Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Wednesday, June 14 2017

 Twins crack record 28 hits in thumping Mariners 20-7. (Miller) p. 2  Drafted by Seattle, Burnsville's Sam Carlson hangs out with Mariners before Twins game. Star Tribune (Haggstrom) p. 3  Twins' Miguel Sano continues to lead AL third basemen in All-Star voting. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 3  Twins don't expect 'any hiccups' in signing second-day draft picks. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 4  Reusse: Rosario makes his point with three-homer outburst. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 5  Entertainment complex near Target Field would include Fillmore music theater. Star Tribune (Norfleet) p. 6  Postgame: Gimenez, of all people, doesn't like facing catcher on mound. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 7  Pressly hears tough talk in brief stint in minors. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 7  When judging MLB draft, arm yourself with patience. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 8  Twins select an outfielder and reliever to end Day 2 of the draft. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 9  Twins select in the seventh and eighth rounds. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 10  Twins use sixth round pick on another . Star Tribune (Neal) p. 10  Twins select small college third baseman in fifth round. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 11  Twins draft, round 4: Clemson lefthander Charlie Barnes is the pick. Star Tribune (Neal lll) p. 11  Twins select prep righthander Blayne Enlow with third round pick. Star Tribune (Neal lll) p. 11  Day 2 of the draft is here. Let's not behave like we did during Day 1. Star Tribune (Neal lll) p. 12  Kyle Gibson gets all-world support on record night for Twins. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 13  Twins resumes throwing program. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 14  MLB draft: Who the Twins picked on Tuesday. Pioneer Press (Graff) p. 15  Twins: 28 hits and round triplets for Rosario! MLB (Jackson & Hall) p. 17  Twins select top talent on Day 2 of Draft. MLB (Bollinger) p. 18  Did you know? Facts from Twins' big outburst. MLB (Jackson) p. 20  Enlow drafted by Twins, expected to sign. MLB (Bollinger) p. 21  Next step for Glen Perkins is to pitch in an extended spring game in Florida. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 22  Here are 10 quick- stats from bizarre baseball game, Twins’ route of the Mariners. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 22  Zulgad: Operating on the cheap? Decisions, not spending, led to Twins’ demise. ESPN 1500 (Zulgad) p. 23  Twins looking for answers in starting rotation this weekend. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 24  MLB Draft Day 2 recap: Twins target pitching in rounds 3-10. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 25  Ryan Pressly is back with the Twins after brief stint in Triple-A. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 25  Twins rally for franchise-record 28 hits to beat Mariners. Associated Press p. 26  Twins go pitching-heavy on Day 2 of MLB Draft. FOX Sports (Staff) p. 27  MLB draft Day 2 recap: Some clubs didn't play it safe. ESPN (Law) p. 27  , going 1-2 in the draft could help sell MLB to black youth. Yahoo! Sports (Passan) p. 28  Twins explode for 20 runs against the Mariners. NBC Sports (Baer) p. 29  Twins Found Reasons To Make Royce Lewis No. 1 Overall Pick. Baseball America (Manuel) p. 29  Royce Lewis Marks Derek Falvey’s First Big Move With Twins. Associated Press p. 31  Multinational concert giant bringing Calif.-inspired venue to Minneapolis. City Pages (Boller) p. 32  Music venue near Target Field would be Fillmore-inspired. Sports Business Journal (Grayson) p. 32

Twins crack record 28 hits in thumping Mariners 20-7 Phil Miller | Star Tribune | June 14, 2017

Sorry, Miguel. Take a seat, Byron. The Twins who played on Tuesday, who provided the biggest offensive explosion in three years, featuring the most hits in Minnesota history, have a great idea about Wednesday’s game.

“We were saying it has to be the same lineup tomorrow,” Eduardo Escobar said.

Who’s going to tell him no? Escobar, giving Miguel Sano a rare day off, singled five times in six at-bats, drove in two runs — and wasn’t even the Twins’ biggest offensive hero of the night. Eddie Rosario smacked three home runs, the Twins collected 28 hits, and Minnesota broke its five- game Target Field losing streak with a 20-7 thrashing of Seattle.

The pounding was so complete, the Twins even got to hit against somebody else’s catcher for a change. “We started aggressive and we stayed aggressive,” said Escobar, who has 13 hits in 22 at-bats (.591) in his last five starts. “The fact we got so many hits — it’s incredible.”

That’s a good way to put it. Eight consecutive Twins knocked base hits in the third , and five more in a row did it in the seventh. The Twins collected eight hits in both , remarkable since they’ve had 24 entire games this season with fewer.

“It was a nice response to a tough start to the homestand last night,” manager Paul Molitor said.

He’s understating it. It was the ninth time in Minnesota history they scored 20 runs, the first time since Aug. 22, 2014 against Detroit. ’s seventh-inning single was not only his fourth hit and drove in his fourth run of the night, but it broke the old team record of 25 hits — with an inning still to play. The Twins singled 21 times, another franchise record, with four different players collecting four or five hits.

Max Kepler and Brian Dozier also homered, and Eddie Rosario became the seventh Twin ever to hit threee homers in a game, and only the fifth batter in major-league history ever to homer three times from the ninth spot in the batting order.

After hearing so much about their negative run differential in getting outscored 27-11 in the previous two games, “we took that a little personal today,” Molitor said. “We tried to narrow the gap.”

Meanwhile, Kyle Gibson won his fourth consecutive decision, and second straight against the Mariners, leading the Twins to the blowout … wait, wait, wait. It’s all true, but hardly accurate. Gibson reverted, for several stretches of his six-inning start, to the problematic, seemingly always-in- trouble nibbler that earned him a demotion to Triple-A last month. The veteran righthander game up 12 hits, most by a Twins pitcher in one game since Ricky Nolasco in Aug. 2014, and he left runners in scoring position in four innings.

On the other hand, he also became the first Twin since Kyle Lohse on Sept. 2, 2003, to give up a dozen hits and still be credited with a win.

“It sure didn’t look like the final outcome was a possibility the way the game started,” Molitor said. “Gibby got roughed up a little bit early.”

But he had two turning points, one of them provided by Molitor. In the second inning, having given up a homer and two singles, Gibson snagged a line smash from Mitch Haniger, enabling him to escape the inning with only a 3-0 deficit.

And in the fourth, after he had surrendered three doubles to the first four batters of the inning, Molitor jogged to the mound for a one-on-one conference, signaling to catcher Castro to remain where he was.

“I was trying to find ways to help him learn how to fight through some of those things,” Molitor said. “I thought, given the fact that we had come off two innings scoring 11 runs, it was not time to try to trick people. Get back to being aggressive, basically.”

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Drafted by Seattle, Burnsville's Sam Carlson hangs out with Mariners before Twins game Ron Haggstrom | Star Tribune | June 14, 2017

Burnsville righthanded pitcher Sam Carlson didn’t have to travel far to catch up with the welcoming committee of his possible future employer at the professional level.

The had Carlson in the clubhouse and on Target Field during batting practice Tuesday before their game with the Twins. The Mariners selected Carlson in the second round with the 55th pick of the draft a night earlier. “It’s pretty amazing that they’re in town, and I can come to a game,” Carlson said.

Carlson’s next stop will be CHS Field in St. Paul when the Blaze (21-6) takes on Lakeville North (19-5) in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state tournament at 12:30 p.m. Thursday. He will take the mound with a 5-1 record and 0.67 ERA. Carlson has allowed only 31 hits while striking out 76 in 52 innings.

“I’ve been dreaming about winning the state tournament since watching the team of 2011 win it,” Carlson said. The Blaze rallied to beat Maple Grove 6-5 in the final that year.

In other local draft news:

• Junior righthander Michael Baumann of Mahtomedi wasn’t too far behind Carlson in being drafted. He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the third round with the 98th pick.

The Jacksonville University standout has a fastball the consistently reaches the mid-90s. Baumann went 5-3 with a 3.09 ERA in 14 starts for the Dolphins. He struck out 97 in 87 ⅓ innings, and is the school’s all-time leader in .

Baumann originally was drafted by the Twins in the 34th round in 2014.

• Junior lefthander Dalton Lehnen of Lakeville became the highest-drafted player from Augustana (S.D.), when he was chosen by the in the sixth round with the 182nd pick.

He is the ninth player selected from the Division II school, and fifth since 2012.

Lehnen went 3-3 with a 2.60 ERA in 11 appearances with the Vikings. He struck out 61 and walked 20 in 52 innings while holding opponents to a .183 batting average.

• Two Gophers pitchers, junior lefthander Lucas Gilbreath and senior righthander Brian Glowicki, were selected on the second day of the draft by teams from their home states.

Gilbreath, of Westminster, Colo., was taken by the in the seventh round with the 206th pick. He went 5-2 in 14 starts with a 2.66 ERA.

Glowicki, of Downers Grove, Ill., was chosen by the World Series champion in the 10th round with the 315th selection. The Gophers was 2-1 with 16 saves and a 2.20 ERA.

Twins' Miguel Sano continues to lead AL third basemen in All-Star voting Phil Miller | Star Tribune | June 14, 2017

Twins third baseman Miguel Sano continues to lead American League All-Star balloting at third base, taking a large lead over Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez.

Sano has 1,010,060 votes, more than 300,000 ahead of Ramirez (697,747) in numbers released by MLB on Tuesday. Baltimore’s Manny Machado (677,925), Toronto’s Josh Donaldson (527,680) and Houston’s (512,734) are next.

Sano has 15 home runs and 46 RBI, with a .965 OPS.

The closest AL race is at first base, where Oakland’s Yonder Alonso leads Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera by fewer than 5,000 votes.

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Other position leaders are catcher Salvador Perez of Kansas City, second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop of Houston, designated hitter Nelson Cruz of Seattle, and outfielders of the Yankees, Mike Trout of the Angels and George Springer of Houston.

Judge leads the AL in the triple crown categories with 22 home runs, 50 RBI and a .347 batting average.

The top five at each position were released. There were no other Twins players listed.

Twins don't expect 'any hiccups' in signing second-day draft picks La Vele E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | June 14, 2017

Twins scouting director Sean Johnson does not foresee any problems in signing the seven players he selected Tuesday during the first-year player draft.

“We have a lot of confidence now,” Johnson said. “I don’t expect any hiccups along the way. We should get these guys done pretty quick.”

That’s because the moves he made Monday set the Twins up for Tuesday.

They drafted five more pitchers among the seven picks — and also pilfered two players who had committed to LSU — while finding a way to spread out the $14.1 million in bonus money they were assigned by the league.

The Twins will sign first overall pick Royce Lewis for less than the approximate pick value of $7.7 million — a savings of around $1 million, according to a source.

The Twins are expected to sign a couple more of their early picks for below the assigned value. Second-round pick Landon Leach, for instance, was ranked as the 85th-best prospect but drafted 37th overall. He’ll likely sign for less than his assigned value of $1.8 million.

With the savings, the Twins were able to draft a couple of players Tuesday who will cost more than what the league recommended.

The biggest beneficiary will be the first pick of Day 2, righthander Blayne Enlow, from St. Amant (La.) High School. Enlow, considered to have the best curveball of any high school pitcher in the draft, is ranked as the 33rd-best prospect. He slid down the board because he was a strong commit to LSU.

The Twins selected him with the 76th overall pick, which has a value of $755,500.

But the Twins will sign Enlow to a bonus of around $2 million, according to a source, to buy him out of his commitment. The (Baton Rouge) Advocate reported that Enlow was on a golf course Tuesday when he agreed to the deal.

“We figured I would go somewhere in the third or fourth round and that I’d be in line to get some carry-over money,” Enlow said to the Advocate. “That’s when a team takes money they when they sign other guys for less than what they’re slotted for and they give it to other players.”

Like him.

Another prospect who will be paid more than the assigned value is fifth-round pick Andrew Bechtold, a third baseman from Chipola (Fla.) College. The value of his pick is $378,700. But he had eligibility left and was transferring to LSU as part of a class that included Enlow. The Twins will pay Bechtold a few hundred thousand more than that.

“I have a commitment to LSU so that’s in my corner,” Bechtold said. “I made it pretty clear to them that I’m ready to play at the next level. But if something doesn’t work out, or something crazy happens, I have LSU to play at.”

Bechtold hit .419 with 12 home runs and 65 RBI in 60 games for Chipola after transferring there from Maryland, where he was friends with Twins minor leaguer LaMonte Wade.

“We had a stacked lineup, which made it pretty easy to hit,” said Bechtold, one of five Chipola players selected over the first two days of the draft.

The Twins selected Charlie Barnes, a lefthander with good control from Clemson, in the fourth round. They picked Ricardo De La Torre, a 4 shortstop with good offensive potential, in the sixth round from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy. Ryley Widell, a lefthander from Central Arizona College, was selected in the seventh round.

The final three picks were Bryan Sammons, a lefthander from Western Carolina; Mark Contreras, a speedy outfielder from California-Riverside; and righthander Calvin Faucher, who was a closer at California-Irvine.

