2013 MLB Draft Day 2 Open Discussion

2013 Draft

Rounds 3-10

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About Matt Winkelman

Matt is originally from Mt. Holly, NJ, but after a 4 year side track to Cleveland for college he now resides in Madison, WI. His work has previously appeared on Phuture Phillies and The Good Phight. You can read his work at Phillies Minor Thoughts

328 thoughts on “2013 MLB Draft Day 2 Open Discussion”

  1. Hoping we can get atleast one of Jon Denney, Chris Okey, and Casey Shane today. Who does everyone else want today?

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  2. No.16 Pick Last 15 Years:
    1997 — Lance Berkman, Astros…1998 — Kip Wells, White Sox…1999 — Jason Jennings, Rockies
    2000 — Billy Traber, Mets…2001 — Kris Honel, White Sox…2002 — Nick Swisher, A’s
    2003 — Jeff Allison, Marlins…2004 — David Purcey, Blue Jays…2005 — Chris Volstad, Marlins
    2006 — Jeremy Jeffress, Brewers…2007 — Kevin Ahrens, Blue Jays…2008 — Brett Lawrie, Brewers…2009 — Bobby Borchering, Diamondbacks…2010 — Hayden Simpson, Cubs
    2011 — Chris Reed, Dodgers…2012 — Lucas Giolito, Nationals

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    1. So No. 16 has produced an All-Star caliber player roughly once every five years. If Giolito doesn’t progress or continues to have injury problems, we could be due … 🙂

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    2. Very few middle of the pack guys. If you’re 16 you’re evidently bound for either the scrap heap or glory.

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  3. Just get good value. But would prefer projectable HS pitching and power bats.
    HS Pitching – Serrano, Driver, Brentz, G. Williams, Salazar, Jones, Morales, Quantrill
    Power Bats – Palka, Healy, Tellez

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    2. Word is Serrano and Quantrill won’t sign. In the BA chat yesterday, they mentioned that Quantril may be better than Bickford in a few years.

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      1. Yeah, what happened to Drew Ward? This guy seems to have been kidnapped by aliens and taken to another planet.

        I’d love to get Tellez too but I suppose the Phillies wouldn’t draft him before the tenth round because he isn’t an “athlete”…like John Kruk.

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  4. From Mlbrumors:
    Law thinks the Stanek pick by Tampa was the best one in round 1. Dom Smith on J.P.:

    “[Crawford is] just a great guy and a great person,” Smith told Crasnick. “We’re pretty tight. He’s like my baseball brother.”

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      1. There’s a rivalry there? Since when?

        Oh yeah, the Samuel – Dykstra trade.

        Probably ten years from now Smith is traded to the Phillies for Crawford.

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    2. Stanek at #29 was best from a value perspective, but there are reasons (i.e., injury / longevity concern with that violent delivery) why he fell to late in the first. I’m no expert, but I was glad the Phillies passed on him.

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  5. Best available after Day One, per BA:

    http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/best-available-after-first-day/

    I love the Crawford pick, and Knapp seems to be solid, particularly if he signs for a little less than slot. I’m putting faith in the Phils college scouting based on the non-Harold Martinez picks from the past few years: (Asche, Morgan, Perkins, Rupp, etc.). Hopefully we can get a talented kid in the third whose commitment can be bought out and another college player.

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    2. Are you serious , Knapp was a horrible pick , if they wanted a catcher why not Jon Denney ? as far as faith in Phillies scouts ( see Larry Greene )

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      1. What, the Phillies scouts missed on a pick? They must certainly be the only team that has ever had that happen to them..

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      2. “I’m putting faith in the Phils COLLEGE scouting based on the non-Harold Martinez picks from the past few years: (Asche, Morgan, Perkins, Rupp, etc.).”

        Draft day is no time to lose our reading comprehension skills, Dom.

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    1. Nik I believe worst case is you have a freddie galvis type. best is you got a young rollins.

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        1. He throws right-handed, and writes right-handed…dominant right-side. Why not make him a switch-hitter? Was done with Roman Quinn.

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  7. Not sure if you guys follow the Phillies on twitter or not, but Marti Wolever is answering questions about the draft on twitter through their acct, feel free to ask him a question.

