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Everything posted by Seth Stohs
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Worrying about what Polanco did in a one-game call up is silly. He was likely excited, nervous, all that. Worrying about whether Polanco can stick at shortstop is legit but based on his play at the position starting last year when he was moved there full time. He's had a lot of errors and his arm strength has always been a question. That said, Dozier's at 2B, so they need to stick with Polanco at SS as long as they can. I always go back to David Eckstein. He was always good enough to play SS when he was young and made all the routine plays for a World Series championship team. Polanco can do that.
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Article: His Name Is Walker. Adam Brett Walker
Seth Stohs replied to Cody Christie's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
And, I had him at 12-14 before the season - which says he can be a solid MLBer, or AAAA type, but again, if those flaws start to get figured out, and he must be making some adjustments because as he's moved up, the numbers have generally stayed the same... who knows. He's still young. And, he was a Top 100 guy in the draft, that's still pretty strong. -
Article: His Name Is Walker. Adam Brett Walker
Seth Stohs replied to Cody Christie's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
On Reusse's show a few weeks ago, Mientkiewicz said that the biggest thing that Chad Allen is working on with Walker is not swinging at anything at his knees or lower. To me, that means recognizing pitches, and staying away from those sliders in the dirt. IF (and yes, big if, he can learn that and keep swinging at pitches up in the zone... could be scary. -
Article: His Name Is Walker. Adam Brett Walker
Seth Stohs replied to Cody Christie's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
I'm very encouraged by his start in AA... I agree with those that say that his one big flaw (strike zone management) will hurt as he gets to the big leagues, but that's why he needs to stay at the level all season.I want to see 1st half K rate compared to 2nd half K rate. That's the number I'll be looking at most... along with the HR, RBI, SLG, etc, of course. -
He's mixed it up a lot all season. His #2 hitter was promoted to the big leagues for that game, so just trying stuff. That lineup is going to be tough no matter what the order. It'd be nice when Dalton Hicks and Levi Michael can get back. Both were playing very well when they were injured. That lineup!
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Article: Adopt-A-Prospect: How I Became Addicted
Seth Stohs replied to formerly33's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
This is great. Like I always say, these minor leaguers deserved to be talked about for all their work and successes. I'd encourage others to look at the Adopt-a-Prospect forum and find players who have yet to be "adopted." Start a new thread for anyone who doesn't already have a thread. And then do google searches and youtube searches and stuff like that to brag up your prospects.- 2 replies
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- dj baxendale
- trey vavra
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Article: Twins Draft Gems (Rounds 11-40)
Seth Stohs replied to Seth Stohs's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
yes, there were a few of those.- 3 replies
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- kent hrbek
- pat neshek
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Article: Official Twins Daily Day 3 Draft Thread
Seth Stohs replied to Seth Stohs's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
A Top 200 guy. -
Article: Correa Just Opened The Door For Buxton
Seth Stohs replied to Ted Schwerzler 's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
It is interesting to know that - from various things I've heard from various people - if the Astros would have taken Buxton, the Twins LOVED Correa and would have been thrilled to get him too. -
Article: Correa Just Opened The Door For Buxton
Seth Stohs replied to Ted Schwerzler 's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
Terry Ryan is smart enough not to let Bryant or Correa being in the big leagues affect Buxton's timeline. They shouldn't be at all related, other than the draft stuff. Correa getting called up means nothing for Buxton and his timeline. That said, I think Buxton's timeline to the big leagues is less than a month. Just a guess, of course, but I think my earlier prediction of July 17 is looking too far out. -
Article: What's The Best Plan For Tyler Jay?
Seth Stohs replied to Nick Nelson's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
Not speaking for Nick, but I don't think he's comparing Duffey to Jay from a pitching standpoint, just from the fact that Duffey is the only college reliever that has shifted to starting in the pros and had good success. -
Article: Official Twins Daily Day 3 Draft Thread
Seth Stohs replied to Seth Stohs's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
There were quite a few catchers that went. Normally the Twins do take a catcher in the top 10, but they didn't fall into that run in the 5th or 6th. -
The Twins have made ten 2015 MLB Draft Picks already. Today, they will triple their output and select another 30 players. Rounds 11-40 start today at 11:00 central time. As each pick is made, we will update this page to include each Twins draft choice. Be sure to keep coming back to learn a little more about each player.DAY 1 PICKS Round 1 (6th overall): Tyler Jay, LHP, University of Illinois Round 2 competitive balance pick (73rd overall): Kyle Cody, University of Kentucky DAY 2 PICKS Here is a quick reminder of the Day 2 picks. For more on each player, click here. Round 3 (80th overall): Travis Blankenhorn, 3B, Pottsville (Pa) High School. Committed to Kentucky. Round 4 (110th overall): Trey Cabbage, 3B, Grainger (Tenn.) High School. Committed to Tennessee. Round 5 (140th overall): Alex Robinson, LHP, Maryland Round 6 (170th overall): Chris Paul, RF, California Round 7 (200th overall): Jovani Moran, LHP, Carlos Beltran Academy (Puerto Rico) Round 8 (230th overall): Kolton Kendrick, 1B, Oak Forest Academy (Louisiana) Round 9 (260th overall): LaMonte Wade, CF, Maryland Round 10 (290th overall): Sean Miller, SS, South Carolina-Aiken PODCASTS John and Jeremy were on KFAN on Monday night to talk about Tyler Jay and more. They were joined for a segment by Seth, and by Twins West Coach Regional Supervisor Sean Johnson. On Tuesday night, there was a special Gleeman and the Geek episode in which they dissected and gave perspective to the Twins picks. DAY 3 DRAFT PICKS Round 11 (320th overall): Kerby