The last three picks all were college seniors with no leverage, so the Twins will be able to save some bonus money on them. Every little bit adds up, because the Twins were able to land players they really coveted in Enlow and Bechtold.

“We kind of allocated our funds throughout the first 10 rounds,” Johnson said. “We spread the money out pretty evenly. That’s the advantage of having the pool we had. Being able to get more value with guys that we like.”

Reusse: Rosario makes his point with three-homer outburst Patrick Reusse | Star Tribune | June 14, 2017

The Twins started June with a 10-game road trip to the West Coast. They had won two of three in Anaheim and were playing the Sunday game. It was 1-1 in the fourth inning and Eddie Rosario was at the plate with runners on first and third.

Rosario was ahead in the count and then swung at a neck-high pitch. He wound up striking out, then struck out twice more. The Twins rallied to win, but it was soon apparent that Eddie had again frustrated manager Paul Molitor with his wild swinging.

There was an off day and Rosario wasn’t in the lineup when a series opened in Seattle. He was on the bench twice more on the road trip, and then was out of the lineup again Monday when the Twins returned home to play Seattle.

Rosario is not what you could call a guy with an easy smile, at least not when the media is circulating in a Twins clubhouse in Minneapolis or Fort Myers. And it’s guaranteed that Eddie was not smiling over Molitor’s preference for others occupying his place in the outfield.

“Yeah, I don’t feel so good when not playing,’’ Rosario said.

Rosario’s inactivity had been self-induced. Eddie’s willingness to chase pitches had him at .297 on-base percentage, compared with Robbie Grossman at .431.

Thus, when the manager is in San Francisco without a DH, or if he wants to play the recalled Kennys Vargas, Molitor is willing to go with Grossman’s cumbersome fielding over Rosario’s athletic excellence in order to have one more baserunner per night on average.

Rosario was in the lineup for the fourth time in eight games Tuesday night, and it was not with maximum dignity. Molitor had him batting ninth for the eighth time in 51 starts.

Eddie had more embers glowing than a Weber kettle when he came to the plate in the second inning. Kyle Gibson had gotten off to a brutal start, giving up three runs in the time he had gotten three outs.

The Twins rallied against Seattle starter Christian Bergman in their second. Bergman had an amazing screw-up to allow a second run — fielding a comebacker and tossing to first as Vargas lumbered home from third.

That might have been weighing on Bergman’s pitching mind. He immediately came with a fastball and Rosario turned it into a two-run homer and a 4-3 Twins lead.

The Twins then pummeled Bergman and turned the third into a seven-run inning. Reliever Casey Lawrence arrived, started Rosario with another fastball, and Eddie homered again, this time the other way to the .

Two pitches, two home runs, four RBI, and a 1.000 on-base percentage.

The Twins were leading 19-6 in the eighth inning when Rosario again came to the plate. He hit a mighty into the second deck in faraway right-center. The pitch was reported as being an 82-miles-per-hour changeup.

Maybe not. The pitcher by then was Carlos Ruiz, Seattle’s backup catcher, and there’s a good chance it was Ruiz’ fastball. That made Rosario the seventh hitter with three home runs in a game in the Twins’ 57 years in Minnesota. 5

“Rosie is still learning even after how many years … he’s still kind of learning what kind of hitter he is at this level,’’ Molitor said. “He’s got gap power. He can go the other way; hit one over there tonight. He can run the bases.’’

All that sounds good, but …

“We’re still trying to prod him to let the game come to him. He’s an aggressive guy and forces it at times. When he gets good pitches to hit, he can do damage.’’

Whatever the frustrations with the low on-base percentage, it’s tough to give up on a 25-year-old with Rosario’s swing, speed, fielding and throwing.

“He’s got great hands,’’ Molitor said. “He sets ’em low. Not many people can hit from down there, but he can, with those hands.’’

Rosario said he expected a big game when he arrived at Target Field on Tuesday. “I felt special all day,’’ he said. “My family was here tonight. And the heat … I always like to play when it’s hot.’’

Molitor has been the gentleman ultimately in charge of having Rosario out of the lineup more often in recent times. The manager smiled slightly about that and said:

“He made a bit of a statement tonight. He’s been out of there a few days, and came with vengeance today.’’

Entertainment complex near Target Field would include Fillmore music theater Nicole Norfleet | Star Tribune | June 14, 2017

United Properties has lined up Live Nation Entertainment Inc., which has struggled to compete with First Avenue in the Twin Cities club scene, to operate a music venue it plans to build near Target Field, the developer told regulators Tuesday.

The venue would be modeled and named for San Francisco’s famous Fillmore rock theater and an attached hotel will be part of Marriott Corp.’s Element by Westin line, United executives said at a meeting of the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority.

If approved by regulators, United Properties will start work on the complex — on a corner of N. 5th Street and 6th Avenue N. that it calls Parcel A — this fall. The company aims to open the facility in the spring or early summer of 2019.

“Parcel A is really the gem here from a development perspective. In our eyes that’s largely thanks to Target Field station itself and the transit that has developed in our community,” said Rick McKelvey, vice president of commercial development for United Properties, at the meeting.

United Properties has already executed a lease with California-based Live Nation to operate the theater and estimates the Fillmore Minneapolis would host about 150 live events annually, McKelvey said. Live Nation operates a handful of Fillmore theaters across the country including in Miami and Denver.

He also said United Properties reached a deal with the Element by Westin, an extended-stay hotel concept, to operate the 155-room, nine-story hotel. The hotel is one story larger than what the developer discussed with city officials earlier this year.

The developer in April said the project would cost $45 million. No new cost estimate was given at Tuesday’s meeting.

The L-shaped hotel would be connected to a four-story, 2,000-occupant theater. That would fit more people than First Avenue’s main room, the premier concert space in downtown Minneapolis for decades, which has an occupancy of a little more than 1,500 people.

In front of the theater, United Properties wants to build a full-service restaurant called BG’s, named for Fillmore promoter Bill Graham.

The project is still in the planning stages. United Properties is close to submitting its development application to the city, McKelvey said.

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Postgame: Gimenez, of all people, doesn't like facing catcher on mound Phil Miller | Star Tribune | June 14, 2017

Three quick extras after a memorable offensive explosion at Target Field:

Having done both in the space of two days really confirmed what Chris Gimenez always suspected: He’s rather be a catcher trying to pitch than a hitter trying to hit that catcher.

“It’s terrible. I don’t enjoy that at all,” said Gimenez, who pitched the ninth inning of Monday’s loss, then batted against Mariners catcher Carlos Ruiz in the eighth inning of the Twins’ win on Tuesday. “I’d much rather pitch. When you hit, it’s no-win — either you’ve gotten a hit against a position player, no big deal, or a catcher has gotten you out.”

Gimenez made the best of it, though, smacking a long fly ball off Ruiz into the left field corner. Ben Gamel jumped to catch it, but the ball bounced off the top of the wall and back onto the field, an easy .

Paul Molitor could have left the play stand that way, but in the same way that Scott Servais double-checked a potential Nelson Cruz homer off Gimenez one night earlier, he asked umpires to review the play and see whether Gimenez’s ball had cleared the fence. It hadn’t.

Still, “I appreciate the gesture. A home run is a home run,” Gimenez said. “He could have let it go, given the situation, but he didn’t, and I appreciate that.”

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The game was played in temperatures near 90, and with humidity around 60 percent, a hot and sticky night to be playing for three hours. Especially with all that base running.

“We’ve got a few guys that might get a little fluid replenishment from the long night,” Molitor said.

Eddie Rosario wasn’t one of them, though. After hitting three home runs and a single, and playing left field for nine innings, the 25-year-old outfielder said he enjoyed the conditions.

“I play all my life in Puerto Rico. It’s hot, 90” there, Rosario said. “I feel great. I feel like I am home. I love to play when it’s hot.”

He seems to be OK with batting ninth, too. He’s batting .358 in that spot, and on Tuesday became the fifth player in major-league history to hit three home runs from the last spot in the batting order. Trot Nixon of the Red Sox was the most recent, hitting three in Detroit on July 24, 1999. The other three: Milwaukee’s Dale Sveum in 1987, Cincinnati’s Art Shamsky in 1966, and pitcher Jim Tobin for the Boston Braves in 1942.

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More evidence of the meaningfulness of pitcher victories: Kyle Gibson gave up six runs in six , added half a run to his ERA (now 6.79), and evened his record at 4-4 after an 0-4 start to the season. It’s the first time Gibson has been break-even since he won his final start of 2015 to finish 11-11.

Pressly hears tough talk in brief stint in minors Phil Miller | Star Tribune | June 13, 2017

Ryan Pressly was standing on the bullpen mound in Norfolk, Va., 10 days ago when Stew Cliburn let him have it.

“He looked at me and said, ‘What are you doing here? You should be embarrassed that you’re standing here,’ ” Pressly recounted of his lecture from the Twins’ Class AAA pitching coach. “ ‘It’s all in your head. You’re good enough to be up [in the major leagues]. You’ve got the pitches.’ It was really what I needed to hear.”

Pressly rejoined the Twins on Tuesday, with four innings for Rochester behind him, and a new task ahead of him: Regaining the trust of Twins manager Paul Molitor. The 28-year-old righthander owns a 9.50 ERA, five home runs allowed in only 18 innings, and another chance in the majors, after Alex Wimmers was optioned back to Rochester on Monday.

“He had a really clean inning the other night, three strikeouts,” Molitor said of Pressly’s minor league detention. “How that’s going to transfer 7 up here, we’ll have to see.”

Pressly, though, believes going through the shock of demotion, after leading the Twins in appearances and relief innings last season, was the best thing for him.

“Mentally, I’m a lot better. I got so far away from who I was, it was tough. And it snowballed on me,” Pressly said. “I’m glad [the demotion] happened. It made me realize I’ve just got to go back to being me. I was being too fine when I was up here. I was always, don’t do this, don’t throw it there.”

That’s how it looked to Molitor, too.

“The biggest thing that I mentioned is he needs to trust the fact that he has an above-average fastball, he’s got a really good curveball and his slider plays,” Molitor said. “But his mind-set that he needs to trick hitters more than he really has to [was a problem]. If he puts the fastball in a good place, he’s going to work ahead more times than not.”

He’ll probably get chances right away, the manager said, given the state of the Twins’ beleaguered bullpen. But probably not those late-inning big moments he tackled last year. Not until he earns them.

“That’s not ideal, to put him in a one-run game in the eighth inning,” Molitor said. “We’ll try to get him in there, but I told him [Tuesday], he’s got to be ready any time the phone rings.”

Etc.

• Nik Turley will get a second start Friday against the Indians, Molitor said. After watching tape of Turley’s debut in San Francisco, Molitor said he believes nerves were a big reason the rookie lefthander had trouble throwing strikes.

• Hector Santiago threw up to 150 feet Tuesday, and will throw a bullpen session Thursday. But the lefthander, eligible to return from the 10- day disabled list Saturday, is a “long shot” to be activated for that day’s doubleheader, Molitor said. That means a pitcher will be summoned from the minors to make the start.

• Glen Perkins’ fastball was clocked at 86-89 mph during a 21-pitch simulated game in Fort Myers, Fla., Molitor said, and was able to throw sliders as well. Perkins will appear in an extended spring training game Friday, the next step in his recovery from shoulder surgery 15 months ago.

• Phil Hughes (shoulder) has begun a throwing program as he tries to work toward a return. And Justin Haley (biceps) threw Tuesday, with a bullpen session scheduled for Friday.

When judging MLB draft, arm yourself with patience Patrick Reusse | Star Tribune | June 13, 2017

There were a couple of reasons given when newspapers started inviting anonymous comments to be posted on their websites. First, it could increase the hit count on articles, and second, it would lead to stimulating discussions among thoughtful readers.

The first of those must be true. The second does not come to fruition as often as the editors had hoped. There seem to be more personal grudges played out in the commentary than intellectual exchanges. Occasionally, there are nuggets to be mined in the comments, and this was on display on page 2 of sports in Tuesday’s print edition of the Star Tribune.

The point was made by someone with the handle of paul44. It read:

“Value of Patience! Four of the top 14 picks in 2008 MLB draft (Beckham, Alonso, Smoak, ) finally enjoying breakout seasons. Nine years later!’’

This appeared on the LaVelle Neal piece leading to the draft. There also were expressions of concern that the Twins would not select Hunter Greene, deemed a “generational’’ prospect since appearing on the cover of this spring.

The comment from paul44 did overuse exclamation points in my view, but it also carried much wisdom in reaching quick decisions on results of 8 baseball draft. The sporting public is much more tolerant toward the Vikings than the Twins these days.

And while the Purple loyalists are urging that Minnesotans not make any rash decisions on the future of receiver Laquon Treadwell, the Twins audience is ready to declare that their choice, shortstop Royce Lewis, has little chance to have the impact of pitcher/hitter Greene.

Hey, I would have liked Hunter Greene to be the Twins’ choice, on the outside chance of meeting his father, Russell, and asking what it was like to be a private investigator for Johnnie Cochran.

