2007 Draft

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jdk82
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Post by jdk82 »

I think Wieters is a Boras client that might be why he doesnt have him in the top 10.He probably has the best bat in the draft him or Vitters.

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A little info on Puerto Rico Prospects
Last week in Puerto Rico, a large, week-long series of workouts and games were held at a pre-draft bonanza that was attended by more than 60 scouts, including dozens of crosscheckers and a few scouting directors.

The early dope off the island following a similar workout in March was that this year’s crop of Puerto Rican talent was potentially the best in years, and after one American League scout sat through last week’s action, he confirmed that a handful of Puerto Rico’s top prospects are indeed deserving of consideration in the top 10 rounds of the draft.

“It ranks up there,” the scout said. “It’s probably one of the better years since I’ve been covering the area (about 10 years). “There’s not much pitching, more position guys.”

Angel Morales had the most clout among the players in attendance heading into the event based on his good showings in stateside showcases last fall and again in January, as well as the first large showcase in Puerto Rico in February. But beyond his defensive skills, which profile in center field, there’s long projection to his game, especially the bat.

He’s comparable to Florida Christian (Miami) High center fielder Denny Almonte, another toolsy outfielder that had some helium early this season but just hasn’t made enough consistent hard contact to warrant a spot in the top three rounds of the draft. Their names remain a buzz in scouting circles, and Almonte made the most of a couple of opportunities to perform well in front of some decision makers, but based on what I have seen of Almonte and Morales, they’re third- to fifth-round talent with some upside, but rife with holes.

Righthanded-hitting shortstop Reynaldo Navarro was the player to make the best impression last week in Puerto Rico. He was compared to Rey Ordonez for his easy, if flashy infield actions and skill with which he fields and throws.

“He swings the bat with some pop,” the scout said. “He’s got some outer-half issues and he’s a little guy . . . but he has really performed well. He’s a high-energy guy.”

Navarro could be drafted as high as the third round, and Morales, third baseman Neftali Soto–who has a chance to be a plus hitter–and catcher Emmanuel Quiles are three additional names you’ll here called in the top-10 rounds of the draft.

Scouts were waiting to hear the status of a fifth Puerto Rican who played well last week. Fernando Cruz, a 17-year-old switch-hitting third baseman who is apparently home schooled and a junior by classification, was petitioning the commissioner’s office to gain eligibility this year.

Regardless of whether he was enrolled in school or taking courses at home, Cruz would have had to drop out of school and notify Major League Baseball of his intentions at least 12 months before the draft in order to establish early eligibility. There seems to be loopholes in these cases, but it didn’t appear likely that Cruz, who is easily one of the most talented players from the island, would be draft eligible until 2008.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=33

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MrCrowesGarden
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Post by MrCrowesGarden »

jdk82 wrote:I think Wieters is a Boras client that might be why he doesnt have him in the top 10.He probably has the best bat in the draft him or Vitters.
I think you're right. Still, I just can't see too many teams passing up on a polished, switch-hitting, decorated catcher like Wieters.

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Post by cardfaninfla »

According to scout.com Tampa is working on a contract for Wieters right now and HE may be the overall first pick. They are also saying that The Canadian kid is passing Porcello on a lot of boards and if he falls past 6 he could be a very tought sign.

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cardfaninfla wrote:According to scout.com Tampa is working on a contract for Wieters right now and HE may be the overall first pick. They are also saying that The Canadian kid is passing Porcello on a lot of boards and if he falls past 6 he could be a very tought sign.
Thanks for posting I have not heard that about Wieters, all most people hear Price to Tampa.

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This guy was supposed to be a top 10 pick but I assume will fall after this
North Carolina State junior righthander Andrew Brackman will not pitch this weekend against Clemson because of fatigue.

Brackman, a candidate to go among the top 10 players drafted in June, has struggled down the stretch in his first full season as a baseball player. His first two baseball seasons at N.C. State were delayed while the 6-foot-10 Brackman finished playing power forward for the Wolfpack basketball team, but this year he decided not to play hoops in order to focus on his baseball career. The increased workload has proven burdensome–Brackman threw just 71 innings combined over his first two years but has thrown 78 innings this year, going 6-4, 3.81 with 74 strikeouts and 37 walks. In his last start against Virginia, Brackman walked five batters and lasted just four innings, and one scouting director said he topped out at 87 mph. He hasn’t won since April 7 against Florida State.

