2013 Draft Discussion

[Iceblink]

Two games (reverse) ahead of Colorado with 3 to play. Our 3 are at home against the Astros, their 3 are on the road at LA. Not cool.

[jumbo]

Two games (reverse) ahead of Colorado with 3 to play. Our 3 are at home against the Astros, their 3 are on the road at LA. Not cool.

 

Went and looked up the probable pitchers and Cubs have Berken, Volstat, and Wood. I think we'll be fine

[Iceblink]

Two games (reverse) ahead of Colorado with 3 to play. Our 3 are at home against the Astros, their 3 are on the road at LA. Not cool.

 

Went and looked up the probable pitchers and Cubs have Berken, Volstat, and Wood. I think we'll be fine

 

Our hitters also look like they've checked out, so you're probably right. And I read the schedule wrong...Colorado's playing Arizona.

 

We could wrap up pick 2 tonight.

[CubsWin]

It's official. Cubs will have the 2nd overall pick. This is an important step in the rebuild. Let the dreaming begin...

[RammyFanny]

Yay.

 

This is from a few months back, but I like.

 

http://projectprospect.com/article/2012/09/21/our-declaration-on-clint-frazier

 

Edit: It was actually from a few weeks ago.

 

And talk about a great intro:

Sometimes, you see a player who makes you stop what you're doing, drop your drink, and start making grunt noises that make Tim Allen proud while any woman within ear shot begins to wonder if you're a constipated neanderthal.

[El Duderino]

Mike Trout/Ron Howard?

[Guest]

@jimcallisBA: Checked w/MLB, and GED won't make him draft-eligible. @MikeKanen20: if the rumors are true, where does Drew Ward fit in the 2013 #mlbdraft?

[Cubswin11]

Pardon the ignorance, who the F is Drew Ward?

[Guest]

Pardon the ignorance, who the F is Drew Ward?

A 2014 HS shortstop prospect who has a lot of hype as one of the better HS draft prospects in the past decade.

[Cubswin11]

Pardon the ignorance, who the F is Drew Ward?

A 2014 HS shortstop prospect who has a lot of hype as one of the better HS draft prospects in the past decade.

Thanks. Obviously the 2014 draft is a ways off and a lot can happen but it looks like we will be drafting in the top 5ish in that draft again. Hopefully we get a shot at him

[CubsWin]

Pardon the ignorance, who the F is Drew Ward?

A 2014 HS shortstop prospect who has a lot of hype as one of the better HS draft prospects in the past decade.

Thanks. Obviously the 2014 draft is a ways off and a lot can happen but it looks like we will be drafting in the top 5ish in that draft again. Hopefully we get a shot at him

And there was a shot that if he completed his GED that he could've been available in 2013. But alas, that was struck down by MLB. There's still a chance that Carlos Rodon could be available in 2013 if he transfers from NC State to a JUCO, right? Or is too late for that given his school year has already started?

[Guest]

Pardon the ignorance, who the F is Drew Ward?

A 2014 HS shortstop prospect who has a lot of hype as one of the better HS draft prospects in the past decade.

Thanks. Obviously the 2014 draft is a ways off and a lot can happen but it looks like we will be drafting in the top 5ish in that draft again. Hopefully we get a shot at him

And there was a shot that if he completed his GED that he could've been available in 2013. But alas, that was struck down by MLB. There's still a chance that Carlos Rodon could be available in 2013 if he transfers from NC State to a JUCO, right? Or is too late for that given his school year has already started?

I imagine fall classes have started at NC State. The chances of Rodon transferring last summer were virtually 0.

 

For Ward to have Ben eligible in 2013, he needed to take his GED AND enroll in a JC this year.

[davell]

On Ward, Chris Crawford, of MLBDraftInsider(I like his stuff quite a bit) doesn't see Ward as a top 25 talent in 13 or 14 right now. Thinks there is a ton of hype going, but he's not there yet. As for Rodon, conceivably he could transfer and be eligible, but his parents are very education oriented, so I doubt it happens.

