2015 MLB Draft

[Boopa1219]

jeeze.... r u serious newman at #2???? i know that Happ and Newman have the best hit tools for college players entering the draft, but to rise and be selected at #2??

 

Yeah, thats the Keith Law top 50

 

I have not heard of Newman until recently, that was not my region to cover. I am going to start looking into him this weekend and gather an opinion on him.

[LDF]

Yeah, thats the Keith Law top 50

 

I have not heard of Newman until recently, that was not my region to cover. I am going to start looking into him this weekend and gather an opinion on him.

 

here is something to read, came out yesterday. also read up on Scott Kingery (spelling) who bats #1 and ahead of newman.

 

their is another player i am starting to really like. i mean i can see him rise fast, Don Dewees he has some exciting stats lately. on btw, he is north fl.

 

~~~~ edit. oops i forgot this one as well.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/colle...power-profiles/

Edited April 22, 2015 by LDF

[Boopa1219]

here is something to read, came out yesterday. also read up on Scott Kingery (spelling) who bats #1 and ahead of newman.

 

their is another player i am starting to really like. i mean i can see him rise fast, Don Dewees he has some exciting stats lately. on btw, he is north fl.

 

~~~~ edit. oops i forgot this one as well.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/colle...power-profiles/

 

Start paying attention to Zach Collins at Miami, and Cavan Biggio at ND. Both those guys are going to lead the college class next year.

[LDF]

Start paying attention to Zach Collins at Miami, and Cavan Biggio at ND. Both those guys are going to lead the college class next year.

 

i remember Biggio, i think he was mention in the beginning of fangraph, b/c of his father. same with JJ Schwartz, his father played a 1 1/2 for the sox. his son is a great hitter and is in the top 2 or 3 in hrs for college. he is a freshman, cat/dh. will get drafted in 2 yrs. he should still be in the top 5, imo. a great hitter.

[Y2Jimmy0]

Newman is loved by Kiley and Law and not really touched by other baseball writers. Hipsters vs. Oldtimers.

 

 

Yep. Law and McDaniel both highly value guys that can hit and definitely stay at SS. As they should.

[LDF]

Yep. Law and McDaniel both highly value guys that can hit and definitely stay at SS. As they should.

 

good point.

 

i would like to consider 1 thing. the pro's who does this baseball evals, all think that Swanson, Bergman, and Newman can stay at ss, but they also can see them moving to another infield position if the team needs them there.

 

the other point, they are saying Newman is a #2 rank prospect, ahead of Swanson and the pitchers, that is what i am confuse about.

[Ozzie Ball]

good point.

 

i would like to consider 1 thing. the pro's who does this baseball evals, all think that Swanson, Bergman, and Newman can stay at ss, but they also can see them moving to another infield position if the team needs them there.

 

the other point, they are saying Newman is a #2 rank prospect, ahead of Swanson and the pitchers, that is what i am confuse about.

I don't know about all the experts, but Law definitely doesn't think of Bregman as a SS.

 

Chris (Baton Rouge, LA)

You mentioned previously that speed was not a plus for Alex Bregman yet he leads the SEC in stolen bases (21-26 or so). Is he just getting great jumps? On a team (LSU) that has multiple guys with terrific speed, he does not appear to the untrained eye to be that much slower than Laird or Stevenson, at least on steal attempts. Are you reconsidering his ability on staying at SS given his success (1 error) there so far this year?

 

Klaw (4:04 PM)

Errors don't tell us anything about a player's ability to field a position, and no, he's not any better of a runner even though he's stolen a few bases. He's an incredibly smart player and he'll make a very good second baseman.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/...sider-keith-law

[LDF]

I don't know about all the experts, but Law definitely doesn't think of Bregman as a SS.

 

 

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/...sider-keith-law

 

many thanks on a great find. just add great reading to an already assortments of scouting rpts.

 

love the draft and all scouting rpts.

[LDF]

 

interesting story on the draft and the medical rpts.

