Official Twins Daily Day Two Draft Thread

I was just looking at Atlanta's selections, 3 of 7 selections are 17 including their 1st 2 and another 2 are 18. Must be risk adverse and like upside, i am guessing.

Like to see power arms and power bats.

Me too. This team needs to start seeing some results at the MLB level soon though. So many power armed relievers in the past four drafts and still nothing.

 

https://twitter.com/ParkerHageman/status/608333348012982274

 

*BlankenHORN, I've been told.

 

Twins system has been pretty light in regards to left-handed power bats and I suspected that Kyle Tucker was on the top of the list due to the low numbers in that department. 

 

 

So I'm not entirely surprised by the decision to go back-to-back left-handed bats. 

Those two have some PRETTY swings.

Travis Blankenhorn Scouting Report::

 

If not for his baseball prowess, Blankenhorn may have had a future on the hardwood. The 6-foot-2 infielder scored just under 1,600 points in his high school basketball career, used his size and strength to dominate in eastern Pennsylvania. On the diamond, Blankenhorn's tools are not explosive, but he has multiple weapons, both offensively and defensively. At the plate, Blankenhorn has a pretty lefthanded swing with minimal load and a short, downhill bat path. He has above-average bat speed and good feel for hitting. Scouts project Blankenhorn to develop above-average power as he grows into his body. Defensively, Blankenhorn lacks the footspeed to stay at shortstop, but has an above-average throwing arm and projects well at third base. Blankenhorn is committed to Kentucky, but there are some teams that like him as high as the second round, and he could come off the board early if things go right on draft day. Blankenhorn's ultimate ceiling will be dictated by how well his hit tool translates to the next level. Those who believe in him see him as a potential fifth or sixth hitter in the lineup with no significant weaknesses, though he is a slightly below-average runner who's better underway.

 

Me too. This team needs to start seeing some results at the MLB level soon though. So many power armed relievers in the past four drafts and still nothing.

That's the nature of the draft, especially in the mid rounds, the odds of a player making it to the majors and becoming effective are just so small overall.

All it takes is one or two of these effective RP to break through to give us a formidable pen.

 

Me too. This team needs to start seeing some results at the MLB level soon though. So many power armed relievers in the past four drafts and still nothing.

They've certainly made their bed and they are sure as heck going to lie in it. But, nothing to show for it yet... Which is probably why drafting a bunch of college relievers is never a good thing. Most major league relievers are failed starters.

Scouting Report on Trey Cabbage:

 

Cabbage starred in both baseball and basketball at Grainger High and made some noise on the hardwood this winter when he broke a rim with a putback dunk. But his future is on the diamond. Cabbage didn’t stand out last summer, but has gained significant momentum this spring and rivals Bryce Denton as the best prep hitter in the state. Listed 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, he has good strength and athleticism. Scouts believe his strength gives him a chance to hit for at least average power, though he hasn’t yet shown that kind of pop consistently. Cabbage, a Tennessee commit, has primarily played on the left side of the infield. He’s a below-average runner with average arm strength and will likely play third base or left field at the next level. He offers some projectability and upside, particularly now that he will only be playing baseball.

Not to be a jerk, but 6 foot 2 probably indicates he didn't have a huge future on the hardwood....

 

 

They've certainly made their bed and they are sure as heck going to lie in it. But, nothing to show for it yet... Which is probably why drafting a bunch of college relievers is never a good thing. Most major league relievers are failed starters.

The reality is in the middle rounds NOBODY is going to be a sure thing, if a guy throws 95+ and is a starter he is pretty much going to get snagged in rounds one and two. If you want a hard thrower in the middle rounds, chances are its going to be a RP, if you want a starter in the mid rounds chances are its going to be a softer throwing type (the Twins already have plenty of those and people bitch every-time they draft a guy who throws high 80's anyways). Of course there are some HS pitchers you can try to snag but they are risky, expensive and can be tough signs, might as wait for rounds 11-30 for those types anyways.

I don't really know anything about most of these amateur players, but did it seem like Austin Rei, the college catcher drafted right after the Twins picked in round 3, might have been a good choice?