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        1. He’s a left handed hitting SS for the Arizona Diamondbacks, very good defensively, but questions about how much he will hit

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          1. He’s played 37 games at short with a .880 OPS he’s only already over 2 WAR (at 8 WAR pace over 162 games). If Crawford becomes that player, the Phillies will have hit the jackpot. Is somebody really complaining about that comparison?

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  9. Not sure how Gregorious projects in the future, but he’s having a very strong rookie campaign. If Crawford can show similar output (great defense and a solid bat) then this was a very strong pick.

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    1. I’d rather he be solid defensively at SS (at the MLB level) with great offense. But hey, we here at PP love low scoring games!

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      2. Yeah, but it’s doubtful the Phils would draft another catcher (after Knapp) in Round 3, right?

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    2. It’s looking like he’ll be available, he’s got all the raw tools in the world, the question is his pitch recognition and contact skills. The other worry is he goes to start as a QB at Mississippi State instead of baseball. I suspect he’ll be a well over slot sign if they pick him.

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  13. Can someone post a link to a decent draft tracker? I can’t find one that’s up to date. Thanks!

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    1. I think so, they dont pop Sandberg here if they don’t think he signs. And they’ll find room with Knapp and probably a few college SRs later on today.

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        2. The worked Sandberg out, they must have an idea of what it will take. Every kid’s situation is different.

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    2. ust as likely (maybe more so) that their next pick (#96?) will be someone who will sign under slot; i.e., a college senior.

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  25. Write up:

    Cord Sandberg is one of this classes’ best overall athletes, and he possesses major upside across the board, but is also committed to play quarterback at Mississippi State.
    The lefty has the potential to be a five-tool centerfielder someday, but he’s extremely raw, and his commitments are still relatively unknown. He also has a rep of being a hard worker (the “I’m in the best shape of my life” of the draft process), and his father made a brief appearance in the Red Sox system.
    If he commits to baseball — whether it be college, or the draft — his speed, arm strength and athleticism should all translate fairly easily, but there’s obvious questions about his bat and defense (from a pure skills standpoint). He’s said to have a quick swing and “plus power potential”.

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  26. Mayo did also mention that he likes what the Phillies are doing so far in the draft, so to all the people who are disappointed, there’s a positive voice.

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  28. Here’s some links on Sandberg:

    http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/11/1/3527542/2013-mlb-draft-profile-cord-sandberg-of-bradenton-fl

    http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2013-mlb-draft/2013/5/30/4371816/updated-2013-mlb-draft-profile-cord-sandberg-of-manatee-hs-fl

    http://www.ajc.com/feed/sports/baseball/updated-2013-mlb-draft-profile-cord-sandberg-of/fPnCC/

    Regarding his signability:
    http://preps.heraldtribune.com/2013/06/03/manatee-high-standout-could-be-a-top-pick-in-pro-baseball-draft/

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  29. pg lets keep this on the hush im posting this

    74. CORD SANDBERG, of, Manatee HS, Bradenton (Fla.)
    The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Sandberg stands out athletically, not only in Florida, but on the national level as well. A 4-star quarterback with a scholarship to Mississippi State, Sandberg completed 70-percent of his passes last fall for 2,674 yards with 35 touchdowns and only one interception. He also ran for 611 yards and 10 touchdowns on a 13-1 Manatee team that lost in the state championship game. Some scouts have compared him to Georgia’s Austin Meadows as an athlete, with Sandberg having a bit more present strength and a bit less speed and quick-twitch fiber. A Perfect Game All-American, Sandberg showed a surprising degree of baseball skill last summer considering his lack of baseball repetitions, especially with his powerful left handed swing. Unfortunately, scouts have not seen the tools translate into performance this spring. If football wasn’t in the picture, Sandberg’s athleticism alone would guarantee him 2-3 round consideration from the teams that value raw high ceiling talent. What happens with football in the equation remains to be seen.

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  32. Hernandez – should be 3B at pro level, plus arm, above average to plus power, line drive hitter.

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    1. PG and BA really disagree on this pick, but he’s a well rated HS position player, I love it.

