Seth Stohs

The Minnesota Twins went heavy on pitchers and catchers on Day 2 of the 2013 MLB Draft. In fact, through 10 rounds, the Twins have added only one player to their ranks who was not a pitcher or a catcher. Of the eight picks on Day 2, three of them were catchers, two from college and one from the high school ranks. In addition, they chose four pitchers to add to the two they selected on Day 1. They also followed last year's trend of targeting college relievers in the middle rounds. Here are their profiles: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Some notes on the selections of the first 10 rounds: *The Twins drafted three catchers today. While it's interesting, it should be noted that Navaretto is a high-upside pick while Garver is a senior (and will come in under slot) who was taken with Day 3 picks in mind. The Twins also felt that the "low level catching corps needed an upgrade." *None of the first ten selections appear to have signability issues. Some will come in over slot, some will come in under, but all are on track to come to terms. *Stewart will probably sign quickly for nearly the entire slot amount. I projected $4.25m last night and while I think the Twins will find a little savings when all is said and done, the final figure will probably come in a little higher. *The Twins think Gonsalves has a good changeup and the arm strength and slot to develop a slider. For a lefty that you can still dream on a little bit, this could turn out to be a steal. He could also be a dud. But that's what makes the draft so intriguing. Day 1 1st Round (4) - Kohl Stewart - RHP - Texas (High School) 2nd Round (43) - Ryan Eades - RHP - LSU (College) Day 2 3rd Round (78) - Stuart Turner - C - U. of Mississippi Turner is a typical Twins selection. It happens nearly every year that the Twins take a solid defensive catcher and Turner fits that description. With an athletic and powerful body at 6-3, 220, Turner also has shown improvement at the plate. A right-handed bat, Turner is a junior and will likely come in right around slot value. 4th Round (110) - Stephen Gonsalves - LHP - California (High School) The Twins went with a high-upside pick in the 4th round with Gonsalves. Gonsalves was once in the first-round discussion, but struggled early this spring before being suspended in April for “violating a team rule”. At 6-5 and left-handed, Gonsalves typically throws in the high-80s, but needs work on his secondary stuff. A pick that is an extremely “high-reward”, the Twins don’t feel like getting him to sign will be too difficult. 5th Round (140) - Aaron Slegers - RHP - U of Indiana Aaron Slegers has dealt with injuries, but not to his arm. This year, his redshirt-sophomore season is really his first extended look and he has been dominant. At 6-10, there are going to have some question marks (and we’ll let Parker break those down), but Slegers with his mid-90s fastball is going to offer upside that not many others in the organization have. Slegers is looking to lead his team to the College World Series after leading the Hoosiers to the Big 10 Title. 6th Round (170) - Brian Navarretto - C - Florida (High School) He's an athletic high school catcher who was a favorite of Twins Daily's draft expert Jeremy Nygaard. You can find the full profile right here. 7th Round (200) - Brian Gilbert - RHP - Seton Hall University A college reliever, Gilbert has a plus fastball. He was viewed as a future reliever in the majors, but it is not known if the Twins plan to try and convert him to a starter in the minors, as they did with several college relievers from last year's draft. 8th Round (230) - Dustin DeMuth - 3B - U of Indiana Big Ten baseball fans will be familiar with DeMuth, a solid gap hitter. He has the size and arm for third base but hasn't shown the power numbers one would like from the position. There is some thought that with some adjustment that could be developed. The bat will play immediately in the low-minors, but there is a question about his long-term defensive home. 9th Round (260) - Mitchell Garver - C - U of New Mexico This is the 3rd catcher in the first nine rounds the Twins have selected. He varies from the others in that he posted excellent offensive numbers and has only recently quieted concerns about his defense. Those offensive numbers could also be inflated due to playing in Albequerque's hitting enironment. Garver has earned comps to Matt Koch, another west coast catcher, who signed for only $60K. Expect something similar with Garver. 10th Round (290) - C.K. Irby - RHP - Samford Univesity Another college reliever - only this one was moved to a starter by his college team this year. Irby's fastball ranges from 88-95 with late bore and sink. He has shown flashes of a tight 71-75 mph curveball and fades his changeup. A fierce competitor will get the chance to be a starter, but has the pitches and make-up to be a closer. I've been told that "fans will love" Irby, who comes from the same high school as Josh Willingham.

With the fourth overall pick in the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft… the Minnesota Twins select right-handed pitcher Kohl Stewart. With the first pick, the Houston Astros picked Stanford RHP Mark Appel. With the second pick, the Chicago Cubs, in a little surprise, went with 3B Kris Bryant. At Number 3, the Colorado Rockies selected RHP Jonathan Gray. There were so many rumors flying around the past few days, but after three picks, The Big Three were gone. That left the Minnesota Twins with RHP from Texas Kohl Stewart. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]As you know, he has the football scholarship to Texas A&M, but he also has a mid-90s fastball and a mid-80s slider. It may take him a little time, but he’s got ace-potential written all over him. Here’s much more on Stewart from our Draft Profile. The Twins got the guy they wanted. This season, he was 5-1 with a 0.18 ERA. In 40 innings, he walked 16 and struck out 59. What are your thoughts?

