2010 MLB Draft Thread (June 7th, 7:00PM)

[-MetA4-]

When: First week of June

Blue Jays hold picks:
#11 - our first rounder this year. Damned tiebreakers.
#34 - for Scutaro.
#38 - for failing to sign Paxton.
#41 - for Barajas.
#61 - second rounder this year.
#69 - for failing to sign Eliopolous.
#80 - for Scutaro; had they not signed Lackey, it would be #29.
#93 - second rounder this year.
#113 - failing to sign Barrett.

Should be exciting considering the amount of picks we have, our "new" draft strategy, and the amount of money we are supposed to spend.

[-MetA4-]

Current (April 7th) BA draft tracker:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-tracker/2010/269780.html


Andy Seiler's Current Top 100:
1. Bryce Harper, C, CC of Southern Nevada
2. Jameson Taillon, RHP, The Woodlands HS (TX)
3. Drew Pomeranz, LHP, Ole Miss
4. Deck McGuire, RHP, Georgia Tech
5. Chris Sale, LHP, Florida Gulf Coast
6. Anthony Ranaudo, RHP, LSU
7. Karsten Whitson, RHP, Chipley HS (FL)
8. Christian Colon, SS, Cal State Fullerton
9. Dylan Covey, RHP, Maranatha HS (CA)
10. A.J. Cole, RHP, Oviedo HS (FL)
11. Manny Machado, SS, Brito Private HS (FL)
12. Alex Wimmers, RHP, Ohio State
13. Josh Sale, OF, Bishop Blanchet HS (WA)
14. Zack Cox, 3B, Arkansas
15. Jesse Hahn, RHP, Virginia Tech
16. Matt Harvey, RHP, North Carolina
17. Kevin Gausman, RHP, Grandview HS (CO)
18. Nick Castellanos, 3B, Archbishop McCarthy HS (FL)
19. Brett Eibner, RHP, Arkansas
20. Kaleb Cowart, RHP, Cook County HS (GA)
21. Brandon Workman, RHP, Texas
22. Bryce Brentz, OF, Middle Tennessee
23. Justin O'Conner, SS/C, Cowan HS (IN)
24. Austin Wilson, OF, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA)
25. Yordy Cabrera, SS, Lakeland HS (FL)
26. Chevez Clarke, OF, Marietta HS (GA)
27. Micah Gibbs, C, LSU
28. Michael Choice, OF, UT-Arlington
29. Asher Wojciechowski, RHP, The Citadel
30. Tyrell Jenkins, RHP, Henderson HS (TX)
31. Yasmani Grandal, C, Miami
32. James Paxton, LHP, Grand Prairie AirHogs
33. Sammy Solis, LHP, San Diego
34. Cameron Bedrosian, RHP, East Coweta HS (GA)
35. Robbie Aviles, RHP, Suffern HS (NY)
36. Barret Loux, RHP, Texas A&M
37. Chad Bettis, RHP, Texas Tech
38. Gary Brown, OF, Cal State Fullerton
39. LeVon Washington, OF, Chipola JC (FL)
40. Austin Wates, OF, Virginia Tech
41. Todd Cunningham, OF, Jacksonville State
42. Kyle Parker, OF, Clemson
43. Stetson Allie, RHP, St. Edwards HS (OH)
44. Justin Grimm, RHP, Georgia
45. Rob Rasmussen, LHP, UCLA
46. Mike Foltynewicz, RHP, Minooka Community HS (IL)
47. Jedd Gyorko, 2B, West Virginia
48. Aaron Sanchez, RHP, Barstow HS (CA)
49. Kolbrin Vitek, 2B, Ball State
50. Reggie Golden, OF, Wetumpka HS (AL)
51. Dan Klein, RHP, UCLA
52. Christian Yelich, 1B, Westlake HS (CA)
53. Derek Dietrich, SS, Georgia Tech
54. Zach Lee, RHP, McKinney HS (TX)
55. DeAndre Smelter, RHP, Tattnall Square Academy (GA)
56. Scott Frazier, RHP, Upland HS (CA)
57. Tony Wolters, SS, Rancho Buena Vista HS (CA)
58. Taijuan Walker, RHP, Yucaipa HS (CA)
59. Kyle Blair, RHP, San Diego
60. Jarrett Parker, OF, Virginia
61. Bryan Morgado, LHP, Tennessee
62. Drew Cisco, RHP, Wando HS (SC)
63. Griffin Murphy, LHP, Redlands East Valley HS (CA)
64. Rob Brantly, C, UC Riverside
65. Gauntlett Eldemire, OF, Ohio
66. Marcus Littlewood, SS, Pineview HS (UT)
67. Stefan Sabol, C, Aliso Niguel HS (CA)
68. Chance Ruffin, RHP, Texas
69. Hunter Morris, 1B, Auburn
70. Drew Vettleson, OF, Central Kitsap HS (WA)
71. Kellen Sweeney, SS, Jefferson HS (IA)
72. Seth Blair, RHP, Arizona State
73. Addison Reed, RHP, San Diego State
74. Peter Tago, RHP, Dana Hills HS (CA)
75. Drew Smyly, LHP, Arkansas
76. Kevin Munson, RHP, James Madison
77. Rick Hague, SS, Rice
78. Niko Goodrum, SS, Fayette County HS (GA)
79. Marcus Knecht, OF, Connors State JC (OK)
80. Jake Thompson, RHP, Long Beach State
81. Jordan Shipers, LHP, South Harrison HS (MO)
82. Kris Bryant, 3B, Bonanza HS (NV)
83. Adam Plutko, RHP, Glendora HS (CA)
84. Leon Landry, OF, LSU
85. Dan Grovatt, OF, Virginia
86. Austin Wood, RHP, St. Petersburg JC (FL)
87. A.J. Vanegas, RHP, Redwood Christian School (CA)
88. Tyler Holt, OF, Florida State
89. Mike Kvasnicka, C, Minnesota
90. Sam Dyson, RHP, South Carolina
91. Jordan Swagerty, RHP, Arizona State
92. Andy Wilkins, 1B, Arkansas
93. Ty Linton, OF, Charlotte Christian HS (NC)
94. Rob Segedin, 3B, Tulane
95. Zach Alvord, SS, South Forsyth HS (GA)
96. Brian Ragira, OF, James Martin HS (TX)
97. Joe Leonard, 3B, Pittsburgh
98. Jabari Blash, OF, Miami-Dade CC (FL)
99. Kevin Jacob, RHP, Georgia Tech
100. JaCoby Jones, SS, Richton HS (MS)

