Twins to sign first-round pick Hicks
Posted on June 12th, 2008 – 6:12 PMBy La Velle
The Twins on Friday are expected to announce the signing of first-round draft pick Aaron Hicks, an outfielder from Wilson High in Long Beach, Calif., who was selected with the 14th overall pick during last week’s first-year player draft.
Indications are that Hicks’ signing bonus will be in the neighborhood of the $1.7 million that last year’s 14th selection, outfielder Jason Heyward, received from the Atlanta Braves.
Hicks, a switch-hitting center fielder, will sign his deal at the site of Major League Baseball’s Urban Youth Academy, located in Compton, Calif. He’ll then begin his pro career at one of the Twins’ short-season leagues. Most high school picks go to the Gulf Coast League while most college picks start at Elizabethton, Tenn. but there’s a chance Hicks will be assigned to E-Town.
Check Joe’s notes that will post tonight for more signings.
And - I’ve been ordered to add this - if you are attending any of the Twins-Brewers games this weekend, send us your pictures here. And keep them clean!!!
50 Responses to "Twins to sign first-round pick Hicks"
now that’s a scoop 
Hey La Velle, I can’t confirm this, but I got an e-mail saying that we’ve also signed Danny Ortiz, Dan Osterbrock, David Coulon, Brett Curry, and Javier Brown after signing 6 the other day.
Also heard that Martin will sign after LSU’s season is over. And that Wong has been offered $50,000 from the Twins but is unsure if he will accept it.
Josh
Tyler Ladendorf
Danny Ortiz
Dan Osterbrock
Evan Bigley
Michael Harrington
Steven Blevins
Alex Curry
Javier Brown
all were signed today
Yes, the Twins announced those signings today. Joe C.’s notebook is going to be packed tomorrow.
Keep those signings coming!
Thanks!
Tolleson came out of the game after going 1-1 with a double and a walk. Anyone hear if it’s an injury? Promotion to Rochester?
thrylos98,
“Tyler Ladendorf
Danny Ortiz
Dan Osterbrock
Evan Bigley
Michael Harrington
Steven Blevins
Alex Curry
Javier Brown
all were signed today”
and David Coulon
i wondered the same thing in Joe’s thread
The announcers are saying that they believed he was injured while attempting to steal 2nd base. No word on what that injury may be.
and Mandelero is whining about the Red Wings being short of players(there’s a shock)
methinks that the Red Wings will battling the Iron Pigs for last place this year…
“and Mandelero is whining about the Red Wings being short of players(there’s a shock)”
And to make matters worse, Jose Morales was put on the DL today. Jeff Christy has been promoted from New Britain and Alejandro Machado will be activated tomorrow. Hooray!
where will Machado play? AAA?
I think i could hit livan
What a waste of 5 million bucks
Sign me for 1 million and i could come in and throw batting practice
batting pratice for mlb and slow pitch softball
I’m venting, it’s my new coors light commercial
La Velle, any chance the Twins get in on some of the Latin youth? They can be signed in the coming weeks, right?
Prediction: Liriano replaces Hernandez in the rotation after the All Star break.
btw,
We are scheduled to coach Hicks in a HS interleague all-star game Saturday night at the Urban Academy.
I am guessing that if he is signing on Friday, THAT AINT GONNA HAPPEN.
But, with $1.7 million on the line, we kind of expected that he was going to skip our little all-star game, regardless.
La Velle,
What do you think of the idea of sending Bass out on assignment, bringing up Danny Graves so we can audition him to the Yankees possibly for Hillgosss (A-ball 3rd baseman) and Wordekemper (AA Closer)?
After tonight do you think it might be in the Twins best interest to put Livan on the DL so he doesn’t hurt his trade chances further? We can put him on the DL, and bring him back for a couple of starts before the deadline, if he pitches good, maybe we can get something for him?
One other undrafted player the Twins should go hard for is the 18-year old Cuban defector Dayan Viciedo. We’ve cut the payroll significantly so without going crazy we should make a run at this kid. Word is that the kid can flat out hit and that while he’s a 3B he could also play SS or OF. The Twins need a young infield prospect like this badly. The teams I’m reading about who are showing an interest in him don’t include the Twins and that’s disappointing. Tony Oliva would make a great mentor.
Are the Twins really worried about losing Bass and Bonser if we try to send them down. My God who would take them, I just dont get it. They are who they are we would be losing nothing. BC do you honestly think Danny Graves has any trade value. Be for real with your trade ideas.
BC, maybe we could audition Howie Clark for the Red Sox and get Papelbon.
