2014 Draft Discussion

[Gilby]

Kiley McDaniel ‏@kileymcd 3m

That top 3 team had scouting dir & GM at Beede's start last night & is rumored tobe looking outside the top 3 talents http://sbb.scout.com/2/1401310.html

 

plz be true

 

Which team? Sox?

[Guest]

Kiley McDaniel ‏@kileymcd 3m

That top 3 team had scouting dir & GM at Beede's start last night & is rumored tobe looking outside the top 3 talents http://sbb.scout.com/2/1401310.html

 

plz be true

 

Which team? Sox?

 

The spread the money around thing seems to be more the Astros MO but I can't imagine who they'd be looking to do that with at #1.

[Guest]

Kiley McDaniel ‏@kileymcd 3m

That top 3 team had scouting dir & GM at Beede's start last night & is rumored tobe looking outside the top 3 talents http://sbb.scout.com/2/1401310.html

 

plz be true

 

Team is the White Sox.

[Guest]

More from that link:

 

With the high success rate and quick turnaround of Tommy John, along with many of the survivors throwing relatively injury free for a decade, I still feel like Hoffman belongs at or near the top of that 20 player tier that starts at #4; a couple teams in the top 10 have told me off the record that they agree.

 

...

 

The aforementioned top three talents should go in the top three picks in some order (more on that next week, or you can read this adorable attempt), then Hoffman is in play starting at the 4th pick with the Cubs. Cubs President Theo Epstein and General Manager Jed Hoyer were at Hoffman's best start of the spring where multiple scouts told me he looked like a 1-1 for any of the last few drafts, which is what I and over 100 scouts saw on the Cape and had been waiting all spring to see. I had heard the Cubs tied to Hoffman all spring and I was getting intel that they were running in a different high level evaluator to all of his starts, with three high level guys at the start I attended. The Cubs will have lots of choices as the first team to pick from that tier of 20 similar players and could save over $1 million on Hoffman to offer to a high-priced talent at later picks (#45 and $79 in the top 100).

 

I still feel that it's likely the Cubs really like one of the players from that tier and, given the depth of the group, could probably go well below slot with almost any of them. Rumors are flying the Twins have zeroed in on Florida prep SS Nick Gordon (my #4 prospect, Florida State commit) at the 5th pick, though with Hoffman's injury, Gordon may now go to the Cubs at 4.

 

...

 

As a last note, I was at the Florida-Vanderbilt game last night to see Vandy righty Tyler Beede (#13 on my list) and the White Sox scouting director and GM were among a big crowd of scouts at the game. I'll break down the various options each club has in the first few picks next week, but in my notes for that article, a couple sources have named the White Sox as a tough team to peg.

 

The conventional wisdom is that the White Sox will take whichever of the top 3 talents falls to them at pick #3. They were heavy on Hoffman all spring, particularly when he caught fire in the past few weeks and while the assumption is that Kolek would replace Hoffman in the White Sox's top three, there are some rumors that would pass on Kolek if he is the one that falls to them. The alternatives would be the same choices as I mentioned for the Cubs above: pick from the whole next tier for a steep discount, likely for well below slot. Having the GM go in this late to see a guy that's not considered a real threat to be your pick lends credence to this possibility. If Hoffman has a non-zero chance of going #4 to the Cubs, that may be true of #3 to the White Sox as well.

[Gilby]

I haven't seen any national writer specifically connect Jackson with the Cubs. There may have been a mock or two that had him at 1.4, but no one has come out and said the Cubs love him like they have with the Marlins and Kolek and the Twins and Gordon, at least that I've seen. It seems like a lot of people on here (myself included) still think we end up with him. Is that mostly ABTY's doing?

[Infrequent Poster]

How much does the TJS actually delay Hoffman?

 

A lot of the college arms don't see many innings their first summer. He misses a couple of months to start next season. And then he's not quite as sharp for a couple after that - assuming all went well. Is that a huge deal to his development schedule? You guys know a lot more about this than I do, so please set me straight.

 

Also before the slotting system he would have held out until August 15th anyway. So again just a few missed months of game time.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Rodon slipping to the Cubs would be great.

Still think his arm's about to fall off. He's been so abused at NC State.

[Guest]

Rodon slipping to the Cubs would be great.

Still think his arm's about to fall off. He's been so abused at NC State.

 

And has admitted to having past shoulder problems. And was not on some teams draft boards coming out of high school due to injury concerns.

