Seth Stohs

Derek Falvey is about to join Mackey and Judd on 1500ESPN. http://player.listenlive.co/47461

Some site predicts the Twins will take HS OF Tristan Lulz with the first pick of the 3rd round... https://twitter.com/jwgravley/status/874624679046262784

I think we knew this is what was going to happen. Clearly the Twins liked McKay, Wright, Greene and Lewis. When it came down to it, the Twins liked McKay and Lewis and as all teams do the last couple of days, they start talking about dollars. I think McKay wanted to hit, and the Twins wanted to pitch. I definitely think that was a big part of it. I think this is much ado about nothing as the Twins got a great player either way.

They drafted him as an OF.

I'd agree with this... They've had a lot of eyes watch him, and they had two chances to take him, so I would agree with this. And it's not that they weren't impressed as much as they believe the other guys have a bigger future.

Yeah, I just think because Lewis isn't talked about as much as the other three, and because Carlson is the local pitcher that we all dreamed would wind up with the Twins, many are disappointed. I think the Twins made three pretty good picks yesterday, brought in three very talented players. Admittedly, I had never heard of Leach before last night, but that doesn't make it a bad pick.

My guess is they give an extra $100K to $200K to several guys over their last 38 picks.

If the M's don't sign Carlson at that spot, they lose the ability to spend the allocated money at that pick. That's why last year only two players drafted in the first ten rounds didn't sign. Teams don't want their top ten picks to not sign.

I edited that one right away... It's correct now.

Per Doogie, the Twins will save between $900K and $1.3M on Lewis...

Drafted as an outfielder.

Why would BJ Garbe come to mind when talking about Royce Lewis?? I'm good with the Buxton without quite the arm comments, but the Garbe ones just make no sense. Other than just an attempt to be negative... which is fun... I guess.

As news (or rumors) trickled in that the Minnesota Twins would select high school shortstop Royce Lewis with the first overall pick in the 2017 draft, it was met with some surprise. Lewis said, 'I had nothing going in at all in mind. I just know that the draft is crazy, and looking back at years past, it's been hectic and you never know what's going to happen.' However, he wasn't all that surprised. 'For me, I wasn't caught off guard as much, but I am very excited and very appreciative of the opportunity.'While Lewis isn't the household name that Hunter Greene, Brendan McKay and Kyle Wright were to most fans, he has been a huge prospect for quite some time. He has played with Hunter Greene, as he noted, on USA teams 15U and 18U tournaments. In fact, earlier in the day, Lewis called Greene (who went second to the Reds) and Jordan Adell (who went 10th to the Angels) to wish them luck. Lewis is a bright young man. He graduated a couple of weeks ago and acknowledged that he gets 'A's and B's." He's a very confident kid. When asked if he emulated or patterned his game around any players, he named some pretty impressive shortstops. "For sure, I had a couple. Carlos Correa is one. Derek Jeter and Francisco Lindor. If you put those three guys together, I feel like you'd get a mixture of Royce Lewis." He continued, "But I know that I'm a very different player than all those guys, and I expect to play differently and act differently than those guys." I remember sitting at the Cedar Rapids Kernels press conference before their first game as a Twins affiliate in 2013. Byron Buxton was asked about his weaknesses. He sat and thought, and thought. A bit later, Travis Harrison responded, "He does a lot of things really well." Likewise, Royce Lewis does a lot of things well. He's got tremendous speed, and should develop some power as well. Asked about his weaknesses, Lewis said, "As far as weaknesses go, I feel like I don't have any at this point." Honesty. But he did add more to the comment. "It's just about perfecting. Of course, every kid thinks highly of himself." Speed is probably his biggest tool at this point. "Speed can be used for everything. Defensively. Offensively. It helps with range. It helps you get a couple of extra base hits when you hit if off the end of the bat. Speeds been there since Day 1. That's my favorite tool because it's always there and it never leaves you." Asked about his power potential, he said, "That's kind of like a little tidbit. I haven't even grown into my man strength yet. I just turned 18 last week. Being young like this, it's pretty amazing to know that I still have a lot of potential to tap into. He has a lot of heart. His first comments to the media involved his goal being for his team to win. They came up just short in their season-ending tournament, but winning is a big part of his game. "As Draymond Green says, 'Heart wins over anything.' At the end of the day, I feel like I have more heart than many of the kids and players out there." Lewis also talked about his mental approach of the game. "I'm looking at four to five plays ahead. The approach at the plate is changing pitch to pitch. For me, it's maturity. My mom says it a lot, I'm a lot older than most kids." And Lewis is also a leader: "Treating everyone equally. We're all equal, no matter who is better at what sport, or who is the smarter kid in the classroom. As a leader, I try to treat everyone equal. I'm not above or below anyone. We have a lot of fun. For me, I try to lead by example. With all my teammates, we have so much fun together. We compete hard together, and I can't wait to meet my new teammates in Minnesota. Lewis has never been to Minnesota and says, "I hear it's pretty cold, sometimes. We'll see when I get there. I can handle the weather no matter what." Lewis has a commitment to UC-Irvine, a school and coaching staff that was impressive to him. When asked if college was out of the question, he responded by saying, "No, not at all. I mean, I don't know what's going to go on. I'm just going to let Mr. Boras and the guys up in Minnesota handle that. We'll see what happens. I do know that I'm locked in either way. It's a win-win for me, so I'm happy." One Twins employee told me recently (about Lewis), "His makeup is everything a fan base could wish for out of their franchise talent." Royce Lewis is immensely athletic, a trait the Twins have had tremendous success with developing. He's got room to grow, but he also has some of those intangibles that can't be measured. In other words, he's the complete package. Next steps? Get him signed and let him start the long process toward the big leagues. Click here to view the article