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

 

i was totally unaware of this.

[LDF]

i was reading a blog on a hs-senior playing for the gulf coast hs team.

 

his profile, fb - 84-88, very good command of his secondary pitches curve, slider and change. what is making him special is this.

 

in the early part of april, he threw a no - hitter . his next game he then threw a perfect game.

 

his name Michael Zimmerman.

 

http://www.perfectgame.org/Players/Playerp....aspx?ID=291561

Edited April 24, 2015 by LDF

[ILMOU]

The more I watch the big club, the more I realize we need bats more than anything else, by far. And they will need to be the smart, advanced approach type of hitters, that can finish developing pretty much on their own - because development rarely ever happens on Buddy's Farm.

 

If there's one that fits the bill and has some power (Happ?), that's what they need to do. If I read the word raw in the scouting report, it's a fail.

 

[ILMOU]

LOL, I am with you there Stan. Although Tim Anderson is bucking that trend and is the first raw guy to increase their stock in consecutive years after being drafted. Ultimately, with Hahn at the top, the Sox are a team that drafts what they produce. I'll expect a pitcher on June 8th.

You're right about Anderson - he could be the one that bucks the development trend, but a ways to go yet. And you're right for expecting a pitcher with the 8th pick - this particular draft seems to lean heavily that way. I just hope they don't pass on a future star bat.

 

Some of the pitching prospects I'm smitten with will need to be dealt for offense. Since Rodon is already on the club, and a guy like Danish is probably more valued within the org than outside of it, they may need to trade Montas and Adams. Neither may be close to a peak value yet, though.

 

I expected to compete this year, and patience is waning.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Stan Bahnsen

[Boopa1219]

The more I watch the big club, the more I realize we need bats more than anything else, by far. And they will need to be the smart, advanced approach type of hitters, that can finish developing pretty much on their own - because development rarely ever happens on Buddy's Farm.

 

If there's one that fits the bill and has some power (Happ?), that's what they need to do. If I read the word raw in the scouting report, it's a fail.

 

I could not agree more, the Sox need bats in the system desperately. I like that since the new CBA came into effect, they have gone after toolsy, high ceiling players (Hawkins, Anderson, Trey M, Rodon, etc). I hope that continues because I think that it is the best philosophy to go about building a team, but a lot of the position players that they have drafted recently, have had trouble making consistent contact, they need to start going after guys who can put the bat on the ball consistently and start putting more of an emphasis on contact as opposed to power.

 

Its critical that the Sox start developing their own position players because free agency is not what it used to be with teams locking their young players up to long term extensions (Longoria, Rizzo, Yelich, etc), impact positions are not on the market as frequently as they used to. The Sox need to start putting together the core group of position players. How many guys (bats) on the ML team do you think are long term pieces? I would say Abreu (there's four years left on his deal after this season), Eaton, Avi and Micah, maybe? Thats not a really exciting list and nor does it really excite me about the team's future going forward.

 

I think the Sox have holes at C, 3B, 1B (I think that Abreu is going to DH after the LaRoche contract, he'll be 30), and in the outfield going forward. These are positions that should all be addressed in the future.

 

I know this article is about the Cubs, but it is a great read: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/chicago-...t-jake-arrieta/

[ILMOU]

I could not agree more, the Sox need bats in the system desperately. I like that since the new CBA came into effect, they have gone after toolsy, high ceiling players (Hawkins, Anderson, Trey M, Rodon, etc). I hope that continues because I think that it is the best philosophy to go about building a team, but a lot of the position players that they have drafted recently, have had trouble making consistent contact, they need to start going after guys who can put the bat on the ball consistently and start putting more of an emphasis on contact as opposed to power.

