Who will the Sox pick this year?

[southsider2k5]

So we are a day from the big draft... Who will the Sox put on the board with the 23rd pick in the 2009 draft? Let's see your predicitons!

[maggsmaggs]

I think Eric Arnett from Indiana. Gibson is going to slip so someone who wants Arnett, I believe, so Arnett might drop to us and we get ourselves a nice, power arm. I also think Drew Storen will be picked by us, either in the comp round of second round.

Edited June 8, 2009 by maggsmaggs

[Chisoxfn]

If Arnetts there we take him, otherwise Pollack or Trout.

[Cali]

I dont know who the prospects are, but I will give a vague description:

 

Right Handed College Power Pitcher

[fathom]

Storen will be our first pick.

[Balta1701]

Someone who played college football.

[Flash Tizzle]

Storen will be our first pick.

I wouldn't mind selecting him. At our position, to find someone with potential they'll possess the talent, yet have unrefined tools which teams selecting lower cannot be bothered with. For a pitcher such as Storen, he has command issues out of the starters position.

 

Our goal, even with several sandwich picks, should be selecting the best available talent. The pitcher or positional player with the most upside. Perhaps a few higher ceiling names drop (and above the Top 10 it's never a certainty), but if Storen is around when we select I'd be satisfied.

 

I also like Eric Arnett. I look at him and it reminds me of what people were saying of Matt Garza.

 

 

[fathom]

There's no chance Arnett falls to the Sox. He might go in the top 15 picks.

[Chisoxfn]

Fathom, is there an inside thing you have there? Or are you going more the Stanford connection? I think the Sox like Storen but taking him at 23 would be a mega reach and if they do that they better f***ing take a shot one on one of there other early picks and not cheap out on everything else.

[maggsmaggs]

Fathom, is there an inside thing you have there? Or are you going more the Stanford connection? I think the Sox like Storen but taking him at 23 would be a mega reach and if they do that they better f***ing take a shot one on one of there other early picks and not cheap out on everything else.

If they reach for him, there is no doubt in my mind that they are making him a starter.

[Chisoxfn]

Agreed. He has great stuff. On a sidenote, I read where Storen might go as high as 10 to the Nationals. He has really good stuff. I didn't look much into him because I tend to hate drafting relievers, but he's got the goods. Plus I think we already have one in Poreda.

 

I wouldn't be opposed to Storen, especially since I think we can compete soon and he should be a quick riser if he stays as a closer and if we move him to the rotation he still might jump through the system. He has three good pitches too.

 

Click the link for a pretty cool article, with some quotes from Storen

http://blogs.indystar.com/preps/archives/2...from_likel.html

 

Scouting Report:

- Low to mid 90's fastball with good movement

- Hard Curve, almost sliderish

- Good changeup, although he doesn't use it a ton out of the pen but worked hard on it with Stanfords pitching coach

- So So Command (the reason he's in the pen)

 

[Flash Tizzle]

Fathom, is there an inside thing you have there? Or are you going more the Stanford connection? I think the Sox like Storen but taking him at 23 would be a mega reach and if they do that they better f***ing take a shot one on one of there other early picks and not cheap out on everything else.

You mentioned Pollack earlier, doesn't he seem like a reach as well? Do you really see a small outfielder with limited power (the MLB.com video projected him as a potential 10HR a year player), albeit with an ability to make consistent, hard contact, as a first round selection?

 

I don't see a lot of potential here. And I know, yes, he can always be converted to another position later, but this would be my 38th selection more than my 23rd.

Edited June 8, 2009 by Flash Tizzle

[fathom]

Fathom, is there an inside thing you have there? Or are you going more the Stanford connection? I think the Sox like Storen but taking him at 23 would be a mega reach and if they do that they better f***ing take a shot one on one of there other early picks and not cheap out on everything else.

 

No inside stuff, unfortunately. Just a hunch.

[Chisoxfn]

You mentioned Pollack earlier, doesn't he seem like a reach as well? Do you really see a small outfielder with limited power (the MLB.com video projected him as a potential 10HR a year player), albeit with an ability to make consistent, hard contact, as a first round selection?

 

I don't see a lot of potential here. And I know, yes, he can always be converted to another position later, but this would be my 38th selection more than my 23rd.

Pollack is a stud. Can hit for average, plays plus plus Defense, great baserunner. Looks like a guy that could hit .300 with a .380+ OBP, 15HR's, 20 SB's, and near gold glove defense. Combine that with Quentin and Danks and that would be pretty nice, imo.

