Twins sign first-round pick Keoni Cavaco

The Minnesota Twins came to terms with their first round pick on Wednesday evening, meaning the shortstop can get a quick start in the minors.

The Minnesota Twins didn’t waste any time in signing their first round pick from this year’s MLB Draft as they quickly came to terms with shortstop Keoni Cavaco on Wednesday evening. The deal, which was reported first by MLB.com’s Jim Callis, is worth $4.05 million and the 18-year old Cavaco will report to the Gulf Coast League Twins to begin his professional career.

Cavaco was a relative unknown heading into the MLB Draft as just a year ago, as he came up short trying to make his area traveling team. He exploded onto scout’s radars since then thanks to his strong frame and raw power that could develop into a force once he reaches the major leagues.

The Twins were tied to Cavaco as the draft neared and when they was on the clock with the 13th overall pick, they pounced to get their guy.

Although he is far from a sure thing to realize his potential, adding the Chula Vista, Calif. product adds to a Twins farm system that has plenty of depth in the middle infield. With the team likely tapping into the trade market in the coming weeks to bolster the major league squad, it’s interesting to wonder if a prospect such as Nick Gordon or Wander Javier could be available with Cavaco now in the system.

Either way, it will be interesting to see if Cavaco will take to professional baseball as quickly as 2017 No. 1 overall pick Royce Lewis did a couple years ago when he .279/.381/.407 between the GCL Twins and Low-A Cedar Rapids after signing just days after his 18th birthday. If Cavaco can come close to that, he’ll add more hype to a system that has plenty of talent making its way to the major leagues.