Twins 2017 MLB Draft: Day three review

On the third and final day of the 2017 MLB Draft, the Twins drafted 30 prospects in round 11-40. While these guys may not have the big names of earlier picks, at least a few may make the big leagues in time.

Round 11: Gabriel Rodriguez OF

18 year old high school pick from Puerto Rico. He’s 6’2” and 190 pounds.

Round 12: Bailey Ober RHP

Drafted last year in the 23rd round by the Dodgers. He is 6’8” and 215 pounds. Born July 12, 1995. Won a number of collegiate awards for College of Charleston

Round 13: Jared Akins OF

Fresno State junior is 6’3” and 195 pounds. His team won the Mountain West Tourney, where he had 5 hits in a game against a good New Mexico team, with a batting average of .328 for the year.

Round 14: Derek Molina RHP

Merced College Sophomore also plays shortstop. He is 6’3” and 195 lbs. He appeared in 15 games as a pitcher, with one start, and a .095 ERA in 2017

Round 15: Rickey Ramirez RHP

Akins’ college teammate is a 6’0” 175 pound sophomore. Favorite athlete is Roy Holliday. He was primarily a reliever, but did make one start.

Round 16: Cade Smith RHP

Canadian prep pitcher is 6’5” 205 pounds. He was ranked 8th best high-schooler in Canada by Baseball America. He is committed to the University of Hawaii.

Round 17: Andrew (Andy) Cosgrove C

NC State catcher hit .284 in his junior season. He is 6’2” 183 pounds, and says Ken Griffey Jr. was his favorite player. That’s unsurprising since his home state is Washington.

Round 18: Colton Burns CF

Junior from UC Santa Barbara bats lefthanded, and played middle infield as well as outfield. He’s 6’2” 195 pounds and was born October 19, 1995. he also lists Ken Griffey Jr. as a favorite athlete. He hit 308/.422/.389 and three home runs.

Round 19: Jordan Gore SS

A Red-Shirt Junior at Coastal Carolina, Gore is 6’0” and 180. He underwent Tommy John’s in the spring of 2016. The switchhitter batted .318/.389/.415. In addition to baseball, also earned multiple academic honors.

Round 20: Tyler Gray RHP

Junior starter for University of Central Arkansas. Threw an 8 inning shut out against Abilene Christian. He also struck out 11 batters on two occasions, and went 6-6 on the year. Grey is 6’2” 180 pounds. Favorite superhero is Captain America.

Round 21 Colton Waltner C

University of San Diego catcher is 6’2” 185, and also plays in the outfield. The red-shirt junior was born August 13, 1995. He hit .290/.396/.348 and did not commit an error.

Round 22 CJ Broussard (Christian Broussard, Jr.) RHP

Broussard was the Cal State LA pitcher of the year for 2017. He is a 6’3” 270 pound former football player who also played first base. Nine home runs and a .318 average made him a threat at the plate, but it was a 3.43 ERA in 89.1 innings that likely attracted the Twins. A bit more information on his potential:

Round 23 Jared Finkle RHP

Iona College junior is 6’4” 205 pounds. The closer completed 10 saves with a 1.34 ERA and a .178 BAA for the 2017 season, in 23 appearances. He also played wide receiver on his high school football team.

Round 24 TJ Dixon CF

Senior outfielder at Samford, 5’11” 180 pounds; who hit .326. He is a speedster who stole 23 bases.

Round 25 Carson Crites 2B

As a 6’0” 192 pound senior at Southeastern Louisiana, hit .299 with 14 homeruns. he did commit 11 errors, so that will be something that needs work. He enjoys skydiving in his spare time.

Round 26 Jordan Spicer RHP

Spicer is a freshman from Polk State College at 6’3” 205 pounds. He started 13 games and had a 1.94 ERA, highlighted by a 7.1 inning 2-hit shutout performance in March.

Round 27 Chandler Taylor RF

A true sophomore left-handed batter from the University of Alabama, Taylor hit .282 with 16 home runs and 7 steals.

Round 28 Joe Record RHP

UC Santa Barbara red-shirt sophomore, at 6’ 3” 225 pounds, Record started 16 games and turned in a 3.91 ERA. Born January 12, 1995. Apparently a bit of a renaissance man, he enjoys Beethoven, Robert Frost, and writing poetry. He also has one of the more interesting names of Twins draftees.

For the first time, I am stumped on a video

Round 29 Griffin Roberts, RHP

Sophomore Closer for Wake Forest features a 95 mph fastball and a plus breaking pitch. The 6’3” 210 pound pitcher just turned 21. Eight saves and a 2.19 ERA in 2017, and was ranked in the top 200 players by some outlets, but may return to school.

Round 30 Alex Robles RHP

A senior from Austin Peay, 6’0” 216 pounds. Robles was a two-way player with a 6.75 ERA, starting in 10 games and appearing in 13 more. as a batter he hit .347/.414/.551 and hit 10 home runs. His birthday is July 7.

Round 31 Luke Miller 3B

An outfielder at Indiana University, Minnesota has decided to list him as a third baseman. The 6’3” 184 pound freshman hit .284 with a home run and seven stolen bases on 12 attempts.

No video here, either.

Round 32 Nick Brown RHP

William and Mary junior, 6’0” 185 pounds. 5.23 ERA and eight saves, but also gave up eight home runs.

Round 33 JJ Robinson IF

A senior at Lewis and Clark State College, 6’2” 225 pounds, NAIA west player of the year. Robinson showed some power hitting .340/.414/.739 with 22 home runs. Pitched, caught, played shortstop, and was a basketball point guard in high school.

Round 34 Max Meyer RHP

Meyer is a local guy, from Woodbury High School, Woodbury MN. He is 6’0” 175 pounds, lead his team deep into the state playoffs, and earned a nice write-up by the Strib. If the Twins don’t sign the phenom, he will be staying local with the gophers. #oneofus

Round 35 Adam Oviedo SS

A Texas prep player who hit .429 with a home run, Oviedo was ranked #133 overall, and #19 at shortstop by Baseball America, so could be a steal for the Twins. The right-handed batter is 6’0” 186 pounds, and was projected to go between the second and fifth rounds. He is committed to TCU, so may be difficult to sign.

Round 36 Josh McMinn RHP

Primarily a reliever at Oral Roberts, also started 3 games. Freshman, at 6’4” 195 pounds, finished with a 4.00 ERA. He struck out seven batters on two occasions. He collects vintage video games.

Round 37 Patrick Bailey C

His pitchers love the 6’0” 175 pound prep catcher’s framing ability and confidence. The switch hitter is committed to NC State. Baseball America named him the best high school defensive catcher, and the 23rd best catcher in the draft. Not the greatest video, but the only one available.

Round 38 Benjamin (Ben) Rodriguez C

Right handed red-shirt junior at Pepperdine, 6’6” 240 pound Rodriguez played primarily at first base and DH. He hit .230/.311/.378 with 5 home runs. His dad played volleyball for the Dominican National Team. No word on if his middle name is Franklin, which would be awesome, because I grew up in the 90’s and love the Sandlot.

Round 39 Johnny DeLuca OF

Prep switch hitter at 5’11” 180 pounds. Known for his speed, also runs track when available. His high school awarded him “Athlete of the year.” He is committed to play baseball for Oregon. He missed a season of baseball due to a “shattered kidney” in an on-field collision

Round 40 Austin Bizzle RHP

Senior pitcher for Alabama State. The 6’1” 185 pound pitcher has an ERA of 1.95 in 74 innings, and pitched a 1-run complete game. He has 4 saves, and features a fastball in the mid-80’s

No video for him, either.

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