Twins Draft Preview: Walker Buehler

Who is this guy?

At 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Vanderbilt’s right-handed wiry starter Walker Buehler doesn’t have the projectable frame of the elite pitcher but he comes equipped with a strong assortment of pitches and clean mechanics to allow for some dirty pitches. Buehler can reach 96 comfortably with his fastball but sits 90-94. When he enrolled in college he had above average command of a big slow curve (72-73) and fading changeup (82-84) but he since added a hard slider (82) to his repertoire to complement the curve.

Buehler is said to be a strong athlete when it comes to fielding his position. His pick-off move is reputed to be one of the best and his ability to handle anything hit between the mound and the plate is above average.

A cog in the pitching-rich tradition of Vanderbilt, this past summer Baseball America rated Buehler as the top prospect in the prestigious Cape Cod summer league where he took home co-MVP honors after flashing a fastball that caused hitters to churn through the Massachusetts turf. Prior to the NCAA season started, many had Buehler going high in the first round. MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo both projected him going sixth to the Twins. However, a sore elbow combined with average performances in key matchups have made his stock slip a little bit.

Why the Twins will pick him

Many evaluators believe that Buehler can be a fast mover in the system. Buehler who has an advanced repertoire, comes from Vanderbilt which has built quite the reputation for developing major league pitching.

Since David Price’s selection, they have also produced Oakland’s Sonny Gray as well as other first- and second-round pitchers in Mike Minor (2009, 1st), Sam Selman (2012, 2nd), Kevin Ziomek (2013, 2nd) and Tyler Beede (2014, 1st) not to mention Carson Fulmer who will be another pick selected this year ahead of Buehler. Credit goes to the school’s pitching lab, developed by coach Tim Corbin and former assistant Derek Johnson (now a Cubs minor league assistant), which has enticed numerous high-end high school pitching talents to choose Vanderbilt to hone their craft rather than accepting major league money out of high school (Buehler is one of them who chose to play at Vanderbilt in lieu of accepting 14th round money from the Pittsburgh Pirates out of high school). Because of this, guys like Buehler enter an organization and are ready to contribute quickly.

Why the Twins will not pick him

Being undersized as a pitcher is always a concern for long-term projectability and Buehler’s elbow soreness may cause him to fall some more on draft day. While his mechanics and training can help him through the light workload of a college season, scouts have to be asking themselves if his body will be able to stand up to the rigors of a full professional season.

In spite of the shutdown performance in the Cape Cod, Vanderbilt has used him mainly as a midweek and Sunday starter -- that’s college code for not the best pitcher on the staff. Friday nights are reserved for the team’s number one starter. Of course, it is not necessarily a bad thing when you have a pitcher like Fulmer who also projects as a high first-round pick competing ahead of you.

With the sixth overall pick, if the Twins do select Buehler they likely are not acquiring the best available player at that time.

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