Scouting Report on Alex Robinson:

 

A native of Long Island, Alex Robinson has been on scouts' radar for quite some time. Throwing from a low arm slot, the lefthanded Robinson showed strong velocity out of high school while fighting his command due to a raw delivery. His projectability was obvious, but his commitment to Maryland made him a tough sign, and he ended up on campus. During his time at College Park, Robinson has grown into a physically imposing southpaw with an elite fastball. He battled command issues as an underclassman, but emerged in the New England Collegiate League last summer, showing mid-90s velocity and a sharp breaking ball. His command has been a little better this spring, but he has walked more than six batters per nine. When he's on, however, Robinson is among the toughest pitchers to hit in the country, worked 92-94 and touching as high as 96 or 97 with bat-breaking life on his fastball. His breaking ball is a short, late-breaking slider that shows the ability to compete in the strike zone. He will have to cut down his walks and be more consistent in the strike zone, but Robinson has late-inning potential at the highest level and could move quickly if he harnesses more control.

LOVE The Cabbage pick in the 4th round, whether he's a SS , 3B , or a 2B i think he can stick in the infielder as a 6'4" hitter with a sweet contact swing and mild power.

 

THE THING IS HE MIGHT be a tough sign, Committed to U of Tennesseee

 

 

The 3rd Round Pick surprised me, with C Austin Rei and SS Blake Trahan STILL on the Board (Muetuella, Riley Ferrell just gone)

 

Blankenhorn better play up to his potential sooner than later.

 

I don't really know anything about most of these amateur players, but did it seem like Austin Rei, the college catcher drafted right after the Twins picked in round 3, might have been a good choice?

It's usually best to just go BPA, obviously C is a glaring need for the Twins, but if they like someone more then Rei you go with that guy (chances are Rei never makes the majors in an impact way anyways, like most 3rd round guys)

Not to be a jerk, but 6 foot 2 probably indicates he didn't have a huge future on the hardwood....

6'3"

 

 

but he was always going to play baseball, assumng all other things being equal, just good to see the Twins go after a guy with excess fast-twitch muscle fibers and fully participatory in 2 other high-intensity sports.

 

6'3"


but he was always going to play baseball, assumng all other things being equal, just good to see the Twins go after a guy with excess fast-twitch muscle fibers and fully participatory in 2 other high-intensity sports.

worse case the Twins are putting together a heck of a pickup basketball team

 

The reality is in the middle rounds NOBODY is going to be a sure thing, if a guy throws 95+ and is a starter he is pretty much going to get snagged in rounds one and two. If you want a hard thrower in the middle rounds, chances are its going to be a RP, if you want a starter in the mid rounds chances are its going to be a softer throwing type (the Twins already have plenty of those and people bitch every-time they draft a guy who throws high 80's anyways). Of course there are some HS pitchers you can try to snag but they are risky, expensive and can be tough signs, might as wait for rounds 11-30 for those types anyways.

I get that, no need to talk down to me... this isn't my first draft. I'm not some noob fresh from the Star Tribune comment section. I've been following the draft since '09. 

 

My point is... many of the best relievers are failed starters. Glen Perkins, wasn't exactly are hard thrower as a starter. Joe Nathan... LaTroy Hawkins all failed starters. Pitchers can throw harder in shorter stints- that 91mph fastball becomes 95 in the bullpen, then why draft pitchers that didn't have the pitches, stamina, or control to stick in the rotation as an amateur? That's my question. 

If you are going to keep drafting college RP, when other teams don't as often.....you are either a genius or not all that bright.

 

I get that, no need to talk down to me... this isn't my first draft. I'm not some noob fresh from the Star Tribune comment section. I've been following the draft since '09. 

 

My point is... many of the best relievers are failed starters. Glen Perkins, wasn't exactly are hard thrower as a starter. Joe Nathan... LaTroy Hawkins all failed starters. Pitchers can throw harder in shorter stints- that 91mph fastball becomes 95 in the bullpen, then why draft pitchers that didn't have the pitches, stamina, or control to stick in the rotation as an amateur? That's my question. 

I'm not talking down to you at all....

Yes, several great relievers are failed starters when drafted, but Perkins himself was a first round pick as a starter, not a mid round guy. Nathan was a SS when he was drafted. Hawkins, while a solid RP is hardly considered one of "the best" he had a couple nice years in Minnesota and Chicago but was more middle of the road then anything else.

 

Also a lot of these guys get tossed in the pen in college because college coaches don't have the patience to let them develop.

Edited June 9, 2015 by SpiritofVodkaDave

 

I get that, no need to talk down to me... this isn't my first draft. I'm not some noob fresh from the Star Tribune comment section. I've been following the draft since '09. 

