The third and final day of the baseball draft deals in quantity, not quality. Picks 11 through 40 occasionally produce major league players, but rarely stars, and many high schoolers taken on the third day decline to sign and go to college.
So in a very real sense, the biggest thing to happen Wednesday was something that didn't happen. Nobody took Luke Heimlich, Oregon State's ace lefty who pleaded guilty years ago to molesting his niece.
Heimlich now denies what he admitted in court as a juvenile, and his record officially has been expunged. On talent alone, he was worthy of at least a second-round pick, perhaps higher, but no front office thought him worth the risk to their reputations.
This, frankly, surprises me. We've seen this repeatedly in pro sports: The highest moral virtue is winning. I expected somebody to, at the very least, take him in the third day. And nobody did.
Presumably no owner, no general manager, no scouting director wanted to take the risk. Heimlich is now too notorious to fly under the radar. No farm director could relish his inevitable quotes in the inevitable story in whatever town Heimlich was assigned to play in: "Admitted child molester to pitch here." And if that blowback is insufficiently intimidating, imagine the blowback if Heimlich got into trouble again.
It's possible that Heimlich will get a free-agent offer from somebody. Perhaps he'll find an independent league team to pitch for. Or perhaps his baseball days end with this collegiate season -- the Beavers, with three first-round picks even excluding Heimlich, play Minnesota this week in a NCAA superregional for a berth in the College World Series.
My personal hope is that his baseball days end with a loss to the Gophers.
Thursday, June 7, 2018
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Feeling a draft, Day 2
The Twins took, as noted in Tuesday's post, a pair of collegiate hitters with their first two picks in the amateur draft.
Round 3-10 were held Tuesday, and the focus remained on hitters. The Twins forfeit their third-round pick to sign Lance Lynn, and they used their fourth-rounder to take a centerfielder from the University of Utah, DaShawn Keirsey. Keirsey hits and throws left-handed and is described as having a leadoff hitter profile.
Fifth round was a pitcher, Florida State right-hander Cole Sands. Their first prep of any sort was sixth-rounder Charles Mack, who got some enthusiasm from a former Baseball America guy who is now with Prep Baseball Report:
And from BA's Carlos Collazo:
Round 3-10 were held Tuesday, and the focus remained on hitters. The Twins forfeit their third-round pick to sign Lance Lynn, and they used their fourth-rounder to take a centerfielder from the University of Utah, DaShawn Keirsey. Keirsey hits and throws left-handed and is described as having a leadoff hitter profile.
Fifth round was a pitcher, Florida State right-hander Cole Sands. Their first prep of any sort was sixth-rounder Charles Mack, who got some enthusiasm from a former Baseball America guy who is now with Prep Baseball Report:
Whoa! #Twins get Charles Mack in the 6th round. He can flat out hit. Announced as 3B. Could play 2B, maybe try him behind the plate. Excellent pick at this point. #mlbdraft— Nathan Rode (@NathanRode) June 5, 2018
And from BA's Carlos Collazo:
If the Twins can sign Charles Mack that's an outstanding pick in the 6th round.— Carlos Collazo (@CarlosACollazo) June 5, 2018
Mack is apparently a Clemson commit, and I'm guessing the Twins will have to go over slot ($254 K) to sign him. If so, that might explain the Jeffers pick in the second round.
The Twins drafted just three pitchers on Day 2, and added a second catcher in Clemson senior Chris Williams. He too is likely to be a below-slot signing.
The Twins are really stockpiling catching prospects these days. They drafted Ben Rortvelt in the second round in 2016 and traded for David Baneulos from Seattle during the offseason; those two are both at Cedar Rapids now. They got a catcher out of the Padres in the Phil Hughes deal as well; Janigson Villalobos hasn't been assigned to a roster yet.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Feeling a draft, Day 1
For a few minutes Monday evening, it seemed possible that one, or even two, consensus top-five talents in the baseball amateur draft would slip to the Twins' 20th pick.
But a pair of teams with five first-day picks -- and a great deal of financial flexibility as a result -- interceded. Tampa Bay selected prep lefty Matthew Liberatore with the 16th pick and Kansas City claimed University of Florida ace Brady Singer with the 18th pick.
The Twins wound up using their two first-day selections on a pair of college bat-first position players., Oregon State outfielder Trevor Larnach with that No. 20 pick and North Carolina Wilmington catcher Ryan Jeffers at No. 59. (The Twins could have had another first-day pick but surrendered their Competitive Round B pick in the Phil Hughes trade last week,)
The Jeffers pick was, at least to outsiders, a bit of a surprise. Baseball America barely had him in their top 300; MLB.com didn't have him in their top 200. He was, I believe, the one first-round pick for which MLB Network didn't have a highlights package premade.
