A fan could get used to this. Last night, the Twins broke out the lumber against Will Smith and the Kansas City Royals, hitting three home runs in route to a “not-as-close-as-it-looks” 10-7 victory.
DeVries Notches Win #1:
Cole DeVries put together one of his best starts of the season en route to his first major league win. DeVries lasted just 5 innings, giving up 4 ER and 6 hits while striking out 4. DeVries’ numbers are slightly skewed, however, as 2 of those 4 earned runs fall directly at the feet of Brian Dozier and Alexi Casilla who each committed an error in the 4th inning, allowing two extra runs to cross the plate. To his credit, DeVries kept his composure and earned two critical strikeouts with runners in scoring position to end the 4th inning.
At this point, I think we can safely say this is what we’re going to get from DeVries. He’s an effectively inconsistent pitcher who has slightly above average stuff, but lacks the ability to consistently hit the zone. He’s going to walk some batters, and he’s going to get shelled every now and again – but he’s good enough to function as a solid #5 starter or long reliever on most teams. With the way this pitching staff is currently constructed, he’s the #3 starter and as long as he keeps turning in performances like last night, he’ll get to keep that role.
Offensive MVPs:
Ben Revere: 3/5, 2R, 2RBI, SB
-This is what the Twins expected Revere to be when they drafted him in 2007. He’s a solid contact hitter, with the ability to be dangerous on the base path. With his nice defensive range and improving baseball IQ, Revere is proving to be a valuable addition to the Twins outfield.
Josh Willingham: 2/3, 2R, 3RBI, 2BB
-Willingham continues to be the Twins most valuable batter (and by extension, their most valuable trade chip). His two run blast put the Twins up early and he continues to be the foundation of a fearsome 3-5 lineup (Mauer, Willingham, Morneau).
MLB Draft: Where Nothing Goes As Planned
The first round of the MLB draft was last night, and nearly every mock draft had the same outcome. The Pirates would take Mark Appel, the major league ready arm from Stanford. The Twins would take Byron Buxton, the player with the most potential and upside in the draft. The Mariners would then take Carlos Correa, the phenomenon from Puerto Rico who has been launching up the charts over the past few weeks. From there, most mocks started to vary, but the consensus top three seemed set.
Then the draft started.
The Astros went against the grain and selected Carlos Correa, immediately putting the Twins on the spot. Do they take the major league ready arm in Mark Appel, or do they stick with their plan and take Byron Buxton, potentially the best talent in the draft?
In the short term, the Twins could have really used Mark Appel. The pitching staff is a well documented nightmare and is in need of a youth movement. With earlier draft picks Kyle Gibson and Alex Wimmers likely making their way to majors over the next year, the addition of Appel to the staff would have created a trio of young hurlers for the Twins.
The MLB draft is not like the NFL draft, however. Teams don’t necessarily draft for immediate need. Since the time it takes to get to the professional level is so much longer than the NFL, teams need to draft the best talent available. Fill you farm system with the best players and build from there. Assets can be moved for needs, but drafting immediate needs will do little to help the long term health of your ballclub.
Thankfully, the Twins adhered to this principle and took the young high school player out of Georgia.
Buxton is a lightning fast 18 year old who has been labeled a potential five tool all-star. Scouting reports have clocked Buxton making the run from batters box to first in 3.9 seconds. Other reports have Buxton scoring on a sac-fly…from second base.
Buxton’s bat is above average as well. He currently hits gaps well and has the ability to push the ball for line drive hits. The hope is that as Buxton grows and develops, he will build up some power as well.
Buxton’s defense is labeled as above average, with good range and speed to make most outfield plays. Right now, Buxton is a whole lot of that dreaded “P” word – Potential. If he develops like the scouts think he will, Byron Buxton will be a future star for the Twins.
New Rules + Unpopular Agent = Lost Money
The MLB changed their draft rules with their newly signed collective bargaining agreement. Teams now have a limited amount of money they can spend on their draft picks – both top picks and cumulative signings. As such, teams are considering what draft picks will sign for even more heavily than they had in the past.
Mark Appel, the supposed number one overall pick is represented by Scott Boras, a notoriously difficult to negotiate with agent. Reports have stated that Boras’ unwillingness to discuss what dollar amount Appel was looking for as being the biggest reason for his fall down to the 8th pick. With a limited budget and needs to fill, teams like the Astros, Twins, Mariners, Orioles, Royals, Cubs and Padres decided to take players they were sure they could sign.
With the new tiered salary limits, this fall from top 3 to 8th costs Appel millions of dollars in his first contract. It will be interesting to see if prospects realize this in the future and begin to choose agents who are willing to discuss and negotiate with teams, rather than play hardball.
Baseball is a business, after all, and if players want to maximize their earnings, big time agents like Boras certainly serve a purpose. Last night, however, it was interesting to see teams essentially “freeze out” a Boras represented player.
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