Jeremy Nygaard

IT’S LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AWAY! Are you excited? This is version 4.0 of my “small board” as I am about to go on KFAN with John and Aaron to talk about… you guessed it… the MLB Draft. A quick reminder: The Twins first pick (fourth overall) has a draft slot value of around $4.5 million. JEREMY’S SMALL BOARD Keep in mind, please, that this is not a “mock draft”. This is not a reflection of my top players. This is my attempt at stacking a “Twins Draft Board”, based on a number of things. Also, it should be pointed out that the Twins very rarely deviate from their norm: in the last 20 years,[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] the Twins have had 24 1st round draft picks (not counting supplemental picks). Of those 24 picks, 11 have been prep position players and eight have been college pitchers. The other two groups: college position players (4) and prep pitchers (1) have been much less represented. 1) Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford (previous: 2) THE LATEST: If I had the first pick, I’d take Appel. If Appel drops to #4, the Twins will take him. But I don’t… and he won’t. I’m not sure that Houston has the cajones to make this pick, but I know the Cubs do. 2) Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma (previous: 1) THE LATEST: Houston will have to weigh the pros and cons of taking Gray over Appel and trying to save a little bit of money. They just might be able to do it, even though the Astros are flirting with a lot of people right now. Unlike collegians, the Astros management won’t leave this party alone. I think they go with Gray, ultimately. 3) Kris Bryant, 3B, San Diego (previous: 8) THE LATEST: I’ll come out and tell you that I’m not as sold on Bryant as many, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t take him at #3. He’s got legitimate power. He’s improved his overall hit tools as well. There’s just something that makes me leery; but you can’t ignore what he’s done this year, even though his defensive home remains in question. 4) Kohl Stewart, RHP, Texas HS (previous: 3) THE LATEST: Probably the first place you saw Stewart tied to the Twins was here. Now you’re seeing it everywhere. But like all drafts, things change. Stewart will probably be the top name on the Twins board when their pick comes up. Stewart has been throwing out the “I’m going to Texas A&M” line lately. He isn’t. But he’s going to use it to get the most money possible. My sense is that the Red Sox are going to get creative and make Stewart an offer that the Twins won’t match. 5) Braden Shipley, P, Nevada (previous: NR) THE LATEST: Shipley hit a bit of a rough patch earlier this season, but got it back together to pitch his best game of the year last week. He’s been compared a lot to Kyle Zimmer, who went 5th to the Royals last year and signed for $3 million. Shipley is a great athlete and has a plus changeup to go with a mid-90s fastball. Shipley is a name tied to many teams in the top 10 and as someone who might take a discount. Why not the Twins? 6) Reese McGuire, C, Washington HS (previous: NR) THE LATEST: McGuire comes in a high-defensive, questionable-offensive package. The Twins have been tied to him and, even though he could easily head to San Diego, there are many who believe he would cut a deal if selected in the top 5-7 picks. Though I don’t think the Twins go that route, it is a card they’ll have in their pocket. 7) Clint Frazier, OF, Georgia HS (previous: 9) THE LATEST: Both Frazier and Meadows have seen their stock drop as of late. The Twins are said to prefer Frazier to Meadows, but not nearly enough to pop him at #4. 8) Colin Moran, 3B, North Carolina (previous: 6) THE LATEST: Moran, allegedly, is in the mix at #1. Only he isn’t. He’ll go to the Indians at #5, in all likelihood. 9) Ryne Stanek, RHP, Arkansas (previous: 7) THE LATEST: Stanek still has time to move up the board. He’s someone the Twins would typically consider. The fact of the matter is, though, Shipley has had better results with similar upside. 10) Trey Ball (previous: NR) THE LATEST: Ball is a hard-throwing, athletic lefty. The Twins are going to kick the tires on him and, if he’s interested in making a deal like McGuire is rumored to be considering, you might start to hear more steam on this. Ball is a guy who fits in the 8-11 range talent-wise, but could offer a huge reward based on upside. Feel free to discuss. You can follow me on Twitter (@jeremynygaard) for draft updates.

