2011 MLB Draft Thread

[Outshined_One]

Why the [expletive] do people flip out over draft picks? I just read GRB and you'd think the Cardinals took a one-armed midget.

 

I hear Kolten Wong's hero is Aaron Miles, so the reaction is probably merited.

[javy knows my name]

Hey, someone tell MLBN that Gammons isn't sounding so lucid these days. Maybe he's just bad live, but he sounds awfully out of it

[Splendid Splinter]

Wow... I hate the Red Sox.

 

Matt Barnes and Blake Swihart??? I wish Cubs could pull off something like that...

Edited June 7, 2011 by Splendid Splinter

[Vinestal]

Well I guess Baez is better than an unknown Cuban. At least people knew who he was when he was drafted lol I hope he works out, the more I read the better I feel, but I hate seeing them draft high school position players.

[javy knows my name]

Well I guess Baez is better than an unknown Cuban. At least people knew who he was when he was drafted lol I hope he works out, the more I read the better I feel, but I hate seeing them draft high school position players.

 

Why is that? We don't do it very often, and by all accounts, he was the best remaining hitter as far as upside is concerned. And of course, the jury is still out on Vitters.

[Guancous]

Baez was arguably the best hitter in the draft if Rendon's injury scares you off. There will be plenty of pitching in the next 49 rounds. A lot of these college pitchers are being overvalued and the college hitters are being undervalued. A high school bat is a great pick while we wait to see how the new bats impact older draftees.

[KingCubsFan]

Well I guess Baez is better than an unknown Cuban. At least people knew who he was when he was drafted lol I hope he works out, the more I read the better I feel, but I hate seeing them draft high school position players.

 

Why is that? We don't do it very often, and by all accounts, he was the best remaining hitter as far as upside is concerned. And of course, the jury is still out on Vitters.

They have a terrible track record of developing these players, and that's largely due to the fact that a) the guys they draft have no concept of the strikezone and b) the Cubs don't teach it once they draft him. I don't know much about Baez's approach, but if he's a toolsy free swinger, it's hard to have hope for him in this organization.

[Formerly Snayke]

Why the [expletive] do people flip out over draft picks? I just read GRB and you'd think the Cardinals took a one-armed midget.

 

I hear Kolten Wong's hero is Aaron Miles, so the reaction is probably merited.

 

Maybe, but the kid should probably take a professional at-bat or two before Cardinals fans or anyone else starts writing him off. I just found a blurb about Dustin Pedroia from 2004 that says this:

 

"Pedroia, a 2004 second-round pick after a fabulous career at Arizona State, hit .357/.435/.535 for two A ball teams in his pro debut. He's short on tools (and just plain short), but the Red Sox see David Eckstein potential. Assuming that Hanley Ramirez establishes himself as the shortstop of the future, Pedroia could be Boston's second baseman by 2006 or 2007, depending on how Mark Bellhorn plays next year. He also might be trade bait."

 

And this is from Jim Callis in 2006:

 

18. Many scouts believe that Dustin Pedroia will not hit for the kind of power that he hit for in AA and in his last 300 ABs in AAA after he recovered from an injury. They compare him to David Eckstien who routinely has lower than a .100 ISOP. You yourself in a recent chat predicted that Pedroia would have a .716 OPS in 07. Why do scouts believe that Pedroia's ISOP in AA, and his last 300 ABs in AAA will not translate to the majors? Do they misunderstand the importance of his high BB/K ratio?

 

I don't think BB/K has much to do with power, necessarily. Pedroia has such good hand-eye coordination that he can swing from his heels and still make contact. But he's not a big guy and he doesn't have a lot of strength. If I said a .716 OPS, that might have been in response to a prediction for his 2007 performance--this has been a while since that chat. I like Pedroia, but I also think he's as good as he's going to get.

 

So can I get excited and think Kolten Wong is the next Dustin Pedroia?

[davearm2]

Well I guess Baez is better than an unknown Cuban. At least people knew who he was when he was drafted lol I hope he works out, the more I read the better I feel, but I hate seeing them draft high school position players.

 

Why is that? We don't do it very often, and by all accounts, he was the best remaining hitter as far as upside is concerned. And of course, the jury is still out on Vitters.

