New Draft Post - Post MinorLeagueBall Draft Edition

by FirebatM3 on May 31, 2008 6:45 PM CDT Comment 82 comments

Well, it was weird and confusing and a bit obtuse, but it was a decent experience doing the MinorLeagueBall Mock Draft. Even if that bastard who did the Astros keeps taking my picks.

Here's how it all shook out:

Round 1: Pick 11 - Ethan Martin, RHP, Georgia HS

A two way guy that like Michael Main, is going to be a pitcher. He's a bit bigger than Main, but his arm isn't as explosive and his secondary pitches aren't as well developed, but he does flash two potentially good strikeout pitches. At that point in the draft, I just didn't find any of the college pitchers that intriguing, and I thought that Martin offered the most upside of any of the high school pitchers.

BEST CASE SCENARIO

Aaron Crow, RHP, Missouri - Taken /w pick 10 by the Astros.

I think, if Crow's demands are as high as they have been said to be, if the Nats and the Chi Sox are really looking at Aaron Hicks and Brett Wallace, then Crow might really fall to the Rangers.

We all know Crow, good fastball, good sinker, great slider. Dominant at Cape Cod.

Round 2: Pick 57 - Roger Kieschnick, OF, Texas Tech

One of those "five-tool" guys you always hear about, but more so in the method of John Mayberry Jr. than Josh Hamilton. As in, yeah, he might be a five tool guy, but ......

In this case, it's he might be a five tool guy, but he has a hitch in his swing. He's shown more power in the past, and he's hit well for Team USA, but you can never be sure if that hitch will be smoothed out like Prince Fielder's was or will it stay with him all throughout his career like Drew Meyer. Or, of course, he could be something down the middle like Drew Stubbs. The thing that made the decision was, once again, upside. I like his power, and I'm much more confident in changing a swing than I am in changing a pitching mechanic or drafting a signability guy.

BEST CASE SCENARIO

Zach Putnam, RHP, Michigan - Taken /w Pick 51 by the Phillies

Putnam is a guy that put it together as of late. He's got the best splitter in the draft, and a decent fastball sitting in the low 90s.

Round 3: Pick 89 - Lance Lynn, RHP, Ole Miss

Lance Lynn was a first rounder when we were first coming into the season, but due to a variety of circumstances, none of which has to do with performance, he has dropped. He's never been a scout's favorite, but he has a lot of movement on that fastball, heavy groundball tendencies, good command, and the ability to control 4 pitches. In a lot of ways, he's like Tommy Hunter of last year's draft, but I think Hunter probably has a better feel for his change while Lynn has better movement and command of his fastball.

Best Case Scenario

None. I like this guy at this spot. I like it a lot

Round 4: Pick 123 - Scott Barnes, LHP, St. John's

I like Barne's ability to strike guys out. He works mainly in the 88-91 range with a slurvish pitch around 75 and a changeup that sits somewhere around 80. He's a polished guy, and is particularly devastating vs. lefties. He'll probably move pretty quick.

BEST CASE SCENARIO

Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B, Pitt Community College - Taken in Round 3, Pick 82 by the Giants

I really think Chisenhall will fall more because of his character concerns. He's got great batspeed, good range for 3B and terrific armstrength. He hit .400 with 3X as many walks as Ks, 8 HR this year.

He also got arrested for larceny at the end of his freshmen year in South Carolina.

Round 5: Pick 153 - Brett Moorhouse, RHP, Indian River CC FL

A community college guy. Works in the low-mid 90s with decent secondary stuff. Sickels helped out making this pick.

BEST CASE SCENARIO

Austin Woods, RHP, HS

Have great arm strength, have great size, have great potential. Have major signability concerns

8 recs | Comment 82 comments

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Comments

If the first three rounds...

...shake out like this IRL, I’d be pretty happy.

Don’t know enough about the last two to really comment.

by Adam J. Morris on May 31, 2008 6:56 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Well

Me either, but, as a guy who’s seen Kieschnick a million times, I can attest to his toolsy nature. Not having researched the matter too thoroughly, I’m tempted to say at first blush that round 2 is just about right for his talent. He’s a great power guy as mentioned. I’ve also been impressed with his judgment, as his K/BB numbers have been about equal.

That being said, I’ve noticed this “hitch” too, though admittedly it’s as a complete layperson. I have no idea what he has to do to fix it, or even what it is, really—it just looks a little off.

