2018 MLB Draft

[Dam8610]

Athlete or no athlete, the White Sox need positional players that have good hit tools. That appears to be the tool they have the most difficulty developing.

[Chicago White Sox]

We’re talking about a top 5 pick, it’s not an either or thing that high in the draft. I would expect a plus athlete with solid baseball skills even if it’s a high school kid.

[bmags]

We’re talking about a top 5 pick, it’s not an either or thing that high in the draft. I would expect a plus athlete with solid baseball skills even if it’s a high school kid.

 

 

Right. And I would argue again that the main problem was not the player profile tendencies of the sox from 2005-2011, it was that they were cheap. When you roll with a very cheap draft budget back then you tended to get what you deserved.

[Balta1701]

While Anderson was very raw...I think Mitchell and Walker were primarily speed guys and still think that Achilles injury f***ed Mitchell...Hawkins just never came along...too raw

Keenyn Walker was also a sandwich pick, equivalent to the mid 2nd round. So he shouldn't be quite lumped in with "Hawkins" as a flop.

 

Mitchell might well have been a MLB player without injury, but ask it this way - the 25th pick in that draft was some speedy high school kid who had room to add muscle named Mike Trout. If you're avoiding athletes - that's what Trout started as.

[Chisoxfn]

Keenyn Walker was also a sandwich pick, equivalent to the mid 2nd round. So he shouldn't be quite lumped in with "Hawkins" as a flop.

 

Mitchell might well have been a MLB player without injury, but ask it this way - the 25th pick in that draft was some speedy high school kid who had room to add muscle named Mike Trout. If you're avoiding athletes - that's what Trout started as.

Actually it is funny...Trout was never billed as this overly athletic/toolsy guy. He just flat out wasn't. I remember at the time of the draft, Trout was just more of a guy who was likely to be solid but probably not a "star".

[southsider2k5]

Keenyn Walker was also a sandwich pick, equivalent to the mid 2nd round. So he shouldn't be quite lumped in with "Hawkins" as a flop.

 

Mitchell might well have been a MLB player without injury, but ask it this way - the 25th pick in that draft was some speedy high school kid who had room to add muscle named Mike Trout. If you're avoiding athletes - that's what Trout started as.

 

Yeah Walker was the 47th pick in is draft.

[Balta1701]

Actually it is funny...Trout was never billed as this overly athletic/toolsy guy. He just flat out wasn't. I remember at the time of the draft, Trout was just more of a guy who was likely to be solid but probably not a "star".

Here's a pre-draft "He can run and he can throw but he's going to have to learn to hit" article from his local NJ.

[GenericUserName]

Telling the White Sox to pick Trout instead of Jared Mitchell is in like the top 3 things I would do if I ever created a time machine.

[southsider2k5]

Telling the White Sox to pick Trout instead of Jared Mitchell is in like the top 3 things I would do if I ever created a time machine.

 

I would love to see how Mitchell developed if he hadn't destroyed his ankle in that spring training.

[ChiSoxJon]

I would love to see how Mitchell developed if he hadn't destroyed his ankle in that spring training.

Personally think he had star potential

[ptatc]

While Anderson was very raw...I think Mitchell and Walker were primarily speed guys and still think that Achilles injury f***ed Mitchell...Hawkins just never came along...too raw

It wasn't an Achilles. that would have been easy to fix. It was the posterior tibialis tendon. Those are really difficult to return from.

[ChiSoxJon]

It wasn't an Achilles. that would have been easy to fix. It was the posterior tibialis tendon. Those are really difficult to return from.

That explains quite a bit...awful

[southsider2k5]

Personally think he had star potential

 

He seemed to be coming along. After the injury, he never even flashed that he could make it.

[Dominikk85]

Actually it is funny...Trout was never billed as this overly athletic/toolsy guy. He just flat out wasn't. I remember at the time of the draft, Trout was just more of a guy who was likely to be solid but probably not a "star".

 

trout has an uber athlete coming into the draft. he also wasn't really all that raw but he played in a cold weather state against weak competition so some Scouts doubted whether he would hit against good pitching. most prospects are from warm weather states because you can Play year round against good competition there (travel ball) and many Teams are a Little biased against cold weather state Players (which in some cases makes sense but also can be a mistake at times). trout did hit as an Amateur but some Scouts assumed he couldnt due to the Level of competition. he did develope more power than People thought though, when he was in the minors People thought he would be like a 15-20 HR guy with great Speed but then he developed 30+ HR power (also added quite a bit of muscle mass).

Edited December 8, 2017 by GermanSock

[GenericUserName]

trout has an uber athlete coming into the draft. he also wasn't really all that raw but he played in a cold weather state against weak competition so some Scouts doubted whether he would hit against good pitching. most prospects are from warm weather states because you can Play year round against good competition there (travel ball) and many Teams are a Little biased against cold weather state Players (which in some cases makes sense but also can be a mistake at times). trout did hit as an Amateur but some Scouts assumed he couldnt due to the Level of competition. he did develope more power than People thought though, when he was in the minors People thought he would be like a 15-20 HR guy with great Speed but then he developed 30+ HR power (also added quite a bit of muscle mass).

