2018 MLB Draft

Ranma · Post #1 » by **Ranma** » Tue Aug 22, 2017 5:59 pm

Might as well start with the early looks.

Neddy · Post #2 » by **Neddy** » Wed Aug 23, 2017 1:14 am

LOL I see Ranma is jacked for our Dodgers, talking about 2018 draft already! I'm down!

hey as always, I am looking at our local kids, high schoolers as well as OSU, UO, and local community college kids. I will post as soon as I get my assessment done, Ranma is on turbo drive and I gotta catch up first.

Ranma · Post #3 » by **Ranma** » Wed Aug 23, 2017 5:24 pm

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Ranma · Post #4 » by **Ranma** » Sat Sep 30, 2017 12:56 am

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Quake Griffin · Post #5 » by **Quake Griffin** » Mon Oct 2, 2017 12:27 pm

Is there good value in the 30 hole?

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Ranma · Post #6 » by **Ranma** » Mon Oct 2, 2017 5:24 pm

I'm not familiar enough with this class to make a solid determination on whether or not there is projected to be good value in the 30th overall spot in the draft, but the sense I get is that it doesn't seem to be the case. While we don't have to worry about dropping 10 spots further in next year's draft, that could be an issue for the 2019 draft if we don't get under the salary cap next season. Also, we may move up a spot or two due to free agency, but that may be optimistic given the dearth of quality free agents expected to be available this off-season as well as the increased standards to meet in order for teams to receive a first-round draft pick as compensation.

In any case, I'm hearing there is anticipated to be a lack of quality college prospects, which means there will be a run on prep prospects early. That means the pickings will be slim when the 30th selection comes around. We'll need to rely on multiple signability prospects to drop down the board, but being at the end of the first-round means that such prospects would have to get past big-market teams known to be aggressive in over-slot signings such as the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs.

I'm for swinging for the fences but in order to get good value, we'd probably have to roll the dice on a higher risk-reward proposition on a raw high school project with tools but unpolished skills lacking in production. Depending on the prospect, that may be too risky a gamble to take given the leftovers of slim pickings that will probably be available.

At the same time, our scouts have found good value in the second round recently in Mitchell White, who is first-round worthy in hindsight, while someone like Alex Scherff was available in this past draft and a previously hyped prospect like Daz Cameron was available at the 37th overall slot due to signability concerns. So even if things look bleak depth-wise, I think the Dodgers are capable of identifying diamonds in the rough and the unpredictability of signability might give us a better chance than not of presenting us with an opportunity to get good value late in the first round.

At the same time, there is about a 50% chance that we'll have to settle for a Gavin Lux or Morgan Cooper in the first round, which is not necessarily bad, but would be an uninspiring selection and one set up to disappoint. Two prospects I have in mind are Tristan Beck and Seth Beer. Beck's stock has fallen due to injury concerns, lack of production, and body type so he doesn't look like a first-round prospect anymore. Beer exploded on the college scene as a possible top-5 pick at one point but his surprising lack of speed and limited positional utility along with decreased production have lowered his stock. I'm not sure he'll be eligible but since he went to Clemson a year early and is now a college junior,he likely qualifies with the same exception Beck had as a sophomore, especially since Beer is listed among the draft rankings.

Ranma · Post #7 » by **Ranma** » Mon Oct 2, 2017 5:47 pm

I've actually heard Cole Winn associated with the Dodgers' draft previously and Baseball America picked him for us at 30th overall and I have to say that I do like his scouting profile at this point. The kid is also a proficient 2-way player to boot. Given his profile, I'm concerned he won't be available by the time we'll make our first selection.

John Manuel, Baseball America (10/2/17)

MLB Mock Draft 2018

Kyle Newman, Denver Post (5/30/17)

The 6-2, 185-pound junior righthander was dominant on the mound this spring, posting a 9-0 record and 0.73 ERA in 47.2 innings of work. The Mississippi State commit also had 95 strikeouts to just nine walks on the year.

Silver Creek Ace Cole Winn Named 2016-17 Gatorade Colorado Baseball Player of the Year

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Ranma · Post #8 » by **Ranma** » Tue Oct 3, 2017 3:28 am

Another name to keep an eye on is RHP Jason Bilous, who was previously drafted in the 29th round by the Dodgers in the 2015 draft. BA has him currently ranked as the 50th best college prospect for the 2018 class. The Dodgers have always had soft spots for players whom they've previously selected or followed in the past. Morgan Cooper was taken in the second round in the most recent draft primarily because the Dodgers considered taking him in a previous draft.

