some video of the newest Twin:

Our friends from Lonestar Ball previewed Hajjar, and said

Hajjar is a little on the young side for a college draftee — he doesn’t turn 21 until August — and part of the appeal of Hajjar is that there is projectability with him. Reports have him both in the low 90s and at 88-91, though he has thrown harder before and has apparently topped out at 95 mph. BA describes the fastball as having a “low spin profile,” though it still gets decent grades, and if he increases his velocity as a pro it would grade that much better.

Hajjar’s best pitch is his changeup, which BA puts a 55 on and MLB Pipeline gives a 60. He throws both a curveball and a slider, though neither of them is a really strong pitch at this point. He has a delivery MLB Pipeline describes as “deceptive,” and he’s got the athleticism to allow him to repeat the delivery, though there are mixed reports on his command and control.

Welcome to Minnesota, Steven