Camacho, C, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy A switch-hitting Puerto Rican catcher. Round 12 (350th overall): Alexander "Zander" Wiel, 1B, Vanderbilt This right-handed hitting first baseman has been a tremendous source of power for Vandy, hitting 14 home runs, one behind team-leader and first overall pick Dansby Swanson. Round 13 (380th overall): Cody Stashak, RHP, St. Johns (NY) Round 14 (410th overall): AJ Murray, C, Georgia Tech More power potential. Jacked 15 home runs for the Jackets in 2015. Was original drafted by the Astros in the 48th round of the 2011 draft. Round 15 (440th overall): Anthony Mciver, LHP, University of San Diego San Diego's closer this season with seven saves. Struck out 39 in 33 innings pitched. Round 16 (470th overall): Lean Marrero, RF, Leadership Christian Academy (Puerto Rico) Round 17 (500th overall): Nate Gercken, RHP, Academy of the Arts Round 18 (530th overall): Daniel Kihle, CF, Wichita State Round 19 (560th overall): Kyle Wilson, RHP, Raymond Peculiar HS Round 20 (590th overall):Colton Eastman, RHP, Central Union HS (CA) Round 21 (620th overall): Kamran Young, OF, Cal State-Dominguez Hills Round 22 (650th overall): Blake Cederlind, RHP, Merced College (CA) Round 23 (680th overall): Alex Perez, SS, Virginia Tech Round 24 (710th overall): Jalen Davis, CF, Appalachian State Round 25 (740th overall): Logan Lombana, RHP, Long Beach State Round 26 (770th overall): Tyler Williams, RF, Peoria, Illinois (HS) Williams is the son of Twins scout Ted Williams. He is committed to go to Arizona State. It's said to be a strong commitment. He was projected to go in the 4th or 5th round. Round 27 (800th overall): Dalton Sawyer, LHP, University of Minnesota Round 28 (830th overall): Jonathan Engelmann, RF, Burlingame HS (CA) Michigan Commitment. Round 29 (860th overall): Brad Hartong, C, Indiana U. Round 30 (890th overall): Greg Popylisen, CF, El Paso CC Round 31 (920th overall): Tristan Pompey, LF, High School in Ontario Kentucky commitment. Round 32 (950th overall): Andrew Vasquez, LHP, Westmont College (CA) Round 33 (980th overall): Colin Theroux, C, San Joaquin Delta College (CA) Round 34 (1,010th overall): Brian Olson, C, Seattle University Round 35 (1,040th overall): Hector Lujan, RHP, Westmont College (CA) Round 36 (1,070th overall): Rich Condeelis, RHP, U of Pittsburgh Round 37 (1,100th overall): Jake Irvin, RHP, Bloomington Jefferson HS (MN) Round 38 (1,130th overall): Alex McKenna, CF, high school in California Round 39 (1,160th overall): Daniel Tilo, LHP, South Sioux HS Round 40 (1,190th overall): Max Cordy, RHP, UC-Davis Please join us in discussing the Twins draft picks. There may not be a lot of information on some of the picks, so be sure to discuss what you might know about them as well. Click here to view the article
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DAY 1 PICKS Round 1 (6th overall): Tyler Jay, LHP, University of Illinois Round 2 competitive balance pick (73rd overall): Kyle Cody, University of Kentucky DAY 2 PICKS Here is a quick reminder of the Day 2 picks. For more on each player, click here. Round 3 (80th overall): Travis Blankenhorn, 3B, Pottsville (Pa) High School. Committed to Kentucky. Round 4 (110th overall): Trey Cabbage, 3B, Grainger (Tenn.) High School. Committed to Tennessee. Round 5 (140th overall): Alex Robinson, LHP, Maryland Round 6 (170th overall): Chris Paul, RF, California Round 7 (200th overall): Jovani Moran, LHP, Carlos Beltran Academy (Puerto Rico) Round 8 (230th overall): Kolton Kendrick, 1B, Oak Forest Academy (Louisiana) Round 9 (260th overall): LaMonte Wade, CF, Maryland Round 10 (290th overall): Sean Miller, SS, South Carolina-Aiken PODCASTS John and Jeremy were on KFAN on Monday night to talk about Tyler Jay and more. They were joined for a segment by Seth, and by Twins West Coach Regional Supervisor Sean Johnson. On Tuesday night, there was a special Gleeman and the Geek episode in which they dissected and gave perspective to the Twins picks. DAY 3 DRAFT PICKS Round 11 (320th overall): Kerby Camacho, C, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy A switch-hitting Puerto Rican catcher. Round 12 (350th overall): Alexander "Zander" Wiel, 1B, Vanderbilt This right-handed hitting first baseman has been a tremendous source of power for Vandy, hitting 14 home runs, one behind team-leader and first overall pick Dansby Swanson. Round 13 (380th overall): Cody Stashak, RHP, St. Johns (NY) Round 14 (410th overall): AJ Murray, C, Georgia Tech More power potential. Jacked 15 home runs for the Jackets in 2015. Was original drafted by the Astros in the 48th round of the 2011 draft. Round 15 (440th overall): Anthony Mciver, LHP, University of San Diego San Diego's closer this season with seven saves. Struck out 39 in 33 innings pitched. Round 16 (470th overall): Lean Marrero, RF, Leadership Christian Academy (Puerto Rico) Round 17 (500th overall): Nate Gercken, RHP, Academy of the Arts Round 18 (530th overall): Daniel Kihle, CF, Wichita State Round 19 (560th overall): Kyle Wilson, RHP, Raymond Peculiar HS Round 20 (590th overall):Colton Eastman, RHP, Central Union HS (CA) Round 21 (620th overall): Kamran Young, OF, Cal State-Dominguez Hills Round 22 (650th overall): Blake Cederlind, RHP, Merced College (CA) Round 23 (680th overall): Alex Perez, SS, Virginia Tech Round 24 (710th overall): Jalen Davis, CF, Appalachian State Round 25 (740th overall): Logan Lombana, RHP, Long Beach State Round 26 (770th overall): Tyler Williams, RF, Peoria, Illinois (HS) Williams is the son of Twins scout Ted Williams. He is committed to go to Arizona State. It's said to be a strong commitment. He was projected to go in the 4th or 5th round. Round 27 (800th overall): Dalton Sawyer, LHP, University of Minnesota Round 28 (830th overall): Jonathan Engelmann, RF, Burlingame HS (CA) Michigan Commitment. Round 29 (860th overall): Brad Hartong, C, Indiana U. Round 30 (890th overall): Greg Popylisen, CF, El Paso CC Round 31 (920th overall): Tristan Pompey, LF, High School in Ontario Kentucky commitment. Round 32 (950th overall): Andrew Vasquez, LHP, Westmont College (CA) Round 33 (980th overall): Colin Theroux, C, San Joaquin Delta College (CA) Round 34 (1,010th overall): Brian Olson, C, Seattle University Round 35 (1,040th overall): Hector Lujan, RHP, Westmont College (CA) Round 36 (1,070th overall): Rich Condeelis, RHP, U of Pittsburgh Round 37 (1,100th overall): Jake Irvin, RHP, Bloomington Jefferson HS (MN) Round 38 (1,130th overall): Alex McKenna, CF, high school in California Round 39 (1,160th overall): Daniel Tilo, LHP, South Sioux HS Round 40 (1,190th overall): Max Cordy, RHP, UC-Davis Please join us in discussing the Twins draft picks. There may not be a lot of information on some of the picks, so be sure to discuss what you might know about them as well.
