2019 MLB draft thread

[bmags]

Just now, Flash said:

I like the Mateo comp. Mateo had some personal issues if I recall and its taken him a while to get focused but it looks as though he has it figured out this year.

I want Abrams to be much, much better, but it goes to show how long a player like that can hold value (feels like we've talked about mateo for the whole decade and he's only about to turn 24). Even Engel to some extend is an example of how far top speed can help you travel. 

Have a plus plus skill everyone.

[mqr]

3 minutes ago, Whitesox27 said:

What date is the actual draft? I know it's in June, but does anyone know the specific date of the 1st round? For some reason I couldn't find the answer.

The 3rd to the 5th

Edited May 20, 2019 by mqr

[bmags]

My favorite boring thing is to take off (if I can) for rounds 2-10 and stay home with BA 500 up.

[Bob Sacamano]

I'd like to thank last year's White Sox for only making me have to watch 3 picks this year instead of suffering any longer waiting for their first pick. You guys are the best.

[DirtySox]

2 minutes ago, bmags said:

My favorite boring thing is to take off (if I can) for rounds 2-10 and stay home with BA 500 up.

Hah. I'm considering taking the 3rd off so I can spend most of the day refreshing twitter for the latest rumors. Hopefully they include some permutations of Baltimore not taking Adley.

[Lillian]

 

This quote from Fangraphs is confusing to me. Isn't the scenario, which is explored here, only valid if Abrams is actually slotted 6TH?:

"Since Abrams would likely slide to the sixth pick if he doesn’t go third, there may be some pool money saved here (about $1.5 million based on the gap in slot between this pick and the sixth). That money would go a long ways toward tempting another mid-first round, high-upside prep talent to the White Sox next pick at 45, as the savings plus their overage would be a late-teen’s value slot."

[Harold's Leg Lift]

28 minutes ago, bmags said:

I want Abrams to be much, much better, but it goes to show how long a player like that can hold value (feels like we've talked about mateo for the whole decade and he's only about to turn 24). Even Engel to some extend is an example of how far top speed can help you travel. 

Have a plus plus skill everyone.

Byron Buxton is another good example of this.  His plus plus speed and plus plus defense allowed him to take his lumps at the big league level and now his bat is coming around at the ripe old age of 25 we're getting a glimpse at just how devastating a player he can be.  

[bmags]

26 minutes ago, Lillian said:

 

This quote from Fangraphs is confusing to me. Isn't the scenario, which is explored here, only valid if Abrams is actually slotted 6TH?:

"Since Abrams would likely slide to the sixth pick if he doesn’t go third, there may be some pool money saved here (about $1.5 million based on the gap in slot between this pick and the sixth). That money would go a long ways toward tempting another mid-first round, high-upside prep talent to the White Sox next pick at 45, as the savings plus their overage would be a late-teen’s value slot."

I don't understand your question. If Abrams team believes it will go 6th if not third, they may agree to sign to sox for only slightly more than the 6th slot. If not sox may get some discount but an unknown amount. Any amount they save could go toward later picks.

But it sounds like sox are in on Abrams due to preference not just savings. They may very well be able to get vaughn at savings too.

[Chisox378]

45 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

Byron Buxton is another good example of this.  His plus plus speed and plus plus defense allowed him to take his lumps at the big league level and now his bat is coming around at the ripe old age of 25 we're getting a glimpse at just how devastating a player he can be.  

Buxton is having his best year, but I dont expect him to be an elite ML hitter. He has a career .236 average with 376 ks to 82 bb.  That would be maybe acceptable pick in the later rounds of the draft but not in the first few rounds.  We can draft in the later rounds the athletic guy and develop him . In the early rounds, I rather take the polished hitters, smart hitters than the athletic player who risks not panning out. The question is, what is Abrams? Is he just athletic or does he have some polished hitting in him as well?

By the way Buxton looked alot more polished in the minors (although yes the competition is weaker) but his minor numbers showed that he is a good hitter. The Majors messed him up because they probably wanted him to hit HR's, you can see his K to Walk balloon in the majors. Listening to James McCann interview on Sox Talk Podcast, he talks about finding himself and being the player that he truly is. I think thats whats players need to do. Abrams looks like a skinny guy, so at this point to project 30 to 40 HR for him is not who he is. Granted alot of these high school players look small. And I like small players, Im a small guy myself.

Edited May 20, 2019 by Chisox378

[ChiSoxFanMike]

1 hour ago, soxfan2014 said:

June 3rd.

 

1 hour ago, mqr said:

The 3rd to the 5th

Thanks guys.

[DirtySox]

Hmm. Is it just me, or is the Abrams draft profile not all that different from Tim Anderson? Albeit a prep player versus Juco. Both toolsy, both slightly raw, both high end speed grades, both with questions on sticking at SS with CF as a fallback? I imagine TA graded out higher on the power though.

