Twins pick high school SS Royce Lewis No. 1

Fellow high school phenom Greene goes second

The Minnesota Twins picked Southern California high school shortstop Royce Lewis with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 MLB Draft on Monday.

Lewis, 18, also played in the outfield for JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, California, this season, hitting .377 with four home runs and 25 stolen bases.

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The Twins, a surprise first place team in the American league Central this season after finishing with a franchise worst record of 59-103 in 2016, were picking first for the third time. Their most recent No. 1 overall selection came in 2001 with hometown high school catcher Joe Mauer, and they also selected right-hander Tim Belcher first in 1983, although he didn't sign with the team.

Next off the board was fellow California high school phenom Hunter Greene, who went to the Cincinnati Reds with the No. 2 pick. The right-handed Greene has a fastball that hit 100 mph, but also plays shortstop.
With the third overall pick, the San Diego Padres selected North Carolina high school left-hander MacKenzie Gore.

That marked the first time in 27 years that the top three picks in the draft were all high school players.

Another two-way star, in Louisville first baseman/pitcher Brendan McKay, went No. 4 to the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite a pitching record of 10-3 with a 2.34 ERA and 140 strikeouts, the Rays picked the ACC player of the year a first baseman based off his .343 average with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs.

Vanderbilt right-hander Kyle Wright went fifth to the Atlanta Braves to round out the top five picks in the draft.

Rounds 1 and 2, with six competitive balance picks sandwiched in between, took place on Monday, with rounds 3-10 being held on Tuesday and finishing up with rounds 11-40 on Wednesday.

For more coverage of the 2017 MLB Draft, including complete picks, visit MLB.com.

2017 MLB Draft first round complete picks:

1. Twins, Royce Lewis, SS, JSerra Catholic HS (CA)

2. Reds, Hunter Greene, RHP, Notre Dame HS (CA)

3. Padres, MacKenzie Gore, LHP, Whiteville HS (NC)

4. Rays, Brendan McKay, 1B, Louisville

5. Braves, Kyle Wright, RHP, Vanderbilt

6. Athletics, Austin Beck, OF, North Davidson HS (NC)

7. Diamondbacks, Pavin Smith, 1B, Virginia

8. Phillies, Adam Haseley, OF, Virginia

9. Brewers, Keston Hiura, 2B, UC Irvine

10. Angels, Jordon Adell, OF, Ballard HS (KY)

11. White Sox, Jake Burger, 3B, Missouri State

12. Pirates, Shane Baz, RHP, Concordia Lutheran HS (TX)

13. Marlins, Trevor Rogers, LHP, Carlsbad HS (NM)

14. Royals, Nick Pratto, 1B, Huntington Beach HS (CA)

15. Astros, J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, UNC

16. Yankees, Clarke Schmidt, RHP, South Carolina

17. Mariners, Evan White, 1B, Kentucky

18. Tigers, Alex Faedo, RHP, Florida

19. Giants, Heliot Ramos, OF, Leadership Christian Academy (PR)

20. Mets, David Peterson, LHP, Oregon

21. Orioles, DL Hall, LHP, Valdosta HS (GA)

22. Blue Jays, Logan Warmoth, SS, UNC

23. Dodgers, Jeren Kendall, OF, Vanderbilt

24. Red Sox, Tanner Houck, RHP, Missouri

25. Nationals, Seth Romero, LHP, Houston

26. Rangers, Bubba Thompson, OF, McGill-Toolen Catholic HS (AL)

27. Cubs, Brendon Little, LHP, State College of Florida (Manatee-Sarasota)

28. Blue Jays, Nate Pearson, RHP, College of Central Florida

29. Rangers, Christopher Seise, SS, West Orange HS (FL)

30. Cubs, Alex Lange, RHP, LSU