2017 MLB Draft Thread, June 12-14

[Schad]

Even still, it's not a terrible 'safe' draft. The top five rounds are really the only ones where you can take substantial risks unless you have extra bonus money sloshing around for day three, and we took two of the highest upside players with the biggest bust potential there.

And we just popped one of the high school bonus sliders: Cordell Dunn, another high school catcher who is probably going to college, but we may have saved enough to put a number before him. Law had him as his 50th best prospect.

[SharoneWright]

^thanks for that nugget. adds a little intrigue.

[Schad]

Tanner, Turner, Gunner, Daniel is my least favourite Le Carre novel.

Daniel Ritcheson is another slider...must have some money squirreled away.

[I_Like_Dirt]

Tanner, Turner, Gunner, Daniel is my least favourite Le Carre novel.

Daniel Ritcheson is another slider...must have some money squirreled away.

I'm wondering if it isn't more that the expect to lose a few of these guys and that they'll be fishing to sign as many of them as they possibly can depending on who says yes to what amounts. Not really sure, to be honest. Either way, I'm pretty happy with the Jays draft thus far.

[Schad]

Tanner, Turner, Gunner, Daniel is my least favourite Le Carre novel.

Daniel Ritcheson is another slider...must have some money squirreled away.

I'm wondering if it isn't more that the expect to lose a few of these guys and that they'll be fishing to sign as many of them as they possibly can depending on who says yes to what amounts. Not really sure, to be honest. Either way, I'm pretty happy with the Jays draft thus far.

Yeah, they aren't going to sign all the sliders. But with the way the bonus pools work, it's a safe bet that they believe that some of the guys taken in the top 10 rounds (all of whom need to be signed to retain their slot money*) will sign for less than the allotment, which will leave a generous wedge that they can wave in front of the high school kiddies, and see who will bite. We just took another in Cooper Davis.


*For anyone unfamiliar: under the current system, if a player taken in the top ten rounds fails to sign, your bonus pool shrinks by MLB's slot allotment for that pick. Thus, rounds 6-10 are pretty much all signability picks these days, because losing them can really screw with your plans, while taking underslot players can free up money for other picks. AA famously started drafting low-hope college seniors who'd sign for $1000 to free up money, including drafting a guy who had a commitment to the navy and thus would not be playing baseball at all.

[Schad]

His odds probably aren't great, being a 30th rounder, but you have my support, Reilly Johnson of State College of Florida Manatee.

[I_Like_Dirt]

I think there are a few picks in the first 10 rounds that will likely go underslot, should they sign. Although I'm not so sure about the top few slots, which is where the biggest money is to be saved.

[Fairview4Life]

His odds probably aren't great, being a 30th rounder, but you have my support, Reilly Johnson of State College of Florida Manatee.

The Fightin Sea Cows!

[Schad]

We drafted perennial best-name-haver Maverik Buffo!

[Schad]

His odds probably aren't great, being a 30th rounder, but you have my support, Reilly Johnson of State College of Florida Manatee.

The Fightin Sea Cows!

And drafting slow-moving lumps of adipose tissue isn't just the new Moneyball, it was the original Moneyball! Retro-futuristic drafting from the Jays there.

[Fairview4Life]

We drafted perennial best-name-haver Maverik Buffo!

This may or may not be true. The MLB draft is the best.

[-MetA4-]

I think there are a few picks in the first 10 rounds that will likely go underslot, should they sign. Although I'm not so sure about the top few slots, which is where the biggest money is to be saved.

I think you may save a few dollars with rounds 7-10, but I don't see anything there to suggest that you are saving anything significant. None of those guys are clear "punt" picks. I see no reason to believe we're saving anything in the first 4-5 rounds either. Riley Adams was not a reach. Kevin Smith went around where he should have and he was a kid who was ~2nd round stock going into this year with real upside, so he's not signing for cheap either.

[Schad]

I think you may save a few dollars with rounds 7-10, but I don't see anything there to suggest that you are saving anything significant. None of those guys are clear "punt" picks. I see no reason to believe we're saving anything in the first 4-5 rounds either. Riley Adams was not a reach. Kevin Smith went around where he should have and he was a kid who was ~2nd round stock going into this year with real upside, so he's not signing for cheap either.

Definitely not AA money, but you'd have to think that we've carved out a few hundred thousand at the very least, with the intent of waving it under the noses of the 3-4 unsignables we drafted.

[-MetA4-]

Even still, it's not a terrible 'safe' draft. The top five rounds are really the only ones where you can take substantial risks unless you have extra bonus money sloshing around for day three, and we took two of the highest upside players with the biggest bust potential there.

