2013 Draft Discussion

[davell]

I'm going to be perfectly happy with either of Appel or Gray.

[Guest]

Austin Wilson returned from injury last night. Sean Manaea hopes to start Sunday.

 

Aaron Fitt[/url]"]LOS ANGELES—Mark Appel didn’t have his best stuff Friday at Southern California. But what he did have was pretty darn good.

 

The No. 1 prospect in college baseball was efficient, falling one out shy of his fourth complete game of the year and leading Stanford to a 4-2 win at Southern California. Appel conserved his energy by pitching to contact in the later innings, throwing back-to-back six-pitch innings in the seventh and eighth. He finished with seven strikeouts and just one walk, allowing two earned runs on seven hits over 8 2/3 innings.

 

“He didn’t have his good stuff tonight, but he battled,” Stanford coach Mark Marquess said. “It was probably one of his better games, considering the circumstances—we left a lot of guys on base and couldn’t get anything for him. He only threw 108 pitches, so he did a good job.”

 

Marquess said Appel’s slider wasn’t as sharp as it normally is, but the 85-88 slider still served as his putaway pitch on five of his seven strikeouts. His fastball sat at 95-97 and bumped 98 during the first three innings before settling in at 92-94 and touching 95-96 in the second half of the game. He also mixed in his 81-84 mph changeup effectively, even against a USC lineup that featured eight righthanded hitters.

 

“I think Coach is right in that it definitely wasn’t my best stuff,” said Appel, a senior righthander. “In the course of the season, you’re going to have a bunch of games where you have your best stuff, and then probably half the games where you’re going to have to compete and battle. Tonight was one of those games where I think I was gripping my slider too tight, I was yanking off. They have a lot of righties, which you usually don’t see when a righty is on the mound. I just didn’t get a good feel for the slider, kind of had to rely on the fastball and changeup, pitch to contact a little bit to get deep into the game.”

[Guest]

I'm going to be perfectly happy with either of Appel or Gray Frasier.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

@CSNMooney 7s

 

This week in ATL #Cubs worked out Frazier and Meadows - the two top HS players in draft class - with Theo/Jed/McLeod making home visits.

[Guest]

College Draft Prospects Stat Roundup: Week 8

[Cubswin11]

Law posted an article today on Bryant (amongst other guys he saw this weekend) if anyone can post what he had to say (especially about Bryant) I'd appreciate it.

[Guest]

The University of San Diego Toreros were at Loyola Marymount this weekend, so Bryant was in town, but he was only able to DH after rolling his left ankle on Wednesday; he was running without favoring the leg but had a slight limp when he was walking.

 

He's the top college bat in this draft, primarily for his power, showing it off in BP on Saturday but not in the game. Bryant sets up with a very wide base and has no stride, just a toe-tap for timing. It's a quiet swing overall, with excellent hip rotation for power, but his bat speed is just average or a tick better and I worry about his contact rates when he's consistently facing guys throwing 90-plus in pro ball.

 

He struggled against breaking stuff on Saturday but there's no doubt that he can murder a good fastball. I saw Bryant as a shortstop in high school but he's outgrown that position and may do the same to third base; I think he'd be fine in right field, as he's reasonably athletic for his size and has plenty of arm for that position.

 

He's probably a low-average/high-power hitter down the road, with a ceiling of .260-.270 averages (and likely less) but 30-homer potential as well, and I expect him to go in the top ten picks, with at least three directors from teams drafting that high at LMU with me.

[davell]

Do we(not the FO) like Meadows or Frazier enough to take one of them at 2? I think I'm honestly to the point(wanted a SP anyway) that my want list is down to just Appel or Gray.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Frazier, yes. Meadows, no.

 

Not that I want them to take him (I would still rather have Appel or Gray), but I wouldn't have a problem it.

Edited April 8, 2013 by Tangled Up in Plaid

[Guest]

If Law was in town to watch San Diego at LMU on Saturday, I assume he must have been at USC on Friday night to see Appel.

