Upcoming Draft

[Jim Fainter]

Next Tuesday is the day. One of the Denver papers predicted the Sox will draft Brian Anderson, an outfielder from Univ of Arizona.

 

Anyone have any inside info on the draft?

[cwsox]

I cannot find the time to folow the draft at all so i rely on others -

what can you tell me about Brian Anderson? Is that a good choice or not? I just do not know and request your opinion.

[mreye]

I cannot find the time to folow the draft at all so i rely on others -

what can you tell me about Brian Anderson?  Is that a good choice or not?  I just do not know and request your opinion.

I don't know how anybody can find time to follow the draft.

[witesoxfan]

In baseball, the draft is such a goddamn crapshoot I'm not sure how anyone could follow it and make a good analysis of it.

 

Let me ask you a question....when both are healthy and playing their best, who would you rather have, Darin Erstad or Mark Buehrle? No wrong answer here.

 

Darin Erstad was drafted in the 1st round, 1st overall in 95....Buehrle was drafted in the 38th round.

 

Joe Mauer is a hell of a prospect for the Twins right now. What do you bet he is worse then Mike Piazza when his career is done? Piazza was drafted 62nd round.

 

I think you get my point.

[Cerbaho-WG]

http://arizonaathletics.ocsn.com/sports/m-...on_brian00.html

[Guest JimH]

Jim Callis of BA said the White Sox are keying in on Anthony Gwynn of San Diego State, who is Tony Gwynn's son. Anthony is a CF with a good bat, good speed and arm.

 

Callis also says if the Sox pick him in their slot in the 1st round, it's because of signability reasons ... Callis suggests Gwynn would go a bit lower strictly on merit ... maybe end of 1st round or in the 1st round supplemental.

 

BA expects the Sox to go for more college players than ever, in hopes of beefing up a farm system with kids who can play at higher levels quicker than a high school prospect.

[Chisoxfn]

Gwynn has a lot of solid skills, but the fact is he wouldn't be a good pick at this slot simply because he's not slotted to go anywhere near this high.

 

At 15 (I think thats where they are) the Sox have a shot of a top 10 player falling to them and they should get off their butt and sign that guy.

[Guest JimH]

I agree that the best available athlete should be picked. The Sox, though, have tended to draft conservatively, i.e. guys they can sign.

 

I also wouldn't be surprised to see them pick catcher Tony Ritchie again, whom they drafted with a 5th round pick in 2000 I believe and couldn't sign. He's projected as a 2nd or 3rd round selection.

 

Other than that, this organization desperately needs some promising shortstop candidates, assuming they don't have any coming out of the Dominican academy. Shortstop is not a particularly deep position in this years draft per the scouts, but there are some good candidates for the 2nd-6th rounds.

 

I hope they emphasize speed, bat skills, and on-base percentage. We are really lacking in pure hitting skills prospects in the minor league system, Jeremy Reed, Anthony Webster and maybe Thomas Brice notwithstanding.

[CWSOX45]

Next Tuesday is the day.  One of the Denver papers predicted the Sox will draft Brian Anderson, an outfielder from Univ of Arizona.

 

Anyone have any inside info on the draft?

Here's a list of the top thirty draft prospects according to Baseball America:

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft...ttracker03.html

 

CWSOX45

[Soxfest]

Gwynn at 15 would be a big mistake.

[CWSOX45]

Gwynn at 15 would be a big mistake.

Yes it would. I hope they don't do it.

 

CWSOX45

[Cerbaho-WG]

Gwynn at 15 would be a big mistake.

Everyone said that Jeremy Brown at 37 was a big mistake as well, and look what he's doing at AA Midland.

[whitesox61382]

Next Tuesday is the day.  One of the Denver papers predicted the Sox will draft Brian Anderson, an outfielder from Univ of Arizona.

 

Anyone have any inside info on the draft?

