Who should get the credit, or blame, for drafting ability?

The Twins passed up Mike Mussina in 1991 to draft Todd Ritchie. Larry Corrigan was the scouting director then. Was it his fault or was his decision based on the information he was given by his scouts?

Michael Cuddyer, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau were drafted on Mike Radcliff's watch as scouting director. So were first-round failures Adam Johnson, B.J. Garbe and Matt Moses. Was Radcliff successful or not?

It's not easy to determine.

Before this year's draft, about 10 Twins officials will have seen college pitchers Mark Appel and Kyle Zimmer, and almost as many will have seen prep outfielder Byron Buxton -- the three players the Twins have focused on for the No. 2 overall pick. Sean Johnson, the West Coast supervisor, has seen Appel and Zimmer at least six times each.

General Manager Terry Ryan even made a recent trip to Georgia to see Buxton in action.

The scouts begin meetings Tuesday in Target Field, but scouting director Deron Johnson arrived Sunday and will help prepare the draft room. Vern Followell, the director of pro scouting, will assist him.

Every scout has submitted rankings, and a computer program tabulates results. Once everyone is in town, discussions begin. The Twins' scouting network is grouped into four regions, with a supervisor in each region.

"Joe Blow, the supervisor from the area the player came from, will start the discussion," Johnson said. "A lot of us will have seen the player, and there will be video available. That's how it starts."

They will discuss tools and makeup and make sure scouts feels strongly about where the player is ranked.

The Twins also are in contact with the prospects, their families and their advisers (agents) to keep up with late developments, medical issues or contract requests that could sway a decision.

The scouting director takes center stage on draft day. He will have heard many opinions by then, and he also has his own opinions. In the end, it's Johnson's call, and he knows people will identify him for the pick. Johnson's focus this year is on the first few rounds; he will rely on recommendations of his scouts for the remainder of the 40-round draft.

"Obviously, this is an extremely important pick to Terry, to Mike, to Vern, to the supervisors," Johnson said. "The onus is on me because I'm the scouting director, but this is an organization pick, for sure."