Seventeen Major League Baseball Draftees Have Ties To Minnesota

2011 MLB Draft: Twins Complete Their Selections

The Minnesota Twins completed their 2011 Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday afternoon, selecting twenty more players, bringing their final tally to 52 for the entire selection process.

Here are the players that the team selected on the draft's third and final day.

31) Garrett Jewell, RHP, Southern New Hampshire University
32) Dylan Chavez, LHP, American River College
33) Stephen Wickens, SS, Florida Gulf Coast University
34) Ryan Tella, CF, Ohlone College
35) Phillip Chapman, C, University of Memphis
36) Austin Barrois, OF, Belle Chasse High School (Louisiana)
37) Andrew Leachman, LF, Birmingham Southern College
38) Alexander Kuedell, RHP, University of Oregon
39) Edwin McCord, RHP, Spanish Fort High School (Alabama)
40) Kyle Barraclough, RHP, St. Mary's College
41) Trevor Oakes, RHP, University of Minnesota
42) Matthew Tomshaw, LHP, Jacksonville University
43) Robert O'Neill, RHP, Biola University
44) Cole Johnson, RHP, University of Notre Dame
45) Julio Torres, 2B, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy High School
46) Jared Dettman, LHP, Somerset High School (Wisconsin)
47) John Hochstatter, LHP, San Ramon Valley High School (California)
48) Garret Peterson, RHP, Du Bois Area High School (Pennsylvania)
49) Drake Roberts, 2B, Brenham High School (Texas)
50) Bryan Burgher, RHP, Emerald Ridge High School (Washington)

Congratulations to all of the players that were drafted by the Minnesota Twins over the course of the last three days.

2011 MLB Draft: Minnesota Twins Stockpile Pitching On Draft's Second Day

There's an old axiom in baseball that states you can never have enough pitching. The Minnesota Twins took that to heart on the second day of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft, loading up on pitchers that they hope can make an impact in the future.

Of the twenty-nine selections that the Twins had on Day Two of the 2011 MLB Draft, twenty-one of them were used on pitchers. Of those twenty-one pitchers, thirteen of them were taken from the college ranks, two of them from the junior college level, and six are currently in high school. Twelve of the twenty-one pitchers the Twins took are southpaws.

The Twins started the day off by grabbing a native Minnesotan, right-handed pitcher Madison Boer out of the University of Oregon. Boer, who is a native of Eden Prairie, has a fastball that has been clocked at 96 miles per hour, a good slider, and a very good split-finger pitch. He had a 2.27 ERA for the Ducks this year, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 74/34.

Among the non-pitchers that the Twins took was Ivan Rodriguez. If that name sounds familiar, it is because he's the son of former American League MVP and 14-time All-Star catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. The younger Rodriguez was selected out of monsignor Edward Pace High School in Florida, but does not play the same position on the field as his legendary father. . .the younger Rodriguez is an outfielder with a very good arm, having been clocked at 95 miles per hour on a throw from center field to home plate.

After taking UNC shortstop Levi Michael in Round One of this year's draft, the Twins continued to add to their middle infield depth, snagging Wichita State shortstop Tyler Grimes in the fifth round, and shortstop Nicholas Bryant out of Troy University in the ninth round.

The Twins managed to get themselves a couple more Minnesotans in their selections later in the day as well. In the sixteenth round, they drafted left-handed pitcher Austin Malinowski out of Centennial High School. Malinowski has a commitment to play for the Arizona Wildcats, but could find himself in the Twins' farm system instead. He was 7-0 for Centennial this year, posting a microscopic 0.85 ERA in the process and striking out 63 hitters in 41 innings. In the draft's twenty-fifth round, they grabbed Minnetonka native (and current Golden Gopher) Adam Petterson, who is yet another shortstop. A freshman All-American in 2009, Pettersen hit .344 with a homer, 12 RBI, and eight stolen bases for the Gophers this past season. 

Here is a full list of the players that the Minnesota Twins selected on the second day of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft.

