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Post Draft Decompression

Use this thread to praise/condemn the various drafts.

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Yankees
hated their draft. At every pick there was someone available I liked a lot better, I hope they grab one of the impossible signs (Danieli, Peavey, McGeary) to make up for it

by Kanst42 on Jun 7, 2007 9:10 PM EDT   0 recs

Mets
Dissapointed in their draft as well. Pitchers the first five picks-but they got older players at first, catcher, and second. With Pelfrey, Mulvey, Guerra, Humber, Niese, and others, the Mets took five pitchers to start off the draft.
http://sheafaithful.blogspot.com/ aamzing baseball blog

by Ludacrispat26 on Jun 7, 2007 9:15 PM EDT   0 recs

you win with pitching.
i like the kunz and the rustich picks.  the rest, i'm not too worried about.

but that's speaking as a phillies phan.  

by overlord on Jun 7, 2007 9:18 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I dislike the Mets draft
But for different reasons.  The strength of this draft was pitching and that is why the Mets focused there.  I have no problems with that, but college relievers who do not project as starters?  Starters can be turned into relievers, not the other way around

by mtk52983 on Jun 7, 2007 9:21 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

billy wagner, 4 years, 42 million
when you're spending that kind of money on one reliever, plus 12+ million on each of carlos delgado, pedro martinez, and carlos beltran, not to mention the escalating salaries for david wright and jose reyes, you have to be able to develop some reliable players at other positions.  

it's a lot safer to draft a college closer that projects to the bullpen, than a high schooler that you're going to turn into a reliever.

and if you think that going after a college starter, then turn him into a reliever, is an idea that is more likely to produce a useful part, i'm not sure where i would come down on that, except to say that the arms of most high level college starters have been abused fairly badly, and a quick move to the bullpen might result in more serious arm injuries than occur normally.  

by overlord on Jun 7, 2007 9:29 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Agreed
The BP guy has it right. The Mets had a disasterous draft. They have the money, they have a thin farm system with a lot of talent up top and they could have used this draft to restock it. I generally trust Minaya, but I really don't understant his approach here at all.

by andwoo on Jun 7, 2007 9:58 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

phillies:
i'm moderately worried that the mets and braves, who have two of the best bullpens in the NL, both took a pair of highly regarded college closers in the first 5 rounds, while the phillies, who have an absolutely horrid bullpen situation that warranted bringing in jose mesa for a tryout, didn't really do a single thing to sure up the bullpen.

i understand the savery pick, and i don't much mind it, and taylor and spencer, the two behemouth college outfielders, fill an organizational need for power hitters, which is nice.  i don't think either are real prospects, however.  mattair, i'm not too high on, but i understand taking him if they can sign him.

but the other three are projects at best, flunkeys at worst.  tyler mach has no upside whatsoever for the phillies.  even if he can hit .320 in the minors, he offers no versatility, and he is not surplanting utley, howard, cardenas, donald, or henry.  just kidding on that last one.  seriously though, even if utley is kicked to the curb, and adrian cardenas and jason donald flop, does anyone have any confidence that mach profiles as being better than the two drafted last year?

workman?  fine, he has a large projectable body, but he's 4 years away at best.  d'arnaud at 37?  yeah, he probobly wouldn't have lasted until 83, but to be honest, what upside does he have?  i mean really, he hasn't hit for average, he isn;t likely to hit for power, and his speed will diminish as soon as he gets to full season ball.  i sincerely hope that they aren't drafting a catcher with the 37th pick because he profiles as a strong defensive catcher.

i've been talking about cory gearrin for a few weeks, and it really pains me to see him drafted by the braves with their 4th round pick.  he could have stepped into the phillies bullpen almost immedietly, just because of how deceptive his pitching motion is, but now he'll go to atlanta, and at some point in the next 7 seasons, he'll probobly help quash the phillies hopes of a playoff berth.

by overlord on Jun 7, 2007 9:16 PM EDT   0 recs

re: phillies
i share your sentiments completely overlord.  this bullpen is absolutely horrid and it pains me to think mesa is a consideration at this stage in the game.

as a phils fan though, this is what i have come to expect.  i'll cross my fingers and hope for the best.

by Illadelph on Jun 7, 2007 9:49 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

