The Twins closed out day one of the draft by taking Tommy LaPour with the 107th overall pick, making it three straight pitchers to finish the night.
LaPour brings the kind of frame teams dream on: 6-foot-4, right-handed, and armed with real velocity. He was already sitting in the mid-90s in high school, then cracked Wichita State’s rotation as a freshman before moving on to TCU. His sophomore season in the Big 12 put him on the radar in a big way, as he posted a 3.09 ERA in 16 starts.
This spring didn’t go nearly as smoothly. Elbow soreness knocked him out for a couple of months, and when he returned, command was an issue in a limited sample. Even so, the upside was enough for Minnesota to jump in, and the uncertainty may have helped push him into a range where the Twins could grab him.
The stuff starts with a delivery that looks pretty sound from a 3/4 arm slot. He doesn’t create much extension, but the ball gets on hitters in a hurry. His fastball lives in the mid-90s and can creep toward triple digits, with the ability to miss bats up in the zone and get some sink down low.
Behind it, LaPour mixes in a slider in the mid-80s with solid two-plane movement and a harder cutter in the upper 80s. Neither pitch is especially sharp, though, and both come with questions about spin and consistency. He also has a changeup in the upper 80s that has shown some whiff potential and could become a usable finishing pitch against lefties.
The package comes with plenty of volatility. LaPour has the look of a back-end starter, but his high-energy style may ultimately point him toward the bullpen, where the fastball can play up even more.
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