2) Madison Boer, RHP, University of Oregon
3) Corey Williams, LHP, Vanderbilt University
4) Matt Summers, RHP, UC-Irvine
5) Tyler Grimes, SS, Wichita State
6) Ivan Rodriguez, CF, Monsignor Edward Pace High School (Florida)
7) Steven Gruver, LHP, University of Tennessee
8) Jason Wheeler, LHP, Loyola Marymount
9) Nicholas Bryant, SS, Troy University
10) Brett Lee, LHP, St. Petersburg Junior College
11) Tyler Jones, LHP, Louisiana State University
12) Matthew Koch, C, Loyola Marymount
13) Steven Evans, LHP, Liberty University
14) Adam McCreery, LHP, Bonita High School (California)
15) Josue Montanez, LHP, Miami Dade Community College
16) Austin Malinowski, LHP, Centennial High School (Minnesota)
17) Joshua Burris, RHP, Louisiana State University-Eunice
18) Corey Kimes, LHP, University of Illinois
19) Tyler Koelling, CF, Southern Mississippi
20) Brian Anderson, SS, Deer Creek High School (Oklahoma)
21) Michael Howard, LHP, Prescott High School (Arizona)
22) James Ramsey, RF, Florida State University
23) Timothy Shibuya, RHP, UC-San Diego
24) Nich Burdi, RHP, Downer's Grove High School (Illinois)
25) Adam Pettersen, SS, University of Minnesota
26) Trent Higginbotham, RHP, Clay Chalkville High School (Alabama)
27) Chris Mazza, RHP, Menlo College (California)
28) David Hurlbut, LHP, Cal State-Fullerton
29) Derek Thompson, LHP, Teutopolis High School (Illinois)
30) William Clinard, RHP, Vanderbilt University

2011 MLB Draft: Minnesota Twins Select High School Pitcher Hudson Boyd With 55th Pick

With the 55th pick of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft, the Minnesota Twins have selected right-handed pitcher Hudson Boyd out of Bishop Verot High School.

Boyd is a big guy, standing 6'2" and weighing in at around 235 pounds. He has a three-quarters delivery, and has been classified as a power pitcher. His fastball has been clocked in the 93-94 MPH range, and his second pitch is a very solid curveball. Scouts are under the impression that he needs to develop a change-up to become a complete pitcher at the Major League level, but he still has plenty of time to make that happen.

Boyd doesn't seem to be the kind of pitcher that the Minnesota Twins usually find themselves going after, as they have usually favored more control-type pitchers while Boyd seems to be a power guy. Right now, he has a verbal commitment to the University of Florida, but hopefully we will be seeing him in the Twins' minor league system here very soon.

That does it for the Twins' picks on this first night of the 2011 MLB Draft. Thank you for relying on SB Nation Minnesota for your coverage of the Minnesota Twins' selections in this year's draft, and we'll have more as the draft progresses throughout the week.

2011 MLB Draft: Minnesota Twins Select Third Baseman Travis Harrison With 50th Pick

With the fiftieth selection of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft, the Minnesota Twins have selected third baseman Travis Harrison, a prospect out of Tustin High School in California.

Harrison hails from Allison Viejo, California, and is a 6'2", 215-pounder that bats and throws right-handed. He has been a highly-scrutinized prospect for a very long time, as he was often compared to super prospect Bryce Harper, who was selected first overall by the Washington Nationals in the 2010 MLB Draft. By all accounts, he has a ton of power and a compact stroke with good bat speed.

There's a very good chance that Harrison is going to end up as a first baseman at the Major League level, as his defense at third base isn't exactly his strong suit. Harrison's calling card is his bat, and from all appearances, it's a bat that should carry him a long way in his baseball career. . .and hopefully, his final destination will end up being Target Field.

The Twins have one more pick to make in today's action at the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft, and we'll have coverage of that selection momentarily.

2011 MLB Draft: Minnesota Twins Select Levi Michael With 30th Overall Pick

With the thirtieth selection in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft, the Minnesota Twins drafted shortstop Levi Michael out of the University of North Carolina.

(Boy. . .it's almost like somebody said that this was a guy the Twins should look at.)

Michael was a very capable shortstop at the college level, but there are plenty of scouts that project that he will have to move to second base at the Major League level because of his range at the shortstop position. Because of his bat, however, he stands a very good chance of being an everyday Major League player regardless of which middle infield position he ends up at.

