2014 Draft class

[ptatc]

Tough luck for Hoffman this late in the season, my wild speculation regarding his injury is that his last start was basically an unofficial pro-day with so many scouts in attendance so he dialed it up and let everything fly to very positive results. However in the process he probably overextended himself which probably led to this recent soreness, my concern is whether he can consistently pitch at the level he did in his last start without risking serious injury. I've never been a believer in Hoffman and this really should scare Hahn & Co. off of him at #3.

 

If Aiken/Kolek are off the board at #3 I'd probably go with Alex Jackson, I know our OF depth in the minors in a bit crowded but his swing and tools are too hard to pass up IMO.

The sox will not go with an HS bat at #3.

[caulfield12]

It's more that our pitching depth is horrible right now.

 

 

This is where Balta says who cares?

 

If it doesn't matter, the White Sox would be willing to take Kolek or Aiken at #3 (if available), and yet almost nobody believes they would actually do that with their compressed timeframe for getting back to respectability and not being second to last in the majors for attendance for the next three years. Only if the White Sox are willing to go out and spend the money for a Masterson or Shields to bridge the rotation to contention can they really afford to go after a high school starting pitcher. And having three lefties in the rotation makes Rodon just a little bit less of a "must have" than it would be if the White Sox had five righties.

 

So obviously it's not the PBA, or it would be Kolek/Aiken/Rodon at 3. Certainly not Turner, when there are 100 arguments for Jackson over him. Heck, most draft boards now expect Turner to be at the end of the 1st/start of the 2nd round.

[Heads22]

I like that this has gotten to the point where someone mentions how having Tyler Saladino would affect our thinking, however minimally.

[hi8is]

...most draft boards now expect Turner to be at the end of the 1st/start of the 2nd round.

If we get Turner with the second pick... wow.

[Lillian]

I agree entirely with Caulfield regarding the issue of another LH Starter. Sale, Quintana and Danks are now all locked up, and young enough to be around for the next

Sox Post Season run. Moreover, the roster is not likely to produce a RH top of the rotation guy. The last thing this team needs is another LH Starter.

This team is being built "backwards"; too many RH hitters and too many LH Starters. How the front office ever got to this point of not having a single impact left

handed hitter, and the top 3 starters all being southpaws, is simply baffling.

[oneofthemikes]

If we get Turner with the second pick... wow.

 

This. 100%. Guys like Turner and Gatewood that the Sox were linked to as potential first round targets a couple months ago are now being talked about as fringe first rounders or borderline second rounders and I'm starting to think there is a real shot that the Sox could wind up with Hoffman or Rodon AND Turner or Gatewood. That would be a slam dunk draft IMO.

Edited April 25, 2014 by oneofthemikes

[oldsox]

Are Alex Jackson's high school numbers available?

[caulfield12]

I agree entirely with Caulfield regarding the issue of another LH Starter. Sale, Quintana and Danks are now all locked up, and young enough to be around for the next

Sox Post Season run. Moreover, the roster is not likely to produce a RH top of the rotation guy. The last thing this team needs is another LH Starter.

This team is being built "backwards"; too many RH hitters and too many LH Starters. How the front office ever got to this point of not having a single impact left

handed hitter, and the top 3 starters all being southpaws, is simply baffling.

 

You can trace it back to the failures of Joe Borchard, Nick Swisher (SH) and Adam Dunn.

 

 

Can't find anything more specific on Hoffman, just a "sore arm" and missing the next two scheduled starts.

http://acc.blogs.starnewsonline.com/41865/...ext-two-starts/

 

 

ECU pitcher Jeff Hoffman is experiencing soreness in his throwing arm and is expected to miss his next two starts according to sources close to the Pirate program.

 

Hoffman began experiencing pain during Wednesday's practice and was scheduled to pitch this Friday in game one of a three game Conference USA series at Florida Atlantic.

 

Edited April 25, 2014 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

Are Alex Jackson's high school numbers available?

 

http://www.perfectgame.org/players/playerp....aspx?ID=288713

 

Found this.

[Heads22]

I agree entirely with Caulfield regarding the issue of another LH Starter. Sale, Quintana and Danks are now all locked up, and young enough to be around for the next

Sox Post Season run. Moreover, the roster is not likely to produce a RH top of the rotation guy. The last thing this team needs is another LH Starter.

This team is being built "backwards"; too many RH hitters and too many LH Starters. How the front office ever got to this point of not having a single impact left

handed hitter, and the top 3 starters all being southpaws, is simply baffling.