I go to the U of A and have seen Brain Anderson play a couple of times. He is really a toolsy type of guy. A guy with great athletic ability. It would be an interesting pick, although I don't know if he is 1st round material from what I have seen of him. The guy that really impressed me on the U of A team was Van Houten. I was sitting next to his dad at one of the games that I went to and it helped that he was bragging about everything his son did. Then again at the time he was leading the Pac 10 in hitting. He doesn't have the raw talent that Anderson has or the physical gifts, but he is just a hard nosed player with an incredible work ethic. His dad video tapes every AB he has and he said that he studies that video every day looking for ways to improve himself. Its good to see that my fellow U of A athletes are getting attention though.

[MnSoxFan]

Gwynn is the most overrated player in the draft, would not have even hit .300 except for feasting on terrible teams. Against quality teams he is a different player. Anderson would be a great pick.

[method]

Gwynn is the most overrated player in the draft, would not have even hit .300 except for feasting on terrible teams. Against quality teams he is a different player. Anderson would be a great pick.

Stay the hell away from Gwynn.... would be soooo KW to draft him...

[LDF]

here is what allan simpson said about the sox and the 15 pick

 

15. WHITE SOX. The White Sox have targeted college position players in this spot with outfielders Brian Anderson, Brad Snyder and Gwynn, and catcher Mitch Maier drawing their closest scrutiny.

PROJECTED PICK: Brian Anderson.

 

 

Brad Snyder, of

School: Ball State U. Class: Jr.

Hometown: Bellevue, Ohio.

B-T: L-R. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 200. Birthdate: May 25, 1982.

Previously Drafted: Never drafted.

Scouting Report: Snyder nearly had to have his right big toe amputated after a horrifying auto collision in the summer of 2001, which would have likely ended his baseball career. He fully recovered and hit .389-13-57 as a sophomore raising expectations heading into this spring. He posted nearly identical numbers this year. He continued to show more power from his lean, athletic 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame. He made an adjustment to erase a loop from his stroke, and is now on a more direct, fluid path to the ball. While he is a patient hitter, he occasionally lacks pitch recognition. He hits with good balance and bat speed, and shows the ability to turn on the ball for power. Snyder earned a tremendous reputation for his work habits while coming back from his career-threatening injuries. An average runner with good instincts, and an average arm, he profiles as a prototypical right fielder in the Paul O'Neill mold. He has attracted mid-first round attention. Snyder's younger brother Ben, a lefthander at Bellevue (Ohio) HS, might be drafted in the top 20 rounds.

 

 

Brian Anderson, of

School: U. of Arizona. Class: Jr.

Hometown: Tucson.

B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 195. Birthdate: Mar. 11, 1982.

Previously Drafted: Never drafted.

Scouting Report: Anderson improved his draft worth as much as any player in the country. He was hardly on the radar at the start of the year after an injury-plagued 2002 season but now finds himself in the first round, possibly as high as the 15th pick. His numbers tell the whole story. A .275 hitter with five homers and six stolen bases in 2002, the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder jumped his average more than 100 points while tripling his home run and stolen base totals. He was the best everyday performer in the Pacific-10 Conference. Anderson worked closely with Wildcats coach Andy Lopez to revamp his swing and entire approach to hitting. The result has been better rhythm and better bat speed. All other parts of his game have come together as well. He's a solid center fielder with above average arm strength. Though he did not pitch this year after leading the Wildcats with four saves a year ago, his fastball was clocked as high as 94 mph. With his improved showing offensively this year, his performance has finally matched his considerable tools

 

 

Anthony Gwynn, of

School: San Diego State U. Class: Jr.

Hometown: Poway, Calif.

B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 185. Birthdate: Oct. 4, 1982.

Previously Drafted: Braves '00 (33).