He doesn’t have the all-around raw talent that Mayberry does, but I bet he’d come up quicker.

by brettgardner on May 31, 2008 7:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i thought you were

a college pitcher guy?

by Longhorn on May 31, 2008 7:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not really much of a draft-monger

And I really know nothing about the guys in the lower rounds, but Ethan Martin or Gerrit Cole are the guys I want the Rangers to look at in the first round this year. I know they’re HS’ers, but none of the college guys really seem all that special to me.

This of course, provides that the dirkatron’s idol Eric Hosmer doesn’t fall to us, but that seems unlikely, no?

A Lonestar in California - 2.0

"I LOVE to fart" - Bert Blyleven

by lonestarJon on May 31, 2008 7:03 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

from what ive read

gerrit cole is not gonna be someone picked at the top of the first round.

signablity + character concerns

Every pitch thrown to Josh Hamilton is recorded as an E1. -- clark

by knockoutking on May 31, 2008 11:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm just going by the reports I've read on his stuff

Everything I’ve read says he’s a top-of-the-round talent. I’d heard some stuff about his character issues too, but there where supposed to be character issues with Blake Beavan last year as well, if I recall, and that hasn’t been an issue with him.

But if what you say is true, I’m hopping aboard the Ethan Martin boat.

A Lonestar in California - 2.0

"I LOVE to fart" - Bert Blyleven

by lonestarJon on Jun 1, 2008 4:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

great arm

but i think i read on on BP chat that no one was gonna touch him cuz of his attitude, not cuz of his arm

ASU Graduate (Tempe, Az): Like seemingly most ASU baseball commits I do not expect to see Eric Hosmer in the Maroon and Gold. Is he going to be this years Porcello and drop towards the later part of the first round because of bonus demands?

Kevin Goldstein: I don’t think there’s going to be any kind of Porcello situation this year, unless you count Gerrit Cole, who has a great arm and beyond ridiculously bad makeup. But guys like Alvarez and Hosmer just aren’t going to plummet in any kind of major way.

Rob (Bloomington, IL): Who do you think will end up taking Gerrit Cole? Any chance the Cubs nab him at #19?

Kevin Goldstein: He’s a very hard guy to figure out. Hard to argue with the arm, but as a kid, nobody likes him.

Brian (Nashville): Kevin, thanks for the chat. Between Tim Melville and Gerrit Cole, who is the best pro prospect? It sounds like Cole has the better stuff, but his future might lie in the bullpen. Does it sound like teams are preferring one over the other at this point?

Kevin Goldstein: Cole is really plummeting of late, mostly on makeup. He’s kind of the Kyle Drabek of this year’s draft.

from ask BA:
Who are the best high school players in the 2008 who are considered the most likely to head to college?

Andrew Thurmond
Athens, Ga.
The two biggest wild cards are a pair of Boras Corporation advisees—big shock there—first baseman Eric Hosmer (American Heritage HS, Plantation, Fla.) and righthander Gerrit Cole (Orange, Calif., Lutheran HS).

No. 7 on our Top 200 Draft Prospects list, Hosmer is the most dangerous high school bat in this draft, and he also has enough athleticism and arm strength to try the outfield. It’s believed that Hosmer may seek to match the record for a guaranteed contract for a prepster ($7 million by Josh Beckett and Rick Porcello), and that would scare a lot of clubs off. I don’t believe Hosmer will get that much, but I do think some team will go well over MLB’s slot recommendations to land Hosmer’s bat.

No. 17 on the Top 200, Cole has thrown in the mid-90s all spring and also has shown a hard curveball, but there are a number of clubs who worry about his delivery, his command and his immaturity. There will be teams interested in his electric arm, but if he seeks a bonus well above slot, he could wind up at UCLA.

Beyond Hosmer and Cole, there are several high schoolers on the first half of the Top 200 who will be difficult to sign. They include:

Two-sport stars Casey Kelly (Sarasota, Fla., HS) and Xavier Avery (Cedar Grove HS, Ellenwood, Ga.). Kelly (No. 19) has first-round talent as both a righthander and a shortstop, and he’ll also command a premium bonus because he has signed to play quarterback at Tennessee. Avery (No. 59) is an outstanding athlete with a raw bat, and he has a scholarship to play running back at Georgia.

