2016 MLB Amateur Player Draft

[Quake Griffin]

Meh

but we need SSs in our system.

[Ranma]

I've said this before, I like Lux but given how raw he is as a prep prospect, this seems like a big reach to me. Gasparino seems to have made another Hunter Renfroe selection, except it's even more of a head-scratcher. The telecast just stated that some scouts think he may be a 2B while most think he can stick at SS. This kid better stick at shortstop as Nolan Jones was the safer bet. I'm not even sure he's a better pick than Sedlock but at least he has some upside. This is a thumbs down for me.

[Ranma]

Meh

but we need SSs in our system.

I hate drafting for need, especially when we're reaching for prospects in a weak crop for shortstops. It's a long game with the draft so you always take the best player available as needs evolve over time by the time prospects are developed. We passed on arguably the best SS in the entire class (Delvin Perez) as well as another prep infield prospect with good makeup and projection (Nolan Jones), so this kid better work out.

[Quake Griffin]

surprised Nolan Jones is still on the board.
Yeah....definitely not a fan of hearing he might be a 2B and he won't be Crawford in the field.

I'll just wash my hands with this one.
They have a plan and they're working it. If they think they can develop him, then fine.
I'm not giddy about the pick though.

[Ranma]

Geez. Perez's character issues are good enough for the Cardinals, so this adds to my doubts about passing on him in favor of Lux.

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[Ranma]

Eric Longenhagen, ESPN Insider

ESPN Insider Draft Profile: Gavin Lux

[Ranma]

Prompted by Nosler's citing of Billy Gasparino's recent draft picks, I decided to look back at those respective drafts to see whom was available at the time and who my targets were back then.

2013: Hunter Renfroe (13th overall)
J.P. Crawford (16th overall) | Hunter Harvey (22nd overall) | Aaron Judge (32nd overall)

2014: Trea Turner (13th overall)
Sean Newcomb (15th overall) | Brandon Finnegan (17th overall) Bradley Zimmer (21st overall) | Grant Holmes (22nd overall) | Forrest Wall (35th overall) | Spencer Adams (44th overall)

2015: Walker Buehler (24th overall) | Kyle Funkhouser (35th overall)
Mike Nikorak (27th overall) | Ke'Bryan Hayes (32nd overall) | Daz Cameron (37th overall) | Nathan Kirby (40th overall)

I don't want to harp too much longer on the Lux selection since I like him in a vacuum, just not at 20th overall, but I'm concerned with Gasparino having a thing for taking SS prospects in the 1st round. Granted I was leaning towards the other SS prospect in Perez, but taking 3 2 shortstops in the 1st round in his last 4 drafts is disconcerting.


Edit: Renfroe is actually an outfielder, but Gasparino seems to have acknowledged his bias for SS prospects in statements made about our 2016 draft class.

[Quake Griffin]

on the clock

[Quake Griffin]

damn turned away for a sec cuz we were 12 picks away.

Nolan Jones still available????
Wow.

[Ranma]

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Eric Longenhagen, ESPN Insider

ESPN Insider Draft Profile: Will Smith

[Ranma]

Well, Quake, you know I wanted to focus on catchers in this draft and I was targeting Cooper Johnson and Logan Ice with lower picks. Smith is an unexpected selection both in that he was not on my radar and that he was ranked from 59th to 110th overall by ESPN, Baseball America, and MLB Pipeline. I'm not thrilled with what looks like another reach pick since Nolan Jones was still on the board and Alec Hansen represents huge upside albeit with serious control issues.

Having said that I really like what I'm hearing and reading about Will Smith. He's a well-rounded catcher with enough athleticism to run well and a decent bat to go along with good defensive skills. I just wish we would have taken him later on as there are still the other aforementioned catchers available Neddy and I are high on.

[Ranma]

This is the first selection that I'm totally onboard with. Like I mentioned in my post with the list of targeted preferences today, he should be our closer of the future. He certainly has the stuff to be a quality starter, but I don't even want to mess with that. He should be fast-tracked as the heir apparent to Kenley Jansen. I already have him ranked higher than Grant Holmes on our organization's top prospects list.

Eric Longenhagen, ESPN Insider

ESPN Insider Draft Profile: Jordan Sheffield

Dustin Nosler, DodgersDigest.com (6/1/16)

Rankings
Baseball America: 23 (actually 38)
Baseball Prospectus: 31
ESPN: 23
Minor League Ball: 21
MLB.com: 19
Perfect Game: 26
Scouting Baseball: 10
...

Armed with elite fastball velocity, Sheffield does a lot of damage with his heater. It sits in the 94-96 MPH range and has touched 98 in the past. He can sink it and cut it a bit, so it isn’t just a straight 4-seamer that is much easier for MLB hitters to track. He also has a slider/curveball concoction that has flashed above-average and sits in the low-80s. It isn’t sure what kind of pitch it is just yet, but it has swing-and-miss potential. He also has a changeup that has glimpses of being at least a solid-average pitch. If he’s to remain in a big-league rotation, he’ll need all three of his pitches.
...