JOE TABLE!
C'mon guys, Joe was the best! I can't wait to see him post up 40 saves again for us. Go Gillick Go!

by mroak89 on Jun 10, 2007 12:09 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Tigers
only really saw two teams, tigers and the yankees, with the highest chances to sign porcello and i gotta believe detroit has a good shot at signing him w/their recent history of tough signability draft picks.

how sick could a potential rotation of bonderman, verlander, miller, and porcello be down the road?

by BlackSox on Jun 7, 2007 9:17 PM EDT   0 recs

Crosby
They also had a nice pick in the 5th with Crosby. Wonder if they can sign him too? I can't see them taking a guy that high without at least the intent to throw some bucks at him.

by CW on Jun 7, 2007 9:40 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

and Casey Crosby
Tigers picked up some expensive, talented pitchers.  If they sign Porcello and Crosby it's a great haul.

by asinwreck on Jun 7, 2007 9:40 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Crosby
Tigers apparently have tentatively agreed to a deal with Crosby with at $700k bonus. Pretty rich for a 5th rounder, but actually not as much as I thought he was demanding.

by CW on Jun 8, 2007 9:19 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Cardinals
1st time poster, long time reader.

In a draft supposedly void of College RHP's the Cards felt it necessary to take every college RHP not tied down.

A boring, unimaginative draft that saw them pass on much higher talent to take cheaper slot players.

Day 2 better be special or this is heading for a repeat of the 2004 draft for the Redbirds

by Picklefork on Jun 7, 2007 9:23 PM EDT   0 recs

Signability
With the new rules prohibiting DFE's it is obvious that teams concentrated MORE on signability than I have ever seen before, especially early rounds.  Most Boras clients just fell like a cement block

by mtk52983 on Jun 7, 2007 9:24 PM EDT   0 recs

Pirates
Once again, their draft is pretty poor looking at best. Their first pick, if he pans out, will be a 3-4 starter, maybe, if not, then he'll be yet another seemingly interchangable part of the bullpen.

Although i am not familiar with their 2nd round pick, Welker, who is a RHP out of Arkansas. scouting reports I have read on him seem to think his ceiling is a 5th starter.

The third round brought yet another small, "scrappy", infielder in the form of Brian Friday, a shortstop out of Rice. While it seems like he can certainly field his position well enough to stay at short in the pros, he has little pop and seemingly average plate disipline at best.

Their 4th round was Frederick Latimore, and while I didn't know him before today, but after watching mlb.com's scouting video I came away fairly impressed. The batting practice portion of his video was extremly impressive, as he showed great bat speed and an overall good looking swing.

Their 5th round pick was Walker, a catcher out of TCU. I know nothing about him but apparently he is a solid field and maybe hit catcher.

All in all, the first 5 round of the 2007 mlb draft has been yet another disappointment for this Pirates fan. Dave Littlefield stated before the draft that "money would be no object". He had his chance to prove this to all of the fans once and for all by taking Wieters with the 4th pick. Instead he went the cheaper, and much less talented route.

Most of the other picks also appear to be stadard Pirate picks from the Littlefield "era". College players who have little to no upside. They are what they are, and that appears to be AAA players or Maajor League backups.  

by baseballgg24 on Jun 7, 2007 9:26 PM EDT   0 recs

Welker
I think he's as high risk/high reward as a college righty can get.  In his last start of the season, he threw several fastballs that were 95+.  That said, since he was a JUCO guy he only pitched in college for one season and he still has a lot of developing to do.  I think his ceiling is certainly higher than a 5, but I think he's got a decent chance to flame out as well.
Phillip Hughes turning into Barbaro? Odds are that Hughes will probably be put to sleep within the next year. --Bravesin08

by Dfarth on Jun 7, 2007 10:06 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

nonsense
Just because he is a JUCO transfer doesn't mean he "only pitched one year in college" and needs more time to develop
He pitched 2 years at JUCO and one in Fayetteville.  
Hundreds of high draft pick pitchers do that.  Pitching in JUCO ball, esp in a state like Oklahoma, does not impede your pitching development one bit.