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The Twins have drafted ten players so far in the 2015 first-year players draft (Rule 4 draft). After making two picks on Monday night and eight on Tuesday afternoon, the Twins will draft thirty players on Wednesday. Yesterday, I showed that there are many examples of very good MLB players that have been drafted in rounds three through ten. Today, I’ll show that there are several big leaguers who have been selected in rounds 11 through 40 as well. As you’ll see, many of these players decided not to sign for the low-dollar signing bonuses of the late rounds. They choose to go to college and may get drafted again. However, those are just as impressive when you consider that one of the scouts saw him and thought he was worth drafting.Continue on to read some of the Twins top picks from rounds 11 through 40. 11th Round 1967 – Al Hrabosky – LHP – High School in California – WAR 10-6 Hrabosky didn’t sign after he was drafted by the Twins. He went to Cal State-Fullerton. Two years later, he was a first-round pick by the Cardinals. The Mad Hungarian had a 13 year big league career in which he won 64 games and added 97 saves. In 1975, he went 13-3 with a 1.66 ERA and 22 saves in 97.1 innings. It was a different era of relief pitchers. Honorable Mention: Jerry Reed (1973), David Dellucci (1994), Evan Meek (2002) Current: Nelson Molina (2013), Taylor Rogers (2012), Tyler Kuresa (2010) Last year: Tanner English 12th Round 1993 – Alex Cora – SS – High School in Puerto Rico – WAR 7.0 Cora also chose not to sign at the time, choosing to go to the University of Miami. Three years later, he was selected in the third round. He spent 14 seasons in the big leagues. After being the Dodgers starting shortstop for a couple of seasons, he was their starting second baseman for a couple of years. He remained in the big leagues for another half-dozen years in a utility role. Honorable Mention: Pat Meares (1990), Jason Kubel (2000)Current: Ethan Mildren (2013), Alex Muren (2012) Last year: Pat Kelly 13th Round 1991 – Matt Lawton – 2B – Mississippi Gulf Coast CC – WAR 15.0 Lawton debuted with the Twins in 1995 and stayed with the team through mid-2001 when he was traded to the Mets for Rick Reed. He was the Twins All Star representative in 2000. He is one of the more underrated Twins players of the last 20 years (in my opinion). After leaving the Twins, he played for the Mets and then five other teams before retiring following the 2006 season. Honorable Mention: Pete Falcone (1972), Rob Wilfong (1971), Scott Leius (1986)Current: Brandon Peterson (2013), Ryan O’Rourke (2010) Last Year: Zach Tillery 14th Round 1989 – Mike Trombley – RHP – Duke University – WAR 9.2 Trombley debuted with the Twins in 1992. In his first few seasons, he made some starts, but he primarily worked out of the bullpen and found his success there. In his final season with the Twins (1999), he had 24 saves, though he was 2-8. He spent time with Baltimore and the Dodgers before finishing his career back with the Twins for a handful of games. Honorable Mention: Dan Naulty (1992)Current: Zach Granite (2013) Last Year: Tyler Mautner 15th Round 1967 – Rick Dempsey – C – High School in California – WAR – 25.3 Dempsey debuted with the Twins as a 19-year-old in 1969. He played five games in 1970, six games in 1971, 25 games in 1972 before being traded to the Yankees. He was traded a year later to Baltimore and that’s where he found his value. He was the MVP of the 1983 World Series and later was part of the 1988 Dodgers World Series championship team. He continued playing into his 40s. Last Year: Roberto Gonzalez (2015) 16th Round 1980 – Jim Eisenreich – OF – St. Cloud State University – WAR 13.4 Eisenreich played in 48 games for the Twins between 1982 and 1984, but he could not overcome his issues with Tourette’s Syndrome. He left baseball, and played amateur ball for a couple of years. The Royals gave him another shot, and he took advantage. Known as a professional hitter, he hit .296/.349/.410 (.759) over the final ten seasons of his big league career. He went 4-8 in the 1997 Marlins World Series championship series. Honorable Mention: Yonder Alonso (2005), Kolten Wong (2008), Lenny Webster (1982)Current: Brandon Bixler (2013) Last Year: Tyler Kuresa 17th Round 1978 – Kent Hrbek – 1B – Bloomington Kennedy High School – WAR 38.4 The Twins took a home town kid, just down the road from Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, and he turned out pretty good. Hrbek quickly got to the big leagues, debuting with the Twins as a 21-year-old in August of 1981. He was an All Star and finished second to Cal Ripken in the 1982 Rookie of the Year vote. He finished second in MVP voting in 1984. He was a key contributor to the Twins two World Series championship teams and hit 293 career home runs, all with the Twins. Following his career, he was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame and still is an ambassador for the Twins organization. Honorable Mention: JJ Putz (1998), Paul Maholm (2000), Chip Hale (1987)Current: Dalton Hicks (2012) Last Year: Mat Batts 18th Round 1973 – Rick Peters – IF – High School in California – WAR 3.2 The Compton, California, native chose not to sign with the Twins out of high school. He went to Arizona State and four years late was the Tigers seventh round pick. He debuted in the Motor City in September of 1979. He played in 133 games and posted a 103 OPS+ that year. He was a part-time utility outfielder in the big leagues in 1983 and 1986 with the A’s. Current: Ryan Walker (2013) Last Year: TJ White 19th Round 2006 – Danny Valencia – 3B – University of Miami – WAR 2.1 Valencia bashed his way up the Twins minor league system. He debuted as a 25-year-old in 2010 and impressed. In 85 games, he hit .311/.351/.448 (.799) with 18 