This is honestly why I'm scared about passing on Kelenic. It seems so similar and he has done nothing but crush the ball and play good defense but no one has him rated in like the top 5. He was already in the finals in several home run derbies and he looks like he could still add bulk. I've seen 65 grade run times out of him, but many predict he is going to slow down. He can steal a base, play CF, and still hit for a high average even with game power. The only real knock I've seen on him is that he is from Wisconsin and might not face the best competition.

[steveno89]

This is honestly why I'm scared about passing on Kelenic. It seems so similar and he has done nothing but crush the ball and play good defense but no one has him rated in like the top 5. He was already in the finals in several home run derbies and he looks like he could still add bulk. I've seen 65 grade run times out of him, but many predict he is going to slow down. He can steal a base, play CF, and still hit for a high average even with game power. The only real knock I've seen on him is that he is from Wisconsin and might not face the best competition.

 

Kelenic will have scouts all over him this season since he is projected to be a top 15 draft pick. I think by the time of the draft we will have a much better sense of what sort of player he can be.

[GenericUserName]

Kelenic will have scouts all over him this season since he is projected to be a top 15 draft pick. I think by the time of the draft we will have a much better sense of what sort of player he can be.

I heard he's only doing travel ball this spring so hopefully he gets out there against some good competition. The Sox should have an advantage with him come draft time with him being so close by that they can probably watch him more or bring him in more often.

[Boopa1219]

I heard he's only doing travel ball this spring so hopefully he gets out there against some good competition. The Sox should have an advantage with him come draft time with him being so close by that they can probably watch him more or bring him in more often.

 

He played for a Sox sponsored team

[Dominikk85]

question with kelenic is whether he can play CF with an additional 20 pounds of muscle mass. trout can obviously but he also had speed in spades. when he hits like trout that obiously doesn't matter but trout really is a 99th percentile outcome. I think chance is that if kelenic is seen as a CF he is a top5 pick, if they think he is a corner OF with 20 pounds more he is a top15-20 pick.

[GenericUserName]

question with kelenic is whether he can play CF with an additional 20 pounds of muscle mass. trout can obviously but he also had speed in spades. when he hits like trout that obiously doesn't matter but trout really is a 99th percentile outcome. I think chance is that if kelenic is seen as a CF he is a top5 pick, if they think he is a corner OF with 20 pounds more he is a top15-20 pick.

I just wonder why everyone assumes that a kid is as fast as they are ever going to be when they are 18? When people talk about high school football recruits they say how they will add muscle and get faster, but for every baseball player the consensus is that they will add muscle and slow down. With his current run times he could probably stay in CF if he just maintains his speed.

[Dominikk85]

I just wonder why everyone assumes that a kid is as fast as they are ever going to be when they are 18? When people talk about high school football recruits they say how they will add muscle and get faster, but for every baseball player the consensus is that they will add muscle and slow down. With his current run times he could probably stay in CF if he just maintains his speed.

 

because almost all baseball players who add muscle mass do slow down. especially when they are already like 200 lb like kelenic. it doesn't always has to be like that but often it is.

 

 

 

longenhagen has turang and gorman ahead of him and said kelenic is well rounded but no elite tools. he is a good prospect but not sure I would take him over de sedas or turang

[steveno89]

question with kelenic is whether he can play CF with an additional 20 pounds of muscle mass. trout can obviously but he also had speed in spades. when he hits like trout that obiously doesn't matter but trout really is a 99th percentile outcome. I think chance is that if kelenic is seen as a CF he is a top5 pick, if they think he is a corner OF with 20 pounds more he is a top15-20 pick.

 

When drafting a high school outfielder that high, I would be very reluctant to select a player in the top five unless I really felt they could profile as a center fielder. Players need a hell of a bat to profile as an mlb corner regular, giving you far less margin for error.

[Dominikk85]

When drafting a high school outfielder that high, I would be very reluctant to select a player in the top five unless I really felt they could profile as a center fielder. Players need a hell of a bat to profile as an mlb corner regular, giving you far less margin for error.

 

Problem with HS Corner bats is the high range of outcomes. even an advanced HS bat has a pretty big range of outcomes. if the Player hits the 90th percentile outcome he will be usefull everywhere but at a Corner basically only 75th plus percentile outcomes Play at all. so while the bat is not super risky he has to hit really well to make an Impact. if the same Player Plays up the middle he might only Need to hit his 50th percentile outcome (numbers are made up- don't know the actual numbers) and still is a productive Player.

 

when you have a bat like harper that doesn't matter but few HS bats are so good that you say his median outcome will Play at a Corner. that is why Teams prefer up the middle Talent from hs picks in the top10

Edited December 11, 2017 by GermanSock

[ChiSoxJon]

Sounds like CWS will take a HSer

 

I like Turang

[Balta1701]

JRFegan

2h

White Sox Nick Hostetler says their glut of prospects in A-ball could provide a reason to opt for more high school prospects in next June’s draft