The 2005 draft almost directly led to the Delmon Young trade. If that isn't the worst summary of a draft, then I don't know what is! The Twins had a very successful 2005 draft, adding a four future Twins pitchers. Would they replicate this level of success in 2006? Well, not really. They had seven players reach Minnesota; all have combined for -0.6 WAR. Yikes. However, that number could climb I suppose. Let's find out why!
1st Round Pick
The Twins selected Chris Parmelee with the 20th overall pick in 2006. Parmelee was a high school outfielder out of Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, California. Parmelee took the long road to the Majors, and seems to be the team's everyday right fielder right now? I question this because he might not be. Parmelee might be an MLB regular, but he also might not be. At least he isn't definitely not an MLB player, right? That sentence makes no sense; I wish I still had my delete key.
Ah, but what if?
The 21st overall pick was Ian Kennedy, who has emerged as a decent right-handed starter in Arizona. Kennedy has declined a bit in the last two seasons, but still may have banked enough value to win a head-to-head battle with Parmelee. If you look at the second round, Trevor Cahill was selected two picks after Joe Benson. Benson was recently waived by the Twins, while Cahill is a steady member of the Arizona rotation. Just think, the Twins could have drafted 2/5th of the Arizona rotation! But hey, the Twins don't really need starters.
Best Player Drafted
This is a tie between Parmelee and 19th-round selection Danny Valencia, each with 0.8 WAR. The tie goes to the later pick, so Valencia wins! This is equally nice because Danny Valencia so rarely wins anything. Valencia came up 2010 and looked great, posting an OPS+ of 119 in just under a half-season. In 2011, he slipped a bit, but did hit 15 home runs. In 2012, he was brutal and then traded to the Red Sox. He has surfaced in Baltimore, and has been playing some DH for them. I'd make a fielding joke, but it's just not nice.
Worst Player to Reach MLB
Jeff Manship was the Twins' 14th-round pick. He threw about 85 innings for the Twins over four seasons. He posted an ERA over six and generally was used in long-relief. As he was never better than Anthony Swarzak, the Twins did not retain his services after the 2012 season. He is currently at Colorado's AAA affiliate and if you are a Manship fan, it's probably best if you don't look at his stats.
The One Who Got Away
The Twins drafted Andy Oliver in the 17th round. He did not sign. The Tigers grabbed him in the second round in 2009. He reached the Majors in 2010. Oliver looked like he would turn into a useful lefty starter. In fact, prior to the 2011 season, Oliver was a top 100 prospect. However, he has encountered major control problems and has not overcome them. While he is still only 25-years-old, he is probably hanging on to his career at this point.
The Twins also drafted J.D. Martinez in the 36th round. He did not sign. He was drafted by the Astros in the 20th round in 2009. He hasn't been impressive to this point, although he is hitting for some power in Houston right now. I don't think he'd be good enough to crack the Twins' outfield though. Neither of these guys are exciting, but both have reached the Majors, so they qualify in this category. I guess.
Best Name
So many choices! Aaron Tennyson in the 22nd round, Gibert Buenrostro in the 20th round, Nick Papasan in the 24th round, Braxton Chisholm in the 29th round... The winner is Brian Dinkelman, of course. He was drafted in the 8th round and became far more popular than he should have, likely due to his silly name.
Fun Facts
- The Twins drafted C Jeff Christy in the 6th round. I looked, it's not the same guy.
- The Twins drafted Aaron Senne out of Rochester Mayo in Rochester, Minnesota. There have been four players drafted from this high school and the Twins have drafted three of them. Michael Restovich and Jeffrey Milene are the other two. This school has produced -0.5 WAR (all Restovich).
- The Twins received a 4th-round compensation pick for losing Jacque Jones to the Cubs. I seriously hope there was a change in the CBA between 2005 and 2006, because the Twins received a second-round pick for Henry Blanco and a third-round pick for Christian Guzman just one year prior. This is a complete slap in Jacque Jones' face. I am appalled.
- Chris Parmelee's WAR increased from 0.8 to 1.0 in the time it took me to write this. I am not even kidding. He must have hit like 30 home runs or something. (checks). Nope. (insert WAR is stupid remark). No it isn't.
- The Twins drafted eight catchers in 2006, each chosen to further slight Joe Mauer.
- The Twins drafted Anthony Slama in the 39nd round and immediately imprisoned him.
All those drafted who made it to the Bigs (so far)
Chris Parmelee, Danny Valencia, Anthony Slama, Brian Dinkelman, Tyler Robertson, J.D. Martinez, Joe Benson, Andy Oliver, and Jeff Manship
One Sentence Summary
Chris Parmelee is the last remaining glimmer of hope from the 2006 draft.
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