doubles and seven home runs. In 2011, he played in 154 games and hit .246/.294/.383 (.677) with 28 doubles and 15 home runs. He got 34 more games with the Twins in 2012 before being sent to AAA and eventually traded to the Red Sox. He resurfaced with the Orioles in 2013, the Royals in 2014 and has now been with the Blue Jays for the last year. These last three teams have found his value as a left-handed pitcher masher. Current: Jared Wilson (2013) Last Year: Jarrard Poteete 20th Round 1990 – Damian Miller – C – Viterbo University in LaCrosse – WAR 9.0 Drafted in 1990, Miller did not debut with the Twins until a 25-game stint in 1997 as a 27-year-old. That offseason, Miller was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Expansion Draft. He certainly found himself there and was the catcher for Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling on that 2001 World Series championship team. He continued to be a starting catcher in the big leagues through 2007, finishing his career with three years in Milwaukee. Current: Jason Kanzler (2013), Zack Larson (2012)Last Year: McCarthy Tatum (did not sign, went to Fresno State) 21st Round 1990 – Eddie Guardado – LHP – San Joaquin Delta College – WAR 13.7 Guardado moved quickly through the Twins farm system and debuted as a 22-year-old in 1993. He began his big league career as a starter, but he was pretty terrible. He made the move to the bullpen and earned the Everyday Eddie moniker. He was a middling, frequently used reliever until 2000 and 2001 when he performed well. Late in 2001, he became the closer. He led the league with 45 saves in 2002. He was an All Star for the Twins in 2002 and 2003. He signed with the Mariners in 2004 and spent time with the Reds, and Rangers before coming back to the Twins in August of 2008. He was recently added to the Twins Hall of Fame, and he is now the Twins bullpen coach. Honorable Mention: JC Romero (1997), Lenny Webster (1985) Current: Tyler Stirewalt (2013) Last year: Onas Farfan 22nd Round 2007 – Mickey Storey – RHP – Florida Atlantic University – WAR 0.3 Storey didn’t sign and a year later he was the A’s 31st round pick. He debuted with 26 relief appearances for Houston in 2012. He pitched in three games for the Blue Jays in 2013. He is currently pitching in the Atlantic League for Somerset. Current: Alex Swim (2013) Last year: Trevor Hildenberger 23rd Round 1999 – Willie Eyre – RHP – College of Eastern Utah – WAR 0.5 Eyre and David Herndon both have 0.5 WAR, but I went with the guy who signed with the Twins. He debuted with the Twins in 2006 and pitched in 75 games over those two seasons. He posted a 5.31 ERA over those two seasons. He got time with the Rangers and the Orioles as well. Current: Zach Hayden (2013), Tim Shibuya (2011), Dallas Gallant (2010) Last Year: Miles Nordgren 24th Round 1998 – Juan Padilla – RHP – Jacksonville University – WAR 1.0 Padilla moved up three levels in his first full season. He reached AAA Rochester in 2003. He moved on to the Yankees organization in 2004 and made his debut as a 27 year old that year. He pitched in 18 games with the Yankees before pitching in 12 games for the Reds. He pitched in 24 games (and posted a 1.49 ERA) for the Mets in 2005. Current: Brandon Easton (2013), Nick Burdi (2011), Michael Quesada (2010) Last Year: Alex Real 25th Round 2003 – John Gaub – LHP – South St. Paul High School – WAR – (-0.1) The choice here was between John Gaub and Adam Johnson. Gaub wins. Neither of them actually signed when they were taken in this round, choosing to go to college. Gaub went to the University of Minnesota and was the Reds 21st round pick in 2006. He pitched in four games (2.2 innings) for the Reds in 2011. Current: Chad Christensen (2013)Last Year: Taylor Hearn (did not sign, went to Oklahoma Baptist, drafted in 5th round on Tuesday) 26th Round 1995 – Corey Koskie – 3B – Kwantlen College – WAR 24.6 Koskie, drafted from Manitoba, debuted as a 25-year-old in September of 1998. He came up and Tom Kelly was afraid to play him at third base. It didn’t take long and he was a very good defensive third baseman. He too may have been one of the more underrated Twins in recent years too. He had really good power, and he had surprising speed. He also took a lot of walks and got on base a lot. He left before the 2005 season as a free agent to play for the Blue Jays. He spent 2006 in Milwaukee until he had a concussion that ended his career way too early. Honorable Mention: Lyman Bostock (1972)Last Year: Blake Schmit 27th Round 1988 – Scott Stahoviak – RHP – High School in Illinois – WAR 1.0 Stahoviak didn’t sign and went to Creighton for three years before the Twins drafted him again, that time as a third baseman. He is often used as part of a mid-90s Twins joke, but considering his 1996 season. In 130 games, he hit .284/.376/.469 (.845) with 30 doubles and 13 home runs. That’s pretty solid. He just never able to replicate those numbers. Honorable Mention: Eric Decker (2009) – drafted out of the University of Minnesota, where he did play baseball (outfielder), he chose football and that seems to have been the right choice for him. Current: Chris Mazza (2011) Last Year: Gabriel Ojeda 28th Round 1987 – Bret Boone – SS – High School in California – WAR 22.6 Boone didn’t sign with the Twins and instead went to USC. Three years later, he was drafted in the 5th round by the Mariners. He played second base and hit a lot of home runs, 252 in his 14 year career. In 2005, he was released by the Mariners and the Twins did sign him. It didn’t go well. In 14 games, he hit .170. Current: David Hurlbut (2011), Nate Hanson (2008) Last Year: Austin Diemer 29th Round 2001 – Nick Blackburn – RHP – Seminole State College – WAR 3.3 Say what you want about how things turned out for Blackburn, but if you can get 137 starts out of a 29th round pick, you’re