In finishing up my early preview of the Twins first 5 picks and their potential draft options, we take a look at who might be available at #72 this summer.
Taylore Cherry- RHP School: Butler HS, Vandalia, Ohio Ht: 6'9" Wt: 260
For those of you who were upset when the Twins traded former giant pitching prospect Loek Van Mil, here is a possible replacement for us to follow. Unlike Van Mil, Cherry has some polish and a pretty easy delivery for someone his size. He throws primarily a 2 seam fastball at 89-92 with heavy sink and has been clocked as high as 94. He also throws a loopy curve and a solid change up in the low 80's. He doesn't stay on top of the curve and with his low arm slot it has been suggested he try throwing a slider and see if that takes. If the change up keeps improving and his command and control continue to improve Cherry could be a solid mid-rotation work horse ala Justin Masterson.
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Video Analysis: He is physically imposing on the mound and does show a smooth delivery that he repeats well. His arm slot is very low, he struggles to stay on top of the ball, and doesn't show great command or control. If the Twins can have him raise the arm slot to a more true 3/4's, hopefully his command would improve and continue to do so as he matures. His curve did look pretty slurvish and he struggled to throw it inside. He did show a few good change ups to left-handers which leads me to belief he can stick as a starter with a huge platoon split in the pro's.
D.J Davis- OF B/T: L/R School: Stone HS, Wiggins, Miss. Ht: 6'0" Wt: 175
Davis' calling card is his speed, as it has been rated by scouts as 80 on the 20-80 scale. As a left-hander who gets out of the box quick, he is a player the Twins love-- much like Ben Revere. But like Revere, he is pretty raw as a baseball player, though he could grow into an above average CF and top of the order threat. He already shows good patience at the plate and looks to use his speed once he gets on base. Baseball America suggests he needs to make some mechanical adjustments at the plate, but he has the athleticism to do so.
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D.J. Baxendale- RHP School: Arkansas Ht: 6'2" Wt: 190
Much like Brady Rogers from ASU, Baxendale is an aggressive strike thrower with good control and command but only mediocre stuff. So, in other words, he is a typical Twins pitcher and draft pick like Kevin Slowey or Alex Wimmers. His fastball is 88-91 with some movement, and he pitches down in the zone with it, complimenting it with a good change up. Both his breaking balls rate as below average, though he did start throwing a cutter in the summer that helped keep hitters from squaring him up as consistently.
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