Who are Twins considering with 5th pick in Draft?

This story was excerpted from Do-Hyoung Park’s Twins Beat publication. To learn the total publication, click here. And subscribe to get it frequently in your inbox.

No workforce benefited extra from the inaugural MLB Draft lottery than the Twins, who ought to have been slated to make their first-round choice at No. 13 however shot all the way up to No. 5 because of the variance instituted by the brand new guidelines.

And if there’s any Draft wherein rising particularly into the highest 5 may show important, it’s this one, as a result of there’s a widespread consensus that there’s a transparent high 5 that stands above the remaining on this class — and now, the Twins can be assured to land a type of abilities, in the event that they so select, when the primary day of the Draft takes place on Sunday in Seattle.

“I imply, we’re excited simply to be right here, type of,” stated Twins vp of beginner scouting Sean Johnson. “We’re going to attempt to do the perfect we will with that chance. And that’s how we see it. Simply an opportunity to perhaps entry a greater prospect on this Draft.”

So, in a way, it may simply be so simple as ready to see which of the top-five abilities stays after the primary 4 groups have picked, and taking that ultimate member of the group, which options LSU right-hander Paul Skenes, LSU outfielder Dylan Crews, Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford, North Carolina highschool outfielder Walker Jenkins and Indiana highschool outfielder Max Clark.

However is it actually that simple?

“We by no means have a look at it as a specific amount of gamers in a Draft that we should always contemplate,” Johnson stated. “We at all times preserve a very broad focus there. Whether or not it was a three-player Draft or a five-player Draft, from no matter narrative you wish to get it from, we at all times broaden our horizons. We preserve as massive of a pool as attainable to pick out from.”

Johnson stated the Twins have narrowed down their potential choice pool to roughly 10 gamers for that first-round decide, and it’s robust to think about one of many LSU uber-talents — Skenes or Crews — falling to No. 5. However, as MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis has identified, there’s some thought that if one of many highschool outfielders falls to the Twins, their mannequin may favor a school hitter as an alternative, based mostly on their previous observe document.

“I believe that’s definitely considered one of our MOs, is to take school performers,” Johnson stated. “They do resonate nicely with our mannequin and have for some time. And our mannequin’s altering yearly, it’s adapting.”

And, after all, it’s robust to account for any uncertainty that might happen forward of them, too. They noticed that firsthand last yearwhen the Rangers upended most Draft projections by choosing Kumar Rocker with the No. 3 decide, which began a cascading chain of chaos that led to Brooks Lee falling all the way in which to the Twins at No. 8, an consequence about which they felt terribly lucky.

No matter occurs with that No. 5 decide, will probably be removed from the Twins’ solely affect choice on Sunday, as they’ll choose twice extra, at Nos. 34 and 49, on Day 1. The Twins discovered super worth in that vary final yr, after they chosen potential future frontline starter Connor Prielipp with their second-round decide, and the depth of this class makes that one other favorable vary this yr.

The Twins may also profit considerably from their transfer up the Draft board, which added practically $2.3 million to their bonus pool, giving them the fourth-largest pool within the Draft at $14,345,600, which they will distribute as they please to their picks inside the first 10 rounds. That would make a distinction in probably accessing gamers who slip down the Draft resulting from bonus calls for.

“Having three picks inside the highest 50, I believe it’s an amazing yr for that,” Johnson stated. “I believe there’s actually good depth in sure elements of the Draft. So we predict we’re going to get three actually good gamers on the primary evening. That’s not at all times the case.”