Tampa May Pass on Price (Scout.com)

[RammyFanny]

http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=304&p=2&c=644765&ssf=1&RequestedURL=http%3a%2f%2fstory.scout.com%2fa.z%3fs%3d304%26p%3d2%26c%3d644765

 

For months now, it has seemingly been a given that when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays announced their top pick in the 2007 draft it would be Vanderbilt lefty, David Price. Well, not so fast. According to reports, Tampa Bay may be headed in a different direction. Find out who may actually be the top pick come June 7th.

That's the intro, and they have a picture of Wieters right next to it. I'm not a scout.com insider, but someone told me it said that they were "talking contract" with Wieters. If anyone has an account please tell us everything it says.

 

---And of course, any chance in hell KC would pass as well?

 

/wishfull thinking

[cbbryan]

That would be a bad move, IMHO. Especially considering the Rays have the hitting, they need polished pitching.

[RichHillIsABeast]

Wow.

[tfarks]

Wow.

 

Thats my sentiment.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Here's some of the quotes from the article.

 

The Devil Rays have continually sidestepped the questions about selecting David Price number one overall for weeks now. Logic would say that they were simply keeping their options opened, but according to several sources, the reason they have not committed to Price is because they have another option in mind. Who might that option be? Matt Wieters.

 

While the Rays are keeping all options in front of them, it certainly appears now that they are leaning towards Wieters. There have even been reports that the two sides are already working on a deal.

 

"There is definitely a chance [Wieters] could be the first guy picked," explained an AL crosschecker. "He's going to be and already is a very special player and Tampa likes him a lot. He's a heck of a player. I'd say there's a real good chance that they go with him."

 

However, in all of the scenarios with Tampa choosing Weiters, the writer assumes that KC would take Price and the Cubs would take Vitters, Jarrod Parker, or Phillippe Aumont.

 

A few more tidbits from that same article...

 

It appears the recent rumors that Max Scherzer will not sign with Arizona before the May 30th deadline are purely Scott Boras propaganda. The word going around among scouts is that Scherzer and Boras are more than likely going to accept the Diamondbacks offer; however, Scherzer will continue to pitch for Fort Worth up until the deadline because of the agreement he has with the team

 

With everyone thinking about Rick Porcello, Phillippe Aumont, and Jarrod Parker, the forgotten man has been Blake Beavan. But, he has not been forgotten by the scouting community. Many are projecting him as a strong candidate as a top 10 picked. The Giants have been following him closely, as have the Diamondbacks.

 

It's becoming more and more clear that Rick Porcello could fall much further in this draft than anyone expects. For one, he is believed to have the highest price tag of any player in the draft. Also, some teams are beginning to reconsider who they believe is the top high school arm in the draft. A great percentage of teams have Canadian prep right-hander, Phillippe Aumont as the top high school arm on their draft boards and not Porcello, regardless of signability. If Porcello falls beyond the Nationals at pick six, it may be nearly impossible to get him signed.

 

I'd love for Porcello to fall to our sandwich pick, but I know that's nearly an impossibility.

[Guest]

Wow, that'd be a huge stunner. But if Price falls to 2, I can't see KC passing on him too, sadly. Haven't heard about Porcello's demands being that steep before.

[Mephistopheles]

That would be a bad move, IMHO. Especially considering the Rays have the hitting, they need polished pitching.

 

Heh, I wouldn't go that far. Personally I like the stuff and potential of Jeff Niemann over Price. Some scout-heads would take Price over Jeff because he throws with the wrong arm, but I'm not one of them. They have other elite guys like Davis. With all the recent graduations their system is probably heavier on the pitching side of the game.

 

Im not saying passing on Price is the right move, but they don't really need more pitching prospects. Niemann should be put in the class of Lincecum, Bailey and Hughes IMO.

[Guest]

And I really like McGee a lot too...easily one of the best lefthanded pitching prospects around.

[TruffleShuffle]

I'm almost hoping it goes Wieters-then-Price so that I can't be enraged when the Cubs pick Vitters.

[Guest]

I'm almost hoping it goes Wieters-then-Price so that I can't be enraged when the Cubs pick Vitters.

 

Gotta go with Porcello in that situation.

[don_kessinger_was_good]

I posted in the main thread that KC seems determined to take a bat, there is no way Wieters makes it to #3 (which is probably why the Cubs have given Vitters so much attention in the first place).

 

The incredible scenario is that if Tampa goes for Wieters first, we may actually get David Price. I can live with that outcome, honestly. :D

[RammyFanny]

I posted in the main thread that KC seems determined to take a bat, there is no way Wieters makes it to #3 (which is probably why the Cubs have given Vitters so much attention in the first place).

 

The incredible scenario is that if Tampa goes for Wieters first, we may actually get David Price. I can live with that outcome, honestly. :D

 

From everything I've heard KC wants to take a pitcher though....(Porcello most likely in the scenario Price is gone).

