2013 Rule 4 Draft Signings

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Weird, Kielty may be the guy I was thinking about, but that was an entirely situation. I know when I was reading about the Diamondbacks maneuver, that the Twins were mentioned... but now that I've read more about it... yeah, way different.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Stuart Turner deal officially done. Signed for $550K, well below slot of $703K. Turner has a legitimate shot at being Cedar Rapids starting catcher at some point in the 2nd half of the season (has been a couple of years since a college bat skipped rookie ball in his draft year - maybe Grimes and Bryant).

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Navaretto signs for slot ($262,500). Can't wait!

[nicksaviking]

This Mildren kid looks/sounds pretty solid. Not a bad get for the 12th round! Here's the writeup on him:

 

Pitt's Mildren faces big decision about baseball future | TribLIVE

 

I don't know, the article lost me at: "Mildren's fastball typically sits between 88-91 mph"

 

Doesn't exactly scream large bonus seeing as he's a college arm.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

I don't know, the article lost me at: "Mildren's fastball typically sits between 88-91 mph"

 

Doesn't exactly scream large bonus seeing as he's a college arm.

 

I'm with you. I think with him its a pitchability thing. He has four good pitches and keeps the ball on the ground. I'm thinking a Baxendale-type that can eat innings, but won't be over-powering. Obviously didn't get the same competition at Pitt (as Bax did at Arkansas).

 

I don't think his bonus was overly "large" though, that's about par for the course in the 11th and 12th round.

[cmb0252]

I don't know, the article lost me at: "Mildren's fastball typically sits between 88-91 mph"

 

Doesn't exactly scream large bonus seeing as he's a college arm.

 

For how big Slegers is he pitches about the same speed. He does have a really good fastball plane, you know, because he is 6'10".

[Jeremy Nygaard]

The CK Irby deal is official. No word on bonus, yet.

[Roaddog]

The CK Irby deal is official. No word on bonus, yet.

 

 

Any word on Stewart or the Gonslaves kid? Also i was just curious to who they might throw saved bonus money for?

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Nothing concrete. I've heard that Stewart will get slot or near-slot. Gonsalves will sign - at least that's what the Twins believe - but will probably get over slot.

 

Molina will certainly get over slot, though the overage will be minimal.

[B Richard]

Thanks so much for this Jeremy, I'm following these signings like a madman

[ashbury]

an ill-timed dead-hooker-in-the-trunk traffic stop

 

When is ever a *good* time for this?

[nicksaviking]

For how big Slegers is he pitches about the same speed. He does have a really good fastball plane, you know, because he is 6'10".

 

I heard Slegers threw in the mid 90's. Not overly impressive considering his stature but still more impressive velocity-wise then most of the other possible starters the Twins picked. After reading some of the scouting reports on the gambles other teams took in rounds 2+ I'm a little disappointed the Twins seemingly went away from last year's stratagy of picking guys with plus velocity. Picking pitchers with "pitchability is what left the cupboards bare for so long.

 

Hard to complain about the first pick though.

[nicksaviking]

When is ever a *good* time for this?

 

I would think a Coen Brothers movie. I'd buy a ticket anyway.

[Vervehound]

I heard Slegers threw in the mid 90's. Not overly impressive considering his stature but still more impressive velocity-wise then most of the other possible starters the Twins picked. After reading some of the scouting reports on the gambles other teams took in rounds 2+ I'm a little disappointed the Twins seemingly went away from last year's stratagy of picking guys with plus velocity. Picking pitchers with "pitchability is what left the cupboards bare for so long.

 

Hard to complain about the first pick though.

 

the two best college pitchers so far from last year's draft have been pitchability types. melotakis is going sideways while chargois and bard are on the shelf. the one true success among the hard throwers has been zack jones and that's because they've kept him in the pen.

 

the noticeable exception is berrios. it makes you wish the twins would dip their toes in the prep pitching market more often but they're clearly pretty averse to that.

 

oh, and mid-90's heat is always impressive regardless of size. what should slegers be throwing? 110?

[cmb0252]

the two best college pitchers so far from last year's draft have been pitchability types. melotakis is going sideways while chargois and bard are on the shelf. the one true success among the hard throwers has been zack jones and that's because they've kept him in the pen.

 

the noticeable exception is berrios. it makes you wish the twins would dip their toes in the prep pitching market more often but they're clearly pretty averse to that.

 

oh, and mid-90's heat is always impressive regardless of size. what should slegers be throwing? 110?

 

Slegers isn't throwing mid 90s though.

 

From BA:

 

Indiana’s rotation is not overpowering, but it is solid. Slegers (9-1, 2.13) emerged as the Big Ten pitcher of the year but struggled in the super regional against Florida State. At 6-foot-10, his downward angle makes his high-80s fastball play up.

[Vervehound]

Slegers isn't throwing mid 90s though.

 

From BA:

 

Indiana’s rotation is not overpowering, but it is solid. Slegers (9-1, 2.13) emerged as the Big Ten pitcher of the year but struggled in the super regional against Florida State. At 6-foot-10, his downward angle makes his high-80s fastball play up.