SAntana, Hunter and Cuddy (as well as Morneau, Mauer, Nathan, Radke and others signed long-term extensions before free agency so the Twins were able to keep them around a bit longer. Ortiz's $2-3 million arbitration decision was not based on money at that time... Couldn't stay healthy in the Dome.

Gordon would likely stay #1 if the Twins take McKay or Lewis... Could go either way regarding Wright. Greene would be #1.

From Passan (via twitter): "There's a strong sense the Twins are down to two choices with the No. 1 pick tonight: Louisville LHP/1B Brendan McKay and HS SS Royce Lewis." https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/874301769530191872

Remember the deadline for drafted players signing is July 15th. So players could be signing right up until then. They'll likely start signing within a few days. As Cody said, promotions are going to start happening with the All Star breaks and team's first halves. For instance, the Miracle were eliminated from a first-half playoff spot, so Dereck Rodriguez got his promotion right away then (though he told me he still will play in the FSL All Star game, but he won't pitch for the Miracle anymore). There should be several more promotions from CR to FM and FM to CHAT and CHAT to ROCH in the next two weeks. And yes, there will be some guys released from Extended Spring Training before the short-season leagues start.

Interesting that the Twins could go with Wright at 1.1... but he could also fall as low as 6... though everything I've read says that he wouldn't get past the Braves at 5. So close to Carlson here...

Baseball America posted version 4.5 of their mock draft earlier this morning... http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/2017-mlb-mock-draft-4-5/#IiR3k8SDW50VykVB.97 Another vote for Brendan McKay... That's been kind of the direction of the rumors since Friday.