[The Q]

Wow. Passing on Price would be a huge mistake.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Wow. Passing on Price would be a huge mistake.

 

I agree. Tampa has hitters and could use a pitcher that might rise through the system quickly.

 

Also, as much as I like Weiters, I think Price has a much better chance of being something special.

[Soriano12]

When Hendry pulls off the "double combo"(Losing Z this offseason and not trading him for anything in return), Price be will be quite handy.

[imb]

When Hendry pulls off the "double combo"(Losing Z this offseason and not trading him for anything in return), Price be will be quite handy.

 

Actually that's just a single combo. A double would entail two combinations.

[jersey cubs fan]

When Hendry pulls off the "double combo"(Losing Z this offseason and not trading him for anything in return), Price be will be quite handy.

 

Actually that's just a single combo. A double would entail two combinations.

 

Not if you're talking fastfood, where a double combo could simply be a double cheeseburger combo meal.

[Soriano12]

When Hendry pulls off the "double combo"(Losing Z this offseason and not trading him for anything in return), Price be will be quite handy.

 

Actually that's just a single combo. A double would entail two combinations.

 

Not if you're talking fastfood, where a double combo could simply be a double cheeseburger combo meal.

 

I'll trust Jim's expertise in regards to that issue.

[Guest]

I still won't believe this until I see it. Tampa was all over Price for months now, he's clearly the best player in the draft, he doesn't have Boras as an advisor and it doesn't seem like he has absurd contract demands. Scout is the only one that has even mentioned the possibility and I don't know how great their credibility on the matter is.

 

I will hope that Price falls to 3, though.

[craig]

Price has thrown a heavy workload this spring and, obviously, is a pitcher.

 

Were the Cubs to end up with him, how likely is it that he'd still have the arm that is so attractive now by the time he won his 10th game with the Cubs? And how likely is it that his arm/stuff would still be special four years after he made his big-league Cub debut?

 

I'm not arguing that he shouldn't be the Cubs first choice, or Tampa's or KC's, for that matter.

 

Just that pitchers are, well, pitchers.

 

There's a pretty good shot that no matter how nice he looks now, once the Cubs would get their hands on him he might be good for a couple of good years before his arm is shot and he needs surgery or else needs to work with elite control because his arm will have degenerated to relatively average. We got zero effective, healthy years out of Brownlie, Blasko, hagerty, Grant Johnson, or Pawelek. We got two healthy, really effective years out of Prior in 02-03, then another couple of somewhat productive but not elite years in 04-05. We got several productive years out of Wood, but none in which he was healthy all year and super-great all year. Zambrano we got most of 5 pretty good years, in which he was pretty healthy and pretty effective (02-06).

 

There are some pitchers whose stuff is still special 4-5 years after their big-league debut. But, there are probably more whose arm falls apart before they ever make their big-league debut.

 

Price is a nice target. But, there is a reasonable chance even with him that he won't be that great for a little while, that he won't be great ever, and that if he does become great for a while, that he won't stay great for a very long while.

 

But, it may also be well worth it to draft him, in hopes that you get a couple of premium years out of him and that would be well worth it.

[TruffleShuffle]

Price has thrown a heavy workload this spring and, obviously, is a pitcher.

 

Were the Cubs to end up with him, how likely is it that he'd still have the arm that is so attractive now by the time he won his 10th game with the Cubs? And how likely is it that his arm/stuff would still be special four years after he made his big-league Cub debut?

 

I'm not arguing that he shouldn't be the Cubs first choice, or Tampa's or KC's, for that matter.

 

Just that pitchers are, well, pitchers.

 

There's a pretty good shot that no matter how nice he looks now, once the Cubs would get their hands on him he might be good for a couple of good years before his arm is shot and he needs surgery or else needs to work with elite control because his arm will have degenerated to relatively average. We got zero effective, healthy years out of Brownlie, Blasko, hagerty, Grant Johnson, or Pawelek. We got two healthy, really effective years out of Prior in 02-03, then another couple of somewhat productive but not elite years in 04-05. We got several productive years out of Wood, but none in which he was healthy all year and super-great all year. Zambrano we got most of 5 pretty good years, in which he was pretty healthy and pretty effective (02-06).

 

There are some pitchers whose stuff is still special 4-5 years after their big-league debut. But, there are probably more whose arm falls apart before they ever make their big-league debut.

 

Price is a nice target. But, there is a reasonable chance even with him that he won't be that great for a little while, that he won't be great ever, and that if he does become great for a while, that he won't stay great for a very long while.

 

But, it may also be well worth it to draft him, in hopes that you get a couple of premium years out of him and that would be well worth it.

 

 

Any very good college pitcher on a top-tier program will have a heavy workload, especially his draft-eligible year. I'm sure guys like Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson did. Price's workload wasn't unreasonable in 2005 or 2006. What's most important is that the Cubs don't let someone like Dusty Baker manage him, where his innings pitched suddenly goes from 166 to 266 in a year.