[-MetA4-]

Andy Seiler's Current Mock Draft (April 14th):

11. Toronto Blue Jays – A.J. Cole, RHP, Oviedo HS (FL) – Lately, I’ve found myself really wondering where the Blue Jays will go with their bounty of picks. How willing are they to really spend the most they’ve ever spent in the draft? Well, I believe in their commitment, though I completely dismiss the notion that they’ll spend $16 million this year. Cole represents an option they’ll likely have for extreme upside in their pick, and they could go either way with a position player or pitcher. Previously: 6, 6, 6.

34. Toronto Blue Jays – Michael Choice, OF, UT Arlington – Choice is really rising up boards with an excellent junior season, and the only thing holding him back from being a surefire first-rounder is a lack of elite tools beyond his bat. He offers plus to plus-plus power, and I expect the Jays to look for power arms and power bats, though they might want a little more athleticism than Choice from their picks under a new regime. Previously: NR, 50, 41.

38. Toronto Blue Jays – Yasmani Grandal, C, Miami – Grandal is still in a fight for the top college catcher in this class, though I give a slight edge to Micah Gibbs for his receiving skills right now. However, Grandal has the better bat and a higher ceiling, and I’m sure that Toronto is looking to fill out as many positions as possible with their huge number of early picks in this draft. Previously: NR, NR, 22.

41. Toronto Blue Jays – Chad Bettis, RHP, Texas Tech – Power arms are power arms, and though most project Bettis as a long-term reliever, I’m a firm believer that there are enough teams out there that will try Bettis as a starter. He’s done quite well in a difficult transition this year, and if he’s healthy and successful come June, I think a team with multiple picks could pick him early as a possible starting arm. Previously: NR, 26, 37.

