For the first time in five years, the Twins have drafted a college pitcher with their first-round pick.
Left-hander Tyler Jay, who spent much of his college career as the closer at the University of Illinois, went to the Twins with the sixth overall pick Monday night.
"He's got a power arm," Twins scouting director Deron Johnson said. "He's left-handed, which we don't have a lot of in our system. I think we got lucky in adding some impact from the left side."
Jay, 21, made just the second start of his three-year college career (71 appearances) on Monday, losing 4-2 to Vanderbilt in an elimination game on his home field.