The MLB Draft is coming up in a few days, and outlets are looking for ways to build off of whatever buzz there is for that draft (which is to say, not much but far more than there was a decade ago).
As such, ESPN has assembled a "draft" of sorts, asking experts to weigh in by evaluating this question regarding existing players under contract: If you were building a team from scratch, who would you want? Salaries don't matter.
So basically, you're looking for a combination of youth, potential and existing track record. They went through 2 rounds — 60 players total — and the results were interesting.
The first round was dominated by existing major league players — many of whom are the best young players in the game right now (Mike Trout went No. 1 overall and Bryce Harper was second).
The second round was a mix of prospects and established players … and it's also where we found the only two members of the Twins organization. Byron Buxton, the mega-prospect at Class AA right now, was the first pick of the second round, number 31 overall. Miguel Sano was No. 57 overall.
It's a reminder of this: as good as the Twins have been this season so far, the superstar cornerstones of Twins teams projected to contend in the future have not even arrived yet. Guys like Kyle Gibson, Brian Dozier and Trevor Plouffe should not be taken for granted, but when it comes to the best under-30 talent that any team would want to have (at least according to those who chose them for ESPN) … well, those guys are still in Chattanooga.