[Guest]

How much does the TJS actually delay Hoffman?

 

A lot of the college arms don't see many innings their first summer. He misses a couple of months to start next season. And then he's not quite as sharp for a couple after that - assuming all went well. Is that a huge deal to his development schedule? You guys know a lot more about this than I do, so please set me straight.

 

Also before the slotting system he would have held out until August 15th anyway. So again just a few missed months of game time.

 

McDaniel said he'd basically be on the same track as a HS prospect. Which would equate to him being out most of 2015 when a prep arm would be on A-ball and be in high-A/AA to start 2016.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Rodon slipping to the Cubs would be great.

Still think his arm's about to fall off. He's been so abused at NC State.

 

And has admitted to having past shoulder problems. And was not on some teams draft boards coming out of high school due to injury concerns.

Pretty much the reason Kolek/Aiken are 1 and 1a on my board (if I had one). If they're available at 4 I'll dance naked in the streets.

[davell]

Kolek, Rodon, Aiken, Hoffman for me, even now.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

It helps that every report I've read have said Kolek and Aiken are mature beyond their years for prep pitchers.

[jersey cubs fan]

It helps that every report I've read have said Kolek and Aiken are mature beyond their years for prep pitchers.

 

So they act like college sophomores?

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

It helps that every report I've read have said Kolek and Aiken are mature beyond their years for prep pitchers.

 

So they act like college sophomores?

Exactly.

[RammyFanny]

More from that link:

 

If Hoffman has a non-zero chance of going #4 to the Cubs, that may be true of #3 to the White Sox as well.

Not that I really consider this serious because it's kind of common sense, but i'll take Mooney's word that Hoffman's not even in the discussion.

The Cubs are no longer looking at Hoffman at No. 4, according to a source familiar with the team’s thinking, but would consider him at No. 45, if he falls into the second round.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

No way in hell's sphincter he falls to 45.

[davell]

They've been cautious in everything they've done, it makes sense. Hopefully Kiley is right and one of the 3 fall to us.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Taking a pitcher within a few weeks of him having TJS with the @#%#@$ No. 4 overall pick would pretty much convince me that the front office are secret Cardinals fans trying to make sure we stay bad forever.

[Guest]

@CrawfordChrisV: Oh that's a great question Probably Gordon. "@AndrewPrichard @crawfordchrisv who did you like more, Lindor in '11, or Gordon this year?

[Guest]

@ussoldado: @CrawfordChrisV @webberoo11 messed up that Rodon was throwing during a 75 minute rain delay and is still taking the hill? I think so :-/

[Tryptamine]

@ussoldado: @CrawfordChrisV @webberoo11 messed up that Rodon was throwing during a 75 minute rain delay and is still taking the hill? I think so :-/

 

I hope all potential recruits are following this. Coaches are going to keep getting away with this crap as long as they keep getting recruits.

[fan_in_China]

@ussoldado: @CrawfordChrisV @webberoo11 messed up that Rodon was throwing during a 75 minute rain delay and is still taking the hill? I think so :-/

 

I hope all potential recruits are following this. Coaches are going to keep getting away with this crap as long as they keep getting recruits.

 

I totally agree.

 

At least they kept him under 110 pitches today . 1 unearned run, 9 Ks, 1 BB. A nice day for him

[A New Era]

@CrawfordChrisV: Oh that's a great question Probably Gordon. "@AndrewPrichard @crawfordchrisv who did you like more, Lindor in '11, or Gordon this year?

 

Gordon another Lindor? Sign me up for that.

[Guest]

Unlike Hoffman, Fedde should fall past round one:

 

@keithlaw: Speaking of pitcher health, multiple sources telling me today UNLV pitcher Erick Fedde will need TJ surgery too

 

Chris Crawford agrees:

 

@CrawfordChrisV: If I'm a GM, I'd still consider Hoffman in the first-round, but there's no way I am taking Fedde in that range now. Very unfortunate news.

 

These pitchers are dropping like flies.

[Guest]

@aaronfitt: Heard from one of the many national scouting heavyweights on hand at NC State last night that Carlos Rodon was lights out & "cemented No. 1"

 

@aaronfitt: Who knows what the Astros will do with the top pick? But Rodon's annual 2nd-half surge has certainly helped remind everybody he is special.

 

Sure would be nice if Kiley is right about the White Sox and one of the top 3 fall to the Cubs.