I don’t consider myself to be a draft expert and never will be. Like most people, I just head over to Baseball America and pour through its excellent draft coverage.

Its recent mock draft has the Twins taking Texas high school third baseman Will Middlebrooks with the 28th pick of the first round. Here’s BA’ report on Middlebrooks:

Will Middlebrooks, 3b/rhp
School: Liberty-Elyau HS, Texarkana, Texas. Class: Sr.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 215. Birthdate: 9/9/88.Â
Scouting Report: Kevin Ahrens isn’t the only blue-chip third-base recruit Texas A&M could lose to the draft. Where Ahrens gets compared with Chipper Jones, the more athletic Middlebrooks draws Cal Ripken Jr. and Scott Rolen comparisons. Selected to play in a Texas high school football all-star game, Middlebrooks drew college interest as a quarterback and punter. He’s also a 6-foot-4, 215-pound righthander with a low-90s fastball and an occasional plus curveball. But his future is at the hot corner. He’s not quite as polished a hitter as Ahrens, but he’s not far off and his size gives him leverage that will produce power. He’s an athletic third baseman with good range and a strong arm, and he runs well for his size. Middlebrooks is a consensus supplemental first-rounder, but he could sneak into the first round with the right club.

AVG AB R    H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
.581 74 38 43 16  1   5   35 17

The Twins don’t mind drafting high school talent, so they will have plenty of options, by their standards, on the June 7-8 draft. BA writes that this draft is deep. The Twins feel that there’s quality in the first 10-15 picks but a drop-off after that. They actually like the position they’re at, given what the they expect the bonus for that slot to be.

The Twins were really high on Beau Mills, a third baseman who was at Fresno State and later transferred to Lewis and Clark, but his stock has risen to top 10 status.

Here’s another player the Twins are considering, one who entered the year as the top prep player but who has slipped into the Twins’ range:

 Michael Burgess, of
School: Hillsborough HS, Tampa. Class: Sr.
B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 200. Birthdate: 10/20/88.Â
Scouting Report: With huge raw power, inconsistent performance and the legacy of Hillsborough High (the alma mater of Gary Sheffield, Dwight Gooden and Elijah Dukes, among other big leaguers) as a backdrop, Burgess has become one of this draft’s most debated prospects. He was a third-team All-American after batting .512 with 12 home runs as a junior, and the power translated with a wood bat last summer. Although his bat speed, strength and leveraged swing remain, Burgess’ approach and set-up at the plate have puzzled scouts this spring, and he hasn’t made consistent hard contact. He seems to lack focus, perhaps due in part to constant solicitation from hopeful advisers and receiving hitting lessons from former Georgia Tech star Ty Griffin and big leaguer Derek Bell. Late in the season, his timing was better and he showed glimpses of the 40-homer-hittting right fielder he could become. He’s an average defender with a plus arm and below-average speed. Burgess could slip into the supplemental round, but the team that weighs his history over his senior year could pop him in the first round.

AVG AB R   H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
.340 68 33 23 7   1   3   22 11

 

Yes, Hillsborough has turned out the prospects over the years, and Burgess, with the right coaching, could become a nice masher.

The Twins are still trying to beef up their position prospects. They’ve tried so hard to come up with a good third baseman, and have several who really haven’t taken off yet in Matt Moses, David Winfree, Whit Robbins, Danny Valencia and others. I keep hearing good things about Christopher Parmalee and Joe Benson, but they are off to slow starts. Henry Sanchez, the 260-pound high school masher, is just getting ready to play in games after wrist problems (which hopefully explain the lack of contact) have slowed his growth. And I want to see more production from their Latin American program.

But the upcoming draft is always a time to dream about the future. And it only takes one bumper crop to boost a whole organization. Remember, we lock in on the first-rounders, but rounds 5-15 is where scouting can make the difference.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007 at 9:23 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.