2017 MLB Draft Retrospective: Missed Opportunities and Mistakes Define a Once-Tantalizing Class

[Cody Christie]

The 2017 MLB Draft had a chance to be a franchise-altering moment for the Twins. Instead, it is shaping up to be one misstep after another.

Image courtesy of Tommy Gilligan (Lewis), Stan Szeto (Rooker)-Imagn Images

The 2017 MLB Draft had a chance to be a franchise-altering moment for the Twins. Instead, it is shaping up to be one misstep after another.

Major League Baseball’s amateur draft is unlike those of the other major American men's pro sports leagues. Organizations must draft the right players, and it takes multiple years of development before players can have a major-league impact. Still, certain drafts serve as inflection points for an entire organization. Derek Falvey took over the Twins front office leading into the 2017 season and knew that the organization had to make the right choice with the draft’s number one pick. From there, Minnesota has made other mistakes. 

Decision at the Top: Royce Lewis vs. Hunter Greene
The team's decisions that year begin with their choice of Royce Lewis over Hunter Greene at the very top. While Lewis has flashed tantalizing power, his career has been marred by injuries and limited to just 152 games, raising doubts about his ability to become a long‑term cornerstone. In contrast, Greene has blossomed into an ace, earning an All‑Star nod in 2024 and leading baseball in WHIP (0.78) early in 2025. 

Selecting Lewis was a sensible move, banking on his athleticism and projectability. It was (at least in part) a bet on the position player to stay healthier than the pitcher, and when Greene underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2019, that seemed to have paid off. Since 2021, though, Lewis has undergone two ACL repairs, missed time with hamstring, quadricep and oblique strains, and played barely the equivalent of a full season in the majors. There are long‑term questions about his durability and defensive positioning. Despite moments like hitting four career grand slams in a burst within his first 60 career games, he's been unable to anchor the Twins lineup.

Greene, meanwhile is up to roughly two and a half years' worth of big-league starts. He struck out 30-plus batters with fewer than five walks and no more than three earned runs over his first four 2025 starts, a feat only five starters had previously achieved since 1901. He's already eclipsed 500 career punchouts, and this year is trending toward being his best yet. Minnesota has built up its own pitching pipeline, but Greene would look great at the top of the team’s rotation. 

The Brent Rooker Trade
Another misstep saw the Twins trade Brent Rooker (whom they took in the sandwich round that year, but who got only seven big‑league games in Minnesota) as a throw-in for Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagán. The Twins had a logjam in the outfield, and Rooker was the odd man out. Since that time, he has morphed into a premier slugger in Oakland, averaging over 34 home runs per season with OPS+ marks of 126 and 164 in 2023 and 2024. After bouncing from San Diego to Kansas City, Rooker landed in Oakland and seized his chance. The Twins have struggled to develop bats, and Rooker would be a welcome addition to the 2025 lineup. 

Unfulfilled Early‑Round Hopes
Landon Leach: Selected 37th overall in Round 2, right‑hander Landon Leach showed early promise in the GCL during his first two professional seasons. Injuries significantly impacted his career, however, and he never made it past Fort Myers. He pitched one season in the Braves organization before calling it a career at age 22. 

Blayne Enlow: Taken 76th overall in Round 3, Blayne Enlow once flashed first‑round upside out of Louisiana. He was considered one of the organization’s top pitching prospects for multiple seasons. However, he elected free agency following the 2023 season after Tommy John surgery and inconsistent minor‑league results. He never appeared in the big leagues and topped out at Triple-A.

Charlie Barnes: Fourth‑round pick Charlie Barnes briefly reached the majors in 2021, with a 5.92 ERA in nine games before shifting to the Korean Baseball Organization.

One Silver Lining: Bailey Ober
The most surprising success from that draft came in Round 12, when the Twins selected Bailey Ober. He has become a dependable starter, compiling 8.0 career WAR with a 3.85 ERA and 501 strikeouts over 490.1 innings. Ober’s ascent from late-rounder to rotation fixture offers a rare highlight amid a draft class otherwise defined by missed opportunities.

Seven years on, the 2017 Twins draft looms as a point of frustration and leakage—from the unlucky roll of the dice on Lewis over Greene to the lack of value gleaned from Rooker and setbacks with early picks like Leach, Enlow, and Barnes. While Ober stands out as a gem, Minnesota’s inability to nurture and deploy its high‑end talent underscores the stakes of player development and roster management. As the organization reflects on these lessons, the hope is that future drafts will yield not just potential, but consistent, long‑term contributors.

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What was the Twins’ most significant mistake in the 2017 MLB Draft? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Patzky]

Ehh Rooker had a great 2024 but isn't up to much so far. Too bad Ryan Leaf didn't play baseball huh.

[Mike Sixel]

I still laugh that a certain poster said it was foolish to take Greene because Lewis would 100 percent be healthier....

It's hard to maybe the team, though. You just can't predict these injuries.