Boras Corporation advisees Alex Meyer (Greenburg, Ind., HS), Nick Maronde (Lexington, Ky., Catholic HS) and Brett Mooneyham (Buhach Colony HS, Atwater, Calif.). Meyer (No. 25) is a righthander with late first-round ability but teams don’t think he’ll sign in that area. Maronde (No. 70) and Mooneyham (No. 78) are lefthanders who would draw interest if they’d take second- or third-round money, but clubs are skeptical that they would. Meyer has committed to Kentucky, Maronde to Florida and Mooneyham to Stanford.

Righthander Sonny Gray (Smyrna, Tenn., HS) and lefthander Dan Hultzen (St. Albans HS, Washington D.C.). They’re considered as unsignable as the just-mentioned Boras Corporation trio. A fractured ankle, his size (6 feet, 185 pounds) and his Vanderbilt commitment have combined to kill Gray’s (No. 52) chances of going in the late first round. Hultzen (No. 79) seems to have his heart set on attending Virginia.

Lefthanders Kyle Lobstein (Coconino HS, Flagstaff, Ariz.) and T.J. House (Picayune, Miss., Memorial HS) and righthanders Brett Marshall (Sterling HS, Houston) and Austin Dicharry (Klein Collins HS, Spring, Texas). Lobstein (No. 45, committed to Arizona) and House (No. 100, Tulane) may not sign for less than a seven-figure bonus, while Marshall (No. 87, on the verge of committing to Rice) and Dicharry (No. 95, Texas) aren’t going to take less than second-round money. Lobstein has the best bet of having a club meet his asking price.

Every pitch thrown to Josh Hamilton is recorded as an E1. -- clark

by knockoutking on Jun 1, 2008 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hosmer

I just don’t see why we wouldn’t draft him if he fell to us. The Rangers aren’t at there normal payroll level. Why wouldn’t a team that is able to add payroll be willing to spend as much as they spent on Broussard/Jennings to add what could be a great player in 4 years. It just seems like a much better allocation of resources to spend the money on someone with serious serious upside than on re-treads.

Also something else I see mentioned all the time is someone wanting a couple of 100K more than the team is willing to give. Haven’t teams seen by now all the players that they have barely missed signing that have gone on to become great players. They could have had these guys under there control for 3 years at pennies instead of overpaying some veteran to fill the roster spot.

White Women!

by nikpin on Jun 1, 2008 1:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

well i was writing it more about cole

hosmer is who i want quite badly.

if hes there and they DONT take him it better be cuz someone else fell pretty far

Every pitch thrown to Josh Hamilton is recorded as an E1. -- clark

by knockoutking on Jun 1, 2008 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yea

I wasn’t necessarily responding to your post. Just a general baseball rant.

White Women!

by nikpin on Jun 1, 2008 5:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

ah oo ok

sry

Every pitch thrown to Josh Hamilton is recorded as an E1. -- clark

by knockoutking on Jun 1, 2008 11:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting

Thanks for sharing, KoK.

If this is the case with Cole, then I can see why we would pass on him. I still love his stuff, but bad mechanics + attitude problem = big project, like another Eddie Volquez – although I wouldn’t really mind having another Volquez-type project in the system if the results have the potential to be similar. I guess it just depends upon whether the Rangers think Cole is worth putting the work into, and it doesn’t sound like it from that.

In that case, I hope the Rangers take Martin or Hosmer in the first round, with Shooter Hunt as a backup plan if Martin and Hoss are off the board by #11.

A Lonestar in California - 2.0

"I LOVE to fart" - Bert Blyleven

by lonestarJon on Jun 2, 2008 4:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Heh.

KoK.

by brettgardner on Jun 2, 2008 2:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Several names fell quite low

particularly this guy

101) Padres: Brett Hunter, RHP, Pepperdine

Cole St Claire didn’t get picked anywhere – he’d be a good deal in the 4th or 5th…

by JBImaknee on May 31, 2008 7:04 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Hunter

blew out his arm.

