2014 Draft class

[caulfield12]

But isn't take Nola another version of Broadway/McCulloch/Poreda, except at the 3 spot?

 

Obviously, Wacha went #13 and was great, but nobody's projecting Nola as a frontline starter or ace at the big league level right now, are they? (Of course, there were critics/skeptics about Adam, too.)

 

Even though the odds aren't great that Kolek has the ability to be the next Clemens, or Strasburg, are you sure you can afford to pass him up when you can grab another guy like Fedde (possibly) at 44 as added insurance? It seems Freeland, Finnegan and Newcomb will go well before that, though.

 

Going for the "safe" college pitcher seems to be a recipe for disaster. I don't know much about Nola, but he's more Quintana than Sale, isn't he?

 

 

[DirtySox]

But isn't take Nola another version of Broadway/McCulloch/Poreda, except at the 3 spot?

 

Obviously, Wacha went #13 and was great, but nobody's projecting Nola as a frontline starter or ace at the big league level right now, are they? (Of course, there were critics/skeptics about Adam, too.)

 

Poreda was not a safe pick.

 

The consensus pitchers with frontline potential are Aiken, Rodon, and Kolek. If anyone else did they would be in the discussion with those three. Nola is being discussed because of the rumor that the Sox are considering the second tier of college arms which indeed would be sacrificing ceiling for more certainty. The theory is that they would also be garnering some financial flexibility via significant underslotting and the ability to grab multiple players with significant talent.

 

I don't think people are necessarily arguing that it's the definite way to go, just exploring who might be the selection if not one of the big three.

Edited May 11, 2014 by DirtySox

[caulfield12]

Poreda was not a safe pick.

 

The consensus pitchers with frontline potential are Aiken, Rodon, and Kolek. If anyone else did they would be in the discussion with those three. Nola is being discussed because of the rumor that the Sox are considering the second tier of college arms which indeed would be sacrificing ceiling for more certainty. The theory is that they would also be garnering some financial flexibility via significant underslotting and the ability to grab multiple players with significant talent.

 

I don't think people are necessarily arguing that it's the definite way to go, just exploring who might be the selection if not one of the big three.

 

 

Yeah, with Poreda, it's more like...he has the fastball, but we believe he can develop his other pitches well enough to become a starter.

 

Then again, that wasn't a very high pick. Neither was McCulloch. Broadway was the only one that stung a bit. Or wasting a pick on Royce Ring in the first round.

[Lillian]

Now that Hoffman and Feede are probably out of the question, who among the top collegiate RHP would you rate as having the highest ceiling and highest floor?

I assume that your list would include Nola and Beede. If chosen, wouldn't they both be "under slot" for the Sox?

Athough not Aces, are either of them potential top of the rotation guys?

Edited May 11, 2014 by Lillian

[Quin]

Now that Hoffman and Feede are probably out of the question, who among the top collegiate RHP would you rate as having the highest ceiling and highest floor?

I assume that your list would include Nola and Beede. If chosen, wouldn't they both be "under slot" for the Sox?

Athough not Aces, are either of them potential top of the rotation guys?

 

You asking about right handed players is odd.

 

Nola and Beede would likely having the ceiling of a #2.

 

The three possible aces are Aiken, Kolek, and Rodon.

[Y2Jimmy0]

This thread has just been depressing me lately. If Rodon and Aiken go 1-2, the Sox are in a tough spot. Apparently they don't want Kolek. If that's the case, I don't want the Beede's or Nola's of the world at #3 overall. I would either take Alex Jackson or draft Jeff Hoffman anyway if I could get him underslot. It's better value. Maybe I'm crazy.

[maggsmaggs]

This thread has just been depressing me lately. If Rodon and Aiken go 1-2, the Sox are in a tough spot. Apparently they don't want Kolek. If that's the case, I don't want the Beede's or Nola's of the world at #3 overall. I would either take Alex Jackson or draft Jeff Hoffman anyway if I could get him underslot. It's better value. Maybe I'm crazy.

Kyle Freeland (6'4", 185 lbs. from Evansville) is still a guy to keep an eye on:

 

1.75 ERA, 87.2 innings, 72 hits, 7 BB, 111 Ks. 48-to-4 K-to-BB in the Cape League last year, too.

 

His fastball sat 91-93 mph and touched 94-95, and he held that velocity throughout his nine innings and 97 pitches. Using both a two-seamer and four-seamer, Freeland showed varied fastball movement in every direction, featuring explosive cut and glove-side run on his four-seamer and arm-side run on his two-seamer. He produces downhill plane and sink, pitching in the lower half of the zone on both outer-thirds of the plate. Freeland, who works from the far third-base side of the rubber, creates deception in his delivery, and the ball jumps out of his hand. His fastball was very loud, as his high spin rate produced an audible cutting through the air.

