MLB Network Highlights Twins in the "The Year of the Former Number One Overall Pick"

Teams face an enormous amount of pressure when making the first overall pick. The Twins have held the first overall pick on three drafts. Players taken first overall must possess the right combination of skills to live up to the hype of being selected at the top of their class. Some players live up to the expectations and have Hall of Fame careers, while others struggle to succeed at baseball’s highest level. 

MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger dubbed the 2024 season as "The Year of the Former Number One Overall Pick." He ranked nine storylines from 2024 that include a former number one overall pick. It includes everything from players having their numbers retired to current players playing at an MVP level. The Twins fit onto his list more than any other franchise. 

Joe Mauer, First Overall Pick in 2001
2024 Storyline: Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the First Ballot
Later this month, Mauer will step onto the Cooperstown stage to join an elite group of baseball’s best players. Johnny Bench and Ivan Rodriguez are the only catchers before Mauer, who the writers chose as first-ballot Hall of Famers. For Mauer, it was a storybook career played entirely in front of his hometown fans, adding another layer that will be showcased in the coming weeks. 

Mauer wasn’t the consensus top pick in the 2001 MLB Draft, with many believing the Twins should select Mark Prior, a college pitcher from USC. Minnesota decided to select Mauer, and the rest is history. Prior had some solid moments, but injuries limited him to 102 appearances over five big-league seasons. In hindsight, Mauer was the correct pick and will take his rightful place in Cooperstown in a few short days. 

Carlos Correa, First Overall Pick in 2012
2024 Storyline: Returning to All-Star Form
Correa’s big-league career could have taken a different path if the Astros had gone in a different direction at the top of the 2012 MLB Draft. Houston had the top pick and Minnesota sat in the second spot. Correa wasn’t the consensus top pick, so the Astros agreed to take him and signed him to an under-slot deal for $4.8 million. Minnesota had multiple options behind Correa, including Byron Buxton, Mike Zunino, and Kevin Gausman. Buxton was considered a five-tool talent, and the Twins were willing to sign him for $6 million, more than any other pick that season. 

Correa has returned to his All-Star form this season after dealing with plantar fasciitis throughout the 2023 campaign. In 65 games, he has posted a 150 OPS+, the second-highest total of his big-league career. In two previous seasons, Correa was selected for the All-Star Game (2017, 2021) but will have a more challenging road to making the team this year. Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson is in the MVP conversation, and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. has also posted tremendous first-half totals. Correa has a chance to make the team if the AL decides to take three shortstops.  

Royce Lewis, First Overall Pick in 2017
2024 Storyline: Home Run Barrage to Begin the Season
The Twins had multiple options besides Lewis at the top of the 2017 MLB Draft, with many national outlets predicting Minnesota would select a college pitcher. Some of the other top players in that draft included Hunter Greene, MacKenzie Gore, Brendan McKay, and Kyle Wright. Green has posted solid numbers to start his career, but many other options have failed to meet expectations. The Twins seem to have made a strong choice, considering how other players' careers have unfolded. 

Lewis homered on Opening Day before suffering a partially torn quadriceps, causing him to miss two months. He took the baseball world by storm after returning from the IL. In 24 games this season, he’s hit .292/.354/.685 with ten home runs and 15 total extra-base hits. He’s been limited to 93 big-league games over the last three seasons because of multiple injuries. A healthy Lewis is a game-changing player, but he’s been snakebitten to this point in his career. 

How would you rank these storylines for the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.