thrilled. In his first two full seasons, he went 11-11 (both years) with a 4.05 ERA (103 ERA+) and a 4.03 ERA (109 ERA+). The hope was that he could continue to pitch that way, despite the lack of strikeouts. Things went downhill from there. Overall, he went 43-55 with a 4.85 ERA in his six big league seasons. Last Year: Cameron Avila-Leeper (did not sign, went to Delta College)30th Round 2008 – Michael Tonkin – RHP – High School in California – WAR (-0.3) Tonkin has been back and forth from Rochester to Minnesota each of the last three years. He’s done well in the minors but it has not yet transferred to the big league success. That said, he hasn’t been really given any extended looks yet. Current: Tanner Vavra (2013) Last Year: Michael Theofanopoulos 31st Round 1996 – Mike Lamb – C – Cal State-Fullerton – WAR 4.1 Lamb didn’t sign with the Twins at this time, but he would come to the organization late in his career. He went back to school and a year later went in the seventh round. After four years with the Rangers, he became a big on-base percentage guy with the Astros. He posted .800+ OPS three out of four years. He came to the Twins on a two-year deal, but after just 81 games, he was hitting .233/.276/.322 (.598) and was released. Last year: Sam Hilliard (did not sign, went to Wichita State) 32nd Round Not one 32nd round pick of the Twins has made it to the big leagues… yet. Last year: Orynn Veillon (did not sign, went to Louisiana-Lafayette) 33rd Round 1997 – Nick Punto – SS – Saddleback College – WAR 15.3 Punto didn’t sign at this time. A year later, the Phillies made him their 21st round pick. He came to the Twins in the Eric Milton trade and had a polarizing, though very underrated career with the Twins. Though he hasn’t retired, he is not playing this year. He has 14 years in the big leagues. He does a few things very well. He played great defense at three infield positions. With the Twins, he also took good at bats and got on base, most years. Current: Stephen Wickens (2011) Last Year: Trey Vavra 34th Round 1991 – Tim Davis – LHP – Florida State University – WAR 0.8 Davis went back to FSU and was selected by the Mariners in the 6th round a year later. Two years later, he debuted with the M’s. Over the next four seasons, he posted a combined 4.62 ERA in 122.2 innings over 89 games. Current: Bryan Haar (2012) Last Year: Mike Baumann (did not sign, the Mahtomedi pitcher went to Jacksonville University where he went 7-1 with a 2.24 ERA in 84.2 innings – 85 Ks) 35th Round 1996 – Josh Bard – C – High School in Colorado – WAR – 3.2 Bard was a backup catcher (with a few seasons when he was a starter) for ten years in the big leagues. He played for Cleveland, Boston, San Diego, Washington and Seattle. Current: Jared Wilson (2012), David Hurlbut (2009)Last Year: Brad Mathiowetz (did not sign, from Rochester Mayo, went to Des Moines Area CC) 36th Round 1974 – Eric Show – RHP – High School in California – WAR 15.9 Show did not sign and went to UC-Riverside. Four years later, he was the 18th round pick of the San Diego Padres. He played for the Padres from 1981 through 1990 before a partial season with Oakland in 1991. Never an All-Star, he went 101-89 with a 3.66 ERA (99 ERA+), but he had some really good years. Three times he won at least 15 games in a season. Honorable Mention: JD Martinez (2006)Last Year: Kirvin Moesquit (did not sign and went to Seminole State College) 37th Round 1988 – Aaron Sele – RHP – High School in Washington – WAR 20.6 Sele, who was born in Golden Valley, Minnesota, didn’t sign and went to Washington State. It was a good decision for him because three years later he was drafted in the first round by the Boston Red Sox. He was twice an All Star over his 15 year career. He won 15 or more games four times. He won 148 games in his career. Last Year: Tyree Davis38th Round 1992 – Gary Matthews, Jr – 2B – High School in California – WAR 14.2 Son of Sarge didn’t sign with the Twins and went to Mission College. In 1993, he was the Padres 13th round pick. He played for seven teams. Early in his career, he was all over the place. Later in his career, after making some great defensive plays in centerfield, he made some big money. He played 1,281 games over 12 seasons. Honorable Mention: TJ Mathews (1991), Tommy Watkins (1998) Last Year: Brett Doe 39th Round 1994 – Brian Lawrence – RHP – High School in Texas – WAR 8.1 Lawrence didn’t sign and became a 17th round pick in 1998. He spent five seasons with the San Diego Padres. Then in 2007, he made six starts for the Mets. He won 50 games in the big leagues. Honorable Mention: Anthony Slama 2006Last Year: John Jones (did not sign) 40th Round 2007 – Chase Anderson – RHP – North Central Texas College – WAR 1.8 Anderson didn’t sign and was the 2009 ninth round pick of the Diamondbacks. He debuted with the D-Backs in 2014 and went 9-7 with a 4.01 ERA. He has made 11 starts this year, though he has just a 1-1 record. Last Year: Dalton Guthrie (Did Not Sign, son of former Twins RP Mark Guthrie, went to the University of Florida)After the 40th Round The MLB Draft is now 40 rounds. It had been 50, and not too long ago, it went until a team no longer wanted to make picks. Here are a few guys who were drafted after the 40th round: 41st Round – Brian Raabe (1990)42nd Round – Lance Carter (1993)43rd Round – Jason Vargas (2001)45th Round – Pat Neshek (1999), Steve Pearce (2003)46th Round – AJ Achter (2010)48th Round – George Springer (2008)49th Round – Michael Holliman (2003), Brock Peterson (2002)52nd Round – Denny Hocking (1989)It’s Day 3 of the 2015 MLB Draft. As the rounds continue, the odds of a player making it to the Major Leagues, but there are enough examples of players just with the Twins that have made it. Or, even if they don’t sign and go to college, they can move up the draft chart later and get another opportunity. Will any of this year’s late round picks be the next Kent Hrbek, or Aaron Sele? We shall find out. Click here to view the article
