Article: Twins Select Trevor Larnach in the First Round of the 2018 Draft

[Andrew Thares]

Bob Jones (1966), Johnny Ard (1988), Torii Hunter (1993), Denard Span (2002), Trevor Plouffe (2004) and Chris Parmelee (2006) were all selected by the Minnesota Twins with the 20th overall pick in the MLB Draft. The Twins had the No. 20 pick once again this year, and selected outfielder Trevor Larnach of Oregon State.There were a lot of rumors that the Twins were going to take a college pitcher in this draft, and when they had their selection at pick 20 they had plenty of college pitchers to choose from in guys like Shane McClanahan, Jackson Kowar and Ryan Rolison.

 

However, the Twins ended up going with a college bat in Oregon State right-fielder Trevor Larnach (pronounced LAR-nick). How much of this pick was centered around the Twins limited bonus pool will remain to be seen, but it can be assumed that Larnach won’t be as expensive of a player as some of the other names that were available for the Twins to choose from.

Another thing this pick does is it adds depth to the top of the Twins farm system that is currently loaded. Right now, Larnach would slide in nicely alongside Alex Krilloff and Brent Rooker as one of the best outfield prospects in the organization.

 

Larnach reminds me a lot of the Rooker pick from last season. Like Rooker, Larnach is a college hitter whose value is mostly tied up in his bat and not as much so in his fielding ability. Of the two, I believe that Larnach has a much better chance to stick as a corner outfielder.

 

Here's some more video via Prospect Pipeline:

 

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[Squirrel]

Lol, you posted that really fast.

[GameDay]

I like the pick! Larnach is a really really good hitter who can swing the stick for both average and power. Let's just hope he doesn't have success this weekend and that this is his last weekend playing college baseball.

[Mike Sixel]

I'm not at all surprised it is a college player. Hope he's good!

[Dman]

I wanted a pitcher and there were several good ones there. I guess they feel they can find quality guys later on in the draft. I kind of hate the one dimensional power guys who can't run or play defense in the first round. Hope they make me eat my words

[jkcarew]

The 4 and 5 tool guys aren’t available at 20. The single most valueable tool is a good bat with power. That’s the bet here. Is that this guy will flat rake, and justify average corner defense or even a 1B role. Like all the others, time will tell.

[MangLitch]

I got all worked up about Lewis last year, and I ate my words a bit as the seemed to have a pretty nice draft.... so far.

 

So while I think this is unspectacular, I thought the same of Lewis and he has proved me wrong and allowed them to get some good guys later.

 

Long and short of it, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt

[Tom Froemming]

 

The 4 and 5 tool guys aren’t available at 20. The single most valueable tool is a good bat with power. That’s the bet here. Is that this guy will flat rake, and justify average corner defense or even a 1B role. Like all the others, time will tell.

Fair way to look at it. I'd always prefer what I'd consider a "skill position" player -- a SS, CF or a C -- but the thing that's most likely to carry any player to the major leagues is their bat. Hit enough and they'll find a place for you.

[AlwaysinModeration]

Considering I’ve never heard of him, or any of the other picks....I’m a huge fan of this move.

[KirbyDome89]

People were antsy last year after signing Lewis under slot. I'm not concerned at the moment, we have to see what they do with the next few picks. 

 

That said, if losing that bonus money forces the Twins into reaching across the early rounds then color me even more disappointed with the Hughes move. 

[Winston Smith]

So what are we hoping for Adam Dunn like player. Play a little OF early then switch to 1B/DH?

[launchingthrees]

 

So what are we hoping for Adam Dunn like player. Play a little OF early then switch to 1B/DH?

 

Yeah that's the hope but then again Dunn would be a huge coup even if he were taken #1 overall.

[Tom Froemming]

My knee-jerk perception is the Twins went with a safe bet, a player who may lack the upside of some of the other guys who were still available, but who they feel confident will develop into a nice piece.

 

I'm not so sure that's the route I'd have taken, but it's probably the smart play considering the Twins only have two picks in the first three rounds. It would really hurt to swing and miss on either of these picks tonight. 

[John Kelsey]

I like it. 

[Danchat]

Just reading the profiles, he looks a bit similar to Brent Rooker. He's a college corner OF who could end up at 1B who's got some power in his bat. 

 

I mean, I would have preferred a pitcher, but it really doesn't matter that much. Hopefully we'll have another great bat developing in the minors, and with Lewis, Gordon, Kiriloff, and Rooker as other 1st round hitters, they should not lack top-end hitting talent for the foreseeable future.

[Mike Sixel]

My knee-jerk perception is the Twins went with a safe bet, a player who may lack the upside of some of the other guys who were still available, but who they feel confident will develop into a nice piece.

 

I'm not so sure that's the route I'd have taken, but it's probably the smart play considering the Twins only have two picks in the first three rounds. It would really hurt to swing and miss on either of these picks tonight.

 

That's my take also. Given the minor league depth I would have been more willing to roll the dice than this appears to be.

[jokin]

 

So what are we hoping for Adam Dunn like player. Play a little OF early then switch to 1B/DH?

 

How about a poor man's (taller) Kyle Schwarber?

[jokin]

 

 

My knee-jerk perception is the Twins went with a safe bet, a player who may lack the upside of some of the other guys who were still available, but who they feel confident will develop into a nice piece.

