The Twins are definitely interested in adding future power to the Bomba Squad.
They took North Carolina’s Aaron Sabato with the 27th pick in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft Wednesday.
The sophomore first baseman, who turned 21 last week, is 6-2 and 230 pounds. He hit a Tar Heels freshman record 18 home runs in 2019, winning ACC rookie of the year honors.
Sabato added seven home runs in 19 games before Carolina’s season ended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 65 at-bats, he had four doubles and a slugging percentage of .708, walking 22 times and striking out 16 times.
A righthanded hitter, Sabato had shoulder surgery last summer, which sidelined him from a spot in the Cape Cod League.
Sabato went to Brunswick High School in Rye, N.Y., where he played shortstop. He’s the fifth consecutive position player the Twins have taken with their first pick since pitcher Tyler Jay was taken No. 6 overall in 2015.
The Twins have three more picks in the draft, which concludes Thursday. They choose 59th overall (second round), 128th (fourth round) and 158th (fifth round); their third round pick was lost because they signed free agent Josh Donaldson in the offseason.
The slot limit for the 27th pick in the first round is $2.57 million. Sabato was ranked No. 41 among prospects by MLB.com, but jumped into the first round.
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