MLB Draft Preview: Minnesota Connections

Find out today which players with Minnesota ties could live out a dream by hearing their names called as a 2017 MLB Draft pick over the next three days.

SAM CARLSON

Just this last week, Sam Carlson helped lead the Burnsville Blaze high school baseball team to the state tournament. His team will start tournament play on Thursday. On Friday night he graduated. However, as big and as fun as Thursday will be for Carlson, Monday will be a very big day for him as well. As we know, he has a chance to become the first pitcher drafted out of a Minnesota high school in the first round of the MLB draft.

At 6-4 and 205 pounds, Carlson plays center field when he isn’t pitching, but it is on the mound where his future is very bright. He has a commitment to the University of Florida to pitch, but he is also expected to be selected somewhere in the second half of the first round. For Twins fans, it might be more ideal for him to fall into the team’s lap with the 35th overall pick.

As a junior, Carlson was throwing a fastball in the 87 to 89 mph range. Last summer, he was hitting 91-93 mph in the national prep circuit. This spring, he has been clocked between 91-95 mph. And some scouts believe that he’s got room to grow yet and potentially add a couple more ticks to that velocity. He’s got a full mix of pitches including a very good changeup. He worked on a slider that can be more of a swing-and-miss pitch to go with a slower curveball.

In a recent Q&A with Twins Daily, Carlson said he is “extremely comfortable with all my pitches to the point where, depending on the batter, any one of them can be an out pitch.”

It’s probably a dream to think Carlson could last until the Twins’ second pick, but if he does, they should lock him up!

But wait… there’s more…

MICHAEL BAUMANN

The Twins drafted right-hander Michael Baumann in the 34th round of the 2014 draft out of Mahtomedi High School where he teamed with Kentucky’s Friday night starter, sophomore Sean Hjelle. Baumann obviously did not sign, instead attending Jacksonville University. Following a great freshman season, Baumann’s stock was likely at its highest. He’s continued to pitch well.

This spring, he started slow due to a bout with mono, but he gained strength as the season went on. He has a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and has touched 97. It has some natural movement to it as well. He has a solid slider in the mid-80s. He also has a slow curveball, but it’s definitely his third pitch. At 6-5 and 225 pounds, it’s possible he could continue to add strength and some velocity.

While 37 might be a little early for him, if he’s there in the third or fourth round, the Twins should consider him as well.

SEVERAL GOPHERS COULD BE DRAFTED

The Minnesota Gophers had another solid season. Predicted to finished sixth in the Big 10, they finished fourth in the regular season and third in the Big Ten tournament.

Left-hander Lucas Gilbreath is the name to watch early on in the draft. The left-hander from Westminster, Colorado, came to the Gophers three years ago even though he had been drafted by the Rockies in the 36th round of the 2014 draft. He pitched some as a freshman. He was very good as a sophomore working out of the bullpen. This season, he became the Gophers’ Friday night starter. He struggled a little early in the adjustment, but figured things out in a hurry. He went 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA in 14 starts. In 81.1 innings, he walked 32 and struck out 92. Gilbreath’s fastball sits anywhere between 88 and 93, touching 94 at times. He also has an above average curveball. A third pitch could make him a starter long term. If not, he could do well as a lefty reliever. He could be drafted anytime on Day 2, depending on which person saw him on which day.

3B Micah Coffey, 1B Toby Hanson and OF Alex Boxwell are all are possible late Day 2 guys though Day 3 is maybe more likely.

Coffey came to Minnesota from Illinois. The 6-1, 200 pound junior was second team Big Ten this year. He hit .340/.396/.493 (.889) with 15 doubles, two triples and four homers. Hanson is from Delano. The 6-2, 220 pound junior played in all 57 games for the Gophers this year. He hit .319/.350/.477 (.827) with 14 doubles, four triples, five home runs and a team-leading 57 RBI. Boxwell missed time due to injury, but his tools are rather good. The Coon Rapids native played a lot of center field early in the season. He hit just .253/.329/.438 (.767) with a double, four triples and six home runs. He’s currently playing in the Cape Cod League but there’s a chance he too is taken late on Day 2 or early Day 3.

2B Luke Pettersen hit .354 (tops on the team) with a .411 on-base percentage. He had eight doubles. The junior from Minnetonka could be a Day 3 guy.

