2020 Draft Thread

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Heston Kjerstad hit 4 home runs this weekend for Arkansas.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BA had a mock draft earlier this week. In this mock, Carlos Collazo of BA alternated picks with a front office executive who focuses on the draft at a national level. Collazo got the Cubs pick: https://www.baseballamerica.com/rankings/mlb-mock-draft/

 

16 Austin Wells Arizona C

 

Notes: Given the way the board has played out so far, the Cubs could go in a number of directions. They took a break from the bats in last year’s draft and could do the same again this year. Tennessee lefthander Garrett Crochet is interesting and prep righty Mick Abel is the best talent remaining on the board, according to our draft rankings. Still, Austin Wells is a special lefthanded bat. In four games against Albany and Minnesota, Wells went 7-for-13 with a home run, four doubles and seven walks.

 

Prep RHP Mick Abel and prep OF Robert Hassell went in the next two picks and I'd much prefer either of them (and Collazo said he thought about going with Hassell for the Cubs).

[Cubswin11]

I think the Veen dream is dead

 

[Bertz]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Ryan Jensen from last year or Max Meyer this year?

 

Eric Longenhagen: Great question. Jensen threw many more strikes than Meyer but I think Meyer's slider is better than Jensen's was. Both plus athletes. I think I'd take Jensen but it's close.

 

Good to hear probably

 

I’d say so. Meyer is starting to get mocked in the top 15 in a draft that’s considered stronger with college pitching.

[weis21]

Ryan Jensen from last year or Max Meyer this year?

 

Eric Longenhagen: Great question. Jensen threw many more strikes than Meyer but I think Meyer's slider is better than Jensen's was. Both plus athletes. I think I'd take Jensen but it's close.

 

Good to hear probably

thanks for all this information. It makes it really exciting and interesting and easier to keep up with. At least for people like me. I appreciate it.

[David]

Ryan Jensen from last year or Max Meyer this year?

 

Eric Longenhagen: Great question. Jensen threw many more strikes than Meyer but I think Meyer's slider is better than Jensen's was. Both plus athletes. I think I'd take Jensen but it's close.

 

Good to hear probably

thanks for all this information. It makes it really exciting and interesting and easier to keep up with. At least for people like me. I appreciate it.

 

yeah, agreed. as much of a huge weirdo as i think you are, tom, i really appreciate it. you provide more insight than just about anyone here on these things this side of raisin.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

JT Ginn has Tommy John surgery. Was a probable first rounder, potential top 10 pick before the injury.

 

[Named After Maddux]

JT Ginn has Tommy John surgery. Was a probable first rounder, potential top 10 pick before the injury.

 

 

I imagine the Nationals at #22 or #56 would be a possible landing spot for Ginn.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

JT Ginn has Tommy John surgery. Was a probable first rounder, potential top 10 pick before the injury.

 

 

I imagine the Nationals at #22 or #56 would be a possible landing spot for Ginn.

 

He's a draft-eligible sophomore with college leverage and already passed on big money from the Dodgers coming out of high school, so I think it'll have to be a team with multiple day 1 picks who will have a higher bonus pool to spend.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BA on Ginn’s draft prospects:

 

While the news is concerning, there have been several college pitchers in recent years who have had the surgery during their draft-eligible seasons and still been selected in the first round. Since 1999, notable examples include Jeff Hoffman (Blue Jays, No. 9 overall) and Erick Fedde (Nationals, No. 18 overall) in 2014 as well as Clarke Schmidt (Yankees, No. 16 overall) in 2017.

 

As for Ginn, he still has plenty of flexibility moving forward. He could still wind up being selected this June—anywhere from the back of the first round to the early second round makes sense at this point—or choose to return to school where he will be a redshirt sophomore in 2021 and still retain three years of eligibility.

 

"Ginn had a dominant freshman year and was probably slated to go in the top 10-12 (picks) if he built on his freshman season this year," said one American League scout. "Coming out of high school, there were questions about his ability to start, but he did so at a high level as a freshman while showing a plus fastball, slider and control.

 

"His control in particular was much better than expected. He was noticeably not the same in his first outing of the spring. His stuff and control were both markedly below his normal standards. His ability to maintain his body during his rehab will be a key."

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[Bertz]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

If Bradfield is showing power like that he joins the multiple LHH CFs possibly worth a first round pick. Interesting that the league's short on and CFs maybe and magically this draft has (no order) Kjerstad, Mitchell, Veen, Hendrick, Crow-Armstrong, Hassell, Greene, and Bradfield at least with first round and some CF potential with guys like Kelenic and Josh Lowe maybe ready to debut this season. My first thoughts go to things like reptilians, clones, and sleeper agents with families like in The Americans

 

 

I agree with your general premise that this is a a atrong dradt at CF but Kjerstad is already a corner OF and everything I’ve read leads me to believe Hendrick is destined to be a corner OF professionally.

[Hrubes20]

 

That's really fun to see. I definitely need to be brushing up on the college players this year with Dan Kantrovitz heading up the draft. He's been running a team's draft since 2012 and has only taken a HS player 1 time in the 1st round. That includes the multiple competitive balance 1st round picks he's had the past 5 years in Oakland. He seems to take plenty of overslot prep players in the 2-5 rounds (with decent success there, I might add), but it appears to be a really conservative 1st round philosophy.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

Today it’s the 2022 draft’s turn to make us feel old.

[weis21]

 

Today it’s the 2022 draft’s turn to make us feel old.

I hope Druw makes it solely because I always enjoyed saying “Andruw Jones” like Mike Tyson would and I hope that tradition can be carried down to my son.

 

That is if he can at some point before puberty correctly identify sports. He pointed at a football yesterday and asked if we could throw the baseball...

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Meh:

 

IFA's could be scrapped too.

[Bertz]

Meh:

 

IFA's could be scrapped too.

 

Looks like this got averted

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Meh:

 

IFA's could be scrapped too.

 

Looks like this got averted

 

 

A 10 round draft still sucks and if NDFAs are only going to get $10k, so much talent is going to end up returning/going to schools (JCs or 4-year schools).

 

[Cubswin11]

This is such a dumb measure to save money. It’s not even that much in savings and draft picks are, you know, the supply that keeps the whole product going.

[Bertz]

Meh:

 

IFA's could be scrapped too.

 

Looks like this got averted

 

 

A 10 round draft still sucks and if NDFAs are only going to get $10k, so much talent is going to end up returning/going to schools (JCs or 4-year schools).

 

 

Yeah this is going to push a lot of kids back to school, and the 2021 draft is going to have way too many guys to all realistically get paid. Hopefully HS kids in particular choose school this year to minimize the number of Juniors who get horsefeathersed over as seniors next year.

 

Also, I wonder if this creates the situation, either this year or next, where it actually makes sense to blow through your draft budget and lose a few future 1st round picks.

[UK]

(Given the status of the draft) They should be bring back DF&Es or better yet, allow college kids to be drafted before they get near their 21st birthday for the next two drafts.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

(Given the status of the draft) They should be bring back DF&Es or better yet, allow college kids to be drafted before they get near their 21st birthday for the next two drafts.

 

I like it.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

5 rounds? The Cardinals will still get 20 picks somehow.