Article: Twins Daily MLB Draft Review

[Cody Christie]

Minnesota has been on the clock since late last season. They knew this day was coming. A parting gift from the 2016 team for accumulating the worst record in franchise history. The 2017 MLB draft could be a franchise altering event. For better or for worse, the Twins new front office could be defined by the choices they make in the coming days.

 

As fans already know, the Twins will make the first overall selection on Monday. The organization also has two other picks in the top-40. Because of these high picks, Minnesota will have the draft's highest bonus pool which is almost half a million more than the next closest team. This gives the organization a financial advantage but this advantage is less than it has been in previous years.

 

Hopefully, Twins Daily has been your first stop for all of your MLB Draft related coverage but you might have missed something along the way.Twins Daily Draft Preview: Jeremy, the Twins Daily Draft Guru, kicked off the coverage by looking at the Twins's draft pool, which players were under consideration for the top pick, and some potential draft strategies. There are lots of factors impacting an organization as the draft gets closer.

 

Draft Player Profiles

 

Royce Lewis, SS/OF: While a lot of the draft focus has been on the big three (Wright, McKay, and Greene), the Twins are considering other players for the top spot. Lewis might be the best hitter in this draft class. Baseball America calls him "arguably the best position player prospect in this year's class." With that type of praise, the Twins certainly have to consider him.

 

Pavin Smith, 1B: Smith might be one of college's most polished players. His advanced approach at the plate has helped him to have more home runs (12) than strikeouts (9). For a player with power hitting ability, that is quite a shift away from the norm. Baseball America thinks he is the best college hitter in the draft. He might not have the upside of other potential picks but his floor could be higher.

 

Brendan McKay, SP/1B: If the draft was happening earlier this spring, McKay might have been the Twins' most likely first pick. He has crushed the ball at the plate and shown some strong ability on the mound. Unfortunately, his stock has slipped a little as his fastball velocity dropped. MLB.com columnist Jim Callis said McKay might be the best two-way player since Dave Winfield. He's one of the big three at the top of the draft but it would be a little surprising for the Twins to take him.

 

Hunter Greene, SP/SS: Greene has been at the front of the national draft coverage for most of the spring. Sports Illustrated featured him on their cover and called him "the star baseball needs." He hasn't pitched in some time and there is talk of him wanting to end up with San Diego at the number three pick. Greene could end up being the best player in the draft but he could also fail to develop and end up as a bust. The Twins can't afford for that to happen but they also have to hope Greene won't haunt them.

 

Kyle Wright, SP: Fans have heard Wright be called the "right pick". While McKay and Greene might have lost some steam as the spring progressed, Wright has only solidified his place at the top of the draft. McKay and Greene have been two-way players while Wright has been focusing solely on his pitching. He is more polished and could move quickly through the Twins system. Most national writers expect Wright to be the Twins' choice with the first overall pick.

 

MacKenzie Gore, SP: Gore has been gaining a ton of steam as draft day approaches. He's left-handed and has advanced command for his age. He can mix in four different pitches and he might be the most complete high school pitcher in the draft. Would the Twins surprise the baseball world and select the lesser known of the top-two high school arms?

 

Other MLB Draft Coverage

 

Twins 10-round mock draft: Jeremy does his best every year to try to select the players Minnesota will be focusing on through the first 10-rounds. Sometimes this can be an exercise in futility but he has gotten multiple players correct when doing this for previous drafts.

 

The Multi-Pick Gambit:As mentioned before, the Twins have the biggest pool in the draft. Will they be able to cut a deal with the number one pick so they have other money to spend on later selections? It's tougher than one might think.

 

Will Hunter Greene Haunt The Twins?: He could be a once in a generation player. What happens if the Twins decide to go in a different direction?

 

Keith Law On The Twins And The 2017 Draft: Law, ESPN's prospect writer, did an interview with Seth where he look ahead to the draft and speculated on the names Minnesota is considering at the top.

 

The Wright Fit?:Kyle Wright could end up in Minnesota. Why is he the right pick for this organization?

 

The Scouting Skinny: Kyle Wright: He probably has the best chance to go first overall. What do scouts have to say about Wright and his ascension to the top?

 

Sam Carlson Q&A: Part 1

Sam Carlson Q&A: Part 2: Carlson, a Burnsville High School player, has a good chance of being taken in the mid-to-late first round. While he might not be in play for the Twins, it's interesting to hear about the draft process for a player in the midst of a life-changing event.

 

Even after the Twins make their selection on Monday, check back at Twins Daily for all of your MLB draft related coverage.

 

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[Seth Stohs]

Today, Jim Souhan wrote that the Twins top pick will tell us a lot about Derek Falvey and Thad Levine... Feels a little dramatic, but it is an interesting selection.

 

http://www.startribune.com/twins-choice-for-no-1-will-speak-volumes-for-new-bosses/427359823/

 

 

[Seth Stohs]

Phil Miller looked back at the history of the #1 overall pick... there's A-Rod, Griffey, Chipper and Joe... and then what?

 

http://www.startribune.com/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-sure-thing-with-top-pick-in-mlb-draft/427359843/

 

[Seth Stohs]

With the Twins contemplating taking a college pitcher with the #1 overall pick (maybe Wright or McKay), Mike Berardino profiles the college pitchers who have been taken at the top spot...

 

http://www.twincities.com/2017/06/09/mlb-draft-twins-considering-college-pitcher-at-no-1-a-historically-spotty-choice/

[Cody Christie]

 

With the Twins contemplating taking a college pitcher with the #1 overall pick (maybe Wright or McKay), Mike Berardino profiles the college pitchers who have been taken at the top spot...

