It was overdue.
The Twins selected lefthander Alex Robinson from the University of Maryland in the fifth round of the draft. They normally draft a bunch of pitchers in rounds 3-10 but began the day by selecting two third baseman, This is a return to normalcy.
Robinson has a mid 90's fastball and good slider. He really took off when he left the rotation and began to work as a reliever. So the Twins continue their trend in the past few years to get more velocity in the system.
Robinson was rated as the 74th best prospect, but the Twins got him with the 140th pick of the draft. In what makes no sense, Robinson is listed as the 74th best prospect, Travis Blankenhorn is 75th and Kyle Cody is 76th.
Here's what BA wrote about Robinson:
A native of Long Island, Alex Robinson has been on scouts' radar for quite some time. Throwing from a low arm slot, the lefthanded Robinson showed strong velocity out of high school while fighting his command due to a raw delivery. His projectability was obvious, but his commitment to Maryland made him a tough sign, and he ended up on campus. During his time at College Park, Robinson has grown into a physically imposing southpaw with an elite fastball. He battled command issues as an underclassman, but emerged in the New England Collegiate League last summer, showing mid-90s velocity and a sharp breaking ball. His command has been a little better this spring, but he has walked more than six batters per nine. When he's on, however, Robinson is among the toughest pitchers to hit in the country, worked 92-94 and touching as high as 96 or 97 with bat-breaking life on his fastball. His breaking ball is a short, late-breaking slider that shows the ability to compete in the strike zone. He will have to cut down his walks and be more consistent in the strike zone, but Robinson has late-inning potential at the highest level and could move quickly if he harnesses more control.
