Best draft picks in Minnesota Twins history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Minnesota Twins history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Steve Braun
- Draft: 200th overall pick in 1966
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,425
- Career stats: 52 home runs, .271 batting average, .738 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 17.4

#24. Jeff Burroughs
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 1969
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,689
- Career stats: 240 home runs, .261 batting average, .795 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 17.7

#22. Michael Cuddyer (tie)
- Draft: 9th overall pick in 1997
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,536
- Career stats: 197 home runs, .277 batting average, .805 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 17.8

#22. LaTroy Hawkins (tie)
- Draft: 180th overall pick in 1991
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 1,042
- Career stats: 75 wins, 4.31 earned run average, 1.41 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.8

#21. Byron Buxton
- Draft: 2nd overall pick in 2012
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 713
- Career stats: 118 home runs, .238 batting average, .761 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.5

#20. Denny Neagle
- Draft: 85th overall pick in 1989
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 392
- Career stats: 124 wins, 4.24 earned run average, 1.31 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 22.4

#19. Dave Goltz
- Draft: 97th overall pick in 1967
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 353
- Career stats: 113 wins, 3.69 earned run average, 1.35 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 23.1

#18. Joe Coleman
- Draft: 3rd overall pick in 1965
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 484
- Career stats: 142 wins, 3.7 earned run average, 1.33 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 23.2

#17. Brian Dozier
- Draft: 252nd overall pick in 2009
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,144
- Career stats: 192 home runs, .244 batting average, .767 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 23.7

#16. A.J. Pierzynski
- Draft: 71st overall pick in 1994
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 2,059
- Career stats: 188 home runs, .280 batting average, .739 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 23.8

#15. Corey Koskie
- Draft: 715th overall pick in 1994
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 989
- Career stats: 124 home runs, .275 batting average, .826 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 24.6

#14. Scott Erickson
- Draft: 112th overall pick in 1989
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 389
- Career stats: 142 wins, 4.59 earned run average, 1.46 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 24.8

#13. Rick Dempsey
- Draft: 297th overall pick in 1967
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,765
- Career stats: 96 home runs, .233 batting average, .666 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 25.1

#12. Butch Wynegar
- Draft: 38th overall pick in 1974
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,301
- Career stats: 65 home runs, .255 batting average, .696 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 26.5

#11. Justin Morneau
- Draft: 89th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,545
- Career stats: 247 home runs, .281 batting average, .828 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 27.0

#10. Denard Span
- Draft: 20th overall pick in 2002
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,359
- Career stats: 71 home runs, .281 batting average, .745 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 27.9

#9. Jay Bell
- Draft: 8th overall pick in 1984
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,063
- Career stats: 195 home runs, .265 batting average, .759 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 37.1

#8. Kent Hrbek
- Draft: 432nd overall pick in 1978
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,747
- Career stats: 293 home runs, .283 batting average, .848 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 38.6

#7. Chuck Knoblauch
- Draft: 25th overall pick in 1989
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,632
- Career stats: 98 home runs, .289 batting average, .783 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 44.6

#6. Brad Radke
- Draft: 206th overall pick in 1991
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 378
- Career stats: 148 wins, 4.22 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 45.3

#5. Frank Viola
- Draft: 37th overall pick in 1981
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 421
- Career stats: 176 wins, 3.73 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 47.0

#4. Torii Hunter
- Draft: 20th overall pick in 1993
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,372
- Career stats: 353 home runs, .277 batting average, .793 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 50.7

#3. Joe Mauer
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 2001
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,858
- Career stats: 143 home runs, .306 batting average, .827 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 55.2

#2. Graig Nettles
- Draft: 74th overall pick in 1965
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 2,700
- Career stats: 390 home runs, .248 batting average, .750 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 67.9

#1. Bert Blyleven
- Draft: 55th overall pick in 1969
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 692
- Career stats: 287 wins, 3.31 earned run average, 1.20 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 94.5

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.