Article: MLB Draft: Eight Names to Know

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Though I committed myself to do the Finer Points series, there is the MLB Draft coming up in less than a month. If you’re new to Twins Daily, I did a LOT of draft stuff up until last year. While there is no way I can return to that level of coverage, I’ll provide some draft insight for you today.

 

It might be the only one. Or it might not be.

 

But here are eight names to remember/consider as the draft approaches. You’ll notice it is heavy on the college end.Alek Manoah, West Virginia, Right-handed pitcher

 

Rankings: MLB: 10 BA: 21 Law: 9

Mocks: MLB: 11 (Blue Jays) BA: 10 (Giants) Law: 11 (Blue Jays)

 

In the top tier of college pitchers available, Manoah could find himself off the board earlier. A really big dude with really big stuff, Manoah had a breakout summer in the Cape and has catapulted up draft boards.

 

Bryson Stott, UNLV, Shortstop

 

Rankings: MLB: 9 BA: 9 Law: 13

Mocks: MLB: 10 (Giants) BA: 11 (Blue Jays) Law: 20 (Mariners)

 

Many in the industry believe Stott is a top 10 pick, but if he were to fall to the Twins, there is a lot to like. Looking around the MLB, you don’t see a lot of shortstops who went the route of college ball, which is probably why Stott draws comparisons to Brandon Crawford. An all-round player, Stott would be another asset in the Twins middle infield drawer.

 

Shea Langeliers, Baylor, Catcher

 

Rankings: MLB: 11 BA: 17 Law: 12

Mocks: MLB: 14 (Phillies) BA: 9 (Braves) Law: 17 (Nationals)

 

For the first time in forever, Twins fans should feel good about both their catcher(s) and their catching depth. But Langeliers could be special. An elite defender, Langeliers missed a lot of time this year with a hamate injury. You’d know what you’re getting defensively, but there will be some questions about his bat.

 

Zack Thompson, Kentucky, Left-handed pitcher

 

Rankings: MLB: 15 BA: 14 Law: 22

Mocks: MLB: 12 (Mets) BA: 13 (Twins) Law: 14 (Phillies)

 

Thompson has the resume to go in the top half of the first round. He has a full arsenal that is backed up with good data. What might give teams pause, though, is a history of injury concerns that include both his shoulder and elbow.

 

Brennan Malone, IMG Academy (Florida), Right-handed pitcher

 

Rankings: MLB: 18 BA: 13 Law: 21

Mocks: MLB: 22 (Rays) BA: 14 (Phillies) Law: 21 (Braves)

 

A prepster with an full package of pitches. Malone has enough stuff to go in the first round now and enough projection left to be a top-of-the-rotation pitcher later. He’s got to learn how to be a better pitcher, but he’s plenty athletic.

 

Michael Busch, UNC, First baseman/outfielder/second baseman (?)

 

Rankings: MLB: 28 BA: 25 Law: 16

Mocks: MLB: 32 (Astros) BA: 24 (Indians) Law: 27 (Cubs)

 

Busch wouldn’t be an eye-catcher if you look only at rankings. But he checks a couple boxes: Big box - He’s high on a short list of best college bats in the draft and the new regime is valuing the ability to hit very highly (even though Busch doesn’t have a true defensive home). Medium box - He had success in the Cape League. Smaller box - He’s from Inver Grove Heights (Simley H.S.), so he’s got that going for him too.

 

Kameron Misner, Missouri, Outfielder

 

Rankings: MLB: 19 BA: 16 Law: 34

Mocks: MLB: 20 (Mariners) BA: 27 (Cubs) Law: 23 (Rockies)

 

Misner is less polished as a hitter than Busch, but more athletic and hits for more power. With Misner, it’s more about bat-speed and projectability (and, likely, impressive Trackman data).

 

Matthew Lugo, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy (Puerto Rico), SS

 

Rankings: MLB: 36 BA: 76 Law: NR

Mocks: MLB: 34 (D-backs) BA: NL Law: 16 (D-backs)

 

Included because Keith Law connected the the Twins and Lugo. The Twins have had very good luck with Jose Berrios and Eddie Rosario when drafting in Puerto Rico. Lugo may also be a comp round target if the Twins are able to go under-slot with the 13th overall pick.

 

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[Seth Stohs]

What's Matt Wallner up to this year? He and Michael Busch were two Minnesota kids thought to potentially be first-round candidates this year. 

[Dman]

It is so hard to predict if the three teams above us will go with pitchers or hitters.  The sweet spot for pitchers seems to start around pick 10.  If you want to grab one of the better pitchers you need to do it then as it looks like slim pickings by the time you get to pick again.

 

The thing is their is some interesting talent in the 9-16 range and I can't make up my mind who the Twins should pick at 13?  All I know is that they will get a very good player with that pick.

 

Personally I would like them to go with a pitcher with the first pick as they have been able to identify bats in the later rounds.  The problem comes if teams that pick 9-12 decide to to take pitchers then there will be better position players that fall to our spot as well.  So whats the right thing to do I have no idea at this point.