An N.C. State official said Brackman has been cleared to play medically, but he is exhausted from the biggest workload of his life. The Wolfpack will rest him this weekend with the hope he’ll be stronger for the postseason. He figures to start in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament next week in Jacksonville, Fla.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=35

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Post by fewgoodcards »

every guy i have said i wanted for the 18th pick lately seems to shoot up the board and out of our range, so i don't really want to say it, but kevin ahrens is also my favorite for our pick. i want a bat, and i think he will be the best one of the board. plus i would really like to get a quality third baseman in the system. i was very high on moustakas early, but as you have seen he is now considered a top 10 pick. with moustakas moving up, i thought his high school teammate matt dominguez could fall to us, but that doesn't look like it will happen either.

here are my favorites in order for pick #18
kevin ahrens
josh smoker
todd frazier

something that a lot of people aren't talking about, but i think is a real possibility is matt harvey falling down to 18. if that happens, i think we have to take him and hope ahrens makes it to 36 (i don't think its likely). i would hope that luhnow would be prepared to pay the money to get a top 10 talent like harvey. smoker probably won't make it past atlanta, but he is ranked in our range so i included him. todd frazier really has an exciting set of tools, but he has a somewhat long swing and strikes out a lot so i am a little concerned about his ability to hit for average (hopefully he isn't another tyler greene).

who do you guys like for some of the later picks?

i know we just got tommy pham last year, but there are some very solid high school middle infielders that are projected to go right around pick 36 with nick noonan, peter kozma, and justin jackson. i would like one of those 3, or a guy like neil ramirez or tim alderson. ramirez is a personal favorite of mine as he is said to be very polished and he can get it up to 95 on the gun. to show you how advanced he is, he pitched in a college summer league last year and was named the top prospect. i have heard that the cardinals have been all over justin jackson this spring, but i hope it is for 36 and not 18 b/c i think he will make it to 36 and i would really like to add one of the other guys up at 18.

another guy that i really like that isn't getting a lot of pub is dj jones a centerfielder from alabama. he put up a very good senior season and is a 5 tool guy with good size at 6'1" 190. some scouts from perfect game have compared him to colby rasmus and jay bruce so he has some talent. i thought we would be able to get him in the 2nd round, but i am hearing now he will probably go in the supplemental round.

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Post by jdk82 »

What about pitching prospects at 18, 36, 72, 83? Since you covered hitters already.

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Post by jdk82 »

This is a long but darn good article on the draft
So, the draft is on TV, you say?

It's about time, Baseball America answers. And as our readers know, it should be great theater to listen and watch this most inexact, unpredictable practice of 30 international businesses investing millions of dollars into stock in which past performance really isn't a guarantee of future value.


David Price
Maybe there's a good reason why Major League Baseball's draft hasn't had significant mainstream exposure. Sure, it's the source of approximately 70 percent of major league players on active rosters today, but given the enormity of the pool of players available and the hurdles in their path to the big leagues, the draft doesn't come with a script and isn't exactly made-for-television stuff.

It's where No. 1 picks injure their pitching arms in fights before graduating from the minor leagues, and 1,390th picks become Hall of Famers. For every Brien Taylor tragedy there's a tale of Mike Piazza. It's all part of the draft, and if you like a good mystery, pull up a chair for the 2007 proceedings.

Although each draft has winners and losers, it seems appropriate that a year that is marked by the first-ever live TV broadcast of the event offers one of the best selections of players in recent memory.

Abundance Of Options

The 2007 draft will have historical significance because of the TV coverage, but in the future it's likely this draft will be remembered most for its diversity and depth of talent. There are dozens of impact-potential players available this year.


Matt Wieters
The talent comes in all shapes and sizes: power-hitting outfielders, pure middle infielders, high school pitchers with eye-popping arm strength, and an intriguing crop of college lefthanders. The pool of college position players is thinner than it has been in most years, though the plethora of high school players supplements any shortcomings. The talent in this year's draft will drip deep throughout the oversized supplemental and second rounds.

"If you want a good college pitcher, you're going to have to take him early," said a national crosschecker with an American League organization. "There is much more depth in the high school players. After you get past the first wave of college players—the top five or six guys—there's just so much dropoff from there. The difference in the high school talent isn't as great. There's better distribution throughout."

There is a consensus on two things in this year's draft: First, the top eight or nine players have separated themselves. Second, after that group there's no consensus at all. The song almost every scout was singing was one of optimism underscored by uncertainty.

"It's a weird year because in the past you had 30 or 35 guys that have a chance to go in the first round," the crosschecker said. "This year I'd say there are easily 45 guys that could go in the first round."

"After you get past those top seven or eight, who knows who's going next," said a scouting director with an AL team. "The same guy that you might expect to go 15 could go 40 and vice versa."