They have a terrible track record of developing these players, and that's largely due to the fact that a) the guys they draft have no concept of the strikezone and b) the Cubs don't teach it once they draft him. I don't know much about Baez's approach, but if he's a toolsy free swinger, it's hard to have hope for him in this organization.

I'd love to be able to disagree with this.

[Outshined_One]

So can I get excited and think Kolten Wong is the next Dustin Pedroia?

 

No.

[davearm2]

So can I get excited and think Kolten Wong is the next Dustin Pedroia?

Absolutely!

[pitchcs]

A lot of these late 1st round guys are total scrappers - happy with Baez at this point after seeing a lot of these bats.

[Formerly Snayke]

So can I get excited and think Kolten Wong is the next Dustin Pedroia?

 

No.

 

Darn.

 

Oh well, hopefully he invests his money wisely since his professional career is already over.

[Outshined_One]

A lot of these late 1st round guys are total scrappers - happy with Baez at this point after seeing a lot of these bats.

 

Panik's a head-scratcher. I would have liked him as a second round pick for the Cubs, but where he went in a draft like this, egh.

 

Great name, though.

[pitchcs]

Nice draft for the AL East once again

[Tryptamine]

Rays with another great value pick of Mahtook at 31.

[imb]

God, the Rays just killed the second half of this round.

[pitchcs]

Rays finally take a cheapie...Hager looks like a slightly bigger me outta HS, weak arm for a SS.

[Vinestal]

Well I guess Baez is better than an unknown Cuban. At least people knew who he was when he was drafted lol I hope he works out, the more I read the better I feel, but I hate seeing them draft high school position players.

 

Why is that? We don't do it very often, and by all accounts, he was the best remaining hitter as far as upside is concerned. And of course, the jury is still out on Vitters.

They have a terrible track record of developing these players, and that's largely due to the fact that a) the guys they draft have no concept of the strikezone and b) the Cubs don't teach it once they draft him. I don't know much about Baez's approach, but if he's a toolsy free swinger, it's hard to have hope for him in this organization.

 

Yeah, that pretty much sums up my feelings.

[shnsajax]

So are there any medical reports out there on Matt Purke's arm?

[Guest]

God, the Rays just killed the second half of this round.

 

Well they had to make them count, they only have 7 of the next 25 picks.

 

I just started The Extra 2%, but I think if I keep reading it's going to depress me.

[RammyFanny]

Alright, so what's the latest on Purke's velo? I know he has high demands, but for falling this far, I was expecting to see some crappy numbers. But he's still been dominant.

[shnsajax]

Alright, so what's the latest on Purke's velo? I know he has high demands, but for falling this far, I was expecting to see some crappy numbers. But he's still been dominant.

 

I think its more so the timing of the injury and the money demands. How much is Baez going to cost?

[StarlinOnYou]

Alright, so what's the latest on Purke's velo? I know he has high demands, but for falling this far, I was expecting to see some crappy numbers. But he's still been dominant.

 

I think its more so the timing of the injury and the money demands. How much is Baez going to cost?

 

Baez is committed to a JUCO - I can't see him not signing, but who knows what the price will be.

 

I wonder with how quickly Cashner has advanced and the TCU connection might help.

 

I'd love Purke at #68. I mean, a bat like Baez w/ his upside, and Purke in the second round. Can't ask for much more than that.

 

He missed out on what? $10M from Texas a few years ago. It's going to be hard to see him taking a ton less than that even with his injury concerns all things considered.

[Splendid Splinter]

Alright, so what's the latest on Purke's velo? I know he has high demands, but for falling this far, I was expecting to see some crappy numbers. But he's still been dominant.

 

I think its more so the timing of the injury and the money demands. How much is Baez going to cost?

 

Baez is committed to a JUCO - I can't see him not signing, but who knows what the price will be.

 

I wonder with how quickly Cashner has advanced and the TCU connection might help.

 

I'd love Purke at #68. I mean, a bat like Baez w/ his upside, and Purke in the second round. Can't ask for much more than that.

 

He missed out on what? $10M from Texas a few years ago. It's going to be hard to see him taking a ton less than that even with his injury concerns all things considered.

 

Purke accepted a deal for $6M with the Rangers, but MLB didn't accept that cuz Rangers were bankrupt and came back with an offer of $4M... Purke went to TCU instead. I've heard something like $7.5M now for Purke, but all of these guys are asking INSANE amount of money anyway so it's not surprising.