That said, baseball is 100 percent unique. There is no other sport — not even hockey with its 18-year-old draftees — where a high school signee has to improve four of five different times to make it to the big leagues.

And then when he gets there, comes the highest hurdle of all: succeeding in the majors.

Tim Beckham was a high school shortstop from Georgia and the first overall choice by Tampa Bay in June 2008. He had seven at-bats with the Rays in his first seven seasons as a pro. He was in Tampa Bay for half-seasons in 2015 and 2016, batting .222 and .247.

The Rays put Beckham in the lineup for 2017, nine years later, and he has 10 home runs, 31 RBI and is batting .282.

Yonder Alonso was the seventh pick by Cincinnati in 2008 as a lefthanded-hitting first baseman. This is his second season with Oakland (his third team), and he has 16 home runs, 36 RBI and is batting .310 — after achieving mediocrity at best in stays with the Reds, Padres and A’s.

Justin Smoak, a first baseman out of college, was the 11th overall choice for . He was a big piece in the Rangers’ trade with Seattle for pitcher Cliff Lee in 2010, he was waived and then signed as a free agent by Toronto before the 2015 season, and finally it has clicked — 18 home runs, 43 RBI, .299— in his third year with the Blue Jays.

And then there’s Hicks:

A few days ago, I was watching highlights of a Yankees power display, and the switch-hitting Hicks slammed two long home runs batting lefthanded. It was difficult not to remember all those printed and spoken insults that I had aimed at Aaron’s lefthanded swing in his failed trials with the Twins.

The Twins gave up in the offseason of 2015-16 and traded Hicks to the Yankees for catcher John Ryan Murphy. It made sense, because the Twins needed a catcher. It turned out that Murphy, personable lad that he was, didn’t come close to filling that need.

Hicks batted only .217 last season for the Yankees, making this look like a trade in which both teams were robbed.

Then came 2017, nine years after Hicks was the 14th overall choice for the Twins: Murphy is batting .218 and splitting duty with Mitch Garver at Class AAA Rochester. Hicks entered Tuesday batting .313 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI as a Yankees savior during Jacoby Ellsbury’s long absence.

Folks, listen to paul44 when absorbing a baseball draft. Value patience.

Twins select an outfielder and reliever to end Day 2 of the draft La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | June 13, 2017

The Twins selected Mark Contreras, an outfielder from Cal-Riverside, in the ninth round.

He's a first team all-Big West selection after batting .366 with a .427 on base percentage. He tied a NCAA record with three triples in a game. He also emerged as a team leader for the Highlanders. His head coach is former major league closer - and dominator of the Twins - Troy Percival.

In the 10th, and final, round today, the Twins selected righthander Calvin Faucher from Cal-Irvine. He's senior, like Contreras. That means no leverage. That means a little more bonus control. He was 3-5 with a 4.08 ERA and 12 saves for the Anteaters. He struck out 58 - but walked 30 - in 39.2 innings.

The Twins took six pitchers over the first two days of the draft.

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Twins select pitchers in the seventh and eighth rounds La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | June 13, 2017

Catching up on the Twins seventh and eighth round picks:

In the seventh round, the Twins selected lefthander Ryley Widell, from Central Arizona College. He's throws around 90 with a solid changeup and curveball he needs to refine some.

Here's Baseball America, who has Widell ranked as the 185th best prospect.Twins took him at 196:

A Hawaii prep product, Widell played first base and pitched as a prep and for his Trosky Baseball travel team before focusing on pitching as a freshman at Washington State. He struggled with command (19 BB in 20.1 IP) and wound up transferring to Central Arizona JC, where he emerged as one of the state’s top juco talents. Physical at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Widell got his delivery in sync and dominated wood-bat competition down the stretch, giving up just two earned runs in his last 36.2 IP with 39 strikeouts. He’s mostly a fastball-changeup lefty at this point, with the fastball in the 89-91 mph range that has touched 92 mph. It plays average as he locates and sets up an above-average changeup. with action. His curveball is fringy but serviceable because of Widell’s command. Scouts see projection in the body, which could get Widell out in the first five rounds.

Widell was 8-2 with a 1.98 ERA. He held opponents to a .179 batting average and averaged 10.82 strikeouts per nine innings.

In the eighth round, the Twins selected Bryan Sammons, a lefthander from Western Carolina:

Here's Baseball America:

Sammons was a durable college lefty for much of his career. Then he pitched for Yarmouth-Dennis last summer in the Cape Cod League, pitching and winning the league title game, and got on scouts' radar a bit more. He had his best season as a senior and should be a solid senior budget sign. He's big-bodied (6-foot-3, 235 pounds), improved his walk rate (to 3.5 from 5.3) and throwing more quality strikes with his 88-91 mph fastball that can touch 92. He throws a curveball and cutter as well as a changeup, though none grades as more than average.

The phrase "budget sign," jumps out here. Sammons is ranked 375th by BA, which makes this look like a reach with the 226th overall pick. The slot number here is $174,000. This suggests that the Twins what to make sure they don't have to go over slot here? In fact, they can sign him for $100,000, which was more than he expected, and slide the $75,000 in savings elsewhere. It's baseball bonus-ology.

It will be interesting to see what the Twins say about him. Sammons was 8-3 with a 3.02 ERA for the Catamounts. In 104 innings, he walked 35 and struck out 108.

Twins use sixth round pick on another shortstop La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | June 13, 2017

There's nothing wrong with drafting multiple . Those players can be more anywhere around the field. Dan Gladden, for instance, was drafted as a shortstop. Miguel Sano was signed as a shortstop.

So don't be puzzled by the Twins' selection of Ricardo De La Torre in the sixth round out of the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy. De La Torre is ranked as the 196th best prospect by Baseball America and 180th by MLB.com. The Twins took him 166th overall.

Here's BA's write up on him:

De La Torre is a solid all-around talent with the tools to stick at shortstop. He’s a near-average runner and shows smooth footwork in the infield. He flashes plus arm strength and can make the throw from deep in the hole, though his accuracy will need to improve as he climbs the ladder. He has quick hands and some loft in his swing and projects for average raw power. De La Torre competed on the national showcase circuit, and singled on a 97-mph fastball from Hunter Greene in the 2016 Under Armour All-America Game. While nothing about him jumps off the page, his ability to stick at shortstop and his projectable 6-foot-2 frame could appeal to teams in the fourth to sixth rounds. De La Torre is committed to Auburn.

The Twins might have to buy him out of his Auburn commit. Looks like the Twins aren't afraid of taking a few risks with this draft.

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Headed down to the park now. Might be a little late with the 7th round pick.

Twins select small college third baseman in fifth round La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | June 13, 2017

Chipola College has turned out some talent through the years, like Russell Martin, Tyler Flowers and Jose Bautista. The Twins hope Andrew Bechtold will follow in their footsteps.

Bechtold was selected in the fifth round on Tuesday, a player who started his career at Maryland before getting injured, falling back in the depth chart and moving to Chipola to prove himself. He did, batting .421 with 11 home runs. He does have the option of returning to a four-year program and is set up to head to LSU. So the Twins might have to give him more than the $378,000 he's slotted to receive.

Here's Baseball America's take:

Bechtold batted just .218 as a redshirt freshman at Maryland in 2016. He transferred to Chipola and took off under the tutelage of head coach Jeff Johnson. Bechtold is a righthanded hitter capable of generating plus bat speed with a compact swing path. He’s able to drive the ball to all fields and he has grown into more power this spring. Bechtold got off to a hot start to the season and put up excellent numbers for Chipola, batting .421/.535/.683 and hitting 11 home runs. Most scouts project him to develop an average bat with plus power, though his limited track record creates some uncertainty. Bechtold is an above-average runner, has plenty of arm strength for the left side and scouts believe he can stick at third base.

BA had Bechtold ranked as the 95th best prospect. MLB.com had him at 142. Twins took him at 136.

Twins draft, round 4: Clemson lefthander Charlie Barnes is the pick La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | June 13, 2017

Charlie Barnes does not throw hard. But he knows how to pitch and was successful in a tough conference. And the Twins selected Barnes in the fourth round on Tuesday.

Barnes went 5-5 with a 3.20 ERA in 16 stats for Clemson this season. In 101 innings, he walked just 22 batters while striking out 113. His fastball can touch 90, but it is his changeup that makes him effective. And if you are doing well in a good conference with a changeup, that means you have good pitching acumen. Will Charlie carry that acumen into the pros? That remains to be seen.

Here's BA's writeup on Barnes (photo courtesy of the Independent Mail). He was the 108th ranked prospect, according to the publication. His slot value is $507,000.

From Sumter, S.C, Barnes stayed in his home state, as did his younger brother, James, who is a redshirt freshman quarterback on the national championship Clemson football team. A 6-foot, 175-pound lefthander, Barnes pitched primarily out of the bullpen his freshman year before moving into the weekend rotation as a sophomore, where he went 6-4 and posted a 4.66 ERA. In the fall, Barnes received plenty of draft buzz from area scouts who saw him touch the low-90s and maintain his velocity deeper into outings. That improved velocity didn't transfer over to the spring, though, as Barnes has pitched mostly around 87-88 mph and occasionally brushed 90. While not overpowering, Barnes pitched to a 5-4, 2.73 record with a 109 strikeouts to 21 walks in 95.2 innings. Barnes is able to paint the corners and keep the ball low in the zone while turning over a plus, mid-70s changeup as his main out pitch. He mixes in an average upper-70s curveball and a short, tight low-80s slider for a full four- pitch mix. Matched up against premium ACC aces like J.B. Bukauskas and Brendan McKay, Barnes more than held his own due to his command, competitiveness and pitchability. He projects as a fairly safe back-of-the-rotation starter.

That makes three pitchers among the Twins' first five picks.

Twins select prep righthander Blayne Enlow with third round pick La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | June 13, 2017

The Twins on Tuesday selected righthander Blayne Enlow from St. Amant (La.) High with the first pick of the third round of the first year player draft.

Two things jump out about Enlow (photo courtesy Baseball America) based on the reports I have read. One, his ceiling appears high. He can touch 94 mph with the fastball, has a good breaking ball and a frame that he can grow into. Two, he might be the type of player the Twins had in

11 mind when they wanted to save some bonus money with their first round pick.

Here's what Baseball America has to say about Enlow.

Enlow is the kind of pitcher who sometimes makes it to school, and if he does, blossoms into a potential front-of-the-rotation ace, but his obvious potential may lead a team to spend money now to avoid losing the chance to get him later. The Louisiana State signee is all arms and legs right now, but he has the frame to fill out and become much more physical as an adult. Enlows' velocity was down early this spring, as he would sit 88- 90, touching 92. But by the end of his high school season he was again sitting in the low 90s and touching 94 with an easy delivery, loads of athleticism, a fast arm and a plus curveball. Enlow has excellent feel for spinning the ball and he has more advanced command and control of his fastball than most high school fireballers. He's toyed with a changeup that looks promising but is a distant third pitch for now. Enlow is a long- time Louisiana State fan who will be tough to sway from his Tigers commitment, but he's shown enough potential that teams will consider cutting him a very large check.

Enlow apparently throws an old school 12-to-6 curveball. Should be interesting to watch him develop. Again, the Twins must feel like they have a shot to sign him since they took him in the third round. Many teams hang their hats on getting the first 12 to 15 picks each year signed. But this is a new regime.

Day 2 of the draft is here. Let's not behave like we did during Day 1 La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | June 13, 2017

You are better than that.

You break down stats, tell me about a batter's wOBA, use percentages, launch angles and spin rates in your arguments.

You, the readers of this blog and followers on twitter (that's @LaVelleNeal) have proven to be well-educated followers of the game.

But what transpired last night at about 6:13 p.m. was NOT the behavior of a cultured baseball fan base.

Once the Twins announced their selection of Royce Lewis as their first round pick, you exploded. Hunter Greene had to be the pick, and anything else meant that the Twins don't know what they are doing.

Really? Have we not paid attention to the draft?

This is one of the biggest crapshoots in sports. I wrote on Sunday that the league was going to hand out $240 million in signing bonuses, and most of the money will be unwisely spent. The hardest thing to do is to look at high school or college kids and figure out what they will be in five years.

I received an e-mail on Sunday that read: "I watched pitch. Only pedestrian. Greene has to be the one."

Really? How are you doing in Powerball these days?

The experts routinely swing and miss on the draft. Teams swing and miss on the draft (where's Mark Appel). How do we know any better? I would like the Twins to draft Tanner Burns with the first pick of the third round, but what do I know? I read reports, look at some video and talk to a few scouts - and scouts swing and miss too.

And drafting pitchers it as challenging as anything.

If a team feels strongly about a prospect, then draft him. The Twins did it with Denard Span and Ben Revere - picks that were panned by fans - and those players ended up being solid major leagues.

I have said this and written this in recent weeks. Whenever I asked the Twins about Lewis, they always had good things to say about him. I think he was always their sleeper pick.

