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In case you didn’t know, the 2016 MLB Draft begins this Thursday, June 9th. If you’re not familiar with the MLB draft, it’s where teams select American (including Puerto Rico) amateur players from high school and college and stuff. The drafted players can only sign a contract with the team that drafts them, unless they decide to just not sign a contract at all and go to college or culinary school or something. In that case, they can try entering the draft again the next year.
The draft order is generally the reverse of the previous year’s standings, which would put the Twins drafting 17th. However, because several of the players the Twins drafted last year went for that "culinary school or something" option, the Twins have been bumped up to drafting 15th.
An important point here is that the MLB draft is not the NFL or NBA drafts. The MLB Draft doesn’t include international players like Miguel Sano and Byung Ho Park. Furthermore, players in the MLB draft are generally far less developed, so unlike the NFL or NBA drafts, it usually takes years for players to make it to the majors (if they even ever do).
To illustrate that point, consider that there are currently 15 players on the Twins 40-man roster that were originally drafted by the Twins. Here's a table noting the year, the player, the place taken, when that player debuted in the majors, and how many years it took between being drafted and debuting in the majors:
| Draft Year | Player | Draft Ranking | Year of MLB Debut | Years from Draft to Debut |
| 2001 | Joe Mauer | 1st Round (1st Overall) | 2004 | 3 |
| 2004 | Trevor Plouffe | 1st Round (20th Overall) | 2010 | 6 |
| 2004 | Glen Perkins | 1st Round (22nd Overall) | 2006 | 2 |
| 2008 | Michael Tonkin | 30th Round (340th Overall) | 2013 | 5 |
| 2009 | Kyle Gibson | 1st Round (22nd Overall) | 2013 | 4 |
| 2009 | Brian Dozier | 8th Round (252nd Overall) | 2012 | 3 |
| 2010 | Pat Dean | 3rd Round (102nd Overall) | 2016 | 6 |
| 2010 | Eddie Rosario | 4th Round (135th Overall) | 2015 | 5 |
| 2012 | Byron Buxton | 1st Round (2nd Overall) | 2015 | 3 |
| 2012 | Jose Berrios | 1st Round (32nd Overall) | 2016 | 4 |
| 2012 | Mason Melotakis | 2nd Round (63rd Overall) | Hasn't Debuted | 4+? |
| 2012 | J.T. Chargois | 2nd Round (72nd Overall) | Hasn't Debuted | 4+? |
| 2012 | Adam Brett Walker | 3rd Round (97th Overall) | Hasn't Debuted | 4+? |
| 2012 | Tyler Duffey | 5th Round (160th Overall) | 2015 | 3 |
| 2012 | Taylor Rogers | 11th Round (340th Overall) | 2016 | 4 |
| AVERAGE | Tylen Bozguriser | 5th Round (111th Overall) | 2013 | 4+ |
As you can see, it has taken an average of over four years for Twins' draftees to make it to the majors, let alone make a significant impact in the majors. So, generally speaking, you can look for the players the Twins draft later this week in the year 2020 or beyond.
Also, I guess baseball has teams send a player representative to the first night of the draft now to help create more buzz around it. This year the Twins will be represented by the great Brad Radke, so look for him too!
We will be providing more draft coverage leading up to, during, and after this week's draft, including the Twins's areas of need, past draft history, and potential draft targets. So check back for more.