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Continue on to read some of the Twins top picks from rounds 11 through 40. 11th Round 1967 – Al Hrabosky – LHP – High School in California – WAR 10-6 Hrabosky didn’t sign after he was drafted by the Twins. He went to Cal State-Fullerton. Two years later, he was a first-round pick by the Cardinals. The Mad Hungarian had a 13 year big league career in which he won 64 games and added 97 saves. In 1975, he went 13-3 with a 1.66 ERA and 22 saves in 97.1 innings. It was a different era of relief pitchers. Honorable Mention: Jerry Reed (1973), David Dellucci (1994), Evan Meek (2002) Current: Nelson Molina (2013), Taylor Rogers (2012), Tyler Kuresa (2010) Last year: Tanner English 12th Round 1993 – Alex Cora – SS – High School in Puerto Rico – WAR 7.0 Cora also chose not to sign at the time, choosing to go to the University of Miami. Three years later, he was selected in the third round. He spent 14 seasons in the big leagues. After being the Dodgers starting shortstop for a couple of seasons, he was their starting second baseman for a couple of years. He remained in the big leagues for another half-dozen years in a utility role. Honorable Mention: Pat Meares (1990), Jason Kubel (2000) Current: Ethan Mildren (2013), Alex Muren (2012) Last year: Pat Kelly 13th Round 1991 – Matt Lawton – 2B – Mississippi Gulf Coast CC – WAR 15.0 Lawton debuted with the Twins in 1995 and stayed with the team through mid-2001 when he was traded to the Mets for Rick Reed. He was the Twins All Star representative in 2000. He is one of the more underrated Twins players of the last 20 years (in my opinion). After leaving the Twins, he played for the Mets and then five other teams before retiring following the 2006 season. Honorable Mention: Pete Falcone (1972), Rob Wilfong (1971), Scott Leius (1986) Current: Brandon Peterson (2013), Ryan O’Rourke (2010) Last Year: Zach Tillery 14th Round 1989 – Mike Trombley – RHP – Duke University – WAR 9.2 Trombley debuted with the Twins in 1992. In his first few seasons, he made some starts, but he primarily worked out of the bullpen and found his success there. In his final season with the Twins (1999), he had 24 saves, though he was 2-8. He spent time with Baltimore and the Dodgers before finishing his career back with the Twins for a handful of games. Honorable Mention: Dan Naulty (1992) Current: Zach Granite (2013) Last Year: Tyler Mautner 15th Round 1967 – Rick Dempsey – C – High School in California – WAR – 25.3 Dempsey debuted with the Twins as a 19-year-old in 1969. He played five games in 1970, six games in 1971, 25 games in 1972 before being traded to the Yankees. He was traded a year later to Baltimore and that’s where he found his value. He was the MVP of the 1983 World Series and later was part of the 1988 Dodgers World Series championship team. He continued playing into his 40s. Last Year: Roberto Gonzalez (2015) 16th Round 1980 – Jim Eisenreich – OF – St. Cloud State University – WAR 13.4 Eisenreich played in 48 games for the Twins between 1982 and 1984, but he could not overcome his issues with Tourette’s Syndrome. He left baseball, and played amateur ball for a couple of years. The Royals gave him another shot, and he took advantage. Known as a professional hitter, he hit .296/.349/.410 (.759) over the final ten seasons of his big league career. He went 4-8 in the 1997 Marlins World Series championship series. Honorable Mention: Yonder Alonso (2005), Kolten Wong (2008), Lenny Webster (1982) Current: Brandon Bixler (2013) Last Year: Tyler Kuresa 17th Round 1978 – Kent Hrbek – 1B – Bloomington Kennedy High School – WAR 38.4 The Twins took a home town kid, just down the road from Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, and he turned out pretty good. Hrbek quickly got to the big leagues, debuting with the Twins as a 21-year-old in August of 1981. He was an All Star and finished second to Cal Ripken in the 1982 Rookie of the Year vote. He finished second in MVP voting in 1984. He was a key contributor to the Twins two World Series championship teams and hit 293 career home runs, all with the Twins. Following his career, he was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame and still is an ambassador for the Twins organization. Honorable Mention: JJ Putz (1998), Paul Maholm (2000), Chip Hale (1987) Current: Dalton Hicks (2012) Last Year: Mat Batts 18th Round 1973 – Rick Peters – IF – High School in California – WAR 3.2 The Compton, California, native chose not to sign with the Twins out of high school. He went to Arizona State and four years late was the Tigers seventh round pick. He debuted in the Motor City in September of 1979. He played in 133 games and posted a 103 OPS+ that year. He was a part-time utility outfielder in the big leagues in 1983 and 1986 with the A’s. Current: Ryan Walker (2013) Last Year: TJ White 19th Round 2006 – Danny Valencia – 3B – University of Miami – WAR 2.1 Valencia bashed his way up the Twins minor league system. He debuted as a 25-year-old in 2010 and impressed. In 85 games, he hit .311/.351/.448 (.799) with 18 doubles and seven home runs. In 2011, he played in 154 games and hit .246/.294/.383 (.677) with 28 doubles and 15 home runs. He got 34 more games with the Twins in 2012 before being sent to AAA and eventually traded to the Red Sox. He resurfaced with the Orioles in 2013, the Royals in 2014 and has now been with the Blue Jays for the last year. These last three teams have found his value as a left-handed pitcher masher. Current: Jared Wilson (2013) Last Year: Jarrard Poteete 20th Round 1990 – Damian Miller – C – Viterbo University in LaCrosse – WAR 9.0 Drafted in 1990, Miller did