When you look at the state of the situation among Quebeckers in the world of professional baseball, it’s hard not to notice that there are a lot of little guys from home who are making their mark. Abraham Toro, Charles Leblanc and Otto Lopez all spent time in the Majors last season, and more could follow soon.
Among the lot, there is Édouard Julien, a 23-year-old second baseman who has been working in the Twins organization since 2019. The former 18th-round pick was not seen as a top prospect at the base, but for the past few months, he has been carving out a place for himself among the sport’s elite hopefuls.
In fact, in his most recent ranking of MLB’s top second base prospects, MLB Pipeline makes room for Julien, while the Quebecer comes in seventh place.
What’s impressive is that the first four at the top of the list are first-round picks and the next two are second-round picks. The fact that Julien, an 18th round pick, is right behind them is a testament to his huge progress.
MLB Pipeline recognizes besides that Julien progresses at lightning speed and praises the stroke of the stick of the Quebecer, who burned the AA before dominating the Arizona Fall League. He was downright one of the best hitters in the minor leagues last year.
Clearly, the possibility of seeing him in the league’s top-100 prospects exists, which would be another impressive feat for the Quebecer. That said, he’s probably more interested in MLB, and again, he got some good news yesterday.
By exchanging Luis Arraez, the Twins made room in the infield. And since Julien is an infield player, this is indirectly good news for him.
The return of Carlos Correa is less good news for Julien given that the two spots in the middle of the infield are filled (Jorge Polanco is still in town), but if Julien continues to hit the ball as he has done in 2022, the Twins will eventually make room for him.
The transaction may not have helped Charles Leblanc, who will have to deal with Arraez on the Miami side, but for Julien, it is at least a door that opens, he who was already in the process of smashing it.
The future therefore seems very promising for Julien, who is likely to start the year in the AAA next season. That said, if he continues to establish himself as a high-caliber hitter, maybe we can see a new Quebecer in the Majors in 2023…