Then there are a couple of seniors that could be taken at any time. If the right scout saw them on the right day, maybe they’re a late Day 2 senior signing type, or more likely they’re late Day 3 guys. OF Jordan Smith from Eden Prairie hit .309/.406/.480 (.886) with 13 doubles, two triples and six home runs. Closer Brian Glowicki came to the Gophers from Downers Grove, Illinois, where he played with Zach Burdi and watched Nick Burdi when he was younger as well. He set the Gophers’ single-season saves record with 16 this year. He also went 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. Toby Anderson struggled as a starter early in the season, but if a scout saw him pitching out of the bullpen in the Big Ten tournament, maybe he saw something to make him a late-round pick as well.

MANKATO STARTING PITCHERS

The Minnesota State - Mankato baseball team had another strong season in 2017 under the direction of coach Matt Mager. The team went 46-11 overall and 35-5 in the conference.

Left-hander Brody Rodning is one pitcher to watch late on Day 2 or sometime Day 3. The Gaylord (MN) native went to Sibley East High School where he had three letters each in football, basketball and baseball. On the mound, he struck out 81 batters in 38 innings as a senior. He went to Mankato where he was quickly put in the starting rotation and succeeded. As a junior this season, he went 6-4 with a 3.47 ERA. He struck out 77 batters in 70 innings. He is 6-1 and about 190 pounds. He has five pitches. His fastball is mostly 88-91 mph, though he can touch 93, but he throws with a crossfire that adds some deception. He throws both a slider and a curveball as well as a cutter. He also throws a changeup.

Right-hander Dalton Roach went 10-1 with a 1.56 ERA as a junior this season. The Eau Claire native struck out 128 batters while walking just 12 over his 86.2 innings in 2017. Like Rodning, Roach came in as a freshman and immediately made an impact. He has an upper-80s fastball that reaches into the 90s. As you would guess, he’s got really good control and command of the strike zone. He’s got a four-pitch mix and uses his pitches effectively. He could be a mid-Day 3 guy.

Red-shirt junior Nick Belzer is from Ankeny High School in Iowa. On the season, he went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 60.2 innings. He walked 22 and struck out 77. The 6-2, 185 pound right-hander reaches into the low 90s at times. He may be one to watch in the late rounds as well.

Junior Ricky Digurgilliers is 6-3 and 200 pounds. He went 7-0 with a 1.75 ERA in 51.1 innings, mostly out of the bullpen. Senior Mitchell Bauer is from Maple Grove. He’s 6-2 and 195 pounds. He went 9-0 with a 2.91 ERA in 86.2 innings. He walked 28 and struck out 70. Both pitch in the mid-80s for the most part so are unlikely to be drafted, but Bauer may garner interest from some teams.

STILL MORE...

Dalton Lehnen is a junior left-handed pitcher from Lakeville. After high school, he went to the University of Cincinnati for two years before transferring to Augustana for his junior season. He posted a 2.60 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 52 innings. He throws a fastball between 93 and 96 mph so most see him as a power bullpen arm going forward. He has the makings of a solid breaking ball, slider, that he’ll need. His control and command can also struggle at times. He is another late Day 2, early Day 3 guy.

Rollie Lacy is a right-handed pitcher out of Creighton University in Omaha. He graduated from Holy Family High School where, as a senior, he posted a 0.00 ERA in 34 innings. He is now a red-shirt junior. He has been the team’s Friday night starting pitcher since his sophomore season. At 6-4 and 195 pounds, Lacy typically will sit 89-91 mph. He has a lot of sink and also throws a slurve. This year, he went 5-2 with a 2.54 ERA. In 88.2 innings, he struck out 83 and walked just 18. He’ll likely be an early Day 3 guy because he doesn’t have a ton of velocity, but he is one who could go through the lower levels fairly quickly.

Of course, not all of these guys will necessarily be drafted, and it’s possible, maybe likely, I was off on the rounds for those that do get selected. While Sam Carlson is the name that so many Minnesota fans know, there are quite a few more players that have a chance to hear their name called on MLB.com’s coverage. It’s a big three days for a lot of people.

We at Twins Daily would like to extend our best wishes to all of these players and others selected in the MLB Draft.