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.