Draft Coverage
Picks 60 & 92
(These will be the last two I cover on the front page.)
In Round 2, with pick 60, the Minnesota Twins select Tyler Ladendorf, SS, Howard College, 03/07/1988
Height: 5'11" Weight: 190 lbs
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
From MLB.com's Draft Central scouting report:
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Comments
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| Hitting Ability: | Ladendorf has excellent bat speed and other good hitter's attributes, though he needs more weight on his back side. He's got an unorthodox approach to hitting that will have to be monitored |
| Power: | He has slightly above-average power with natural loft in his swing. |
| Running Speed: | He has above-average speed, especially for his size. |
| Base Running: | He's an aggressive, powerful runner who looks to steal. |
| Arm Strength: | He has a plus throwing arm. |
| Fielding: | He's got average hands and makes the plays at short. |
| Range: | He's got pretty good range, though his body might get too big for shortstop. |
| Physical Description: | Ladendorf is a big athletic shortstop. |
| Medical Update: | Healthy. |
| Strengths: | Power potential, speed, throwing arm. |
| Weaknesses: | His unorthodox hitting approach may not work at the next level as he doesn't have enough weight on his back side. |
| Summary: | Ladendorf was drafted by the Giants in the 34th round last year (the second year in a row he'd been drafted in that round), but he opted to return to Howard for another season. There's little question his Draft stock has risen since then as he's shown the ability to run, hit for power and field his position pretty well for a player his size. He may not be a shortstop long-term, but he's more than athletic enough to handle a switch. Wherever he plays defensively, his size and athleticism should see him get drafted for a third time much earlier than the previous two. |
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In Round 3, with pick 92, the Minnesota Twins select Robert Lanigan, RHP, Adelphi University, 05/05/1987
There is no readily available scouting information on Lanigan. Feel free to note your own in the comments.
1 comment | 0 recs
Comp Round A, Pick 31
Minnesota Twins select Steven Hunt, RHP, Tulane University, 08/16/1986.
Height: 6'3" Weight: 200 lbs
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
From MLB.com's Draft Central scouting report.
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Comments
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| Fastball: | Hunt threw his fastball anywhere from 90 to 95 mph and pitched comfortably at 91. He threw his four-seamer at around 93 mph. |
| Fastball movement: | The two-seamer had good arm-side run. The four-seamer was flatter, but he was able to elevate it as a swing-and-miss pitch. |
| Curve: | He has a plus curve, a true power breaking ball. |
| Changeup: | He only threw one in the game and doesn't throw it much, but has shown a feel for it in the bullpen. |
| Control: | He had good fastball command in this start and it could be above average in the future. |
| Poise: | He was outstanding on the mound. |
| Physical Description: | Hunt is a good-sized right-hander, tall with some room to grow. |
| Medical Update: | Healthy. |
| Strengths: | The chance to have three at least average pitches; excellent mound presence. |
| Weaknesses: | His overall command has been an issue as his walk total is a bit high. |
| Summary: | With a strong junior season, Hunt has moved himself into serious first-round contention. While the right-hander doesn't always command his pitches well -- he's walked a few too many this year -- he's got terrific stuff, most notably his fastball and curve, both of which are above average. He hasn't needed a changeup much, but he has the feel for one. There might be one or two right-handers who rank ahead of Hunt heading into the Draft, but he's not too far behind them in the pecking order. |
Pitching at Tulane University (2006 at University of Virginia)
| Season | W | L | SV | ERA | IP | H | K | BB | BA | WHIP | WP | HBP | APP | CG | SO | R | ER |
| 2008 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 2.68 | 100.2 | 62 | 126 | 56 | .175 | 1.17 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 30 |
| 2007 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2.62 | 99.2 | 85 | 104 | 30 | .232 | 1.15 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 29 |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.72 | 34.1 | 35 | 33 | 15 | .267 | 1.46 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 18 |
4 comments | 0 recs
Twins Round 1, Pick 27
Minnesota Twins select Carlos Gutierrez, RHP, University of Miami, 09/22/1986
From Keith Law :
Now this is the biggest surprise of the first round so far. Gutierrez is another college closer whose fastball tops out at 94 with sink. But he doesn't have a viable second pitch, not even a breaking ball. I don't think a team should take a player with only one pitch in the first round. But the Twins have always had success with power arms out of their bullpen.
Stats at the University of Miami
| Season | W | L | SV | ERA | IP | H | K | BB | BA | WHIP | WP | HBP | APP | CG | SO | R | ER |
| 2008 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 2.70 | 43.1 | 34 | 64 | 17 | .206 | 1.18 | 11 | 3 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 13 |
| 2007 | Did not pitch - Recovering from Tommy John Surgery |
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| 2006 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 4.40 | 88.0 | 81 | 62 |
33 | .245 | 1.30 | 9 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 43 |
From John Manuel at BA:
Count on Mike Radcliff and the Twins to make waves. After taking Aaron Hicks as an outfielder at 14, the Twins took BA’s No. 82 ranked player in our Top 200, with Carlos Gutierrez, the Hurricanes’ righthander. No. 1-ranked and top-seeded Miami has now placed three players in the first round.