That this choice wasn't foreseen doesn't make it a mistake. Two possibilities that can combine to make this a savvy choice:
The Twins reportedly already have an agreement in principle with Larnach, whose team plays the University of Minnesota in a superregional this week.
This is the second draft for the "Falvine" regime (and for scouting director Sean Johnson). It is also the second year in which their first two selections were position players (Royce Lewis and Brant Rooker last year). There is a principle gaining credence these days of "Draft bats, buy arms," the leading example of that being the Chicago Cubs. It's too soon to tell if that's what's going on here with the Twins, or if that's just the way these two first days fell.
But a pair of teams with five first-day picks -- and a great deal of financial flexibility as a result -- interceded. Tampa Bay selected prep lefty Matthew Liberatore with the 16th pick and Kansas City claimed University of Florida ace Brady Singer with the 18th pick.
The Twins wound up using their two first-day selections on a pair of college bat-first position players., Oregon State outfielder Trevor Larnach with that No. 20 pick and North Carolina Wilmington catcher Ryan Jeffers at No. 59. (The Twins could have had another first-day pick but surrendered their Competitive Round B pick in the Phil Hughes trade last week,)
The Jeffers pick was, at least to outsiders, a bit of a surprise. Baseball America barely had him in their top 300; MLB.com didn't have him in their top 200. He was, I believe, the one first-round pick for which MLB Network didn't have a highlights package premade.
That this choice wasn't foreseen doesn't make it a mistake. Two possibilities that can combine to make this a savvy choice:
- The Twins think he can develop as a defensive catcher, and really like his bat even if he can't catch in the majors.
- They have the financial parameters in place for a significantly below-slot deal that sets up an above slot selection today. (The Twins forfeit their third-round choice to sign Lance Lynn.)
The Twins reportedly already have an agreement in principle with Larnach, whose team plays the University of Minnesota in a superregional this week.
This is the second draft for the "Falvine" regime (and for scouting director Sean Johnson). It is also the second year in which their first two selections were position players (Royce Lewis and Brant Rooker last year). There is a principle gaining credence these days of "Draft bats, buy arms," the leading example of that being the Chicago Cubs. It's too soon to tell if that's what's going on here with the Twins, or if that's just the way these two first days fell.
Monday, June 4, 2018
Notes from the weekend
Well, that Cleveland series worked out pretty well for the Twins. They went from being at risk of being buried to pulling within 3.5 games of the Tribe by winning the last three games of the four-game set.
Eddie Rosario ... well, what can one say? His three-homer game Sunday raised his slugging percentage 42 points, and I don't believe any of the homers came on pitches in the strike zone. The Twins have had some notable bad-ball hitters in my lifetime -- Kirby Puckett and Tony Oliva most prominent -- but I don't think I've seen anything like this.
In my best glass-half-empty mode, I will note here that Ryan Pressly and Addison Reed have become disturbingly gopher-ball prone. Pressly in particular has been worked hard -- at his current rate of usage, he would set the American League record for games pitched, established by "Iron" Mike Marshall during his brief tenure with the Twins.
Both have histories of allowing long balls, so it's not as if this is unexpected.
---
The Twins have an off day on the field today, but it's the biggest day for the scouting department as the amateur draft begins. I haven't posted about the draft this year nearly as much as I usually do, in large part because the Twins pick 20th. That's pretty far down the list to get revved up about mock drafts.
The idea seems to be, however, that this year's pool is heavy with college pitchers, and the mock drafts I've looked at suggest that's what the Twins are likely to take.
Eddie Rosario ... well, what can one say? His three-homer game Sunday raised his slugging percentage 42 points, and I don't believe any of the homers came on pitches in the strike zone. The Twins have had some notable bad-ball hitters in my lifetime -- Kirby Puckett and Tony Oliva most prominent -- but I don't think I've seen anything like this.
In my best glass-half-empty mode, I will note here that Ryan Pressly and Addison Reed have become disturbingly gopher-ball prone. Pressly in particular has been worked hard -- at his current rate of usage, he would set the American League record for games pitched, established by "Iron" Mike Marshall during his brief tenure with the Twins.
Both have histories of allowing long balls, so it's not as if this is unexpected.
---
The Twins have an off day on the field today, but it's the biggest day for the scouting department as the amateur draft begins. I haven't posted about the draft this year nearly as much as I usually do, in large part because the Twins pick 20th. That's pretty far down the list to get revved up about mock drafts.