A switch-hitter, Michael hit .305 this past season for the Tarheels, with four home runs, twelve doubles, and three triples. He also stole fourteen bases during the season (he was caught once). He has very good bat speed, and though he shows a bit more power from the right side of the plate, the drop off isn't so dramatic that he would have to be part of a platoon. He is also very good at working pitchers and drawing walks, and since he'll likely be a top of the order hitter, that's a very good trait to have.

If you'd like to see a little more of Levi Michael, the newest member of the Minnesota Twins, you can check out this video at MLB.com.

The Twins will have two more picks this evening, as the compensatory round of picks is about to get underway. We will have updates as the picks come across.

2011 Major League Baseball Draft: So What Is The Twins' Drafting Philosophy?

With the Major League Baseball Draft often being a mystery, there are probably a lot of people out there that aren't terribly sure of what, exactly, the Twins' drafting philosophy is.

The Minnesota Twins' director of college scouting in Deron Johnson, and this is his fourth season with the team. Under Johnson, the Twins have taken a lot of high-probability, strike-throwing pitchers early on in drafts. Examples of this would be Kyle Gibson, who is now regarded as the best prospect in the Twins' system, and one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball, and Alex Wimmers, their first-round pick in 2010, whose 2011 season got off to a bit of a rocky start prior to being shut down.

That's why it's not terribly surprising to see so many pitchers that are regarded as "safe" being attributed to the Minnesota Twins early in the 2011 MLB Draft. We are getting closer to Minnesota's pick at number 30, and they'll have selections at 50 and 55 after that before tonight's action is over. We shall see if the Twins stay true to their recent form, or if they go in a different direction.

MLB Draft 2011: A Look At Levi Michael

While a lot of folks are projecting left-handed pitcher Sean Gilmartin out of Florida State to be the Twins' pick at number 30 in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft, I would like to take a look at a player that the Twins could also have an eye on, and one that I feel could potentially help them.

The middle infield has been a bit of a sticking point for the Twins ever since Chuck Knoblauch woke up one morning and realized that he had forgotten how to throw the ball to first base. The Twins have a couple of folks with promise at the middle infield spots in the minor leagues, there's always room for more talent and more competition.

That's why I, personally, feel that a guy that the Minnesota Twins should take a look at, should he reach the 30th spot in the draft, is shortstop Levi Michael out of the University of North Carolina. Michael was the best shortstop in college baseball this season, by all accounts, and is somebody that could help the Twins in the long-term, to be certain.

Michael hit .300 for the Tarheels this season, and also stole 15 bases. A switch-hitter, he is known for his ability to work the count and to make fairly consistent contact. . .sounds a lot like what the Twins have been looking for. Defensively, he is solid, but there is debate among different scouts as to whether or not he has the range to stick at shortstop in the long-term or whether he might have to shift over to second base. His arm is adequate, but not spectacular.

Regardless of whether it's at shortstop or at second base, Levi Michael projects as a solid enough hitter at the Major League level that he could help to solve the Twins' middle infield woes, in my opinion. The odds are that he won't make it to the Twins' selection at number thirty. . .and, unlike the NFL Draft, there is no "trading up" if he's who the Twins want. . .but if he does, he's a guy that the Twins need to seriously consider taking a look at.

MLB Draft 2011: Where Can You Watch The Draft Action?

In terms of the Major League Baseball Draft, "action" is a relative term. Once again, draft choices can't be traded, which takes away a little bit of drama from things. . .then again, given the unpredictability of the minor league system and how players will develop, some might see the inability to trade draft choices as a good thing, since they know that they are going to get young talent to develop regardless of where in the process they might be selecting.

If you would like to watch the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft unfold, you can do so if you have access to the MLB Network (Channel 213 on your DirecTV box). They will be providing live coverage from their studios in New Jersey, as they have since 2007 (the first year the MLB Draft was broadcast), and they will have analysis and breakdowns of all of the picks.