After weeks of writing about the MLB Draft, today is the day. Sometime shortly after 6:00 central time, the Houston Astros will make the first pick of the draft. The Twins will pick soon after. By night’s end, 73 picks will have been made. The Minnesota Twins will make two selections. By the end of Saturday, the Twins will have made 40. Over 1,200 players will have been drafted. That will be a lot of draft day stories, and that’s what this article is about. Below, you will find the draft day stories, in their words, of several players at various levels of the Twins' farm system. I asked two questions. What was their draft day like, and when they found they had been drafted by the Twins, what was their reaction?[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Niko Goodrum, Cedar Rapids Kernels, 2nd Round, 2010 I remember my computer freezing up, so I decided to go to my room and relax. While it was frozen, I had been selected in the second round, 71st overall. I received a phone call from my scout, Jack Powell, telling me Congrats. I asked him, “For what?” He said, “We gotchya man! We drafted you!” So, I sprinted back to my computer, and it had unfrozen perfectly to be playing my highlight video. It was a great day for me and my family. Words couldn’t express the amount of joy and happiness that went through my body. Dalton Hicks, Cedar Rapids Kernels, 17th Round, 2012 It obviously was great seeing my name, specifically called by the Twins. They were the team I wanted to get drafted by after hearing so many good things about the organization. Draft day, for me, was just another day. We had end-of-the-year meetings with our college coaches. I was on campus, about to meet with my coaches, when I got the call from my family. The first thing I did was go to the mall and buy a shirt that said “Big League Swag” on it. I saw it a month before and said, when I get drafted, I’m getting this shirt. I still have it hanging up! Alex Wimmers, New Britain Rock Cats, 1st Round, 2010 I remember when I was drafted, there were so many happy emotions going through my mind. I always wanted to play professional baseball, and in the big leagues. And, on that day, my dream came true. I couldn’t be happier that all my hard work and dedication paid off. As far as getting drafted by the Twins, I was super excited to be a part of a wonderful organization that has the reputation of not only winning, but winning the right way. It’s such an honor and a great feeling knowing how much they believe in me to help out and carry on the tradition. Tyler Duffey, Ft. Myers Miracle, 5th Round, 2012 I really had no expectations. I had heard from maybe one or two teams. I was actually taking a makeup test at school and heard my name come up. I was beyond exciting just to be picked, let alone in the 5th round, and I couldn’t wait to get started. (It was) definitely an emotional day, to say the least. Oh, and I hadn’t really heard from the Twins much, but I knew that had taken (JT) Chargois in the 2nd round. Matt Hauser, New Britain Rock Cats, 7th Round, 2010 Well I was actually still in San Diego packing my stuff up after finishing my senior baseball season. We had gotten back from the ASU regional, and I was hanging out with a lot of my teammates I wouldn't really be seeing much of. We had a good amount of guys that we knew were getting drafted. I think it turned out to be 10 or 11 my senior year. So we were just kind of hanging out, thinking about the last couple years, how close we all got, and how much life was about to change for most of us. I had a pretty good idea I was getting drafted in the 6 or 7 round by a couple of teams. So I was basically just waiting for those rounds to come along. But nothing really prepares you to hearing your name on the draft board. It's a pretty amazing experience. The Twins called me earlier in the 7th round and asked if I was ready to get my pro career started. I told them, of course. And once my name got called, it was just pretty crazy. All my buddies started yelling. It wasn't really real until that point. The Twins called me back. I talked to them. They told me they would call back in a couple of days, and to enjoy the next couple of days with my family. I talked to my mom, dad and had a lot of texts and calls from my buddies. It was just exciting. I had always wanted to play professional baseball. I was just happy to be able to have a shot at one day playing in the big leagues. Not many guys get that opportunity. It's a special feeling. It still is. Luke Bard, Cedar Rapids Kernels, 1st Round, 2012 The draft was a really exciting time and something I will never forget. It was great to be able to spend that special moment with the people closest to me. I was thrilled when I heard the Twins call my name. I had heard nothing but great things about the Twins, and could not wait to begin my professional career with such a great organization. Kyle Gibson, Rochester Red Wings, 1st Round, 2009 My draft day was a lot of fun! Had a lot of people over at the house just grilling out and having a good time hanging out with friends and family. With my arm injury still a recent happening, it offered a bit of uncertainty with what was going to happen during the draft. 2) As each pick went by it was creating more and more anxiousness at the party, but as soon as Mr. Selig announced my name, there was a loud cheering and yelling that still gives me chills thinking about today. For more from when Gibson was drafted by the Twins, Gibson joined me on a podcast in early July. Click here (and then fast forward to about the 3 minute mark). And, you may recall, he also called into my podcast less than 90 minutes before the signing deadline, right before he signed with Twins. Thanks again to those players for their thoughtful responses. Best wishes to all of the players that get selected. Good luck the Twins whose scouts have been working tirelessly in an attempt to find the best players and the diamonds in the rough. To the cross-checkers, and to Deron Johnson. Draft day is a fun day, and Twins Daily will be covering it extensively, as we have the past few weeks. Please feel free to comment.