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    2. Jan Alexis Hernandez is a 2013 SS with a 6-3 190 lb. frame from San Lorenzo, PR who attends Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy. Large and loose athletic build, very strong. Outstanding defensive tools and actions, moves fluidly through the ball, light on his feet, plays fast and easy, big time arm strength, may outgrow shortstop in the future. Didn’t run at this event but 6.64 in the 60 in December, very aggressive and disruptive baserunner with plus instincts. Right handed hitter, calm swing approach with leg lift trigger, moves into contact, big bat speed with plus power potential, tends to try to lift/top spin the ball, best approach is with level swing plane, has the strength/bat speed to drive the ball out of the park without lifting it. High ceiling talent with tools and actions. Good student.
      —–

      Hernandez is indeed a potential future star in the making. He’s currently ranked 17th overall in the Perfect Game Class of 2013 rankings, and, like Correa, was a Perfect Game All-American. It would surprise few evaluators if Hernandez went in the first round in June, perhaps high enough to become the second highest Puerto Rican ever drafted.

      Despite their similar backgrounds and positions, Hernandez and Correa have been compared to each other infrequently as prospects and with good reason, as they are different types of athletes. While Correa was long and lean and projectable physically, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Hernandez is more like a big cat, with a combination of size and strength that would make him fit into a big league uniform very comfortably right now. The “big cat” analogy is also not a bad way to describe Hernandez athletically and especially on defense, as he has a looseness and balance to go with his strength that few possess.

      While Hernandez plays shortstop now, many scouts have already mentally moved him to third base as a professional due to his size and actions. The position change isn’t hurt by watching Hernandez play third base occasionally now, as his combination of first step quickness, soft hands and cannon arm really stands out at that position. Infielders with upper-80s to low-90s arms are not uncommon in Puerto Rico, or at least in the 2013 class, and watching Hernandez take infield with his peers is instructive. The ball comes out of his hand differently, with less effort and more strength, than really any infielder in the entire 2013 class

      Just how high Hernandez is picked in June is likely going to come down to who likes him the most offensively. Hernandez has first round bat speed and projects plus power at the professional level. His swing mechanics are not consistent yet and he’ll go through streaks where he’s looking to lift the ball too much, not an uncommon thing for a young hitter who is trying to impress. When Hernandez learns to keep his swing short and level through the zone and trust his bat speed and strength work for him, he could blossom as a hitter. If that happens over the next four months, expect big things in June.

      While make-up and character are often secondary considerations in the evaluation process, scouts should remember that Hernandez was the recipient of Perfect Game’s Nick Adenhart Award at the All-American Classic Banquet last August. The Nick Adenhart Award, named after the late Angels pitcher who was a member of the first class of Perfect Game (then Aflac) All-Americans in 2003, is given each year to the All-American who best exemplifies Adenhart’s character on and off the field. The always smiling and upbeat Hernandez was the star of the show when the 2012 All-Americans made their annual visit to Rady Children’s Hospital before the game.

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      2. Great stuff. Loving the last two picks but really like what I’m hearing about Hernandez. And GCL is only two weeks away.

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    1. Wow – these both seem like very exciting picks. So far, I’m pretty happy with what we’ve done. If two of the four pan out, we will have done very well. It sounds like the catcher was a below slot move designed to free up overall cap money – they may have worked out a pre-draft deal with him. If so, that makes sense.

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      1. Agreed on Knapp as well, also; hey I’m not going to discount him either. Seems to have some pop, and well you can never have too many catchers.

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  36. FWIW, it was announced yesterday that Mississippi State’s football prgram is about to get sanctioned hard by the NCAA

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    5. Two years probation (I assume that includes a bowl game ban), loss of four scholarships and loss of four recruiting visits. I’m guessing probably not enough to be a big factor in Sandberg’s decision process.