I'd bet at least one in 5 American (and Canadian) pitchers in the majors today pitched JUCO at some point

by nms on Jun 7, 2007 10:45 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Actions speak louder than words
The organization needs power bats; they keep harping on the need for power every offseason. But they never go after any in the draft, and this year they had plenty of chances to do so. If not Wieters in the first (I can understand not wanting to commit there), why not Heyward? Or Dominguez, even?

Welker could be great, he could be a bust, or anywhere in between. Great fastball, marginal secondary pitches, marginal command of his arsenal. Again, there was some power potential available: Desme, Mattair, Freeman. Also Davis - although there again you'd have to deal with Boras.

Friday, as I've said before, is Jack Wilson all over again: slick glove, little pop. This pick smacks of the possibility of turning into Taber Lee. Lucroy was available, as was Nefi Soto.

Lattimore doesn't profile as being able to stay in CF, and his bat isn't likely to play very well in a corner. Walker's a solidly above-average catcher, but WYSIWYG with him. There are several pitchers not much worse than Moskos who could have been taken there, if you really felt you needed a late-inning reliever, at much less cost to the team.

Mike Emeigh http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/minor_key/

by MikeE on Jun 8, 2007 10:37 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Twins
I have no clue what their intentions were for the first five rounds.
Sickels for President.

by StatFreakNYM on Jun 7, 2007 9:33 PM EDT   0 recs

Twins=Smal ball
Three fast slap hitters who weigh 480 pounds between them, a stump of a catcher and a pitcher, all of whom came out of high school and four of them out of private school. That seems to be taking things to extremes.

I'm with you, it makes no sense to draft for small ball when none of these players will play in a big park.

cmathewson

by cmathewson on Jun 7, 2007 11:48 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Rams is okay
But overall is was a big WTF?! first day.  I hope the entire community, including me, gets proven wrong by Ben Revere (not a 1st round value), but to follow up with Morales in the 3rd round makes little sense.  Williams might be okay if he fills out more and shortens his very long swing.

The Twins past on too many players who were better and fit organizational needs for my liking.

by Jaerbesan on Jun 8, 2007 10:33 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Braves!!!
What a draft! Heyward drops to 14, one of the top hitters in the draft and a Georgia product (Was invited and showed up to tonight's game at Turner field. Good pic of him in dugout with Renteria on Braves site) and then a nice bat with Gilmore and a power arm and Georgia product with Joshua Fields, both in the second. My favorite pick was Freddie Freeman. Perfect Game rated him a 10 and ranked him as the 7th best high school hitter, seeing him as a middle of the order hitter in the future. I didn't really like Hicks because of limited upside but Gearrer in the fifth was a nice pickup as he has average stuff but seems to hide it incredibly well. Great Draft!
Check out MVN.com/mlb-braves for the best Braves coverage

by was385 on Jun 7, 2007 9:34 PM EDT   0 recs

Braves
One of, if not THE best draft so far.

Absolutely love the position players they drafted.

Rays in '08.... Free Andy Sonnanstine.

by youALREADYknow on Jun 7, 2007 9:40 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

love what the braves did
Heyward, Gilmore, Fields, and Freeman are guys that sounded really good. Very rich in tools with a good chance of reaching their upside.

by parrot11 on Jun 7, 2007 9:54 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Yankees
Seemed to revert to form after an impressive job last year.

I like their first round pick but it was all head scratchers after that.

by emac2 on Jun 7, 2007 9:34 PM EDT   0 recs

I like the Yankee picks, actually
Romine was one of the best catching prospects in the draft, and Posada isn't getting any younger. Pope has done nothing but get better over the last three years, after being ignored out of HS. Suttle's a great value pick in the 4th; some guys saw him as supplemental-round material. Olbrychowski is a one-pitch pitcher right now, so the Yankees will have some work to do with him, but the one pitch is excellent, and in the fifth round you're not going to get three-pitch studs, normally.
Mike Emeigh http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/minor_key/

by MikeE on Jun 8, 2007 10:41 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Marlins
Not very happy with Dominguez, but I liked their other picks.

In particular, I think Heyward should've been taken at #13.

by ISC on Jun 7, 2007 9:37 PM EDT   0 recs

Dominguez vs Heyward
Matter of taste there. Dominguez isn't a bad choice; it lets them move Cabrera back to the OF if they need to (and if he's still around by the time Dominguez is ready) and this organization needs power bats of all stripes.
Mike Emeigh http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/minor_key/

by MikeE on Jun 8, 2007 10:42 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Rangers
i must say i did a good job with the raners mock draft.