Happy MLB Draft Day 1, Twins fans! Since it became clear that the Minnesota Twins had the #1 overall pick in the 2017 draft, which happened fairly early last September, the fandom has been very excited about who the Twins might be able to add at the top of the draft. That day has come. This purpose of this article is to be a place for several draft-related resources and links, and a place for fans to keep updated of rumors and rumblings throughout the day. We ask that if you see an article online or a tweet with a rumor or nugget, that you post it in the comments below. At 6:00 central time, the draft will officially start. Moments later, the Twins will make their much-anticipated draft selection. But that won’t be it for the night. The Twins also have the 35th and 37th overall picks as well. Twins Daily will post articles about those draft picks moments after they are made. Note also that we will have Day 2 and Day 3 articles. In those articles, we will post the Twins picks made those days. Those articles will be updated throughout those two days. Rounds 3 through 10 are on Tuesday, and Rounds 11 through 40 will take place on Wednesday.As you know, there will be a lot of rumors even throughout the day. It’s obviously a moving target. The reality is that there are likely a handful of people who know who the Twins will take at 1.1. At some point on Monday, they’ll have their decision. It will be based on a number of factors. First and foremost, it will be based on talent. The Twins will acquire a player with the first overall pick who has the potential and ability to be an all-star caliber player. That doesn’t always happen, of course, but the player will have the tools and such to become that. The Twins have likely seen each of the players in consideration for the top pick dozens upon dozens of times. The scouts, cross-checkers, and front office types are fully aware of what those players are as a player and as a person. They’ve had conversations with those players, their families, friends, teammates, coaches and others. For the college players, it’s likely they’ve been watching them for four to six years. The trick of course is looking at the player and all of the information on him and trying to project what that player will be in five to ten years. That is the part that isn’t a science, at least not yet. But science and technology has become more a part of the process. Many of the college programs have Trackman systems installed. Even some high schools are starting to get those. There is so much more information available. But the teams are also trying to figure out who can stay healthy. Drafting a pitcher comes with a bigger injury risk than drafting a hitter for obvious reasons. And, of course, dollars also come into play. It’s a strategy that has been used since the slotting system has been in the MLB draft. Most famously, the Astros were able to convince SS Carlos Correa to take millions less than the slot value for the #1 pick in 2012, and because of it, they were able to take RHP Lance McCullers and IF Rio Ruiz with their next two picks. As Jeremy has pointed out, the new draft slotting instituted this year makes it a bit more difficult to manipulate the draft, and since there are a handful of teams that have a second selection before the Twins, it could be difficult. THE NAMES At this stage, we pretty well know the names of the players the Twins are considering with the top pick. Louisville 1B/LHP Brendan McKay. Vanderbilt RHP Kyle Wright. Notre Dame HS (Sherman Oaks, CA) SS/RHP Hunter Greene. In my opinion, all three of these guys are "safe" picks, but for different reasons. McKay legitimately has two paths to big league success. He can be a top-of-rotation starting pitcher, or he could be a middle-of-the-lineup bat. Could he possibly be both? Kyle Wright, in my opinion, is the safest pick for starting pitchers because of his stuff and his size and his makeup and more. How is Hunter Greene a safe pick? Well, he's the guy that everyone seems to believe is the best prospect. If the Twins took him and he didn't make it, most in the industry would say that the Twins were still right in shooting for the moon with such an elite talent. The bold pick, in my opinion, would be taking MacKenzie Gore. Many believe he is the best prep pitcher, with a mid-90s fastball and good secondary pitches. Most believe that those three are the guys most in consideration for the Twins first pick. However, if guys like MacKenzie Gore or Royce Lewis are willing to accept less money, they could still fit into the equation. While those two have not been talked about as much as the three listed above, they are both very talented. They are also both Scott Boras guys. Normally that might mean they’re guys to stay away from. However, Boras wants to maximize what his clients can get, so if they can make a little more than what they believe they will get by falling in the draft, maybe something could be worked out. MOST RECENT PERFORMANCES With both Louisville and Vanderbilt playing in Super Regionals, they pitched on Saturday. Here are their final lines: Brendan McKay (vs Kentucky): 6 IP, 8 hits, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts. Fastball was 89-94, with impressive curveball, slider, and cutter too. Kyle Wright (vs Oregon State): 6.2 IP, 8 hits, 7 earned runs, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts. Fastball was 90-95, with an impressive curveball and changeup. He mixes those pitches well also. Hunter Greene hasn’t played lately (and hasn't pitched for a month or more), but he did come to Target Field on Friday for a workout. As you would expect, he was quite impressive. He is clearly the guy who would show up highest on prospect rankings because of the fastball and his athleticism and makeup. While the Twins had people at all of those performances, it’s important to remember that each performance is just one data point on a chart that likely has 100s of dots on it. In other words, just because Wright’s line looked bad (and was bad), it isn’t likely to sway the Twins brass either way. TWINS DAILY DRAFT CONTENT Draft Profiles: MacKenzie Gore, Hunter