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  38. If you think this kid hasn’t been scouted as heavily because he is from Puerto Rico, guess again. He was the third baseman along side 2012 #1 draft pick, Carlos Correa. With Correa in professional baseball now, Jan Hernandez has now moved back to short-stop for his senior year and has a chance to stick there in professional ball.
    He’s more filled out than Correa was at this time last year and probably will carry more weight in the end. He’s currently 6’3, 195 pounds and will be 18 and a half at draft day. There’s some build in his legs and you can see it when he runs. He’s a little knock knee’d as well which could give some concern about his knees moving forward. Those two combined are some reasons to think he may necessitate a move to third base in the future. But, he’s definitely a strong athlete and can play short right now.
    He has some pretty good hips that can rotate and move pretty freely. That’s one thing to really love about his fielding. His speed and quickness make it a little more difficult to project him at short. If he’s able to stick long term there, he’s probably nothing more than average defensively. At third, he could be a plus defender. His arm definitely works there and he has pretty quick arm action with the strength.
    There’s some variability with his bat. You see some video where he drives the ball hard and is able to provide the backspin to consistently launch the ball. However, you see some video where he rolls over the top and beats the ball into the ground.
    He has the strength for power, he has the legs for power, he has the hips for power, but he needs work with his swing. He has inconsistent weight shift. He tends to over rotate out of his weight shift and leads to his hands rolling over too soon. In the videos below, the video from his academy shows a lot better batting than the PG event. In the end, if he’s able to refine his swing, I could see him providing above average to plus power.

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  39. What does the Hernandez pick mean for Crawford? I mean if the Org was happy with the Crawford why would they draft Hernandez?

    /sarcasm

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      1. Um…what? You don’t pass up people in the draft because of a guy currently in High-A about to go to AA. If you see value, you grab it.

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      2. Is that joke? If not, that’s a ridiculous conclusion. It’s much more likely a matter of drafting the best guy available at the time, particularly if Herdandez has a good hit tool.

        It’s okay to have multiple prospects.at the same position. There’s plenty of time for things to sort out before these guys get to the MLB level (IF they make it that far).

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      3. I hope you were joking because, if not, that’s that silliest post of the year. I could use a word other than “silly” but it would be impolite.

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      4. Jesus Christ, guys. Yes, it was a joke. Sorry if I offended you. I’ll use the /sarcasm tag from now on since nobody on this site has a sense of humor apparently.

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      5. say again??? they just took best available player and rest will sort itself out. Franco is legit prospect.

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      1. Hernandez is 17. This pick means nothing as far as Franco is concerned. Franco is probably the number 2 prospect in the system.

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        1. Normally I would say sarcasm can be difficult to read over the internet. But in this case, it was actually stated that it was sarcasm. It was sarcasm.

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        2. 17, that’s interesting, i don’t know if anyone read the article on fangraphs (i think) about how the age of high school players on draft day was a significant indicator of future sucess. Going further to state that teams, even knowing this, still underestimate the value of age. (this doesn’t apply to college players).

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          1. Hate to be the wet blanket, but Hernandez is 18- turned 18 in January (mlb says 1/3/95). At least they haven’t gone the “Draft a 19-year-old” route.

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        4. ‘….He’s currently 6’3, 195 pounds and will be 18 and a half at draft day.’.

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        2. I don’t know, maybe he’s attracted to him? When I refer to woman as delicious, i’m definitely not thinking about sandwiches… 🙂

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      2. Think he may be commenting on the irony that they drafted a player with the last name Sandberg

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        1. ah yes, Alec Rash, who’s arm fell off immediately after being drafted and refusing to take 500k.

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  42. No complaining about the Phillies selecting another ‘Toolsy’ outfielder at pick 89? I wonder why i’m not surprised.

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    1. My argument isn’t against toolsy players, it’s against drafting “no tool” players who only have athleticism. I actually really like Sandbergs power/speed/arm. Additionally, being a 3rd round pick, the risk is much lower if he busts.

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  44. I would prefer the Phillies put Hernandez at 3rd and leave him there. To a certain extent, I don’t agree with the philosophy of making a player who profiles as a 3B in the majors a SS in the minors. It’s better to let a kid get comfortable and dominate a single position. In this case, being as he profiles as a plus 3B, that adds real value.

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    1. What’s the downside in seeing if he can stick at SS? Noone knows if he can or can’t and the difference in value is tremendous if can play there.

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      1. Once he’s fully grown, he’s likely to be 6’4” 225-235 lbs … does that scream SS to you?

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          1. I’m making a generalization by looking at his current build. He’s 18… how many “jacked” 18 olds did you know that by 25 didn’t gain atleast 20lbs? I can’t think of a single one.