The Twins liked Greene (who doesn't like 101 mph fastballs) but there were concerns about the quality of his secondary pitches - which is NOT a universal belief. I also believe that the Twins found some things during their due diligence that raised other concerns. Something turned them off about Greene. Maybe we'll find out one day.

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Now I want to address the money situation. I laid it out here a couple weeks ago that the Twins were looking to sign the first pick for less to save money for other picks. This is sound draft strategy that the Phillies practiced last year and the Astros used in 2012 when they landed Carlos Correa and Lance McCullers. But, no, you wanted to stomp and scream and call the Twins cheap when they took Lewis.

Players fall in the draft who are strongly committed to college or if their agent argues that they are worth more than where they are selected. Teams have been able to sign those players by overpaying for that slot, and the Twins have that flexibility today as rounds 3-10 take place. A Twins official told me this morning that they saved a substantial amount on their first pick (I'm guessing around $1 million) and saved some on their next two picks, the 35th and 37th overall, after that.

Let's let this play out today as rounds 3-10 take place. And show some restraint, for goodness sakes.

Kyle Gibson gets all-world run support on record night for Twins Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | June 13, 2017

Kyle Gibson had just surrendered his third double of Tuesday’s fourth inning, all of them coming in a span of four batters.

Still ahead by six runs after an early offensive explosion, the struggling right-hander received an unusual mound visit from manager Paul Molitor in what eventually became a 20-7 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

Catcher Jason Castro stayed behind the plate. No infielders joined the conversation. It was just Molitor and his fifth-year starter having a heart- to-heart on the mound for all of Target Field to see.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever had a one-on-one visit, definitely not one where he’s visibly telling guys to stay away,” Gibson said. “That was a little different.”

The message, coming off a 14-3 embarrassment the night before, was simple and direct: Stop messing around with these guys.

“I think Mollie has a knack of saying the right thing at the right time,” Gibson said. “I think it was a good meeting at the right time: ‘Hey, you’re our guy and we need you to go into the seventh.’ “

The message got through as Gibson retired the next two batters on soft grounders. On a steamy, 88-degree night when six of his first 24 pitches went for hits, Gibson bobbed and weaved his way through six-plus innings.

Not even 12 Mariners hits, the most Gibson had allowed since his second big-league start, could keep him from evening his record at 4-4. His earned-run average increased to 6.79 after leaving with a 12-6 lead, but that hardly mattered on a night when the Twins banged out a franchise- record 28 hits off Christian Bergman and four relievers, including backup catcher Carlos Ruiz.

The previous Twins record was 25 and had stood for 15 years, since June 4, 2002, at the Metrodome against the . As the Washington Senators until 1960, the franchise mark had been 27, set on May 16, 1933, at home and also against the Indians.

“The ball was jumping a little bit, but obviously it was jumping for us a little bit more,” Gibson said.

Eddie Rosario drove in five runs and homered three times, marking just the seventh time in club history that has happened, and Eduardo Escobar tied a career high with five hits. Rosario, who sat out four of the previous seven games, became the first No. 9 hitter with a three-homer game since Boston’s Trot Nixon in 1999.

“I love to play in the heat,” Rosario said after his first career multi-homer game. “I played all my life in Puerto Rico. It’s hot. Ninety (degrees). I feel great. I feel like I’m at home.”

For a team that entered just 12-19 at home, it was a staggering display by the Twins. Castro and Kennys Vargas added four hits apiece, Brian Dozier and Max Kepler also went deep and the home team posted a pair of seven-run innings in the third and seventh.

“When everybody is hitting, everything is happy,” Rosario said.

The 42 combined hits were a Target Field record and the Twins cut their minus-39 run differential, fourth-worst in the American League coming in, by one third.

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“Yeah, they took that a little personal, it looked like,” Molitor said with a laugh. “They tried to narrow the gap. Just a good night to hit.”

All of which made Gibson’s mid-game recovery all the more helpful.

“Sometimes you can play mind tricks with yourself and overthink a situation when you’re up by that many runs,” Gibson said. “Too many times I’ve only gone five innings or five and change just because I’ve tried to be too cute and thrown too many pitches.”

He thought back to a game against the Indians last year, when he had a big early lead and couldn’t get through the fifth. Molitor’s visit snapped him back to reality and a steady diet of sinking fastballs from that point on.

“I was just trying to attack strike zone and hopefully they make three outs before they get three or four runs,” he said. “Having a lead like that gives you a lot of comfort.”

Twins pitcher Phil Hughes resumes throwing program Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | June 13, 2017

Twins right-hander Phil Hughes, out with shoulder stiffness, played catch on Tuesday for the first time since going on the disabled list after his last start on May 21.

Hughes, who is still dealing with intermittent tingling in his fingers following surgery last July to remedy thoracic-outlet syndrome, will play catch again Wednesday as he ramps up a throwing program.

“We’ll see how the throwing goes,” Hughes said, “and kind of reassess how much it’s affecting me and what the next step is.”

Having already seen two specialists, Hughes has no plans at this point to seek a third opinion. He said the tingling sensation was less of an issue on Tuesday but suggested that’s “probably more due to the fact I haven’t been throwing for awhile.”

He wants to “go through a consistent throwing program to see if it gradually gets worse.”

While Hughes, who had a half rib removed in July, hasn’t heard of any pitchers that had to undergo a second TOS surgery, he has heard of those outside the sport who did.

“Part of the theory is that when you don’t remove the entire rib, some of those same muscles come in and reattach to it,” he said.

ENLOW CASHES IN

Louisiana high school right-hander Blayne Enlow was set to attend nearby LSU until the Twins stepped in with an aggressive offer.

According to a person with direct knowledge, the Twins agreed to pay their third-round pick $2 million, well above the assigned slot value of $755,500. One of five pitchers the Twins grabbed on Day 2 of the amateur draft, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Enlow was said to have the best curveball in this year’s prep draft class along with a low-90s fastball.

“He can spin the ball, which is hard to teach,” Twins scouting director Sean Johnson said. “He’s a potential starter with ceiling. We thought that was a good pick there.”

Clemson lefty Charlie Barnes went to the Twins in the fourth round, with fellow lefties Ryley Widell (a North Carolina signee) and Bryan Sammons (Western Carolina) going in the seventh and eighth rounds, respectively. Cal-Irvine senior closer Calvin Faucher was the Twins’ 10th- round pick.

Fifth-rounder Andrew Bechtold, a third baseman from Chipola College, and sixth-rounder Ricky De La Torre, a high school shortstop from Puerto Rico, were also projected to go higher.

All are expected to agree quickly as the Twins max out their $14.16 million bonus pool for the first 10 rounds.

DRAFT LAMENT

Sam Carlson, the Burnsville High School right-hander who went in the second round to the Seattle Mariners on Monday night, was at Target 14

Field to watch his drafting organization take batting practice a day later.

Projected by some as the first Minnesota high school pitching product to go in the first round, Carlson instead slipped to No. 55 overall. The Twins, holding picks at Nos. 35 and 37, passed on him twice.

“We were disappointed we didn’t get to him,” Johnson said. “We definitely liked him. We’re happy for Sam.”

PITCHING PLANS

Left-hander Hector Santiago (shoulder) long tossed out to 200 feet Tuesday. He will play catch Wednesday and hopes to throw a bullpen Thursday, but Twins manager Paul Molitor said he is a “long shot” to come off the disabled list in time to start during Saturday’s doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians.

Lefty Nik Turley, who made his big-league debut on Sunday at San Francisco, is slated to start the series opener against the reigning American League pennant winners. Fellow lefty Adalberto Mejia, despite giving up eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Seattle Mariners on Monday, appears likely to start one of the doubleheader games Saturday.

Right-hander Chris Heston, lifted after 51 pitches and 2 1/3 innings (six hits, four runs) for Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, is “in the mix” for a start on short rest Saturday, Molitor said. Another possibility could be Double-A right-hander Felix Jorge, who is 7-1 with a 3.00 average and is on the 40-man roster.

“All options are open,” Molitor said.

BRIEFLY

Reliever Ryan Pressly was recalled from Triple-A Rochester after two saves and seven strikeouts across three scoreless outings (four innings). He replaces Alex Wimmers in the Twins’ bullpen after the former first-rounder was optioned Monday.

Reliever Glen Perkins threw a 21-pitch simulated inning Tuesday in Fort Myers. His fastball velocity was 85-89 mph, Molitor said, and sliders were included as well. Perkins, who is nearing the one-year anniversary (June 23) of labrum surgery on his throwing shoulder, is scheduled to work one inning at extended spring training on Friday.

Right-hander Justin Haley (shoulder) long tossed Tuesday and is due to throw a bullpen on Friday.

Veteran right-hander Nick Tepesch was re-signed to a minor league contract and was placed on the disabled list at Rochester after being released on June 7.

MLB draft: Who the Twins picked on Tuesday Chad Graff | Pioneer Press | June 13, 2017

After the Twins’ surprising pick of southern California high school shortstop Royce Lewis with the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB draft Monday, one of three selections they made on the , the draft continued Tuesday with rounds 3-10.

The Twins had the top pick in each round, and came away with five pitchers and three position players.

Below is a look at each player selected. The MLB draft concludes Wednesday with rounds 11-40.

THIRD ROUND

Blayne Enlow, RHP, St. Amant High School (La.)

No. 76 overall

Outlook: Enlow didn’t allow an earned run in 13 innings with the U.S. U-18 team at the Pan American Championships in October, bolstering his status as a top prospect. He has a strong curveball and a fastball that clocks in between 88-92 mph. The 6-foot-4 pitcher is committed to Louisiana State University.

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FOURTH ROUND

Charlie Barnes, LHP, Clemson

No. 106 overall

Outlook: Even without a great fastball, Barnes struck out 113 batters in 101.1 innings with the Tigers, posting a 5-5 record with a 3.20 earned- run average. His fastball doesn’t often hit 90 mph, but he throws a strong change-up and has good command. He’s just 170 pounds and stands 6-foot-1, but could make the back end of a starting rotation in the MLB.

FIFTH ROUND

Andrew Bechtold, 3B, Chipola JC (Fla.)

No. 136 overall

Outlook: The 21-year-old transferred from the University of Maryland following an injury with hopes of shining at junior college. At the junior college in Florida this season, Bechtold led the team with a .419 batting average to go with 12 home runs in 210 at-bats. If he doesn’t sign with the Twins, he can transfer to LSU, where he is committed to play.

SIXTH ROUND

Ricardo De La Torre, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy

No. 166 overall

Outlook: The Auburn commit is a slick-fielding shortstop who may have to move to second base to reach the majors. The 18-year-old is 6-foot-2, 175 pound,s and has been graded by scouts as a better fielder than hitter, though he has shown power at the plate.

SEVENTH ROUND

Ryley Widell, LHP, Central Arizona College

No. 196 overall

Outlook: The Hawaii native is a University of North Carolina commit after a strong junior college season in Arizona, where he posted a 1.98 earned-run average in 95.2 innings to go with 115 strikeouts and 39 walks. Widell throws his fastball around 90 mph and has a good change-up to go with it.

EIGHTH ROUND

Bryan Sammons, LHP, Western Carolina University

No. 226 overall

Outlook: The 6-foot-4 southpaw totaled 339.2 innings in his four-year career at Western Carolina, amassing 325 strikeouts, 108 during his senior season.

NINTH ROUND

Mark Contreras, OF, UC Riverside

No. 256 overall

Outlook: The small (5-foot-10, 185 pound) centerfielder hit .366 this season and leaves UC Riverside with a career average of .312. At one point this season, he had a 17-game hitting streak. He had a team-high seven stolen bases.

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TENTH ROUND

Calvin Faucher, RHP, UC Irvine

No. 286 overall

Outlook: Faucher, 21, spent this season as the closer for UC Irvine, notching a conference-high 12 saves. He struck out 58 hitters in 39.2 innings but did walk 30 batters. Notched 20 career saves, fourth-best in program history.

MINNESOTANS DRAFTED TUESDAY

Mike Baumann, RHP, Jacksonville University

No. 98 overall, by the Baltimore Orioles

Outlook: The former Mahtomedi High School star struck out 97 batters in 87.1 innings as a junior at Jacksonville University this season. He has a collegiate career earned-run average of 3.17.

Brian Glowicki, RHP, University of Minnesota

No. 315 overall, by the Chicago Cubs

Outlook: The Cubs selected the Gophers’ closer with the final pick of Day 2 in the draft. Glowicki had 16 saves in 28 appearances as a senior this season, and recorded a 2.20 earned-run average and 39 strikeouts in 32.2 innings.

Twins: 28 hits and round triplets for Rosario! Shane Jackson & Brian Hall | MLB | June 13, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Eddie Rosario paced an offensive onslaught with a trio of home runs, as the Twins outmuscled the Mariners, 20-7, on Tuesday night at Target Field. Minnesota recorded a franchise-record 28 hits, which also marked the most allowed in a game by Seattle.

Rosario notched his first career multi-homer effort, and became the first Twin with a three-homer game since Brian Dozier last September. The two teams combined for 42 hits, a Target Field record.