 

http://www.twincities.com/2017/06/09/mlb-draft-twins-considering-college-pitcher-at-no-1-a-historically-spotty-choice/

Reading this piece made me want them to take Lewis. 

[Cody Christie]

Baseball America posted their fourth mock draft today. Wright going number one but the Twins second selection might be a surprise.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/2017-mlb-mock-draft-4-0/#IEWfcKpo8upqdxeU.97

[Seth Stohs]

I'd encourage people to take a listen to the Minnesota Sports Weekly podcast with Travis Aune and Seth Toupal.

 

First, Jeremy Nygaard was on and spent a 1/2 hour talking about the draft and some of the things that could happen from his perspective. And we all know he's got some pretty good contacts in the system.

 

Next, Baseball HQ's Chris Blessing came on to talk about the draft as well. He's scouted McKay and Wright and has some very interesting thoughts on the draft.

 

But Chris Blessing also has scouted the Chattanooga Lookouts extensively. He's seen Fernando Romero pitch 5 times already this year. He's seen Felix Jorge since his time in E-Town. He's seen Gonsalves this year. They also did some very interesting discussion on some of the Twins prospects in Chattanooga.

 

Listen here:

 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/minnesotasportsweekly/2017/06/09/minnesota-sports-weekly-episode-21#.WTqZ5pTHugE.twitter 

[Cody Christie]

MLB.com released their latest mock draft this morning. It sounds like they will have another mock up on Sunday and another one on Monday.

 

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/235304580/round-1-forecast-mlb-draft-starts-monday/?topicid=151437456

[Seth Stohs]

Opinions continue to change, and I'm sure upon reading some of the profiles we've done or some of the national stuff, your opinion can change. Mock drafts will likely change every day over the next couple of days, even Monday... So, here's a quick Twitter poll for today... who WILL the Twins pick at 1.1?

 

 

[Seth Stohs]

 

MLB.com released their latest mock draft this morning. It sounds like they will have another mock up on Sunday and another one on Monday.

 

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/235304580/round-1-forecast-mlb-draft-starts-monday/?topicid=151437456

 

Jim Callis updated his ranking about 12 hours later and now they have the Twins taking/preferring McKay over Wright... "unless Greene overwhelms them today."

 

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/234660412/2017-draft-buzz-what-callis-mayo-are-hearing/?topicid=151437456

 

[Old Twins Cap]

What's with the late push up the ladder for McKay?  Is that pushing drama for commercial purposes or is there something about McKay, as a pitcher?

[prouster]

 

What's with the late push up the ladder for McKay?  Is that pushing drama for commercial purposes or is there something about McKay, as a pitcher?

 

My guesses are A) they genuinely like McKay, B ) they're blowing smoke in the hopes that someone else will lower their asking price, or C) McKay himself is cheap and someone they think is good enough to justify taking 1-1. I have no idea which would be most or least likely.

[Roaddog]

I don't buy they are taking McKay as a pitcher at 1. I just don't think he's an impact guy.

[nicksaviking]

Phil Miller looked back at the history of the #1 overall pick... there's A-Rod, Griffey, Chipper and Joe... and then what?

 

http://www.startribune.com/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-sure-thing-with-top-pick-in-mlb-draft/427359843/

  

With the Twins contemplating taking a college pitcher with the #1 overall pick (maybe Wright or McKay), Mike Berardino profiles the college pitchers who have been taken at the top spot...

 

http://www.twincities.com/2017/06/09/mlb-draft-twins-considering-college-pitcher-at-no-1-a-historically-spotty-choice/

Man, it's starting to look like the smart move is just to forfeit the pick!

[Seth Stohs]

People do realize that McKay is a very, very good pitcher and a very, very good hitter right? He's a Top 4-5 at both.

 

He's probably 5th in my rankings, but let's not pretend that he doesn't have the chance to be elite as a pitcher or as a hitter. Will he? Who knows? But that's the same answer for all of them. 

[drjim]

People do realize that McKay is a very, very good pitcher and a very, very good hitter right? He's a Top 4-5 at both.

 

He's probably 5th in my rankings, but let's not pretend that he doesn't have the chance to be elite as a pitcher or as a hitter. Will he? Who knows? But that's the same answer for all of them.

I don't like this way of thinking. It doesn't matter if he can do both pretty good, it matters that he does one of them well. Otherwise you're drafting the equivalent of the 7-10th best talent if he is only the 4th or 5th best pitcher (or hitter).

 

I fear these two way talents are being overrated because of this exact thought process.

[D.C Twins]

Agree with the 'blowing smoke to try to get someone else to come down on the asking price" theory and the "pick someone who does one thing the best over someone who does two things 'very very good' with what will hopefully be our last #1.1 pick for the next 20 years!

[Dman]

 

What's with the late push up the ladder for McKay?  Is that pushing drama for commercial purposes or is there something about McKay, as a pitcher?

 

If the Twins don't take McKay at number 1 it looks like he could fall to pick 4 or 5.  My guess would be his side is more willing to deal (take less) at number 1 because he could be out 2 million or more if he falls to number 5 which it looks like he could.

 

Also some scouts still think McKay might be the best player in this draft.  If the Twins can save money to spend later on HS talent that falls or if they can make a deal for someone who wants to slide that would make sense.  Also there is fallback if he doesn't make it as a pitcher he can hit.  He has some interesting versatility as a pitcher in that he could be a late inning pinch hitter because he can hit home runs and has a good eye at the plate.

 

I question just how good of a pitcher he can become in MLB mainly based on his velocity.  If the Twins do like him they must be OK with what they have seen as from what I have read they see him as a pitcher.

[Sweetwater]

I think McKay smoke is indeed to get the best price possible on Wright (or Greene)