2016 MLB Amateur Player Draft

[Ranma]

Cary Osborne, DodgerInsider.com (June 2016)

Opportunity Knocks, Knocks, Knocks

[Ranma]

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[Quake Griffin]

watching now.

[Quake Griffin]

Expected AJ to drop in the draft.

Mechanics are ass and he isn't even the best pitcher on is team.
I'm surprised Ian Anderson went that high. I expected him to fall into the teens. I know you said you didn't like him Ranma.

[Ranma]

I'm so happy for Mickey Moniak being taken as the 1st overall pick as he's possibly my favorite overall prospect. It's funny as I was hoping he would possibly drop to us early on in the draft evaluation process as opposed to the more hyped fellow UCLA-commit Blake Rutherford. He's such an all-around talent with great makeup who plays the game the right way. He may not have as much upside as Jason Groome, but he doesn't have immaturity issues that would turn him into being possibly the next Todd Van Poppel.

Moniak reminds me a bit of Mike Trout and Corey Seager as an All-American boy who is assured to be a fixture in an MLB lineup with his blue-collar approach and natural ability. I remember when MLB started making a big production of the draft back in 2009 and Trout was the only player in the studio because he loved the whole process. Trout was falling on draft boards as being too safe a prospect with limited upside before he was taken 25th overall by the Angels. Obviously, things turned out differently as Trout's work ethic turned him into historically one of baseball's best players ever. The Dodgers lost the 17th overall pick in that draft (and the opportunity at acquiring Trout) to the Diamondbacks for signing 2B Orlando Hudson (I hated giving up that pick at the time) as Arizona took A.J. Pollock with that pick.

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[Ranma]

Expected AJ to drop in the draft.

Mechanics are ass and he isn't even the best pitcher on is team.
I'm surprised Ian Anderson went that high. I expected him to fall into the teens. I know you said you didn't like him Ranma.

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of Ian Anderson's, but I don't hate him. I just wasn't sold on him as I am on others. However, it says something for him to be taken 3rd overall by the Braves, so I can definitely see myself being wrong on him easily. The Riley Pint pick makes a lot of sense for Colorado given their continued difficulty in acquiring quality pitching and his velocity plays in Coors Field. However, the concern with Pint and other prep arms is that kids who throw 100-mph that young tend to have arm problems early on in their careers. Still, it's a gamble the Rockies had to take IMO as I've been a fan of the kid's talent.

I also find it funny that both Mickey Moniak and Nick Senzel were seen as safe, lower-upside prospects as top-15 picks before the year and are now 1-2 atop the draft board. It's also interesting to see the Nippon Professional Baseball commissioner in Studio 42 for the MLB broadcast of the draft. Could this signal some changes being worked on to the NPB posting agreement where Shohei Ohtani could be made available soon? I'm certainly crossing my fingers.

Also, I agree with Dan O' Dowd. Don't fool around with the bonus money maneuvering. Take the guy you love and don't be swayed away from his bonus demands as that play usually doesn't work out very often.

[Quake Griffin]

Quantrill off the board.

very high pick for a guy who hasnt thrown off a mound recently.

[Quake Griffin]

Manning...off the board.

damn. Was wishful thinking hoping he'd fall to us.

[Ranma]

I'm not sure who has more influence with the Padres' draft, A.J. Preller or Logan White, but I obviously like their selection of Cal Quantrill even if it is a bit of a reach given the circumstances. It's been a poorly kept secret that San Diego was interested in him. The Padres have a chance to make huge strides with this draft and I wouldn't be surprised to see them doing better than the Dodgers today.

Another one bites the dust as the Tigers take Matt Manning and it seems like an ideal pick for Detroit. Now we're down to Josh Lowe, Delvin Perez, and possibly Blake Rutherford as preferred targets for 20th overall.

[Quake Griffin]

I don't want a cheater at #20.

If he falls to 32 or 36, then we can talk.
Don't skip out on Chapman for character concerns and accept this kid's character concerns.

[Quake Griffin]

Dammit....Rays snagged Lowe.

[Ranma]

I'm hearing the Rays will go for Josh Lowe, which shuts me out of my preferred picks for 20th overall. The silver lining is that my preferences seem to be in line with those of the MLB teams picking atop the draft board. I can also see the Angels nabbing Blake Rutherford, which could present us with a hard proposition to pass on if Delvin Perez is available. The Red Sox also make out in taking Jason Groome who has the talent to be 1st overall but their development system is as good as any to straighten him out given his maturity issues.

[Quake Griffin]

Benson...for you...

gone.

LEAVE SOME FOR US DAMMIT!!!111

[Ranma]

Wow. We're even losing out on my targets at 32nd overall already. Geez. Benson certainly has the upside but with his lack of polish it seems like a bit of a reach. The right developmental system could make or break this selection. Our best-case scenario is now Blake Rutherford but the Angels or Mets will probably snag him right before we have a chance at him.

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[Quake Griffin]

College arm coming at #20 for sure now.

[Ranma]

Benson...for you...

gone.

LEAVE SOME FOR US DAMMIT!!!111

To be honest, I wouldn't have been that comfortable with Benson at 20th overall, but yeah, it sucks to lose so many of my preferred targets already. He would have been a better pick there than Cody Sedlock but I still want someone who feels like a headliner at that spot.

[Ranma]

Thank goodness Thaiss is off the board. He's supposedly a sabermetric darling. I would have been perturbed to take him at 20th overall as we've been linked to him. I like his bat but not his long-term prospects as a catcher. Here is my updated preference list for our 1st pick:

1. OF Blake Rutherford
2. SS Delvin Perez
3. 3B/2B Nolan Jones

Honorable Mention: Forrest Whitley and Joey Wentz are a couple of young arms with upside. Whitley was just taken by the Astros.

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[Ranma]

I don't want a cheater at #20.

If he falls to 32 or 36, then we can talk.
Don't skip out on Chapman for character concerns and accept this kid's character concerns.

To be fair, Chapman's issues were a bigger deal than what Perez did. Perez's cheating can be chalked up to youth. Like I've said, I'm conflicted on taking Perez but the scouts need to dig and see what type of character the kid has. If he's another Arruebarrena, then we most certainly pass. If he made a mistake because of some bad advice, then that would be more forgivable.

[Quake Griffin]

We're on the clock

[Ranma]

I'd have to think that we take Delvin Perez here with our 1st pick in the draft. If we don't, I'd settle for the safe option in Nolan Jones or even the upside on Wentz. We better not tab Sedlock or whatever other high-floor, low-ceiling college arm.