Vanderbilt lefthander David Price; Georgia Tech catcher Matt Wieters; California prep corner infielders Josh Vitters and Mike Moustakas; Georgia prep outfielder Jason Heyward; college pitchers Ross Detwiler, Andrew Brackman and Daniel Moskos; and high school pitchers Rick Porcello, Jarrod Parker and Matt Harvey can probably be found at or near the top of almost every team's draft board. Of the elite company, only Parker is a newcomer, as the nation's top players have all basically remained in the same spots, with some shuffling over the course of the spring.

But for the teams picking in the middle and end of the first round, their choices will come down to personal preference, and there is no certainty which of the second-tier group of players will fly off the board first.

But unlike the 2005 draft, when there was a consensus on the top 10 or 12 players and mediocrity after that, no one's complaining about picking 15th or 25th this year. They might not be exactly sure who is going to be there when their pick comes around, but there will be plenty of players worthy of the choice.

Part of the uncertainty of the first round lies in the distribution of talent. Many teams have leaned on choosing players with four-year college experience with their early picks in recent years. But this draft could be the first since 2002 in which collegians don't outnumber high schoolers in the first round. Make no mistake, the cream of this year's crop lies in the high school class. From the projectable power pitchers from the Northeast to the West Coast sluggers and an interesting collection of talent dispersed between, this class has promise. The challenge teams face is figuring out which ones will fulfill their potential and which ones will not.

On the other hand, no category of players is thinner than righthanded college starters. In that vein, perhaps it's a blessing to some teams that have adopted the philosophy of taking the "safe" college pitcher instead of the "risky" high school player early in the draft. There are always going to be first-round busts, but because high school players are so clearly ahead of their college counterparts this year, a scenario could unfold where conservative teams opt to roll the dice and pop a high schooler.

Think Sinatra forced to sing a duet with Gwen Stefani.

Three To Make One

Devil Rays scouting director R.J. Harrison has been a member of the Tampa Bay scouting department since the franchise's inception. He's a part of a staff that picks No. 1 for the third time in nine years. After taking Josh Hamilton in 1999 and Delmon Young in 2003, it's a process he has become comfortable with, and he and his staff have systematically narrowed their options over the last four months.

Harrison said his staff discussed its strategy at the outset of the season, arranged their follow lists and set out to trim the field. Paring the potential picks wasn't simple, but by May 1 the pool of contenders for No. 1 had been cut to three.

"We've tried to keep the thing wide open as long as we could all spring," Harrison said. "If you look back at drafts, there are a lot of good players that wind up not being the first pick. We've kept a real open mind, did our work, met in April and broke it down. We had sizable list at that point, so we went back out and have whittled it down a little bit.

"We're at three guys."

When asked if the Devil Rays' three were the same players regarded as having the best overall package of tools, upside and performance—Price, Wieters and Vitters—Harrison just chuckled and acknowledged, "Those are three pretty good players there on the top of your list . . . I don't think there are a lot of secrets this year."

Though Vitters has shown remarkable consistency and an approach at the plate that has prompted some scouts to proclaim him the draft's best pure hitter, discussion in the Devil Rays' draft room will likely come down to Price versus Wieters.

Price, Vandy's 6-foot-4 lefty with three plus pitches, command and an easy delivery, has held the pole position in BA's rankings since winning Summer Player of the Year honors in 2006. Wieters has remained at No. 2 almost as long. Ultimately the Devil Rays' decision will come down to which player they determine has the best long-term value, which is a compelling debate.

"If Price is a No. 2 starter and Wieters is an all-star catcher, which one is more valuable?" said another crosschecker with an AL club, who went on to say that Wieters was the best amateur catcher he'd seen other than Joe Mauer. "I would make a case for Wieters over Price at one. With the switch-hitting, the power and he catches so easy . . . If you think it's tougher to find an all-star catcher than a No. 2 starter, you can make a case for the all-star catcher, though most teams might go with the No. 2 starter, especially if he's a lefty.

"And if you think Price is a No. 1 (starter), I don't think you can pass him up."

Extra Helpings

The debate over No. 1 isn't the only intriguing aspect worth following in the '07 draft. Changes made to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement last year created a supplemental first round that could reach 35 picks if Max Scherzer doesn't sign with the Diamondbacks.

Several teams have a gaggle of extra picks, including the Giants, with six picks in the first 51, including three first-rounders. The Rangers have five choices in the first 54 slots, the Blue Jays have five of the first 56 and the Padres have six of the first 64. (Conversely, the Astros' first pick doesn't come until No. 112 overall.)

