2012 Draft Day Thread + Cubs Picks Discussion

[Outshined_One]

I've already got "reliever" in mind for Johnson. And not in a bad way. It's just that "touching 94" usually means "working 90-91" by the time they hit the majors as a starter. Putting him in the bullpen can keep that FB as a plus pitch and not just an average one.

 

Not that he shouldn't get every chance to stick as a starter first, of course.

 

Watching his videos, it's easy to imagine him as a power relief pitcher who moves quickly through the minors. Between the arm troubles and a wicked slider, he seems to profile as a potential setup man/closer.

 

Then again, if he can start and maintain his stuff, then the Cubs should give him every opportunity to start. That slider is dreamy.

[Guest]

The pessimist in me can't help but see Shafer/Carpenter/Bristow in the Johnson pick. Hopefully they have strong medicals on him.

[UMFan83]

So for the gurus here, in your estimate where are the Cubs at currently in terms of spending? I guess based on the conversation here it looks like Almora is probably coming in at slot or slightly under. Johnson seems like an underslot pick and Blackman who knows...if they actually sign him it seems like he'll be a good deal overslot.

 

Depending on what happens with Blackman, the Cubs might be in a good position to take an overslot player. Who is still available that would fit that description?

 

The Blackman pick confuses me a bit. He is supposedly going to be a really tough sign as he's very committed to college, but at the same time from what I'm reading it doesn't seem like he has a high enough ceiling to go way overslot for him. If we were going to save on the 1st 2 picks and go wild with the 3rd I would have hoped for a higher ceiling player. Maybe Theo knows something we don't or has evaluated him as having a higher upside than many/most expect.

Edited June 5, 2012 by UMFan83

[RammyFanny]

Alex Wood tomorrow, por favor.

[El Duderino]

So for the gurus here, in your estimate where are the Cubs at currently in terms of spending. I guess based on the conversation here it looks like Almora is probably coming in at slot or slightly under. Johnson seems like an underslot pick and Blackman who knows...if they actually sign him it seems like he'll be a good deal overslot.

 

Depending on what happens with Blackman, the Cubs might be in a good position to take an overslot player. Who is still available that would fit that description?

 

The Blackman pick confuses me a bit. He is supposedly going to be a really tough sign as he's very committed to college, but at the same time from what I'm reading it doesn't seem like he has a high enough ceiling to go way overslot for him. If we were going to save on the 1st 2 picks and go wild with the 3rd I would have hoped for a higher ceiling player. Maybe Theo knows something we don't or has evaluated him as having a higher upside than many/most expect.

 

Blackburn.

[Vanilla Ice]

So for the gurus here, in your estimate where are the Cubs at currently in terms of spending. I guess based on the conversation here it looks like Almora is probably coming in at slot or slightly under. Johnson seems like an underslot pick and Blackman who knows...if they actually sign him it seems like he'll be a good deal overslot.

 

Depending on what happens with Blackman, the Cubs might be in a good position to take an overslot player. Who is still available that would fit that description?

 

The Blackman pick confuses me a bit. He is supposedly going to be a really tough sign as he's very committed to college, but at the same time from what I'm reading it doesn't seem like he has a high enough ceiling to go way overslot for him. If we were going to save on the 1st 2 picks and go wild with the 3rd I would have hoped for a higher ceiling player. Maybe Theo knows something we don't or has evaluated him as having a higher upside than many/most expect.

Blackburn

[UMFan83]

Whoops sorry, either way....

[Hairyducked Idiot]

My guess is Almora slot, Johnson very close to slot (maybe a tiny bit under), Blackburn gets the 400k 5% overage.

[davell]

Wyatt Mathisen, Carson Kelly, Trey and Nick Williams, and Hunter Virant seem to be the big overslots left to me. All would be bigtime pickups, my uneducated guess says that both Williams' will be nearly impossible to sign. Virant is headed to UCLA and he will be very tough as well. Kelly's going to Oregon and Mathisen to Texas. None will be easy. All have first round potential in the future.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Almost entirely caught up on the PSD Cubs draft thread. Marlin Bystro showed up and called Johnson like five minutes before it happened.

[davell]

I don't want to sift through that whole thread. Anything from him about tomorrow?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I don't want to sift through that whole thread. Anything from him about tomorrow?

 

Nope.

[Outshined_One]

I just realized the abbreviated signing deadline should mean we see Almora in pro ball for a decent stretch this season.