If seeing this makes you not watch tonight's Twins game, you can thank me later. Ain't no sunshine when the Twins are on It's not warm when they play Ain't no sunshine when the Twins are on And they've been gone for way too long I'm not sure they know how to play. On a less depressing note... Transaction round-up for today:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester fills the spot vacated by Deduno by activating #FreeAnthonySlama. If Anthony Slama was a cat, he'd be on his last life. The Red Wings will also need to create a roster spot to make room for recently-optioned Oswaldo Arcia. Last night, the Miracle activated RP Chad Rodgers and DL'd Kyle Davies. The cause, per the team, is right shoulder impingement. Davies was placed on the DL nearly two years ago with the same issue. If LL Cool J was a Miracle fan, I don't think he'd be calling this a comeback. The Kernels activated Tyler Jones and sent Josh Burris back to EST. To the farm we go... Rochester Red Wings 2, Charlotte Knights 4 Box Score The Twins and Red Wings essentially swapped pitchers for the day and the Red Wings pitcher, Pedro Hernandez, had a better performance than Samuel Deduno did for the Twins. Hernandez managed to start the game with five shutout innings before running into trouble in the 7th. He finished with 6.2 innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits and a walk. He struck out seven. It will be interesting, going forward, to see if the Twins have Hernandez shift to a bullpen role, though tonight's start was plenty encouraging. Luis Perdomo blew a save, though he wasn't charged with any runs. Chris Herrmann had two hits and a stolen base. Clete Thomas hit a solo home run. Thomas returned last night after missing two weeks with a groin injury. That injury probably kept Aaron Hicks in the major leagues. Kyle Gibson (3-5, 3.25) will look to bring some consistency to the mound tomorrow at 7:05 ET. New Britain Rock Cats vs New Hampshire Fisher Cats The game was suspended in the middle of the fourth with the Fisher Cats leading 3 to 2. The game will be completed at 5:05 ET and game two will begin at 7:05 ET with Pat Dean (1-5, 6.25) on the hill. Fort Myers Miracle 6, Charlotte Stone Crabs 5 Box Score Full disclosure: I'm a little embarrassed that I never realized - until this very moment - that there were two affiliated baseball teams from "Charlotte". I realize that they are two franchises in two different states, but I'm shocked that I have never gotten the two confused. Weird. Kennys "Big Spoon" Vargas hit his 9th home run of the season. It was described as a mammoth shot. He also hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to secure the win. (FYI - I'm trying to get the Big Spoon nickname to stick because I watched him play last year in Beloit with someone (bigger than I) who shall remain nameless and who had a Grade A Mancrush on Vargas. I'm sure you can connect the remaining dots.) Big Spoon Current Seth mancrush, Aderlin Mejia, had four hits to improve his batting average to .400. Angel Morales was 2-for-2 plus two walks. (New Britain, please.) Miguel Sano had two hits, including a run-producing double. Stephen Wickens added two hits. Jason Wheeler worked a solid six innings. He scattered 10 hits and two walks, allowing two earned runs (four total) while striking out four. Zack Jones blew the save for the Miracle by giving up three walks and a hit in the ninth inning. He also struck out two and picked up the win when the Miracle won on the walk-off. Cedar Rapids Kernels 4, Beloit Snappers 5 Box Score The Kernels were swept by the Snappers and their five game lead in the Western Division has been cut to two games. Pohlman Field continues to scream "Home Field Advantage!" Tyler Duffey gave up five runs in five innings. He struck out four and walked two. The bullpen combo of Steven Gruver and Tim Atherton combined to pitch three scoreless innings Offensively, everybody contributed with hits, but the team was only able to string them together enough to get four runs. Byron Buxton had one hit (.318). Jorge Polanco is batting .311. Niko Goodrum and Adam Walker both had two hits. Catcher Tyler Grimes had a triple. Candido Pimentel (9), Buxton (22) and Goodrum (4) all had stolen bases. Jose Berrios (3-1, 2.86) takes the ball at 6:35 for the Kernels tomorrow night. Feel free to post your questions and/or comments below. Aaannnddd... shameless self-promotion, I'll be making my radio debut (and maybe my last appearance ever, if I suck) on the Gleeman and the Geek radio show this Sunday to talk any and all things draft. So you may also mock and ridicule me in the comments below, if so inclined.

