2014 Draft class

[fathom]

Solid start for Hoffman

 

PITCHING IP H R ER BB SO BF HBP 2B 3B HR PC-ST

HOFFMAN 7.0 6 2 2 1 6 29 1 2 0 1 90-63

[caulfield12]

But Maryland-Baltimore County isn't exactly a powerhouse baseball program, are they?

[fathom]

But Maryland-Baltimore County isn't exactly a powerhouse baseball program, are they?

 

Nope, 5-12 on the season now.

 

Kiley McDaniel ‏@kileymcd 2h

ECU righty Jeff Hoffman started tentatively but is settling in with heater 94-96, touched 97.

[maggsmaggs]

But Maryland-Baltimore County isn't exactly a powerhouse baseball program, are they?

Yeah, I honestly can't call than a good start for Hoffman when UMBC is 5-11 with a team BA of .245, OBP of .316 and SLG of .318.

 

Facing such subpar competition as that, he has to be better. I wanted Hoffman to start the year, now I want no part of him. I can't trust a guy who puts up mediocre numbers versus mediocre competition regardless of stuff.

[harfman77]

Yeah, I honestly can't call than a good start for Hoffman when UMBC is 5-11 with a team BA of .245, OBP of .316 and SLG of .318.

 

Facing such subpar competition as that, he has to be better. I wanted Hoffman to start the year, now I want no part of him. I can't trust a guy who puts up mediocre numbers versus mediocre competition regardless of stuff.

 

Really depends on what the source of his issue is. He has been too hittable for someone who is said to have elite stuff, so that does that mean he is tipping pitches, or his stride is off, or he is overthrowing? If scouts think the issue is something that is correctable he is still a worthy selection. I think the Sox like him because he has the most upside of the college guys as Beede and Rodon already seem near their ceilings.

[oneofthemikes]

IIRC, I don't think he has ever had outstanding numbers outside of the Cape Cod League last year.

[Donny Lucy's Avocado Farm]

This is an incredibly stupid question, but I will ask anyway.

 

Is there a specific channel or cable package I need, or... web site subscription I need to watch NCAA baseball games? Reason being, and relativity to the thread discussion, I'd really like to see some of these top-1o draft prospects.....

 

Problem is I live on a small island off the coast of South Carolina and we have really terrible TV service with seemingly zero selection in regards to providers, so internet would be best.

 

 

[fathom]

Another mediocre start for Beede. Finnegan dominated a ranked Oklahoma St team.

[caulfield12]

Another mediocre start for Beede. Finnegan dominated a ranked Oklahoma St team.

 

 

And of course, he's a lefty.

[Marty34]

Really depends on what the source of his issue is. He has been too hittable for someone who is said to have elite stuff, so that does that mean he is tipping pitches, or his stride is off, or he is overthrowing? If scouts think the issue is something that is correctable he is still a worthy selection. I think the Sox like him because he has the most upside of the college guys as Beede and Rodon already seem near their ceilings.

 

I agree with this. Not to say there isn't concern with his numbers, but it would be tough to pass on his stuff as a college arm at 3. Also, there was a scout quoted that said ECU was an awful defensive team which might account for some of those numbers.

[Lillian]

This alleged "deep draft" doesn't appear to contain a true potential "Ace" pitcher, at least not from the early season performances. It had seemed that the Sox would have almost a guarantee to get a great pitcher, drafting third. I was hoping for a right handed, top of the rotation arm, to compliment Sale. The way it's been going, I'm not sure that any of these pitchers are worthy of a #1.

 

Now that Rodon has come back to the pack, Kolek and Aiken seem like the only ones with true Ace potential, and the Sox don't appear to be inclined to draft a high school arm. If the top two picks are pitchers, and the Sox are left to select the best of the remaining arms, might they be better off going with the best position player in this year's draft?

[oneofthemikes]

This alleged "deep draft" doesn't appear to contain a true potential "Ace" pitcher, at least not from the early season performances. It had seemed that the Sox would have almost a guarantee to get a great pitcher, drafting third. I was hoping for a right handed, top of the rotation arm, to compliment Sale. The way it's been going, I'm not sure that any of these pitchers are worthy of a #1.

 

Now that Rodon has come back to the pack, Kolek and Aiken seem like the only ones with true Ace potential, and the Sox don't appear to be inclined to draft a high school arm. If the top two picks are pitchers, and the Sox are left to select the best of the remaining arms, might they be better off going with the best position player in this year's draft?

 

I really don't think so. They have been so good at developing pitchers lately and so miserable at developing anyone who can actually hit, that I can't see them using the pick on anything other than an arm. At this point I'm just hoping they grab one of Rodon, Beede, or Aiken. Those are the 3 guys that I'm watching and even if Rodon falls that far I don't think he'll take less than 1-1 money, so Beede and Aiken it is!

[royoung]

This alleged "deep draft" doesn't appear to contain a true potential "Ace" pitcher, at least not from the early season performances. It had seemed that the Sox would have almost a guarantee to get a great pitcher, drafting third. I was hoping for a right handed, top of the rotation arm, to compliment Sale. The way it's been going, I'm not sure that any of these pitchers are worthy of a #1.

 

Now that Rodon has come back to the pack, Kolek and Aiken seem like the only ones with true Ace potential, and the Sox don't appear to be inclined to draft a high school arm. If the top two picks are pitchers, and the Sox are left to select the best of the remaining arms, might they be better off going with the best position player in this year's draft?