I was tempted with St. Clair in the 4th, but comeon, he’s from Rice. That’s like guarantee to suck.

by FirebatM3 on May 31, 2008 7:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

St. Clair

is not any good anymore. He used to throw mid 90s with a great curve and then he got hurt, like all Rice pitchers do. Now he throws upper 80s and his breaking stuff isn’t sharp. Combine that with the fact that all Rice pitchers seem to have major surgery within 12 months of signing and I want no part of him.

by uthornfan on May 31, 2008 9:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

he is a lefty

he held St Johns hitless over 4.1 innings yesterday, with 4 Ks. But yeah, I think he is a 8-10 round pick these days.

by clark on Jun 1, 2008 8:41 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd be happy with this draft.

I still have a little pause when I think of Martin over Scheppers, and I like Martin alot, even if he might be a year behind Main in development. Scheppers is by far the most interesting story between now and the draft.

It’s hard to get pumped about this draft, because it just can’t compare to last year.

I think your best case scenarios were right on. It seems like the toughest decision you faced was Murphy or Kieschnick. Either way, I would be fine with the pick.

by rooster on May 31, 2008 7:25 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm depressed about

how this first rounder is going to turn out. I can’t really see us being the ones to take the splurge on Crow or Hosmer, out of the teams from four down or whatever, and I just am not pumped about who else is sitting there.

Also, I agree with JBI that I’d like to see St Claire. There is some upside there, even with the Rice stigma.

by Brett Perryman on May 31, 2008 7:41 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Not bad, Firebat

Given who was available when you picked, this is how I’d’ve done it:

1. Gerrit Cole, SP, HS
2. Dennis Raben, OF, University of Miami
3. Aaron Weatherford, Closer, Mississippi St. University
4. Cutter Dykstra, SS/CF, HS
5. Jose Duran, 2b, Texas A and M

The 40 trumps all!!!

by thedirkatron on May 31, 2008 7:50 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Likewise, I would have taken:

1. Ethan Martin…the more I read, the more I like him
2. Stephen Fife…late riser, good FB/curve combo, reminds me of Boston’s Masterson
3. Aaron Weatherford…could come quick, probably stays in bullpen role (although I like Lynn there too)
4. Bobby Bundy…HS RHP out of OK, first round talent who tore his ACL in Dec., already returned, but with diminished velocity. He will probably want at least second round money, but I think he might be worth it.
5. Scott Bittle…As BA would say, he is a personal cheeseball. Doesn’t have dominant velocity, but got two Ks an inning in the SEC (leading the conf. as a bullpen guy) and I think he could be moved into a starting role in the minors.

All pitcher, I know, but I like the BPA mantra and I stick to it.

by clark on May 31, 2008 8:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just caught

that Bittle went in the third round. I think I typed Biddle in the find bar.

by clark on Jun 1, 2008 1:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

As an Aggie

I like Duran a lot, but I think he is more of a 7 or 8th round guy, and we have a lot of players like him in our system (including his brother).

by clark on May 31, 2008 8:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I saw Duran this weekend...

He looks a little anxious at the plate however i think his glove is really good and he has really quick hands. I think he could stay at short with an average arm of what i saw.

by booyahcaveman on Jun 2, 2008 1:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You might like the cubs mock draft then.

by Longhorn on May 31, 2008 9:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Z -- Clarification?

If Crow falls, do you really think the Rangers avoid paying him?

Or are you saying there’s just no chance he falls?

by txtwstr7 on May 31, 2008 8:17 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm not

thinking very deeply about this, so there may be information that would lead us to think otherwise. But yes, I think he will go before us, and if he doesn’t, it seems unlikely based on our recent history with the extremely high bonus demand guys in the first round that the Rangers would be the team to stop the slide. Plus, given the dynamics of the front office now, I don’t think that Hicks would accept Daniels’ recommendation to make the investment unless Nolan was competely on board. Maybe he would be, I don’t know. He does want to add a big time arm I’m sure, so that might help.

by Brett Perryman on May 31, 2008 8:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

If it is the best player

without doubt, I think we’ll get him.

Aaron Crow, in my mind, is far better than anyone else at that position. If we paid for Mark Teixeira, I think we’ll pony up for him.

by FirebatM3 on May 31, 2008 8:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Since Teixeira

there have been lots of guys who were easily better than what was available and what they took, all with very high demands, guys like Weaver, Drew, Porcello, etc., and they haven’t taken one of them. To assume that Hicks’ mindset in 2001 is more representative of what he will do now than what he has done since 2004 makes no sense to me.

