A Complicated Legacy Awaits the Twins with the Third Overall Pick

[mikelink45]

54 minutes ago, TJSweens said:

David McCarty was a bust. He was widely disliked in the clubhouse. He knew everything there was to know about hitting and wasn't going to listen to anyone. 

Kelly was banking on Ortiz to be the 1B in 99 and Ortiz showed up to spring training 25 pounds overweight. Later on Ortiz came out with the bs story about Kelly and Gardy not letting him hit home runs to cover his steroid infused uptick in power. 

Todd Walker didn't want to spend any time on his defense. Ironically, he had his best year under Kelly. 

The man who can't relate to younger players players helped develop Hrbek, Laudner, Gaetti, Bush, etc. in the minors. Knoblach loved him when he came up. Latroy often talks about how Kelly taught him to prepare and conduct himself like a major leaguer when he came up. 

I can only look at their comments and that is what I share.  Personally I think we overrate Kelly, but that really does not matter.  The key for the future is making sure we have personnel that can connect with those we draft and don't draft those who will not fit. 

[RaoulDuke]

I want them to take the top arm.

Riskier pick for sure but its how you get special pitchers in the system.  Even if they don't fit your timeline a top prospect pitcher is always a very valuable trade piece.

 

 

[mrtwinsfan]

12 hours ago, old nurse said:

What hall of fame bat did Kelly run out of town?  

guessing Big Papi  is who he meant

[Dman]

It seems like it will be hard to move off of the 4 Shortstops at the top of the draft. Cholowsky and Emerson both have elite hit tools I can't see them moving much.  Lebron and Lombard have hit tool concerns, but Lebron could be a 5 tool player if he can straighten out some of the chase and bring his K rate down.  He doesn't look all that Different than Cholowsky to me and Lebron has better wheels.  The hit tool is king though so if Lebron fails to hit he could fall.  Same for Lombard.

Burress is interesting with the power stroke but he isn't an elite runner and then add in he is a 5'9" center fielder and I don't love that at number 3.

If one the arms has a Skeens like run and Lebron and Lombard falter I could see them going arm at 3, but it seems like a long shot at this point.

If Lebron can hit he sure looks like the pick to me.  That would make him close enough to Cholowsky to warrant number 3 IMO.

Lot's of time left for players to position themselves, but right now it looks like another Shortstop for Minnesota.

[dxpavelka]

11 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

All of them

sadly

 

[Doctor Wu]

11 hours ago, SaberNerd said:

The big miss on Gordon is everyone thought he was a plus SS and he became a LF. 

Is Gordon in another team's organization at this point? Or will he become a full-time rapper?

[old nurse]

7 hours ago, mrtwinsfan said:

guessing Big Papi  is who he meant

I knew who he meant when he responded i could point out his revisionist history.  Bill Smith was the GM who an acquiesced to managers without thinking. And let Gardenhire’s dislike for Hardy initiate a horrible trade

[Fatbat]

22 hours ago, Pat said:

Just don't draft yet another left handed hitting outfielder.

*Unless he is a future HOF twin and helps us win a couple WS titles.  

[Fatbat]

I’m surprised no one has brought up Cavaco as the biggest draft bust in recent history. Easily top 10 worst draft picks in MLB history. 

[TNtwins85]

18 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

You live in Coral Gables? Have you seen Lombard play?

I’ve read scouting reports and articles on him. I’ve watched and seen video of him. Judging him with past HS players and the scouting reports he worries me in the sense that his bat has swing and miss. Which is gonna hinder him from tapping into that power. He’s got good athleticism to stick at SS but the arm might not. He’s not as much of a slam dunk as Emerson as far as a HS SS. I would say the same about LeBron as well. But that’s the 3rd pick for you. If Lombard dominates this spring and shows the hit tool is solid that will alleviate a lot of question marks. In turn it might push him up to 2 or even 1 depending on Emerson and Cholowsky. There’s a lot of time left. Maybe a Paul Skenes type emerges. Let’s remember he was ranked more middle of the 1st round before that season and Dylan Crews was the consensus 1-1. It’ll be a fun HS and college season!

[arby58]

On 12/20/2025 at 10:35 AM, mikelink45 said:

I see David McCarty and I blame Tom Kelly for his lack of success.  Kelly was resentful of McCary's academic background and press clippings coming into the Twins. Kelly was great at somethings but was not good at adapting to all players - like Ortiz “I don’t think he really liked me." “I don’t know why. That was his style, not just with me. He was hard on young players. He was the kind of manager who liked veteran players. He never liked me.”

McCarty wasn't a kid in his first job - he was 23 years old his rookie year with the Twins. It's not like Kelly didn't give him a chance - he had 371 plate appearances his first year and produced a .542 OPS and 46 OPS+ for a -2.7 WAR. McCarty bounced around a lot - also played for the Giants, Mariners, Royals, Rays, A's, and Red Sox, and he missed two entire seasons. His first six MLB seasons, he never had an OPS+ higher than 79 - as a first baseman. As his manager, I wouldn't have liked him much either.

[mikelink45]

8 minutes ago, arby58 said:

McCarty wasn't a kid in his first job - he was 23 years old his rookie year with the Twins. It's not like Kelly didn't give him a chance - he had 371 plate appearances his first year and produced a .542 OPS and 46 OPS+ for a -2.7 WAR. McCarty bounced around a lot - also played for the Giants, Mariners, Royals, Rays, A's, and Red Sox, and he missed two entire seasons. His first six MLB seasons, he never had an OPS+ higher than 79 - as a first baseman. As his manager, I wouldn't have liked him much either.

Minnesota Twins manager Tom Kelly famously derided Stanford-educated prospect David McCarty with the dismissive chant, "Stanford, boola, boola, boola" in 1994.  I am not a fan of McCarty and he might not have become a good player, but when the manager starts with this attitude there is a problem. 

[ashbury]

22 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Minnesota Twins manager Tom Kelly famously derided Stanford-educated prospect David McCarty with the dismissive chant, "Stanford, boola, boola, boola" in 1994. 

That's some next-level, Randball's Stu kind of satire going on there, using Yale's cheer as a way of mocking a Stanford alum.