Gutierrez is the biggest surprise in the first round but honestly I like Gutierrez as much as several of the other closers taken ahead of him. He doesn’t have Ryan Perry’s pure velocity, but I’d take Gutierrez’s fastball due to its superior movement, sink and command, plus he’s no soft-tosser at 90-93 mph. Plus his slider can be an average pitch at times. He’s had Tommy John surgery but he’s also been money for Miami this year.
That said, Gutierrez likely would have been available later. The Twins obviously were convicted in Gutierrez, but it’s a surprising pick, one of a string of surprises in the last five picks.
13 comments | 0 recs
Twins Round 1, Pick 14
Minnesota Twins select Aaron Hicks, Outfielder, Woodrow Wilson High School, Born 10/02/1989
Height: 6'2" Weight: 170 lbs
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Comments from MLB.com's Draft Tracker:
Hicks is one of the more athletic outfielders in the high school ranks and perhaps in the Draft class. How high he gets drafted depends on how highly people project what he can become. He's got a ton of tools, but will he learn how to use them? Someone is sure to take that chance.
From MLB.com's Draft Central Scouting Report:
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Focus Area
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Comments
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| Hitting Ability: | Hicks generally has an idea of what he wants to do at the plate, but sometimes gets away from it, using his athleticism more than a polished game plan. |
| Power: | He has raw power potential, showing flashes of it in BP. He's more gap-to-gap in games now, but should develop the ability to hit the ball out of the park as he gets bigger. |
| Running Speed: | He's a plus runner who ran a 6.6-second 60-yard dash at the showcase. |
| Base running: | He needs some work on his technique and jumps. He can outrun some throws at the high school level, but will start getting caught stealing once he advances. |
| Arm Strength: | He's got a plus, plus arm from the outfield and has even shown the ability to throw in the mid-90s from the mound. |
| Fielding: | He's a plus defender who glides to the ball with very fluid actions. |
| Range: | With his plus speed, he covers a lot of ground in center field from gap to gap. |
| Physical Description: | Hicks is a very athletic, projectable, toolsy outfielder. |
| Medical Update: | Healthy. |
| Strengths: | Plus athletic ability; projectable tools in all areas; plus arm and speed. |
| Weaknesses: | If he doesn't hit, those raw tools will be wasted. It's been mostly projection with glimpses of performance. |
| Summary: | Hicks is one of the more athletic outfielders in the high school ranks and perhaps in the Draft class. How high he gets drafted depends on how highly people project what he can become. He's got a ton of tools, but will he learn how to use them? Someone is sure to take that chance. |
From Keith Law's in-progress first-round draft analysis at ESPN.go.com:
In terms of tools, Hicks is one of the top three or four players in the draft. He's first-rounder as an outfielder and a pitcher. He is relatively unpolished, so he should take a long time to get to the majors. He's gotten by a lot on strength and bat speed for now. The Twins will have to work with him on his hitting approach. He has a chance to be a switch-hitting Andrew McCutchen, one of the top prospects in the minors.
HS Stats at Wilson HS:
Batting
| Season | GP | BA | OBP | SLG | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SF | HBP | SB/Att |
| 2008 | 34 | .473 | .624 | .839 | 134 | 93 | 50 | 44 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 23 | 37 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 37/41 |
| 2007 | 35 | .370 | .496 | .550 | 137 | 100 | 46 | 37 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 27 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 44/45 |
| 2006 | 28 | .379 | .471 | .494 | 103 | 87 | 23 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 26/26 |
Fielding
| Season | Pct. | E | A |
| 2008 | .967 | 2 | 13 |
| 2007 | .947 | 3 | 8 |
| 2006 | .913 | 4 | 1 |
Pitching
| Season | W | L | SV | ERA | IP | H | K | BB | BA | WHIP | WP | HBP | GS | CG | SO | R | ER |
| 2008 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1.16 | 72.1 | 41 | 112 | 31 | .157 | 1.00 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 12 |
| 2007 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1.13 | 18.2 | 12 | 27 | 8 | .188 | 1.07 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 3.1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | .100 | 0.90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
From John Manuel, who's live-blogging over at Baseball America:
As expected, Minnesota selected Aaron Hicks and announced him as an outfielder. Hicks has pushed his fastball up to 97 mph, and many teams liked him better on the mound. But Hicks wants to hit, and BA’s Dave Perkin has been on Hicks as a hitter since, well, before we hired him.
From ESPN's Draft Tracker (Insider Required):
...As a hitter, Hicks has outstanding bat speed from both sides of the plate, accelerating his wrists from a fairly deep load to still generate plus plate coverage. He generates power from the right-hand side just from his wrists and forearms, similar to Andrew McCutchen. From the left side his swing has a little more loft and he gets good carry on balls. His power is easy and is only going to improve with better instruction, but he's still raw as a hitter, with poor pitch recognition and an unwillingness to use the count to his advantage. In right field, his instincts aren't great, but he covers a good amount of ground and has a rifle for an arm. As a pitcher, Hicks works in the 92-95 mph range but has hit 97 repeatedly this spring, and could settle in at 94-97 as he matures physically. He throws a hard, downward-diving slider and a changeup with a hard tumble -- in fact, everything he does as a pitcher is hard, from his lightning-quick arm to a stiff front leg as he lands....
9 comments | 0 recs