 

My point is... many of the best relievers are failed starters. Glen Perkins, wasn't exactly are hard thrower as a starter. Joe Nathan... LaTroy Hawkins all failed starters. Pitchers can throw harder in shorter stints- that 91mph fastball becomes 95 in the bullpen, then why draft pitchers that didn't have the pitches, stamina, or control to stick in the rotation as an amateur? That's my question. 

Furthermore, relievers don't pitch enough innings in a season to be all that valuable. And their performance tends to be volatile from season to season based on sample size. Why spend valuable picks on pitchers that will never be a starter instead of spending them on picks of pitchers that may become a middle to back of the rotation starter that can be moved to the bullpen when they fail?

You also need to save money somewhere to convince some of these guys to sign...college relievers is one way to do it.  They likely could be thinking save some money and get a guy we like.  

 

If you are going to keep drafting college RP, when other teams don't as often.....you are either a genius or not all that bright.

Especially one that walks 7 per 9 over the course of his career.

 

I get that, no need to talk down to me... this isn't my first draft. I'm not some noob fresh from the Star Tribune comment section. I've been following the draft since '09. 

 

My point is... many of the best relievers are failed starters. Glen Perkins, wasn't exactly are hard thrower as a starter. Joe Nathan... LaTroy Hawkins all failed starters. Pitchers can throw harder in shorter stints- that 91mph fastball becomes 95 in the bullpen, then why draft pitchers that didn't have the pitches, stamina, or control to stick in the rotation as an amateur? That's my question. 

Wow , a little testy, i saw no talking down to anyone in that comment, lets not show arrogance.

worse case the Twins are putting together a heck of a pickup basketball team

LOL

 

Between Meyer, Pelfrey and Slegers, plenty of tall redwoods in the paint. Mauer played guard on a high school team that played in the state championship. I'm thinking Buxton would be unstoppable at the PG, plus nobody would get by him defensively. Santana, Gordon and Hicks running out on the fastbreak and applying full-court pressure. Vargas and Sano there to set some nasty mean picks. And I'm thinking Hughes' pinpoint accuracy in hitting a catcher's mitt from 60'6" means he can probably locate quite a few accurate 3-pointers from 22'.

 

If you are going to keep drafting college RP, when other teams don't as often.....you are either a genius or not all that bright.

At some point you give the Twins the benefit of the doubt, this org now has had a top 3 minor league prospect farm over the last 3 or so years.

Also, the draft isn't the only place to find pitching, you can always snag some raw high upside guys on the international market as well.

Twins are on the clock.

Like many, I too am a bit puzzled by the number of college relievers the Twins have been drafting. My hope is that it will pay off in a few years. My bigger hope is that it will pay off in a huge way in a few years if they can construct a bullpen of cost controlled guys and spend that savings on a frontline starter or impact bat. I know that is a lot to hope for but I do see some value in having a system with a bunch of potentially strong bullpen options.

 

At the least, hopefully it keeps them away from Stauffer-like signings.

Now we will really have a basketball team with Chris Paul!!!!

Chris Paul OF I LOOOOVE his upside.

 

Strengths
Dynamic, Explosive, Electric, Dominantonly a few of the words used to describe Chris Paul's game. Paul is one of the better all-around PG prospects to come along in the past decade, and there isn't much about his game that isn't a strength.

The first thing you notice about Paul is his explosiveness with the ball. There really isn't anybody that can stop him from getting to the basket, with his dynamite first step and ability to get the ball above the rim before shot blockers can alter it.

Furthering this strength is Paul's ability to recognize offensive opportunities and exploit them. He understands how to get by defenders on the break, and is relentless at pushing the ball and getting to the basket. If he sees a potential help defender slacking, he will be at the rim before that defender realizes what is happening. Paul is a master of things like splitting defenders, and changing pace to gain that miniscule opening he needs.

While he certainly has the open court speed of a TJ Ford, Dee Brown, or Raymond Felton, none of those point guards break down the defense off the dribble and consistently get to the basket as effectively as Chris Paul.

As a floor general, Paul might not quite have the creativity of the truly great pass-first point guards, but he runs an offense effectively and is very efficient with the ball. Paul has incredibly quick hands, as his nearly 2.5/1 assist-to-turnover ratio would indicate. At Wake Forest, Paul ran an offense full of players that needed consistent shots, and always shared the ball quite nicely. He understands tempo, distributes the ball in an intelligent fashion, and always finds the open man.