Beaven, Borbon and matt west all got picked by them.

lets go oakland

by robb on Jun 7, 2007 9:37 PM EDT   0 recs

Texas made out like bandits
What a haul! Beavan (among my favourite prospect), Main, and Evan Reed have very nice upside. Borbon, Ramirez, and Nash are good picks too. Looks like they're going to spent alot in this draft.

by parrot11 on Jun 7, 2007 9:59 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Can somebody please tell me
Why is Borbon so highly regarded? I see a Freddie Guzman clone who is deathly allergic to walking. How can this guy be worth a supplemental pick?

Regardless, I love Beavan and Main, and I like Ramirez and Nash. However I absolutely can't stand Borbon and Hunter...

I'm indifferent towards Evan Reed, I just don't see why they'd draft a RP when the only thing they have decent in the majors is their bullpen. Plus, West I'm a bit negative toward too, I just see him as a utility player.

I was ecstatic early in the draft, but my enthusiasm just dwindled as it went on though.

by TRanger on Jun 7, 2007 10:38 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

question
have you actually seen him play or are you just spouting that because hes fast and Dominican?

Honestly, it seems sometimes as if people would rather their picks LACK tools.

I dont love him or anything but Borbon that low is a relative bargain

by nms on Jun 7, 2007 10:47 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Borbon
He's a future leadoff hitter who in college got 11 walks in 85 SEC games. Unless he can have a batting average like Ichiro that doesn't bode well for his future.

Tools are great but from what I've heard (and seen on video) he doesn't have any power nor does he have a strong arm so he isn't even amazingly toolsy. Sure he's fast, and a good fielder but that's really all I see. I know he's projected to hit for a decent batting average, but in college he didn't hit for a good batting average except when he played the weaker teams outside of his conference. Now I know scouts love him, but I just don't see why everyone thinks he's such a great pick here.

...and why in the world did you randomly bring up the race card?

by TRanger on Jun 7, 2007 11:21 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

John
I'd love to see like draft grades on the first couple rounds and see what you think of the job they all did.
Check out MVN.com/mlb-braves for the best Braves coverage

by was385 on Jun 7, 2007 9:38 PM EDT   0 recs

Couple of thoughts
I'm no expert on the draft, but I thought the Nats did alright getting Detweiler, Smoker, and Burgess with their first three picks.  The Tigers added another excellent arm in Porcello, just an excellent pick.  I liked Beau Mills to the Indians and Jarrod Parker to the D-Backs.  Arizona is building some pitching depth to go with all of that hitting.  Matt Dominguez seems like the eventual successor to M-Cab at 3B, that was a nice pick.  
"Aw, how could he (Jorge Orta) lose the ball in the sun, he's from Mexico."-Harry Caray

by gatling on Jun 7, 2007 9:41 PM EDT   0 recs

+1
Really liked their draft too. Farm system devoid of pitching and they add two high upside arms in detwiler and smoker as well as a big bat in burgess
Check out MVN.com/mlb-braves for the best Braves coverage

by was385 on Jun 7, 2007 9:46 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Love the what the Nats did too
Detwiler, Smoker, and Burgess are very good picks

by parrot11 on Jun 7, 2007 10:01 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Rockies
I am afraid to look at what else they did after the Casey Weathers pick at #8.  This is a horrible pick, it makes no sense to take a relief guy this high.  This is two years in a row where they have blown a great draft spot.  

by MHD on Jun 7, 2007 9:47 PM EDT   0 recs

What
if Weathers turns into a Huston Street type(getting to the big leagues quickly)and deals at the major league level.  I don't see how that is a bad thing.  A great pick.

by melt12 on Jun 8, 2007 1:46 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

If he does....then what
The Rockies do not need to be drafting relievers early in the draft.  They are in no way going to be contending for the NL West or wild card in the next two years.  Even if develops into Houston Street or Chad Cordero, what help does that really provide?  There were several quality starting pitchers available at that point in the draft, including Jarrod Parker who went to the Diamondbacks with 9th pick.  