 

I understand the concern but it is very early in the process to be skittish. The Sox have been pretty clear that they are targeting an impact BPA (best player available) player with this pick and it just so happens to be strong in pitching. As far as worrying about a "true potential ace" being available, in the past 10 years I can only see Strasburg and Price being that guy who everybody knew was going to be a #1. It's extremely rare.

 

I would argue the Sox are in a very good position. There seems to be a fairly strong top 5 of arms (Aiken, Rodon, Kolek, Beede, and Hoffman) and the Sox will be guaranteed to have three of them sitting on the board when they are on the clock. Aiken has a ton of helium right now, definitely #1 starter potential, same with Kolek and Rodon. Hoffman hasn't blown anyone away, but he is an uber athlete, which has been compared to Verlander in his athleticism and body type. He is a potential frontline workhorse, with the right type of coaching I could definitely see him taking off in the minors. Beede has struggled with his control but has the "best swing and miss stuff in the draft." His control might hold him back from being a true ace, but think a solid 2 or 3 is very reasonable.

[Chicago White Sox]

I still think we end up with Hoffman and I'm 100% cool with that unless Rodon is there at #3.

[macsandz]

Drafting an amateur player is about PROJECTION.

 

NOT stats.

[Marty34]

I still think we end up with Hoffman and I'm 100% cool with that unless Rodon is there at #3.

 

Boras "represents" Rodon. Right now, I'm guessing we take Hoffman or Beede.

[farmteam]

This is an incredibly stupid question, but I will ask anyway.

 

Is there a specific channel or cable package I need, or... web site subscription I need to watch NCAA baseball games? Reason being, and relativity to the thread discussion, I'd really like to see some of these top-1o draft prospects.....

 

Problem is I live on a small island off the coast of South Carolina and we have really terrible TV service with seemingly zero selection in regards to providers, so internet would be best.

ESPN 3 probably has the most.

[maggsmaggs]

Drafting an amateur player is about PROJECTION.

 

NOT stats.

While true, it certainly negatively impacts his projection when he is an average pitcher against bad college competition. If he can't dominate the UMBC's of the world, that is quite telling.

[oneofthemikes]

I get what bucket is saying though. If they think they know something that they can tweak in his delivery that will make him the most dominant pitcher in the draft, they will take him regardless of his stats.

[dasox24]

ESPN 3 probably has the most.

Also, I'd check the teams' official websites. Tennessee, for example, televises every baseball game on UTSports.com. I imagine other schools do the same thing.

[GreenSox]

Law's top 6 are pitchers, with Rodon now at 3 (stuff way down) and Hoffman at 6 (breaking ball not there).

[Lillian]

I really don't think so. They have been so good at developing pitchers lately and so miserable at developing anyone who can actually hit, that I can't see them using the pick on anything other than an arm. At this point I'm just hoping they grab one of Rodon, Beede, or Aiken. Those are the 3 guys that I'm watching and even if Rodon falls that far I don't think he'll take less than 1-1 money, so Beede and Aiken it is!

 

That's a pretty serious indictment of their coaching ineptitude. Perhaps the organization ought to start by finding some people who can develop hitters. They can't build a farm system if they can't do that. I'd certainly hope that they would not pass on an exceptional hitting prospect, because they lack the confidence in their own people to develop him.

[Y2Jimmy0]

That's a pretty serious indictment of their coaching ineptitude. Perhaps the organization ought to start by finding some people who can develop hitters. They can't build a farm system if they can't do that. I'd certainly hope that they would not pass on an exceptional hitting prospect, because they lack the confidence in their own people to develop him.

 

 

It's true but you have to look at some of the guys that were drafted in my opinion. Semien can hit. Johnson can hit. Anderson is drawing rave reviews from prospect guys and scouts. Look at some guys that aren't so good: Walker, Thompson, Hawkins, Mitchell. They were all raw toolsy types. It appears that the Sox organization as a whole has difficulty developing these types of players but there is a chance that these guys would not have developed anyway and there's still time as well. One of the biggest problems was JR's reluctance to spend on the draft. Kenny believes in drafting high upside toolsy players that have a chance to be stars in baseball. JR didn't want to pay the appropriate bonus $$ to secure these players. The outcome of that predicament is drafting the Keenyn Walker and Trayce Thompson's of the world.

[caulfield12]

It's true but you have to look at some of the guys that were drafted in my opinion. Semien can hit. Johnson can hit. Anderson is drawing rave reviews from prospect guys and scouts. Look at some guys that aren't so good: Walker, Thompson, Hawkins, Mitchell. They were all raw toolsy types. It appears that the Sox organization as a whole has difficulty developing these types of players but there is a chance that these guys would not have developed anyway and there's still time as well. One of the biggest problems was JR's reluctance to spend on the draft. Kenny believes in drafting high upside toolsy players that have a chance to be stars in baseball. JR didn't want to pay the appropriate bonus $$ to secure these players. The outcome of that predicament is drafting the Keenyn Walker and Trayce Thompson's of the world.

 

And Fields, and Borchard, and Brian Anderson, etc.

 

It's not about taking toolsy players, it's finding the right ones (see Trout, that everyone missed on). Or signing Puig/Cespedes/Soler/Despaigne, etc.

 

It seems the Twins have done a better job of that than the Sox, although it's not like Span, Revere or Hicks has set the world on fire yet. We'll see with Buxton. He's supposed to be the "once in a generation" type of talent in that organization, the best since Mauer. Of course, the Twins have had the opposite problem developing pitching.

 

[BlackSox13]

Law's top 6 are pitchers, with Rodon now at 3 (stuff way down) and Hoffman at 6 (breaking ball not there).

So who's 1,2,4,5?