[Schad]

The full pick list for the first three rounds:


#11 - our first rounder this year. Damned tiebreakers.
#34 - for Scutaro.
#38 - for failing to sign Paxton.
#41 - for Barajas.
#61 - second rounder this year.
#69 - for failing to sign Eliopolous.
#80 - for Scutaro; had they not signed Lackey, it would be #29.
#93 - second rounder this year.
#113 - failing to sign Barrett.

John Sickels has begun posting on some of the interesting prospects, bless his free-content-producing heart. His first two articles on high school pitchers below:

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2010/4/1 ... #storyjump
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2010/4/1 ... #storyjump

Some of the names that could be available at 11, depending on signability and all that jazz:

A.J. Cole, RHP, Oviedo HS (Florida)
Well known to scouts for a long time, still has projectability at 6-5, 190 pounds but already hits 91-94 MPH with good movement. Mixes in a good breaking ball but will need to improve changeup in pro ball, not unusual for his age. He throws strikes and basically has no major flaws as high school pitchers go. He has a University of Miami commitment but should be signable if drafted early enough. He's a definite candidate for the Top Ten, and barring a late injury disaster or unusual bonus demands he won't get past 15.

Dylan Covey, RHP, Maranatha HS (California)
Good athlete, not huge at 6-2, 195, but has more than enough arm strength with a 91-94 MPH fastball and a nasty curve. Well-known to scouts on the amateur circuit, like Cole he is relatively polished for his age and has done well against good quality competition. A University of San Diego signee, he's been rated a Top 20 talent for some time, has done nothing to change that this spring, and could get into the Top 10 under the right circumstances. I doubt he would get past the Angels at 18 and could go as high as the Mets at 7.

Kaleb Cowart, RHP, Cook County HS (Georgia)
Another live arm from the high school ranks, Cowart is also a prospect as a third baseman, where he has good power and a terrific glove. As a pitcher, he can hit 95 MPH but is usually 3-5 MPH below that, though his velocity should get more consistent if he gives up hitting. His curveball and changeup have promise, but he needs more innings and experience to polish his mound work. Very athletic at 6-3, 190, the Florida State signee is a target for the second half of the first round. He would fit nicely with the Red Sox at 20, the Twins at 21, or the Rangers at 22.

Karsten Whitson, RHP, Chipley HS (Florida)
Committed to the University of Florida, Whitson has ideal size and some remaining projectability at 6-4, 190 pounds. He has a 90-94 MPH fastball, hitting 95 at times, and an advanced slider for a high school kid. He is polished for his age, throws strikes, and has a good balance of current skill, remaining projection, safety, and risk as high school pitchers go. He is likely go to somewhere in the Top Ten, and certainly won't make it past 15 unless his bonus demands are outrageous.

[-MetA4-]

Andy Seiler is pretty much the top free source as of right now. He is pumping out mock drafts on the regular, and unlike Sickels he is really focused on the draft. Since I'll be posting a lot of his stuff I'll link to his new website:

http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/

[-MetA4-]

BTW Karsten Whitson is my early favourite for our first pick; unfortunately he seems to be rising above our #11 pick. First round is very pitcher heavy this year; weak on college hitters.

[Schad]

Andy Seiler is pretty much the top free source as of right now. He is pumping out mock drafts on the regular, and unlike Sickels he is really focused on the draft. Since I'll be posting a lot of his stuff I'll link to his new website:

http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/

Oh, you better believe that's getting bookmarked.

[Hoopstarr]

"32. James Paxton, LHP, Grand Prairie AirHogs"

LOL

[Hoopstarr]

Keith Law seems to be high on Manny Machado, FWIW.

Jeff (Baltimore)
With the 3rd pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, the Baltimore Orioles select...

Klaw
Right now I'd guess Taillon, backup choice Manny Machado.