The Rockies seem to refuse to draft high school talent any more.  They seemed to change their philosophy every two years on what kind of route they want to take with this team, whether it be speed, power, in the draft, with free agents.. etc.  This team needs new management and ownership.  

by MHD on Jun 8, 2007 3:37 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Has anybody Drafted
Victor Sanchez? If not, I would love for the yankees to prounce on him.

by NYYLover1000 on Jun 7, 2007 9:52 PM EDT   0 recs

Yankees
Don't worry about the Yankees this year. Next year they will pick in the TOP of the 1st round, between 10 and 15. ;)

by LCT on Jun 7, 2007 10:31 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Not yet
Mike Emeigh http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/minor_key/

by MikeE on Jun 8, 2007 10:43 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Went in the 25th round
to the Cubs. If they can sign him, it's a great pick.
Mike Emeigh http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/minor_key/

by MikeE on Jun 8, 2007 6:09 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Who
is he?  I have no clue.  Mahalo

Matt

I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.

by WayneCampbell05 on Jun 8, 2007 6:50 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Royals
Hmm.  Moustakas was a surprise for me, but the Royals seem convinced he can stay at shortstop.  If they're correct, that's a hell of a good pick, as his bat would be awesome for the position.

Runion was a fine pick, though I'm disappointed that they didn't go for Harvey or someone like that.  I was pretty surprised at how far Harvey slid.  Daniel Duffy?  Eh.  A little puzzling for the third round, but the Royals have a habit of taking head scratchers in the 3rd.

I can't find anything on Peter Hodge Nielsen, but I love the name of his school...

Adrian Ortiz sounds like a project, but he's got good speed.

All in all, I'd say it was an alright draft.  Not blown away by anything they did, unless they really think Moustakas can be a shortstop...

by ajohnst1 on Jun 7, 2007 9:52 PM EDT   0 recs

Jays
Steal: J.Jackson(#45)
Decent pickup: K.Ahrens(#16)
Good: E.Eiland(#88),J.Tolisano(#85)
So-So: B.Cecil(#38)
Worse: T.Magnuson(#56),M.Rzepczynski(#175)
WORST: J.P.Arencibia(#21)
Arencibia is waste of pick, we should pick High-ceiling HS Pitchers. JP showed he's still allegic to HS pitchers. pick Arencibia over Alderson,Porcello?? That was real diappointing pick. picking HS hitters was good stretegy but they picked too much future-relievers and college guys. I hope we pick Tanner Robles at #205 , Kentrail Davis at #235. another HS high-ceiling guys are also welcome.

by moffydream on Jun 7, 2007 9:55 PM EDT   0 recs

Jays did OK, but could have done better
I like Ahrens, Jackson, Eiland, and Tolisano. Arencibia is OK,not great. I would have preferred Main or Poreda.
The Cecil pick I really don't get (sounds like a LOOGY). He only projects as a reliever and doesn't throw hard and has control problems. So why take the guy?
JP might as well have thrown his pick of Magnuson and Rzepczynski away because they don't project like being much of anything. I hope those 2 don't sign with us, so we can recoup those picks next year.
Don't know enough about Farina and Mills to make a judgement.

by parrot11 on Jun 7, 2007 10:13 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

ok?
the jays had an awesome draft in my opinion.

by god allah star on Jun 7, 2007 11:02 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

21
I'm pretty happy aside from the #21 pick.  Eiland and JJackson look like they could both be steals.  I'm excited.
Rios is the next Juan Gonzales, thats right, I said it.

by KaoticKlown on Jun 8, 2007 2:10 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Royals
  1. Mike Moustakas- I love this pick. He's got lighttower power, can hit for average, great character, and it sounds like he is going to be a SS, which is great.  Also, BA is reporting that he is already signed.
  2. Sam Runion- I liked this pick, but I would've of gone with someone else.  He has a big frame and throws strikes, and hopefully he can develop his stuff.
  3. Danny Duffy- I love this pick.  He's a lefty with a good frame, and good stuff who knows how to attack the strike zone.
  4. Peter Hodge Nielsen- Probably a signibility pick, but I have no idea who this kid is.  All I know is that he is a 6'3" RHP from British Columbia.  The only thing I could find on him is a site created by himself and his family.  If anyone could fill me in on this guy, that would be great.
  5. Adrian Ortiz- I'm kinda indifferent on this pick.  He's is FAST, but I am worried about his ability to hit.  He's great defensively, but his success will be dependent on his hitting production.

by adschofield on Jun 7, 2007 9:56 PM EDT   0 recs

+1
I like what we have done so far.