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  46. From the scouting report over at minorleagueball.com about Jan Hernandez:
    “If you told me in ten years that Jan Hernandez will be the best hitter from the 2013 draft, I would not be surprised” wow

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    1. One of the dudes in the PG roundtable LOVES that pick by the Phils. For the record, he also loved the Sandberg pick and says the Phillies have “Probably talked extensively to him” to grab him where they did.

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  47. Through 3 rounds this is the best Phillies draft in recent memory (at the time of the draft).

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  48. Jake Sweeney, a toolsy C with a football commitment but jeez; this is a different draft than what I’m normally used to for the Phils.

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    2. I can’t seem to find much info on him. But has a WR commitment to Oregon… pretty big time program, and strange to see a WR as a catcher (as said on MLB.com)

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      1. Law rated him 88, thinks he could be a solid offensive catcher. says very athletic, and strong, but his swing cuts down his power potential.

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      2. Chip Kelly’s old Duck team is under NCAA investigation. Sanctions may be coming down, Maybe he will lean baseball.

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        1. Exploiting football program that are about to get sanctioned; the new market inefficiency.

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    1. They said he would probably end up as corner outfield, wouldn’t look too much into the position at this time. He is also committed to Oregon so who knows what his sign-ability is.

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    2. Yeah, and another football player. I suppose the Phils could draft an entire football team …

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    1. A talented two-sport athlete, Sweaney scored 14 touchdowns and snagged six interceptions as a wide receiver/defensive back last fall. Sweaney didn’t spend much time doing showcases last summer because he also played football, but garnered plenty of attention this spring. He is still learning behind the plate, but between his athleticism and strong arm, he has the tools to become a solid defender. Sweaney has a compact swing and a chance to develop more power as he begins to focus on baseball and fills out his 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame. He is committed to Oregon.

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    1. Very surprised by:
      – two catchers in the first five picks, and
      – zero pitchers in the first five picks

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    2. Agree with both of the above comments. Given their track record for developing pitchers, this has been a shock.

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    3. Sort of similar to 2011 when Morgan was the only pitcher in the top 6 rounds (Greene, quinn, H-Mart, Asche, Walding, Wright)

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      1. It’s too bad they couldn’t get the first pick in that draft right, would have been a fantastic instead of just “good” draft.

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  53. Keith Law seems to like Sweeney

    Klaw (2:18 PM)

    Oh, they just took Jake Sweaney – great pick there, don’t think there’s THAT much separation between him and the upper-tier prep catchers.

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    2. 6 mil, seems to be getting pretty close to that limit with all these HS picks, they’re bound to switch over to college players pretty sudden like. Atleast 2 of these picks look like tough signs. Sandberg and Sweeney

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  56. I’m kind of liking the feel of this draft. Very interested to see what they do in picks 5-10 and then at 11 and 12. You almost get the feeling, with the hard overall cap limit for the top ten rounds, that rounds 11 and 12 (not part of the overall cap, right? But I thought subject to other limitations) are perhaps even more important.

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    1. For rounds past 10, I think only the part of a signing bonus over $100,000 counts against the draft cap.

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    2. after round 10, the picks arent included in the cap unless the signing is over 100k, and then the excess gets added to the cap.

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    1. The other point I’d make is, while I adore the upside here, there’s no help coming to the phillies any time soon. If one of these players were to become a superstar, it’d still be likely 3-4 years before we see him in Philly.

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      1. Which is ok. There’s nothing wrong with building towards the future. This system is devoid of any type of blue chip talent. Hopefully this draft will help to infuse some of that.

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        1. I couldn’t agree more, we weren’t going to get a college senior blue chip player. They don’t exist past the first few picks in the first round. This really is the way to go.

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  58. True there is no immediate help for the big club, but if they are able to make the signings we could be seeing a nice new generation of championship caliber players

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  59. Ben Holmes, 5th round pick out of Oregon State, tops at out 91, sits in the upper 80’s, potentially a plus change up. Underslot pick.

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    2. They are gonna probably take a couple more, those football scholarships will take some work to buy out.