Who IS This Guy? Ryne Stanek (6’ 4, 190) is a right-handed pitcher for the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Mariners selected him in the 3rd round of the 2010 draft, but Stanek elected to head to SEC to face the best hitters in college baseball. After enrolling in Arkansas, there was some hope that he would be eligible for the 2012 draft, but he narrowly missed the cutoff. (Players must turn 21 within 45 days of the draft.) Stanek entered this season, his junior season, in a three-horse race to be the first overall selection in the 2013 draft. He’s closing out his season with lower expectations, but still is a dark-horse candidate to be the third collegiate pitcher selected. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Who Could He Be? There are scouts out there that would point to his heavy mid-90s fastball, mid-80s slider and improving curveball and changeup and call him a definite Top 10 pick with a future as a frontline starter. There are other scouts out there that could see him as a dominant closer. Stanek has had a penchant for overthrowing his slider, which is no fault of his own as the pitch selection comes from the dugout. He’s also failed to consistently get the results that you’d expect out of a pitcher with his “stuff”. Is it a lack of deception? Is it because of his mechanics? Is it an over-reliance on his slider? Those are questions that have him all over draft boards. How Soon Could He Be Playing In Target Field? Stanek has had success in the most advanced collegiate league in the country. He led his team to the College World Series as a sophomore and has hopes of helping his team get back there again. The likelihood of whatever team drafts him is to limit his innings after signing. If he were to end up with the Twins, he would report to Fort Myers, get acclimated to the organization and likely pitch out of the bullpen in a limited role for the rest of 2013. Next year he would be shifted to starting, likely first in Fort Myers before heading to New Britain. Depending on his success in the second half, you could make a case for being in the show sometime in the summer of 2015, though the following summer would be much more likely. (That time-table would be very similar to the one that Alex Meyer is on; Meyer could factor in this summer, but more likely make his Target Field debut next summer.) If The Twins Draft This Guy, They Messed Up Because.... …they bought into the player they saw last summer and believe that with the right instruction Stanek can be a front-of-the-rotation starter. But based on the “what have you done for me lately?” evaluation, Stanek hasn’t been great and isn’t the fourth-best player in the draft, ceiling-wise or ability-wise. Stanek’s Razorbacks are still active in the SEC Tournament and will also advance to the NCAA tournament, so there still is time to raise his stock. Stanek will be making his first start of the SEC Tournament on Thursday afternoon at 4:30, meeting up with #2 LSU in a game that can be watched on ESPN3. If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Nailed It Because…. …they recognized their need for advanced pitchers and see that Stanek has a chance to fill that void. They might also be able to convince his advisor that he wasn’t going to go Top 10 otherwise (though there’s a chance) and be able to bank some savings for the later rounds. Others might argue that they nailed it simply because they drafted a pitcher in a position where some feel they need to take a pitcher. --- There is no doubt that Ryne Stanek would be a welcome addition to the stable of pitchers the Twins are developing. He would rank only behind Alex Meyer in terms of fastball velocity for starting pitchers and, more than likely, would factor into the Twins top 5-7 prospects. While everything remains very fluid up to and even during the draft, signs point towards Stanek coming off of the board in the 8-12 range, much later than when the Twins are on the clock. Previous Twins Daily Draft Profiles: Monday, May 20 - Sean Manaea, SP Tuesday, May 21 - Austin Meadows, OF Wednesday, May 22 - Trey Ball, SP/OF For MLB Draft Day Coverage, make sure you follow @TwinsDaily on Twitter!