 

Freeland’s mid-80s slider was at least a plus offering, flashing at least a full grade higher. He complemented his slider with a 79-82 mph curveball that was also an above-average offering. His command of his secondary stuff was superb, as more than 80 percent of his offspeed stuff went for strikes, with 16 swinging strikes, and he located his breaking stuff to both sides of the plate. Freeland, who entered college with both a slider and curveball, used his slider as his out pitch.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/gam...-kyle-freeland/

Edited May 11, 2014 by maggsmaggs

[caulfield12]

Kyle Freeland (6'4", 185 lbs. from Evansville) is still a guy to keep an eye on:

 

1.75 ERA, 87.2 innings, 72 hits, 7 BB, 111 Ks. 48-to-4 K-to-BB in the Cape League last year, too.

 

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/gam...-kyle-freeland/

 

 

You'd expect Rodon and Freeland to have even more dominant IP/H ratios. Of course, it's even more difficult to assess high school pitchers.

 

 

1. Tyler Kolek, rhp, Shepherd (Texas) HS/Houston Heat

 

Kolek broke his non-throwing arm early in his junior season. He resumed throwing in early May and within a month his 91-94 mph velocity jumped to 97, and he touched 99 mph at an Area Code Games tryout. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Kolek has strength throughout his extra-large frame, long levers and athleticism, garnering Division I scholarship offers as a defensive end. A Texas Christian signee, he delivers his fastball from a three-quarters arm slot, giving it heavy boring action and good downhill plane. Both his low-80s slider and mid-70s curveball show plus or better potential, with the curveball showing more promise.

www.baseballamerica.com

 

This was from July, 2013, already. The scouts can't even agree whether Kolek is athletic or not. Perhaps not in the Greinke/Verlander/Hoffman kind of way, but anyone who's garnering scores of football and baseball scholarships from D-1 schools has to have something going for him.

Edited May 11, 2014 by caulfield12

[maggsmaggs]

You'd expect Rodon and Freeland to have even more dominant IP/H ratios. Of course, it's even more difficult to assess high school pitchers.

That is definitely a major concern. Stuff apparently checks out though. Could be playing behind a bad defense, too.

[daggins]

The talk of shying from Kolek could be hot air or positioning for negotiations. Scouting Beede just shows they haven't decided yet.

 

The quote "you'd have to be working for a bad team" about Kolek clearly means he will be drafted in the first five picks - the bad teams.

[caulfield12]

Think big.

 

You can't get an ace if you're the White Sox via trading prospects without dealing our system away, and we're not going to be able to afford Scherzer/Lester/Shields and Masterson's not quite a 1 either.

 

If you look back over the last 10-15 years, Contreras, Peavy and Freddy Garcia are the only "aces" we've acquired from outside the organization via trade. All of them were brought in under unique circumstances (Contreras failing against the Red Sox and in NYC pressure cooker, Peavy because of salary cutting, Garcia because of the relationship with Ozzie).

 

Among the other "aces," Buehrle and Sale were drafted, along with Gio Gonzalez.

 

Now is not the time to be timid. We missed on Tanaka, and we're unlikely to be in a position to outbit everyone on the next Japanese/Korean superstar unless our attendance picks up dramatically.

[Chicago White Sox]

Think big.

 

You can't get an ace if you're the White Sox via trading prospects without dealing our system away, and we're not going to be able to afford Scherzer/Lester/Shields and Masterson's not quite a 1 either.

 

If you look back over the last 10-15 years, Contreras, Peavy and Freddy Garcia are the only "aces" we've acquired from outside the organization via trade. All of them were brought in under unique circumstances (Contreras failing against the Red Sox and in NYC pressure cooker, Peavy because of salary cutting, Garcia because of the relationship with Ozzie).

 

Among the other "aces," Buehrle and Sale were drafted, along with Gio Gonzalez.

 

Now is not the time to be timid. We missed on Tanaka, and we're unlikely to be in a position to outbit everyone on the next Japanese/Korean superstar unless our attendance picks up dramatically.

Dude, I don't know where you come up with some of these narratives. We're going to have a ton of money available next offseason, way more than this past winter when we were hard after Tanaka. To say we can't afford James Shields is ridiculous and pretending our attendance this year will have a major impact on next year's offseason is also crazy. The Sox will spend big money if they think they're close. Given how this year is going, I think it's probable we'll major players in free agency.

