Minnesota Twins: Final MLB Mock Draft Tracker
With the draft starting tomorrow, let’s take a look at who is being mocked to the Minnesota Twins in the first round.
As the draft starts tomorrow, the Minnesota Twins will have an opportunity to grab a couple nice prospects to add to the farm. They own five selections in the top 93 picks(15, 56, 73, 74, 93). There are a lot of directions that the team could go.
There are a lot of directions that the team could go. In baseball, most teams tend to draft the best player available instead of drafting for need. The reason for this is that most players take about four years to make the jump from the minor leagues to the big leagues and by then the team needs could change drastically.
As we are in MLB Mock Draft season, here is a list of the prospects projected to be selected by the Minnesota Twins in the first round in the major mock drafts.
FanGraphs – A Way-Too-Early 2016 MLB Mock Draft – 5 May 2016
15. Minnesota Twins – LHP Joey Wentz (Shawnee Mission East HS – KS)
Wentz was originally being looked at as a first baseman as he blasted a 543ft shot at Great American Ballpark last summer. There is no question that his future as a pitcher looks more promising. With 6’5″ 210 pound frame, Wentz has a fastball that sits between 90-95 mph with a plus curveball and changeup. He has a clean delivery and athleticism to go along with his big frame. Wentz is committed to play at UVA next year.
Baseball America – Mock Draft 2.0 – 6 May 2016
15. Twins: PICK: Matt Manning, rhp The Twins will take the best player available with a premium on athleticism. Scouting director Deron Johnson has strong ties to the Sacramento region (he lives there now) and will be tempted by 6-foot-6 two-spot righty Matt Manning, whose father played in the NBA, as well as other prep power arms such as New York’s Ian Anderson and Texas’ Forrest Whitley, or Wentz if he were available.
MLB.com – Kyle Lewis at No. 1 in latest MLB Mock Draft – 12 May 2016
15. Twins: Dakota Hudson, RHP, Mississippi State
A strong finish could push Hudson up a few notches, and it looked like he righted the ship after a rough patch. A lack of college arms helps his cause.
Baseball America – Mock Draft 3.0 – 13 May 2016
15. Twins: PICK: Dakota Hudson, rhp Minnesota’s farm system could use some punch on the pitching side. Mississippi State righty Dakota Hudson could be a good fit here, as could Louisville closer Zack Burdi. The Twins took Illinois closer Tyler Jay in the first round last year and are starting him in the minor leagues now, and they have Zack’s older brother Nick Burdi developing in Double-A. Hudson, Sheffield, Zeuch, and Connor Jones are safer bets to start, but Burdi might have a higher ceiling than all of them.
ESPN – Keith Law’s 2016 MLB mock draft 1.0 – 18 May 2016
15. Minnesota Twins Matt Manning, RHP Sheldon (Sacramento) High School
The Twins love power arms and have seen a lot of Manning — part of that is due to his proximity to scouting director Deron Johnson’s residence — but I’ve heard them with Hudson if he slides here. Industry expectation is that Manning goes between pick No. 8 and here, if he’s signable. The Twins seem to be on power arms first and a few high school athletes as well.
15. Twins: Ian Anderson, RHP, Shenendehowa HS (Clifton Park, N.Y.)
Minnesota is on all of the top-tier high school right-handers and there’s one more left in Anderson, who hasn’t been easy to see this spring because he had to battle the New York weather, not to mention pneumonia and an oblique strain. If all of the prep righties are gone, the Twins could look at a college version (Hudson, Sheffield) or be tempted by Kirilloff’s classic right-field profile.
Baseball America – Mock Draft 4.0 – 27 May 2016
15. TWINS: PICK: Dakota Hudson, rhp If Dunn gets this far, the Twins would be in. Their need for power arms pushes them toward a choice between Pittsburgh’s T.J. Zeuch and Mississippi State’s Dakota Hudson, who scuffled a bit Thursday in the SEC tournament but still has big stuff, and he throws a lot of strikes.