[Cubswin11]

Do we(not the FO) like Meadows or Frazier enough to take one of them at 2? I think I'm honestly to the point(wanted a SP anyway) that my want list is down to just Appel or Gray.

If Appel and Gray finish the year healthy, maintain their stuff the entire time (velo/command/secondary pitches remain crisp, etc.), both are healthy at draft time and neither are commanding much over slot, if at all, I want one of those two. Then, for me, it's a toss-up between Frazier and Bryant with Bryant having an edge if he can stick at 3B.

[Guest]

Frazier, yes. Meadows, no.

 

I think Frazier has separated himself from Meadows but at this time, Appel and Gray are ahead of Frazier too.

 

My personal top 5:

 

Appel

Gray

Frazier

Manaea

Bryant

[Cubswin11]

If Law was in town to watch San Diego at LMU on Saturday, I assume he must have been at USC on Friday night to see Appel.

Pretty sure he was, I think he tweeted or mentioned in his chat Thursday he'd be there. I think he may have already seen him once this year prior to Friday and I doubt his feelings on him being #1 changed much/he has any insight to add.

[Guest]

If Law was in town to watch San Diego at LMU on Saturday, I assume he must have been at USC on Friday night to see Appel.

Pretty sure he was, I think he tweeted or mentioned in his chat Thursday he'd be there. I think he may have already seen him once this year prior to Friday and I doubt his feelings on him being #1 changed much/he has any insight to add.

 

Actually, Law just tweeted that he saw UCI righty Andrew Thurman. Thurman pitched Friday night down in Irvine at the same time Appel was pitching an hour away.

[Guest]

Jason Cole has video of Gray and Overton from this weekend: http://vimeo.com/user3214266/videos

[Guest]

Been hearing Reed's name pop up a bit lately:

 

“@keithlaw: Also hearing Northwest Mississippi CC LHP Cody Reed was 92-95 on Saturday in front of a lot of national guys.”

[RammyFanny]

Manaea ended up having a nice start on Saturday going 6 IP with 9K's and no walks, no runs.

[Guest]

Robert (Work): Have you ever heard of a situation where a scout/organization worries about a potential draft pick is "too nice?" I overheard a couple of scouts this weekend discussing Mark Appel, and they mentioned that they felt like he incapable of being a cold-blooded competitor like... (then they rattled off several names of HoFers and Potential HoFers) One of the scouts suggested that the numbers not matching the ability (before this year) could be explained by Appel's being "too nice."

 

Aaron Fitt: I’ll tell you, Mark Appel is really nice — that is the truth. But too nice? I’m not buying that. He’s a very good competitor, and it’s hard to quibble too much with his results last year — he won 10 games and had a 2.56 ERA, there’s nothing wrong with that. I liked how he battled Friday without his “A” stuff. I think he’s got great makeup. He doesn’t strike me as one of those guys who’s filled with hate on the mound, but I don’t think you need that kind of mentality to be successful. I think he’s plenty competitive.

[Cubswin11]

Robert (Work): Have you ever heard of a situation where a scout/organization worries about a potential draft pick is "too nice?" I overheard a couple of scouts this weekend discussing Mark Appel, and they mentioned that they felt like he incapable of being a cold-blooded competitor like... (then they rattled off several names of HoFers and Potential HoFers) One of the scouts suggested that the numbers not matching the ability (before this year) could be explained by Appel's being "too nice."

 

Aaron Fitt: I’ll tell you, Mark Appel is really nice — that is the truth. But too nice? I’m not buying that. He’s a very good competitor, and it’s hard to quibble too much with his results last year — he won 10 games and had a 2.56 ERA, there’s nothing wrong with that. I liked how he battled Friday without his “A” stuff. I think he’s got great makeup. He doesn’t strike me as one of those guys who’s filled with hate on the mound, but I don’t think you need that kind of mentality to be successful. I think he’s plenty competitive.