Apparently, the Dodgers were aggressive in trying to sign Bilous as the 882nd overall selection in 2015. According to the post-draft video embedded below, he wanted six figures and the Dodgers came close to meeting his demands offering him a $600,000 signing bonus, which was 3rd-round money. The kid had Tommy John surgery but stated that he was making fast recovery at the time. He seemed quite confident that he'll pitch better to be selected even higher than the 3rd round stating that he hopes to eventually be a top-20 overall pick.

The kid was seen as having a projectable body and stuff. His 4-seam fastball has more movement than his 2-seamer while his circle changeup is considered a plus pitch. He's working on a slider and also dabbled with a curveball and cutter but scouts said his arm action and arm slot are more conducive to the slider.

The Dodgers seem pretty high on him and he's already on the radar for the 2018 class. He might not be a first-rounder but it seems like he'd at least get consideration in the 2nd round.

'15 Draft: Jason Bilous, RHP
06/08/15 | 00:32
Jason Bilous is a right-handed pitcher out of Caravel Academy in Bear, Delaware

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Clint Longenecker, Baseball America (8/27/14)

Working from the first-base side of the rubber, Bilous has a drop-and-drive delivery with a loose, whippy arm and a high elbow in the back. He produces plus sinking life with arm-side run when he works over the ball, giving righthanded hitters a tough look. Despite his fastball life to his arm side, Bilous relies on his four-seamer.

“The run is natural but it is four-seam and not even a two-seam,” Bilous said. “My two-seam is actually straighter. It might be finger pressure or I put more pressure when I throw the four-seam and I don't even know it. But when I try the two-seam it doesn't even work. I haven't heard of anybody else whose four-seam runs more than his two-seam.”

His cross-body delivery occasionally left his arm late and the ball up through the zone.

The Coastal Carolina commit pitched off his fastball, throwing the offering more than 75 percent of the time. His top secondary offering was a 77-80 mph changeup that he showed feel for, and the offering flashed plus potential with late tumble. Evaluators said he is one of the few prep pitchers in the class with a potential out pitch changeup.

“I have been working on my changeup for like four years and it is finally coming around,” Bilous said. “It is my out pitch. It is a circle but I put it really far out on my fingers so I can get nice whip at the end. I feel comfortable using it in any count.”

Metropolitan Baseball Classic Profile: Jason Bilous

Ranma · Post #9 » by **Ranma** » Sun Oct 22, 2017 12:04 am

Danny Neri is a 15-year-old catching prospect in Florida who is set to play for the LA Dodgers Scout Team 2020. I'm not sure what that entails but the Dodgers apparently have their eyes on him in tracking his progress.

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Joe Pound, NSR Area Director

Danny is an great young catcher. A very good receiver that understands the game and how to attack opposing batters. He works hard defensively, blocks balls well, and has quick release with strong arm.

At the plate, he hits from the left side. Very relaxed approach, understands the strike zone and hits the ball well to all fields. As he continues to grow and get stronger will hit for average and power to all fields.

In the classroom, Danny is a 4.0 student.

I look forward to watching his development over the coming years and into college.

National Scouting Report: Danny Neri

Ranma · Post #10 » by **Ranma** » Thu Nov 16, 2017 8:59 pm

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Ranma · Post #11 » by **Ranma** » Tue Dec 5, 2017 5:54 am

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Ranma · Post #12 » by **Ranma** » Sun Dec 24, 2017 4:03 am

Upon perusing MLB Pipeline's first top-50 draft prospects rankings, it looks like a deep class with promising to intriguing prospects projected to be available late in the first round. I just want to highlight a couple of my early favorites who were discussed previously.

Seth Beer's sudden drop in the rankings matches his meteoric rise as a college freshman. I've liked his character makeup and he still displays promising power, but for a kid previously noted for his athleticism, his lacking run, defense and arm ratings are surprising and thoroughly disappointing. On top of that, there are serious questions about whether he can adjust to wood bats.

Beer was once anticipated to be the top overall prospect in the draft at one point, which similarly mimics J.J. Schwarz's highs and lows as a college player with similar weaknesses exposed. I still like him as a sleeper but I'm not sure he'd be worth a first-round pick at this point. The kid graduated early from high school and exploded on the college scene, so he's taken on a lot earlier than most. If he shows signs of improvement and the ability to adjust, I'd take a flyer on him to develop in our system as an outfield prospect despite his current lack of a position right now.