not debut with the Twins until a 25-game stint in 1997 as a 27-year-old. That offseason, Miller was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Expansion Draft. He certainly found himself there and was the catcher for Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling on that 2001 World Series championship team. He continued to be a starting catcher in the big leagues through 2007, finishing his career with three years in Milwaukee. Current: Jason Kanzler (2013), Zack Larson (2012) Last Year: McCarthy Tatum (did not sign, went to Fresno State) 21st Round 1990 – Eddie Guardado – LHP – San Joaquin Delta College – WAR 13.7 Guardado moved quickly through the Twins farm system and debuted as a 22-year-old in 1993. He began his big league career as a starter, but he was pretty terrible. He made the move to the bullpen and earned the Everyday Eddie moniker. He was a middling, frequently used reliever until 2000 and 2001 when he performed well. Late in 2001, he became the closer. He led the league with 45 saves in 2002. He was an All Star for the Twins in 2002 and 2003. He signed with the Mariners in 2004 and spent time with the Reds, and Rangers before coming back to the Twins in August of 2008. He was recently added to the Twins Hall of Fame, and he is now the Twins bullpen coach. Honorable Mention: JC Romero (1997), Lenny Webster (1985) Current: Tyler Stirewalt (2013) Last year: Onas Farfan 22nd Round 2007 – Mickey Storey – RHP – Florida Atlantic University – WAR 0.3 Storey didn’t sign and a year later he was the A’s 31st round pick. He debuted with 26 relief appearances for Houston in 2012. He pitched in three games for the Blue Jays in 2013. He is currently pitching in the Atlantic League for Somerset. Current: Alex Swim (2013) Last year: Trevor Hildenberger 23rd Round 1999 – Willie Eyre – RHP – College of Eastern Utah – WAR 0.5 Eyre and David Herndon both have 0.5 WAR, but I went with the guy who signed with the Twins. He debuted with the Twins in 2006 and pitched in 75 games over those two seasons. He posted a 5.31 ERA over those two seasons. He got time with the Rangers and the Orioles as well. Current: Zach Hayden (2013), Tim Shibuya (2011), Dallas Gallant (2010) Last Year: Miles Nordgren 24th Round 1998 – Juan Padilla – RHP – Jacksonville University – WAR 1.0 Padilla moved up three levels in his first full season. He reached AAA Rochester in 2003. He moved on to the Yankees organization in 2004 and made his debut as a 27 year old that year. He pitched in 18 games with the Yankees before pitching in 12 games for the Reds. He pitched in 24 games (and posted a 1.49 ERA) for the Mets in 2005. Current: Brandon Easton (2013), Nick Burdi (2011), Michael Quesada (2010) Last Year: Alex Real 25th Round 2003 – John Gaub – LHP – South St. Paul High School – WAR – (-0.1) The choice here was between John Gaub and Adam Johnson. Gaub wins. Neither of them actually signed when they were taken in this round, choosing to go to college. Gaub went to the University of Minnesota and was the Reds 21st round pick in 2006. He pitched in four games (2.2 innings) for the Reds in 2011. Current: Chad Christensen (2013) Last Year: Taylor Hearn (did not sign, went to Oklahoma Baptist, drafted in 5th round on Tuesday) 26th Round 1995 – Corey Koskie – 3B – Kwantlen College – WAR 24.6 Koskie, drafted from Manitoba, debuted as a 25-year-old in September of 1998. He came up and Tom Kelly was afraid to play him at third base. It didn’t take long and he was a very good defensive third baseman. He too may have been one of the more underrated Twins in recent years too. He had really good power, and he had surprising speed. He also took a lot of walks and got on base a lot. He left before the 2005 season as a free agent to play for the Blue Jays. He spent 2006 in Milwaukee until he had a concussion that ended his career way too early. Honorable Mention: Lyman Bostock (1972) Last Year: Blake Schmit 27th Round 1988 – Scott Stahoviak – RHP – High School in Illinois – WAR 1.0 Stahoviak didn’t sign and went to Creighton for three years before the Twins drafted him again, that time as a third baseman. He is often used as part of a mid-90s Twins joke, but considering his 1996 season. In 130 games, he hit .284/.376/.469 (.845) with 30 doubles and 13 home runs. That’s pretty solid. He just never able to replicate those numbers. Honorable Mention: Eric Decker (2009) – drafted out of the University of Minnesota, where he did play baseball (outfielder), he chose football and that seems to have been the right choice for him. Current: Chris Mazza (2011) Last Year: Gabriel Ojeda 28th Round 1987 – Bret Boone – SS – High School in California – WAR 22.6 Boone didn’t sign with the Twins and instead went to USC. Three years later, he was drafted in the 5th round by the Mariners. He played second base and hit a lot of home runs, 252 in his 14 year career. In 2005, he was released by the Mariners and the Twins did sign him. It didn’t go well. In 14 games, he hit .170. Current: David Hurlbut (2011), Nate Hanson (2008) Last Year: Austin Diemer 29th Round 2001 – Nick Blackburn – RHP – Seminole State College – WAR 3.3 Say what you want about how things turned out for Blackburn, but if you can get 137 starts out of a 29th round pick, you’re thrilled. In his first two full seasons, he went 11-11 (both years) with a 4.05 ERA (103 ERA+) and a 4.03 ERA (109 ERA+). The hope was that he could continue to pitch that way, despite the lack of strikeouts. Things went downhill from there. Overall, he went 43-55 with a 4.85 ERA in his six big league seasons. Last Year: Cameron Avila-Leeper (did not sign, went to Delta College) 30th Round 2008 – Michael Tonkin – RHP – High School in California – WAR (-0.3) Tonkin has been back and forth from Rochester to Minnesota each of the last three years. He’s done well in the minors