In the event that you don't have the MLB Network, the draft will be simulcast on the MLB.com website. In addition, you will be able to get analysis from any number of sources, such as Baseball Nation, ESPN, Baseball Nation, SI.com, and particularly Baseball Nation, which happens to be part of the SB Nation family of websites.

Of course, we will have everything relating to the Minnesota Twins right here on SB Nation Minnesota (in this very thread) as it happens. The action will get underway at 6 PM Central time, and both the first round and the compensatory round will take place this evening. That means that, by the time things conclude tonight, the Minnesota Twins organization will have three new members, and we will have profiles of them up right here for you to check out.

2011 MLB Mock Draft: Sean Gilmartin Projected To Minnesota By FanGraphs, Too

Sean Gilmartin, apparently, is a very popular guy in Minnesota. . .at least, if the final 2011 Major League Baseball mock drafts are to be believed.

The folks over at FanGraphs have put together a 2011 MLB Mock Draft, and they. . .just like Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. . .have projected Florida State left-hander Sean Gilmartin to the Twins at selection number 30 in this year's selection process. Here's what FanGraphs has to say about Gilmartin:

Teams in search of a "safe" and signable college pitcher could look to Gilmartin in the first round of the draft. Not surprisingly, he’s been linked to Minnesota and is the type of pitcher that organization usually targets. His repertoire includes an 87-91 mph fastball, plus changeup and developing slider.

Safe. . .yes, that's a word that generally describes the Minnesota Twins, that's for sure. They likely don't want to deal with someone that could turn out to be a headache, and if the word on Gilmartin is that he's safe and easily signable, all of this linking of him to the Twins makes that much more sense.

2011 MLB Mock Draft: Baseball America Has Twins Selecting Sean Gilmartin

Apparently, a lot of folks out there think that the Twins need left-handed pitching.

Baseball America, another leading source of information on prospects for the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft, has followed the lead of Baseball Prospectus and projected Sean Gilmartin to the Twins with the 30th overall selection in their final 2011 MLB Mock Draft. So, since we've already talked about Gilmartin, let's take a look at another potential prospect instead.

A few picks after Minnesota, Baseball prospectus has Cheyenne, Wyoming high school outfielder Brandon Nimmo projected to the Texas Rangers. Nimmo, by all accounts, has a huge bat, has the arm to play right field, and has shown good speed in the past, despite having surgery on his ACL in 2009. Another interesting thing about Nimmo is that his high school does not actually have a baseball team, so he's spent his time playing American Legion ball instead.

Still, scouts have seen enough of Nimmo to project that he will be highly drafted. In fact, he will likely be the highest player ever drafted from the state of Wyoming. Prior to now, no high schooler from the state of Wyoming has been drafted higher than the sixth round. He has also been said to want "first-round money," so if he happens to slide out of the first round, he will likely follow up on his commitment to play college ball for the University of Arkansas rather than sign for less.

Could Nimmo possibly be the next member of the Minnesota Twins? It depends on if the team thinks he's worth spending the money on, from the looks of things.

2011 MLB Mock Draft: Baseball Prospectus Projects Sean Gilmartin To Minnesota

Another outstanding source for all of your 2011 Major League Baseball Draft information is Baseball Prospectus. They have everything you need to know about baseball prospects, both professional and college, as well as current minor leaguers for every franchise in Major League Baseball.

In their final mock draft, Baseball Prospectus writer Kevin Goldstein has the Twins taking another left-handed pitcher out of the college ranks, this one being Sean Gilmartin out of Florida State University. Says Goldstein of Gilmartin:

He's not the sexiest player on the board, but he's athletic and has outstanding fastball command, something the Twins value more than any other team in baseball.

ESPN's scouting report says that Gilmartin has adequate stuff but may have to "find another gear" to be anything more than a fourth or fifth starter at the Major League level. They also say that his change-up is his best pitch, but that they would like to see him work more off of his fastball, which is generally in the 88-89 MPH range but has touched as high as 91.

So, in two mock drafts thus far, we've seen the Twins projected to take two left-handed pitchers from college baseball powerhouses. What do other mock draft have them doing? We will have a couple more for you to look at here momentarily.