I don't know about Ortiz, but if Ladnier and Co. think he can hit enough, than it's a good pick. I'll wait and see how he does in Idaho Falls before making judgement.

by doublestix on Jun 7, 2007 10:25 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Royals
Moustakas It's impossible to dismiss the all-time California HS single-season and career HR recordholder's power.  He's clearly got the ability to hit it out, but how often?  I heard most analysts follow "light tower power" with a projection of 25-30 HR (halogen lightbulb power) per year rather than 35-40+ (which would still fall short of league-leading power).

I also heard a lot of speculation about his ability to play SS or 3B (or even catcher?), but I don't think that matters when drafting a prospect out of HS.  If he can't play SS in KC and the Royals end up with too many 3B or 1B, it's a good problem to have.  Maybe Alex Gordon will be a better OF anyway (as was speculated when he was drafted) -- it's certainly been a great move for Mark Teahen.

The real questions about this pick are whether Moustakas was equally worthy or more worthy of the #2 pick and whether the Royals (or any club) can truly get decent value for their money playing the signability game with a top five pick.  Since they're stuck paying millions of dollars (probably around $4M+) for their top pick regardless, so why not try to select the 2nd-best player?  We won't know whether Wieters (a college catcher who will be ready much earlier), Vitters (another HS infielder with arguably better contact skills despite being 8 months younger), Porcello, Detwiler, or any number of available talents on the board will have been better than Moustakas for 5+ years.  

I'm much more excited about Moustakas than I was at this time last year when the Royals pulled a signability stunt with Luke Hochevar.  It's too early to definitively say that they made a mistake taking Hochevar first overall, but several members of last year's draft class have passed him on prospect lists, and rightfully so far.  Maybe David Glass will rollback ticket prices if Hochevar stinks next year (doubtful), but I'd rather see the club try to select the best player with every pick.  I think it's much easier to forgive a well-intentioned bust than to get excited about a slightly-above-average (and slightly or grossly overpaid) player on a small-market payroll.

It's hard enough to pick the right guy anyway, let alone when the club isn't necessarily aiming for The BEST available talent.  The only thing worse than a first-round signability buzzkill is to watch the Royals seem to be playing the signability game the wrong way.  They've paid #1 and #2 money for two consecutive Boras clients and probably created bargains on better players for rival teams in the process.

Runion  Maybe the club prefers control pitchers who throw 2-3 pitches in the lower 90's now, or maybe they missed out on a power lefty they hoped would fall to them here.  I don't mean that in a critical sense because I have no idea whether any particular pick is great or just right or a reach or whatever, jus' sayin' Runion seems to fit a different mold than some of the conventional wisdom out there.  It probably is a good thing.

Ortiz  Personally, I LOVE the Royals' apparent strategy to spend ONE pick to draft the fastest guy available in round 4 or 5 (like Derrick Robinson in round 4 last year).  Teams used to spend higher picks on this sort of player, so it's still a good value pick for the Royals.  Even if it only works 20% of the time, it would be great to develop a burner into a serviceable major leaguer once every five years or so.  Some draft picks are inevitably going to be projects anyway.  I'd like to see the Royals use their 25th roster spot on a pinch-runner/basestealer type.  They're already good enough to play a bunch of close games, so why not try to get that last run home more often?  Again, I understand and like the thinking behind the strategy more than I care whether Ortiz or Robinson are particularly successful.

by Stat Ninja on Jun 10, 2007 1:42 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Phillies
The good...

Savery
Mattair
Workman

The okay

d'Araund
Taylor

The bad

Spencer

The ugly

Mach

by phuturephillies on Jun 7, 2007 10:03 PM EDT   0 recs

A's
James Simmons: typical A's pick, fast track SP. best control in draft. They wanted Poreda, but he went a pick earlier. cant fault the pick since he was projected to go in the 20 range

Sean Doolittle: a "safe" pick. excellect hitting skills and very athletic 2 way player. issue is power. is this another daric barton type?