Scouting Report: If he were a player of any other name, Anthony Gwynn might be a fourth- or fifth-round pick. But he's squarely in the mix in the second round--there's pressure on San Diego to take him with its pick. Gwynn is the son of the greatest Padres player ever and one of the greatest hitters of all time. Though there are resemblances in their swings and approach at the plate, Gwynn has shown few signs of putting up the same numbers as his father Tony, now his coach at San Diego State. He struggled with the bat right from the start of the 2003 season and might not have hit even .250 if he hadn't beaten up two or three of the most porous pitching staffs in the offensive-oriented Mountain West Conference. He showed no power this year, failing to hit even a single homer. He infrequently made hard contact and was primarily a singles hitter who sprayed balls to all fields. Some scouts believe, though, the 6-foot, 185-pound Gwynn will be a much better pro than college player. Beyond his bat, all his other tools play well and his approach is better suited for the daily grind of the pros. He's been around the pro game all his life and knows what to expect. He already plays center field like a big leaguer. He can chase down balls with anyone and his instincts are off the chart. Though scouts never saw the home runs or stolen bases (25) this year they expected or had seen in the past, some have cut him some slack because they know that few, if any, college players performed under more pressure this year--with the draft and his famous dad as his coach.

 

 

Mitch Maier, c

 

School: U. of Toledo. Class: Jr.

Hometown: Novi, Mich.

B-T: L-R. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 185. Birthdate: Jun. 30, 1982.

Previously Drafted: Never drafted.

 

Scouting Report: The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Maier ranks with Tennessee's Javi Herrera, North Carolina State's Colt Morton, South Carolina's Landon Powell and Florida State's Tony Richie as the elite catchers in the college game, but his lefthanded bat sets him apart. He led the Mid-American Conference in hitting as a freshman with a .444 average, and duplicated that feat this spring, hitting .448. He also led the MAC in stolen bases--a rare feat for a catcher. A 3:1 walk-strikeout ratio further bolsters his offensive profile. Defense, though, is not one of Maier's strong suits. His receiving skills are suspect, and while he has good arm strength his release is a little slow. Simple experience should cure most of his shortcomings behind the plate, but he has the speed and athletic ability to move to the outfield, if necessary. Growing up in Michigan, Maier was an all-state quarterback and lived minutes away from the University of Michigan campus. He planned to play baseball and football there, but changed his mind at the last minute when he learned that Michigan had recruited two other catchers--one being Jake Fox, who also should factor prominently in this year's draft.

 

 

Anthony Gwynn is a an overdraft as a lot of others have said.

 

 

BEST FIVE-TOOL TALENT

College

1 Rickie Weeks, 2b, Southern (3)

2 Brian Anderson, of, Arizona (27)

3 Brad Snyder, of, Ball State (26)

[Jim Fainter]

I hope the Sox are smart enough to know which of these kids are represented by Boros.

[SI1020]

Next Tuesday is the day.  One of the Denver papers predicted the Sox will draft Brian Anderson, an outfielder from Univ of Arizona.

 

Anyone have any inside info on the draft?

Here's a list of the top thirty draft prospects according to Baseball America:

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft...ttracker03.html

 

CWSOX45

I depend on certain folks at this site to keep me updated on the draft, prospects, the minors, etc. Thanks for linking this list. I see there is a kid from Mass and another from Pa in the top ten. Other than that, a modern trend is continuing, very few American kids from the north making it to the majors when compared with other areas of the country and Latin America.

[southsider2k5]

I hope the Sox are smart enough to know which of these kids are represented by Boros.

After the whole Bobby Hill thing you can bet those guys aren't even on our draft board.

[CWSOX45]

Next Tuesday is the day.  One of the Denver papers predicted the Sox will draft Brian Anderson, an outfielder from Univ of Arizona.

 

Anyone have any inside info on the draft?

Here's a list of the top thirty draft prospects according to Baseball America:

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft...ttracker03.html

 

CWSOX45

I depend on certain folks at this site to keep me updated on the draft, prospects, the minors, etc. Thanks for linking this list. I see there is a kid from Mass and another from Pa in the top ten. Other than that, a modern trend is continuing, very few American kids from the north making it to the majors when compared with other areas of the country and Latin America.

