2019 MLB Draft: Twins select Keoni Cavaco with 13th overall pick

With the 13th pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, the Twins have selected third baseman Keoni Cavaco from Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California. In Cavaco, we have a case where a guy with real tools started showcasing real production on the field and popped up on scouts’ radars later in the pre-draft process than most of the draft prospects you will hear about this evening.

Cavaco, a third baseman who is projected to stay at that position as a pro, has also explored pitcher, second base, first base, and the outfield. The biggest key for Cavaco as he seeks to develop into a valuable player is making consistent contact. When Cavaco does make contact, he can turn heads. Baseball America sums up Cavaco best, saying he is “the biggest pop-up player of the 2019 class. Scouts see huge raw power. Plus throwing arm and above-average defender. While he is an impressive athlete, less track record and history than many other prep hitters, but he stands out in a down year in Southern California.”

But going back to the contact problem as we talk about some of his weaknesses, he struggles to make contact a lot, and that made it tough for some teams to be sold on him. He also has an decent glove but isn’t the most fluid fielder; at times, he has been described as a bit clumsy. There is also the usual risk of signing any guy who pops up later in the draft process than usual. The track record of such players is very mixed versus players who have been scouted for a long time by teams.