Corey Brown: steal. possible 5 tool CF and one of the few high upside college players in the draft. BP: "But at 59, his bonus will be a fraction of what Drew Stubbs got at near the same talent level."

Greg Desme: another 5 tool OF type. couldve gone higher but had an injured wrist.

Josh Horton: UNC SS, kind of a qustionable pick. but BA ranked him higher than where he was picked so i guess solid value

Demel and Carignan could both be fastracked relievers. Carignan was more stats based pick based off his great season as the UNC closer

Travis Banwart: similar type pitcher to Simmons. solid mid rotation SP upside, fastracked

solid B overall, wish they would've took more high upside pitchers, but they did that the past couple yrs and it hasn't gona as planned

by rayver723 on Jun 7, 2007 10:12 PM EDT   0 recs

re
I really like what the A's did.  I think the pendulum on high school/college may have swung back enough that the A's could do what they do best, and get players who are safe, good, and will be ready quickly.

I do wish they had taken a chance on Russell.  There is nobody in the system with that kind of power bat, except possibly Robnett, and maybe Russell would have the same problems as RR, but they got so many safe guys, it would have been nice to get a higher ceiling power guy with a genuine track record.  I guess no team liked him in the end though, so what do I know.

by bootsy on Jun 7, 2007 11:53 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

re
I should note, I am slightly concerned that Desme's favorite book is Derek Jeter's autobigraphy.  wtf?

by bootsy on Jun 8, 2007 12:04 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Russell
I don't think it was totally a case of teams not liking Russell. But he's a draft eligible sophomore. Historically those player have a little more leverage and seek above slot bonuses. It may take 1+ million to sign Russell. Even if he does flaws in his game right now I think taking a chance on that sort of power is worth a million. As it stands I think the Nats are going to have to buy Jake Smolinski away from Clemson. I would have preferred to direct those funds plus a little more towards Russell.
sig: Karim Garcia posted dominant AAA stats at 19. So can we stop acting like ARL trumps all in every discussion...

by natsfan2005 on Jun 8, 2007 12:12 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

A's
the A's show their true colors in the first round--simmons is the quintessential oakland pick. then again, i guess they could have had poreda if he had slipped just one more spot. i would have been happier with that.

i really like some of the guys they nabbed later. doolittle isn't daric barton (who is only one year older but already in his second tour of duty at AAA), but he is much more athletic and has a better glove. who knows if he will develop power, but this rates to be another low-upside pick.

the guy i'm really, really happy about is corey brown. then again, i felt the exact same way about the richie robnett pick (oops!) back in 2004, and they had pretty similar college profiles. still, the system is in desperate need of some athleticism, and brown is definitely good value at 59.

i don't know a lot about the lower guys, but then again, it's not particularly likely that anybody picked outside of the top 60 or so will turn into anything useful.

by jpahk on Jun 8, 2007 11:45 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Rays
Not a huge fan of the draft.  Price was my top choice for the #1 pick, and I can understand the need to keep costs down after that, but I really feel like they went with a very low-upside route, and picked a lot of pitchers with injury histories.    The second round pick just dumbfounds me still.

From afar, it seemed to me like the Tigers, the Royals and the Blue Jays all had pretty good drafts.

Vice-Chairman of the Sonnanstine Underground Railroad

by Brickhaus on Jun 7, 2007 10:15 PM EDT   0 recs

And somehow
I missed the Nats
Vice-Chairman of the Sonnanstine Underground Railroad

by Brickhaus on Jun 7, 2007 10:17 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Addendum*
*Draft day is the only day I miss Chuck Lamar.
Vice-Chairman of the Sonnanstine Underground Railroad

by Brickhaus on Jun 7, 2007 10:17 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

And Vince
he never had an issue handing out a big bonus.  

by Tyler on Jun 7, 2007 11:02 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

First Impression Ramblings
Starting with the Giants first pick, I am disappointed. Dont get me wrong, I like Bumgarner. I like that he has size and can hurl the fastball at 95 as a lefty. He has at least an average change right now. Even though his breaking pitches are not so good right now, I have hope with his athleticism that they can develop.