2011 MLB Draft Order: Where Do The Twins Select?

The Major League Baseball Draft is a whopping 50. . .yes, that's fifty. . .rounds long. This is another thing that makes it significantly different from the NFL and NBA Draft. This is why the MLB Draft is spread out over the course of a week rather than being completed in a night or two like the drafts in the other sports.

In another twist that is unlike the other sports, draft choices in the Major League Baseball draft can not be traded. Teams can not trade selections in this year's draft, nor can they trade future draft selections. Therefore, it is pretty easy to keep track of where a particular team is going to select. . .for the most part.

While the draft order is based, primarily, on the record of the teams from the prior season, there is another thing that Major League Baseball does that can alter things slightly. Teams can be given compensatory picks based on free agents that they lost the previous off-season. In the case of the Minnesota Twins, they have the 30th overall selection in the first round based on their 2010 performance. In the "compensatory round," which is comprised entirely of these types of compensatory picks that I just mentioned, they have two picks based upon free agents they lost in 2011. . .they were given the 50th overall selection for losing infielder Orlando Hudson to the San Diego Padres, and the 55th overall selection for losing pitcher Jesse Crain to the Chicago White Sox.

When we move on to the second round (which is actually the third round, but who's counting), the Twins have the 87th overall pick, and their third round selection (which is actually the fourth round), they will pick 117th overall. The Twins will then pick 27th in each round from the fourth all the way through to the fiftieth round. The only teams selecting after the Twins in each round are the New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Philadelphia Phillies.

For a full 2011 MLB Draft order, be sure to check out this handy chart at MLB.com.

MLB Draft 2011 Prospects: Could Grayson Garvin Be The Twins' Target?

With so many players out there to choose from, there are numerous different directions that the Minnesota Twins could take in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. Just like every other sport, there are lots of mock drafts out there that attempt to project these sorts of things.

Keith Law of ESPN.com is one of the foremost authorities when it comes to the MLB Draft, and with the 30th pick in his final 2011 MLB Mock Draft, he has the Minnesota Twins selecting Grayson Garvin, a left-handed pitcher out of Vanderbilt University. (Sorry, Mr. Law's draft is available to ESPN In$iders only).

Garvin is a pretty big guy, standing 6'6" and weighing in at about 220 pounds. According to scouts, his fastball clocks in anywhere from 87-91 miles per hour, although he still has some physical developing to do that could bring that speed up higher. He also has a good change-up and a slow curve ball that he's developing that could also become a good pitch for him. According to ESPN, Garvin "isn't terribly athletic and could stand to clean his body up, after which he may find that velocity more consistent."

Again, with so many players available, the Twins could go in any number of directions, but Law is pretty good at this sort of thing. We will have to keep an eye on this to see how well Law projects the Twins in this year's MLB Draft.

2011 Major League Baseball Draft: Twins Build For Future Starting Today

The 2011 Major League Baseball Draft will get underway tonight, and because of its structure and because of the way that baseball generally works, it doesn't generate nearly as much hoopla as the NFL, NBA, or even the NHL Drafts do.

One reason for this is that the MLB Draft, as you can tell, is held during the season when there is a lot of baseball action already going on. The drafts for the other three sports take place during the off-season, and are often the focal point of a sport during that period of time. In addition, high school and college baseball are not nearly as popular as college football, college basketball, or even college hockey, which means that there isn't quite as much hype following a lot of the players that will be drafted.

Also, when it comes to sports like the NFL and the NBA, the people that are drafted are expected to come in and immediately contribute. By and large, that is not the case with the Major League Baseball draft, as players will be sent to the minor leagues to continue to develop until such time as they get called up to the majors and finally contribute to the big club.

This is not to say that the Major League Baseball Draft isn't important, however. Far from it. . .it is what allows teams like the Twins to build a foundation for the future, and they have done so quite well over the years, particularly when they were keeping their payroll low. Now that the team has moved to a new stadium and can spend a bit more freely, it is still important to attempt to develop stars from within, and that is what the Twins will be attempting to do with this draft.

This will be your home for everything relating to the Minnesota Twins' 2011 Major League Baseball Draft, and we hope that you will continue to visit it as the draft progresses over the course of this week.