I really hope none of those scouts are employed by the Cubs organization. To Nice????? Come the [expletive] on

[Guest]

BA's Draft Tracker on players on the rise:

 

Hunter Dozier, SS, Stephen F. Austin State

Kyle Serrano, RHP, Farragut (TN) HS

Riley Unroe, SS, Desert Ridge HS, Mesa, AZ

Jake Sweaney, C, Garces Memorial HS, Bakersfield, CA

[Guest]

@BenBadler Mark Appel to @aaronfitt, after touching 98 and getting 5 Ks with his slider: "It definitely wasn’t my best stuff." http://bit.ly/149m3ZT

 

Story is a Premium BA article.

 

“He didn’t have his good stuff tonight, but he battled,” Stanford coach Mark Marquess said after the USC game. “It was probably one of his better games, considering the circumstances—we left a lot of guys on base and couldn’t get anything for him. He only threw 108 pitches, so he did a good job.”

 

Marquess said Appel’s slider wasn’t as sharp as it normally is, but the 85-88 slider still served as his putaway pitch on five of his seven strikeouts. His fastball sat at 95-97 and bumped 98 during the first three innings before settling in at 92-94 and touching 95 in the second half of the game. He also mixed in his 81-84 mph changeup effectively, even against a USC lineup that featured eight righthanded hitters.

 

...

 

“Most power pitchers are usually fastball-slider, and he’s created a lot of swing-throughs on sliders,” Stanford pitching coach Rusty Filter said earlier this spring. “But high-strikeout guys usually run (high) pitch counts. We’ve really emphasized the changeup after his freshman year, really developed that, and it’s a pitch that can help him get out of innings quick. He can force contact a little bit, usually the ball gets on the ground.”

 

The primary knock on Appel last year was that his delivery was so clean that hitters sometimes picked up his fastball easily. Despite its premium velocity, his fastball would get squared up because it would be flat up in the zone. Filter said he worked with Appel to try to increase the downward angle on his fastball, and the work has paid off.

 

“He gets the fastball down much better this year than he did last year,” Marquess said. “His fastball explodes down there.”

 

...

 

“One thing about Mark, he’s an intense competitor, he’s trying to get better every day. There’s a great group of guys that he’s around. He really wanted to finish his degree, and he’s going to do that. His future is bright no matter what he does.”

[Guest]

Kiley McDaniel with his updated top 50 list (plus 12 who just missed at 12 more whose stock is rising): http://sbb.scout.com/2/1282161.html

 

1. Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford

2. Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma

3. Clint Frazier, CF, Loganville HS (Loganville, GA)

4. Sean Manaea, LHP, Indiana State

5. Kris Bryant, 3B/RF, San Diego

6. Colin Moran, 3B, North Carolina

7. Austin Meadows, CF, Grayson HS (Loganville, GA)

8. Chris Anderson, RHP, Jacksonville

9. Kohl Stewart, RHP, St. Pius X HS (Houston, TX)

10 Braden Shipley, RHP, Nevada

[Brickhouse]

Kiley McDaniel with his updated top 50 list (plus 12 who just missed at 12 more whose stock is rising): http://sbb.scout.com/2/1282161.html

 

1. Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford

2. Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma

3. Clint Frazier, CF, Loganville HS (Loganville, GA)

4. Sean Manaea, LHP, Indiana State

5. Kris Bryant, 3B/RF, San Diego

6. Colin Moran, 3B, North Carolina

7. Austin Meadows, CF, Grayson HS (Loganville, GA)

8. Chris Anderson, RHP, Jacksonville

9. Kohl Stewart, RHP, St. Pius X HS (Houston, TX)

10 Braden Shipley, RHP, Nevada

I noticed McDaniel has Chris Okey ranked 40th. I'd be thrilled if he were there when the Cubs pick 41st. Appel/Gray and Okey would make an excellent start to the draft in my book. Hopefully, they would be battery mates for years to come.

[RammyFanny]

I still wonder if Frazier can play 3rd, as majority of the early reports said he had a good shot to stick before they switched him to CF. I wonder if his coach just thought he could show off his tools a bit more for scouts in CF compared to 3rd, or if there was a legitimate reason behind the move.

[A New Era]

Yeah Appel/Okey would be a really good first two rounds no doubt. We need a good solid C prospect in this system.