 

Danks is signed through 2016 and can only block trades to a few teams annually. His contract status with the club will have no bearing on whether or not we draft a LHP, nor should it. I'd hate to think we'd have passed on Sale at the time if we'd had four LH starting pitchers - and we wouldn't have - because to do so would have been asinine.

[witesoxfan]

This. 100%. Guys like Turner and Gatewood that the Sox were linked to as potential first round targets a couple months ago are now being talked about as fringe first rounders or borderline second rounders and I'm starting to think there is a real shot that the Sox could wind up with Hoffman or Rodon AND Turner or Gatewood. That would be a slam dunk draft IMO.

 

The thing about Turner and Gatewood that make them less likely to be picked by the Sox are their abilities to go (back) to school. Turner is a junior while Gatewood is committed to USC and if they don't receive enough money, they could easily make their way back to school.

[Dick Allen]

If the Sox think is Aiken is the best player available at #3 they take him. If the Sox think Rodon is the best player available at #3 they take him permitting he has obtrusive salary commands. Quintana and Danks get out righties better than lefties and Sale gets out everything in front of him.

 

 

Are you just obsessed with handedness? If the Sox had three righthanded pitchers would you be hoping we get Aiken/Rodon instead of Kolek/Hoffman? This is such a silly notion. You get the guys who get batters out.

I've never understood it. Teams have 4 or 5 righties in their rotation all the time. The World Champion White Sox had 4. So what if they had 4 lefites. If 4 lefty starters is a no no, then shouldn't 1 be a no no? Get good pitchers. Don't worry about what side they throw from.

[Eminor3rd]

I've never understood it. Teams have 4 or 5 righties in their rotation all the time. The World Champion White Sox had 4. So what if they had 4 lefites. If 4 lefty starters is a no no, then shouldn't 1 be a no no? Get good pitchers. Don't worry about what side they throw from.

 

And, to further that, don't worry even what position they play. All that matters is who is the BPA that the Sox are confident they can turn into a ML player. For the 800th time -- this is not the NFL or NBA. So many things will change by the time these draftees are ready to go, it's not realistic to draft for need. The only type of player you can realistically PLAN and being in the Majors the same year or next would be a pitcher that could be a RP, and if some GM uses #3 overall to get an extra bullpen arm for this year, he should be fired.

 

There is literally not a single player in the entire White Sox system that should be considered a "block" to any player in this draft.

[harfman77]

This weeks matchups:

 

Rodon V GT 5:30pm ESPN3

Beede v UGA 5:30pm

Hoffman - Out

Newcomb @ Binghamton 11am (4/26)

[flavum]

41 days

[Lillian]

Danks is signed through 2016 and can only block trades to a few teams annually. His contract status with the club will have no bearing on whether or not we draft a LHP, nor should it. I'd hate to think we'd have passed on Sale at the time if we'd had four LH starting pitchers - and we wouldn't have - because to do so would have been asinine.

 

Yes, of course it makes sense to take the best player available. However, is the choice really so clear, in this case? Moreover, there are other circumstances, such as

Rodon having another year of college eligibility, having Boros for an agent, and wanting first pick bonus money, even if he is picked lower in the draft. If he were clearly

the "best player available", I would agree that the Sox should take him, providing he would sign. But it's not that simple and not that clear, in this case.

 

While the philosophy of picking the best player is a sound one, doesn't it also make sense to consider the needs of the organization, when there is no clear consensus

regarding who is the "best player".

 

Regarding my seeming "obsession" with "handedness"; I've never really been completely convinced of the whole notion of advantages and disadvantages of from which

side of the plate, or the mound, a player plays. However, isn't it pretty much conventional wisdom that it does matter?

 

[Quin]

Yes, of course it makes sense to take the best player available. However, is the choice really so clear, in this case? Moreover, there are other circumstances, such as

Rodon having another year of college eligibility, having Boros for an agent, and wanting first pick bonus money, even if he is picked lower in the draft. If he were clearly

the "best player available", I would agree that the Sox should take him, providing he would sign. But it's not that simple and not that clear, in this case.

 

While the philosophy of picking the best player is a sound one, doesn't it also make sense to consider the needs of the organization, when there is no clear consensus

regarding who is the "best player".

 

Regarding my seeming "obsession" with "handedness"; I've never really been completely convinced of the whole notion of advantages and disadvantages of from which

side of the plate, or the mound, a player plays. However, isn't it pretty much conventional wisdom that it does matter?

 

If Rodon hits his ceiling you have two aces.

