2014 Draft Discussion

[Redfoot]

What are the makeup issues/concerns with Beede? I've seen Law and at least one other guy mention it, but haven't seen any specific stuff about it. Is it off field stuff, work ethic, etc?

 

I've been wondering that as well.

His makeup issues have nothing to do with his work ethic or being a bad Kid or a bad teammate. His makeup issues are about his mental approach to the game. Beede has a perfect pitchers body, very good mechanics and outstanding stuff. The only explanation for him not being able to max out all that talent is that he has some kind of mental block. This makes him very difficult to draft because no one knows how to fix it.

[toonsterwu]

Raisin, I think Howard can be developed as a starter. Whether or not he can stick ... that depends on if he can develop something a bit more consistent to go with his breaking ball and fastball (namely, the change-up, although you never know what might happen once he gets to pro ball ... I guess, along with that, a bit more consistency with the breaking ball). I actually think there's a lot to like, an athletic raw arm who has arm strength and a breaking ball that flashes plus potential, along with never having really focused on just pitching, plus a solid pitcher's frame ... I just think it's odd that he's getting such late helium. Yes, the breaking ball is better, but I'm just not all that convinced he's a markedly better arm than he was last year. If scouts think he'll actually be mid-upper 90's as a starter ... I don't know. Maybe ... I hope he is, but I suspect, if he's a starter, he'll be more low-mid-90's, with the occasional "ramp-it-up" pitch.

 

That said, I guess the absolute ... for lack of a better term ... mess... of the college pitching crop makes a guy like him rise. I do hate the idea of "let's put him in the pen now and then shift him to a starter next year". If you are going to develop him as a starter, you should do it the right way and let him do it in the minors. I guess the other factor is the proliferation of the "save money for later move", which helps drive him up. Just feels strange to me. To be honest, if I'm thinking about Cashner in uh ... 08? ... and Howard now, I don't think there's a huge difference between the two, so maybe I really should be fine with him as a mid-first, as I thought Cashner was fine as a mid-late first.

 

I like Stinnett. I'm not sure his ceiling is any better than say ... Kyle Hendricks (not exactly the best comp ... ), but there's a place for a guy like that in a good system.

[Guest]

Pentecost just hit an opposite field double in extras. Not a bad swing.

[Guest]

Conforto and Oregon State are on ESPN2. He's batting right now and UC Irvine shifted their 3B to be a fourth OF. And Conforto grounds out.

 

ETA: UCI's 3B Taylor Sparks might be a day one pick and he just hit a HR.

 

Edit #2: Conforto up with 2 on in the 8th, facing UCI's big time closer with OSU down 4. Walks on 5 pitches, all offspeed pitches and he didn't take the bat off his shoulder even once.

[nathaniel hornblower]

The Marlins traded their comp balance pick (#39, worth 1.45 million) to the Pirates for Bryan Morris. I wonder if that affects their options at #2. It's possible they now target someone who'll cost slot or less

[davell]

The Marlins traded their comp balance pick (#39, worth 1.45 million) to the Pirates for Bryan Morris. I wonder if that affects their options at #2. It's possible they now target someone who'll cost slot or less

 

At 2, no one in this draft SHOULD be over slot. If anything, my guess is the Marlins gave up that pick so Boras or whoever can't squeeze them for any more cash. But I don't see it affecting who they pick at all.

[Guest]

The Marlins traded their comp balance pick (#39, worth 1.45 million) to the Pirates for Bryan Morris. I wonder if that affects their options at #2. It's possible they now target someone who'll cost slot or less

 

At 2, no one in this draft SHOULD be over slot. If anything, my guess is the Marlins gave up that pick so Boras or whoever can't squeeze them for any more cash. But I don't see it affecting who they pick at all.

 

Boras has Rodon and Jackson, the two guys most closely linked to them.

[Guest]

On Aiken, Kolek, Rodon and Hoffman's mechanics: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=23731

[Guest]

On Aiken, Kolek, Rodon and Hoffman's mechanics: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=23731

 

TL;DR version, they go into detail on each player's mechanics and grade them for stability and power.

 

Player    Stability   Power
Aiken         B-        C+
Kolek         B         A
Rodon         B+        B
Hoffman       C         B

[davell]

By the way, Marlins still have 2 supplemental picks-36 and 106. Both are from failure to sign guys previously, so they're not tradeable. I guess I understand why THEY would deal 39 away, but they should have gotten more for it anyway.

[A New Era]

By the way, Marlins still have 2 supplemental picks-36 and 106. Both are from failure to sign guys previously, so they're not tradeable. I guess I understand why THEY would deal 39 away, but they should have gotten more for it anyway.

 

Yeah I'd love to have gotten an extra first round pick and I'm sure our boys would too.

[Gmoney08]

Why does everyone on here seem so anti Kolek?

