The Twins frequently have loaded up on pitching during the second day of Major League Baseball's first-year player draft. This time, they nearly drafted an entire infield.
On Tuesday, the Twins used only two of their eight picks on pitchers. They selected two third basemen, two outfielders a shortstop and a first baseman.
"As you guys know, we have taken a lot of pitchers the last couple of years,'' Twins scouting director Deron Johnson said. "We wanted to get some position players. I was surprised it was almost split between college players and high school players. I was pleased to get some youth into the organization.''
Their first two picks were third basemen — third-round pick Travis Blankenhorn from Pottsville (Pa.) High School and fourth-round pick Trey Cabbage from Grainger High in Rutledge, Tenn. Both have smooth swings. Both project to hit for some power. Both are great athletes who also excelled in basketball.
Fifth-round pick Alex Robinson, a lefthander from the University of Maryland, is an interesting prospect. Robinson, who pitches with an aggressive demeanor, was 1-1 with a 1.63 ERA. In 27 ⅔ innings, he walked 20 and struck out 32. There's the issue. He has size (6-3, 222 pounds) and can hit 96 miles per hour with his fastball, but the reliever needs to work on his control. That could keep him from rising quickly through the system.
"He scatters the zone,'' Johnson said. "It's not precise command by any means, but he's got pitches to miss bats.''
Eighth-rounder Kolton Kendrick, from Oak Forest Academy in Amite City, La., does one thing well. "We drafted him for his power,'' Johnson said.
Baseball America described Kendrick's power as, "top-of-the-scale 80 raw power that has paid off in some epic home runs this spring.''
