16 YEARS AGO THE TWINS USED
THEIR NUMBER ONE OVERALL DRAFT
PICK TO TAKE A HIGH SCHOOL
CATCHER BY THE NAME OF JOE
MAUER.
TOMORROW NIGHT THEY'LL PICK
FIRST OVERALL ONCE AGAIN.
THE MAN WHO PICKED MAUER IS
STILL WITH THE TEAM AND DEEPLY
INVOLVED THIS TIME AROUND, TOO.
DAVID McCOY SAT DOWN WITH MIKE
RADCLIFF TO TALK ABOUT THE BIG
DECISION.
Reporter: WELL, FIRST
QUESTION.
HAVE YOU DECIDED WHO YOU'RE
GONNA TAKE AT ONE?
HAVE I DECIDED OR WE
DECIDED?
Reporter: YOU THE TEAM, THE
TWINS DECIDED?
WE ALL HAVE OUR PREFERENCE.
IT'S NOT A UNANIMOUS SITUATION.
WE ARE BUILDING CONSENSUS AND
MOVING TOWARDS THAT.
WE ARE JUST TRYING TO DO OUR
DUE DILIGENCE AND THIS IS A BIG
DECISION, OBVIOUSLY.
TRYING TO GET THE RIGHT GUY.
IT'S NARROWING DOWN.
WE ARE GETTING CLOSE.
Reporter: THERE IS SOME
DISAGREEMENT IN THE ROOM, IS
WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?
THERE ALWAYS IS.
AND THERE SHOULD BE.
YOU DON'T SEE PLAYERS THE SAME.
THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME LEVEL
OF TALENT.
DIFFERENT RISK FACTORS
INVOLVED.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE LEGITIMATE
CANDIDATES, WHICH IS A
POSITIVE.
SO NOW YOU HAVE TO PROFILE THEM
AS TO WHAT THEIR MAJOR LEAGUE
ROLE IS GOING TO BE AND TRY TO
ASSESS THE RISK OF THAT PLAYER
GOING THROUGH THE JOURNEY TO
GET TO THE MAJOR LEAGUES.
THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A
BASEBALL DRAFT AND A FOOTBALL
OR BASKETBALL DRAFT WHERE THEY
IMMEDIATELY JUST GO TO THE
PROFESSIONAL TEAM.
THESE GUYS TAKE YEARS TO HONE
THEIR SKILLS.
THERE IS A RISK FACTOR INVOLVED
THAT IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS
ASSESSING THE ULTIMATE
POTENTIAL OF THE PLAYER VIA
TOOLS AND SUCCESS.
Reporter: YOU ARE LOOKING AT
CEILING AND FLOOR?
THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO PUT
IT.
THOSE ARE TWO OF THE THINGS WE
HAVE TO ASSESS.
IF THINGS DON'T WORK OUT, RISK.
STILL WHAT KIND OF PLAYER MIGHT
HE BE BECAUSE OF HIS TOOLS?
YOU WANT TO FIGURE OUT IF IT
DOES ALL WORK OUT, HE MAKES IT
THROUGH IN GOOD SHAPE AND
REACHES HIS HIGHEST POTENTIAL,
HIS PHYSICAL ABILITIES ALLOW
IT, THAT'S THE CEILING YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT.
CEILING IS VERY IMPORTANT
BECAUSE THESE ARE THE GUYS THAT
COULD MAYBE BE THE FACE OF THE
FRANCHISE OR THE INTEGRAL
ELEMENT TO A MAJOR LEAGUE
LINEUP OR TEAM.
I THINK YOU HAVE HEARD US AND
OTHER TEAMS SAY THIS DOESN'T
HAVE A MAUER OR A GENERATIONAL
TALENT, AN A-ROD OR KEN
GRIFFEY.
Reporter: ONE NAME I HAVE
HEARD DISCUSSED HUNTER GREEN.
TALKED ABOUT MAYBE ONE OF THE
BEST HIGH SCHOOL PITCHERS IN A
WHILE.
HOW DO YOU EVALUATE A KID LIKE
THAT WHEN THERE HAS NEVER BEEN
A RIGHT-HANDED HIGH SCHOOL
PITCHING TAKEN NUMBER ONE
OVERALL.
