Minnesota Twins: An early look at the notable performances of 2018 draft selections
Round 25: DH/1B/LF La Ron Smith
GCL Twins, Age 17, 6′ 2″, 200 lbs
Signed For $125,000
Smith is a notable later round pick because the Twins enticed the Canadian native to forgo his commitment to the University of Alabama with a $125,000 signing bonus. Being used almost exclusively as a designated hitter, the right-hander has six hits in 23 at-bats, including one double and an RBI to go along with 2 K´s and seven walks.
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Round 40: OF Tyler Webb
Elizabethton/GLC Twins, Age 22, 6′ 0″, 175 lbs
Signed For $1,000
The final player taken in the 2018 draft, Webb was baseball’s version the NFL’s “Mr Irrelevant”. After torching the GCL to the tune of .418/529/.491, with nine walks and just eight K’s in 17 games he was assigned to the E-Twins. His Appy league slash is .268/.302/.268, with 2 walks and 12 K´s. His combined season line is .354/442/837. On defense, the right-hander has collected five assists without committing an error.
dark. Next. Twins should keep, not trade, Kyle Gibson
With only three prospects selected from among MLB’s pre-draft top 200 list, the Twins front office was the subject of much post-draft criticism. Ironically, their unranked 2nd round choice is the shining star so far. That said, it is far too early to make any sort of reliable future evaluations for any of these players. But it is early enough to look for trends. We will continue to keep an eye on their progress and take another look at the draft class at the end of August.