The Minnesota Twins took outfielder Byron Buxton in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft, according to what we've learned from the SB Nation experts. The team followed the Buxton pick up with another promising player in the compensation round, selecting Puerto Rican pitcher Jose Berrios.
Berrios, a 6-foot-1 righty out of Papa Juan XXIII High School, was ranked as 73rd best prospect by ESPN's Keith Law so it's a bit surprising that he was selected by the Twins with the 32nd pick. Law's analysis on the ESPN Insider page paints a prettier picture of Berrios, however.
Berrios was on the radar all spring but saw his stock spike when he threw a no-hitter against Carlos Correa's team in April (the only baserunner reached on a passed ball third strike). He'll touch 96 and works at 92-94 with a hard downward-breaking curveball at 80-82 and a straight change in the same range, enough of an arsenal to see him as a potential starter.
He appears a couple inches shorter than his listed 6-foot-1 and doesn't get plane on the fastball; that plus a rough arm action with very late elbow pronation in back has a lot of scouts pegging him as a reliever down the road. He's seen as signable without a college commitment and could go in the sandwich round, even in the higher part, to a team looking to overdraft a kid and sign him quickly.
If they are indeed able to sign him Berrios quickly, that should certainly help make this pick be a prettier one.
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