HOW DO YOU ANALYZE A PLAYER
LIKE THAT WHEN THERE IS SORT OF
AN UNCHARTERED PATH THERE.
THERE WERE PROBABLY GUYS
THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
JOSH BECKETT.
KERRY WOOD.
THERE IS A LOT OF PLAYERS ALONG
THE WAY THAT PROBABLY SHOULD
HAVE BEEN THE FIRST PICK IF YOU
HAD TOMORROW'S NEWS IN TODAY,
RIGHT?
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T LET
THAT STYMIE YOUR PROCESS TO
FIGURE OUT WHO THE BEST GUY IS.
HUNTER GREEN IS A UNIQUELY
MATURE YOUNG MAN.
HE IS ONLY 17, BUT HIS PHYSICAL
AND MENTAL MATURITY IS WELL
BEYOND THAT.
SO THAT HELPS HIM ALREADY MAKE
HIS TOOLS AND SKILLS BEYOND A
NORMAL HIGH SCHOOL GUY.
THEY ARE FURTHER PROGRESSED
BECAUSE HE IS VERY MATURE.
BRENDAN McKAY IS ANOTHER UNIQUE
TALENT BECAUSE HE IS REALLY
TALENTED IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS.
HE IS A LEGITIMATE NUMBER-ONE
PICK, EARLY DRAFT CHOICE AS A
PITCHER, AND YOU COULD SAY THE
SAME AS A HITTER.
HE HAS THE COLLEGE RESUMH TO
SHOW FOR THAT.
SO, AGAIN, TALENT IS THE MAJOR
COMPONENT HERE.
GUYS GOING THIS SIDE, PICK
NUMBER ONE.
BUT YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT --
IT'S A JOURNEY TO BE A MAJOR
LEAGUE PLAYER.
WHEN YOU GET THERE, YOU HAVE TO
BE ABLE TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
THAT REQUIRES A LOT OF
DIFFERENT MAKEUP AN INTANGIBLE
TRAITS THAT WE HAVE TO TRY TO
ASSESS TO FIND AND FIGURE OUT
IF THEY ARE THERE IN THIS
PLAYER WITH THAT TALENT.
Reporter: IS THERE ANYTHING
UNIQUE TO HAVING THE NUMBER-ONE
PICK AS OPPOSED TO THE NUMBER
SEVEN OR NUMBER 17 PICK?
WELL, WE GET WHO WE WANT,
YOU KNOW?
[ LAUGHTER ]
THAT'S THE FIRST THING.
AND IT IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT
NOW THAN WHEN WE SELECTED JOE A
FEW YEARS BACK AS NUMBER ONE.
WE HAVE DIFFERENT RULES.
THERE IS THE CAP SITUATION WITH
EVERY TEAM.
YOU HAVE BONUS AMOUNTS THAT YOU
CAN'T GO OVER.
SO THERE IS DIFFERENT WAYS NOW
THAT YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT
HOW YOU ALLOCATE YOUR DOLLARS.
THEREFORE, CREATIVITY KIND OF
COMES INVOLVED.
A LOT OF TEAMS TRY TO GET TWO
OR THREE PLAYERS FOR THEIR
ALLOTTED MONEY VERSUS JUST
GIVING IT TO ONE.
SO THAT KIND OF STUFF DOES
ALLOW FOR MORE PLAYERS TO BE A
PART OF THIS PROCESS.
YOU HAVE TO BE DILIGENT ALL
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LIST OF
GUYS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE AT
THE TOP OF OUR BOARD BECAUSE
YOU MIGHT HAVE WAYS TO, AGAIN,
ALLOCATE YOUR RESOURCES,
DIFFERENT WAYS TO CREATE VALUE
FOR PLAYERS.
I DON'T THINK THERE IS ADDED
PRESSURE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT,
BUT WE WANT TO GET THE RIGHT
GUY FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT
REASONS.
WE FEEL CONFIDENT THOUGH WITH
THE PERSONNEL WE HAVE AND THE
PROCESSES IN PLACE AND THE
DECISION-MAKING SEPARATING
THINGS THAT WE ARE GOING TO USE
THAT WE ARE GONNA GET A REALLY