March 18, 2023

By Tyson Shushkewich

Canadian Baseball Network

Infielder Edouard Julien (Quebec, Que.) has been on the radar of Major League teams since he was a high school senior over five years ago.

Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 37th round in 2017, Julien decided to head south and honour his commitment to Auburn University, playing two years with the Tigers (a collective .266/.393/.501 slash line with 27 home runs and an .894 OPS through 443 at-bats) while also suiting up in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League in both 2018 and 2019.

Prior to his university commitment, Julien was a prominent figure with the Canadian Junior National team, playing in various events across the globe with the national program.

Heading into the 2023 season, Julien finds himself ranked No. 4 on the Twins’ top prospect list by MLB Pipeline and was not only added to the Twins’ 40-man roster this offseason but was also named to Team Canada for the World Baseball Classic.

Julien represents Canada

Few wore ‘Canada’ across their chest better than Julien at the World Baseball Classic earlier this month. He really showcased his hit tool to a broader audience in Pool C. As the team’s lead-off batter, Julien led the squad in home runs (two), slugging (1.154), and OPS (1.821).

While the sample size is small given Canada did not advance out of round-robin play, Julien went 7-for-13 with five walks in the tournament with not only four extra-base hits but clutch hits as well, most notably producing a home run to right field on the first pitch in the Canada-Great Britain contest.

Before heading Phoenix to represent his country, the second baseman went 4-for-16 with two home runs and four RBIs in big league spring training with the Twins, although he also struck out eight times, something that hampered the lefty batter last season (24.6% of the time).

Beginning his pro career with the Twins

Eligible for the 2019 draft, the Minnesota Twins selected Julien in the 18th round. While Julien could have returned to Auburn for the 2020 season, the Twins signed him to an over-slot bonus at $493,000 US, making him the fourth-highest signed Canadian, as well as the 11th overall Canuck drafted by a Major League franchise that year.

Julien would get caught in the crossfire of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as undergoing Tommy John surgery while injuring himself with Team Canada at the Pan Am Games in 2019, and he would not see pro action until 2021.

While he split the 2021 season between Single-A and High-A in the Twins’ system, it was his 2022 season that really put him on the map, as the 23-year-old posted a .931 OPS through 113 games in double-A with the Wichita Wind Surge, collecting 17 home runs and 67 RBIs (a team-high) on his way to a .300 batting average.

Defensively, Julien spent all of last season at second base, posting a .971 fielding percentage with just nine errors on the year through 812 2/3 innings.

This strong play on both sides of the ball resulted in Julien getting an invite to the Arizona Fall League to finish off the year, eventually making the All-Star team and leading the showcase with his 1.248 OPS.

Looking ahead to 2023

Julien doesn’t look like he will crack the opening day roster after being optioned to the Twins’ minor league camp while he was away with Team Canada. However, the second baseman has certainly put his name into the conversation of prospects to watch in 2023. With a 60-grade hit tool and a fluid and repeatable swing with a mix of power, Julien impressed some of his future Twins teammates during his spring outings.

While Julien has experience at third and first base (with a little bit of left field sprinkled in back in 2021), his path to the big leagues will be via his bat and ability to take over as the team’s second baseman.

He will have to compete for the spot with Jorge Polanco and Nick Gordon who are likely to get the most reps to start the year. Julien probably won’t enter the promotion conversation until sometime later this season, as the Twins are wanting to see if Julien can continue to hit and work on his defence at the last rung of the Minor League ladder in St. Paul, the organization’s triple-A affiliate.

Should Julien continue to get on base and improve his fielding abilities on the right side of the diamond, there is no question that another Canadian will join the Major League ranks sometime in 2023 – the question that remains, however, will be when?