Twins scouting director Johnson swinging for the fences

Twins officials in January gathered at the club's spring training complex in Fort Myers, Fla., for their annual "Scout Summit," at which they discuss issues and identify objectives for the upcoming year.

With the Twins coming off a 99-loss season, it was an opportunity for scouting director Deron Johnson to state his goal for the amateur draft, in which the club held the No. 2 overall selection.

"We're not trying to hit a single," Johnson told a group of about 30. "We aren't trying to move a runner over. We have to make the right selection. We have to hit a home run with this pick."

The Twins farm system has come under fire for a failure to produce high-end talent -- starting pitching, in particular -- and Johnson understands that.

The Twins are desperate for top talent, eager to develop a player who can be a game-changer.

Their timing isn't good. The 2012 draft isn't considered to be strong, a steep drop-off from last year, in which several excellent starting pitching prospects were selected.

"I agree," Johnson said. "But that is no excuse. We have to find the right guy."

Johnson, 45, and his 27-man staff are preparing for a draft in which they not only have the second overall pick but also five of the first 72 picks, thanks to compensation for losing free agents Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel. Johnson usually sees as many players before a draft as he can. This year, he is focused on what the Twins could land with their first five picks.

"Deron has taken this very seriously," said Mike Radcliff, Twins senior vice president in charge of player personnel. "We're down to essentially three or four guys, really three [for our first pick]. When it all sorts out, there could be some discussions that could push one or two guys into the final discussion for pick No. 2. For the most part, we're talking about three guys, and he's spent a lot of his time on them. So he's comfortable and ready to process all the late information he's going to get on those guys."

Bay Area roots

Johnson, a native of Vallejo, Calif., didn't have much of a pro career. If he was going to have any career in baseball, it wasn't going to be as a coach, either.

An outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates chain, Johnson batted .225 in 113 minor league games from 1988 to '90 before being released. He returned to school and earned his degree from St. Mary's College in Moraga, Calif. When the Pirates were in San Francisco to play the Giants in early 1991, he visited an old minor league roommate and was spotted in the Candlestick Park parking lot by Cam Bonifay, who later became Pirates general manager.

It wasn't on Johnson's radar at the time. "I had classes to finish and I was a little bitter at pro ball," he said. "You never want to get released and, like everybody else, I didn't think I got a fair shot, whatever."

He did get the itch after he was done with school and was hired as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of San Francisco from 1992 to '93.

"I didn't like being on the field as a coach," he said. "I loved the recruiting aspect of it. I had a chance to befriend a lot of scouts who had scouted me as a player but I didn't know on a personal level."

Johnson quickly forged a reputation for hard work and knowledge of players. The Twins, who needed a scout in the area, took notice. Vern Followell, now the Twins director of pro scouting, interviewed Johnson and hired him as Northern California area scout in 1994.

"He seemed to know the players and how to break down the players," Followell said. "That's a key ingredient."

"We talked every night," Johnson said. "He taught me everything."

In 1998, Johnson was promoted to West Coast supervisor. It was his recommendation that influenced the Twins to select Cal State Fullerton's Adam Johnson the last time they had a No. 2 pick, in 2000, a selection he admits to have blown -- the righthander had a 10.25 ERA in nine games with the Twins and didn't appear in the majors again. But the selection didn't prove fatal to Deron Johnson's professional growth.

In the great shakeup of 2007, when Terry Ryan stepped down as GM and Radcliff was promoted, Deron Johnson was named scouting director.

Scouting the nation

On Thursday, Johnson was in Greensboro, N.C., to watch games at the ACC tournament before catching a 5 1/2-hour flight back home to Sacramento. On Saturday, he worked out prospects in Los Angeles. On Sunday, he flew to the Twin Cities, as draft meetings at Target Field begin Tuesday. Asked Friday how he was doing, he said: "I'm stressed out a bit but, other than that, life is good."

"My daughter got home from college [May 20]," he said. "I finally saw her Friday morning."

Every team goes through it at this time of year. Johnson has seen the top players several times by now and will continue to gather information about them right up to the draft, all the time thinking about that home run he wants to hit when the Twins' selection comes up Monday.

His first pick as scouting director was prep outfielder Aaron Hicks, a multitooled athlete batting .246 with five home runs and 26 RBI at Class AA New Britain. In 2009, the Twins selected righthander Kyle Gibson, who is out for the season because of Tommy John elbow surgery but could make his Twins debut in 2013 and is considered as talented as anyone on the current pitching staff. In 2010, the Twins selected righthander Alex Wimmers, who had to lick a bout of wildness last year and now is battling elbow issues. Last year's first-round pick, college shortstop Levi Michael, is struggling at Class A Fort Myers, batting .203 in 43 games.

It will be years before Johnson's first four drafts can be fairly assessed. Still, his motivation is obvious. Shortstop Brian Dozier is the only player from his drafts to reach the majors so far.

"You don't think I've been watching that?" Johnson said.

"Deron has handled it with aplomb," Radcliff said.

The Twins will gather in a meeting room at Target Field on Tuesday and begin debating prospects. Johnson wants his staff to bring their lists and their best arguments to the table as they prepare to make a decision that could change the future of the franchise.

"It can get heated in there," Johnson said. "We could get through just four players in an hour. You want people with conviction."

With so much riding on the Twins' early picks, Johnson won't mind some passion in the draft room leading up to the big day.