[Lillian]

You asking about right handed players is odd.

 

Nola and Beede would likely having the ceiling of a #2.

 

The three possible aces are Aiken, Kolek, and Rodon.

 

You know me. I'm always hoping to establish a little better balance from that perspective. I'm all for taking the best player available, but I just wondered if any of the college right handers were good enough to justify a #3 pick, now that Hoffman and Fedde are going to both have TJ surgery. The Sox apparently were hoping for Hoffman, and I've read several references to the Sox not wanting to draft a high school pitcher, so it seems logical to ask who could provide a similar profile.

Edited May 11, 2014 by Lillian

[caulfield12]

Dude, I don't know where you come up with some of these narratives. We're going to have a ton of money available next offseason, way more than this past winter when we were hard after Tanaka. To say we can't afford James Shields is ridiculous and pretending our attendance this year will have a major impact on next year's offseason is also crazy. The Sox will spend big money if they think they're close. Given how this year is going, I think it's probable we'll major players in free agency.

 

 

And I'm going to say it's equally crazy if you believe they're willing to give James Shields $125-147 (Greinke) at age 32-33.

 

Just because there's money freed up doesn't mean they're going to have a place to allocate it to intelligently. None of those top 3 pitchers profile in the same way because of their respective ages/wear & tear vis a vis Tanaka at 25 or 26.

 

It's possible they would go after Masterson, sure. But we're going to be competing with 10-12 teams for him, and the Cubs, for example, HAVE to do something about their starting pitching, for example.

[southsider2k5]

BA feature on Kolek

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/kol...for-texas-heat/

[southsider2k5]

BA feature on Kolek

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/kol...for-texas-heat/

 

John Manuel ‏@johnmanuelba 2h

 

Correction to prior tweet: I say Kolek hardest-thrower since Ryan. Scouts contacted say they've never seen a harder-throwing draft prospect

[caulfield12]

It seems, from everything you read, that the Astros will take Kolek 2nd.

 

The only question is whether the Marlins take Aiken or Rodon 1st...

 

 

[bmags]

Nothing against Kolek, but definitely would prefer to see Aiken of the high schoolers.

[Chisoxfn]

I swear if Kolek is on the board and we pass for a next tier college arm, I will flip out. I dont' know what happens to Kolek but he is an extremely rare talent and we would be lucky to have a shot at drafting him (or really any of the top 3 guys to be frank).

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

John Manuel ‏@johnmanuelba 2h

 

Correction to prior tweet: I say Kolek hardest-thrower since Ryan. Scouts contacted say they've never seen a harder-throwing draft prospect

 

How did Strasburg not throw harder?

[Dunt]

BA feature on Kolek

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/kol...for-texas-heat/

 

So why dont we want Kolek again?

[southsider2k5]

How did Strasburg not throw harder?

 

From the article

In a draft defined by velocity, Kolek is the hardest of the hard throwers. According to scouts we talked to, he is the hardest-throwing high schooler of the draft era.

 

Strasburg is the only pitcher scouts can remember hitting 100 mph as frequently as a starter as Kolek has, but the current Nats ace did it as a 21-year-old. Kolek is a massive, coordinated 18-year-old who maintains his delivery enough to produce consistent velocity readings, both over the course of a seven-inning high school game and throughout the spring.

[royoung]

It seems, from everything you read, that the Astros will take Kolek 2nd.

 

The only question is whether the Marlins take Aiken or Rodon 1st...

 

I think you have the two teams mixed up. Astros pick #1 and I think it would be quite a shock if they pass on Rodon and Aiken for Kolek.

[Quin]

I swear if Kolek is on the board and we pass for a next tier college arm, I will flip out. I dont' know what happens to Kolek but he is an extremely rare talent and we would be lucky to have a shot at drafting him (or really any of the top 3 guys to be frank).

 

All of this.

[harfman77]

This weeks stat update:

 

Carlos Rodon - 7 IP 4H 1R 0ER 1BB 9K

Season - 13 GS 1.73 ERA 93.2 IP 76H 35R 18ER 29BB 111K

Tyler Beede - 6 IP 3H 1R 1ER 6BB 6K

Season - 13 GS 3.43 ERA 76 IP 61H 41R 29ER 32BB 82K

Jeff Hoffman - TJ Surgery

Season - 10 GS 2.94 ERA 67.1 IP 53H 26R 22ER 20BB 72K

Sean Newcomb - 6 IP 7H 4R 4ER 2BB 6K

Season - 12 GS 1.36 ERA 79.1 IP 43H 14R 12ER 33BB 84K