TA scouting report from BA from his draft year.

Quote

Anderson stands out in a draft class light on middle infielders. Scouts aren't sold that he'll stick at shortstop thanks to average arm strength. He has middle-infield actions and needs repetition at the pro level to see where he'll stick. His athleticism and plus-plus speed would play in center field. Some scouts see power in Anderson's bat and consider him a potential Brandon Phillips, while others see him as a faster version of Orlando Hudson. Either way, Anderson will be the first or second middle infielder picked and won't be following through on his commitment to Alabama-Birmingham.

 

[fathom]

Does Abrams project as a catcher though?

[Bob Sacamano]

1 minute ago, fathom said:

Does Abrams project as a catcher though?

When the time comes, we'll just move Anderson to Catcher.

[Sleepy Harold]

16 minutes ago, fathom said:

Does Abrams project as a catcher though?

 

15 minutes ago, soxfan2014 said:

When the time comes, we'll just move Anderson to Catcher.

It'll be great for positional versatility to have the two of them rotate between SS & C to make sure they don't get worn out. 

[raBBit]

23 minutes ago, soxfan2014 said:

When the time comes, we'll just move Anderson to Catcher.

If by when the time comes, you mean when Gavin Sheets reaches the bigs, takes over at third which then moves Moncada to 2B and Madrigal to SS then yes. When the time comes.

[fathom]

1 minute ago, raBBit said:

If by when the time comes, you mean when Gavin Sheets reaches the bigs, takes over at third which then moves Moncada to 2B and Madrigal to SS then yes. When the time comes.

Only if Burdi is starting on the mound

[raBBit]

1 minute ago, fathom said:

Only if Burdi is starting on the mound

If Sheets is in fact Anthony Rendon and Tim Anderson develops into Johnny Bench it should be expected that Burdi is used as an opener and Renteria stops bunting.

[Quin]

2 minutes ago, fathom said:

Only if Burdi is starting on the mound

With that arm, Burdi is in RF.

[raBBit]

I am really warming to the idea of Abrams because it makes the rest of the draft so much more exciting. That said, holding out hope of the 2% chance Rutschman is available to us. 

[DirtySox]

8 minutes ago, raBBit said:

I am really warming to the idea of Abrams because it makes the rest of the draft so much more exciting. That said, holding out hope of the 2% chance Rutschman is available to us. 

So you too are anticipating some sort of savings if Abrams is the pick?

[bmags]

Abrams video on his hitting approach:

 

[GenericUserName]

44 minutes ago, bmags said:

Abrams video on his hitting approach:

 

This video along with the baseball rebellion swing analysis gives me hope for him. It seems like he naturally has a swing to drive the ball in the air, but trying to take everything the opposite way has him waiting on pitches which results in him being on top of them and putting them on the ground. At the HS level that works because of the bad defense and his speed, but I feel like if he simply gets rid of that approach and tries pulling more balls you are going to see a lot more liners and fly balls.

2 hours ago, DirtySox said:

Hmm. Is it just me, or is the Abrams draft profile not all that different from Tim Anderson? Albeit a prep player versus Juco. Both toolsy, both slightly raw, both high end speed grades, both with questions on sticking at SS with CF as a fallback? I imagine TA graded out higher on the power though.

TA scouting report from BA from his draft year.

 

Maybe in athletic profile, but not really as a hitter. While Timmy has too much swing and miss, Abrams apparently rarely swings and misses, which is actually to his detriment a bit because he puts everything in play instead of waiting for something to drive.

[bmags]

1 minute ago, GenericUserName said:

This video along with the baseball rebellion swing analysis gives me hope for him. It seems like he naturally has a swing to drive the ball in the air, but trying to take everything the opposite way has him waiting on pitches which results in him being on top of them and putting them on the ground. At the HS level that works because of the bad defense and his speed, but I feel like if he simply gets rid of that approach and tries pulling more balls you are going to see a lot more liners and fly balls.

Yeah that's how I feel. And you can see when he responds to which is his favorite pitch its not "low and outside" where he can wait back and spray it to the outfield, it's low and inside because he can drive it the farthest.

He could be a guy so talented that just needs reps to update his approach and gets naturally bigger pulling the ball may be more attractive to him.

[Harold's Leg Lift]

Abrams has an advanced understanding of his swing and what he wants to do at the plate.  You don't see that very often with High School hitters. It's a seperator because it will help him work thru slumps faster.  Jarred Kelenic was like that.  Abrams has a real chance to be a special player.

Short to it and long thru it.  Love it.

 

[Blackout Friday]

I like Abrams third best of the players in this year’s draft as it is, so if he’s third off the board and we get some saving to boot, I think that’s a good start.