Greene, Royce Lewis, Brendan McKay, Pavin Smith, Kyle Wright, and potential Minnesotans in the Draft. Jeremy provided a Draft Preview in which he discussed the slot values of each pick and overall. He wrote about the possibility of the Twins taking advantage of the slotting system to acquire more high-end talent. Seth caught up with ESPN’s Keith Law about the names at the top of the first round. Cody wondered if not drafting Hunter Greene could come back to haunt them. Nick wrote why Kyle Wright might be The Wright Fit for the Twins, considering his timeline. TWINS DAILY PREDICTIONS Here are some quick thoughts from Twins Daily writers: Seth Stohs: Personal Top 5 Rankings (as prospects): 1.) Hunter Greene, 2.) Kyle Wright, 3.) MacKenzie Gore, 4.) Royce Lewis, 5.) Brendan McKay Who Would You Take? Probably Kyle Wright. Who Do You Think The Twins Will Take? Brendan McKay I'd love to see the Twins get creative and find a way to save seven figures on their #1 pick. Hunter Greene is the most intriguing. Kyle Wright is probably the safest pitcher to pick. I'd be very curious to see if Derek Falvey would truly let McKay hit and pitch on his way up the ladder to really possibly be a big league two-way player. If he can do that, I'm all on board. I also really, really like Gore and Lewis and if the Twins can convince Boras to cut back a couple million from slot, I'd have no problem with them either. Nick Nelson: What is the definition of a "safe pick"? On the one hand, you could easily apply that description to someone like Kyle Wright or Brendan McKay – collegiate superstars and prototypical top-of-draft talents. On the other hand, isn't Hunter Greene the safest pick when you really think about it? He ranks first on almost every analyst's board. He's a media sensation and will generate tremendous buzz for the franchise. If he fizzles out, the Twins aren't going to look silly; they made the choice most people in the industry viewed as obvious. But that will be of little consolation if his development stalls exactly as they foresaw in their evaluations. I guess at the end of the day, there really is no safe pick. My Top Five: 1. Hunter Greene 2. Kyle Wright 3. MacKenzie Gore 4. Brendan McKay 5. Royce Lewis Cody Christie: Personal Top 5 Rankings: 1.) Hunter Greene, 2.) Royce Lewis, 3.) Kyle Wright, 4.) MacKenzie Gore, 5.) Brendan McKay Who Would You Take? Hunter Greene Who Do You Think The Twins Will Take? Kyle Wright I’ve always put a higher value on younger players with a ton of potential. That was one of the reasons I had Miguel Sano number one on my prospect list while he was still playing in the rookie leagues. Greene has impressed me every step of the way. The more I hear about him, the more I want him to be part of the Twins organization. Lewis is also a raw talent that the Twins could develop over the next decade. He could be a mainstay in their line-up for years to come. Wright is the safest and I think that’s the direction the club will go. Tom Froemming: Personal Top 5 Rankings (as prospects): 1) Hunter Greene, 2) MacKenzie Gore, 3) Kyle Wright, 4) Brendan McKay, 5) Royce Lewis Who Would You Take? Greene Who Do You Think Will The Twins Take? Greene Have you seen a single big board that didn’t have Hunter Greene on top? I’ve heard all the rumors saying the Twins are going another direction, but I’m not buying it. Greene is the best athlete and has the highest ceiling. Sure, that comes with a scary floor/bust potential, but the opportunity to acquire a talent like this isn’t going to come around every year. On the other hand, I look at those top five names and don’t see a single bad pick. I’ll understand if the Twins pass on Greene, especially if that means they net more talent with the 35th and 37th picks. NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE Here are some of the most recent draft player rankings and some mock drafts. ESPN’s Keith Law updated his mock draft on Sunday morning.MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo writes about two favorites, two high school players and two dollar savers.MLB.com’s Friday mock draft. 12 hours later, he changed the Twins pick from Kyle Wright to Brendan McKay.John Manuel’s Baseball America Mock Draft 4.0 (from Friday). (UPDATE - on Monday, they updated with version 4.5)FanGraphs Mock Draft (June 5).MLB.com’s Top 200 Draft Prospects.Baseball America’s Top 100 Draft ProspectsBaseball America’s Top 500 Draft Prospects.KATOH’s Top 250 Draft-Eligible College Players (fangraphs).DOLLARS AND SENSE Here the slot values for the Twins picks in the top ten rounds. 1st overall (Round 1): $7,770,700 35th overall (Comp Round A): $1,935,300 37th overall (Round 2): $1,846,100 76th overall (Round 3): $755,500 106th overall (Round 4): $507,000 136th overall (Round 5): $378,700 166th overall (Round 6): $283,300 196th overall (Round 7): $220,700 226th overall (Round 8): $174,400 256th overall (Round 9): $148,000 286th overall (Round 10): $137,100 ALL SUBJECT TO CHANGE Until the Twins officially make their announcement, it’s hard to know with complete certainty what the Twins will do. Consider six weeks ago, everyone assumed that Hunter Greene was the easy choice at #1. Starting about a month ago, people believed that Kyle Wright was the top choice. Then suddenly on Friday, about 12 hours after writing that Wright would go #1, mlb.com’s Jim Callis posted a new mock draft in which he said the Twins were planning to take McKay with the top pick. That’s why this Day 1 thread is here. We want the comments to be filled with everything that’s out there as things are subject to change even throughout the day. Again, moments after the Twins make their first pick, we’ll have an article, and we can discuss the player that the Twins take (and presumably many will write about the players the Twins did not take) with the first overall pick. Click here to view the article

I'd feel pretty good about guessing that Belisle's got another year or two of big league time coming. But have no problem with a different direction.

Twins announced that Rosario was optioned to AA Chattanooga.

He's put himself back on the fringe this year.