Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
September 10, 2003
Twins Think Small?

Barry Rozner of the Daily Herald chides the Twins for not going for Mark Prior in the draft:


It was well known in baseball circles prior to the 2001 draft that the Twins couldn't afford Prior's $10 million asking price, so they never entered negotiations with the USC star and instead took catcher Joe Mauer with the No. 1 pick, handing the Cubs the gift of a lifetime at No. 2.

It's the kind of unpleasantness that leaves a GM tossing and turning at night, pondering the nightmare of a small-market budget.

Still, Ryan is too loyal to his owner and too practical a man to worry about things he can't change, so he insists now that he got the man he wanted in that draft.

"We got a terrific, left-handed hitting catcher, and they're extremely valuable and hard to find,'' Ryan said of the 20-year-old Mauer, who had a big year in Double-A. "Five years from now I think we'll better be able to discuss whether it was a good choice for us.''


I'm on Ryan's side here. I saw Mauer play last week, and loved his approach to hitting. He's eaten up every level of the minor leagues in which he's played. I'm surprised that given the talent the Twins have developed in the minor league system that Pulido was the best they could find, but to think that the Twins made a mistake taking Mauer over Prior is ridiculous.


Posted by David Pinto at 08:06 AM | Management | TrackBack (0)