 

That put a smile on my face.

[TruffleShuffle]

The Blackman pick confuses me a bit. He is supposedly going to be a really tough sign as he's very committed to college, but at the same time from what I'm reading it doesn't seem like he has a high enough ceiling to go way overslot for him. If we were going to save on the 1st 2 picks and go wild with the 3rd I would have hoped for a higher ceiling player. Maybe Theo knows something we don't or has evaluated him as having a higher upside than many/most expect.

 

raisin posted this blurb earlier:

 

Blackburn has consistently pitched well throughout the spring and is interested in professional baseball, so scouts don't believe he'll wind up at Arizona State, where he has committed.

 

really doesn't sound like a mega over slot, probably just gets a small amount extra to buy him away from school. plus they said he's a good student, and why would a good student go to arizona state?

[Cubswin11]

The Blackman pick confuses me a bit. He is supposedly going to be a really tough sign as he's very committed to college, but at the same time from what I'm reading it doesn't seem like he has a high enough ceiling to go way overslot for him. If we were going to save on the 1st 2 picks and go wild with the 3rd I would have hoped for a higher ceiling player. Maybe Theo knows something we don't or has evaluated him as having a higher upside than many/most expect.

 

raisin posted this blurb earlier:

 

Blackburn has consistently pitched well throughout the spring and is interested in professional baseball, so scouts don't believe he'll wind up at Arizona State, where he has committed.

 

really doesn't sound like a mega over slot, probably just gets a small amount extra to buy him away from school. plus they said he's a good student, and why would a good student go to arizona state?

The Girls?

[Guest]

Press Release:

 

CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs tonight made three selections in the opening rounds of the 2012 Major League First-Year Player Draft, including outfielder Albert Almora out of Mater Academy Charter in Hialeah Gardens, Fla., with the sixth overall pick.

 

In the compensation round, the Cubs selected right-handed pitcher Pierce Johnson out of Missouri State University with the 43rd pick (compensation for Aramis Ramirez) and right-handed pitcher Paul Blackburn out of Heritage High School in Brentwood, Calif., with the 56th pick (compensation for Carlos Peña).

 

Almora was recommended by area scout John Koronka, Johnson was recommended by area scout Stan Zielinski and Blackburn was recommended by area scout Scott Fairbanks.

 

Almora, 18, was named by Baseball America as the second-best outfielder available in the draft, and the third-best high school player in the 2012 draft class. In addition, the publication ranked him as the best defensive player and the second-best pure hitter with the third-best strike zone judgment among high school eligible players in the draft.

 

The six-foot-two, 180-pound Almora batted .603 (44-for-73) with 13 doubles, five triples, six home runs and 34 RBI in 25 games for Mater Academy last season. He recorded a 1.164 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage thanks in part to 14 walks compared to just three strikeouts in 87 plate appearances. Almora, who made the Mater varsity squad as an eighth-grader in 2008, last season stole 24 bases in 25 attempts.

 

Almora, who bats and throws right-handed, has an extensive resume with Team USA Baseball. In 2011, he was named USA Baseball’s Athlete of the Year after helping the 18-under squad go 9-0 and earn the gold medal in the Pan-Am Games, an event in which he was named tournament MVP. He has been part of six USA national teams, tied for the most by any player with former major league catcher A.J. Hinch, and has earned five gold medals.

 

Almora committed to the University of Miami. He is the cousin of Baltimore’s 2010 first-round pick (third selection overall) Manny Machado.

 

Johnson, 21, had a 2.53 ERA (28 ER/99.2 IP) in 14 starts for Missouri State University this past season, recording a single-season school record 119 strikeouts to lead the Missouri Valley Conference, averaging 10.7 strikeouts per 9.0 innings of work. He helped lead the Bears to their first NCAA Regional appearance in nine years, going 2-1 with a 1.36 ERA in his final four starts, and was twice named the conference’s Pitcher of the Week.

 

The six-foot-three, 180-pound Johnson in 2011 ranked ninth in the conference with 72 strikeouts and recorded 8.6 strikeouts per 9.0 innings of work. Beginning April 5 of that season, he logged a 2.36 ERA and struck out 55 in 53.1 innings to close out the year.

 

In three seasons with Missouri State University, Johnson has struck out 227 batters in 216.0 innings of work, the fifth-highest career strikeout total in Bears history.

