If we can concede that the instant reaction questioning the Twins for picking Royce Lewis No. 1 overall is just as silly as any attempt to quantify how well the Twins did overall in the draft considering these prospects take many years to develop, then it's at least fair given all the effort spent discussing that top choice to point out that MLB.com's draft analysis was quite favorable to the Twins' overall body of work with their selections.
In fact, MLB.com columnist Jim Callis said of the draft: "No team made a better first impression" than the Twins.
He arrived at that conclusion not just by praising the surprising pick of Lewis — which he did, calling the high school shortstop/outfielder "a better combination of hitting ability and tools than any player available" — but also by looking at the Twins' picks spread out over all the rounds.
Writes Callis: "Before this year, the last time the Twins owned the No. 1 overall pick in the Draft was 2001. They hit it big with Joe Mauer, but got little else out of the 50 total rounds, save for a few decent seasons out of Nick Blackburn and cups of coffee from Jose Morales and Kevin Cameron. Minnesota has the potential for a much deeper haul this time around."
The Twins' strategy under new bosses Derek Falvey and Thad Levine this year was to spread their $14 million bonus pool over a lot of players, which it sounds like the selection of Lewis will enable them to do.
A rundown of all the players Callis liked from the Twins' draft is available on the article link. If the Twins hit on Lewis and several of those other players, the draft will be win-win. If they missed on Lewis, there are still other players with a chance to pan out. If they missed on Lewis and most of the rest of their high-round picks turn out to be duds — while a player they passed up at No. 1 overall turns out to be great — this draft might end up haunting the Twins.
We won't know that for at least a few years, of course.