To have them pass on Porcello last year and then expect that they will undoubtedly take that type of guy if he makes it to them doesn’t make sense. Crow has more warts than Porcello did.

by Brett Perryman on May 31, 2008 8:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Porcello

Would you say that a guy like Porcello was really conducive to a team drafting with so many 1st round picks? I personally think that had much to do with the fact that we didn’t take Porcello as his 40 man roster spot and his 8 million dollar demands.

And revisionist history aside, Weaver was not seen as the #1 pitcher at the time. That’s part of the reason his “Mark Prior” demands were thought as ridiculous. People thought he was a #3 guy at the time.

by FirebatM3 on May 31, 2008 8:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Firebat

In that draft, Weaver and Drew were both regarded as far better prospects than those who were available when we picked. Just look at their bonuses. Besides, I have no idea where you’re getting the idea that Weaver was not highly rated. Go look at BA’s Top 2000 prospects. Weaver is #1, and Drew is #3. Both were available, but both cost a LOT.

How about Luke Hochevar in 2005? Sixth rated player according to BA, obviously would have signed for enough money, as he almost did with LA for a pretty mediocre amount before they got crossways. What about Joba Chamberlain, the #7 prospect in the 2006 draft? We were picking 12, not that far from his range, but let him slide because, well I have to assume because the injury risk wasn’t worth the cash.

I’m not crucifying them for not picking those guys. I’m not even really crucitying them for not picking Porcello. I’m just saying that your belief that they would pick Crow doesn’t have any subtance or precedent behind it, while my belief that they probably wouldn’t does.

by Brett Perryman on Jun 1, 2008 12:33 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

What I mean

is that Weaver was never seen as the top #1 guy that was worth the 10.5 million he was asking for. Given that the alternative was letting guys like Weaver and Drew sit for an entire year (which they both ended up doing), I think there was some wisdom in selecting who they selected at that location. I’m not sure if it is a matter of money, as you seem to think, or a matter of logistics.

I’m not sure about Joba, maybe it’s because he really didn’t throw well before going to Nebraska. Maybe it’s the fact that he had a pretty bad injury history. I don’t know, but all those things are issues of logistics as much as, if not more, than issues of money. What I’m saying is that you can’t just look at who wasn’t picked and believe it was a byproduct of money, nor can you compare the spending budget than with the spending budget now.

I’m sorry if it seems I’m jumping on semantics, but this whole “this team is afraid to spend money on the draft” meme has become tiresome.

by FirebatM3 on Jun 1, 2008 12:52 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also

I think it’s a bit unfair to use a draft that was conducted under the previous GM to judge the potential actions of this one.

by FirebatM3 on May 31, 2008 8:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

So why

are you using a draft with Doug Melvin as your precedent?

by Brett Perryman on Jun 1, 2008 12:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fair enough

under Jon Daniels, we’ve given guys like Marcus Lemon a million dollars to sign, given guys like Taylor Teagarden and Julio Borbon high dollar amounts to sign.

If anything, there’s not nearly enough precedent under this administration to declare “they’re cheap” or “they’re not” one way or another. Yeah, they skipped Porcello, but they’re certainly not cheap right now.

by FirebatM3 on Jun 1, 2008 12:30 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

I’m not saying that they have been cheap in the draft in recent years. I’m saying that their strategy is more to go over slot for what they consider value in later spots, than to blow the motherwad on a big time high profile guy. It’s the same approach they’re using in Latin America.

by Brett Perryman on Jun 1, 2008 12:36 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think

more than anything, Tom Hicks is a big fan of players with names. A big time college pitcher like Crow would probably be more attractive to him than a high schooler like Porcello.

by FirebatM3 on Jun 1, 2008 12:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also

I really think it all depends on how many picks they had. With so few high round picks, I think they’ll be more willing to spend this year than previous ones.

by FirebatM3 on Jun 1, 2008 12:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree that

they figure to be more likely to spend big on their first pick this year than last.

by Brett Perryman on Jun 1, 2008 2:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The thing about this whole discussion that bothers me

is that I’ve supportive of the Ranger’s decision to not take Porcello, because of his ML contract demand with the idea that a HS pitcher would take longer to get to the show.

However, a ML contract was given to Borbon who is at the same minor league level as Porcello. Even if Porcello ends up a year behind Borbon to the majors, I think the argument of not drafting Porcello because of the ML contract demand was either not a good one or the Rangers underestimated how much better Porcello was than the rest of the HS arms.