 

Its critical that the Sox start developing their own position players because free agency is not what it used to be with teams locking their young players up to long term extensions (Longoria, Rizzo, Yelich, etc), impact positions are not on the market as frequently as they used to. The Sox need to start putting together the core group of position players. How many guys (bats) on the ML team do you think are long term pieces? I would say Abreu (there's four years left on his deal after this season), Eaton, Avi and Micah, maybe? Thats not a really exciting list and nor does it really excite me about the team's future going forward.

 

I think the Sox have holes at C, 3B, 1B (I think that Abreu is going to DH after the LaRoche contract, he'll be 30), and in the outfield going forward. These are positions that should all be addressed in the future.

 

I know this article is about the Cubs, but it is a great read: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/chicago-...t-jake-arrieta/

Yeah, saw that article last year - and can't disagree with the strategy in an offense-starved environment. We'll need to trade pitching to fill one or two of the holes, and the farm will have to produce at least 1 quality bat beyond Anderson, and I'm guessing that will be an OF. I have more confidence in Hahn pulling it off with deals than I do the farm producing ANYthing - and that's kinda sad.

Really hope to see the right kind of improvement from Adolfo this season. It's also sad that my biggest hope is several years away.

[Boopa1219]

Yeah, saw that article last year - and can't disagree with the strategy in an offense-starved environment. We'll need to trade pitching to fill one or two of the holes, and the farm will have to produce at least 1 quality bat beyond Anderson, and I'm guessing that will be an OF. I have more confidence in Hahn pulling it off with deals than I do the farm producing ANYthing - and that's kinda sad.

Really hope to see the right kind of improvement from Adolfo this season. It's also sad that my biggest hope is several years away.

 

I think that he could be one of the best prospects in all of baseball and be a Jorge Soler type player for the White Sox going forward, but remember that he would be getting drafted this year if he stayed in the US, this is his age 18 season, so he's still young.

[Boopa1219]

I am not ready to give the Sox a bunch of credit based on that first paragraph. They definitely hit on Anderson but Rodon was the absolute consensus BPA and Hawkins and Michalczweski have yet to make any significant value out of themselves. I am not writing them off, but they're nothing to write home about. They also had this same high ceiling approach prior to the CBA and fell flat with Mitchell/Thompson/Walker/Poreda and only hit with Sale. I think you have to look at the Sox drafting relative to the drafts of other teams rather than getting excited about every guy labeled "high ceiling" that we draft.

 

I just don't buy this theory that you have to develop position players or draft towards need. Obviously you should develop position players, and the Sox haven't in the last decade, but the main goal of the draft is to procure as much value as possible. You mention Eaton and Avi as part of the young core and the Sox got them from trading a pitcher they developed and trading a pitcher they acquired for a bunch of pitchers they drafted. The Cubs got Addison Russell, Billy McKinney, Jake Arrieta, CJ Edwards, Mike Olt and Pedro Strop for Samardzija, Garza and Feldman. All pitchers. The Sox should take the BPA. It's cliche but that's what you do if you're a smart team. If you draft by need you're only hurting yourself. The Cubs had all these position player prospects and they didn't draft Jon Gray, like the industry expected them to because they had no pitching, they took Kris Bryant because he was the BPA.

 

I don't remember the timeframe exactly, but from something like '08 or '09 to last year the Sox had more WAR from the draft than any team in the MLB. That's with Beckham being the only position player getting regular time. I think everyone loves the high ceiling approach, but in the end it's about taking the BPA and currency, currency, currency.

 

I have grilled some people in this exact thread for arguing against the BPA strategy. I loved the Kris Bryant pick in 2013 and thought that Houston should've drafted him #1 overall, to pair him with Carlos Correa.

 

I think that if the old CBA rules were in effect, the Sox would not have drafted Rodon, the price tag would have been too high for them, the Sox spent the least money in the draft under the old CBA. I am not saying that the Sox should draft position players with every draft pick that they have, I am just saying that their dearth of 'talented' position players in the system needs to be addressed going forward.

[ILMOU]

I have grilled some people in this exact thread for arguing against the BPA strategy. I loved the Kris Bryant pick in 2013 and thought that Houston should've drafted him #1 overall, to pair him with Carlos Correa.