 

Blackburn, 18, went 8-3 with a 1.27 ERA for Heritage High School in 2012. He struck out 84 batters in 77.1 innings of work, good for an average of 9.8 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched, while walking just 17 hitters. In May of this season, he recorded his first career no-hitter, striking out eight and walking two in a 6-0 win over state-ranked Deer Valley of Antioch.

 

The six-foot-two, 175-pound Blackburn owns a 3.40 high school grade point average, and has committed to Arizona State University.

 

The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continues tomorrow at 11 a.m. CT with rounds two-through-15 and concludes Wednesday with rounds 16-through-40.

[davell]

I went through the PSD thread. The only other guy Marlin mentioned was Martin Agosta. Said it'd be Johnson or him at 43. So I would think he's a possibility at 67. Although I figure we'll either take a position player or a LHP at 67. Nolan Fontana would be a nice pickup if we take a bat. If signable, Virant is my top choice tomorrow. I also like Kyle Twomey a lot and Alex Wood too. Agosta is solid, but doesn't seem to have a big upside. I love Duane Underwood and like Kieran Lovegrove quite a bit as well. Ty Buttrey or Mitch Brown would be damn solid picks as well.

[Guest]

I went through the PSD thread. The only other guy Marlin mentioned was Martin Agosta. Said it'd be Johnson or him at 43. So I would think he's a possibility at 67. Although I figure we'll either take a position player or a LHP at 67. Nolan Fontana would be a nice pickup if we take a bat. If signable, Virant is my top choice tomorrow. I also like Kyle Twomey a lot and Alex Wood too. Agosta is solid, but doesn't seem to have a big upside. I love Duane Underwood and like Kieran Lovegrove quite a bit as well. Ty Buttrey or Mitch Brown would be damn solid picks as well.

 

I like Underwood quite a bit.

 

I know the Cubs checked in on Agosta a few times this year.

[UMFan83]

Not sure how credible Mike Rosenbaum is, but he is writing for Bleacher Report so that's a strike against him. Maybe you guys know him better than I do, as he writes for thegoldensombrero.com and prepbaseballreport.com. He's also a White Sox fan.

 

Anyways, he gave grades for every pick tonight. The Almora pick was given an A, the Johnson pick a B+ and the Blackburn pick a B- (mostly due to signability which you guys have partially refuted). Also, B- was the lowest grade he gave out so I'm not sure what that means.

 

He also has a video up where he gives Almora a Carlos Beltran comp.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1208052-2012-mlb-draft-results-pick-by-pick-grades-and-results

[davell]

McDaniel said us, SD, and the Astros have had the 3 best drafts so far.

[Guest]

Phil Rogers[/url]"]Jason McLeod on taking Albert Almora after Mark Appel slid. "We have a process in how we evaluate and select. Certainly we saw Mark Appel a lot this spring. He's a very talented young man, and we wish the Pittsburgh Pirates well. For us it's not to compare the two players. We know who we were looking for, who we had done the due diligence on. It was going to be Albert or one of two other players (even if someone like Appel fell). Albert was the guy we wanted.''

 

Methinks Appel is going to be pitching in the independent leagues next year - sounds like he still wants 1.1 money.

[Guest]

Top BA guys remaining.

[RammyFanny]

Blackburn told Dunston on twitter that he was looking forward to playing with him, so maybe signability won't be too huge an issue.

[RammyFanny]

Top BA guys remaining.

Forgot about Carson Kelly, and we've been loosely linked to him (I believe through ABTY on PSD), so it'll be interesting to see if we pop him if he's still there tomorrow.

[TheDude]

Phil Rogers[/url]"]Jason McLeod on taking Albert Almora after Mark Appel slid. "We have a process in how we evaluate and select. Certainly we saw Mark Appel a lot this spring. He's a very talented young man, and we wish the Pittsburgh Pirates well. For us it's not to compare the two players. We know who we were looking for, who we had done the due diligence on. It was going to be Albert or one of two other players (even if someone like Appel fell). Albert was the guy we wanted.''

 

Methinks Appel is going to be pitching in the independent leagues next year - sounds like he still wants 1.1 money.

 

It sure does seem the Cubs were keen on Almora's maturity and drive. When you're looking to change a culture from the ground up, it's easy to see why Almora why rise to the top of their board. You simply don't find 18 year old kids with that kind of dedication and natural leadership.