Twins select outfielder first

The Minnesota Twins selected outfield Aaron Hicks of Wilson HS, Long Beach, California with their first pick, 14th overall, in the MLB entry daft.

A magnet for scouts since his sophomore season, Hicks is the finest prep outfielder/pitcher prospect in the greater Los Angeles area since Daryl Strawberry in the early 1980s. He most resembles Adam Jones, who was a first-round talent as both an outfielder and pitcher. As an outfielder, Hicks projects as a five-tool player, and his arm grades out to near 80 on the scouting scale. With his plus speed (6.6 seconds over 60 yards), Hicks is a daring and aggressive baserunner. His speed, easy range and arm mean Hicks will begin his career as a center fielder. Prior to the 2008 season, many scouts had reservations about his hitting ability. A switch-hitter, he's shown improvement by lowering his hands. His hitting mechanics and lightning reflexes permit scouts who believe in him to project him as an above-average hitter with above-average power. As a pitcher, Hicks' fastball sits in the 92-94 mph range, and in a mid-May start he was at 94-97. His curveball shows wicked movement and he adds a hard cutter and a change. There is no indication on whether the Twins want Hicks to pitch or hit.

With the 27th pick overall, the Twins took Garlos Gutierrez, a right handed pitcher out of the University of Miami.

A casualty to Tommy John surgery, Gutierrez redshirted at Miami last season. He is back to form this season, and is considered the top closer in the ACC. Pitching for one of the top-ranked college teams in the country, Gutierrez has gotten plenty of chances to show off his low-90s fastball. The pitch has late life with heavy sink and Gutierrez commands it well, down in the zone, causing hitters to swing over the top of it. He throws a slider on occasion but it currently can't be considered average and he does have an arm recoil that follows his delivery both of which raise red flags. However, upon developing and refinement of a second pitch, Gutierrez could be a fast mover as his sinker is a current major league plus pitch. Gutierrez is one of many quality college closers in this year's draft. He was not drafted out of high school as he began playing baseball just before his senior year.

In the Compensation round, the Twins took Right handed pitcher Steven Hunt from Tulane Univeristy, 31st overall. With a strong junior season, Hunt has moved himself into serious first-round contention. While the right-hander doesn't always command his pitches well -- he's walked a few too many this year -- he's got terrific stuff, most notably his fastball and curve, both of which are above average. He hasn't needed a changeup much, but he has the feel for one. There might be one or two right-handers who rank ahead of Hunt heading into the Draft, but he's not too far behind them in the pecking order.

For the second round, 60th overall, the Twins selected Tyler Ladendorf from Howard Collage. A shortstop, Ladendorf was drafted by the Giants in the 34th round last year (the second year in a row he'd been drafted in that round), but he opted to return to Howard for another season. There's little question his Draft stock has risen since then as he's shown the ability to run, hit for power and field his position pretty well for a player his size. He may not be a shortstop long-term, but he's more than athletic enough to handle a switch. Wherever he plays defensively, his size and athleticism should see him get drafted for a third time much earlier than the previous two.

Click HERE for the day one draft list.