After drafting Royce Lewis with the No. 1 overall pick, the Twins added two more as Day 1 of the MLB Draft came to an end on Monday.
Brent Rooker
With the No. 35 pick, Minnesota selected Brent Rooker, a first baseman out of Mississippi State who has tremendous power. Rooker just wrapped up his junior year hitting .392 while leading all of NCAA Division 1 in doubles (29), slugging percentage (.858.) and OPS (1.371.).
He was actually drafted by Minnesota in last year’s draft in the 38th round but elected to return to school and clearly the results paid off.
Landon Leach
Two picks later, the Twins selected right-hander Landon Leach, a high school pitcher out of Canada. Leach is a big body at 6′ 4″ and 225 pounds and has a fastball in the mid-90’s.
Twins Scouting Director Sean Johnson told GoMN.com after the draft that the team will be patient with Leach, as he’s only been pitching for two years.
But Johnson believes Rooker could start with Cedar Rapids – the team’s lower A affiliate.
HAIL. STATE.
The @Twins just drafted the best hitter in the country: @HailStateBB's Brent Rooker. pic.twitter.com/r8gJ7y8zOK
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) June 13, 2017
First Canadian selected in the '17 #MLBDraft is #JNT RHP @l_leach! He goes to the #Twins, 37th overall! Congrats Landon! pic.twitter.com/ap0vkUXoDN
— Baseball Canada 🇨🇦⚾️ (@baseballcanada) June 13, 2017