The top of the draft isn't even as safe as its made out to be. Riley Adams and Kevin Smith are both high-upside players with swing and miss concerns. Longenhagen actually had Adams as his highest upside player going into day two and said that he's a "monster" is he can tap into his power and stay behind the plate.

[Schad]

The top of the draft isn't even as safe as its made out to be. Riley Adams and Kevin Smith are both high-upside players with swing and miss concerns. Longenhagen actually had Adams as his highest upside player going into day two and said that he's a "monster" is he can tap into his power and stay behind the plate.

Contact seems to be the thing we're willing to gamble on to get power potential. Woodman last year was another college guy who was anything but safe given his minor problem with coming within five feet of the ball on swings, but who had power if he made contact.

[polo007]

Read on Twitter

Kevin Smith of East Greenbush told people since he was eight or nine years old that he'd be a professional baseball player someday.

While Smith realized that dream to a point with his selection in the Major League Baseball draft on Tuesday, he insisted this is just a milepost, not a destination.

The Toronto Blue Jays took Smith, a Columbia High graduate and junior shortstop at the University of Maryland, in the fourth round with the 129th overall selection.

"My goal is still to play shortstop on an MLB team, so that's still what you're trying to go toward,'' he said Wednesday. "It's just another step in that process. But you dream as a little kid of this day, so when it kind of comes, it's surreal. But at the same time, if you get to this point, you know the work you put in and how hard it is to get there."

Smith said he'll sign with the Blue Jays and forego his senior year at Maryland, though the sides hadn't yet come to terms. MLB assigned the 129th pick with value of $405,100. Smith said he didn't know yet whether he'll get that much.

He's scheduled to fly on Friday to the Blue Jays' spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla. He expected to sign on Saturday and then find out with which minor-league team he'll begin his professional career.

The Blue Jays have a short-season Class A team in Vancouver, a full-season Class A team in Lansing, Mich. and a Class A advanced affiliate in Dunedin.

[polo007]

Read on Twitter

Clemens grew up playing third base and pitching and moved over to first base as a sophomore in high school. As his draft year in 2013 approached, his mechanics on the mound drew comparisons to those of his father, but a torn labrum in his senior year scared teams away, the Houston Astros selecting him in the 35th round just in case he chose to sign.

Instead, Clemens went to the University of Texas, where he was relegated to taking groundballs during the fall of his freshman year, helping him become a strong defender at first. During his sophomore year, he started a throwing a program, his coaches said they wanted to see him on the mound and he ended up pitching in 10 games, nine of them starts. But near the season’s end, when the Longhorns had a need at first base, he switched back and closed out the year as a position player.

"In my junior year, I said, ‘Listen coach, I want to have a full fall and full spring to see if I can hit. Just give me the fall and the spring to work on it, I don’t want to be tossing back and forth,’" said Clemens. "That fall is definitely when I started developing my swing, I worked really hard with the coaching staff and I had a great junior year. I honestly expected to get drafted after that. I got calls later in the draft I turned down because I wanted to go back to school and play with my brother (Kody, an infielder) and here I am now, after a full other year of hitting."

Intense and fiery on the field, he posted a slash line of .305/.414/.532 with 12 homers, 49 RBIs, 40 walks and 67 hits this season for the Longhorns, and games were often family affairs, with his brother on the field and father in the stands.

Blue Jays area scout Brian Johnston developed a strong relationship and Clemens’ sense was they were legitimately interested, although they cut off contact with him the past two months. That’s a common tactic teams employ to try and hide their interest in a certain player.

Clemens said he received calls from four or five other teams with offers he wasn’t interested in before the Blue Jays picked him 249th overall, which has a slot value of $152,100. College seniors typically have no leverage in contract talks but Clemens and the Blue Jays won’t need to do much negotiating.

"I will be getting started very soon enough," he said. "I’ll be signing the contract in the next few days, I believe."

[Hoopstarr]

Cordell Dunn, another high school catcher who is probably going to college, but we may have saved enough to put a number before him. Law had him as his 50th best prospect.

Great, another son of a former player

[JaysRule15]

Looks like we really loaded up on shortstops in the draft. Not a bad strategy, considering that these guys can play anywhere else on the infield and even corner outfield if they can't stick at shortstop. Also worth noting that we're favorites to sign SS prospect Miguel Hiraldo once the international signing period opens up.

[phillipmike]

I really really like this draft. I think it will be one of our better ones.

Sounds like Smith and Clemens will sign or have signed. Go signs so far...