The last time the Minnesota Twins had the No. 1 pick in Major League Baseball’s draft, they were trying to decide between a can’t-miss pitching prospect and a hometown hero they hoped would one day help them dig out of a decade of futility.
It was an excruciating decision between USC ace Mark Prior and St. Paul prep catcher Joe Mauer, one that had team executives flip-flopping until the moment the clock started on that June afternoon.
Sixteen years later, the Twins have the first overall pick again. If they connect Monday night, as they did in 2001, another renaissance could be around the corner.
“It’s a rare opportunity that you get this chance and you want to get it right as best you can,” manager Paul Molitor said.
It’s the first major decision for new chief baseball officer Derek Falvey, the fresh-faced, 34-year-old who was brought in from Cleveland this winter to energize a Twins front office that was well-respected, but has endured a six-year playoff drought that bottomed out with last season’s 103 losses.
Falvey and GM Thad Levine have said they do not believe this year’s class has a Bryce Harper-type prospect, the kind of surefire star that can become the face of the franchise. Options for them included California high school standout Hunter Greene, Vanderbilt right-hander Kyle Wright and Louisville first baseman and left-hander Brendan McKay.