Strong pitching arms were a primary need entering the 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, and the Twins weren't afraid to shell out selections on them, using 24 of their 40 picks on pitchers. The catcher and outfielder spots were popular, too, as Minnesota snagged four backstops and seven outfielders. A complete look at this year's draft haul:
Round 1, pick 4 — RHP Kohl Stewart (6-3, 210), St. Pius X (Texas) H.S.: No surprises with the Twins’ top overall pick, even though he represents a gamble. The four-pitch dazzler with a 0.18 high school ERA signed a letter of intent to play quarterback at Texas A&M. He has until July 12 to decide between professional baseball or major college football, though the Twins are convinced Stewart’s already made that choice.
Round 2, pick 43 — RHP Ryan Eades (6-3, 200), LSU: The hard-throwing right-hander’s 2010 decision to play college baseball rather than sign with the Rockies, who drafted him in the 19th round, paid off for both Eades and traditional college power LSU. Entering this weekend’s super regional against Oklahoma, Eades is 8-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 16 starts.
Round 3, pick 78 — C Stuart Turner (6-2, 220), Ole Miss: Catchers are always in demand, and Minnesota didn’t waste any time shoring up its depth behind the plate. Undrafted out of junior college Louisiana State-Eunice, Turner led the Bengals to the 2012 NJCAA Division II national championship. This spring, he led the Rebels with a .374 batting averaging, .518 slugging percentage and is one of three finalists for the Johnny Bench award given to the best catcher in college baseball.
Round 4, pick 110 — LHP Stephen Gonsalves (6-5, 190), Cathedral Catholic (Calif.) H.S.: Sizeable and strong, Gonsalves is considered one of the best high school left-handers in the draft. His fastball usually sits in the 88-91 mph range, and he also features a slurve in his arsenal. He never lost a game in his prep career and had 79 strikeouts in 66 innings his senior year.
Round 5, pick 140 — RHP Aaron Slegers (6-10, 250), Indiana: Built like a power forward, Slegers emerged as Indiana’s ace this spring on the way to a Big Ten championship and this weekend’s super regional round of the NCAA tournament. In 16 starts, the fastball-changeup specialist went 9-1 with a 1.94 ERA and led his team with 53 strikeouts to only 13 walks. Injuries could be a minor concern, as Slegers is a draft-eligible sophomore after a medical redshirt year in 2011.
Round 6, pick 170 — C Brian Navaretto (6-2, 200), Arlington Country Day School (Fla.): Scouts list Navarreto as a strong all-around catcher who's as adept crouched behind the plate as he is standing next to it with a bat in his hand. He also apparently has quite a motor, as evidenced by a bench-clearing brawl he helped instigate in a high school game in Florida this past March.
Round 7, pick 200 — RHP Brian Gilbert (6-1, 215), Seton Hall: Gilbert becomes the Twins' fifth pitcher taken in their first seven selections after spending most of his junior year as Seton Hall's closer. A third-team all-Big East honoree, he finished out 25 games and recorded six saves. He posted a career collegiate ERA of 3.66.
Round 8, pick 230 — 3B Dustin DeMuth (6-2, 190), Indiana: Minnesota's scouting department apparently liked what it saw at Target Field during last month's Big Ten tournament. DeMuth's the second Twins selection out of conference champion Indiana, and he emerged as one of college baseball’s most effective hitters this spring. Through the regular season, conference tourney and last weekend's Bloomington (Ind.) Regional, the junior's batting .396, slugging .569 and leads the Hoosiers with 89 hits. He's played every infield position except for first base in his college career but settled in at third this past season.
Round 9, pick 260 — C Mitchell Garver (6-1, 200), New Mexico: Big-league promise begins to collide with skepticism at this point in the draft, and Garver’s a prime example. Even after earning all-American honors as a junior, he went undrafted and returned to New Mexico for his senior season. There, he batted .390 with 68 RBI in 59 games. But scouts still note his hitting numbers may be inflated by the higher altitude in Albuquerque.
Round 10, pick 290 — RHP Charles Irby (6-1, 200), Samford: Irby spent his final year at Samford as a starter but projects as a bullpen guy; his fastball consistently hit 90 this past spring but is even tougher to catch up with when he comes on in relief. He made that evident during his sophomore season as a two-way player, batting regularly in the designated hitter spot and coming on to close.
Round 11, pick 320 — SS Nelson Molina (6-3, 175), Antonio Luchetti (Puerto Rico) H.S.: Molina's a long, athletic talent that bats left-handed but throws with his right. Baseball America ranks the 18-year-old the fifth-best prospect out of Puerto Rico.