BTW, I can’t seem to find Crow’s contract demands. What is he asking?

by rooster on Jun 1, 2008 12:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

All other things being equal, though,

I’d be much more willing to give a position player a ML contract than a pitcher. There is just so much less room for error with a pitcher. If they had done it with Porcello I’d have applauded their courage, especially in a year in which so many picks gave them a little more room than usual for risk. But I won’t criticize them for not doing so.

And it is still waaaay to early to judge Porcello in relation to any of the other pitchers in the draft.

...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.

by t ball on Jun 1, 2008 12:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Porcello

Wasn’t he supposed to be a high strikeout guy? So far this year his numbers are decent but his K totals are way down. Less than 6 per 9 innings.

Also you can’t look at where the Tigers placed Porcello and say he is at the same level as Borbon. If the Rangers would have selected him he would be at Clinton right now. The Rangers minor league philosophy is not conducive to a HS kid moving up quickly enough to justify a ML contract.

by bigsteve on Jun 1, 2008 1:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He might be in Clinton

if the Rangers had taken him, but it would be clear that he’s ready for HA, and he’d be promoted shortly I can pretty much guarantee.

As far as his strikeouts, I’m not really sure, other than the same sort of answer we have for Beavan. Porcello has a ridiculous 2.65 GO/AO ratio, a WHIP of 1.13 and gives up a HR about once every four starts. But more importantly, how often does a HS pitcher debut in HA…very successfully? What he’s doing is remarkable.

by Brett Perryman on Jun 1, 2008 1:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Remarkable

yeah, right now at least, the Tigers are looking pretty well justified in the risk they took. Perhaps, just maybe, if Daniels wants to take someone like that he can point to Porcello if the rest of the front office is balking or on the fence.

...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.

by t ball on Jun 1, 2008 2:45 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I know that these guys

are just random yahoos like us, but check out how guys on Sickels see Porcello’s progress:

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2008/6/1/543649/predict-who-will-be-the-to

by Brett Perryman on Jun 1, 2008 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I saw that this afternoon.

I think they might be right, but that crowd is always about the hot name and who’s being talked about the most. If Porcello has 2 bad outings in a row and they redo that post his name will drop off, replaced by whoever just got national press for some reason.

They’re probably right on this one, though. I’d love for Feliz to be on that list next year.

...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.

by t ball on Jun 1, 2008 8:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Z

stop buying AJM’s conspiracy…

Hicks has ponied up when JD asked, neither you nor I can say he hasn’t, with any degree of certainty.

Nolan is an important figure here, true, but all this conjecture about his ability to “own” any & all baseball decisions is bunk. Hicks always flaps his gums, mostly to the detriment of any he mentions. Do not put too much stock in to his ramblings.

...it's the weekend, so why the hell not?

by Rodney on May 31, 2008 10:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's odd

Hicks has ponied up when JD asked, neither you nor I can say he hasn’t, with any degree of certainty.

If neither you nor I can say that he has or hasn’t with any degree of certainty, why does your sentence start with “Hicks has ponied up when JD asked”?

by Brett Perryman on Jun 1, 2008 12:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And to be honest

I’m probably quite a bit harder on Hicks than Adam is. I think that he is an absolute train wreck, beyond his spending. He is a horrible executive.

by Brett Perryman on Jun 1, 2008 12:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And he's got foot in mouth disease

but if anything, if someone makes a recommendation, I think he’ll listen.

by FirebatM3 on Jun 1, 2008 12:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You can see Sickels' blood pressure

rising from round to round. Over the last couple days it was disappointing to see how many people suddenly dropped out.

I really like the round 2 and 3 picks, if that happened we’d have to be pretty psyched. I probably would have gone for Cole in round 1, just don’t have a great gut feeling for Martin, but then again, I have not done anywhere near the draft research some of you guys have.

This would be a great year to move up a few picks if they could be traded.

Solid job, thanks for doing such a good job promoting discussion and all the research.

...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.

by t ball on May 31, 2008 8:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

+1

by rchawk12 on May 31, 2008 8:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

first round

cole or hicks would be my picks over martin. but i could live with martin if they ended up with him but i prefer cole and mellville as far as hs arms

"When we're mad we'll use our words. Then the rest of the world will play nice with us. And the only boom-booms will be in our pants." - Ralph Wiggum

by rentz on May 31, 2008 8:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is there a reason why?

