'Best available' may be Twins' Draft approach
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins' homegrown core of Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, Miguel Sanó, Max Kepler and Jose Berrios is firing on all cylinders and could soon be fortified by another wave featuring names like Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Brent Rooker and Brusdar Graterol. And with the 2019 MLB Draft set to occur, the newest generation of homegrown Twins talent will soon begin its Minor League journeys.
The 2019 Draft will take place tonight through Wednesday, beginning with tonight's Draft preview show on MLB Network and MLB.com at 5 CT on Monday. MLB Network will broadcast the first 41 picks (Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A), while MLB.com will stream all 78 picks on Day 1. MLB.com will also provide live pick-by-pick coverage of Rounds 3-10 on Day 2, beginning with a preview show at 11:30 a.m. CT. Then, Rounds 11-40 can be heard live on MLB.com on Day 3, beginning at 11 a.m. CT.
Go to MLB.com/Draft to see the Top 200 Prospects list, mock Drafts from MLB Pipeline analysts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, the complete order of selection and more. And follow @MLBDraft on Twitter to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying.
Here’s how the Draft is shaping up for the Twins, whose first selection is the 13th overall pick.
In about 50 words
Through a combination of strong drafting and international scouting for top-tier talent and the addition of six Top 30 prospects at last season's Trade Deadline in deals involving Ryan Pressly, Lance Lynn, Eduardo Escobar and Brian Dozier, the Twins have a strong combination of high-upside talent and solid college performers led by Top 100 prospects Lewis (No. 7), Kirilloff (No. 12) and Graterol (No. 61).
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What they're saying
"[General manager Thad Levine] and I brought different perspectives. Texas and Cleveland did take a little different [approach] in the Draft. Both had successes and misses and otherwise. ... So I just think you take the best possible player at the end of the day. We haven’t ruled out -- because we’ve taken a college bat and we’ve taken a high school bat so far -- so we wouldn’t rely on any type of profile, even in the early rounds." -- chief baseball officer Derek Falvey
Who might they take?
In his most recent projection, MLB Pipeline expert Jim Callis had the Twins taking third baseman Keoni Cavaco of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, Calif., writing, "No first-rounder has more helium at the moment." Jonathan Mayo landed on Baylor catcher Shea Langeliers, who boasts a tremendous arm as part of a strong defensive skill set to go with a solid hitting record but dropped on many Draft boards after breaking his hamate bone earlier this season. Callis and Mayo had previously projected that the Twins could take Bryson Stott, a college shortstop out of UNLV, or Corbin Carroll, an outfielder from Seattle with one of the most advanced high school bats in the Draft.
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Money matters
Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team has an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club's selections in the first 10 rounds of the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. The signing bonuses for a team's selections in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus greater than $125,000 for a player taken after the 10th round, will apply toward the bonus-pool total.
Any team going up to five percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75 percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75 percent tax plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10-15 percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100 percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100 percent tax plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts.
The Twins have a pool of $9,905,800 to spend in the first 10 rounds in this year's Draft, including a slot value of $4,197,300 for their first-round selection.
Shopping list
From Wander Javier to Rooker, and from Graterol to Lewis Thorpe, the Twins' Top 30 boasts both position players and pitchers with potential at all levels of the Minors, particularly after adding a pair of intriguing high-upside arms (Jhoan Duran, Jorge Alcala) via trade last season. Corner infield isn't well represented at the lower levels, but with no glaring deficiencies among the club's top talent at any level, Minnesota is in a good position to select whatever best talent is available to continue to fortify a balanced system.
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Trend watch
The Twins took divergent paths in the two Drafts helmed by Falvey, Levine and scouting director Sean Johnson since the organization's leadership change following the 2016 season. Their '17 haul, led by Lewis, involved three high school draftees in their first four picks, while last year's class saw Minnesota take three college hitters to begin its Draft. Though the Twins filled up both classes with college talent as the Drafts progressed, it's tough to lock down any trend so far -- if there is any -- under the new administration.
Recent top picks
2018: Trevor Larnach, OF (Class A Advanced Fort Myers)
2017: Royce Lewis, SS (Fort Myers)
2016: Alex Kirilloff, OF/1B (Double-A Pensacola)
2015: Tyler Jay, LHP (Pensacola)
2014: Nick Gordon, SS (Triple-A Rochester)