You can’t get rid of Rincon, Livan, Reyes, Boof and Bass in the same week and replace them with the crap we have at AAA.
Its costly and stupid.
You pay for them anyway, you promote the “crap” too fast and screw up THEIR learning curve and you fail big time this year.
Get a grip!!!
Dayan Viciedo is an interesting story. The problem is that the last few young infielders who singed free agent contracts from Cuba never made it into the majors and those contacts had a $2mil or so signing bonus attached (more that the Twins’ 1st draft pick signed for this year)
Alexei Ramirez looks pretty good.
The best post in a while was the one about hiring a Latin bench coach.Livan has been a positive influence for Gomez and Cassila!
“Livan has been a positive influence for Gomez and Cassila!”
How do we know that? What has he done?
Chad Swanson.
Could you be more of an ass please? comparing Danny Graves who was a major league talent for a long time so as a name he could get attention if he pitches well.
And comparing Wordekemper who you have never heard of, and Eric Hillgoss who is an A-Ball C- level prospect compared to Pappelbon is just disgusting and insulting.
So get a freaking grip Swanson!
the twins will always stink as long as the poorlads butt in and don’t let baseball people make baseball decisions.
always though baseball was considered a sport not a business
thought
BC
Chad is right. Your trade proposal is ridiculous. Graves has no trade value, he might get you a low A player that would do nothing but fill out the minor league system.
On the Cuban player Dayan Viciedo - he played 3rd Base in Cuba but is not capable of playing SS or OF, OR 3rd base in MLB. Read up a little on him, kid can flat out hit, but he’s even a bigger body than Miguel Cabrera, and by bigger I mean fatter. If you read any scouting reports on him or articles about him they say he doesn’t translate to anything but a 1B-men or DH in the MLB.
with that said, we still need some guys who can hit, so why not try to go after him?
Quote from one article I’ve read -
“Viciedo, born in March 1989, is listed at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, but reports are that he was bigger than that last year at the World Junior Championship in Mexico. Viciedo has excellent power and hitting ability, however, with one scout comparing him to Giants prospect Angel Villalona. He slugged over .500 two of the last three seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, its top-level league, hitting 14 homers in 2005-2006—as a 16-year-old—in his best season.
“His body could go the same route as Livan Hernandez, and when I saw him in Mexico, he wasn’t very good at third base anymore,” one international scouting director said. “But he can really hit; in fact, I think he’s probably a better hitter than Villalona.”
“always thought baseball was considered a sport not a business”
When YOU play it, its a sport, because NOBODY will pay to see you play.
When the Twins play it, its a bad business, because not enough people will pay to see them play.
When the rich teams play it, its a successful business.
“he’s probably a better hitter than Villalona”
That really does not say much. Villanova’s current line in A ball
.234/.293/.406 7HR 12BB 53K
for comparison:
Revere in A ball:
.406/.455/.549 1HR 14BB 14K
Parmelle in A Ball:
.237/.388/.500 12HR 44BB 75K
stat tidbit - Remember Fernando Martinez? the power hitting uber prospect the Mets didn’t want to give up in the Santana deal? Its looking like we got the better of the 2 prospects in Gomez…
his line at AA Binghamton this year:
.280/.314/.408, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 7 BB, 39 Ks (in 37 games)
BC, I was trying I was trying to be stupid with my proposed trade to show you how stupid yours looked. Graves is a washed up vet trying to hang on with absolutely no trade value whatsoever. Sorry I ruffled your thin skin.
Re: Aaron Hicks
This Hicks kid is amazing. ‘Finishing high school, getting ready to sign with the Twins today yet still finds time to commute to-and-from the U.S. Open and lead the thing after the first round. What a stud!
I need to proof read before I hit submit.
By the way BC, I have heard of them because you mentioned them in the Johan trade talks. You must love the Yankees farm system.
You gotta love Shooter Hunt’s father.
Would you nickname YOUR son after a famous alcoholic?
Run the picket fence and don’t get caught watchin the paint dry.
chad,
“Run the picket fence and don’t get caught watchin the paint dry”
I wonder if Phil Jackson ever said that.
BS and the FO promised to use the money they saved in the Johan.Silva,Hunter transactions to sign draftees.So far they have honored their promise.
LOL Sane, Big chief triangle and the picket fence should be a match made in heaven.
Geno beat me to it, the Twins have done what they said and have stepped up signing draftees.
BC, I have no problems with your Graves proposal. Low risk and probably low reward, but Zach Ward (an example of trade for a low level prospect)looks to have a future.
TNG- Interesting numbers on Martinez, but they don’t scare me away from him yet.