And this, for whatever the **** it's worth: http://twitter.com/keithlaw/status/12242592226

Anyway, prospect porrrn, bow chika wow wow! I have no clue about this stuff so I'll just sit back and watch you two guys do all the work until June and then August when the Jays have to overpay for all their top picks because they announced a $16M draft budget 9 months in advance.

[-MetA4-]

because they announced a $16M draft budget 9 months in advance.

This never happened. That number came from an opposing player-development/scouting person who "heard" that we were going to spend $16 million.

[Schad]

Thoughts on Cox, Met? Superficially, he'd seem to fit what we're doing: fills a position of need (though he's no great shakes at third), and is one of them "pure hitters" that AA seems to like. He's yet another left-handed hitter though.

[-MetA4-]

Thoughts on Cox, Met? Superficially, he'd seem to fit what we're doing: fills a position of need (though he's no great shakes at third), and is one of them "pure hitters" that AA seems to like. He's yet another left-handed hitter though.

Not a fan. I wouldn't be against the pick, but it wouldn't be my choice. I just dont see enough upside there. He is a guy who is receiving questions about his defense at 3rd, and more importantly some scouts have noted that he will either have to choose between hitting for average or hitting for power. I mean some people questioned how many HRs Wallace would hit, and he's a guy that hit 22 his SR year. Cox is currently sitting at like 6 HRs halfway through this year last time I checked, and he showed the same non-power in the Cape Cod league. I can live with a "pure hitter" with alright power at 3B, but if the player better be a plus defender/athlete...which Cox certainly doesn't appear to be.

[Hoopstarr]

because they announced a $16M draft budget 9 months in advance.

This never happened. That number came from an opposing player-development/scouting person who "heard" that we were going to spend $16 million.

Sorry, didn't mean to say they officially announced it, but they let it slip and then it was suddenly everywhere.

[-MetA4-]

Cox has 6 HRs, 6 doubles, and 1 triple in 36 games so far. Yeah; he's hitting .445, but a .623 SLG isn't that impressive for a corner infielder who doesn't even play great defense at 3B.

[Schad]

Thoughts on Cox, Met? Superficially, he'd seem to fit what we're doing: fills a position of need (though he's no great shakes at third), and is one of them "pure hitters" that AA seems to like. He's yet another left-handed hitter though.

Not a fan. I wouldn't be against the pick, but it wouldn't be my choice. I just dont see enough upside there. He is a guy who is receiving questions about his defense at 3rd, and more importantly some scouts have noted that he will either have to choose between hitting for average or hitting for power. I mean some people questioned how many HRs Wallace would hit, and he's a guy that hit 22 his SR year. Cox is currently sitting at like 6 HRs halfway through this year last time I checked, and he showed the same non-power in the Cape Cod league. I can live with a "pure hitter" with alright power at 3B, but if the player better be a plus defender/athlete...which Cox certainly doesn't appear to be.

Makes sense...I'd rather swing for the fences as well, FWIW, and if we're ever to go after a big-time high school arm, this would be the draft. Cox just stands out as the player who most fits the mold of what we've looked for, insofar as we have a mold.

[-MetA4-]

Makes sense...I'd rather swing for the fences as well, FWIW, and if we're ever to go after a big-time high school arm, this would be the draft. Cox just stands out as the player who most fits the mold of what we've looked for, insofar as we have a mold.

Theres also a fairly good stock of third basemen in this draft (Seiler has 5 in his Top 100), so I dont really see the need to go against what we've been hearing ("high upside!") to settle for the "best hitter" in a weak college hitting draft.

Rob Segedin - Tulane
.424/.500/.784
9 HRs, 22 2Bs

From some poster on PerfectGame, not that positive but I'm not sure about the validity of the source:

you ask about Segedin, he's interesting, not very flashy, one dimensional right now, he puts the ball in play and will hit the middle up fb hard and drive it, he's very vulnerable on stuff outside on the corner, his feet are not quick enough for 3b, his glove is fair, best move to 1b, but again he's not nimble, listed at 6'3 220, he's more like 6'1 plus and 225, R/R, solid average arm, had a triple that he needed oxygen on after he got to 3rd. LOL. Also committed 2 errors and made a spectacular play at the hot corner on a liner thanks to his lack of range though. LOL He's a draft eligible soph and does not for me warrant high round consideration and he's a good student, so my guess is he'll pass this year if drafted, get in some summer ab's with wood and convert to another position or concentrate on pitching perhaps.