MLB.com – First round shakeups in latest MLB mock draft – 27 May 2016
15. Twins: Matt Manning, RHP, Sheldon H.S., Sacramento, Calif.
Rumors of a high price tag could push Manning to a team with multiple picks, but if the signability turns out OK, then there’s a good chance Manning goes well before this spot.
ESPN – Keith Law’s 2016 MLB mock draft 2.0 – 28 May 2016
15. Minnesota Twins: Kyle Muller, LHP Jesuit College Prep School of Dallas
I’m hearing the Twins only going with arms right now, mostly college (Dunn/Cody Sedlock) but also some physical, high-ceiling prep guys like Muller, Manning (who’s probably unsignable here) and Whitley.
MLB.com – Mock Draft- 3 June 2016
15. Twins: Alex Kirilloff, OF, Plum HS (Pittsburgh)
Another team that covets Garrett, Minnesota likely will wind up opting for a hitter over a college arm. Kirilloff projects as the best bat available if the Draft plays out this way.
ESPN – Keith Law’s MLB mock draft 3.0 – 3 June 2016
15. Minnesota Twins: Forrest Whitley, RHP Alamo Heights (San Antonio) HS
I’ve heard them linked to college and high school arms. Manning’s name keeps coming up, but he might not be signable here. I had Muller here last time, and I think he’s still a possibility.
Minor League Ball – 2016 Minor League Ball Mock Draft – 6 June 2016
15. Minnesota Twins: Braxton Garrett, LHP. Foley, AL
The Twins do have a slight tendency towards young arms, and Garrett has perhaps the highest floor of any prep pitcher this season. That is not meant to sell short his ceiling, however, which is just outside the Groome/Pint/Manning trio. The Twins would love to grab Garrett here. They may be tempted by one of the college arms here, and Josh Lowe or Nolan Jones would be nice grabs here as well.
CBS Sports – 2016 MLB Mock Draft- 7 June 2016
15. Minnesota Twins: Catcher, Zack Collins, Miami-For the first time since 2011, the Twins are not pitching in the top 10. Bats are at a premium in this draft and Collins is the best one left on the board. He’s one of the best all-around hitters in the country — Collins hit .358/.534/.631 with 13 homers, 69 walks, and 48 strikeouts in 57 games this spring — so while he might not catch long-term, Minnesota will worry about his long-term position later. They’re buying the bat.
Baseball America – Mock Draft 5.0 – 7 June 2016
15. TWINS:PICK: Dakota Hudson, rhp Minnesota likely is Dunn’s floor, as they would be in on a fast-moving college starter if there were one. Minnesota here may go with the best player on its board, regardless of genre, and that could still be Hudson, who slid a bit late.
2016 MLB Mock Draft: Bleacher Report’s Final Round 1 Picks
15. Minnesota Twins: Delvin Perez, SS, International Baseball Academy (PR)-Perez has everything needed to stay at shortstop long-term. He has good speed and instincts, allowing him to have outstanding range. Perez’s plus arm works very well from everywhere, and his hands work extremely well. Able to make the flashy play, perhaps his only flaw defensively is that he can try to do too much on occasion.
There is a common theme here. Most think the Minnesota Twins will be selecting a Pitcher in the first round of the draft tomorrow. There are a few variations with a short stop, catcher, and an outfielder mocked to the team.
Dakota Hudson, the right-handed pitcher out of Mississippi State has been a popular name thrown around for the Twins selection. Another name we see brought up multiple times here is Matt Manning, the right-handed pitcher out of Sheldon High School in Sacramento.
Another interesting thing to see is where Logan Shore, the right-handed pitcher out of the University of Florida and Coon Rapids native, will land. He is projected to go in between pick 35 and 40. He was drafted by the Twins a few years back but forwent the opportunity to go to college.
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As pitching has been the downfall of the team this season, it looks as if the Twins will have a chance to grab a decent prospect to help that field, even if we won’t see them for a few years. It will be interesting to see if the team decides to go with a college prospect or a young high schooler. We will know tomorrow afternoon.