How these teams choose to spend their picks will have a ripple effect on the rest of the draft. Rangers scouting director Ron Hopkins acknowledged that he watched the free-agent market with a new sense of interest, knowing how it could potentially affect the draft.

"As the summer unfolded it became obvious that the Rangers had a chance to possibly pick up some extra picks, so we definitely took no shortcuts last summer," Hopkins said. "We didn't leave any stones unturned, knowing that we might have some extra picks. We hit all the showcases, Cape Cod, the Alaska League.

"If we're going to have five of 54, I'm glad we're doing it this year."

Of course, in order to take full advantage of the extra picks, teams will have to be willing to spend the money to sign all those players. Hopkins declined to discuss how Rangers ownership structured his budget, but don't be surprised if a handful of college players are drafted higher than their value would suggest. This could provide teams with extra picks an opportunity to stretch their budgets.

"College position players are going to be by far the most inflated guys in this draft," a second AL scouting director said. "You're going to see guys like (Oklahoma State's ) Corey Brown and (Georgia Tech's ) Danny Payne going way higher than people actually have them on their boards."

It should make for great theater, and this year, for the first time, we can all watch.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/d ... 63907.html

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Post by jdk82 »

Talk about Iowa player and pre draft showcase highlights
Iowa Players Can be a Tough Read

Perfect Game’s annual Pre-Draft Showcase was held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday (May 16), with about 50 players on the field and many more scouts than that in the stands.


Although there were high-profile players from many states at the event, including Florida, Texas and Alabama, many national-level scouts and scouting directors had circled this mid-week date on their calendars long ago for a close-up look at Iowa City High shortstop/third baseman Jon Gilmore, a 2006 Aflac All-American and one of the top high school infield prospects in the country.


As almost everyone knows by now, Iowa does not play a high school baseball schedule in the spring. The state athletic association clings to an archaic tradition of playing school baseball in the summer, despite the fact that the students aren’t in school at that time. Free time for healthy teenage boys during springs long ago was spent in the fields helping plant crops. Today, baseball players in Iowa play in the weekend-based Perfect Game Spring League, go out for the golf team and act like teenagers, while their peers across the country play baseball every day and improve their skills.


While this hasn’t seemed to hurt the top-prospect pitchers who have come through the Iowa prep ranks in the last decade, it has definitely impacted the position prospects. It remains to be seen how it will impact Gilmore.


In the last eight years, Iowa has had three premium pitching prospects and three premium position prospects, including Gilmore. They are:


RHP Joel Hanrahan: 2nd-round pick (57th overall), Dodgers, 2000.
RHP Zach Hammes: 2nd-round pick (51st overall), Dodgers, 2002.
C Jeff Clement: 12th-round pick, Twins, 2002; 1st round-pick (3rd overall), Mariners, 2005.
OF Ryan Sweeney: 2nd-round pick (52nd overall), White Sox, 2003.
RHP Jeremy Hellickson: 4th-round pick, Devil Rays, 2004.
3B Jon Gilmore: 2007.


Hanrahan, Hammes and Hellickson have all had some degree of success thus far in their professional careers. Hanrahan quickly reached the upper minors in the Dodger organization and had a shot at making the Nationals rotation this spring. Hammes is on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster and is reportedly throwing in the upper 90s. Hellickson was one of the top pitching prospects in the New York-Penn League last summer.


The story is a bit different with Iowa ’s elite position prospects, though.


Clement finished his high school career at Marshalltown High (in the summer) as the all-time national prep home run leader, but his stock slipped slightly before the draft and he choose to attend college at USC. He entered pro ball three years later as the third overall pick in 2005 and made it to Triple-A in his first pro year.


Sweeney was considered a first-round talent during the spring of 2003 but some teams got skittish after Sweeney was advised to forego the second day at Perfect Game’s Pre-Draft Showcase that year and he slid to the second round. He made it to the major leagues as a 21-year-old and if you look at the White Sox box score for tomorrow’s game, you’ll likely find Sweeney’s name in it.


In retrospect, both Clement and Sweeney were first-round talents and should have been drafted accordingly. Clement didn’t get that much better in three years of college; he was physically mature at age 18 with a great baseball mentality. Sweeney was a no-brainer first-rounder, a 6-foot-4 lefty with plus tools across the board and big league-ready makeup. But both suffered because they weren’t able to compete and showcase their talents over the summer at the top summer tournaments like most of the other top high school prospects in the country. However, Sweeney was named the MVP of the PG WWBA World Championship the fall before his senior year.


