The Twins took Kohl Stewart with the 4th overall pick, and based on their past the Twins should have went another way with that pick. Not including the 2011 first round pick in Hudson Boyd and 2012 first round pick in Jose Berrios, because they haven't had enough time to decide whether or not they are busts, but the other guys it's safe to say weren't worth a first round pick.
The Twins have taken 6 high school pitchers in the first round not including Boyd and Berrios and 5 have come and gone and the jury is still out on another.
The first was Jeff Bumgarner in 1985. He never made it to the majors and posted a 48-71 win-loss record and 4.26 ERA. in the minors.
The second was Willie Blanks in 1987. He played 9 years in the majors for 7 different teams and accumulated a 33-39 record with a 4.75 ERA.
Next was Todd Ritchie in 1990. He was the best of the picks thus far and he was a mediocre major league pitcher at best. Pitched for 8 years with 5 different teams accumulating a 43-54 record with a 4.71 ERA.
1992 the Twins took Dan Serafini. He played 7 years for 6 different teams and only had a record of 15-16 with a whopping 6.04 ERA.
Steven "Kyle" Waldrop was taken in 2004. He never panned out as a starter, but did make his major league debut with the Twins in 2011. He also made a brief appearance in our bullpen last season too. He was designated for assignment this off season and the Pirates picked him up. He is the only pick who still has a chance to make it somewhat in the majors.
The last pitcher was also in 2004 in Jay Rainville. He never made it to the majors, but did put up somewhat decent numbers in the minors before having to retire due to a nerve issue.
Now on to Kohl Stewart. He was the top high school arm, but people did have their concerns. His mechanics aren't the best making scouts afraid of the long term effects. He also is a type 1 diabetic. Now living with diabetes has come a long way, but that still has to be considered very carefully when you are giving an 18 year old over 4 million dollars.
Stewart could become the first high first round pick to truly succeed with the Twins, but based on their track records I'm not going to bet on it. The Twins last year when the took Buxton told us that he was the top player on their board when they passed up a chance to add a top of the rotation guy in Mark Appel. So far the pick has proven to be a good one with Buxton on an absolute tear and showing no signs of slowing down.
So with multiple college bats still on the board at 4 and a few college pitchers, it boggles my mind that Stewart was the highest player on their board at that point. I understand they watched every pitch of his this year, but does that justify the pick? In my opinion it does not. In my opinion it is a way of walking around the real issue of what was their board and why Stewart over adding someone like Moran or Peterson both very good hitters who are 3rd basemen. I know you are saying we have Sano. Third base is a position of weakness in our organization and Sano has yet to truly grasp it defensively and maybe he would be better off across the diamond at 1st.
All in all, I think the Twins should have gone in a different direction based on their past even though the recent picks of Boyd and Berrios seem to be on track thus far. When projecting high school pitchers, it is almost impossible to tell what the wear and tear will do to them of a much longer season. College pitchers prove how their arms will hold up and also face tougher competition. Making them less of a risk, and I think when you are picking as high as the Twins you need to be absolutely sure, and about this pick I'm not absolutely sure he'll ever see a major league diamond.
The Twins have taken 6 high school pitchers in the first round not including Boyd and Berrios and 5 have come and gone and the jury is still out on another.
The first was Jeff Bumgarner in 1985. He never made it to the majors and posted a 48-71 win-loss record and 4.26 ERA. in the minors.
The second was Willie Blanks in 1987. He played 9 years in the majors for 7 different teams and accumulated a 33-39 record with a 4.75 ERA.
Next was Todd Ritchie in 1990. He was the best of the picks thus far and he was a mediocre major league pitcher at best. Pitched for 8 years with 5 different teams accumulating a 43-54 record with a 4.71 ERA.
1992 the Twins took Dan Serafini. He played 7 years for 6 different teams and only had a record of 15-16 with a whopping 6.04 ERA.
Steven "Kyle" Waldrop was taken in 2004. He never panned out as a starter, but did make his major league debut with the Twins in 2011. He also made a brief appearance in our bullpen last season too. He was designated for assignment this off season and the Pirates picked him up. He is the only pick who still has a chance to make it somewhat in the majors.
The last pitcher was also in 2004 in Jay Rainville. He never made it to the majors, but did put up somewhat decent numbers in the minors before having to retire due to a nerve issue.
Now on to Kohl Stewart. He was the top high school arm, but people did have their concerns. His mechanics aren't the best making scouts afraid of the long term effects. He also is a type 1 diabetic. Now living with diabetes has come a long way, but that still has to be considered very carefully when you are giving an 18 year old over 4 million dollars.
Stewart could become the first high first round pick to truly succeed with the Twins, but based on their track records I'm not going to bet on it. The Twins last year when the took Buxton told us that he was the top player on their board when they passed up a chance to add a top of the rotation guy in Mark Appel. So far the pick has proven to be a good one with Buxton on an absolute tear and showing no signs of slowing down.
So with multiple college bats still on the board at 4 and a few college pitchers, it boggles my mind that Stewart was the highest player on their board at that point. I understand they watched every pitch of his this year, but does that justify the pick? In my opinion it does not. In my opinion it is a way of walking around the real issue of what was their board and why Stewart over adding someone like Moran or Peterson both very good hitters who are 3rd basemen. I know you are saying we have Sano. Third base is a position of weakness in our organization and Sano has yet to truly grasp it defensively and maybe he would be better off across the diamond at 1st.
All in all, I think the Twins should have gone in a different direction based on their past even though the recent picks of Boyd and Berrios seem to be on track thus far. When projecting high school pitchers, it is almost impossible to tell what the wear and tear will do to them of a much longer season. College pitchers prove how their arms will hold up and also face tougher competition. Making them less of a risk, and I think when you are picking as high as the Twins you need to be absolutely sure, and about this pick I'm not absolutely sure he'll ever see a major league diamond.
Written by Nick Calo, follow me on Twitter for more updates and sports thoughts @PRH1987