 

Really does everything pretty well. He mind end up being Jeremy Reed but he really does have a nice-skillset. He can also play 2B. And Pollack, like Trout, is a 20-36 or so selection.

[Flash Tizzle]

If they reach for him, there is no doubt in my mind that they are making him a starter.

I've just been assuming they'd convert him to a starter. He's perfect for our slot because of his limited experience in the starters role. We're not going to find great, high ceiling pitchers around us unless they have only one pitch, are coming off an injury, high bonus demands (probably wont be an issue with teams anymore), or limited experience in the starters role.

[Chisoxfn]

Drew: I attack guys a lot. I throw a hard fastball and two different types of breaking balls. One is what I call a power slurve. It doesn’t have a 12-6 break. It's more a 2-7:30 break if you're looking at a clock. It's 81-83. Then I throw a true slider that's 87-89. I throw a change, but not in a relief role. I throw a lot of strikes. My command got a little stronger this year. My fastball is in the zone even when I get hit. That’s what happens when you throw strikes. I'm not one of those guys who's going to be effectively wild. I don’t walk guys. I leave the ball up in the zone sometimes and pay for it. But I always try to jump ahead of guys and make them bite on a ball out of the zone when I get ahead.

 

The above is a scouting report he gave of himself. I like his attitude, you got to like his stuff, and given where we are picking he might be a really good guy to take a chance on, see if you can turn him into a starter, and if not, in this day and age, it never hurts to have a power arm in your pen. Put me down for being perfectly happy with Storen.

 

[Chisoxfn]

Some more good stuff from Drew:

 

Jeremy: As a reliever, do you think you can have a quick path to the Majors?

 

Drew: I know that’s an option. Actually, most of the teams I've talked to have said they might want me to be a starter. I try not to assume anything, though. I know I have to work hard to get there.

 

Jeremy: So are there any differences with you as a starter or reliever?

 

Drew: I use my change more and my 2-seam fastball a lot more. It has some sink on it. I'll use it out of the pen sometimes to get a groundball. I use more fastballs as a starter. I started in the fall, and ended up going back in the closer role in the spring, since we got a couple freshman starters and coach didn’t want to reinvent the wheel giving us all new roles

[BearSox]

I like Storen and was gonna do a draft profile of him tonight. He has a good attitude and he sounds smart. I wouldn't mind him at 23, but it'd be awesome if he fell to 38.

 

However, my guess is that we will pick Chad Jenkins. Big work horse who induces a lot of ground balls, should progress rather quickly, is a safe pick, and should be an easy sign. We've been heavily scouting his teammate Heckathorn, from what I've read, but we've likely seen a lot of Jenkins as well. He's like a Lance Broadway type of pick, but with a lot more potential.

[dasox24]

I'd be perfectly happy with Arnett, Storen, Jenkins, Pollock, or Trout.

[Ozzie Ball]

I really hate the thought of drafting a reliever in the 1st round. You should be using the first round pick to bolster your farm as much as possible and drafting a reliever would completely contradict this as it's by far the least valuable position. Lets say you take Storen at 23 and he reaches his full potential, he's still only going to be around a 2.4WAR player (and even that's a stretch), last year there were around 140 players who had a WAR above 2.5 and only 2 of them were relievers.

[dasox24]

I really hate the thought of drafting a reliever in the 1st round. You should be using the first round pick to bolster your farm as much as possible and drafting a reliever would completely contradict this as it's by far the least valuable position. Lets say you take Storen at 23 and he reaches his full potential, he's still only going to be around a 2.4WAR player (and even that's a stretch), last year there were around 140 players who had a WAR above 2.5 and only 2 of them were relievers.

That's how I felt too until it looks like whatever team takes Storen will make him a starter. If that's the case, then it's a great pick b/c a guy with Storen's stuff that was already a SP probably wouldn't last to #23.

[Ozzie Ball]

That's how I felt too until it looks like whatever team takes Storen will make him a starter. If that's the case, then it's a great pick b/c a guy with Storen's stuff that was already a SP probably wouldn't last to #23.

That's a fair point, if we draft him and make him a starter I won't mind that pick.

 

Reymond Fuentes seems to be the name linked with us a lot recently and I have to say I hope to god that we don't take him at 23 (or 38). Potential leadoff hitters that can't walk? No thanks. I see him as a future 4th outfielder/pinch runner.

[JDsDirtySox]

I want Trout... but I think we will take Mitchell.

[JPN366]

Diego Seastrunk. Period.

 

[VenomSox]

Can Bryce Harper be drafted this year?