Twins select prep righthander Blayne Enlow with third round pick

The Twins on Tuesday selected righthander Blayne Enlow from St. Amant (La.) High with the first pick of the third round of the first year player draft.

Two things jump out about Enlow (photo courtesy Baseball America) based on the reports I have read. One, his ceiling appears high. He can touch 94 mph with the fastball, has a good breaking ball and a frame that he can grow into. Two, he might be the type of player the Twins had in mind when they wanted to save some bonus money with their first round pick.

Here's what Baseball America has to say about Enlow.

Enlow is the kind of pitcher who sometimes makes it to school, and if he does, blossoms into a potential front-of-the-rotation ace, but his obvious potential may lead a team to spend money now to avoid losing the chance to get him later. The Louisiana State signee is all arms and legs right now, but he has the frame to fill out and become much more physical as an adult. Enlows' velocity was down early this spring, as he would sit 88-90, touching 92. But by the end of his high school season he was again sitting in the low 90s and touching 94 with an easy delivery, loads of athleticism, a fast arm and a plus curveball. Enlow has excellent feel for spinning the ball and he has more advanced command and control of his fastball than most high school fireballers. He's toyed with a changeup that looks promising but is a distant third pitch for now. Enlow is a long-time Louisiana State fan who will be tough to sway from his Tigers commitment, but he's shown enough potential that teams will consider cutting him a very large check.

Enlow apparently throws an old school 12-to-6 curveball. Should be interesting to watch him develop. Again, the Twins must feel like they have a shot to sign him since they took him in the third round. Many teams hang their hats on getting the first 12 to 15 picks each year signed. But this is a new regime.