 

 

 

It is nice to see consistent, solid improvement both in NCAA and Cape Cod production.

[jkcarew]

My knee-jerk perception is the Twins went with a safe bet, a player who may lack the upside of some of the other guys who were still available, but who they feel confident will develop into a nice piece.

 

I'm not so sure that's the route I'd have taken, but it's probably the smart play considering the Twins only have two picks in the first three rounds. It would really hurt to swing and miss on either of these picks tonight.

Yep...this is the way I look at this pick as well. If you’re in the back half of the 1st round and you go toolsy, you’re going to have a questionable bat. Hunter actually a good example...in his case the bat came around, but it didn’t look like it would for a long time. Instead, they went will a bat that they feel is significantly less questionable. In terms of an outfielder I don’t hate it because the Twins have their share of toolsy OF in the system. Not sure I wouldn’t have gone with one of the college arms...but we’ll see.

[jokin]

 

 

That's my take also. Given the minor league depth I would have been more willing to roll the dice than this appears to be.

 

Yep. That's my problem. This pick seems clearly not to be BPA. On the surface, this pick seems like Daniel Palka regret redux.

 

Perhaps the braintrust is contemplating changing the configuration in RF @ Target Field in the years ahead... with a bevy of thumping LH bats and a couple RH bats like Sano with the power to poke the outside pitch just enough over an extended overhang in RF?

Edited June 5, 2018 by jokin

[caninatl04]

As I've mentioned in posts on other threads, I am guessing that he agreed to be signed under slot so the Twins can make a statement with their second round pick. 

 

Were do you think we'll see him first?  GCL? Elizabethton?  Maybe Cedar Rapids?

[Winston Smith]

 

As I've mentioned in posts on other threads, I am guessing that he agreed to be signed under slot so the Twins can make a statement with their second round pick. 

 

Were do you think we'll see him first?  GCL? Elizabethton?  Maybe Cedar Rapids?

Playing the Gophers next weekend.

[Darius]

I don't know much about the guy. But, all you hear these days are that guys with limited defensive ability/flexibilty, limited athletic ability, and decent bats/power are pretty replaceable. It doesn't seem to difficult to find a RF/1B/DH type that can hit a little bit for cheap (Logan Morrison darn near had to pay his way onto a roster after nearly hitting 40 HRs).

 

So, that being the case, I hope the kid can flat-out rake. It seems like Rooker was a more established hitter who was closer to majors and was taken later in the draft. Kind of head scratching. So, maybe more upside is there?

 

I would've preferred one of the pitchers, but who am I to say. If they use this to pick up a guy a little later that falls due to signability issues (Enlow type), I'll feel pretty good about it.

[drivlikejehu]

True middle-of-the-order bats are not easily replaceable. Having one big year like Morrison doesn't qualify (as we are seeing this season).

 

No one knows for sure if Larnach will reach a high offensive ceiling, but it's fairly obvious why a team would be interested in a guy like that at #20. 

[jimbo92107]

Trevor Larnach looks athletic and strong, but a couple small flaws jumped out at me.

 

First, that recoil on his outfield throws must go away. Coaches have to tell him to continue moving towards his target after the throw. Throw the ball, then go pick a fight with the guy that catches the ball. 

 

Second, the follow through on his swing is too stiff at the end. He needs to relax his hands and let the bat finish without him stopping it, like Joe Mauer does. That will add a few mph to his hits, and maybe spare him some pulled muscles. 

 

Trevor Larnach has the body of a serious young power hitter. Big thighs, rangy build. He'll be a masher for sure. 

[Danchat]

 

Yep. That's my problem. This pick seems clearly not to be BPA. On the surface, this pick seems like Daniel Palka regret redux.

 

Perhaps the braintrust is contemplating changing the configuration in RF @ Target Field in the years ahead... with a bevy of thumping LH bats and a couple RH bats like Sano with the power to poke the outside pitch just enough over an extended overhang in RF?

Palka has been pretty good in his first month or so of his MLB for the White Sox... 

 

Plus even if the pick isn't BPA, they can spend more money on the next draft pick. That worked out really well last year.

[cmoss84]

When Jay was selected I really wanted Benintendi. Maybe the FO doesn't want to make that same mistake. I'm sure if they liked a college arm enough, they would have gone in that direction. Benintendi won golden spikes, Larnach has a chance to do the same. 

[jud6312]

Ryan Jeffers in the 2nd?

 

[caninatl04]

 

 

Plus even if the pick isn't BPA, they can spend more money on the next draft pick. That worked out really well last year.

 

 

I doubt the went over slot for Ryan Jeffers.

[DocBauer]

MLB draft is the biggest crapshoot of all the drafts and we al know this. For every top 1st round pick, you are almost as likely to have a 2-10 round pick to become a major contributor for your team. Of course, this changes somewhat if picking at the top of the board.

 

He seems like a solid pick considering the hit tool came first, and the power later, without sacrifice, this would seem to speak of potential. And Oregon State has absolutely been a premier program the last few years.

 

Not knocking the kid, who I hope turns out to be a stud, but I do have to agree that picking 20, and with a pretty stocked system, I think I would have rather seen someone with "upside" even if not as safe a pick. Especially on the mound or behind the plate. But what do I know? Absolutely nothing in this case.