Importance Of The 2017 Draft
Dec 27 2017 08:10 PM |
Cody Christie
in Minor Leagues
Image courtesy of Steve Buhr
New Front Office
As the Twins were searching for a new regime, the ability to draft at the beginning of every round in the 2017 draft had to be an intriguing selling point. After being hired, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine had to be licking their chops to dive into the draft process.
There is also pressure on the front office to make the right pick. It will be multiple years before the Twins know the results of the 2017 draft. Prospects can have lots of bumps in the road before becoming regular at the big league level. Not every prospect is Mike Trout or Bryce Harper. Even recent top Twins prospects like Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios went through some growing pains.
The new front office entered the draft process and made their best selections.
Top Picks
Royce Lewis wasn’t the consensus number one pick but there might not have been a consensus top prospect as the draft approached. Lewis quickly made an impact in his professional debut. In fact, he cracked a home run in his first professional at-bat. In 42 games between the GCL and the MWL, he hit .279/.381/.407 with 15 extra-base hits. He was over three years younger than the competition in the MWL.
With their second pick in the draft, the Twins selected a familiar name. Brent Rooker had been the team’s 38th round pick in 2016 as a redshirt sophomore. He returned to Mississippi State and the decision paid off. Rooker split time between the Appalachian League and the Florida State League while combining for a .930 OPS.
Other top draft choices like Landon Leach, Blayne Enlow, Charlie Barnes and Andrew Bechtold are also going to figure into Twins top prospect lists this offseason.
Be Aggressive
Prospects can be a fickle bunch. Not every prospect is going to live up to the hype that is bestowed on him at such a young age. However, there are players in every organization who will blossom into the next wave of talent.
John Mirabelli, the Cleveland Indians Senior Director of Scouting Operations, said, “If you have a core of guys on the cusp, it’s important to get that next group and move them along as quick as you can. If you can see that coming… When you see that coming, it’s imperative to be aggressive to get them seasoned.”
The Twins were aggressive with Lewis and Rooker in their first professional season and that trend will likely continue. There are plenty of young pieces ready to contribute at the big league level. Other pieces from the 2017 draft could make it to Target Field as early as the 2018 season.
Drafting top talent is important but drafting the right pieces, that fit an organization, can make a world of difference.
Don’t forget to pick up your copy of the 2018 MINNESOTA TWINS PROSPECT HANDBOOK.
- Cory Engelhardt, markos, h2oface and 4 others like this
20 Comments
SNAFU. Pitching is but a side note.
I personally was hoping we would draft Kyle Wright from Vanderbilt - quick rising pitcher that could've the big club soon. Royce Lewis has looked promising so far, hopefully that continues.
Yep. I think they just saw too much risk with the pitchers for the #1 overall pick. I’m just glad we didn’t get the kid out of Louisville. Between him, Greene, wright and the NC kid, one of the pitchers could turn out to be a stud. Hard to say who though. Hopefully Enlow and Leach erase some of that pain though
Agree with McKay from Louisville - wasn't a fan of him. Leach has some big potential, excited to watch him. Enlow has some growing to do, physically, which could make his ceiling climb higher.
I liked the 2017 draft (although I was a moody little bitch on day one and way to angry we didn't draft for need) but I'm not sure it's as good as either 2012 or 2016. Time will tell.
It's also good to remember that pushing prospects isn't new this year. We've been very aggressive with our prospects ever since Brad Steil took over the minor leagues.
A lot of attention has been understandably paid to Lewis and Rooker, but I think a lot of people are really sleeping on Enlow, who was a consensus top 30 pick and for some (i.e., Keith Law, who is behind a paywall) a top 14 pick. Yes, his velocity apparently dipped toward the end of the spring, but that's not that uncommon with an 18 year old, and according to reports from the GCL, it was back up later in the summer.
Here is what some people said BEFORE the draft:
John Sickels:
Jim Callis:
Mlb.com (Callis, Mayo):
Eric Longenhagen (Fangraphs):
Also, Bob Sacamento's report from after the draft at the GCL was that Enlow's FB was back in the mid-90s. His whole report is worth reading.
Yeah I liked Gore a lot and Greene felt like a guy you might be kicking yourself about in five years but can't fault the Twins approach. They got a much more projectable player #1 overall and used the savings to get multiple live arms.
The results may or may not work out but you have to like the process.
Put very "eloquently." That's how I remember myself on draft day too.
With just a short amount of hindsight, however, I have really come around to Royce Lewis and Brent Rooker, who were both pushed very hard very early, and have responded quite well. Also, by the time they got to Blayne Enlow, I was reconsidering. I agree with beckmt that he could be a real gem, and we were lucky to be able to snag him, albeit way overslot, with such a low draft pick.
We all know how this shakes out, which is no definitive answer for a few years, but with such varying opinions on the potential and ceilings of the top pitchers available, I really think the Twins did the smart thing by drafting...what seems to be...the best player available in Lewis. The kid seems hard working and all class. No question he has mad tools to hone. It is so hard to take a high school infielder and just state, unequivocally, that in a few years he will be or won't be a true SS. And j find it humorous that some are already clamoring he won't be, therefore devaluing his selection. How about more time than half a season of ball and some coaching to see? His skill set would seem to suggest he could find a home and have big offensive potential at a variety of spots if SS doesn't work out.
Leach is projectible, is interesting, but will take time. Enlow just screams potential stud to me. His body fills out and be finds some sort of quality off speed pitch, look out! Rooker? Find his best spot to play and work him at it, because his bat looks for real. And there are several others...already get long winded here...that look really, really interesting.
I love seeing fruits of the labor/draft after it's all said and done.
Any love for Austin Bizzle?!?!
i picked him in TD's annual Adopt-A-Prospect project, and he didn't do anything to disqualify himself in his 2017 pro debut, so sure, I'll give some love.
Count me as one that was also surprised and disappointed that they selected Lewis with the first pick. But ... after reading more about him, and factoring in the uncertainty of the pitching prospects in the top five, I think it was a good pick. Plus, the other picks the Twins made in the early rounds look like good ones too. Astute, canny, smart, or whatever you want to call it, I think it was an impressive draft. We all know the results are still years away, but I'm optimistic.
The 2017 draft most likely extended the window past 2021.
I think most of us were disappointed after day 1... Day 2 though showed what they were doing. I'm guessing the drop off between a guy like Wright to Lewis (not to mention the increase in risk going with Wright) and getting Enlow, Leach, and Bechtold was worth it.
Agreed - I'll read anything Bob contributes.
I was not at all excited about taking Lewis over several of the College Arms and Greene.However, seeing what they did get eventually made me feel better.And the more read I read about Enlow, Leach and Rooker the more i think this was a good draft.Still would have like to have taken Wright or Greene but i get it.
I was all in on Mackenzie Gore. He signed for less than Lewis did, too.
Like others here, I have come around to thinking that Royce was a decent pick.
It will be fun to follow this draft class and see how they do.
For good reason, Gore has the tools to be a true ace. I think the tradeoff is a little less ceiling for significantly better probability. I can go either way, but don't mind the "safer" pick at #1 and then hitting upside guys in the next couple of rounds.