Minnesota Twins officially sign first round selection Trevor Larnach
The Minnesota Twins officially put pen to paper and as expected signed their first-round draft pick Trevor Larnach to an under slot deal.
The Minnesota Twins have officially signed their 2018 first round draft pick Trevor Larnach. The Twins took Larnach 20th overall out of Oregon State University and have had to wait to sign the outfielder after the Beavers made a run in the College World Series and won the championship only about a week ago.
Coming off the celebrations of a College World Series Championship, Larnach is now able to celebrate a nice pay day. Larnach has reportedly signed for less than the 20th overall selection slot value of $3.12 million and has signed a $2.55 million dollar deal. Even though the deal is undervalued it is still a nice pay day for the 21-year-old.
After being a 40th round draft pick in 2015 by the San Diego Padres, Larnach chose not to sign and instead continue on with his college career. Betting on himself has turned out to be very beneficial for Larnach as he has truly developed his bat into being one of the best available in the 2018 draft.
Larnach batted .348/.462/.652 with a .1.115 OPS with 19 home runs, 19 doubles, and 77 RBIs in 2018 for the Beavers. Larnach carried that quality hitting into the College World Series and had his most memorable hit at the end of Game 2 against the Arkansas Razorbacks. In the 9th inning down 3-2, Larnach launched a two-run home run to give the Beavers the lead and eventual win to force a Game 3. Over the 13 games Larnach played in the NCAA Tournament he hit for a .442 batting average and 1.244 OPS while adding two home runs, 20 runs, and 13 RBIs.
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With College World Series title and contract in hand, Larnach will now head to Rookie ball and play for Elizabethton. He looks to be another power bat in the Twins system much like Brent Rooker who the Twins drafted in the supplemental round, 35th overall, in 2017. As a left-handed hitter the assumption may be that Larnach would find most of power as a pull hitter, but instead he finds power mainly from left field to right-center field.
What is always a plus in learning about new prospects, and athletes in general, is that they are good people as well. After signing on Thursday, Larnach made his rounds with the Twins broadcasts. It was on the radio broadcast he was asked what he was going to buy first when he cashes his big check. His answer was that he wanted to be sure to pay back his dad for all the hard work sacrifices he had made for Larnach by buying him a new knee and a new hip.
Next: Top prospect Royce Lewis continues to dominate
It looks like the Twins front office has brought in another very good baseball player and a good person with their first round selection in 2018. It will be exciting to follow him and the rest of the 2018 draft class develop. Cedar Rapids has already seen great players like Alex Kirilloff, Royce Lewis, and Brusdar Graterol this season and they may just see one more in Larnach before the season is through.