Round 12, pick 350 — RHP Ethan Mildren (6-4, 215), Pittsburgh: Mildren becomes the first Pittsburgh player ever drafted by the Twins after a junior season where he amassed a 2.35 ERA in 114 2/3 innings pitched. His 20-13 career record (3.16 ERA) renders him the fourth all-time winningest pitcher in Panthers history.
Round 13, pick 380 — RHP Brandon Peterson (6-1, 190), Wichita State: Peterson served as the Shockers' closer this past season after two years at Des Moines (Iowa) Area Community College. He's got a fastball that can touch 95 mph, and scouts maintain a bit of added strength gives him a real shot at impacting a Major League bullpen.
Round 14, pick 410 — CF Zack Granite (6-0, 175), Seton Hall: Granite's an average hitter with great speed and judgment on the base paths. He ranked eighth nationally in stolen bases with 35, on 42 attempts, while batting .304. He's the second Pirate to be taken by the Twins and, if both sign, will join pitcher Brian Gilbert in the organization.
Round 15, pick 440 — LHP Derrick Penilla (6-2, 180), Mount San Antonio College: A sophomore drafted out of the junior college ranks, Penilla's the second left-handed hurler to go to Minnesota via the draft. He led Mount San Antonio this past season with 90.1 innings pitched and tallied a 2.39 ERA.
Round 16, pick 470 — LHP Brandon Bixler (5-11, 170), Florida Gulf Coast University: The Florida native didn't post the best numbers as a junior — 4.14 ERA in 11 starts — but set a school single-season record for opponent batting average (.166) as a sophomore, a year before he was draft eligible. Bixler's the fourth FGCU prospect taken in this year's draft.
Round 17, pick 500 — RHP Tanner Mendonca (6-4, 215), Sacramento State: Pitching in California against some of college baseball's best talent, Mendonca posted a 2-6 record in 13 starts and a 4.75 ERA this spring. Arm strength runs in his family, as he's the son of former Utah quarterback Chris Mendonca.
Round 18, pick 530 — SS Ryan Walker (6-0, 165), University of Texas-Arlington: Walker batted .304 and was fairly sharp between second and third base for UT-Arlington, though he committed 14 errors. His hitting average is down from his sophomore season, when he batted .360.
Round 19, pick 560 — RHP Jared Wilson (6-4, 210), University of California-Santa Barbara: The Twins liked Wilson's stuff enough to draft him for the second straight year; they called his name in the 35th round of last year's draft, but he opted to return for his redshirt senior season. A reliever his entire time in Santa Barbara, Wilson spent three years at Cypress (Calif.) College before going Division I.
Round 20, pick 590 — CF Jason Kanzler (6-0, 190), University of Buffalo: Another center fielder who moves well in the field and between the bases. He stole 21 on 25 attempts and posted a .405 on-base percentage as a redshirt senior at Buffalo.
Round 21, pick 620 — RHP Tyler Stirewalt (6-3, 210), Fresno State: Stirewalt lists his favorite athlete as John Elway, and he faced a similar choice between football and baseball, though earlier in his career. And Stirewalt went the other way, tallying a 7.62 ERA in two years on the mound after playing quarterback for the Bulldogs his first two years of college.
Round 22, pick 650 — C Alex Swim (6-0, 185), Elon: Swim moves up 14 rounds from last year's draft, when he was taken in the 36th by the St. Louis Cardinals. As a senior, he eclipsed Elon's school record for career hits on the way to a Southern Conference championship while helping take care of his wheelchair-bound mother, who has multiple sclerosis.
Round 23, pick 680 — RHP Zach Hayden (6-1, 220), University of South Carolina-Aiken: There's some good small-college baseball in the Southeast, and Hayden's a product of it. A transfer from Middle Georgia College, he held opponents to a .235 batting average in 21 innings pitched. USC-Aiken is a member of the NCAA Division II Peach Belt Conference.
Round 24, pick 710 — 1B Brandon Easton (6-4, 200), Lakeland Community College (Ohio): The immediately draft-eligible junior-college freshman pitched in 10 games but is listed as a first baseman for the Twins. He's the first player at that position they've taken.
Round 25, pick 740 — OF Chad Christensen (6-3, 190), Nebraska: Christensen's another redraft guy, taken by the Miami Marlins in the 35th round a year ago. Between his junior and senior seasons, he moved from shortstop to right field and became one of college baseball's best defensive outfielders with 116 putouts. The senior also led the Big Ten runner-up Cornhuskers with a .364 batting average.
Round 26, pick 770 — RHP Ryan Halstead (6-4, 215), Indiana: Halstead is the third player from Big Ten champion Indiana the Twins have taken in this year's draft. Long but thick, he had a 2.06 ERA entering this weekend's super regional against Florida State, and opponents were batting just .173 against him.