Pitchers don’t face the same type of obstacles as hitters do in such an evaluation environment. The scouts still came to watch Hanrahan, Hammes and Hellickson throw in April on 40-degree days. The mounds were the right distance and the radar guns still worked, so as pitchers they were given full evaluations.


I’m afraid the same thing may happen to Gilmore in this year’s draft as happened to Clement and Sweeney. He’ll be downgraded because it’s impossible to see him play under the conditions in the spring that every other position player is afforded, including those in other cold-weather states who are playing a spring high school baseball schedule. To add confusion, Gilmore suffered a hamstring pull his first PG League game and is just now recovering.


As a scout who has seen Gilmore play a significant amount over a three-year period, I think he is a solid compensation-round pick, consistent with where Hanrahan, Hammes and Sweeney were picked. I know scouts who had no problem calling him a potential first-rounder last summer. He’s unquestionably a better prospect for me than those two pitchers were at the same stage, although maybe not as good as Sweeney overall.


But looking at Gilmore’s showcase performance on Wednesday, which was very good but not spectacular good, I just got the feeling that the decision-makers there are going to take a conservative line on Gilmore, much like they did with Sweeney and Clement. I hope not, but I won’t be surprised.


And a few years down the road they could regret it, just as they did with Sweeney and Clement.


Pre-Draft Showcase Highlights

Below are some quick thoughts on a few of the other top showcase performances at PG’s Pre-Draft Showcase.


Danny Almonte, of, Florida Christian HS, Miami . Almonte showed his speed, arm strength and raw power; his game swings were much better than his batting practice swings.


Reynaldo Cortilla, rhp, Miami Springs (Fla. ) HS. Cortilla has been a late sensation this spring in Miami , as he didn’t pitch as a junior due to Tommy John surgery. He threw 90-91 mph consistently in Cedar Rapids with an easy, quick arm. He’s been seen up to 94-95 mph this spring.


Paul Demny, rhp, East Bernard (Texas ) HS. Demny has struggled this spring to match his Aflac All-American status of last summer, mainly due to mechanical/delivery issues. Those were still obvious, but Demny touched 94 mph and flashed some quality with a variety of secondary pitches.


Yasmani Grandal, c, Miami Springs (Fla. ) HS. I thought Grandal’s righthanded swing was shorter and quicker than the last time I’ve seen it. His arm and release haven’t changed; he hosed D.J. Jones (see below under “Fast”) with a 1.95 game throw right on the bag.


Nevin Griffith, rhp, Middleton HS, Brandon, Fla. Griffith threw just a bullpen for scouts but was loose and easy, and up to 90 mph with little effort.


B.J. Hermsen, rhp, West Delaware HS, Masonville, Iowa. Hermsen, a 2008 player, is Iowa ’s next top-level prospect and on par with the six mentioned above; he’s 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, and highly athletic with a 90 mph fastball and 75 mph curve.


Chris Hernandez, lhp, Monsignor Pace HS, Miami . Hernandez showed the polished approach we’re used to seeing from him, pitching at 87-88 mph with a sharp 81 mph slider and deceptive 77 mph changeup. Nothing is straight and he rarely throws the same pitch twice.


D.J. Jones, of, Gulf Shores (Ala. ) HS. Jones got things off to a quick start, literally, running 6.33 and 6.38 on laser-timed 60s. That’s flying. The solidly build 6-foot-1, 190-pound Jones also showed a powerful, controlled lefthanded swing (he hit 16 home runs this spring) and is a plus defensive outfielder.


Kyle McPherson, rhp, University of Mobile. McPherson is a unique prospect; he’s a 19-year-old college junior who graduated from high school at 16. He’s also 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, and threw 90-92 mph easily with a quality slider.


Michael Pair, rhp-c, Trinity Christian Academy, Dallas . Pair is a primary catcher who also plays third base, but his future is on the mound. He threw 88-90 mph and had the best breaking ball at the event, a big, nasty 75 mph hammer.


Raymond Quinones, inf, George Washington HS, New York . Quinones has done some very good things with his swing this spring and is much shorter and crisper to the ball. He’s more of a third baseman in a shortstop’s body but has plus arm strength. He plays the game with great energy and enjoyment.


Chris Turner, of, Brandon (Fla. ) HS. Turner ran the second-fastest 60 time of the day at 6.47, and had a fast line-drive swing that sent balls consistently into the gaps. He’s an excellent student who has committed to Vanderbilt.
http://pgcrosschecker.com/draft/2007/no ... 51807.aspx

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