Friday Update

The Twins didn't have a great series against the Orioles, but they still go into Chicago only 2.5 games back.

Some (kind of) big news is that UTIL Nick Punto had to go back on the DL with a hamstring injury. So 3B Matt Macri was called back up before actually getting back down to Rochester. This leaves the Twins thin on the bench, with only 3 bench players - Monroe, Redmond and Macri. With Punto, at least, the bench was had a little flexibility; now, it's limited. As an example, P Kevin Slowey had to pinch-run.

The other Twins news of yesterday and today is the draft. Over the course of it, the Twins selected 52 players. If last year is any indication, they will probably sign 20-25 of them. A few will sign too late to play at all this year. The deadline to sign these players - or lose their rights - is August 15.

The Twins had 3 of the first 31 picks. Their first pick was 14. The three guys that I narrowed it down to were all still on the board. The ended up selecting Prep OF Aaron Hicks. They should be able to sign him and I would expect him to play for the GCL Twins, which is the same path that last year's first pick, Ben Revere, took.

With their second pick, 27 overall, the Twins selected RHP Carlos Gutierrez from Miami. It came as a shock to the experts; I hadn't heard the name before. He is currently a closer, but the Twins are expected to make him a starter. As of now, he only has one pitch - a fastball with sink, but projects as a "fast-track" guy. Could he end up in Beloit or Ft. Myers this year? We'll have to stay tuned to see how this turns out...

At 31, the Twins took RHP Shooter Hunt from Tulane. I had seen Hunt as high as 12 in some mocks recently, so he was a surprise to fall so far. He projects as a back-of-the-rotation type of guy. He has two pitches right now - a fastball and a curve - that grade high. His changeup isn't used often, but is a projectable pitch. The knock on Hunt is his command. I would assume that when Hunt signs, he'll be shipped out to Elizabethton.

The Twins 2nd round pick, and last pick I'm going to talk about, is SS Tyler Ladendorf. This is the 3rd time that Ladendorf has been drafted. Right now he is a shortstop, but most project a move in his future. I expect he'll start as a SS, probably with the Gulf Coast team, unless Estarlin De Los Santos gets moved up from Elizabethton to Beloit.

Of course, it all depends on who signs when. Last year's rookie teams went 87-37, so hopefully this year's guys can play just as well.