Twins lose prospects Akil Baddoo, Tyler Wells in 2020 Rule 5 draft

The Minnesota Twins lost two prospects in the major-league portion of the 2020 Rule 5 draft on Thursday.

With the No. 3 overall pick, the Detroit Tigers selected outfielder Akil Baddoo. In the second round (17th overall), Baltimore drafted right-hander Tyler Wells.

The Twins passed on their pick in the Rule 5 draft.

Baddoo, listed as the Twins’ No. 13-ranked prospect by MLB.com, has a career slash line of .249/.357/.422 over 233 career minor-league games. In 2019, Baddoo played 29 contests for High-A Fort Myers and logged a .214/.290/.393 slash line with three doubles, three triples and four homers.

Wells, a 15th-round pick by the Twins in 2016, owns a 20-13 record with a 2.82 ERA and 288 strikeouts in 255 2/3 career innings. In 2018, Wells registered a 10-6 record, 2.49 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 119 1/3 innings for High-A Fort Myers and Double-A Chattanooga. The 26-year-old missed the 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Held each December, the Rule 5 draft allows organizations without a full 40-man roster to select non-40-man roster players from other teams.

If players signed at age 18 or younger aren’t added to their club’s 40-man roster within five seasons, they are eligible for the draft. Players signed at age 19 or older must be added to the 40-man roster within four seasons.

Organizations which choose to draft a player must pay $100,000 to the club from which the player was selected.