2019 MLB draft thread

[GenericUserName]

1 hour ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

 Abrams has the arm strength so throwing from different "platforms" is a learnable skill.  Again all it takes is reps and he'll get plenty of those considering he's only 18 yrs old. 

Yeah, I agree. Especially with him being 6'3" there is probably some amount of him still learning to fully control his body. I think its very much a Royce Lewis situation where once you get him in a baseball program and concentrating on one position full time then he will advance quickly. Plus, worst case he would probably be plus at second or center.

[turnin' two]

6 hours ago, reiks12 said:

C'est (it is) la vie

Ah, thanks, my French grammar has never been strong.

Edited March 2, 2019 by turnin' two

[fathom]

I'm all aboard the Adley/Vaughn selection.  They fit nicely into what should be the competitive period for the team.

[Flash]

2 hours ago, fathom said:

I'm all aboard the Adley/Vaughn selection.  They fit nicely into what should be the competitive period for the team.

My current order of preference: Guessing Adley and Witt go 1...2 .

1) Adley C

1)a Vaughn 1B

2) Witt SS

3) Abrams SS

4) Espino P

[bmags]

Really interesting Abrams discussion.

I really like all the profiles of the top four to date. Would be happy with Witt, Abrams Vaughn or Adley obviously.

if Misner keeps up you have a nice option of getting a power plus bat, well rounded catcher, two prep shortstops with power, and a top college hitter that can stick in CF. That’s a nice group.

[Lillian]

Vaughn is hitting "out of his mind". In the first 9 games, look at his stat line:

AVG    OPS     GP.  AB.    R.     H   2B  3B HR  RBI  TB     SLG    BB  HBP SO  GDP OBP

500

1.700

9-9

30

11

15

1

0

5

13

31

1.033

15

0

5

0

.667

What stands out the most is the 15 walks versus 5 strike outs and the 5 home runs.15 hits and 15 walks in his first 45 plate appearances. Just insane.

He may be off the board, with the first pick, at this rate. I know, it's early and he's a first baseman, yada, yada, yada. But, that kind of bat is hard to pass up, especially for a good defensive player, at any position. He will obviously slow down, at some point, No one can hit like that, consistently. Nevertheless, it certainly does appear that last year was no fluke.

Although, Rutschman isn't far behind, in his early performance. His numbers are almost as good:

AVG .400  OBP .595  SLG .920  OPS 1.515  12 WALKS  5 STRIKE OUTS & 4 HOMERS

So far, in the early going, Rutschman and Vaughn are the top 2 picks. I don't know about the rest of the class, but it's a shame that we're picking third, instead of 2ND.

 

Edited March 3, 2019 by Lillian

[Flash]

Rutschman hit HR #5 yesterday (1-3 w/BB).

[Lillian]

We better hope that one of those two guys slows down, or they'll both be gone, by the time the Sox pick. They are starting the season like elite college players. I can't imagine any team passing on them. No one is going to have Witt above either of them, on their board.

[turnin' two]

7 minutes ago, Lillian said:

We better hope that one of those two guys slows down, or they'll both be gone, by the time the Sox pick. They are starting the season like elite college players. I can't imagine any team passing on them. No one is going to have Witt above either of them, on their board.

I don't know.  Teams do weird things in the draft.  Pretty regularly.  

[GenericUserName]

I just keep having this thought that the Orioles end up passing on all the college talent. They are obviously at the start of what seems like it will be a long rebuild. If the new FO feels secure in their jobs, I could see them opting for the HS talent over the college guys because he is a more premium position, higher upside, and is less likely to burn through years of control and years of their prime (plus years of health for a catcher) than the college players who could be in the majors in two years.

[daa84]

Vaughn with 2 more HR today. Up to 7 on the year already. Tanking matters. And it matters to be number 1. Not number 3. The data supports that (even if Vaughn is available at 3 still - which he still could be)

Edited March 3, 2019 by daa84

[DirtySox]

 

[OneDog847]

28 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

 

The Sox will take Vaughn for sure if he is there at #3. He fits their draft profile philosophy under Hostetler perfectly. The Sox will also want the pick this year to be someone they can get to the big leagues as soon as possible. The rebuild clock is ticking and I don't see the Sox taking a high school kid that is gonna need three years of development time in the minors. 

 

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

43 minutes ago, OneDog847 said:

The Sox will take Vaughn for sure if he is there at #3. He fits their draft profile philosophy under Hostetler perfectly. The Sox will also want the pick this year to be someone they can get to the big leagues as soon as possible. The rebuild clock is ticking and I don't see the Sox taking a high school kid that is gonna need three years of development time in the minors. 