Joe Leonard - Pittsburgh
.424/.485/.636
4 HRs, 16 2Bs

From Andy Seiler:

Joe Leonard, 3B, Pittsburgh: I received a question about Leonard in a chat about a month ago, and I answered that most of the questions about Leonard aren’t about his defense, but about his bat. He’s started to answer those questions, and his stock has been rising as a result. He’s putting up a strong .432/.496/.649 slash line so far, while continuing to play above-average defense. There’s also hope for continued development in the power department, as he’s still a tall, skinny hitter at the plate, though he’s matured over the last 12 months in his frame. He’s worked hard on his plate discipline, and while he won’t walk anything more than the league average in the pros, he’s not going to swing at everything like he has sometimes in the past. The doubles he hits now will turn into some homers in the future, and while his ceiling looks like a 15-20 home run slugger in his prime, his defense and hit tools are good enough to make him a league average third baseman in the big leagues. He’s looking at a possible 2nd-3rd round selection now, up from the 4th-6th round level he was looking at

[-MetA4-]

From Bob Elliot:

Scouting scouts

Something we like to around this time of year is track the Jays scouts leading into the draft. This year, it’s more important with the Jays having nine picks in the first three rounds.

It’s not a cinch the Jays will wind up with any of these players — 29 other teams are picking — but the Jays will select someone they’ve seen. Who has been where:

GM Anthopoulos, along with five other Jays scouts saw high school right-hander Karsten Whitson of Chipley, Fla., ranked ninth by Perfect Game scouting service heading into the June 7-9 draft.

Scouting director Andrew Tinnish has watched a battle of right-handers: North Carolina’ Matt Harvey (No. 16) versus Georgia Teach’s Deck McGuire; Ole Miss lefty Drew Pomeranz (No. 4) vs. Georgia righty Justin Grimm (No. 36); Kevin Gausman (No. 36) a high school righty from Aurora, Colo., and Auburn first baseman Hunter Morris (No. 28).

Dana Brown, adviser to the GM, was in Miami on Friday to see third baseman Kris Castellanos (No. 35) of Davie, Fla.

Anthopoulos has seen among others: high schoolers Manny Machado (No. 6), a Miami shortstop, John Barbato (No. 193), a Homestead, Fla., right-hander, Yordy Cabrera (No. 21), a shortstop from Lakeland, Fla., and college outfielder Mike Choice (No. 24) of Texas-Arlington....

[-MetA4-]

PNR Scouting's Midseason Top 50 pitching prospects:

http://www.pnrscouting.com/rankings_2010_midseason_pitcher.html

[Avenger]

The Jays might have dodged a bullet by not signing Jake Eliopoulos last year, he got released from his College team only after 3 starts.

Nothing clicked for Eliopoulos at Chipola, on or off the field. He went just 1-2, 8.44, though he did have 24 strikeouts in 21 innings. He also walked 21, and one opposing coach who saw Eliopoulos this season told BA today that while Elipoulos "kept us off-balance, he didn't look like a second-round arm. I heard he threw 92 (mph) in high school, but he didn't do that against us."

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=2103

[Schad]

Wow. I wasn't that high on Elio when we picked him, but that's a shocker.

Because that got me curious, here are the numbers for Barrett, as the Grand Prairie AirHogs and Jimmy Pax (lolzors) don't start playing until May.

Jake Barrett, freshman, Arizona State: 17 relief appearances and innings pitched, 2-0, 2 saves, 4.24 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 14.8 K/9 (!?), 4.7 K:BB.

He's being used as a setup guy from the looks of things, which isn't a shock given that he's a freshman...Arizona State has a very good rotation featuring one top-75 prospect (Seth Blair) and a couple other guys with very good numbers. Dunno if they intend to groom him as a closer, or whether he'll end up a starter next year, but those strikeout numbers are sexy.