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Talent pool is deep for MLB draft

By JASON GONZALEZ, Star Tribune, 06/04/13, 8:56PM CDT

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Red Wing’s Ryan Boldt remains a top prospect despite a recent knee injury.


Ryan Boldt's senior season at Red Wing has been almost all rehab since he injured his knee in April. (Bruce Bisping - Star Tribune photo)

 

Ryan Boldt’s message is that he’s OK. You just have to look past the blue-tipped crutches and a bulky black brace attached to his right knee.

The standout Red Wing High School outfielder always has found a way to look beyond injuries, though, and he is hopeful major league organizations will do the same. If they do, Boldt has the potential to be a first-round pick in Thursday’s major league draft. That’s where many scouts and draft experts projected him to be selected before he partially tore the meniscus in his right knee during late April’s first game of the season.

Boldt is part of a Minnesota high school draft class that appears to be the state’s deepest in years. And there’s more local talent at the college level, where Gophers pitchers Tom Windle and DJ Snelten could be taken in the first three rounds.

Among high schoolers, Coon Rapids righthander Logan Shore and Mounds View lefty Max Knutson are two power arms who have attracted plenty of national attention. Shore, clocked as high as 93 miles per hour with a good offspeed pitch, has received mention among the top 100 draft prospects. Knutson, who touched 95 mph with his fastball and showed impressive endurance, has gained a lot of recent attention from scouts.

Baseball America projects the trio of state high school players to be selected within the first 10 rounds, which is something three Minnesota preps haven’t done in at least a decade. Several other local high school players are considered possible draft candidates, including Burnsville’s Tyler Hanson, St. Paul Academy’s Matt Fieldler, Cooper’s Nehwon Norkeh and Minnehaha Academy’s John Pryor.

“This sure is a good group of guys this year,” Shore said. “I know Boldt is going through a situation he didn’t plan for, but he’ll be back. It wasn’t a very serious surgery.”

Bounced back before

It wasn’t a serious surgery — that’s what Boldt’s doctors at TRIA Orthopaedics Center in Minneapolis told him a month ago after the surgery, and again Tuesday at the four-week checkup. For the past 30 days, Boldt’s physical activity has consisted of taking his knee brace off for a short series of stretches and leg lifts. He will move past those limitations this week, receiving clearance to lose the crutches and begin a rehab plan.

Boldt previously has shown that he can surprise medical experts during the rehab process.

At 9 years old, he broke the elbow of his left throwing arm. Doctors said he should never throw again. So Boldt taught himself to throw righthanded. The current knee injury, he said, doesn’t compare to what he’s already overcome.

“It was frustrating a little right away that I wasn’t playing. But it’s just really a minor thing. It’s not going to affect my health down the road,” Boldt said. “Everything that happened in the past I overcame and came back better.”

Though Boldt’s senior season consisted of only 1½ games, it’s likely scouts saw everything they needed to last summer. In what his mom guessed to be 84 games from June to September, he played himself onto every major league team’s radar with a Perfect Game All-America Classic MVP performance and winning a gold medal as the 18-and-under U.S. national team’s leadoff hitter.

The Red Wing community and high school had seen enough. They voted him the school’s male Athlete of the Year despite his injury.

Twins General Manager Terry Ryan admitted an injury is never a good thing for a draft prospect. But Ryan pointed to the upcoming NBA draft to offer Boldt peace of mind. The projected No. 1 overall pick, Nerlens Noel, played only 24 games last season for Kentucky before tearing a knee ligament. Noel likely won’t be ready to play again until midway through the season, which hasn’t affected his status as basketball’s top draft prospect.

Mike Radcliff, the Twins vice president of player personnel and their former scouting director, said everything right now is speculation outside each organization’s own draft discussions. Area scout Mark Wilson assumed Boldt likely still would lead the trio of local prospects this week. Wilson also said whichever team selects these athletes doesn’t have to worry about their character, something the players themselves agree with.

“It’s a compliment to be mentioned with these guys,” Knutson said. “To say I’m in that talk with that caliber of players is an honor. I think my competitiveness is right up there with them.”

Shore and Boldt poke at one another trying to get a feel for what way the other is leaning, professional or college baseball. Boldt has signed with Nebraska, Shore with Florida. Neither ever offers a definitive answer on college vs. the pros. Knutson, scheduled to join Boldt at Nebraska, is also unsure, but each hinted there is a dollar figure in mind that could prompt them to forgo college baseball.

Boldt’s mother, Chris, has a tough time thinking signing bonuses.

“How do you put a price on your kid?” she asked.

Ryan Boldt said he prefers a tough decision on whether to turn pro. He has grown accustomed to succeeding in challenging situations, and this spring’s knee injury certainly isn’t going to make it any easier.

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