2013 - The 2006 Draft Comes of Age

There are five players from the Twins 2006 draft in spring training with the Twins. None of them have really established themselves as major league players yet.

Chris Parmelee, Joe Benson, Tyler Robertson were all among the top 100 players taken in the 2006 draft. All three were high school players. There are also a couple college kids taken in that draft in camp.  Brian Dinkelman was the 246 player taken and Anthony Slama was 1176. Danny Valencia was also from this draft.

Parmelee looks to be set as the Twins regular right fielder. He started last year at first base for the Twins while Justin Morneau was still recovering from his concussion. He bounced back and forth between AAA and the majors after that.

Robertson also split last year between the majors and AAA. He is a strong candidate for the bullpen as a lefty specialist.

Benson is competing for the center field spot. Dinkelman and Slama are longshots to make the roster but both could see some time in the majors later in the season as AAA backups.

This ought to give people a more realistic idea of actual expected arrival of high school players taken in the last couple drafts. Trevor Plouffe was taken out of high school in 2004 is also just now establishing himself as a major league player. Anthony Swarzak was another high school kid taken in that draft. Glenn Perkins was taken out of college.

On the other end of the scale, Ben Revere was taken out of high school in 2007 and Aaron Hicks in 2008. If Buxton and Berrios do as well, we should see them competing for jobs in 2017. If they turn out like the high school players from the 2006 draft, they will start to establish themselves in 2019.

Of course there is also Joe Mauer, who was off the scale. He was drafted in 2001 and was in the big leagues 3 years later in 2004. But he is an extreme exception. Its not impossible for Buxton or Berrios to do that, but it isn't very likely.