2023 MLB Draft Thread - Arjun Nimmala HS SS

[Fairview4Life]

Jays pick 20th, starts tonight at 7est.

MLB Pipeline says this:

20. Blue Jays
Callis: Yohandy Morales, 3B, Miami (No. 20)
Of the college bats still on the board, Morales and Davis appear to be the top priorities for the Blue Jays. They aren't afraid to take high school pitchers in the first round, either, so White or right-hander Charlee Soto could be in play.

Mayo: Noble Meyer, RHP, Jesuit HS, Portland, Ore. (No. 8)
Figuring out where high school pitching will land in any Draft is tough, even with someone as talented as Meyer. His name gets mentioned as high as the Top 10, and some in the industry think he doesn’t get past the top half of the first round. If he somehow does, the Blue Jays have not shied away from the prep pitching market. But if they decide to go the safer college hitter route, Schanuel remains the best option.

Both are quality names.

[Fairview4Life]

Here’s some bonus pool and pick stuff:
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/draft/toronto-blue-jays/

[-MetA4-]

Carlos Collazo (Baseball America):

20. Blue Jays — Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Florida Atlantic

Slot Value: $3,746,000

Total Bonus Pool: $6,529,700

Schanuel is linked to nearly all of the teams who are picking in the 17-23 range, so I’m expecting he goes off the board somewhere there unless he goes on some sort of underslot deal beforehand. Other model players like Chase Davis and Arjun Nimmala are frequently mentioned, and I think the Blue Jays could be in on Dillon Head and Kevin McGonigle as well, and they might be one of the earliest possible landing spots for Charlee Soto.

Update: The late noise is a lot of college players and specifically college hitters with the Blue Jays. There are still a number of good ones on the board, including Schanuel, Chase Davis, Yohandy Morales and Brock Wilken. Could Noble Meyer or Thomas White be options here since I have them available? They just took Brandon Barriera in this range last year, and certainly Meyer is a tier up from Barriera’s talent at the same time.

Kiley McDaniel (ESPN):

20. Toronto Blue Jays
Tommy Troy, 3B, Stanford

Keith Law (The Athletic):

Toronto Blue Jays – Jacob Wilson, SS, Grand Canyon

I’ve heard them mostly with college guys, and there’s some chatter that last year’s first-rounder, high school pitcher Brandon Barriera, showing up much heavier this spring and hitting the IL with an elbow issue almost immediately has shifted them away from prep pitching. They’re Bradfield’s floor.

[SharoneWright]

Anyone falling we like????

[Schad]

Hurston Waldrep at 20 would be really something, assuming there isn't an unknown factor (medicals etc) pushing him down. Also, there are a lot of lacrosse names, rare that you get a father-of-a-lacrosse-bro name in the draft.

[Fairview4Life]

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55

The area in and around Tampa has long been a hotbed in terms of producing premium high school Draft talent, and this year is no different, with hitters like Aidan Miller and Nimmala high on most teams’ boards. Nimmala’s age and offensive upside were on display all summer, including at Major League Baseball’s High School All-American Game, and he's poised to become the first draftee ever from Strawberry Crest High School.

A 6-foot-1 right-handed hitter and shortstop, Nimmala is all about projection. He calls himself a “patient-aggressive” hitter and definitely doesn’t get cheated at the plate. He has at least plus raw power and can drive the ball to all fields, and while there are still some issues about his pitch selection and inconsistency in the quality of his at-bats that sometimes keeps him from tapping into that power, scouts are bullish about his offensive upside.

A tick above average as a runner, Nimmala has every chance to play shortstop for a long time, with enough arm and range for the premium position to go along with loose actions. If it all clicks, the Florida State recruit could have plus grades across the board, a big reason why he's vaulted himself into serious first-round conversations.

[Schad]

We took the top-rated remaining prospect on MLB Pipeline. Major power potential and tools and could stick in a middle infield position, and he's crazy-young for the class (something we used to target and had some success with...and some less-than-successes).

[SharoneWright]

Seems to overlap with Beltre, but I’ll take the high upside bet. 17 years old…. jeepers.

[dagger]

Being a high schooler might have caused him to drop- lots of teams simply want the closer to the majors, lower risk college guy. But given the US mood today, maybe an Indian American HS kid wouldn’t be a great marketing pick for some cities. Here of course, he’d sell another million tickets


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[C Court]

One of the guys on the MLB panel said he could end up as a Top 5 player out of this draft - his upside is that high.

[C Court]

Read on Twitter

[Schad]

Being a high schooler might have caused him to drop- lots of teams simply want the closer to the majors, lower risk college guy. But given the US mood today, maybe an Indian American HS kid wouldn’t be a great marketing pick for some cities. Here of course, he’d sell another million tickets

Doubt it played a role in his selection (most draftees don't make it, and if they don't make it, it's immaterial), but it could do really cool things for baseball development in Toronto. His father is apparently a cricket fanatic, and steered Arjun toward baseball because it's the closest thing that was available in FL. With Toronto's Indian/Caribbean population, the team has been leaning into the baseball-cricket connection in recent times...you had Cricket Day a couple weeks ago with Chris Gayle throwing out the first pitch. Nimmala making it big here could lead to a lot more first and second generation kids from the subcontinent showing interest.

[Randle McMurphy]

What a pick. Keith Law loves it for them.

[Davey0]

On mymlbdraft they had him projected at #8. So I'm all for a big steal. Good pick up !

[Schad]

What a pick. Keith Law loves it for them.

Seems to be nearly universal. The eye guys love him, the metric guys love him. Only concern is that his K rate ticked up as a HS SR.

[SharoneWright]

I’m not at home….. how strong is his college commitment?

[Cyrus]

I'm guessing we going to have to do some stuff unique since we don't have 2nd rounder for signing bassist right?

[-MetA4-]

I’m not at home….. how strong is his college commitment?

I mean...he doesn't get picked unless the deal is pretty much set. The Jays under this FO don't miss on signability. Given that he was a name that they were on, they clearly have a relationship with him.

[Schad]

I'm guessing we going to have to do some stuff unique since we don't have 2nd rounder for signing bassist right?

Generally, if you're short picks, you're best off just drafting the best available who will sign close to slot. Don't need to do anything weird, we have a smaller draft slot budget, but it's matched by having no 2nd. Nimmala is presumably easily signable for the ~$4m slot + 5% (everyone should be signable for $4m, really), so from there it's mostly taking slot guys unless we really want to load up on a single pick.

[wamco]

I like it. Now draft 18 straight pitchers