As for Rooker..... Every team agreed with the Twins, so no chance anyone saw this coming. At the time, they were competitive, and Rooker needed to be on the forty man, and I'm curious who people think they should have cut, without hindsight.... But this site will never let this go, despite ever team agreeing with the Twins.

[Taildragger8791]

1 hour ago, Patzky said:

Ehh Rooker had a great 2024 but isn't up to much so far. Too bad Ryan Leaf didn't play baseball huh.

Rooker has warmed up the last couple of weeks after a slow start. I always liked Rooker's ability to show growth at each level after his initial struggles upon promotion. He showed the ability to make adjustments and figure out how to be productive. But it was a huge question mark whether it would happen at the MLB level so I don't blame the Twins for moving him in a roster crunch.

[Hrbeks Divot]

I haven’t studied the 2018 draft but I’d like to see what came out of that draft that we “missed”. We can look at every draft by every team and find early picks that flamed out. I can hear the arguments about Greene vs. Lewis but after that it was mostly a crapshoot.

[Mike Sixel]

7 minutes ago, Hrbeks Divot said:

I haven’t studied the 2018 draft but I’d like to see what came out of that draft that we “missed”. We can look at every draft by every team and find early picks that flamed out. I can hear the arguments about Greene vs. Lewis but after that it was mostly a crapshoot.

Right? Very few picks outside round 1 become good to great players. It's not quite random in round 2, but after round 3? Fairly random. 

[Wedman13]

43 minutes ago, Hrbeks Divot said:

I haven’t studied the 2018 draft but I’d like to see what came out of that draft that we “missed”. We can look at every draft by every team and find early picks that flamed out. I can hear the arguments about Greene vs. Lewis but after that it was mostly a crapshoot.

It was Lewis, Greene, Mackenzie Gore, Brendan McKay and Kyle Wright.  All seen as 1/1 possibilities that year.  I believe Lewis came cheapest so hard to argue the pick.

[Twins GFP]

3 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

As for Rooker..... Every team agreed with the Twins, so no chance anyone saw this coming. At the time, they were competitive, and Rooker needed to be on the forty man, and I'm curious who people think they should have cut, without hindsight.... But this site will never let this go, despite ever team agreeing with the Twins.

Thirty years from now there will still be complaining on how the Twins messed up with Rooker. This is an extremely flawed argument that I am shocked people still try to claim. It really needs to be let go.

These 20/20 hindsight articles don't really provide any new information, just more complaining and rehashing about how the Twins "messed up" by not being able to predict the future 5 years from now.

[Ricky Vaughn]

Rooker was in 7 games in 2020 and 58 games in 2021 with over 200 plate appearances. He hit a whopping .201, with a 37% k rate

[DocBauer]

I didn't realize injuries were missed opportunities and mistakes.

[FargoFanMan]

This is always a fun topic but it’s just that. Baseball has gotten better at evaluating future projected talent but it’s still a bit of a crapshoot after a few rounds. Always will be. Still fun though.

[Rufus]

The Padres and the Royals also gave up on Rooker,  it isn't like the Twins alone totally blew that call.  Although I remember watching him when they called him up as a rookie and before he broke his arm and thinking "wow".  

[Vanimal46]

7 hours ago, Wedman13 said:

It was Lewis, Greene, Mackenzie Gore, Brendan McKay and Kyle Wright.  All seen as 1/1 possibilities that year.  I believe Lewis came cheapest so hard to argue the pick.

If you dig back far enough in the archives I liked Mackenzie Gore the most. He’s been okay but not a game changer. Greene was on our radars obviously but there’s tons of risk with HS pitchers. 

[dxpavelka]

This just in:  Hindsight is 20/20

 

[Doctor Wu]

16 hours ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

Thirty years from now there will still be complaining on how the Twins messed up with Rooker. This is an extremely flawed argument that I am shocked people still try to claim. It really needs to be let go.

These 20/20 hindsight articles don't really provide any new information, just more complaining and rehashing about how the Twins "messed up" by not being able to predict the future 5 years from now.

Not only the Twins, but also the Padres and even the (then) lowly Royals also parted ways with Rooker relatively quickly. Oakland was his last chance and credit to him for making the most of it, but I honestly don't think the Twins made any sort of mistake adding him to that trade package. 

[Doctor Wu]

9 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

If you dig back far enough in the archives I liked Mackenzie Gore the most. He’s been okay but not a game changer. Greene was on our radars obviously but there’s tons of risk with HS pitchers. 

Gore, Greene, and also the 2-way guy McKay were all projected top 5 picks in that draft. Never any sure things, but I still wish we had gone with a pitcher in that draft. Of course when Royce Lewis comes back from the IL (eventually?) and looks like an All-Star, I will eat my words again. 

[dxpavelka]

1 hour ago, Doctor Wu said:

Not only the Twins, but also the Padres and even the (then) lowly Royals also parted ways with Rooker relatively quickly. Oakland was his last chance and credit to him for making the most of it, but I honestly don't think the Twins made any sort of mistake adding him to that trade package. 