The idea seems to be, however, that this year's pool is heavy with college pitchers, and the mock drafts I've looked at suggest that's what the Twins are likely to take.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Pic of the Week
 |
| Pittsburgh pitcher Trevor Williams makes the catch on a popped up bunt on Thursday. |
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Contemplating Fernando Rodney
On April 26, Fernando Rodney entered with a lead. He did not get an out, and the Yankees beat the Twins. At that point Rodney had a 1-2 record with two saves, two blown saves and an ERA of 6.75. He had not had a 1-2-3 inning in 2018.
He has allowed one run since. He has allowed just 10 baserunners in 11.1 innings -- five hits, five walks . His ERA on the season is 2.84, which isn't eye-popping for a closer but a far cry from his April figure. He's even had seven 1-2-3 innings, which helps mute The Fernando Rodney Experience jibes.
While the Twins bullpen has its issues, Rodney is not one of them. A month ago, I could not have said that.
He has allowed one run since. He has allowed just 10 baserunners in 11.1 innings -- five hits, five walks . His ERA on the season is 2.84, which isn't eye-popping for a closer but a far cry from his April figure. He's even had seven 1-2-3 innings, which helps mute The Fernando Rodney Experience jibes.
While the Twins bullpen has its issues, Rodney is not one of them. A month ago, I could not have said that.
Friday, June 1, 2018
Darn close to must win
It's only the first of June. The Twins have more than 100 games to play. But these next two games against Cleveland feel darn close to must-win for Minnesota.
Cleveland now has a 6.5 game lead on the third-place Twins. Add a couple more to the margin, and it's hard to see how the Twins can stay in the race with the surging Tribe.
Cleveland's not the nearly perfect team it was last year; the bullpen is notably weaker, with Andrew Miller injured, Bryan Shaw gone and a number of guys who had big years in 2017 suddenly ineffective. But other than the starting rotation -- which itself has suddenly sprung a leak -- the Twins aren't nearly as good in any aspect as they were last year either.
The Twins were good enough last year, barely, to grab the last wild-card spot. This year, it appears, the best chance of making the playoffs is winning the AL Central. And two months into the season, that chance seems to be rapidly vanishing.
---
In Thursday's post I made an offhand comment about the imminent return of Ervin Santana. A few hours after I typed that, I learned what many others knew Wednesday, that Santana's rehab assignment had been aborted.
I have, from time to time, voiced caution about Santana's return. The role of the fingers in pitching is subtle but vital, and if the surgery on his right middle finger winds up imparing flexibility or feeling in the digit, that figures to be a significant problem. I should have been more skeptical Wednesday, especially considering the reports of diminished velocity in Santana's first two outings.
In other bad news, Joe Mauer's concussion symptoms apparently aren't getting any better. The chatter from the broadcasters late in the road trip was positive, but the standard broadcaser optimism was misplaced.
I think the Twins really miss the consistent quality of Mauer's at-bats and the example he sets. He plans his work and works his plan. We see so many flail-and-fail at-bats; we should appreciate Mauer's quiet professionalism more than we do.
Cleveland now has a 6.5 game lead on the third-place Twins. Add a couple more to the margin, and it's hard to see how the Twins can stay in the race with the surging Tribe.
Cleveland's not the nearly perfect team it was last year; the bullpen is notably weaker, with Andrew Miller injured, Bryan Shaw gone and a number of guys who had big years in 2017 suddenly ineffective. But other than the starting rotation -- which itself has suddenly sprung a leak -- the Twins aren't nearly as good in any aspect as they were last year either.
The Twins were good enough last year, barely, to grab the last wild-card spot. This year, it appears, the best chance of making the playoffs is winning the AL Central. And two months into the season, that chance seems to be rapidly vanishing.
---
In Thursday's post I made an offhand comment about the imminent return of Ervin Santana. A few hours after I typed that, I learned what many others knew Wednesday, that Santana's rehab assignment had been aborted.
I have, from time to time, voiced caution about Santana's return. The role of the fingers in pitching is subtle but vital, and if the surgery on his right middle finger winds up imparing flexibility or feeling in the digit, that figures to be a significant problem. I should have been more skeptical Wednesday, especially considering the reports of diminished velocity in Santana's first two outings.
In other bad news, Joe Mauer's concussion symptoms apparently aren't getting any better. The chatter from the broadcasters late in the road trip was positive, but the standard broadcaser optimism was misplaced.
I think the Twins really miss the consistent quality of Mauer's at-bats and the example he sets. He plans his work and works his plan. We see so many flail-and-fail at-bats; we should appreciate Mauer's quiet professionalism more than we do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)