Some thoughts on the draft

So much for mock drafts. As soon as Rice third baseman Antony Rendon dropped to sixth (instead of second), drafts board were knocked off their stands.

When the Twins' turn came at No, 30, there was UNC shortstop Levi Michael waiting for them. ESPN had him gone with the 21st overall pick, Baseball America had him gone at 22 and MLB.com at 25.

Travis Harrison is considered one of the best power bats in the draft.

Hudson Boyd, apparently, has a mid 90's fastball.

ESPN's Keith Law put the Twins' draft among the ones that he liked on Day One.

But before we release the balloons and hand out free candy to children, keep the 2004 draft in mind.

In 2004, the Twins had several compensation picks, including three first-round picks.

20. Trevor Plouffe, SS

22. Glen Perkins, LHP

25. Kyle Waldrop, RHP

35. Matt Fox, RHP

39 Jay Rainville, RHP

It shows you what a crapshoot the draft is.

But today, Twins fans can look to the future and hope Michael comes through. If I'm not mistaken, the Twins haven't drafted and developed a starter for them at short since Pat Mears. Cristian Guzman came from the Yankees. Jason Bartlett came from the Padres. Plouffe has not proven himself. Shortstop has been a mess since Bartlett was dealt to the Rays.

The Twins do have Brian Dozier, who recently was promoted to New Britain. But you can never have too many shortstop prospects.

Here are Baseball America's scouting reports on the Twins' draft picks:

Levi Michael, SS

Travis Harrison, 3B

Harrison established himself as one of the top power hitters in Southern California early, homering off future Rockies first-rounder Tyler Matzek with a wood bat as a freshman in scout ball. He easily rates as the region's best high school bat this year. Harrison has a physical 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame and above-average righthanded power potential. Some scouts think he could be an above-average hitter, too, if he does a better job protecting the outer half and adjusting to breaking balls. He can make loud contact, but he centers balls on the barrel inconsistently, and other scouts see him as just an average hitter. It's unclear where he'll play on the diamond. His arm has improved to the point that some scouts now consider it average, but his actions at third base are stiff and his range and footwork are fringy. He'll get a chance to stay at the hot corner, however, before falling back to first. He's a below-average runner with solid instincts on the basepaths. Harrison plays hard and loves to compete, and scouts expect a club to buy him out of his commitment to Southern California.

Hudson Boyd, RHP

Boyd transferred from South Fort Myers High to Bishop Verot as he teamed with similarly beefy first baseman Dan Vogelbach. Together, they led their team to a state 3-A championship with Boyd 10-0 with 112 strikeouts through early May. His delivery and 6-foot-3, 235-pound frame have elicited comparisons to Jonathan Broxton and Bartolo Colon, and scouts intend those as positives. Boyd projects as a mid-rotation workhorse who will work with two plus pitches. He maintains the velocity on his fastball deep into games, topping out at 95-96 mph and sitting in the 90-94 range. His breaking ball also is plus, a power curve that scrapes 80 mph with tight rotation and sharp break. Boyd's changeup can be too firm at times, but he hasn't needed it much in high school.

Here's a recent feature on Michael

Here's video of Travis Harrison (advance to just before the midway point to get past useless crap). Video includes the 504-foot metal bat-aided homer.