Some might question why a player of Paul's obvious talents only averaged 15 points per game, and was so inconsistent as a scorer on a night-by-night basis. Rest assured that this is only because of Paul's role as a distributor, and the fact that he played on a team with numerous other capable scorers.

In addition to his ability to break down defenses off the dribble, Paul has developed into a great outside shooter, hitting 47% of his 3-pointers this season. He can score in a variety of ways, whether it set shots from the outside or acrobatic, floating drives from the mid-range.

Paul has developed a reputation as a clutch player, and always steps up against big competition. He scored 50 points in two games against Duke this season, and had 27 against UNC and Raymond Felton early in the ACC slate. Paul seems to understand when his team needs a big scoring performance, or even simply a big basket. He will always step up his scoring output in these situations.

While his team ended up losing, Paul's performance down the stretch against West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA tourney typifies the kind of player that he is. While the Mountaineers kept finding ways to hit big shots, Paul nearly single-handedly matched them, basket for basket, before he fouled out.

Finally, Paul is the consummate competitor on the floor. While this desire to win sometimes causes him to take things too far, he leaves it all out on the court every time, and oftentimes simply wills his team to a victory.

It's hard not to get excited about a player that is so complete in doing what he can to get a win.

Weaknesses
Paul is a remarkably well-rounded point guard and prospect, but there are a few negatives to mention.

With his quick hands and dominant lateral quickness, you would expect Paul to be a dominant defender. However, he is mediocre at best in this area. While he ends up with a lot of steals, he isn't always an aggressive defender, and doesn't eat up opposing ball handlers the way that he should.

Wake Forest was a very poor defensive team this season, and it showed up in the tournament. While some of that falls on Skip Prosser's system and a few of Paul's teammates, Paul's inability to lock up primary ball handlers (go back to that West Virginia game again), is a place to start when discussing the Demon Deacons' defensive woes.

At a generous 6'0, Paul is a bit undersized as a point in the NBA. While his explosiveness more than makes up for it, Paul may have to adjust some of the things he does as far as attacking the basket. He may have trouble guarding some of the bigger point guards in the league as well.

Finally, while it's hard to call a player too competitive, it seems like Paul may have become just that during the ACC slate this past season. He developed a reputation as a guy who is willing to throw a cheap shot, even before the incident in the last game of the regular season where he punched Juilus Hodge below the belt.

Furthermore, there were some late season rumors of locker room unrest at Wake Forest. This is something that NBA teams will probably look into, though it's hard to see a team passing on Paul because of personality issues. He is too dynamic a presence on the floor.

Outlook
Paul is generally considered the number one point guard in the 2005 draft, and it isn't too hard to see why. There really isn't anything he doesn't do well, and his ability to break people down off the dribble is nothing short of spectacular. Unless something drastic happens, he's a top selection on draft night - probably top 3.

Comments
While we have Tony Parker down here as a worst-case, that probably isn't very fair to Parker, who would put up bigger numbers if he wasn't running the show in San Antonio.

 

If you are going to keep drafting college RP, when other teams don't as often.....you are either a genius or not all that bright.

Perhaps we soon will have to change the meme about the Twins being so regressive in their thinking...? No, I didn't think so...

 

If you want more hard throwers in the organization, instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, why not follow a plan that has actually worked with a proven track record, and is biomechanically-grounded, with the proper health caveats and a full understanding of when the average fireballer hits his peak velocity?

 

 

Like many, I too am a bit puzzled by the number of college relievers the Twins have been drafting. My hope is that it will pay off in a few years. My bigger hope is that it will pay off in a huge way in a few years if they can construct a bullpen of cost controlled guys and spend that savings on a frontline starter or impact bat. I know that is a lot to hope for but I do see some value in having a system with a bunch of potentially strong bullpen options.

 

At the least, hopefully it keeps them away from Stauffer-like signings.

 

I don't mind it, the one thing the Twins have been lacking this year is guys who can strike people out (especially in the bullpen), the Royals have shown us over the last year or so that if you can get 3 shut down guys in the pen, that is strong enough to take you to the playoffs and more importantly deep in the playoffs. All the Twins need is like two of these hard throwing RP types to give them a start to a formidable pen, bonus points as they are drafting LHP as well.