A look at this year’s draft class
The Twins were in the enviable position (minus the 100-loss season the year before) of having the top pick in the draft in 2017. With that pick, the Twins selected Royce Lewis and while he hasn’t stepped up to the plate at Target Field, it’s the kind of pick that can get a franchise excited about the future.
This year, the Baltimore Orioles will have that chance to land a franchise player with the top overall pick and there’s a good chance they’ll go with Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman, who would be the first catcher to be selected #1 overall (not counting Bryce Harper who was drafted as an outfielder after playing at catcher during his prep career) since Mauer in 2001.
After Rutschman, the draft is loaded with impact position players with nine of the top 10 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospect List playing in the field with TCU left-hander Nick Lodolo being the lone exception.
Currently, the Twins have plenty of talent in their minor league system and Twins.com beat writer Do-Hyong Park suggests that the team could select the best player available when they come up on the clock.