 

If Stot or Langeliers falls to 13 it would be hard to pass on either one.  If Manoah were to fall to 13 then he would be hard to pass up as well.  It is hard to say what the Twins will do.  I just hope they make a good choice.  They should be in a good spot to get some good talent again this year.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

 

What's Matt Wallner up to this year? He and Michael Busch were two Minnesota kids thought to potentially be first-round candidates this year. 

 

Wallner is having himself quite a season at Southern Miss.

[jkcarew]

College pitcher or big-time bat, I hope. I know only the toolsy guys tend to go super early. But I, for one, will not be upset if we take a bat with true top-end potential with number 13...regardless of where he projects defensively. We've got enough toolsy middle infielders and center-field types in the system who may or may not hit. What we don't have much of are guys that can flat out rake. If dude ends up being a 1B/DH only, so be it.

[jimbo92107]

Given what I've seen happen this season, I would let Wes Johnson decide which draftable pitchers he thinks he could build into stars. Hand this man an entire draft of pitchers, see what he can do. 

[Badmanbuxton]

I like the idea of a guy like Jackson Rutledge. There are questions about his height (6’8) and level of competition, but another high-ceiling pitcher would fit right into this system. Not sure he fits the Twins archetype, though.

[ashbury]

Just going by heights and weights Malone seems like he has a good build, 6'3" 205 lbs. Thompson seems kind of skinny, and Manoah looks already pretty heavy. But opting for the high school guy is always the riskier choice, as we've seen. So, while I prefer a pitcher, none of these seems ideal.

 

The two shortstops seem fine, with Stott being a little tall for the position at 6'3", but certainly there have been good ones at that height. The younger one isn't enough better to justify the age-risk, to my mind. Busch's lack of a good defensive reputation means his bat needs to be off the charts, and I'm not sure that's really the book on him.

 

Langeliers is intriguing at catcher. While we have a few good guys in the pipeline, I'm not sure it's ever a problem to have too many. But I've expounded at length on why I would resist ever again taking a catcher with a first round pick, and I'll leave it at that.

 

Misner doesn't seem like he excels in any particular area, nor does he have a particular weakness.

 

I don't see a compelling choice among these, but I guess I'd take the SS Stott, or the pitcher Manoah.

 

 

 

 

[ChrisKnutson]

Don’t forget about Corbin Carroll.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I don't think that we are all that deep at C. We're fine this year at the ML level, and I'm comfortable with Garver/Astrudillo going forward. Rortvedt and Jeffers are still a ways out though and there's not much behind them, so Langeliers definitely interest me... plus Stephen King wrong a novel about him.

 

Malone, Manoah, and Stott all interest me too. 

 

Based on Lugo's rankings, I don't think he goes in the 1st. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Given what I've seen happen this season, I would let Wes Johnson decide which draftable pitchers he thinks he could build into stars. Hand this man an entire draft of pitchers, see what he can do. 

 

The scouts talk to and share video with the coaches and coordinators... The Twins really are embodying this "All in this together" thing. 

[Jeremy Nygaard]

 

Don’t forget about Corbin Carroll.

 

This is just eight names. The pool, including Carroll, is obviously much larger. He would fit in this range for sure.

[biggentleben]

 

What's Matt Wallner up to this year? He and Michael Busch were two Minnesota kids thought to potentially be first-round candidates this year. 

 

I've mocked Wallner to the Rays more than once this spring. He's not getting a ton of traction in first/comp discussion, though. I think he'll be a first-day pick, with the Rays a big fan (which makes sense), and a range of 35-75 for his draft area, but there are a lot of guys who fit in that range this year.

[biggentleben]

 

Just going by heights and weights Malone seems like he has a good build, 6'3" 205 lbs. Thompson seems kind of skinny, and Manoah looks already pretty heavy. But opting for the high school guy is always the riskier choice, as we've seen. So, while I prefer a pitcher, none of these seems ideal.

 

The two shortstops seem fine, with Stott being a little tall for the position at 6'3", but certainly there have been good ones at that height. The younger one isn't enough better to justify the age-risk, to my mind. Busch's lack of a good defensive reputation means his bat needs to be off the charts, and I'm not sure that's really the book on him.

 

Langeliers is intriguing at catcher. While we have a few good guys in the pipeline, I'm not sure it's ever a problem to have too many. But I've expounded at length on why I would resist ever again taking a catcher with a first round pick, and I'll leave it at that.

 

Misner doesn't seem like he excels in any particular area, nor does he have a particular weakness.

 

I don't see a compelling choice among these, but I guess I'd take the SS Stott, or the pitcher Manoah.

 

Busch is an excellent athlete. He's just played first with the Tar Heels. He's done a lot of work in the outfield this spring, but mostly in practice, and scouts are reporting that he's looked very comfortable, especially in the corners.

 

Misner's not hit since the SEC season began. Unless he's signing well below slot, he shouldn't be in consideration at 13.

 

Two guys that I've heard a lot of tie to the Twins on have been finishing well. One Jeremy mentioned here in Langeliers, and the other is Josh Jung of Texas Tech, who's slugged nearly .900 since the first weekend of April, spanning 72 at bats, with nearly twice as many walks as strikeouts, and he's been getting a lot better grades on his defense as the year goes on at the hot corner.

[Seth Stohs]

Michael Busch made SportsCenter this weekend:

#MinnesotaRepresent