Sheffield has already had Tommy John surgery, hence the redshirt sophomore classification. He has two more years of eligibility remaining, if he were to not sign. But as almost a surefire 1st-rounder, and with his injury past, it’s hard not to see him signing. His ceiling is that of a No. 2 starter. More likely, he’s a No. 3/4 guy or a dominant power reliever out of the bullpen. He could be similar to Grant Holmes in that regard, but Holmes has a larger frame. The easy (lazy) comp is Marcus Stroman.

2016 MLB Draft Profile: RHP Jordan Sheffield, Vanderbilt

[Kilroy]

Solid picks so far it seems... I missed it though due to work. On to 65.

[Ranma]

I agree with Dan O' Dowd again. Alec Hansen, who just went 49th overall to the White Sox should be viewed similarly to a prep prospect in terms of being a project in need of development. Taller pitchers typically do take longer to develop and he already possesses tremendous stuff. He's a high-risk, high-reward proposition but the payoff could be huge at the relatively low cost of a 2nd-round pick. There are some concerns about his arm health with forearm tightness, but he hasn't pitched a lot of innings so his arm shouldn't have wear-and-tear issues.

The Padres make another good pick with Buddy Reed at 48th overall, so they've now drafted two candidates I've identified for 3 picks in the 1st round in Quantrill and now Reed. The Phillies take another UCLA commit and prospect I like by selecting Kevin Gowdy 42nd overall after giving Mickey Moniak the distinction of being the 1st overall pick. Gowdy was my 3rd option for the 36th overall pick, which now leaves Jared Horn as the only prospect I targeted for the top 36 picks to be available.

Cleveland just got really good value in Nolan Jones at the 55th overall selection.

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[Ranma]

With 7 picks to go before we pick at 65th overall, we might be able to take Jared Horn. Horn supposedly has a bonus demand of $3 million and, given that there should not be any signability issues with our previous draft selections with the possible exception of Jordan Sheffield, we might be able to shave some money from those 3 picks and add in $450,000 as the 5% overage to make an offer for him. However, the Nationals are on the clock and tend to draft high-priced talented prospects.

[Quake Griffin]

I know Friedman says no hard and fast rules, but I'd like my Catcher to have SOME pop when he hits the ball.

I guess I can live with every other tool he has. Seems like a decent prospect.
Yes to Sheffield of course. MLB NEtwork guy said he wasnt related to Gary. I thought he was Gary's nephew (before you posted that too)????

[Ranma]

The Padres take yet another guy I identified for our draft by selecting Reggie Lawson 71st overall in the Competitive Balance Round B portion of the draft. Lawson was my 2nd option for the 65th overall pick, but he's a project that I'm not really that high on. I chose him for his upside and because I couldn't identify too many other prospects who were anticipated to be available.

Neddy favorite Logan Ice gets selected ahead of my favorite catcher, Cooper Johnson, with the Indians tabbing him at 72nd overall. Given the run on catchers, I'm a little surprised Johnson hasn't been selected yet. Jared Horn is also surprisingly still on the board.

[Ranma]

Yes to Sheffield of course. MLB NEtwork guy said he wasnt related to Gary. I thought he was Gary's nephew (before you posted that too)????

I didn't think Jordan was related to Gary Sheffield either, but Joe Trezza from MLB.com noted that he was his uncle in a recent article that I posted earlier. I wouldn't put too much weight into what the MLB Network talking head said. He kept referring to the Competitive Balance Round A and B portions of the draft as the lottery rounds for some stupid reason. Was there a drawing that was held that nobody told me about?

Also, Gasparino apparently really liked the Sheffield selection.

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[Ranma]

As it turned out, Jared Horn was available for the taking at 65th overall (and still undrafted after Day 1), but the Dodgers selected the mysterious Mitchell White instead, a 6'4" RHP out of Santa Clara who is a redshirt sophomore who had Tommy John surgery in 2013. He was not ranked among ESPN or MLB Pipeline's top 200 prospects but Baseball America has him listed at 138th overall in its rankings.

BA's John Manuel came onto the MLB Network broadcast to praise the selection stating he was only made aware of him 3-4 weeks ago. The kid apparently has four quality pitches to go along with a good pitcher's frame and has been making rapid progress culminating with a 15-strikeout performance against the University of Portland on May 14th. His statline for 2016 is a 3.72 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 118 strikeouts in 92 innings.

I reserve judgment for now, but I like hearing that he's a late-bloomer with huge helium recently who doesn't have many innings on his arm.

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[Quake Griffin]

So where do our organizational weaknesses stand?

I'd say we're good to go on pitching andthe catcher spot.

IF and CF?