"It sure didn't look like the final outcome was a possibility the way the game started," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. "The offense had a tremendous night across the board. You set a franchise record, it's obviously a special night for your hitters."

Rosario's first homer came off Seattle right-hander Christian Bergman, who took the loss after allowing nine earned runs on 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings. He tossed five innings of one-run ball against the Twins in his previous start. But this time around, they exploded for 11 runs in the first three innings, keyed by Rosario's first two homers, as well as shots from Max Kepler and Dozier.

Jason Castro and Kennys Vargas each collected four hits, while Eduardo Escobar notched his first career five-hit game.

"Things got away from us," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "It happens. You can't dwell on it too much. Got to put this one to bed, take a shower, wash it off, whatever you want to call it, and we'll be back after it tomorrow."

It was more than enough to reward starter Kyle Gibson with his third consecutive win, including two straight over the Mariners. Gibson allowed six runs on 12 hits in six innings, striking out four. He became the first Twins pitcher to allow 12 hits in a game since Ricky Nolasco on Aug. 31, 2014. The last Minnesota pitcher to allow that many hits and get the victory was Kyle Lohse on Sept. 2, 2003.

Ben Gamel and Kyle Seager each doubled in Seattle's two-run first. Jarrod Dyson hit the game's first homer with a solo shot leading off the top of the second. The ball traveled an estimated 400 feet, per Statcast™, tied for his longest home run in the Statcast™ era (since 2015).

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Lucky seven: Minnesota batted around and plated seven runs in both the third and seventh innings. Joe Mauer served as the first and final out in the third, with a string of eight consecutive hits occurring in between. Rosario and Dozier capped the outburst with back-to-back home runs. 17

Dozier's homer traveled an estimated 435 feet, per Statcast™, his longest of the year.

"We kind of did it to them last night, and they turn around and did it to us tonight," Servais said. "Rough night for [Bergman]. A lot of balls upper middle of the plate on a night where the ball was carrying very well in this ballpark."

Rosario's blasts: The Twins may have clinched their 17th come-from-behind win in the third, but the early comeback began in the second. Seattle led, 3-0, before Kepler put opened the inning with a solo homer, while Jorge Polanco drove in another run on a groundout. Rosario delivered the go-ahead run with a two-run shot that traveled an estimated 440 feet, per Statcast™, his longest homer of the season and his second longest in the Statcast™ era.

"I wanted to come back and play hard and have good at-bats. That was my goal," Rosario said about not starting several games last week. SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Rosario is the fifth player in MLB history with three homers while batting ninth in the lineup, and the first since Boston's Trot Nixon on July 24, 1999.

As a team, the Twins batted .571. That is the third highest team batting average in a game dating back to 1950.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

Chris Gimenez nearly joined the home-run explosion in the eighth. Facing Mariners catcher Carlos Ruiz, who was making his first career pitching appearance, Gimenez crushed a ball to the left-field corner, which was initially ruled a double. After a review of one minute and 50 seconds, the call was upheld.

WHAT'S NEXT

Mariners: Sam Gaviglio (2-1, 2.79 ERA) will start the third game of the four-game series on Wednesday at 5:10 p.m. PT. Gaviglio has allowed one earned run or less in four of his five starts. In his last outing, the right-hander gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits, issuing a season-high three walks, in a no-decision against the Blue Jays.

Twins: Right-hander Ervin Santana (8-3, 2.20 ERA) will take the mound for the Twins on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m CT. Santana tossed his MLB- leading third shutout in last time out at San Francisco, and is 12-8 with a 4.12 ERA in 31 career starts against Seattle.

Twins select top talent on Day 2 of Draft Rhett Bollinger | MLB | June 13, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins opened Day 2 of the 2017 MLB Draft on Tuesday by selecting high school right-hander Blayne Enlow with the first pick of the third round at No. 76 overall.

Enlow, from St. Amant High School (La.), was ranked as the No. 29 Draft prospect by MLBPipeline.com and was considered the best talent available on the second day of the Draft. He's the second prep right-hander taken by the Twins, joining second-rounder Landon Leach.

"He's a guy we liked a lot last summer on the circuit," Twins scouting director Sean Johnson said. "He had a good spring. He may have the best curveball of the high school group. He has a high ceiling with a fastball he can run up to 94. He's got a pretty lean body and some height. He can spin the ball, which is hard to teach."

Enlow, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound 18-year-old, is well known on the showcase circuit, and many scouts believe he has the best curveball of any prep pitcher in the class. His fastball velocity, however, dipped a bit in his senior year from 90-94 mph to 88-91 mph. Enlow still excelled and was a 2017 Rawlings-Perfect Game First-Team All-American and Southeast All-Region First-Team selection. His high school has produced Major Leaguers Ben Sheets, Reid Brignac and Kim Batiste.

Enlow pitched for the U.S. National Team last October and tossed 13 scoreless innings to help the U.S. to the gold medal in the Pan-American Games. He has the upside of a top-end starter and is committed to LSU. The pick has a slot value of $755,500, but the Twins could go over slot, as they're expected to sign No. 1 overall pick Royce Lewis for under slot.

The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 11 a.m. CT.

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Round 4: LHP Charlie Barnes, Clemson

Picked 106th overall, Barnes is ranked as the No. 149 Draft prospect by MLBPipeline.com and is considered a crafty lefty. He pitched well when matched up against top talent such as Louisville's Brendan McKay and North Carolina's J.B. Bukauskas in heavily scouted games this spring.

"He's a severe strike-thrower," Johnson said. "He definitely has a starter's profile with a full mix. He's performed."

His fastball touches 91 mph with some sink, but he possesses a plus changeup as well as a mid-70s curveball and a low-80s cutter/slider. He's a strike-thrower who showed better command this year, improving his ERA from 4.66 last season to 3.20. Barnes, regarded as a potential mid- rotation starter, struck out 113 and walked 22 in 101 1/3 innings.

Barnes earned his degree from Clemson in three years, majoring in parks, recreation and tourism management. The pick has a slot value of $507,000.

Round 5: 3B Andrew Bechtold, Chipola College

The Twins selected their second college position player of the Draft with Bechtold at No. 136. Bechtold was ranked as the No. 142 overall Draft prospect by MLBPipeline.com.

After a torn thumb ligament at the University of Maryland kept him out of action until his sophomore year, the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder transferred to Chipola, a junior college hotbed that has produced players such as Jose Bautista and Russell Martin. He's considered a tough out at the plate with the chance to hit for average and power. He's considered at least an average runner, and he has a strong arm and good hands at third.

"Bechtold is a guy we liked a lot," Johnson said. "We were glad he was available at that spot. He's a guy we targeted earlier than that. He has a third-base profile. He reminds me of Matt Chapman from the A's Draft. He's got good power and is a good defender at third. His makeup is really good."

Bechtold, 21, batted .419 with 16 doubles, 12 home runs, 24 stolen bases and 65 RBIs in 60 games while leading Chipola to the 2017 NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series championship, going 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in the title game. Bechtold, previously drafted by the Rangers in the 37th round of the 2014 Draft, has a scholarship offer from Louisiana State University. The pick has a slot value of $378,700. His father, Scott, played football at Syracuse University and baseball at the University of Delaware.

Round 6: SS Ricardo De La Torre, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy

The Twins have had success with Draft picks from Puerto Rico in recent years, including Jose Berrios and Eddie Rosario, and they hope for more of the same from De La Torre, taken with the 166th pick. With his plus tools, De La Torre (ranked 180th overall) was regarded as a potential first-round pick before the Draft, but he slid due to an inconsistent spring.

De La Torre, 18, has a strong arm, and his speed gives him range, although some scouts see him as a second baseman rather than a shortstop. The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder has the defensive prowess to remain up the middle, while his bat is still a bit of a question mark. He shows flashes of power and will need to improve his approach at the plate.

"De La Torre is another guy we're super excited about for the round we got him," Johnson said. "He has a chance to stick at short but could move to third or second. But he's got power and an aggressive swing."

The Juana Diaz, P.R., native was named a 2017 Rawlings-Perfect Game First-Team All-American and was named to the Canada/Puerto Rico All Region First-Team. The pick has a slot value of $283,300.

Round 7: LHP Ryley Widell, Central Arizona College

Taken with the 196th pick, Widell was the Twins' second college lefty of the Draft. Widell, ranked as the No. 190 Draft prospect, has a fastball in the 87- to 92-mph range, while his changeup is his best pitch. He also throws a slurvy slider and a curveball. Scouts believe the curveball is a better pitch, but he'll have to refine it. The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder went 8-2 with a 1.98 ERA this year, striking out 115 against 39 walks. Batters hit only .179 against him.

The Hawaii native, who also played at quarterback for King Kekaulike High School in Maui, started his career at Washington State University but 19 transferred after posting an 8.85 ERA as a freshman. He's currently committed to the University of North Carolina. The pick has a slot value of $220,700.

"A starter with a mix," Johnson said. "Average fastball, good change and a nice breaking ball."

Round 8: LHP Bryan Sammons, Western Carolina University

Sammons, the No. 226 overall pick, posted a 3.02 ERA with 108 strikeouts and 41 walks in 104 1/3 innings as a senior. The 6-foot-4, 225- pounder was a four-year starter for Western Carolina, earning Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team honors in '14. He also pitched in the Cape Cod League, helping Yarmouth-Dennis to the championship, and the California Collegiate League.

Given that the 22-year-old is a senior and doesn't have the option of returning to school, the Twins could look to sign him for under the $174,400 slot value of the pick. Sammons also starred at Hoggard High School in Wilmington, N.C., going 16-1 with a 1.00 ERA as a senior.

"I think we had an attitude that we wanted to acquire as much starting pitching as we could on Day 2," Johnson said. "We drafted three seniors at the end there, which could help with our bonus pool." Round 9: OF Mark Contreras, University of California, Riverside

The Twins added an athletic outfielder with a plus hitting tool in Contreras with the No. 256 overall pick. He finished second in the Big West with a .366 batting average, third with a .427 on-base percentage and fifth with a .558 slugging percentage as a senior. He also led the conference in triples, while setting his team's record for the highest batting average since the new college bats were introduced in 2011. He also tied an NCAA record with three triples in a game, showing off his impressive speed.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder is the second college senior taken by the Twins, who could look to sign him for less than the slot value of $148,000. The 22-year-old batted .319/.387/.432 in his four years at UC Riverside. Contreras played shortstop and third base while starring for Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley, Calif., but he saw time in both the outfield and infield in college.

"He's a guy who can play all three spots but might be in a corner," Johnson said. "He had a nice year. Again, we took some seniors there at the end."

Round 10: RHP Calvin Faucher, University of California, Irvine

Faucher was the first reliever taken by the Twins this Draft, going on pick No. 286. He served as UC Irvine's closer in his senior season, posting a 4.08 ERA with 58 strikeouts and 30 walks over 39 2/3 innings, while registering 12 saves. The 21-year-old had a 0.71 ERA with eight saves and 34 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings as a junior.

As the third college senior taken by the Twins on Day 2, he could sign for less than the $137,100 slot value. The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder also pitched with Sammons in the 2016 Cape Cod League with Yarmouth-Dennis, for whom he had a 2.91 ERA with seven saves. He went to Southwestern Community College before playing at UC Irvine and played high school ball at Hilltop High School near San Diego.

"He's definitely a reliever," Johnson said. "We liked his pitches and pure stuff. He's been up to 94-95 with a really good breaking ball. His walks were high, but he gets a lot of strikeouts, so there's some risk there."

Did you know? Facts from Twins' big outburst Shane Jackson | MLB | June 13, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Eddie Rosario wanted to make a statement on Tuesday after not starting multiple games last week during the Twins' West Coast road trip.

The left fielder certainly did that, crushing three home runs to lift the Twins to a 20-7 win over the Mariners at Target Field. In his first career multi-homer game, Rosario became the seventh Twin to hit three home runs in a game, and the first since Brian Dozier against Kansas City on Sept. 5, 2016.

"I wanted to come back and play hard and have good at-bats," Rosario said. "That was my goal."

Rosario's first homer capped a four-run second inning, which put the Twins ahead after they trailed, 3-0. According to Statcast™, his two-run shot to right traveled an estimated 440 feet with an exit velocity of 103.8 mph. It was also his first RBI since May 31. 20

After Christian Bergman exited after 2 2/3 innings, Rosario was the first to face reliever Casey Lawrence. He immediately belted the first pitch to left, a two-run homer as part of a seven-run outburst in the third, which included eight consecutive hits.

"When he gets good pitches to hit, he can do damage," manager Paul Molitor said. "He made a little bit of a statement tonight. He's been out of there for a few days, and came back with a little bit of vengeance today."

In the eighth, Rosario homered off Mariners catcher Carlos Ruiz, who was making his first career pitching appearance. The shot to center traveled an estimated 440 feet, per Statcast™, as he became the first player in the Majors to record multiple homers of at least 440 feet in one game this year. He is the eighth to do so in the Statcast™ era (since 2015).