Its just that with other guys like Beau Mills, Jason Heyward, and Porcello available, I would rather have gone after them then Madison.
I just think that Madison has a higher risk factor and will take longer to fully reach his development. We may have to wait 3 or more years before he reaches the majors, and I dont think his impact would be much greater than the other three I mentioned. Plus, given the current state of the big league team and the minor leagues, the Giants REALLY could have used a bat. I am just hoping that the Giants went BPA and really believe that Bumgarner is better than Mills and Heyward at least.

And from what I can tell, the Giants essentially had 3 draft picks that they actually really cared about.  They then proceeded to punt away their next picks. I am not saying that those other guys that they draft will not make the major leagues, but they were bigtime signability picks. The Giants very easily could have signed that Oklahoma catcher Jackson Williams in the 5th round if they really liked him so much. In the 5th round, I would have loved if they had drafted Willie Middlebrooks, for example. Even Nick Noonan (I think) is going to be a hard pick for us to sign. He is committed to Clemson and is excited about that apparently. I would have rather just drafted Todd Frazier out of Rutgers (who was taken 2 picks later).

I just wish the Giants would admit that they had a limited budget and were not going to spend a whole lot after their first three picks.

If I were the Giants front office, instead of spending money on old guys like Mark Sweeney, I would used that money to actually utilize all of our top six draft picks. After we drafted, Wendell Fairley, the Giants still could have gone on to gain more impact talent, but I dont know if this will happen now.

There were so many guys I would have undoubtedly preffered to Jackson Williams!!! We could have had Porcello, Harvey, and many others. Why Sabes?? Why do you pony up money for old vets but you cant pony up money for young talent.

Giants '08

by z4 landshark on Jun 7, 2007 10:34 PM EDT   0 recs

Giants Draft
Just a stupifyingly horrible draft.  What a waste!  

We need hitters.  Good hitters were available.  No way is Bumgarner a better talent than Mills, Heyward or Dominguez.

Fairley may be a prospect, but he's the hitter we got from this draft?  OMG!  Now, Mills/Alderson/Fairley would be a pretty good draft.  Not great, but good.  Without Mills to balance out Fairley it stinks.

 Those last two picks in the supplemental round pretty much stunk it up too.

Just unbelievably disappointing.

by DrBGiantsfan on Jun 8, 2007 1:35 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

was there any chance
that Bumgarner would slide to the Giants second pick of the round? I recall several projections that had him going near the end of the round, but a lot of them weren't ever really close.

by wildthang on Jun 8, 2007 2:41 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

sabean
well, his MO has always been to draft pitching and more pitching and then trade young arms for whatever other holes he needs to fill on the big-league squad. this is nothing new, at all. what hitters have they developed in the last decade? feliz? benard? aurilia? i guess aurilia is actually older than that. it's a grim list.

by jpahk on Jun 8, 2007 11:38 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Aurilia's also....
...from the Rangers system.

by bleedjaxblue on Jun 13, 2007 10:09 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Yankees
was shocked with some of their moves, but a decent draft nonethless. Brackman is a high risk high reward player, who if didnt run into the injury bug would have been a conseous top 10 pick. Good pick, with good upside, but was hoping Porcello would fall. Romine was a bit of a surprise pick, but a solid pick who is hated upon because he wasn't a big name like Harvey. Supposed to have good hitting skills and a plus plus throwing arm, so it would be good to have someone in the minors to groom for later. Pope is another pick not many people liked, i really don't know much about so I think the Yanks just went safe on this pick. Suttle looks to be like nothing more then a roster filler, someone that could be a backup at best or possibly a career minor leaguer. Olbrychowski is another safe RHP who the Yankee pitching gurus will try and mold into valuable commodities.

by T for Jose Tabatha on Jun 7, 2007 10:52 PM EDT   0 recs

I like the catcher.
Seem to have a bright future and his ceiling seems relatively high. I thought the other picks were too conservative but I guess they went conservative to save money to guys like Sanchez, robles, or Carpenter. (hopefully) So far the yankee draft is ok.

by NYYLover1000 on Jun 7, 2007 11:15 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I agree
They better be saving money for late round picks because if not this was a mediocre at best draft. Evan Danieli, Yasmani Grandal, Greg Peavey, and Lyle Allen would all me nice picks later in this draft

by Kanst42 on Jun 8, 2007 12:19 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Diamondbacks
I love what they have done.

by AZDBACKS on Jun 7, 2007 11:06 PM EDT   0 recs