Pretty good chance that if Oakland isn't a **** show he doesn't even get a chance there.  Also, not like he's the only hit first defense seldom corner OF type they've moved on from at similar career points.  They've been right their fair share too.  Not to mention, thoughts on adding him to the trade package might have changed had the return panned out a little better as well.

[MinnInPa]

16 hours ago, Ricky Vaughn said:

Rooker was in 7 games in 2020 and 58 games in 2021 with over 200 plate appearances. He hit a whopping .201, with a 37% k rate

exactly ..another K King... the type of player Twins seem to develop over and over again.. a little pop in his bat but no plate discipline...can we please fill a roster with .270 average plus guys and K rates around 20% or lower...please

[old nurse]

14 hours ago, FargoFanMan said:

This is always a fun topic but it’s just that. Baseball has gotten better at evaluating future projected talent but it’s still a bit of a crapshoot after a few rounds. Always will be. Still fun though.

Spencer torkleson says it is still a crapshoot

[LambchoP]

It's fun to wonder how much better this team would be if we had taken Greene instead of Lewis. An ace at the top of our rotation to pair with Lopez or a guy who has become a professional IL placeholder:)

[bean5302]

23 hours ago, Patzky said:

Ehh Rooker had a great 2024 but isn't up to much so far. Too bad Ryan Leaf didn't play baseball huh.

Rooker produced more seasonal WAR in 2024 than any player on the Twins who has ever played under Falvey. Oh, I take that back. Sonny Gray's 2023 was a little higher value so we cast him off, too. Even Rooker's 2023 was better than almost any season of any Falvey drafted/developed player.

Though Rooker would have made a lousy Twins player since he's not hurt enough.

[Doctor Gast]

I was against the Paddack/ Pagan trade from the beginning. I didn't like trading away our only stable BP force (Rogers) for an arm that was ready to fall off & at best a middle RP. It turned out to be a mess & I'm not counting Rooker.

I'd still pick Royce Lewis. Hind-sight is 20/20 & does no good to focus on it. Royce still has a very bright future, so look ahead, not behind. We have too many short-sighted people in this world.

[Mike Sixel]

5 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

I was against the Paddack/ Pagan trade from the beginning. I didn't like trading away our only stable BP force (Rogers) for an arm that was ready to fall off & at best a middle RP. It turned out to be a mess & I'm not counting Rooker.

I'd still pick Royce Lewis. Hind-sight is 20/20 & does no good to focus on it. Royce still has a very bright future, so look ahead, not behind. We have too many short-sighted people in this world.

Royce has played zero or less than half a season every year.....at what point is that an issue for you?

[jorgenswest]

Baseball drafts are always about failure. You can virrually always find someone in hindsight they should have drafted in that spot unless of course you draft Bailey Ober in the 12th round and he has the 4th most WAR in the class. There will always be players that need more time than options allow and end up making it with another team.

If there was a redraft today would Royce and Bailey be in the top 10 picks? That would seem a success.

If you summed the WAR of the players selected and signed where would the Twins rank? I think the DBacks might be number 1 with Varsho and Caballero though neither is in the organization any longer. They do still have Lourdes Gurriel in trade for Varsho. Nothing for Caballero. The Twins might slot in number 2 in total WAR of drafted and signed players.

I think that I would need to go way down the list of mistakes the Twins organization has made in the last 8 years before I would put 2017 draft on the list.

[Linus]

It’s somewhat a byproduct of a couple of their guiding principles. They have been reluctant to use high draft picks on pitchers so selecting Greene may not have even been on their list. I believe they got Royce to sign for under slot so they got one of the pitchers for over slot. This was one of the first times where I notice that Falvey was going to outsmart everyone. 
I mean anyone saying they wouldn’t want Greene over Royce right now is crazy but thats hindsight. Royce could still end up being the better pick as they both should have many years left. 

[dxpavelka]

23 hours ago, MinnInPa said:

exactly ..another K King... the type of player Twins seem to develop over and over again.. a little pop in his bat but no plate discipline...can we please fill a roster with .270 average plus guys and K rates around 20% or lower...please

I was thinking .300 guys who hit 30 home runs, steal 30 bases, drive in a hundred and score a hundred but, sure, that'll work too.

[dxpavelka]

19 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

I was against the Paddack/ Pagan trade from the beginning. I didn't like trading away our only stable BP force (Rogers) for an arm that was ready to fall off & at best a middle RP. It turned out to be a mess & I'm not counting Rooker.

I'd still pick Royce Lewis. Hind-sight is 20/20 & does no good to focus on it. Royce still has a very bright future, so look ahead, not behind. We have too many short-sighted people in this world.

Isn't short-sightedness a pre-requisite  for being a Twins fan?  And a keen understanding that THE SKY IS FALLING!!!!!!!!!!!!