Twins Take RHP Chase Petty In First Round Of MLB Draft
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Twins spent their top draft pick on a pitching prospect with a powerful fastball Sunday night, taking right-hander Chase Petty.
Petty, an 18-year-old out of Mainland Regional High School in New Jersey, came off the board at pick 26 of the first round.
"I'm more than excited, I love the Twins organization, I have friends in the Twins organization," Petty said. "I'm ready to get started."
Petty was ranked as the 27th best prospect in the draft, according to MLB.com. A scouting report from MLB noted Petty's fastball, which regularly hits the upper 90s and has topped 100 mph before.
"I throw a four-seam, a sinker, a slider and a changeup," Petty said. "Right now, I'm really just working on kind of just perfecting everything, perfecting my craft, getting bigger, getting stronger still."
The Twins spent their next pick, No. 36, on shortstop Noah Miller out of Ozaukee High School in Wisconsin. Miller was MLB's 62nd ranked prospect.
In the second round of the draft on Monday, the Twins took another pitcher with the 61st pick, left-hander Steven Hajjar from the University of Michigan.
The Twins chose another lefty in the third round -- Cade Povich out of the University of Nebraska.
One round later, the team selected third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand from Oklahoma State University.
Another left-handed pitcher joined the team in the fifth round with the selection of Mississippi State University's Christian MacLeod.
The Twins' next three picks were right-handed pitcher Travis Adams, third baseman Jake Rucker and catcher Noah Cardenas.
