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What happened to Trea Turner? I remember posters mentioning him before the season. Getting Tyler Kolek would be something.

I want one of the top four pitchers...but just see a scenario where any of them fall. This season again shows how hard it is to find pitchers. You dont go sign a collabello quality player as a starter. Hitters like jackson are easier to develop than a mid 90s fb. We'll see what happens with hoffman because that would take jacson off the board. Don't sleep on aaron nola either as he is a twins pitcher with some velo

I was interested to see who the sixth guy on the list would be, glad you included Freeland over Beede. Freeland gets knocked for being a "control guy" and it's true he doesn't throw 98 mph cheese like Hoffman or Kolek. However, he does have plus movement in both fastballs to go along with the 91-95 velocity and excellent control. Add to that a plus slider, above-average curveball, and decent changeup and you have a LHP with plenty of ceiling.

What happened to Trea Turner? I remember posters mentioning him before the season. Getting Tyler Kolek would be something.

 

That's a really good question. I think it's been more to do with a lot of pitchers taking big steps forward and Turner really hasn't. He's not been terrible, but the bats as a whole just haven't been real impressive. I don't think he's the first SS off the board anymore either (Nick Gordon).

What happened to Trea Turner? I remember posters mentioning him before the season. Getting Tyler Kolek would be something.

 

Turner has fallen out of the top 10 picks. His bat is looking more and more questionable this spring. I've read some of the reports by Keith Law and he doesn't have much pop in his bat this spring apparently

I was interested to see who the sixth guy on the list would be, glad you included Freeland over Beede. Freeland gets knocked for being a "control guy" and it's true he doesn't throw 98 mph cheese like Hoffman or Kolek. However, he does have plus movement in both fastballs to go along with the 91-95 velocity and excellent control. Add to that a plus slider, above-average curveball, and decent changeup and you have a LHP with plenty of ceiling.

 

I haven't seen any reports that have his velo at 95, but yeah, your point stands. High-ceiling, but probably a lower-floor than those other guys too. Could make the perfect complement to Meyer and eventually Stewart.

 

Kyle Freeland could be like Kevin Slowey on bath salts. Or, possibly, just Kevin Slowey.

I think we should not sleep on Nick Gordon.....I don't think they'll take him, but they should be tempted imo. I think I'd prefer the best pitcher available, but if they think Gordon can hit and stay at SS, they should consider him.

Realistically, I'm hoping for one of Hoffman or Jackson. Hoffman's injury is really concerning but the Twins did take Gibson (although he fell a long way).

I gotta say, I'd be really nervous about taking an injured pitcher 5th overall.

personally, i think we are going to end up with jackson, However I have hopes for kolek.

If the draft took place today here's how I'd see the top 5...

HOU - Tyler Kolek

MIA - Carlos Rodon

CHW - Brady Aiken

CHC - Alex Jackson

MIN - could go many ways here..

Nick Gordon ..A SS who's going to take time

Sean Newcomb ..big solid lefty from Hartford (think Jon Lester type)

Kyle Freeland

Luke Weaver.. another quick moving type SP

Aaron Nola

Trea Turner.. still like him but I still am suspect in his bat.. will move faster than Gordon

 

If I'm the Twins I'd go with Newcomb and throw a lefty into that future rotation of Meyer, Stewart, Berrios, Gibson..

I haven't seen any reports that have his velo at 95, but yeah, your point stands. High-ceiling, but probably a lower-floor than those other guys too. Could make the perfect complement to Meyer and eventually Stewart.

 

Kyle Freeland could be like Kevin Slowey on bath salts. Or, possibly, just Kevin Slowey.

 

Kevin Slowey was a second round draft choice. You don't take control artists in the top 15.

Kevin Slowey was a second round draft choice. You don't take control artists in the top 15.

 

Absolutely, you need ace upside. I would argue the same in the second round. If a guys ceiling is #4 or #5 starter, what is the point? You can sign them for $7M a year.

 

On a side note, I was really hoping none of the top pitchers would get hurt. I hope that Hoffman is fine.

Absolutely, you need ace upside. I would argue the same in the second round. If a guys ceiling is #4 or #5 starter, what is the point? You can sign them for $7M a year.

 

On a side note, I was really hoping none of the top pitchers would get hurt. I hope that Hoffman is fine.

 

You don't usually have those kind of realistic upsides in the 2nd round.

I haven't seen any reports that have his velo at 95, but yeah, your point stands. High-ceiling, but probably a lower-floor than those other guys too. Could make the perfect complement to Meyer and eventually Stewart.

 

Kyle Freeland could be like Kevin Slowey on bath salts. Or, possibly, just Kevin Slowey.

 

Game report from BA has him touching 94-95 but not sure if Freeland has been hitting that consistently.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/game-report-evansvilles-kyle-freeland/

 

I'm not ready to advocate for Freeland, he probably doesn't have the ceiling of the top four pitchers on the list. There seemed to be a solid top five shaping up at before the Hoffman news broke. If he still has serious injury questions come draft time, the Twins could probably go any number of directions. I just don't want people writing Freeland off as the clichéd "typical Twins pitcher". He could be any number of versions of Slowey. He could be Scott Diamond on PCP, Alex Wimmers on OxyContin, or Cliff Lee high on life. That's TINSTAAP for you.

Edited April 25, 201412 yr by chuchadoro
Poor writing

Kevin Slowey was a second round draft choice. You don't take control artists in the top 15.

 

He's a control artist who has a 20something to 1 KK/B ratio. That's unheard of, mostly because guys who pound the strike zone don't have an absurd ability to get swings and misses. Freeland does.

 

Kevin Slowey, left-handed and on bath salts sounds a little like Chris Sale. That's ace upside.

Game report from BA has him touching 94-95 but not sure if Freeland has been hitting that consistently.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/game-report-evansvilles-kyle-freeland/

 

I'm not ready to advocate for Freeland, he probably doesn't have the ceiling of the top four pitchers on the list. There seemed to be a solid top five shaping up at the top before the Hoffman news broke. If he still has serious injury questions come draft time, the Twins could probably go any number of directions. I just don't want people writing Freeland off as the clichéd "typical Twins pitcher". He could be any number of versions of Slowey. He could be Scott Diamond on PCP, Alex Wimmers on OxyContin, or Cliff Lee high on life. That's TINSTAAP for you.

 

Great find.

You don't usually have those kind of realistic upsides in the 2nd round.

 

Maybe not ace, but you can get a guy slipping due to signability. An injury concern. A guy like Gonslaves who was first round talent.....that is why the Eades pick didn't make much sense to me.

Freeland sounds legit. I'd be down for a high upside lefty, especially a college one.

I'd be a big fan of going college pitcher in round 1 and high school pitcher in round 2. Freeland and Cody Reed would be quite a combo.

Im surprised there was four teams worse than us last year.

Hoffman's injury and Beede's regression really hurts the Twins. I prefer Freeland to Nola but I'm not a huge fan of either. Both don't have ideal deliveries (Nola doesn't have ideal size) and neither posses a true 70 pitch. While Freeland's slider has shown the glimpses of 60+ it isn't a true plus-plus pitch.

Freeland would make me very happy and there is a very good chance he will be there when we pick. If he is not there, then we will take one of Rodon/Hoffman (provided his arm checks out)/Kolek/Aiken. Although I wouldn't mind a bat like Alex Jackson it seems the pitchers mentioned rank ahead of him in both ceiling and floor. In the 2nd I would be happy with a projectable HS arm or someone who can take pitches and slug a bit like AJ Reed, Mike Papi or Michael Conforto.