Kansas baseball: Cole Elvis signs professional deal with Minnesota Twins

Cole Elvis, one of the best players on the 2023 Kansas baseball team, will continue his career on the diamond in the Minor Leagues.

A Kansas Jayhawks player has not been selected in the MLB Draft since 2019, but Cole Elvis became the second representative of the program to sign an undrafted free agent deal. The Minnesota Twins took a shot on the California native.

Elvis spent his first four seasons of college at Cal University before coming to Lawrence as a graduate transfer this past year. He showed promise with the Golden Bears but blossomed into a star in the Big 12 Conference.

In 2023, he hit a team-high 14 home runs with a slash line that read .269/.317/.517. Elvis tallied 16 doubles and 52 RBIs, which also led first-year head coach Dan Fitzgerald‘s squad. His outstanding play earned him All-Big 12 Second Team infield honors.

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He split time between catcher (18 starts) and first base (39 starts), but he is seen as a backstop at the next level. However, his versatility should make him a much more valuable asset at the next level.

His head coach praised him for his hard work in a press release. “Cole will forever be one of the all-time great Jayhawks. His leadership from day one was palpable, he immediately had universal respect from everyone in our program, and he set a new standard for what it means to be an exceptional teammate.”

Although his next chapter will be with the Minnesota Twins — an organization that currently sits atop the American League Central division — he’ll always be remembered as a Kansas Jayhawk.

Elvis’ teammate Collin Baumgartner signed a contract with the Colorado Rockies this past week. Both players spent one year in Lawrence as transfers for Dan Fitzgerald.

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