 

As much as I don't want a 1B to be the BPA at #3, you're right that he would fit our time table the best. If Cahill thinks he could be the 1st one to the majors from that class, we are talking sometime in 2020 if he's going to be the 1st one. That means the Sox would only need a stop gap 1B for 1 season until he's *potentially* ready.

[Quin]

While I know everything is through the collegiate homer lens, I'm really hoping Misner shoots up the boards and warrants the #3 pick.

A lefty CF with raw power, speed, a cannon arm, walks more than he strikes outs, and hits?

Vaughn definitely has him beat in in-game power, but everything else makes me want Misner so much more.

[oldsox]

1 hour ago, OneDog847 said:

The Sox will take Vaughn for sure if he is there at #3. He fits their draft profile philosophy under Hostetler perfectly. The Sox will also want the pick this year to be someone they can get to the big leagues as soon as possible. The rebuild clock is ticking and I don't see the Sox taking a high school kid that is gonna need three years of development time in the minors. 

 

Three years?  How about 5 years.  Sox mascot should be a snail.

[bmags]

1 hour ago, OneDog847 said:

The Sox will take Vaughn for sure if he is there at #3. He fits their draft profile philosophy under Hostetler perfectly. The Sox will also want the pick this year to be someone they can get to the big leagues as soon as possible. The rebuild clock is ticking and I don't see the Sox taking a high school kid that is gonna need three years of development time in the minors. 

 

If the high schooler is good you could trade him for someone awesome immediately.

[OneDog847]

30 minutes ago, bmags said:

If the high schooler is good you could trade him for someone awesome immediately.

That is true. Hostetler just seems so risk adverse though. I just don't see him ever taking a high schooler with a top 5 pick. 

I wonder what he would have done if Jo Adell had not been taken immediately before Burger in 17. 

[turnin' two]

3 hours ago, bmags said:

If the high schooler is good you could trade him for someone awesome immediately.

No you couldn't.  Not until after the World Series!  ?

[Harold's Leg Lift]

It's not about who has the best stats or who gets to the big leagues first.  It's about who will have the most successful/impactful career. If they think it's one of the HS guys the timeline should not matter. Get the guy who's going to be a superstar.

[Lillian]

There is a good chance that teams are going to stop pitching to Vaughn. He is absolutely dominating collegiate competition. Maybe if he just compiles a huge number of walks, but stops producing at such an incredible rate, he will fall to the Sox, at #3. Otherwise, he may go #1. 7 homers, in 34 at bats. 15 walks vs 5 strike outs. His average is now .529. Yikes!!!

Edited March 4, 2019 by Lillian

[steveno89]

17 minutes ago, Lillian said:

There is a good chance that teams are going to stop pitching to Vaughn. He is absolutely dominating collegiate competition. Maybe if he just compiles a huge number of walks, but stops producing at such an incredible rate, he will fall to the Sox, at #3. Otherwise, he may go #1. 7 homers, in 34 at bats. 15 walks vs 5 strike outs. His average is now .529. Yikes!!!

The only real knocks on Vaughn are the position, 1B, is tough to draft that high unless the bat is special...which his might very well be. 

Teams will stop pitching to him if he keeps this up

[Dominikk85]

1 hour ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

It's not about who has the best stats or who gets to the big leagues first.  It's about who will have the most successful/impactful career. If they think it's one of the HS guys the timeline should not matter. Get the guy who's going to be a superstar.

Problem is you don't know who is going to be a superstar. Every once in a while there is a floor ceiling total package like harper but usually with HS players the high upside guys  also have high risk.

There are the mike trouts and bo bichettes but also Alex Jackson or tim beckham.

[Harold's Leg Lift]

Well that's why they get paid the big bucks and they've had plenty of bites at the apple.  It's well past time for them to hit a home run.   

[Flash]

Vaughn was the best hitter (college or HS) last year and he is even more dialed-in this year. He is on a rediculous pace that would mark the most productive season in NCAA history. His track record as being in a league of his own goes back to HS. Sure pitchers will be extra careful and start pitching around him. That said, I can see teams buying into the narrative that 1B is less important and therefor pick a MI/CF. I understand in some instances 1B is a 'default-to' position but, all you have to do is watch Rizzo, Freeman, Votto and, to a lesser extent Hosmer and count how many throwing errors they save (vs. say Abreu) to appreciate the value of a 1B who can play defense, especially with the way shifts are employed today. I can get behind Rutschman, a HS MI w/upside or a lights out pitcher with the 3rd pick but I just don't buy passing up Vaughn because he is a 1B.