Twins complete Day 2 of the draft by selecting prep righthander

The Twins completed the second day of the draft by selecting righthander Regi Grace from Madison (MS.) Central High.

Grace missed his junior year with a back injury but returned this season and got scouts' attention while going 7-2 with a 1.31 ERA.. He added a few mph to his fastball late in the season, as it ticked up to the mid-90's. And he can spin a breaking ball. He has signed with Mississippi State, so he could be a tough sign. But he has talent the Twins could work with.

That's all for today's draft. Teams return tomorrow at 11 a.m. for rounds 11-40. The Twins ended up selecting three pitchers today, with more expected tomorrow, A couple picks are shaking off old injuries, so that is worth monitoring.

Ninth round: CF Wille Joe Garry Jr.

The Twins selected CF Willie Joe Garry Jr from Pascagoula (MS.) High in the ninth round of the draft.

Garry wasn't listed among the top 25 players coming out of Mississippi this year. But he's a lefthanded hitter with some line drive ability who can run. He was once coached as a youth by former Twin Matt Lawton.

Sounds like a project. Sounds like someone they can save bonus money with so they can sign players like Charles Mack.

Eighth round: Clemson C Chris Williams

Clemson catcher Chris Williams was selected by the Twins in the eighth round. He's the second catcher taken by the club, after second round pick Ryan Jeffers.

Williams could turn out to be a steal - if his shoulder holds up.

He injured his shoulder late in the 2017 season while diving back into first base during a pickoff attempt, requiring surgery. He wasn't 100 percent at the start of the 2018 season, so Clemson used him mostly at first base this year while he continued to build up strength in the shoulder.

The Twins have their medical staff look over reports on most draft-eligible players. So they must be convinced that Williams' shoulder won't be an issue.

But the key will be how he distances himself from his shoulder injury while honing his defensive skills behind the plate.

Baseball America has him ranked 213th. Here's part of their scouting report:

"When healthy, Williams showed solid-average arm strength behind the plate, throwing out 50 percent of basestealers; his defensive game needs polish, but he profiles as an offensively geared catcher. His draft stock this year will depend on how teams view the medical reports on his right shoulder and whether they believe he'll be able to stick at catcher long-term. At the plate, Williams has been one of the best power hitters in the Atlantic Coast Conference since transferring from Golden West (Calif.) JC prior to his sophomore year."

Here's a solid feature about the young man.

Seventh round: Josh Winder

Winder went 5-6 with a 5.40 ERA (85.0 IP, 51 ER), 19 walks and 91 strikeouts this season. Over his last four starts, he went 4-0 with a 2.56 ERA while walking four and striking out 31. That might have the Twins thinking that his 2017 stuff is coming back.

He was the 223rd ranked prospect by Baseball America, who mentioned the following in its scouting report:

"While he still managed a respectable walk rate with 19 free passes in 85 innings (2.01 BB/9), his strike-throwing has backed up this spring. He's fanned 91 batters through 85 innings and posted a 5.40 ERA in 14 starts. Winder could still get taken in the fifth or sixth round by a team that's confident he'll get back to his 2017 version, but his stock has slipped a bit this spring."

Sixth round: Charles Mack

The Twins selected shortstop Charles Mack in the sixth round.

Mack played shortstop for his high school team, but the Twins have asked that Mack be listed as a third baseman. He could also end up at second, but reports are that his arm is strong enough for third base.

His bat is his ticket to the majors, as he has shown projectible lefthanded power in high school. Yes, the Twins have good shortstops in the organization. But you can never have enough. And Mack is being moved to third base.

Mack is committed to Clemson, so it will be interesting if the Twins will have to offer more than $253,700 to buy him out of his commitment. If the Twins start drafting kids ranked in the 400's, that means they are looking for cheap signs to save money to make a run at someone like Mack.

UPDATE: Scouting director Sean Johnson said they are confident that they will sign Mack.

Baseball America ranks him as the 118th best prospect. Here's the write-up:

Fifth round: RHP Cole Sands

The Twins have selected Florida State righthander Cole Sands in the fifth round, their first pitcher selected in the MLB draft.

Sands, listed at 6 feet, 3 inches and 220 pounds, went 7-4 with a 4.54 ERA for the Seminoles after taking over as the No. 1 starter when a teammate when down with an injury. He throws a fastball with good sinking action, topping out at 95 miles per hour, to go with a slider and a changeup. He's known for his competitive demeanor.

Baseball America has him ranked 74th while MLB.com ranks him 116th.

Sands was drafted in the 22nd round out of high school by the Astros, but elected to stay close to home and pitch for the Seminoles. Here's BA's write up about him:

Sands missed two games earlier in the season due to biceps tendinitis. And look what happened on Friday. I'm sure the Twins have recieved assurances that Sands is not seriously injured.

Fourth round pick: OF DaShawn Keirsey

DaShawn Keirsey, an outfielder from the University of Utah, was selected by the Twins in the fourth round of the first year player draft on Tuesday.

Keirsey was highly thought of as a prospect a year ago but had a setback when he crashed into a wall in May of 2017, suffering a serious hip injury. So he's in the process of distancing himself from that injury. But he projects to be a good athlete who can play center field and could develop some power. Right now, he's a line drive hitter who makes plenty of contact.

He's a three-time all Pac-12 player who hit .386 last season with four home runs and 22 RBI.

"Keirsey's career-best campaign this spring is impressive enough in its own right, as the junior center fielder hit .392/.440/.636 through his first 36 games—a slugging percentage nearly .200 points better than his previous high. His performance looks even more impressive when remembering the gruesome injury he suffered last May, when Keirsey dislocated and fractured his left hip after colliding into the center field wall while tracking a deep home run.

While the injury prevented Keirsey from playing in the Cape Cod League last summer, it's seemingly done nothing to slow him down this spring. Scouts have been impressed with his athleticism, plus raw power, a strong throwing arm and running ability.

The power is the obvious improvement in Keirsey's game, although most of that is driven by all of the doubles he's collected (18) rather than the home runs (3) he has hit through May 10.

While scouts grade Keirsey as an above-average or plus runner, teams will worry that his hip injury will cause that grade to depreciate quicker than usual, and a related, recurring injury is also a concern.

Outside of durability questions, Keirsey has a solid package of tools and a bat that can project as average—both of which could override worries about the medical."

The second round of the draft is underway, with rounds three through 10 taking place. Keirsey is the Twins first pick this afternoon because they lost their third round pick when they signed Lance Lynn as a free agent.