Cole has awesome armstrength, but so does Martin.

Hicks is a similar prospect, probably a better bat than arm, so I went with the guy who’s a better arm.

by FirebatM3 on May 31, 2008 8:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

no reason

I just really like what i’ve read about cole, other than his “maturity” issues.

"When we're mad we'll use our words. Then the rest of the world will play nice with us. And the only boom-booms will be in our pants." - Ralph Wiggum

by rentz on May 31, 2008 8:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Damn it

This #11 pick isn’t looking like a very good one. If only we’d held on to Tex a little longer, lost unexplainably a few more times…

Hard Drive Manufacturer Hires Barkley

by BudLight on May 31, 2008 9:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Well

if it does end up sucking that hard we could always pull a Cincinnati and draft a guy we have no intention of signing.

With the new rules in place we’d get the #12 pick next year, which could end up being pretty freaking sweet.

The 40 trumps all!!!

by thedirkatron on May 31, 2008 9:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

not a bad idea

We have loaded up so much the past year that if one of the top guys doesn’t fall to us we should look into that.

by bigsteve on May 31, 2008 10:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

my thoughts

unless someone falls its never a good idea to crapshoot for the next year

Every pitch thrown to Josh Hamilton is recorded as an E1. -- clark

by knockoutking on May 31, 2008 11:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I heard that

this was what the Commissioner’s Office wanted.

Or at least, draft players at their deserved their position and then if they don’t sign, get that same pick (roughly) next year. Take the power out of the hands of those “advisors” like Scott Boras.

by FirebatM3 on Jun 1, 2008 12:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Please stay away from Gerrit Cole and Aaron Crow.

Draft them in the 3rd round or later, if you must, but don’t take either at #11, please.

Cole has horrendous mechanics and is a shoulder injury waiting to happen (barring an immediate post-draft mechanical overhaul), and Crow has been terribly inconsistent against his NCAA opponents this year. It’s impossible to match his bonus demands to his performance.

Not that any of you care, but I’d be fine with Martin, Hicks, or Scheppers. A shoulder blade stress fracture is weird, but he’s got very strong and compact mechanics for someone who’s considered a very raw pitcher.

by NoNameOnCard on Jun 1, 2008 3:33 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Cole's mechanics are scary, no doubt

but it’s hard for me to see exactly what (if anything) is weird about them from the video available to me online. I’d love to see one of those slow-motion mechanical breakdown pieces on him. Perhaps I’m overrating him because I just love his pure stuff. He throws ridiculously hard, and his fastball isn’t Matt Anderson-straight either. I also don’t know about the character concerns we keep hearing about, either. Is he a hyper-competitive ass, a la Blake Beavan, or is he a roided up, puppy-punching DUI-machine, a la Kyle Drabek? I don’t know.

The 40 trumps all!!!

by thedirkatron on Jun 1, 2008 8:03 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

From the videos I've seen...

Cole throws with a stiff arm (bad elbow) and gets most of his arm action by overloading his scapula (causing all kinds of unnecessary pressure on his labrum and rotator cuff) and catapulting the ball forward. His body isn’t horrible, but his arm action needs a makeover.

He might hold up for a while (Matt Anderson), but at #11, I’d think you’d want a guy who’ll give you more than 1 good major league season no matter what that role winds up being. (Also, let’s not turn this into a debate about how many good season Matt Anderson had in the majors…)

by NoNameOnCard on Jun 1, 2008 10:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I will be very

disappointed if nobody falls and Cole is at 11 and we pass. The kid is gonna be good.

Not the only black poster on LSB.

by sprite on Jun 1, 2008 6:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Keith Law posted this today

Brett Lawrie is heavily in Cincinnati’s mix at No. 7, while Jason Castro has popped up at No. 8 to the White Sox or perhaps at No. 9 to Washington. If the Reds don’t take a college pitcher, then both Houston (Aaron Crow?) and Texas (Shooter Hunt, Christian Friedrich) will likely go in that direction, unless a top player falls to Texas due to signability concerns.

White Women!

by nikpin on Jun 1, 2008 10:40 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Huh.

Castro and Lawrie seem new to most draft projections I’ve seen, at least that high.

