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The 2012 MLB Draft begins tonight at 6pm, and the Twins will make five of the first 72 picks and six total in the first three rounds. MLB Network and MLB.com will be airing the draft, with a one-hour preview show airing on the MLB Network beginning at 5pm tonight.
The Twins will make picks #2, #32, and #42 tonight; they also have picks #63 and #72 in the second round and pick #97, in the third round. After that, they'll pick second in every round.
Fast Facts and Light Reading
- Most mock drafts expect the Twins to take Georgia high school outfielder Byron Buxton, or LSU starting pitcher Kevin Gausman. One SI.com writer calls Buxton "the most talented, intriguing draft prospect," while our own Jesse Lund has Gausman rated highly because he throws gas.
- A few think Stanford starting pitcher Mark Appel will fall to #2 and the Twins. Some experts also think the Twins may take Florida catcher Mike Zunino. Here's a round-up of most of the mock drafts from Jesse. Earlier this year, Steve Adams also published a primer on some of the Twins' candidates for this pick.
- The first round and first supplemental round will be televised tonight on the MLB Network.
- Day 2 begins at 11am Central time, and includes Rounds 2-15. Day 3 begins at 11am Central on Wednesday, and includes Rounds 16-40. Both days will be covered on MLB.com.
- The Twins have the most money to spend on draft picks of any team in the majors, according to MLB's slot recommendations. Here's a list of the Twins' spending ability for each of those picks. There are big penalties for spending more than the total allocated amount, or on spending more than $100,000 for a pick after the tenth round. Here's some details of the penalties for that extraneous spending.
Pick Details
- The Twins pick second in the first round.
- They have pick number 32, the first pick in Compensation Round A, as compensation for losing Michael Cuddyer to Colorado.
- They have pick number 42, the 11th pick in Comp Round A, as compensation for losing Jason Kubel to Arizona.
- They have the third pick in the second round, pick #63. Oakland will pick at #62, one ahead of the Twins, as compensation for the Twins signing Josh Willingham.
- They have the 12th pick in the second round, pick #72. This is one pick ahead of Colorado, as compensation for the Rockies signing Cuddyer.
- They have pick #97, the second pick in the third round.
- They have pick #130, the second pick in the fourth round, and every 30th pick thereafter (the second pick in each subsequent round.)