Rays to pick fourth in 2017 Draft

After a 2015 season that exceeded expectations, the Minnesota Twins were hoping to compete for the postseason in 2016. Things couldn’t have gone further awry for the Twins, as they finished in the cellar of the American League Central, leading to general manager Terry Ryan being relieved of his duties.

The silver lining for the Twins, of course, is that by finishing with the worst record in baseball, they’ll have the No. 1 pick in the 2017 Draft.

Minnesota has had the top pick in the Draft twice previously. The last time was in 2001, when they took a high school catcher from their own backyard by the name of Joe Mauer. Back in 1983, the Twins took Tim Belcher with the first pick, but he didn’t sign.

Last June, the Phillies had the top spot and took California high school outfielder Mickey Moniak. He signed for $6.1 million, almost $3 million below the value assigned to the No. 1 pick. They were able to use the money saved there to be more aggressive later in the Draft. While Draft rules will have to be accepted when Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association collectively bargain a new agreement, it stands to reason that not too much will change in terms of value for the top spot. Should things remain the same, the Twins will receive a pick value north of $9 million for the top overall pick and be able to play the Draft similarly to how the Phillies did in 2016.

Who will be making those decisions remains to be …

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