2024 MLB Draft Day 1 Thread

Mathis did rake in the cape last summer 

Just now, CaliforniaRaisin said:

Lot of intriguing prep guys going around the Cubs far less-exciting pick

Yeah, I'm not really getting this one at all.

Sloan goes 55th to Seattle.

Kiley had Mathis at 69 (nice) and MLB had him at 84.  Longhagen didn't rank him.

Kinda wonder if this was a money saver, whether that be for Smith or for someone later.

 

Mathis is an oddball pick. Don't get that twisted, that's not bad...but it's odd. They drafted a guy most everyone thinks is a 1b...and announced him at 3b. He's not a big-school kid. Did crush the Cape (they love the Cap). And the Cubs don't like drafting 1b.

I didn't see a Mathis type pick. That feels like an underslot pick. But maybe others were really into him too and it's full slot. But that feels like there might be some money left over. 

 

Similar to what 1908 just posted, looks like Mathis has a hell of a lot more power than that tepid MLB.com scouting report

 

6 minutes ago, TomtheBombadil said:

Maybe a hot take is I like Mathis better than Amick, who just went to the Twins at 60

I'd agree. Amick is fine, and I can't say I've done huge legwork on Mathis (he was not on my radar here), but what I have done makes me impressed. 

He's a fun pick. He's a *funky* pick. But fun. I'm excited for Mathis. 

7 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Similar to what 1908 just posted, looks like Mathis has a hell of a lot more power than that tepid MLB.com scouting report

 

I saw an MLB.com scouting report video that said his power wasn't great. But it was posted in 2023's winter. I think it's just outdated.

So what do we think, slot for Cam Smith and ~200k underslot for Mathis?

Curious to see who makes it to the third round. Carson Wiggins is still on the board, along with Dax Whitney.

15 minutes ago, Outshined_One said:

So what do we think, slot for Cam Smith and ~200k underslot for Mathis?

Curious to see who makes it to the third round. Carson Wiggins is still on the board, along with Dax Whitney.

I think you’re right - Smith for slot and Mathis for a very slight savings.

Whitney has a high price tag. I don’t believe the Cubs have the pool space to get someone like him.

I’m sure the Cubs will aggressively go pitching tomorrow, guessing it will primarily be college though.

I posted about a week or so about the minor league pipeline.  The one of the takeaways was that there's a big gap in talent on the position player side between in that South Bend verging on ready for Tennessee part of the farm.  Adding two hyper-polished college hitters is a resounding way to fill that void.

Pitching pitching pitching with maybe a catcher or two from here, please and thank you.  Watch some tape from Day 2 in 2022 for some inspiration Dan.

3 hours ago, Jeremy Nygaard said:

Cam Smith is a great pick at 14, imo.

I agree 100%.  Seems like a really solid pick given the options, with high floor and some more upside in the power department.

Yeah, both big solid guys.  Neither has long college hitting experience, Matthis having been mostly pitcher as freshman, and soph-eligible for Smith.  Hopefully they've got a lot of improvement ahead.  

Both are righties.  

 

3 hours ago, Tryptamine said:

I have him at 8 with Horton, Alcantara, Caissie, Ballesteros, Shaw, Rojas and Triantos ahead of him.

I probably put him ahead of Triantos based on the power and glove.  Triantos seems to have only 2 plus tools:  hit and arm, and probably ends up with a walk-rate below the league average due to the contact ability.

Triantos could end up a .270+ hitter, 10-15 HR and below average defense.  I think the upside on Cam Smith is higher because of the power and glove but not quite as high floor.

The Cubs drafting Mathis speaks more to the quality of the draft than anything else. If they think he can tap into the power, it looks like they might get a right-hand hitting Rizzo if everything goes well developmental-wise. 

Cole Mathis:

BA had him ranked 61st:

Quote

61. Cole Mathis

1B / RHP

Ht: 6'1" | Wt: 195 | B-T: R-R

School: College of Charleston Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21
BA Grade: 45/High
Tools: Hit: 50. Power: 55. Run: 40. Field: 45. Arm: 60.

Mathis is a 6-foot-1, 210-pound first baseman and righthanded pitcher who had a breakout season with College of Charleston in 2023, when he led the team in most offensive categories and also had a team-best 3.45 ERA and 1.28 WHIP on the mound. He then doubled down on his two-way profile by playing with Cotuit in the Cape Cod League, where he continued to hit at a high level and had a 23-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio, mostly out of the bullpen. Mathis didn’t pitch at all this spring and started off slowly as a hitter, but he finished the year on a hot streak and is a career .327/.451/.606 hitter with 24 home runs and more walks than strikeouts. He’s more of a pure hitter than a big slugger in the box, with strong bat-to-ball skills, zone contact rates and a keen eye that keeps him inside the strike zone on his swings. Most of his power in college has gone to his pull side, though his quality exit velocity data and the fact that he homered 11 times in 38 games in the Cape Cod League should provide some reassurance that he can hit for enough impact at first base. When on the mound, Mathis has displayed a fastball up to 96 mph, a mid-70s curveball with depth, a harder slider and a mid-80s changeup.

Pipeline ranked him 84th:

Quote

Cole Mathis, 1B, College of Charleston

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 45 | Arm: 60 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45 

Mathis got only a handful of at-bats while spending most of his 2022 freshman year at College of Charleston as a reliever. He became one of college baseball's top two-way players last spring, leading the Cougars in both OPS (1.014) and ERA (3.45) before finishing second in the Cape Cod League with 11 homers. The program's best position prospect since 2005 third-rounder Brett Gardner, he recovered from a slow start to slash .335/.472/.650 with 14 longballs this spring.

While Mathis may not have the prettiest right-handed swing, it's an effortless stroke that produces consistent contact to all fields. He has solid power, driving most of his home runs to left-center, and might do more damage if he launched balls in the air more frequently. He controls the strike zone well and draws plenty of walks.

Mathis has fringy speed and decent athleticism but is limited to first base despite his plus arm strength. Though some clubs viewed him as a potential back-of-the-rotation starter, he has focused on hitting this year while dealing with an elbow injury. His best offering is a mid-70s downer curveball that he commands well, and he also works with a low-90s fastball with running action and a fringy cutter and changeup that both park in the mid-80s. 

ESPN/Kiley McDaniel ranked him 69th (40 FV).

FG/Eric Longehangen didn't rank him in his top 100 (but had him as a 35+ FV).