SAN FRANCISCO -- In one of their craziest scouting experiences, the Minnesota Twins have reached a deal with a 24-year-old pitching prospect who has thrown 100 mph fastballs but has never been drafted.
Brandon Poulson was pitching earlier this month for the Healdsburg Prune Packers in a collegiate summer league. His manager was Joey Gomes, the brother of big leaguer Jonny Gomes.
Now, the Twins are about to give him $250,000.
The Twins knew about Poulson from his recent season with Academy of Art University, where he had an 8.38 ERA for the San Francisco school.
Poulson played there after taking a couple of years off to work in his father's excavating business with the thought he'd take it over someday and leave athletics behind for good.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander previously played baseball but chose football at Santa Rosa Junior College. The Twins think Poulson's story could make a great movie.
"I played for the Prune Packers summer of '13 but missed nearly three-fourths of the games because I was busy working," said Poulson, who didn't make his high school baseball team as a freshman.
The Twins are giving him about 10 times more than an undrafted player typically would receive as a bonus. Poulson will begin as a reliever.
"He's a physical specimen. He's got the best pure arm strength I've ever seen," Twins scout Elliott Strankman said.
Strankman is the only member of the organization who watched Poulson pitch. It took all of 18 throws to convince him.
Brandon Poulson was pitching earlier this month for the Healdsburg Prune Packers in a collegiate summer league. His manager was Joey Gomes, the brother of big leaguer Jonny Gomes.
Now, the Twins are about to give him $250,000.
“He's a physical specimen. He's got the best pure arm strength I've ever seen.
” <cite>-- Twins scout Elliott Strankman</cite>
"It's a great story," Twins West Coast scouting supervisor Sean Johnson said Tuesday. "This kid came out of nowhere."” <cite>-- Twins scout Elliott Strankman</cite>
The Twins knew about Poulson from his recent season with Academy of Art University, where he had an 8.38 ERA for the San Francisco school.
Poulson played there after taking a couple of years off to work in his father's excavating business with the thought he'd take it over someday and leave athletics behind for good.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander previously played baseball but chose football at Santa Rosa Junior College. The Twins think Poulson's story could make a great movie.
"I played for the Prune Packers summer of '13 but missed nearly three-fourths of the games because I was busy working," said Poulson, who didn't make his high school baseball team as a freshman.
The Twins are giving him about 10 times more than an undrafted player typically would receive as a bonus. Poulson will begin as a reliever.
"He's a physical specimen. He's got the best pure arm strength I've ever seen," Twins scout Elliott Strankman said.
Strankman is the only member of the organization who watched Poulson pitch. It took all of 18 throws to convince him.