 

Would you rather have Sale and David Price or Sale and Edwin Jackson (which is what I think Hoffman could be. Great stuff, inconsistent results), just for the sake of handedness?

[caulfield12]

If you can have Chris Sale and Rodon, and you wouldn't be able to sign more than your first 3-5 picks after Rodon, would you still do it?

 

If you could KNOW Rodon would have a similar career to Chris, sure, of course.

 

On the other hand, if you can project Hoffman to have a similar career to Verlander and Rodon to go down with TJ surgery and have a similarly frustrating career path as Francisco Liriano because of all the sliders, you wouldn't even be dealing with Boras....next.

 

Or if Rodon's going to keep losing 0.5 MPH off his FB velocity every season, and you draft him knowing there's no way you're going to be able to put together an extension like Sale and Quintana into the seasons past Year 6...that basically you're probably going to use/abuse him and risk destroying his career to maximize your playoff chances in 2016-2019, do you do it?

 

Can Rodon develop the other pitches to complement his slider/fastball combination....especially a good change-up or curveball, with the change being the obvious preference.

Edited April 25, 2014 by caulfield12

[Quin]

If you can have Chris Sale and Rodon, and you wouldn't be able to sign more than your first 3-5 picks after Rodon, would you still do it?

 

If you could KNOW Rodon would have a similar career to Chris, sure, of course.

 

On the other hand, if you can project Hoffman to have a similar career to Verlander and Rodon to go down with TJ surgery and have a similarly frustrating career path as Francisco Liriano because of all the sliders, you wouldn't even be dealing with Boras....next.

 

Or if Rodon's going to keep losing 0.5 MPH off his FB velocity every season, and you draft him knowing there's no way you're going to be able to put together an extension like Sale and Quintana into the seasons past Year 6...that basically you're probably going to use/abuse him and risk destroying his career to maximize your playoff chances in 2016-2019, do you do it?

 

Can Rodon develop the other pitches to complement his slider/fastball combination....especially a good change-up or curveball, with the change being the obvious preference.

 

The point was picking between Hoffman/Rodon because of which hand they throw with is stupid.

 

Money is a completely different factor.

 

[fathom]

If it's between Rodon and only signing first 5 picks or a lesser prospect and being able to sign everyone...give me Rodon and top 5 picks signed in a heartbeat.

[southsider2k5]

If it's between Rodon and only signing first 5 picks or a lesser prospect and being able to sign everyone...give me Rodon and top 5 picks signed in a heartbeat.

 

For a team with as much of a lack of depth as teh White Sox have, that would be a complete disaster.

[caulfield12]

For a team with as much of a lack of depth as teh White Sox have, that would be a complete disaster.

 

 

Other than Santiago and Buehrle, how many picks since the late 90's outside of the first five rounds have made a marked impact?

 

Marcus Semien was a 34th rounder, just looked that up.

 

Sure, you need rounds 6+ for organizational depth/filler, but a ton of those AA/AAA "glue" veteran guys can be picked up from other organizations, the Rey Olmedos and Corky Millers of the world.

 

Clayton Richard was an 8th rounder.

 

Hudson was a 5th rounder...I think Crede was somewhere around the 5th as well. Even Lucas Harrell was the 4th round.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bruce_Blixton]

Other than Santiago and Buehrle, how many picks since the late 90's outside of the first five rounds have made a marked impact?

 

Marcus Semien was a 34th rounder, just looked that up.

 

Sure, you need rounds 6+ for organizational depth/filler, but a ton of those AA/AAA "glue" veteran guys can be picked up from other organizations, the Rey Olmedos and Corky Millers of the world.

 

Clayton Richard was an 8th rounder.

 

Hudson was a 5th rounder...I think Crede was somewhere around the 5th as well. Even Lucas Harrell was the 4th round.

 

Semien was a 6th rounder in 2011, you can add Chris Carter, Chris Young and Chris Getz to that list as well. Obviously we should focus on just drafting players with the first name Chris.

[Lillian]

If Rodon hits his ceiling you have two aces.

 

Would you rather have Sale and David Price or Sale and Edwin Jackson (which is what I think Hoffman could be. Great stuff, inconsistent results), just for the sake of handedness?

 

I think that if you read my post again, you will discover that that is not my argument.

[DirtySox]

Josh Norris ‏@jnorris427 2m

Rodon fans the side again. He's got eight Ks through three. Up to 96 with some filthy CHs. #MLBDraft

 

 

Sounds like Rodon is on tonight. Fastball velocity is up.