 

he's touched it in the past - it seems to be his peak short stint velocity, and with the arm injuries questions abound. that said, there is always a large margin of error for bigger pitchers - the big unit taught me that. most starters show signs at age 24-25 in the big leagues that they're going to make it (hence this being a particularly rough year for liam Hendricks) but Johnson didn't put everything together until later. loek van mil pumped his fastball up 6-8 mph over the course of his time in our minor league system, etc.

 

from ba's scouting report: Slegers is athletic and repeats his sound delivery well for his size. Early in the season he reached 95 mph with his fastball and displayed an average slider

[Vervehound]

twins are $261k under slot with their first few signings - that's a great sign. if we can go shopping for some of our tough signs, I think aj bogucki in the 31st round out of Pennsylvania stands out, though i'm guessing he'd be a very tough sign away from his Carolina scholarship. steven sensley, our 33rd rounder seems to have a solid skill set and could be an easier sign as he's a jc recruit. glad we'll know by mid-july.

[cmb0252]

4 picks in and the Twins are $260k under slot. I don't see how any of their other college guys get anything but slot, if not under slot. Should be interesting how much Stewart/Gonsalves gets because I doubt they are willing to pay taxes for going over.

[Smcginnity]

I like a mixture of control pitchers and hard throwers. Control pitchers make it to the majors more often it seems but hard throwers are more risky but have more upside opportunity. I say do the mixture and keep it up.

[Roaddog]

I like a mixture of control pitchers and hard throwers. Control pitchers make it to the majors more often it seems but hard throwers are more risky but have more upside opportunity. I say do the mixture and keep it up.

 

Whats the story on that Blatch kid? I'm guessing by what i read he's a tough sign.

[cmb0252]

As noted before but will note again from Darren Wolfson:

Club vice president Mike Radcliff said he expects the Twins will sign 27 or 28 of their 40 picks from this year's amateur draft. He doesn't expect the club will sign 29th-round pick Logan Shore, a high school right-hander who is committed to the University of Florida. Shore was ranked as the 202nd-best prospect in the draft by Baseball America, who speculated that Shore could've gone as high as the third round had he found a particularly interested suitor.

A Twins source tells Wolfson that "they fully expect" to sign fourth round pick Stephen Gonsalves. The high school southpaw has committed to the University of San Diego and was ranked by MLB.com as the 98th-best member of this year's draft class.

[nicksaviking]

oh, and mid-90's heat is always impressive regardless of size. what should slegers be throwing? 110?

 

I didn't mean to imply his (possible?) above average velocity wasn't a welcome addition. All I meant was seeing as the Twins didn't seem to go velocity hunting in this draft, it shouldn't be surprising that the 6'10" guy was among the harder throwers.

[ashbury]

As long as Righty seems to be adopting suggested changes, I think it may be interesting later on to see in this listing the date on which each player eventually signed.

[kab21]

I didn't mean to imply his (possible?) above average velocity wasn't a welcome addition. All I meant was seeing as the Twins didn't seem to go velocity hunting in this draft, it shouldn't be surprising that the 6'10" guy was among the harder throwers.

 

Last year everyone complained that the Twins took a bunch of RP'ers. That's how they got the velocity. This year people are complaining that they took starters. Every pitcher is going to have flaws especially once you get past the first rd in a weak draft. Eades (2nd) and Gonsalves (4th) are decent picks so I'm not sure why criticism is warranted.

[TD Mac]

Saw in the Trib's atricle on Tanner Vavra that he signed for $1000.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

What I've just been told is that "nearly everyone is done" and that the Twins will probably announce them all at once. Obviously, the CWS guys are not included.

 

Stewart and Gonsalves will both sign. And the Stewart deal will be done "soon". How soon, I don't know, but it sounds as though terms are agreed upon for both.

[nicksaviking]

Last year everyone complained that the Twins took a bunch of RP'ers. That's how they got the velocity. This year people are complaining that they took starters. Every pitcher is going to have flaws especially once you get past the first rd in a weak draft. Eades (2nd) and Gonsalves (4th) are decent picks so I'm not sure why criticism is warranted.

 

I didn't complain about last year's stratagy, I thought it was a cleaver approach.

[nicksaviking]

What I've just been told is that "nearly everyone is done" and that the Twins will probably announce them all at once. Obviously, the CWS guys are not included.

 

Stewart and Gonsalves will both sign. And the Stewart deal will be done "soon". How soon, I don't know, but it sounds as though terms are agreed upon for both.

 

Good. Let's get these guys in uniform. Looks like Appel, Gray and Frazier have all signed for underslot.

[Red Bull]

I find it funny how the year the Twins have the 4th pick and there was 3 players that stood apart from the rest they all 3 went in the top 3. I mean how often do the consensus top 3 actualy all get taken in the top 3? Especialy the way the draft is structured now, I thought for sure one of the top 3 would fall.

[CwK]

I find it funny how the year the Twins have the 4th pick and there was 3 players that stood apart from the rest they all 3 went in the top 3. I mean how often do the consensus top 3 actualy all get taken in the top 3? Especialy the way the draft is structured now, I thought for sure one of the top 3 would fall.

 

I thought one would fall too until the day of the draft, when the experts put out their mocks that represented what they were hearing. A tad disappointed. But, hey, being a Wolves fan prepared me for this.