Twins cap Draft Day 1 with Baddoo at 74
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MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins continued their trend of selecting high school position players on the first day of the MLB Draft, as they took outfielder Akil Baddoo from Georgia's Salem High School with the No. 74 overall pick in Lottery Round B on Thursday night.
Baddoo, 17, joins high school outfielder Alex Kirilloff, who was taken with the No. 15 overall pick, high school catcher Ben Rortvedt (No. 56) and high school shortstop/third baseman Jose Miranda (No. 73). The slot value of the 74th pick, which the Twins received after they were unable to sign Kyle Cody with the No. 73 pick in the 2015 Draft, is $878,500.
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• 15th overall: Alex Kirilloff
• 56th overall: Ben Rortvedt
• 73rd overall: Jose Miranda
Baddoo, ranked as the No. 72 overall Draft prospect by MLBPipeline.com, is known for his combination of power and speed, as he has the potential to be a 20/20 player, earning comparisons to a young Carl Crawford, as he also hits and throws from the left side.
"We really like Akil," Twins scouting director Deron Johnson said. "He's kind of in the Jacque Jones mold. He can really hit. He's got a good swing. He's really aggressive."
The Draft continues on Friday with Rounds 3-10. The MLB.com preview show begins at 11:30 a.m. CT, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 3-10 beginning at noon CT.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder profiles as a center fielder going forward, and Johnson called him a plus runner.
"He's a center fielder," Johnson said. "The knock on him is his arm strength. He has a different arm action. The kid can really hit. We think he has the potential to add power. He's strong. He's a good hitter who squares the ball up."
Baddoo, a Conyers, Ga., native, was named a Rawlings-Perfect Game Second-Team All-American and named to the Southeast All Region First Team. He's committed to the University of Kentucky.
It was a bit of a surprise the Twins didn't take any pitchers with their top four picks, but Johnson said all four selections were the guys they were targeting.
"We needed some bats," Johnson said. "We were happy with today. We got who we wanted."