10-round Twins Mock

People love mock drafts. I think, mostly, so that you can mock the people that put some guesses down on paper for the world to scrutinize. I'm not above that.

I regret not putting one together two years ago. Somewhere, on a message board on this site, I predicted that the Twins take Adam Brett Walker (though I had the round incorrect).

Last year, I noted how much I liked Brian Navaretto, who the Twins also drafted. I was a big fan of Stephen Gonsalves (though I never saw him falling as far as he did) and pegged Kohl Stewart for the #4 pick pretty early in the whole process.

I'm telling you that not for the virtual pats on the back. I'm simply preparing you for the fact that there is a very good chance that I go 0-for-10 and would like you to forgive me.

The reason I put this together, actually, was to try to get a sense of the positions the Twins may look to add on Days 1 and 2. While I know how the Twins feel about some guys, I don't have access to their scouting reports and, personally, don't have the mental capacity to take that much information in.

So, without further ado, here's one of approximately 86 billion different ways the Twins may draft on Thursday and Friday.

Round 1 (Pick 5 - $3,851,000): SS Nick Gordon, Florida prep. While I'm not sure who will be on my final mock on Thursday morning at this spot, it's been a pretty consistent belief that Gordon would be the choice. There's no point in disputing that. Plus, the Twins would love to add a potential middle infielder. They'll take a prep SS (or more) every year in the first 15 rounds and this year isn't any different.

(Other prep shortstops they may consider - obviously later in the draft: SS Milton Ramos, Florida prep; SS Justin Twine, Texas prep; SS Jonathan Oquendo, P.R. prep.)

Round 2 (Pick 46 - $1,218,800): LHP Cody Reed, Alabama prep. Reed is all over the place if you put any stock into the Top 100s you can find scattered over the internet. The facts are this: Reed is from a place that doesn't have a great track record of producing major league pitchers and Reed is accumulating an incredible number of strikeouts due to his mid-90s fastball. Reed will have to watch his conditioning, but definitely has a fan in the Twins.

(Other pitchers to pop here: Well, there're likely a few dozen that would be looked at. I'd focus most on LHP Mac Marshall, Georgia prep and RHP Luke Weaver, FSU.

Round 3 (Pick 79 - $703,900): RHP Grant Hockin, California prep. Hockin has everything you'd want ablitiy-wise to get drafted here including a four-pitch mix. Though scouts don't see a lot of projection in his 6' 3", 215-lb frame, he's got an added connection to the Twins: His mother is Erin Killebrew, daughter of the late, great Harmon Killebrew. Hockin is committed to UCLA, so there is also that piece to be considered.

Round 4 (Pick 110 - $476,100): RHP A.J. Vanegas, Stanford. Not a real likely pick, but the Stanford senior offers a lot that could interest the Twins. For one, he's a senior. More importantly, though, is that he's got a mid-90s fastball and a plus slider. So what the heck, right? Yeah, well Vanegas has had some serious injury issues. It's put him in the position where he's destined to be a reliever in the pro ranks. We've seen what the Twins have done with that recently. The ceiling of a guy with his ability - though he'd need to add a third pitch to return to starting - mixed with the floor of a fast-track reliever seems to make a lot of sense.

(There would also be a gajillion other college relievers the Twins could look to convert. And that remains in play for all 40 of their selections.)

Round 5 (Pick 140 - $356,400): C Brett Austin, NC State. Austin was drafted in the supplemental first round out of high school and has struggled in his three years in college. There are questions about his bat and his defense, but when you get to this point in the draft, you're going to have that. Austin could profile as a Chris Herrmann-type who can play the corners of the outfield too. Not a sexy pick, but the Twins always seem to add catching on Day 2 and this would be a solid pick.

(Other catchers: C Matt Morgan, Alabama prep; C K.J. Harrison, Hawaii prep; C Shane Zeile, UCLA)

Round 6 (Pick 170 - $266,900): RHP Josh Richy, UNLV. Richy probably won't last this long, but if he did, it would be a steal for the Twins. It's usually around this time the Twins pluck a guy who has the reputation of pitching a lot of innings a la Ethan Mildren in 2013. Richy throws a little harder and shows a feel for a couple breaking pitches as well.

Round 7 (Pick 200 - $199,900): RHP Jake Jewell, Oklahoma JC. Jewell has come out of nowhere with a big fastball and an easy motion. He's a project, but that's not uncommon for the Twins to peg, especially when the payoff could be huge.

Round 8 (Pick 230 - $161,300): RHP Chandler Shepherd, Kentucky. Though the Twins are more likely to tap the left-handed "pitching well" at UK, Shepherd could join Alex Meyer as a right-handed Wildcat turned Twin. Shepherd has undergone Tommy John surgery already and has returned to throw a solid three-pitch mix, including a swing-and-miss curveball. Shepherd has had success in the Cape Cod League and still offers some projection in his 6' 2", 215-lb frame.

Round 9 (Pick 260 -$150,600): OF Max Murphy, Bradley. The organizational dearth of outfielders may have the Twins going to the college ranks to draft outfielders even earlier. Murphy is a guy who makes a ton of sense for the Twins, partially because he played his high school ball in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. Murphy's best tool is he power. He's compact (only 5' 11"), runs well and has a clue in the outfield. While his arm could play in right (his current position), some think he could move to center. The question about Murphy is his hit-tool.

Round 10 (Pick 290 - $140,700): RHP Brock Dykxhoorn, Arizona JC. This is about where Dykxhoorn should go, so I originally was going to put him here solely on the account that he has a sweet name. But after some digging, there's more to him. He's 6' 8" (Twins have done that - and taller - lately), but isn't overpowering (like Jason Wheeler), doesn't have an out pitch, but commands his repertoire low in the zone (and induces a lot of worm killing). The final ingredient is that he hails from our neighbor to the north (and because of Justin Morneau, the Maple Leafs will always hold a special place in Twins fans' hearts). In all honesty though, Dykxhoorn would be another pitcher with a some projection to add to an already impressive Day 2 haul.

While you don't have to like or agree with these picks, you should have a better idea of one way the Twins can handle their first ten selections. Look for a continuation of hard-throwing bodies. The Twins aren't likely to re-visit their three-catchers-in-the-first-ten-rounds magic of last year, but they always seem to add one with defensive abilities. The Twins have an overall lack of outfield depth, so adding some college seniors, or any outfielders, would jibe well with both what the Twins do and how they like to go about it.

And while the likelihood remains that I go all Jason Kubel and strike out on all ten of these, it was worth a shot. Right? Now let's see your projections!

Follow me on Twitter at @jeremynygaard, where I'll be kicking it draft-style all week.