Minnesota Twins Top 10 Prospects For 2017
2. Alex Kirilloff, OF
Birthdate: 11/9/97 (19 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: rookie
Stats in 2016: .306/.341/.454, 7 HR
One of my absolute favorite bats in the 2016 draft, Kirilloff lasted to the Twins at pick #15, and they could end up looking back and saying they got a top 5 talent in the draft when all is said and done.
Kirilloff has a swing that is longer than you may like, but he has tremendous bat speed within the zone, which allows him to get the barrel to the ball frequently and significantly. He has a big sound off his bat seemingly even on grounders.
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Kirilloff has tremendous ability to contact the ball in spite of his long swing. That’s evidenced in his sub-14% strikeout rate, which for a power hitter is ridiculously low.
He is a much better athlete than advertised, showing above average speed once underway, though he doesn’t have great first step sort of speed, meaning he’s probably not going to steal a lot of bases, but he’ll likely get plenty of first-to-third on the bases, and he’s certainly able to handle any position in the outfield.
He did play some center field in the advanced rookie Appalachian League, but he probably profiles best as a right fielder with a fringe-plus arm to go with his solid speed once underway. He reads balls well, which allows him to get to plenty of balls in the air.
I’m extremely high on Kirilloff, and I could see him doing very well in full-season ball in 2017. The Twins got a good one here.
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