No problem. I don't know much about college baseball either. The only time I watch College Baseball is the College World Series.

 

CWSOX45

[southsider2k5]

THis was in today's Trib

 

Take your pick

 

The Sox have the 15th selection in Tuesday's amateur draft, and the team is said to be considering outfielder Anthony Gwynn, the son of future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

 

Baseball America rated Gwynn as the best defensive player among college prospects and the third-fastest baserunner.

 

The magazine, however, projects the Sox taking Brian Anderson, an outfielder from the University of Arizona.

 

Others reportedly being considered by the team are Kyle Sleeth, a right-hander from Wake Forest, and Vince Sinisi, a first baseman from Rice University.

[LDF]

here is an update from today's BA.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft...030601dish.html

 

 

sox are talking about singing the player who they can sign............. you are not going to like this.

 

 

Omar Quintanilla, ss

 

School: U. of Texas. Class: Jr.

Hometown: El Paso, Texas.

B-T: L-R. Ht.: 5-9. Wt.: 185. Birthdate:

Previously Drafted: Never drafted.

 

Scouting Report: Quintanilla doesn’t do anything spectacularly, but he's a solid all-around player with exceptional hand-eye coordination. His strong suit is his ability to hit for average and being lefthanded only helps his cause. He makes contact, draws walks and provides the occasional stolen base and extra-base hit. While Quintanilla has played mostly shortstop and third base at Texas, his size (5-foot-9 and 185 pounds) and range will fit better at second base as a pro. Then again, he's bigger and has more arm strength than David Eckstein. At worst, Quintanilla should be a super utility player, and he's generating third- to fifth-round interest.

[LDF]

THis was in today's Trib

 

Take your pick

 

The Sox have the 15th selection in Tuesday's amateur draft, and the team is said to be considering outfielder Anthony Gwynn, the son of future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

 

Baseball America rated Gwynn as the best defensive player among college prospects and the third-fastest baserunner.

 

The magazine, however, projects the Sox taking Brian Anderson, an outfielder from the University of Arizona.

 

Others reportedly being considered by the team are Kyle Sleeth, a right-hander from Wake Forest, and Vince Sinisi, a first baseman from Rice University.

with talk going around about sd taking the cat who is at best a 2 rounder with the high first rounder, some players may be available. this vince guy is falling like a brick, partly b/c of his agent. boras and the fact that he may only testing the waters.

 

if kyle sleeth is there, the sox should nab him without a doubt. the only scary thing is in his career at wake is that he pitch a lot of innings, not this year.

 

Kyle Sleeth, rhp

 

School: Wake Forest U. Class: Jr.

Hometown: Westminster, Colo.

B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 185. Birthdate: Dec. 20, 1981

Previously Drafted: Orioles '00 (18).

 

Scouting Report: The consensus is that Sleeth is better than Bryan Bullington, the No. 1 overall pick a year ago, though he won't go that high in this draft. He should be no worse than the second college pitcher drafted–Richmond's Tim Stauffer is the only one with a shot to go ahead of him–or the seventh overall choice. Sleeth's pitching has dropped off slightly since his NCAA record-tying 26-game winning streak ended, but he still has a long track record of success with Wake Forest and Team USA. Not to mention three nasty pitches, a 93-94 mph fastball with life, a low-80s slider that has improved this year and a power curveball. There's still some room for projection with his 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame. Sleeth also has a decent changeup and throws strikes. His delivery can get out of whack, and he'll sometimes throw across his body or leave the ball up in the strike zone. Consistency is all that stands between him becoming a frontline starter in the major leagues.

[southsider2k5]

well if a mechanical problem is all that stands between him and the majors Don Cooper seems to have a knack for curing those kind of problems.

[Soxfest]

After the whole Bobby Hill thing you can bet those guys aren't even on our draft board.

That is probably true