Hunter Greene is good enough to have been featured on the cover of SI a few weeks ago, but he may not be good enough to convince the Minnesota Twins to select him with the No. 1 overall pick in next month’s MLB draft.
Fan Rag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that the Twins are expected to pass on Greene with the top pick in the draft. Instead, he says Minnesota is deciding between Louisville two-way phenom Brendan McKay, Vandy pitcher Kyle Wright, and California high school shortstop Royce Lewis. Some believe Wright could be the most likely pick by the Twins.
If Minnesota goes with Wright, the Cincinnati Reds, picking second, could decide between McKay and Greene. The Padres, picking third, are said to be big fans of Greene.
No right-handed high school pitcher has ever been picked No. 1 overall in the MLB draft, as they’re typically viewed as somewhat risky. Josh Beckett, who went No. 2 overall to the Marlins in 1999, was about the closest to going first overall, but the Rays took Josh Hamilton instead. Beckett certainly would have been worth the top pick as he made three All-Star Games and won two World Series, being named W.S. MVP in one of them.
There has been some debate about Greene’s future as a pro, considering he pitches and plays shortstop when not pitching. He has been clocked at over 100 mph as a pitcher and has so much power he’s won home run derby contests at prospect showcases. The consensus is that his future is as a pitcher.
McKay presents another interesting case, as he’s been almost equally effective as a left-handed pitcher and slugger for Louisville. We recently covered McKay after his four-homer game. McKay is batting .360/.481/.694 with 12 doubles and 16 home runs this season. He’s also 9-3 with a 2.37 ERA as a pitcher, including 124 strikeouts in 91 innings. Not only would you have to decide whether McKay is worth a pick over Greene or Wright potentially, but you’d have to decide whether you want him to be a pitcher or position player.
The first few picks won’t be easy to make in the upcoming draft, but there sure are some talented players available.
