The Twins have a verbal agreement in place with first-round draft pick Alex Kirilloff, ESPN 1500’s Darren Wolfson reports (Twitter link), and the deal will become official once Kirilloff takes his team physical later this week. The 19-year-old first baseman/outfielder will receive the recommended bonus slot price (just over $2.817MM) attached to the 15th overall pick.
Kirilloff was also ranked as the 15th-best prospect in this year’s draft class on Baseball America’s top 200 list, with MLB.com ranking him 18th and ESPN’s Keith Law and Eric Longenhagen ranking him 19th. MLB.com’s scouting report describes Kirilloff as a good fit for a corner outfield spot in the majors, though the Twins were “buying the bat” with due to Kirilloff’s “ability to barrel the ball consistently and…considerable raw power.” The high schooler received consistent scouting grades for all five tool categories (hit, power, run, arm, field), with all five grades falling within the 50-55 range on the 20-80 scouting scale.
The Twins’ draft bonus pool of $8,153,500 was the 11th-highest of any club. Minnesota has thus far reportedly reached below-slot agreements with both of their second round picks, while going $500K over slot for a deal with 11th-rounder Tyler Benninghoff.
Get them ready fast for the majors Terry Ryan
Minor detail, but he doesn’t turn 19 until November according to MLB.com draft profile