Round 27, pick 800 — RHP Taylor Blatch (5-11, 165), Jensen Beach (Fla.) H.S.: Even with a wiry frame, Blatch throws a mean fastball. His biggest necessary area of improvement is location, scouts say. He's a Florida State recruit.
Round 28, pick 830 — LHP Chris Erwin (6-0, 167), Grayson (Ga.) H.S.: The Kennesaw State recruit's fastball sits in the high 80s, according to Perfect Game USA, and he'll need some polishing if he's to make a big-league impact down the road. He went to high school with the nation's No. 1 football recruit, Ole Miss defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche.
Round 29, pick 870 — RHP Logan Shore (6-2, 200), Coon Rapids (Minn.) H.S.: The first Minnesota native taken by an organization that loves developing home-grown talent, Shore's got three solid pitches including a 93-mph fastball and super-clean mechanics. He was named the USA Today/Gatorade Minnesota Baseball Player of the Year and helped Coon Rapids land the No. 1 seed in next week's Class AAA state tournament. Having been picked so low, there’s a good chance he attends Florida for three years rather that sign with his home state team.
Round 30, pick 890 — 2B Tanner Vavra (5-11, 190), Valparaiso: It's been quite a ride for the son of Twins third-base coach Joe Vavra. When he was 3, a fishing accident caused severe damage in his right eye, and he lost sight in it completely after being poked in a 2000 backyard football game. Despite his half-blindness, Tanner Vavra batted .330 this past season and helped Valparaiso to its first NCAA tournament victory since 1966.
Round 31, pick 920 — RHP A.J. Bogucki (6-3, 187), Boyertown Senior H.S. (Pa.): The Gilbertsville, Pa., native was named a 2013 Rawlings second-team all-American and can already throw in the low 90s. He's widely considered NCAA powerhouse North Carolina's top commit and will likely sign with the Tar Heels.
Round 32, pick 950 — SS Carlos Avila (5-11, 172), California State Dominguez Hills: The senior from NCAA Division II Cal State Dominguez Hills transferred in from Los Angeles Harbor College and had an immediate impact, batting .324 as a junior. That fell off to .287 this past season.
Round 33, pick 980 — OF Steven Sensley (6-1, 205), University H.S. (Calif.): The Twins had to dig deep in the draft to find a potential left-handed power hitter, but Sensley could fit the bill someday. That's if he decides to sign with the Twins; he's committed to LSU-Eunice, the same junior college powerhouse that produced Minnesota's third-round pick, Stuart Turner.
Round 34, pick 1,010 — CF Ivory Thomas (5-9, 180), California State Dominguez Hills: Ivory was picked at the point in the draft where many players don't wind up signing, but if he wants to play pro ball, the senior won't have a choice. A three-year starter at Division I stalwart Cal State Fullerton, he transferred last summer and led the Toros with a .383 batting average and .511 slugging percentage. The Houston Astros drafted him in the 42nd round out of high school in 2009.
Round 35, pick 1,040 — LHP Nick Lemoncelli (6-4, 210), Lower Columbia College (Wash.): The sophomore wrapped up his third year of junior college ball this spring. After redshirting at Tacoma Community College, he transferred to Lower Columbia. The school has produced six current major leaguers, including San Diego Padres manager Bud Black.
Round 36, pick 1,070 — RHP Joseph Greenfield (6-4, 220), Eastern Illinois: Opting to sign with Eastern Illinois rather than the Boston Red Sox last year hasn't proved beneficial so far for Greenfield, as he dropped 14 rounds and 379 spots from his 2012 selection out of South Suburban Community College. At Eastern Illinois, he had a 3.66 ERA as the team's ace, pitching 93 1/3 innings and striking out 63 batters. The junior could choose to return to college for a final year but would lose virtually all signing leverage if he did.
Round 37, pick 1,100 — OF Julien Service (6-3, 190), Northeast Texas Community College: It's unlikely the Ontario, Canada native will sign after falling 16 rounds from last year's draft. The Baltimore Orioles took him in the 21st round then.
Round 38, pick 1,130 — RHP Javier Salas (6-4, 225), Miami (Fla.): If he signs rather than going back to Miami for his senior year (a slim possibility), the Coral Gables native will venture outside his hometown for the first time in his baseball career. He went 5-5 this spring with a 3.18 ERA.
Round 39, pick 1,160 — RHP Seth Wagner (6-8, 220), Mifflin County (Pa.) H.S.: Wagner's one of the tallest pitchers in the draft and is committed to Penn State. Perfect Game USA lists his fastball at 86 mph.
Round 40, pick 1,190 — CF Kelly Starnes (6-1, 190), Los Medanos College (Calif.): The Twins went with another California junior college pick with their final selection in the draft. Coming into the 2013 draft, Los Medanos had produced 19 MLB selections.
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