Rosario is the fifth player in MLB history to hit three homers in a game from the No. 9 hole, and the first since Boston's Trot Nixon in 1999. All eight of Rosario's home runs this season have come at Target Field, where he has a .333 batting average.

"I think he's still learning what kind of hitter he is at this level," Molitor said. "He's got some power, he's got gap power. I think he's still learning. We are still trying to prod him to let the game come to him, he's an aggressive guy."

• The Twins recorded a franchise-record 28 hits, surpassing the previous mark of 27 set by the Senators in 1933.

• It is tied for the second most hits by a team this century. The Rangers had 29 in a 30-3 win over the Orioles on Aug. 22, 2007. • Minnesota set a new franchise record with 21 singles.

• The 42 combined hits were the most in a game at Target Field.

• The Twins scored a season-high seven runs in both the third and seventh innings. It was the first time they had multiple innings of at least seven runs since Sept. 4, 2012, against the White Sox.

Enlow drafted by Twins, expected to sign Rhett Bollinger | MLB | June 13, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- One of the many advantages for the Twins by having the No. 1 overall selection in the MLB Draft is having the largest bonus pool available at $14.1 million, including more than $7.7 million allocated to the No. 1 pick.

With the top overall pick, shortstop Royce Lewis, expected to sign for roughly $1 million less than the full slot value, it gave the Twins flexibility to be creative on the second day of the Draft, selecting players who would otherwise be unsignable. That was the case with their first pick of the second day, as they selected highly-regarded prep right-hander Blayne Enlow with the No. 76 pick in the third round.

Enlow, 18, was ranked as the No. 29 Draft prospect per MLBPipeline.com, and was considered a potential first-round talent. But the Twins worked out a deal with him on Tuesday, and are expected to sign him for roughly $2 million, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. It's much higher than the $755,400 slot assigned to the pick.

Enlow, from St. Amont High School (La.), was considered a strong LSU commit.

"We felt good about that decision," Twins scouting director Sean Johnson said. "We didn't know if it would materialize, but we got to a number we were comfortable with, and the kid was comfortable with. We're glad we got him."

After the Twins loaded up with more talent on Tuesday, the Draft concludes on Wednesday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 11 a.m. CT.

Enlow, who pitched at the same high school as former Brewers ace Ben Sheets, was golfing with his friend when he found out he was the first pick of the Draft's second day.

"It was awesome," Enlow said. "I wasn't thinking anything of it. I got to the ninth hole, and then got a call from my dad and my advisor that the Twins selected me. I was so excited."

Enlow, who is 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, has hit as high as 94 mph with his fastball on the showcase circuit, but was more in the 88-92-mph range as a senior. However, it's his curveball that really turns heads, while his changeup is still a work in progress.

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"He may have maybe the best curveball of the high-school group," Johnson said. "High ceiling with a fastball he can run up to 94. He's got a pretty lean body, and some height. He can spin the ball, which is hard to teach."

Enlow has faced plenty of top competition, including throwing 13 scoreless innings for the U.S. national 18-and-under team that won the gold medal at the Pan American Championships in October. He thinks that experience will help him as he enters professional ball.

"Doing good against the top competition showed me that I'm right there with all the other guys," Enlow said. "Those events were all awesome. With Team USA, it was 20 guys who didn't know each other, but loved baseball and their country. We all met up and became a team, and played against other countries. It was just so cool."

Next step for Glen Perkins is to pitch in an extended spring game in Florida Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | June 13, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS — Glen Perkins gave up the closer role last year when he wasn’t healthy enough to get outs the way he used to. He hit the disabled list in April, and eventually had significant shoulder surgery that he and the Twins are hoping will lead the 34-year-old reliever back to the back end of an MLB bullpen.

On Tuesday, he took the next step toward that goal. Perkins threw 21 pitches in a simulated game in Fort Myers, and the next step in his progression will be 1 inning Friday in an extended spring game, the Twins said.

“He pitched an inning down there, and I guess it went fairly well,” manager Paul Molitor said. “Velocity, I think, was 85-89 [mph] and threw sliders. Scheduled to pitch another inning Friday.”

If he can build the velocity back up and return at some point, it could be a big boost to the Twins’ league-worst bullpen. The last time Perkins pitched in a game at the heigh of his powers was in mid-summer 2015.

Here are 10 quick-hit stats from bizarre baseball game, Twins’ route of the Mariners Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | June 13, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins looked like they were in trouble early in Tuesday’s game. Kyle Gibson spotted the Mariners a 3-0 lead.

But then the Twins turned on the jets. After they’d gone down quietly in the first inning, they poured on 4 runs in the 2nd inning and then 7 more in the 3rd and they just kept going.

Here are a few highlights from the stats sheet:

–The Twins had 28 hits Tuesday, a new franchise record. The Washington Senators pounded out 27 hits on May 16, 1933, according to the Twins.

–Kyle Gibson got the win despite giving up a career-high 12 hits, and also 6 earned runs in 6 innings.

–Gibson had gone 11 starts at Target Field between wins. His previous win in Minneapolis was July 3, 2016, according to the team.

–The 42 combined hits between the two teams is a new Target Field record, the Twins said.

–Eddie Rosario hit 3 home runs in one game, which is surprising for anybody. But it’s especially surprising for a guy who’s been benched off and on lately, and who currently sports a .283 on-base percentage.

–Rosario was the first batter to hit 3 long balls from the No. 9 spot since Trot Nixon did it in 1999, according to the Twins.

–Rosario’s 3 home runs bring his career total to 31. In other words, he hit 9.7% of his career homers Tuesday at Target Field. Scooter Gennett was celebrated recently for going deep four times, which is rare and exciting, and especially for a player not known for that aspect of his game.

Gennett has 42 career homers, so he hit 9.5% of his homers that night.

–Rosario (4 hits), Jason Castro (4), Kennys Vargas (4) and Eduardo Escobar (5) combined for 17 hits.

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–Joe Mauer was the only starter without multiple hits Tuesday. And the Twins went on their offensive barrage without their best hitter, Miguel Sano, who was rested Tuesday.

–Somehow, the game only lasted 3 hours and 4 minutes.

Zulgad: Operating on the cheap? Decisions, not spending, led to Twins’ demise Judd Zulgad | ESPN 1500 | June 13, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS – The decision by Derek Falvey to select high school shortstop Royce Lewis with the first pick of the MLB draft on Monday – and thus pass on the likes of Hunter Greene, Brendan McKay and Kyle Wright – caused social media to come alive with the accusation that the Twins’ new baseball boss was no different from his predecessor.

This was just the latest sign to many that the Twins remained a cheap organization and it didn’t matter whether Terry Ryan or Falvey were calling the shots. It was another Pohlad-produced effort to add a player who could be signed for less.

The fact that Falvey’s strategy will be to take the money the Twins were given in their bonus pool and spread it around to other picks without actually saving any of it? That’s an inconvenience that ruins a narrative that many baseball fans in the Twin Cities have no interest in putting to bed.

Part of the issue is that many will never get past the fact that Twins owner Jim Pohlad’s father, Carl, offered this franchise up for contraction in 2001. Carl Pohlad, of course, was frustrated that his bid to get the Twins into a new stadium and out of the Metrodome had failed.

The Pohlad-owned Twins had won World Series’ in 1987 and 1991, but became a bottom-feeder for much of the 1990s as new ballparks popped around the big leagues and salaries soared. Those Twins teams were run on the cheap because Pohlad had little interest in trying to compete with the growing amount of clubs that generated big revenue.

Ryan, of course, used his baseball savvy to build a franchise that began to rebound in 2001 and won six American League Central titles over the next nine seasons. The last of those division titles came in the Twins’ first season in Target Field in 2010.

In the six full seasons since then the Twins have finished in last place four times and lost 90-plus games five times. This includes a club-record 103 defeats last season. A new revenue-generating ballpark and so much bad baseball rekindled the cries of penny-pinching by the Pohlad ownership that moved to Jim in 2009 upon Carl’s death.

This was the easy narrative but it wasn’t the accurate one.

The 2011 to 2016 Twins were far more a victim of mismanagement than they were being cheapskates. Ryan decided to walk away after the 2007 season, giving the job to Bill Smith. Smith was relieved of the GM duties following a 99-loss season in 2011 and Ryan returned.

What the Twins failed to react to was that analytics and the changing philosophies that so many organizations began to embrace were ignored by their front office. Ryan went from being the model for what you wanted in a GM to an executive who did not adapt.

The Twins’ Opening Day payroll jumped from $65.3 million in 2009, their final season in the Metrodome, to $97.7 million in 2010. It was at $113.2 million in 2011, the year the Twins finished 63-99, and has been at over $100 million in four of the past six seasons, including $108.1 million this season.

Those aren’t staggering figures but they are enough to keep a club competitive. The problem was where the Twins decided to invest that money and the decisions that were made. Money was wasted on free agent pitchers such as Ricky Nolasco and Kevin Correia and the international signings of Tsuyoshi Nishioka and ByungHo Park made the franchise’s decision-making a punchline.

Smith sending shortstop J.J. Hardy to Baltimore for two non-descript pitchers was bad enough, but the assumption that Nishioka would be a big- league player was worse. In fairness, Smith does deserve credit for adding Miguel Sano and Max Kepler to the organization and Ryan took Byron Buxton second overall in the 2012 draft.

But that doesn’t excuse their blunders.

The move to dismiss Ryan last season in the midst of an embarrassing year was a good first step. The move to bring in a wunderkind in Falvey and allow him to hire his right-hand man in general manager Thad Levine was an even better second step. There are signs the Twins are trying 23 to make up for the lost time that caused their downward spiral.

Pohlad deserves credit for this. He also deserves heat for the fact that five of the past six years were filled with bad baseball. That fall, however, had far more to do with the decisions made by Falvey’s predecessors than it did an unwillingness to open a checkbook.

Twins looking for answers in starting rotation this weekend Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | June 13, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS — Nik Turley pitched 4 innings and gave up 4 runs in his MLB debut last weekend in San Francisco. He’s got a recent track record of better success in the minor leagues. And based on the Twins’ current rotation needs, he’s a slam-dunk to get another start when his turn comes up again Friday at Target Field.

“He pitched, I thought, OK for his first time,” manager Paul Molitor said of Turley. “When you include the fact that he played with the Giants, in California, he had a lot of people there to watch him pitch.”

“I didn’t really see it live, but in video you can kind of see the nerves settling in, the way he was yanking some pitches early. We know that he’s better than that, so he’s scheduled to pitch Friday,” Molitor said.

I was a little surprised watching Turley with how many times he had non-competitive curve balls miss the strike zone on the first pitch. Perhaps that’s what Molitor was referencing, or maybe there’s something else that the manager believes will be better the next time out.

One thing’s clear: The Twins would stand to benefit if Turley’s better this time around. With Hector Santiago struggling in May — and now on the disabled list — they’ve yet to find rotation stability after Ervin Santana and J.O. Berrios.

And they’re going to need some aid Saturday, with a doubleheader on deck against the Indians.

The Twins will get the luxury of adding a 26th man with the doubleheader.

Adalberto Mejia is lined up to pitch one of the games. The Twins don’t have an obvious answer for the other game right now.

Adam Wilk might have been a candidate. But he last pitched Friday and could be scheduled to go for Triple-A Rochester before this weekend.

Nick Tepesch just re-signed a minor league deal, but he’s currently on the disabled list.

Matt Tracy might be lined up to throw Saturday, but he’s only made one start about Double-A and he’s not on the 40-man roster.

Chris Heston came on in relief of Turley over the weekend, was optioned to the minors, and he’s a candidate to get the other start Saturday, Molitor said.

Stephen Gonsalves is in Double-A, and it looks like he’s currently lined up to pitch Friday for the Lookouts.

Felix Jorge is on the 40-man roster, and he had an effective outing in Double-A Chattanooga on Monday, which would line him up for a start Saturday if the Twins wanted to rush him up.

Hector Santiago is throwing out to 150 feet, and he’ll throw a bullpen session Thursday, as the Twins hope to be able to activate him from the disabled list soon. Molitor called Santiago a “long shot” for Saturday.

Phil Hughes started a throwing program Tuesday. It’s not yet clear what his return timeline would be, since it was only recently that the righty was still feeling a tingling sensation in his fingers, according to the Twins.

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MLB Draft Day 2 recap: Twins target pitching in rounds 3-10 Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | June 13, 2017

The Twins had an eventful Day 1 of the MLB draft, and they’ll make plenty more selections here on Day 2. This post will be updated throughout the day with their selections.

Round 3: Blayne Enlow, RHP, St. Amant High School (Louisiana)

Baseball America rated Enlow as the 33rd best prospect in the draft. So if the Twins can sign him and keep him from attending LSU on scholarship, it would seem like a good get at pick No. 78.

Round 4: Charlie Barnes, LHP, Clemson

After using the top two picks in their 2017 draft to get position players, the Twins have picked three pitchers in a row.

Barnes led the Tigers staff with a 3.20 ERA this year, including a 113:22 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 101 1/3 innings.