If a couple randoms slip into the top 10, the Rangers are going to have someone interesting available.

Bizarre, but Matusz fell a long way in Sickels’ participatory mock. He’d be an amazing coup.

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Jun 2, 2008 1:16 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i still think no way that matusz falls

to the rangers

Every pitch thrown to Josh Hamilton is recorded as an E1. -- clark

by knockoutking on Jun 2, 2008 2:15 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

nice

its good to hear from someone as plugged in to this stuff as keith law that texas will be looking to sign top talent regardless of price in the first round.

by rchawk12 on Jun 1, 2008 4:30 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

More interesting names (later in the draft)

Looking over some tournament teams, I saw a few guys that I have not seen on any “prospect” lists, but who seem to have some intriguing numbers at the collegiate level.

Ricardo Pecina LHP San Diego…great numbers on the year, low ERA and more than a K/inning
Cord Phelps 2B Stanford…surprising power numbers for a 2B, and from a great program
Jake Stewart LF Houston (RS Senior)...just knocked in the game winning run against my Ags, after a huge first game today.
Jack Rye RF FSU (Senior)...Not much power, but a .400 BA and solid plate discipline

by clark on Jun 1, 2008 10:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Hey Jamey...

Who are you hoping the Rangers get in this draft?

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Jun 2, 2008 11:55 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

+1

or atleast top 5.

by Longhorn on Jun 2, 2008 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Finally... Shooter Hunt is playing the noles tonight

I’m not going to the game, but I should be able to evaluate him a lot better from my air conditioned living room with the 40 inch HDTV. I’ll make a comment sometime after he leaves the game. Go Noles!

"that suzuki guy should go back to making cars" - My girlfriend after C.J.'s close in game 2

by tdi1985 on Jun 2, 2008 5:29 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Hunt...

he looked okay. He went 3.2 IP, 6 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K.
His command seemed off and on. He can throw really straight fastballs, and place them from time to time. He’s got a plus curve in my opinion, just based on how well he can fool batters (and convince umps for that matter), and how it breaks (pretty big break).
He sort of fell victim to some bad D tonight, and what seemed to be some miscommunication between him and the catcher, on a passed ball.

"that suzuki guy should go back to making cars" - My girlfriend after C.J.'s close in game 2

by tdi1985 on Jun 2, 2008 7:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the report

That seems to fit with the bleh feeling that some of us get from Hunt.

by Brett Perryman on Jun 2, 2008 9:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hicks

I have seen a few people mention Hicks lately, and I am starting to come around on him. Perhaps it was just a general aversion to that last name, but he will almost certainly be the most gifted athlete on the board when we draft. Hosmer is still the first choice, but the talk of a major league deal really scares me.

If Hosmer (wanting a ML deal), Hicks, and Martin are all still there at 11, I really don’t know who I would prefer. Hope our scouts get it right.

by clark on Jun 2, 2008 11:06 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Signability

Reading JD’s quotes the other day about signability made me a little nervous. Surely it must be more of a factor than he let on. I don’t want to reach for guys who will sign for slot, but I also hate drafting guys in the first five rounds who do not sign. I think the Rangers didn’t do enough homework on their 4th and 5th round picks last year, so hopefully we find guys who want to be Rangers this year.

by clark on Jun 2, 2008 11:08 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I thought he said

that signability would not be an issue unless it was the only difference between two guys they were considering? That’s what he said in this interview Sunday:

...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.

by t ball on Jun 2, 2008 11:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Huh

I don’t know what happened to the link…

http://www.star-telegram.com/284/story/674185.html

...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.

by t ball on Jun 2, 2008 11:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

T Ball

You are breaking my balls here today, but it looks like you are right. Still, I hope they have a good sense of who is willing to sign this year. I remember the kid we drafted last year was pretty clear that he wanted to go to Oregon State before the draft. Still, we had five first rounders last year, so money was going to be a little tight. Hopefully this year we can really go after guys who fall.

by clark on Jun 2, 2008 11:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Heh,

sorry, just coincidence that we’ve crossed on a couple of points.

I’ve seen two mocks in the last two days that have Hosmer falling to the Rangers. If that happens I will scream if they don’t pull the trigger, and thedirkatron will probably be on a suicide watch.

...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.

by t ball on Jun 3, 2008 10:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs