The Minnesota Twins have signed unknown, undrafted pitching prospect Brandon Poulson. He can throw 100 mph fastballs.
Poulson had attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He had a physical in Minneapolis last week and was cleared on Tuesday. The deal will give Poulson $250,000. The Twins weren’t the only team interested in him however. The San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and the Philadelphia Phillies were all interested in Poulson, according to the Associated Press.
"I'm excited," Poulson said. "I know it's just the first step of what the real goal is to make it in the bigs."
Twins scout Elliot Strankman was impressed by Poulson.
"I saw him throw 18 pitches and after that we kind of got into a bargaining thing and went ahead and agreed to terms," Strankman said. "This is my sixth Draft and I've been around baseball, but I've never seen anything quite like it. He just kind of figured it out. He figured out his mechanics and is a hard worker. It's just a great story."
Poulson played for the Academy of Art University last year and struggled. Last year he had a 8.38 ERA with 24 strikeouts and walks in just over 19 innings, according to MLB.com. This summer he has played for the Healdsburg Prune Packers of the Golden State Collegiate Baseball League. He has 31 strikeouts, six hits, and four saves in 12 appearances this summer.
Poulson will head to the Twins rookie club in the Appalachian League in Elizabethton, Tennessee. He will sign his contract when he reports to the team. His first game with the team could come this weekend.