Round 5: Andrew Bechtold, 3B, Chipola College

Bechtold is a draft-eligible sophomore who posted great numbers at a junior college in Marianna, Florida. The third baseman hit 12 home runs and batted .419/.532/.676 this season.

Round 6: Ricardo De La Torre, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy

Round 7: Ryley Widell, LHP, Central Arizona College

Round 8: Bryan Sammons, LHP, Western Carolina University

Round 9: Mark Contreras, OF, University of California-Riverside

Round 10: Calvin Faucher, RHP, UC-Irvine

Ryan Pressly is back with the Twins after brief stint in Triple-A Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | June 13, 2017

The Twins on Tuesday recalled right-handed reliever Ryan Pressly in hopes of improving their league-worst bullpen.

Reliever Alex Wimmers was optioned to Triple-A Rochester following Monday night’s game, his second appearance in as many games. That move cleared a spot on the 25-man roster for Pressly.

Pressly entered the season ostensibly in consideration for the setup role in the Twins’ bullpen. But his ERA ballooned to 9.50 and the Twins sent him to the minor leagues to hit the reset button.

He’s been a bit of an enigma, because he was a reliable reliever for the Twins in the past, and on a pitch-for-pitch basis, he has the best stuff in the bullpen. But the results weren’t there for him earlier this season. He walked too many hitters and allowed too many home runs, and all the strikeout stuff in the world can’t usually overcome those two problems.

The Twins have had their share of relief problems. Perhaps the two most surprising — and, by extension, damaging — developments has been Pressly and Matt Belisle posting a 9.00 ERA in high-leverage roles. They’re two guys the Twins expected to be a big part of their bullpen this year, and they’ve combined to allow 40 earned runs in 40 innings.

In 4 scoreless innings in Triple-A after his demotion, Pressly has 7 strikeouts and 2 walks. And now he’s back in Minnesota to prove he belongs in the big leagues.

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Twins rally for franchise-record 28 hits to beat Mariners Associated Press | June 13, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS — Eddie Rosario wasn’t a very happy camper after not starting four games in the past nine days.

He took his frustrations out on the Seattle Mariners pitching staff, and his teammates joined the hit party as well.

Rosario hit three home runs and drove in five runs and the set a franchise record with 28 hits while batting around in two different innings of a 20-7 victory over the Mariners on Tuesday night.

“He made a little bit of a statement out there tonight,” manager Paul Molitor said. “He’s been out a few days and he came back with a vengeance.”

Max Kepler and Brian Dozier also went deep, Eduardo Escobar had five hits and two RBIs and Jason Castro had four hits and four RBIs for the Twins, who are in first place in the AL Central despite an AL-worst 13-19 record at Target Field.

The 28 hits are the most in a game since the Rangers had 29 in a 30-3 win over the Orioles on Aug. 22, 2007.

“We just couldn’t stop them,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “They kept squaring it up.”

Christian Bergman (3-4) gave up nine runs and 10 hits in 2 1-3 innings for the Mariners. Jarrod Dyson had a homer, a double and an RBI. Ben Gamel had two doubles and an RBI.

With slugger Miguel Sano getting a night off, the Twins batted around in a seven-run third inning and a seven-run seventh to snap a five-game home skid.

The Twins strung together eight straight hits in the third inning, including back-to-back homers by Rosario and Dozier, to bust the game wide open.

“I just had a bad day as far as stuff and command goes,” Bergman said.

Rosario’s second two-run shot of the game came off of the first pitch from reliever Casey Lawrence, and Dozier followed with a solo shot for an 11-3 lead.

Rosario’s final blast of the night came in the eighth inning off backup catcher Carlos Ruiz.

“Sometimes you have frustrations,” Rosario said. “But I keep working hard. That’s it.”

A night after scoring 14 runs in a series-opening win over the Twins, the Mariners still pounded out 14 hits. Dyson’s homer was his third of the season to set a career high.

UNIQUE VISIT

Kyle Gibson (4-4) wobbled through six innings, giving up six runs and 12 hits and striking out four.

After the Twins’ big third inning, Gibson promptly gave up three doubles and two runs. That compelled manager Paul Molitor to make a rare, one-on-one visit to the mound. Pitching coach Neil Allen remained in the dugout and catcher Jason Castro remained behind the plate. It was just Molitor and Gibson talking man-to-man.

Molitor finished the visit by patting Gibson on the behind and the right-hander was able to get the final two outs of the inning without surrendering another run.

“He just said, `This is your game and we need you to get to the seventh,'” Gibson said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: RHP Hisahi Iwakuma is scheduled to make his first rehab start for Class A Modesto on Thursday. Iwakuma has been out since May 7 26 with right shoulder inflammation. Manager Scott Servais said the plan is for three innings or 45 pitches. … SS Jean Segura, out since June 2 with a right high ankle sprain, did some running on Wednesday at about 60 percent speed. He plans to take batting practice on Thursday.

Twins: LHP Glen Perkins, bothered by shoulder issues for the past two years, threw 21 pitches in a simulated game in Fort Myers, Florida. He will next throw on Friday in extended spring training. … RHP Hector Santiago played long toss on Wednesday and remains in the mix to start a game in the doubleheader against Cleveland on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Mariners: RHP Sam Gaviglio (2-1, 2.79) takes the mound on Wednesday for Game 3 of the four-game series. He spent the first seven years of his career in the minor leagues before finally getting a chance this season.

Twins: RHP Ervin Santana (8-3, 2.20) will take the mound for the Twins, fresh off his majors-leading third shutout of the season, a 4-0 win over the Giants on June 9.

Twins go pitching-heavy on Day 2 of MLB Draft Staff | FOX Sports | June 13, 2017

After waiting until their third pick to draft a pitcher in Day 1 one of the MLB Draft, the Minnesota Twins grabbed five hurlers among their eight picks on Day 2 on Tuesday.

The Twins, who own the first pick in every round, opened the third round by selecting right-hander Blayne Enlow of St. Amant High School and in the next round took Clemson’s Charlie Barnes, a left-hander.

Minnesota selected two more left-handed pitchers on the day — Central Arizona’s Ryley Widell in the seventh round and Western Carolina’s Bryan Sammons in the eighth.

In the 10th round, the Twins grabbed another college pitcher, right-hander Calvin Faucher from the University of California-Irvine.

The biggest splash on Tuesday for the Twins might have come in the fifth round when they selected JUCO third baseman Andrew Bechtold. Bechtold, who began at Maryland before transferring to Chipola College, was considered one of the best hitters in the draft.

Both Enlow and Bechtold have commitments to LSU.

Minnesota also selected shortstop Ricardo De La Torre of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in the sixth round and UC Riverside outfielder Mark Contreras in the ninth.

The draft concludes Wednesday with rounds 11-40. Minnesota opened the 2017 draft by selecting high school shortstop Royce Lewis with the No.1 overall pick.

MLB draft Day 2 recap: Some clubs didn't play it safe Keith Law | ESPN | June 13, 2017

The following is an excerpt from the full article:

My team-by-team draft recaps will appear on Thursday and Friday, but in the meantime, here are some quick thoughts and notes on interesting picks from Tuesday's portion of the draft, comprising Rounds 3-10.

The Minnesota Twins' Day 1 haul felt a little underwhelming given their draft position -- first overall, plus a Competitive Balance Round A pick after the first, and then the first pick of the second round -- but they swung for the fences to start Day 2. They began the proceedings by taking the top player remaining on my Big Board: Louisiana prep arm Blayne Enlow.

Enlow was 14th overall on my Big Board coming into the draft as a projection right-hander who works in the 88-92 mph range now with his fastball in a three-pitch mix that also includes a plus curveball. The ball comes out of his hand easily and he has the delivery and frame to project for bigger velocity and durability down the road. His velocity did slide by the end of the spring, however, which is probably how he ended up being available on Day 2. The Twins also landed another top-100 talent in Puerto Rican shortstop Ricardo De La Torre in the sixth round and they got a toolsy third baseman with some swing-and-miss at the plate in fifth-rounder Andrew Bechtold. 27

Royce Lewis, Hunter Greene going 1-2 in the draft could help sell MLB to black youth Jeff Passan | Yahoo! Sports | June 13, 2017

Years will pass before Major League Baseball knows whether the tens of millions of dollars it spends to entice black youth to play its game will have made any sort of tangible difference. When a problem as pervasive as this exists, it demands action. Baseball, of course, is a game of slow burns, where change takes place over a decade, not per annum.

Nothing exemplifies that better than the amateur draft, from which even the finest players spend years in the minor leagues until deemed ready. At the same time, the draft can give a decent-enough sense of trends that may soon hit the major leagues, and in that regard, Monday night can’t be seen as anything other than promising.

With the first overall pick, the Minnesota Twins took Royce Lewis, a California shortstop whose father is black. With the second overall pick, the chose Hunter Greene, a California right-hander – and Sports Illustrated cover boy, whose parents are both black. Another black prospect, , went to the Los Angeles Angels with the 10th pick, and two more, outfielders (Dodgers) and (Rangers), were first-round choices — two-thirds of whom, historically, eventually make the major leagues.

Considering over the last five years that more than 20 percent of first-round picks had been black, this shouldn’t have been too big a surprise. To see Lewis and Greene go Nos. 1 and 2, though – to see it happen for only the fourth time in history, after 1980 (Darryl Strawberry and Garry Harris), 1991 ( and Mike Kelly) and 2003 (Delmon Young and Rickie Weeks) — reminds anyone skeptical of baseball’s ability to enthrall young blacks that despite its average demographic of Social Security-aged white male, the sport can be every bit as absorbing as its rivals that steal away young talent.

This is why it’s fair to classify it as a problem. Anyone who believes it isn’t must believe similarly that decades of waning interest from any race, ethnicity or faith wouldn’t qualify as one, either. The standard line of thinking from such troglodytes — You don’t see me complaining about the lack of white players in the NBA — entirely misses the point. It’s not fundamentally about the lack of black players in baseball. It’s that so many aren’t interested in playing in the first place.

The issue is perhaps as much sociological as it is racial. The number of usable baseball diamonds in majority-black communities has dwindled in recent decades. The skyrocketing cost of equipment — the best bats easily cross the $300 threshold — renders the game a complete nonstarter in poor communities black and white. Baseball’s greatest strongholds today are upper-middle-class suburbs, not the urban areas of its peak.

Over the last 20 years, MLB concentrated its growth on economics and revenue, on driving a $1.2 billion-a-year business into a $10 billion-a- year behemoth. Rich men got even richer. The unintended consequence was that a population so important to MLB’s place in history as a socially vital operation was left wildly underserved. The fact that less than 8 percent of major league players today are black, down from the high of around 20 percent three decades ago, reflects this dereliction of duty.

And, yes, that’s what it is. Even if football is the modern champion, MLB takes seriously its designation as the national pastime. A certain responsibility comes with that. The percentages do not need to be proportionate to those of society, but they demand to be more representative, particularly when incredible athletes like Lewis and Greene remind what baseball is capable of producing.

Lewis was something of a surprise as the first overall pick. The Twins did offer Louisville first baseman/pitcher Brendan McKay more than $6 million, only to see him turn it down and get more than $7 million from Tampa Bay with the fourth pick. Nevertheless, Minnesota’s draft room was agog at the prospect of the 18-year-old Lewis, who will stay at shortstop but may eventually bring his dynamism to center field.

Cincinnati beamed after getting Greene. He was the single-best talent in the draft, a two-way player like McKay except with a 102-mph fastball. The Reds will slot him at pitcher exclusively and hope he fulfills not just their dreams but those of MLB, who see Greene as the most marketable amateur to come along in the game since the Nationals chose Bryce Harper in 2010.

Greene attended MLB’s Urban Youth Academy in Compton, California, when he was 7 years old. Even if the academies are expensive to run, MLB’s growth surely could support one in every city, not just the handful available across the country. Compound those with the Dream Series and Breakthrough Series and Elite Development Invitational and the Prospect Development Pipeline — all events that showcase young minority players — and MLB is trying to piece together a traditional scouting mold that long ago broke.

Maybe this works. Maybe Lewis and Greene become the rule instead of the exception. Maybe kids see them or Aaron Judge or Mookie Betts or George Springer or or Eric Thames or Khris Davis or Andrew McCutchen or Chris Archer or Marcus Stroman and understands baseball can be a place for a black man in 2017. It may be uncomfortable at times – it may even be hostile, as Adam Jones and others have seen in such unfortunate ways – but the attention being paid today seems far less like lip service than in recent years. 28

Maybe, too, it’s just a blip, something that happened in the ’80s and ’90s and ’00s as well, something that wouldn’t be nearly as interesting had the Twins offered McKay another million bucks. If that’s what it takes, though, MLB is thrilled at Minnesota’s calculus.

This isn’t about shunting aside the prevailing narrative that baseball is inhospitable to blacks. It’s about believing there is hope, that Royce Lewis and Hunter Greene do represent something different, that baseball’s reputation in communities far and wide will be that of inclusivity.

Making baseball cool to everyone again is a daunting task. It’s also one worth every last penny spent.