but it has not yet transferred to the big league success. That said, he hasn’t been really given any extended looks yet. Current: Tanner Vavra (2013) Last Year: Michael Theofanopoulos 31st Round 1996 – Mike Lamb – C – Cal State-Fullerton – WAR 4.1 Lamb didn’t sign with the Twins at this time, but he would come to the organization late in his career. He went back to school and a year later went in the seventh round. After four years with the Rangers, he became a big on-base percentage guy with the Astros. He posted .800+ OPS three out of four years. He came to the Twins on a two-year deal, but after just 81 games, he was hitting .233/.276/.322 (.598) and was released. Last year: Sam Hilliard (did not sign, went to Wichita State) 32nd Round Not one 32nd round pick of the Twins has made it to the big leagues… yet. Last year: Orynn Veillon (did not sign, went to Louisiana-Lafayette) 33rd Round 1997 – Nick Punto – SS – Saddleback College – WAR 15.3 Punto didn’t sign at this time. A year later, the Phillies made him their 21st round pick. He came to the Twins in the Eric Milton trade and had a polarizing, though very underrated career with the Twins. Though he hasn’t retired, he is not playing this year. He has 14 years in the big leagues. He does a few things very well. He played great defense at three infield positions. With the Twins, he also took good at bats and got on base, most years. Current: Stephen Wickens (2011) Last Year: Trey Vavra 34th Round 1991 – Tim Davis – LHP – Florida State University – WAR 0.8 Davis went back to FSU and was selected by the Mariners in the 6th round a year later. Two years later, he debuted with the M’s. Over the next four seasons, he posted a combined 4.62 ERA in 122.2 innings over 89 games. Current: Bryan Haar (2012) Last Year: Mike Baumann (did not sign, the Mahtomedi pitcher went to Jacksonville University where he went 7-1 with a 2.24 ERA in 84.2 innings – 85 Ks) 35th Round 1996 – Josh Bard – C – High School in Colorado – WAR – 3.2 Bard was a backup catcher (with a few seasons when he was a starter) for ten years in the big leagues. He played for Cleveland, Boston, San Diego, Washington and Seattle. Current: Jared Wilson (2012), David Hurlbut (2009) Last Year: Brad Mathiowetz (did not sign, from Rochester Mayo, went to Des Moines Area CC) 36th Round 1974 – Eric Show – RHP – High School in California – WAR 15.9 Show did not sign and went to UC-Riverside. Four years later, he was the 18th round pick of the San Diego Padres. He played for the Padres from 1981 through 1990 before a partial season with Oakland in 1991. Never an All-Star, he went 101-89 with a 3.66 ERA (99 ERA+), but he had some really good years. Three times he won at least 15 games in a season. Honorable Mention: JD Martinez (2006) Last Year: Kirvin Moesquit (did not sign and went to Seminole State College) 37th Round 1988 – Aaron Sele – RHP – High School in Washington – WAR 20.6 Sele, who was born in Golden Valley, Minnesota, didn’t sign and went to Washington State. It was a good decision for him because three years later he was drafted in the first round by the Boston Red Sox. He was twice an All Star over his 15 year career. He won 15 or more games four times. He won 148 games in his career. Last Year: Tyree Davis 38th Round 1992 – Gary Matthews, Jr – 2B – High School in California – WAR 14.2 Son of Sarge didn’t sign with the Twins and went to Mission College. In 1993, he was the Padres 13th round pick. He played for seven teams. Early in his career, he was all over the place. Later in his career, after making some great defensive plays in centerfield, he made some big money. He played 1,281 games over 12 seasons. Honorable Mention: TJ Mathews (1991), Tommy Watkins (1998) Last Year: Brett Doe 39th Round 1994 – Brian Lawrence – RHP – High School in Texas – WAR 8.1 Lawrence didn’t sign and became a 17th round pick in 1998. He spent five seasons with the San Diego Padres. Then in 2007, he made six starts for the Mets. He won 50 games in the big leagues. Honorable Mention: Anthony Slama 2006 Last Year: John Jones (did not sign) 40th Round 2007 – Chase Anderson – RHP – North Central Texas College – WAR 1.8 Anderson didn’t sign and was the 2009 ninth round pick of the Diamondbacks. He debuted with the D-Backs in 2014 and went 9-7 with a 4.01 ERA. He has made 11 starts this year, though he has just a 1-1 record. Last Year: Dalton Guthrie (Did Not Sign, son of former Twins RP Mark Guthrie, went to the University of Florida) After the 40th Round The MLB Draft is now 40 rounds. It had been 50, and not too long ago, it went until a team no longer wanted to make picks. Here are a few guys who were drafted after the 40th round: 41st Round – Brian Raabe (1990) 42nd Round – Lance Carter (1993) 43rd Round – Jason Vargas (2001) 45th Round – Pat Neshek (1999), Steve Pearce (2003) 46th Round – AJ Achter (2010) 48th Round – George Springer (2008) 49th Round – Michael Holliman (2003), Brock Peterson (2002) 52nd Round – Denny Hocking (1989) It’s Day 3 of the 2015 MLB Draft. As the rounds continue, the odds of a player making it to the Major Leagues, but there are enough examples of players just with the Twins that have made it. Or, even if they don’t sign and go to college, they can move up the draft chart later and get another opportunity. Will any of this year’s late round picks be the next Kent Hrbek, or Aaron Sele? We shall find out.
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If it's truly just a one-game transaction, they won't make a move. The Lookouts will go as they did in Game 2 on Tuesday, with Heiker Meneses at SS and Stephen Wickens at 2B.
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- adam brett walker
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Added the link in the story. Thank you!
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