 

I think that if the old CBA rules were in effect, the Sox would not have drafted Rodon, the price tag would have been too high for them, the Sox spent the least money in the draft under the old CBA. I am not saying that the Sox should draft position players with every draft pick that they have, I am just saying that their dearth of 'talented' position players in the system needs to be addressed going forward.

This is my take as well. Definitely not arguing against BPA by any means, but I won't mind if they think that an advanced bat is the BPA at pick 8, OR if there's such a guy they love who can be had underslot, won't mind saving the $ for a run at an overslot in Rd 4.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Carson Fulmer yesterday vs. #14 Mizzou....

 

7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 11 K, 5 FO, 4 GO.

[LDF]

This is my take as well. Definitely not arguing against BPA by any means, but I won't mind if they think that an advanced bat is the BPA at pick 8, OR if there's such a guy they love who can be had underslot, won't mind saving the $ for a run at an overslot in Rd 4.

 

taking a look of the rtn vs another prospect chosen at #8.

 

the 2 position vs each other. the pitcher, on who will be avail and a positional player. at this point, on this day, i am still maintaining that the best choice will be a position player. the best pitcher going into the season hasn't panned out as expected and/or injuries, at least for me. on the other hand, the hitters has taken the necessary step up.

 

there is some good value, and strategy in addressing this yrs draft. so many different ways to go.

[Boopa1219]

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/120265028/ji...phenson-on-rise

 

Being comped to Matt Weiters

[caulfield12]

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/120265028/ji...phenson-on-rise

 

Being comped to Matt Weiters

 

Just seeing that bat curl/wrap in the screen freeze from the video there scares me, lol.

 

As soon as you think of Sox hitting prospects, you automatically look for swing/mechanical flaws right off the bat.

 

 

And, I think they're much more likely to go after a proven bat in the Happ mold...unless a college pitcher they're really coveting falls into their laps.

 

In a pipe dream world, Aiken falls all the way to the 4th and they grab him as well. Of course, that would leave almost zero margin for negotiating for the rest of their draft class, but that's not a huge deal if you can find two potential impact talents...and shore things up with your international signing pool.

[caulfield12]

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/120976524/ji...ck-isnt-settled

 

Callis update article on the top 5-10 picks in the first round...

Edited April 28, 2015 by caulfield12

[LDF]

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/120976524/ji...ck-isnt-settled

 

Callis update article on the top 5-10 picks in the first round...

 

i hit his link for the top 100 and it was nice listing.

 

big surprises at 8 is Tucker. Whitley at 17.

 

climbing fast, Everett at 31, Kingery at 36. made his first appearance in any mock. maybe peaking at the right time.

 

surprise players, i like Dewees at 51, i think when all said and done, he might be a comp pick. in the top 2 in hrs, hits and rbi. Jones dropped to 60, what a steal this kid will be if drafted there.

 

after 70, there are some names i like, i will wait for a later update.

 

nice list nice reading.

[southsider2k5]

Jonathan Mayo ‏@JonathanMayoB3 1h1 hour ago

Jonathan Mayo retweeted Mike Riley

I think that's right about where he could go. 1 or 2 teams interested above, but 8-15 seems reasonable. #mlbdraft

 

Jonathan Mayo added,

Mike Riley @OneOfTheMikes

@JonathanMayoB3 Will Kyle Tucker still be available at 8 for the @whitesox?

 

[ILMOU]

Jonathan Mayo ‏@JonathanMayoB3 1h1 hour ago

Jonathan Mayo retweeted Mike Riley

I think that's right about where he could go. 1 or 2 teams interested above, but 8-15 seems reasonable. #mlbdraft

 

Jonathan Mayo added,

Mike Riley @OneOfTheMikes

@JonathanMayoB3 Will Kyle Tucker still be available at 8 for the @whitesox?

I like this, even though he's a HSer.