Cole Winn is not highly thought of as of yet as a top prospect, but he has good tools and projection tied to his physical maturity. Reminds me a little of Tristan Beck and Alex Scherff as a draft prospect and I'm still a fan of both those pitchers despite their respective drop in status. The difference is that Winn now has upside as a new prospect compared to Beck and Scherff as older players.

While he would not be an exciting pick right now, he'd be a solid prospect in our system with the possibility of unlocking some good upside. I'd currently put him with similar value to that of Mitchell White and James Marinan in the Dodgers' developmental system. Both White and Marinan were drafted lower than their respective talent levels while Winn might just be appropriately taken as a late first-rounder. At the very least, he has the perfect surname for a pitcher (and Dodger).

Ranma · Post #13 » by **Ranma** » Fri Apr 20, 2018 3:24 pm

I've previously been high on Tristan Beck and also expressed my preference for Cole Winn. Unless Beck has made some significant progress or displayed some physical growth, he's likely to get lowered consideration from me. I'm still very much intrigued by Winn, but it's also nice to hear reports of interest in prospects possibly targeted by the Dodgers so I can look more into their profiles.

Eric Longenhagen & Kiley McDaniel, FanGraphs.com (4/19/18)

The Pirates tend to emphasize size, velocity and mechanical markers on pitchers along with exit velocity for hitters. We’re told they would take Bart if he got to this pick while Oregon State RF Trevor Larnach and Kelenic also fit their type on the hitter side at this pick. McClanahan, Rolison, Rocker and California prep RHP Cole Winn fit their type on the pitching side.

Seattle (14) and Washington (27) are both believed to be looking for quick-moving college types, with the Nationals tied to Stanford RHP Tristan Beck and Kentucky’s 6-foot-11 RHP Sean Hjelle. Seattle was on Denaburg before his injury, but his stock is a question mark until things clear up on that front.

Houston (28) has been tied mostly to high-school players, many with good TrackMan profiles. Cleveland (29) and the Dodgers (30) seem to be looking at similar pools of players, too. Houston and Cleveland have been associated most often with Pennsylvania prep CF Mike Siani, while Illinois prep CF Alek Thomas is a target of the Dodgers and Indians. The Dodgers are believed to be on Georgia prep C Anthony Seigler, who fits their mold of athletic multi-positional catchers (Austin Barnes, Kyle Farmer, Will Smith, Connor Wong).

The Dodgers, Royals (18, 33, 34, 40), and Rays (31, 32) are on Georgia prep CF Parker Meadows (brother of Pirates LF Austin Meadows) whom we compared to Indians CF Bradley Zimmer yesterday in the top 55.

2018 MLB Mock Draft v 1.0

Quake Griffin · Post #14 » by **Quake Griffin** » Sat Apr 21, 2018 1:16 pm

GET OVER ME WANTING KERSHAW TRADED AND GET INTO THE REGULAR SEASON THREAD!

Ranma · Post #15 » by **Ranma** » Wed May 23, 2018 9:23 am

As I mentioned in my announcement post in the regular season thread, I haven't been able to catch up on MLB draft materials, but my boy Cole Winn seems to have shot up the draft board from last year to be a borderline top-10 pick now. However, names like Kumar Rocker and Ethan Hankins are currently projected to be in our range. Both are toolsy RHP prep prospects who apparently have injury concerns. While the Dodgers are rumored to be focusing on athletic OF prospects, Rocker and Hankins seem to be up Gasparino's alley as damaged goods with high-ceilings and upside despite having never drafted a prep pitcher in the first round during his time with either the Padres or Dodgers. Then again, maybe he favors polish given his preference for college pitchers, but Kyle Funkhouser was a notable exception. Also, if Gasparino does indeed have a bias against drafting high school arms in the first round, it'd be another thing that differentiates him from Logan White and something that I would absolutely hate to have in our head of amateur scouting.

In this particular instance, I can't say that I would disagree with him if he'd break from form and prioritize both of the pitchers over outfielders in the first round, but I need to read further material to have a more solid assessment of the respective situations.

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Ranma · Post #16 » by **Ranma** » Wed May 23, 2018 9:33 am

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Ranma · Post #17 » by **Ranma** » Sat May 26, 2018 5:32 pm

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Ranma · Post #18 » by **Ranma** » Sat May 26, 2018 5:34 pm

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Ranma · Post #19 » by **Ranma** » Mon May 28, 2018 6:42 pm

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Ranma · Post #20 » by **Ranma** » Tue May 29, 2018 3:35 am

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