 

TJS surgery scares me but not to the point where I literally dont want to draft flame throwers because of it.

[Cubswin11]

Why does everyone on here seem so anti Kolek?

 

TJS surgery scares me but not to the point where I literally dont want to draft flame throwers because of it.

Lack of command and secondary pitch(s), I believe

[Guest]

@sahadevsharma: Thought Nola had been an option with Cubs at 4, but it appears only pitchers they're considering their anymore are Rodon, Aiken & Kolek.

 

@sahadevsharma: I think Gordon. Even if Kolek is available. RT @WayneRandazzo: So you think Jackson if the pitchers go 1, 2, 3?

 

@sahadevsharma: A few bats appear to be ahead of Kolek, as well. Ideally they want Rodon, and while not impossible, they need some breaks for that to happen

 

@sahadevsharma: I think the ideal scenario for Cubs is Aiken, Jackson, Kolek going 1-2-3. It's possible. White Sox may not believe Rodon is worth the price.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Will be legit pissed if they take Gordon.

[Guest]

Will be legit pissed if they take Gordon.

 

Same.

[Guest]

Will be legit pissed if they take Gordon.

 

Same.

 

That'd be pretty silly.

[Guest]

Will be legit pissed if they take Gordon.

 

Same.

 

That'd be pretty silly.

 

Not only would I be legit pissed; I'd turn on the FO.

[ScrubMD]

I mean, I'd keep an open mind and give him a chance to prove me wrong....but I'd initially be very disappointed.

[Guest]

You guys are silly. Gordon is universally considered a Top 15 talent, if not Top 10, and he's a bat. In this draft at #4, that alone is room not to be angry about who gets taken. Imagine the immediate fury if they had taken Wacha or Stroman instead of Almora in 2012, or how pissed the Royals fans would've been for passing on Starling and taking Baez, Springer, or Fernandez in 2011. The 1st round of the MLB draft does not lend itself to immediate evaluation, unless you go way off the board Hayden Simpson style.

[imb]

Hell, a lot of us, myself included, were upset about the Baez pick. I think the only reason more people weren't upset was the general sense of relief that we didn't draft that Cuban guy that was eligible, then wasn't, then was, then wasn't.

 

Whatever happened to him, btw

[Guest]

You guys are silly. Gordon is universally considered a Top 15 talent, if not Top 10, and he's a bat. In this draft at #4, that alone is room not to be angry about who gets taken. Imagine the immediate fury if they had taken Wacha or Stroman instead of Almora in 2012, or how pissed the Royals fans would've been for passing on Starling and taking Baez, Springer, or Fernandez in 2011. The 1st round of the MLB draft does not lend itself to immediate evaluation, unless you go way off the board Hayden Simpson style.

 

top 15 or 10 aren't exactly inspiring descriptions in the world of the mlb draft

 

i get that this draft really falls off after 3, but aside from turner (and hoffman), gordon is the last guy i'd want of the guys who have been talked about.

 

we can imagine those things, but we can also imagine just getting crappy players because there are a lot of those

[CP_414]

I like Gordon. He seems to be considered in the same class as Lindor and JP Crawford and I think we'd all be thrilled with something close to those 2 guys. My top 4 right now is Aiken, Jackson, Rodon, Gordon.

[Guest]

You guys are silly. Gordon is universally considered a Top 15 talent, if not Top 10, and he's a bat. In this draft at #4, that alone is room not to be angry about who gets taken. Imagine the immediate fury if they had taken Wacha or Stroman instead of Almora in 2012, or how pissed the Royals fans would've been for passing on Starling and taking Baez, Springer, or Fernandez in 2011. The 1st round of the MLB draft does not lend itself to immediate evaluation, unless you go way off the board Hayden Simpson style.

 

top 15 or 10 aren't exactly inspiring descriptions in the world of the mlb draft

 

i get that this draft really falls off after 3, but aside from turner (and hoffman), gordon is the last guy i'd want of the guys who have been talked about.

 

we can imagine those things, but we can also imagine just getting crappy players because there are a lot of those

 

In the world of the MLB Draft? Compared to what?

 

In the absence of universal agreement on a special talent(which there is none this year), the only reason to be crushingly disappointed by a 1st round pick is if they go way off the board. Asking for adherence to a rigid hierarchy among a huge pool of similar talents is asking to be disappointed for no reason. You don't have to adore the pick because it comes from that pool, but "legit pissed" and "I'd turn on the FO" is way over the top since all we're going on is the guesswork of guys who have seen these players a handful of times while trying to project them 3-6 years in the future.

 

 

IMB, the Cuban was drafted by the Dodgers in the 3rd round the next year, and got a couple innings in relief with the MLB team before his elbow blew out last November. http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=garcia000one

[Guest]

I DON'T WANT HIM I DON'T CARE