Twins explode for 20 runs against the Mariners Bill Baer | NBC Sports | June 13, 2017

The first-place Twins allowed double-digit runs in back-to-back losses — 14-3 to the Mariners, 13-8 to the Giants — entering Tuesday’s game against the Mariners. They got revenge by scoring 20 runs of their own.

The Twins scored four runs in the second inning, seven in the third, one in the fourth, seven in the seventh, and one more in the eighth for 20 total runs. Every starter in the lineup had at least one hit; Joe Mauer was the only starter without multiple hits. Seven Twins had two or more RBI. Kennys Vargas, Jason Castro, and Eddie Rosario each had four hits while Eduardo Escobar had five hits.

Rosario homered three times: two two-run homers and a solo shot. Max Kepler and Brian Dozier also homered.

The Twins set a franchise record when they got their 26th hit and finished with 28.

It’s the second time this season a team has scored 20-plus runs. The Nationals ran roughshod over the Mets 23-5 on April 30 earlier this season. A team crossed the 20-run threshold only once last season. The last time the Twins did it, they beat the Tigers 20-6 on August 22, 2014. The last time the Mariners gave up 20-plus was in a 22-10 loss to the Red Sox on August 15, 2015. The last team to record 28 or more hits was the Rangers when they utterly demolished the Orioles 30-3 on August 22, 2007.

The game featured catcher Carlos Ruiz pitching for the Mariners in the eighth inning. He gave up a leadoff homer to Rosario and walked a pair of batters, but also struck out Kennys Vargas looking with the bases loaded.

Twins Found Reasons to Make Royce Lewis No. 1 Overall Pick John Manuel | Baseball America | June 13, 2017

The drama went all the way down to the last minute. As the first round started and MLB Network started to roll from the draft show preview, into the draft proper, the first overall pick was still an unknown.

But with the clock passing 7 p.m. ET and the show about to start, Minnesota Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine finally had their man, and the rest of the first round could finally fall into place.

Minnesota took the top prep hitter available in Royce Lewis to kick-start Monday’s first day of the 2017 MLB draft, one that started with three consecutive high school players.

The Reds followed the Twins at No. 2 overall with another Los Angeles-area prep, righthander/shortstop Hunter Greene, the top-ranked player on the BA 500. Then San Diego drafted North Carolina prep lefty MacKenzie Gore. Lewis and Greene became the first pair of L.A.-area preps to be drafted 1-2 in draft history.

But it was Lewis, No. 5 on the BA 500, who goes down in history as the first pick. He’s been on the amateur baseball scene for years, having been MVP of Southern California’s Trinity League in both his sophomore and junior seasons as well as this spring. Lewis has a chance to stay at shortstop, premium speed, power potential and a long track record, including hitting .500 with eight walks and no strikeouts for USA Baseball’s 18U national team last fall.

“I feel like I haven’t grown into my man strength yet,” Lewis said in describing himself to reporters on a conference call, “but you use speed for everything: defensively, offensively, and it helps with range. (Speed is) my favorite . . . because it never leaves you.”

The Twins long considered a deep group of players for the first selection and narrowed it late to Lewis and Brendan McKay, the College Player of the Year out of Louisville. The final numbers of what Lewis’ signing bonus will be were not yet known, but clearly the Twins had a comfort level 29 of signing Lewis, likely creating significant room by drafting fourth-year Mississippi State junior Brent Rooker with the 35th pick.

While club officials said prior to the draft that signability would play a “significant role,” according to one, in who went 1-1, scouting director Sean Johnson cited Lewis’ talent first and foremost. In a draft class with little separation between top prospects, the Twins found reasons to put Lewis No. 1.

“Our group loved everything about Royce,” Johnson said. “He’s got a real change to be a dynamic five-tool player. One thing that separated Royce in our room, beyond his tools, was his high character, instincts and baseball makeup.

“He’s one of the best ‘makeup’ players I’ve had the chance to scout. He’s got a great personality, and he’s a natural leader.”

Lewis said all of his role models have played shortstop and hopes to stay there, but there are scouts who see center field as his best future position. Scouts also were split on several key two-way players in this year’s draft class, and both Greene and McKay—the two most prominent two-way players—will get a chance to both hit and pitch as pros, at least early in their career. The Reds were expected to let Greene DH in Rookie ball while building his arm back up, as he has not pitched in a game since April.

“There have been discussions before about it and it was always ‘We’d love to do both,’” Greene told reporters on a post-draft conference call. “We still haven’t talked about it but I’m excited to be with this ball club and whatever they have in mind for me, I’m excited to do.”

Similarly, the Rays will let McKay DH and pitch after his college season is over. The all-time strikeouts leader in Louisville history, McKay was announced as a first baseman at the podium by commissioner Rob Manfred, but in a conference call, he said he’d get a chance to both hit and pitch as a pro.

“If a guy can figure out how to handle his arm and his body and not get worn down and stay healthy, it could add a whole new level in having two-guys-in-one that can do both,” McKay said. “The (Rays have) said we’re going to experiment with it and see if it’s a feasible thing to do.”

McKay confirmed that there had been negotiations with the Twins about being the No. 1 selection. “They had offered a number that we felt we could get a better offer from another team or what not,” he said. “It ultimately came down to, another team was able to give a better offer, so we went with that. I’m happy the ways things worked out. You got a good deal and you got a great organization to work with.”

Gore at No. 3 and Vanderbilt’s Kyle Wright, to the Braves at No. 5, were ultimately the players who did separate themselves a bit from the rest of the draft class, and they went in the first five picks. Thereafter, the first round had several storylines develop.

• Virginia and North Carolina had two players apiece picked in the first round. Cavaliers teammates and went back- to-back at picks seven and eight overall, with the Diamondbacks taking Smith, the first baseman with power and plate discipline, and the Phillies taking outfielder Haseley, who will finally get to give up pitching.

The Tar Heels saw ace righty J.B. Bukauskas fall a bit; the No. 6 overall player on the BA 500 fell to Houston with the No. 15 pick, a good fit for the slider-heavy righthander considering Houston’s big league staff, which ranks last in the majors in fastball usage. Then Tar Heels shortstop went seven picks later as the No. 22 overall pick to the Blue Jays.

Lexington, N.C., prep outfielder , drafted sixth overall by the Athletics, joined Bukauskas, Warmoth and Gore to give the state of North Carolina four first-round picks, tying a state record. Tar Heels outfielder Brian Miller just missed joining them, being picked by the Marlins with the 36th overall selection.

Vanderbilt joined the ACC schools in have two first-round picks in Wright and outfielder Jeren Kendall, who wound up going at No. 23 overall to the Dodgers.

• The most controversial pick of the first round was Houston lefthander , whom the Nationals selected with the 25th overall pick. Romero ranked No. 27 on the BA 500 and likely would have ranked higher had he not been kicked off Houston’s team for repeated violations of team rules. Those were detailed in the Houston Chronicle as including failing three drug tests, breaking curfew and being photographed holding a bong while in full uniform in late March.

Nevertheless, the Nationals popped Romero in the first round on a night when manager said the team’s big league bullpen needed help “bad.” Romero threw 48.2 innings for Houston in the spring and has strong present stuff, with a 93-96 mph fastball and a swing-and-miss slider that could be effective in the Nationals’ bullpen, perhaps this season.

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• The surprise in the other direction was the Yankees’ selection of South Carolina righthander Clarke Schmidt, noted for his excellent makeup but also having had an elbow injury in May that required Tommy John surgery. The Yankees then paired Schmidt with second-round prep righthander Matt Sauer with the 54th overall pick. It’s expected Schmidt’s bonus will be below the pick value at No. 16 ($3,458,600) while Sauer’s will be significantly above the value at pick 54 ($1,236,000).

Royce Lewis Marks Derek Falvey’s First Big Move With Twins Associated Press | June 13, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The takeover of the Minnesota Twins by new chief baseball officer Derek Falvey has been a slow churn over the past six months.

With Falvey in the captain’s chair for the first time during the first-year player draft, the first bold move was finally made.

Royce Lewis, a high school shortstop, with the first overall pick became the first franchise-caliber player acquired by the organization since Falvey and general manager Thad Levine assumed control of the baseball operations last fall. This Southern California kid with the fast feet, soft glove and budding bat , fair or not, will be forever linked with the Falvey-Levine era in Twins history.

“I feel like I haven’t grown into my man strength yet. I just turned 18 last week,” Lewis said. “Being young like this, it’s pretty amazing knowing I feel like I still have a lot of potential I haven’t even tapped into yet.”

Falvey, the 34-year-old prodigy tasked with turning around a team that bottomed out with 103 losses last season, could’ve said the same about his career if he were cockier about it.

Bearing a confident smile as he met with the media on Monday night soon after the Twins defied analyst predictions and took Lewis instead of Hunter Greene, Brendan McKay or Kyle Wright , Falvey touted his strategy of maximizing a draft class over selling out for the top pick under the relatively new signing bonus rules.

If the Twins were to pick a college pitcher like McKay or Wright, they might’ve paid more than the $7.77 million recommended value for the draft slot and had less from their overall pool to sign players in lower rounds. Lewis won’t cost quite as much, giving the Twins more leverage for the rest of their negotiations.

Another priority for Falvey and his lieutenants and scouts was the intangible value of leadership, for which Lewis received rave reviews.

“It’s an obvious trait he has. Not very many guys have that,” vice president for player personnel Mike Radcliff said. “So when you add that on top of his skill set, it just makes him a very attractive package.”

For Lewis, who has signed with UC Irvine, celebration of the moment meant cake and bowling with his family. No matter how his professional career turns out, he at least sounded like a player who won’t wilt in the spotlight.

“I have no pressure. I just love the game of baseball,” he said.

It marked the third time in the last four years the Twins used their first-round selection on a high school player, a route they’ve frequently taken. Joe Mauer, Denard Span, Ben Revere and Aaron Hicks were all preps-to-pros first-rounders who produced varying degrees of major league success.

The Twins used their competitive balance pick in the sandwich round to take Mississippi State outfielder Brent Rooker, who led the SEC this season in batting average, home runs and RBIs. Then in the second round they reached across the border to select right-handed pitcher Landon Leach, a 17-year-old native of Ontario who has signed with Texas.

As the second day of the draft unfolded on Tuesday, the Twins took right-handed pitcher Blayne Enlow, a native of Louisiana, in the third round with the 76th overall selection. The LSU signee was ranked by Baseball America as the 33rd-best prospect available this year. Enlow, thus, was an example of the type of player the Twins can potentially use saved pool money toward signing when other clubs might have shied away from drafting him with the idea he’d pick college instead.

“This is about getting as many players as we can in the Twins organization to help get us back to where we want to be as a team,” Falvey said.

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Multinational concert giant bringing Calif.-inspired venue to Minneapolis Jay Boller | City Pages | June 14, 2017

More details emerged Tuesday: A proposed development from United Properties includes a 2,000 capacity venue operated by multinational concert giant Live Nation and themed after San Francisco's historic Fillmore theater, the Star Tribune reports. Estimated to cost around $45 million, the North Loop complex would also include a 155-room Element by Westin hotel and a full-service restaurant called BG’s.

The Fillmore Minneapolis would host around 150 events per year, Rick McKelvey, the VP of commercial development for Bloomington-based United Properties, tells the Strib. In terms of capacity, the venue would fall somewhere between two other downtown spaces: First Avenue (1,500) and the Skyway Theatre (2,500). United Properties hopes to open up shop by mid-2019.

Will Fillmore Minneapolis suck? Unclear! AEG, another worldwide entertainment player, struggled with Mill City Nights, which shuttered last year after four years in the Warehouse District. Live Nation operates Fillmores around the country, including in Detroit, Charlotte, and Denver.

United Properties is part of the Pohlad Companies portfolio of businesses. Ditto for the Minnesota Twins and radio/online content venture Go Media, both of which are headquartered within blocks of the proposed multi-use development.

Elsewhere, United Properties is hooking up with First Avenue Productions to build a 10,000-ish capacity riverside amphitheater in north Minneapolis.

Music venue near Target Field would be Fillmore-inspired Katharine Grayson | Sports Business Journal | June 14, 2017

Live Nation Entertainment Inc. wants to open a music venue inspired by The Fillmore theater in San Francisco near Target Field.

Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Live Nation is United Properties’ partner on a development it plans for a parcel near Target Field Station's second platform, the Star Tribune reports.

Bloomington-based United Properties said early this year it was planning a music venue at the site, but declined to disclose its partner.

The Minneapolis theater would have room for 2,000 people, making it larger than First Avenue, but smaller than St. Paul's Roy Wilkins Auditorium, which seats 5,000. Live Nation has opened other Fillmore-themed venues in cities such as Denver.

In addition to the music venue, the United Properties development will feature a nine-story, 155-room Element by Westin hotel.

United Properties didn’t update its previous cost estimate of $45 million for the project at a recent Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority meeting.

In addition to the Target Field project, United Properties is partnering with First Avenue Productions on an 8,000- to 10,000-seat North Minneapolis riverfront amphitheater.

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