[CubsWin]

On Ward, Chris Crawford, of MLBDraftInsider(I like his stuff quite a bit) doesn't see Ward as a top 25 talent in 13 or 14 right now. Thinks there is a ton of hype going, but he's not there yet. As for Rodon, conceivably he could transfer and be eligible, but his parents are very education oriented, so I doubt it happens.

Thanks, Dave and CR. I figured it wasn't very likely. Glad to hear there's still a chance however unlikely. What can I say, I'm a Cubs fan, I like longshots...

[Guest]

A top HS prospect like Rodon doesn't spurn pro ball for college and then transfer to a JC after a year. They would have gone to a JC from the start.

[CubsWin]

A top HS prospect like Rodon doesn't spurn pro ball for college and then transfer to a JC after a year. They would have gone to a JC from the start.

The recent scouting report I read had Rodon's fastball jumping from 88-92 to 92-95 touching 97 with an improved breaking ball since joining NC State. They made it sound like he was a good HS prospect but now has a real shot at being the clear number one overall pick in the 2013 draft. I agree with the chances of him going JUCO are slim, you gotta admit that kind of money is going to be tempting. I don't care who you are or how much your parents care about a college education.

[davell]

Unless I'm misreading his tweet, Law thinks Ward WILL be in 2013 draft, as long as he goes to a JC. That said, he also said he's NOT a first rounder. So, that kind of makes it a bit harder to imagine him signing, if he's drafted outside the 1st.

[Guest]

http://thedailyelkcitian.com/elk-city-oklahoma-area-sports-schools/1901-drew-ward-q95-percent-chanceq-he-will-graduate-early-enter-2013-mlb-draft

 

Unless I'm misreading his tweet, Law thinks Ward WILL be in 2013 draft, as long as he goes to a JC. That said, he also said he's NOT a first rounder. So, that kind of makes it a bit harder to imagine him signing, if he's drafted outside the 1st.

 

Yeah, you read his tweet right. As I said earlier, just getting a GED isn't enough to make yourself eligible if your graduating HS class doesn't graduate for another year. Just like Bryce Harper, he'll need to head to a JC.

 

Just because he's not a first rounder now doesn't mean he won't be by draft day following his junior year. That said, by this time in his junior year, Bryce Harper (and, say, Josh Hamilton, Josh Beckett and the Upton brothers) was a no-doubt high first rounder for a draft following what should have been his junior year. And Keith Law isn't the first to question Drew Ward's hype so it seems fair to really question his prospect status.

[Guest]

Whitson's velocity was back to HS/college freshman levels at fall ball. His command on both slider and FB are still off, and his command/control was one of the best things about his freshman year at Florida. Nevertheless, great sign.

[Guest]

Tennessee prep RHP Jordan Sheffield had a big performance tonight at the WWBA World Championship. Topped out at 98 with a filthy curve. Committed to Vanderbilt, related to Gary Sheffield.

[Tryptamine]

We don't really have a 2014 draft thread so I thought I'd post here. The more I read about Rodon the more I feel like he's a must have. His level of talent exceeds anything we've seen in the 2012/2013 draft and he has the making of a guy who could be a franchise changer. Am I wrong in valuing this guy enough to be completely okay with a tank job in order to land him?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

We don't really have a 2014 draft thread so I thought I'd post here. The more I read about Rodon the more I feel like he's a must have. His level of talent exceeds anything we've seen in the 2012/2013 draft and he has the making of a guy who could be a franchise changer. Am I wrong in valuing this guy enough to be completely okay with a tank job in order to land him?

 

Yes. Mostly because he's a pitcher.

[StarlinOnYou]

Whitson's velocity was back to HS/college freshman levels at fall ball. His command on both slider and FB are still off, and his command/control was one of the best things about his freshman year at Florida. Nevertheless, great sign.

 

I badly want a college arm that could move quickly.

 

If Whitson's velocity is back with his known control he is the type that would move fast and what we should be looking for.

[Guest]

BP at the WWBAWC: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=18826

[Redfoot]

Hoyer drafted Whitson when he was the GM at San Diego but couldn't sign him. If I remember there was a deal in place but it broke down at the eleventh hour and Whitson ended up at Florida. I'm not sure if either side has hard feelings but you have to wonder if they want to go down that road again.