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How did the 2017 Minnesota Twins draft picks do?

By Benjamin Chase

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 17: Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey of the Minnesota Twins holds up a jersey with number one overall draft pick Royce Lewis and agent Scott Boras at a press conference on June 17, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 17: Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey of the Minnesota Twins holds up a jersey with number one overall draft pick Royce Lewis and agent Scott Boras at a press conference on June 17, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JUNE 17: Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey of the Minnesota Twins holds up a jersey with number one overall draft pick Royce Lewis and agent Scott Boras at a press conference on June 17, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JUNE 17: Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey of the Minnesota Twins holds up a jersey with number one overall draft pick Royce Lewis and agent Scott Boras at a press conference on June 17, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

The Minnesota Twins had the first overall draft pick in the 2017 draft and had a deep draft of players. How did they do in their first professional exposure?

While the Minnesota Twins had the #1 overall selection this last June, they also drafted a number of other players, and it’s always good to look back to see how players performed in their first exposure to professional baseball.

Day 1 Draft Picks

The pick of Lewis surprised many, but he’s ended up being reviewed very highly by scouts. As the draft broke down, Lewis did not really receive a massive “discount” compared to other draft picks around them, however, they were able to spin some savings on their first few picks into plenty of draft bargains down the line, especially on day 2 and 3.

Rooker was drafted late in 2016 by the Twins and then again this season after a huge season in college where it seemed Rooker led every statistic in the Southeastern Conference.

Leach was an impressive pitcher for Canada, though he’s likely going to be a guy who takes longer to get to the major leagues than a typical early pick as he has some development yet to do.

1.1 – Royce Lewis, SS, California HS – GCL: .271/.390/.414/.803, 38 R, 6 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 15/2 SB, 19/17 BB/K; Cedar Rapids: .296/.363/.394/.757, 16 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 3/1 SB, 6/16 BB/K; Total: .279/.381/.407/.788, 54 R, 8 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 18/3 SB, 25/33 BB/K.

1.35 – Brent Rooker, OF, Mississippi State – Elizabethton: .282/.364/.588/.952, 19 R, 5 2B, 7 HR, 17 RBI, 2/2 SB, 11/21 BB/K; Fort Myers: .280/.364/.552/.917, 23 R, 6 2B, 11 HR, 16/47 BB/K; Total: .281/.364/.566/.930, 42 R, 11 2B, 18 HR, 52 RBI, 2/2 SB, 27/68 BB/K.

2.1 (37th overall) – Landon Leach, RHP, Canada HS – GCL: 2-0, 5 G, 2 GS, 13 1/3 IP, 3.38 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 6/10 BB/K

Next: Day 2

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