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  61. Fifth round they take Ben Holmes-Wetzler, LHP Oregon State, at 151.

    Wetzler has been a mainstay of Oregon State’s rotation for three years and has put together a consistent track record of success in the Pac-12. He succeeds without dominating stuff, but earns high marks for his command and pitchability. Wetzler’s fastball sits around 90 mph with good movement. He also throws a slider and a changeup. He isn’t afraid to attack hitters and shows good poise on the mound. Wetzler missed a few weeks early this season with a back strain and it took him a while to build his strength back, but he has looked healthy over the last two months.

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    1. We had better hope that, like Adam Morgan, he’s a guy that the organization feels can throw a lot harder with some training and adjustments. Otherwise, this is probably a stupid, low ceiling, pick. I’d prefer if they’d not pick guys like this until after the 11th or 12th round. I’d much rather have a raw, projectable HS arm than someone like this. But that’s just me.

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      1. They need to make a few of these picks to sign under slot. Have to give the big bucks to the high school players with commitments.

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  62. Here’s a fun (though impractical) question for the board…

    Through the first 4 rounds, who is the player most likely to be…

    A future Hall of Famer?
    Sandberg

    Highest Floor?
    Crawford (Utility player)

    Best Tool?
    I’m honestly not sure. LOL

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  63. 89/91 for a Lefty is not bad. Equal to 90-93 for a Righty. The key here is the potential of a Cole Hamels Type Change Up.

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    1. He should try Ryan Madsen’s workout program that helped him add several MPHs to the fastball …

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      1. Mad Dog, unfortunately, may have over-extended that program. Suffered another minor setback two weeks ago.

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  65. I understand you are making a generalization but the non-steroid era is here. I’m not sure a 6’4 middle infielder is destined to be 225-235. You probably would argue this to be your point, that he won’t stay at SS. My argument that not every player that is 6’4 is gonna weigh 225-235. It’s hard to keep that type of size and remain athletic (without) help unless you have incredible genes. The non-steroid era changes all of our assumptions and projections.

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      2. he didnt sign yet. he still has a month to change his mind. It just sounds like they had a pre-determined number they had agreed on, and if they both stick to it, it should go smooth.

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      3. So it’s actually 775k + 100k (for future college costs?)

        I’m actually more happy that the signing happened so quickly, he can get started at WPT this and play the entire year there.

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          1. from what i read, he is very athletic, but his baseball skills are still pretty raw and undetermined because he was a 2 sport player. i think he plays in the GCL this year to give him time to develop his skills. He is one guy that there is no need to rush, ala Pullin or cozens last year.

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          2. Depends on how advanced they view him. Roman Quinn started at WPT and he wasn’t rated as highly in his respective draft as Sandberg. Quinn was ranked 94th in the country going into that draft where as Sandberg is ranked between 43 and 52.

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            2. You are indeed right about Quinn, although I’m not sure how much that impacts Sandberg’s placement. I still think there’s a very high probability that one of these top high schoolers gets placed in WPT.

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            3. Quinn didn’t debut in the same year as he was drafted though right? He appeared a year later. Drafted in 2011, debuted in 2012 in WPT.

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            4. quinn if i can remember correctly, signed later and stayed in florida at the complex and worked on his game the year he was drafted. He earned his boost to WPT with his play in instructional league not based on his draft rank. If he was signed and played in games early that year, i gotta believe he would have been in GCL. WPT is usually filled with the college draftees and HS guys from last year.

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            6. AND he was learning to switch hit AND play a new position. So I’m not sure what the logic is behind player placement. Other then to say, advanced placement only occurs for high drafted players.

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        2. As someone noted above, Sandberg hasn’t signed yet. He and the Phillies apparently have an agreement, which is good (very good, really), but in theory he could still change his mind and enroll at MSU.

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          1. Highly unlikely after reading his interview w/ the local newspaper. Kid seems very content with his situation and 100% committed to baseball.

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            1. Agree, it seems quite unlikely, but stranger things have happened. Plus, it’s just inaccurate to say that he is signed.

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          2. Pretty much goes without saying. They report players agree to sign in every sport and every once in a while something happens. This is about as positive as you can get without it being “official”.

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  67. I’ve followed Cord’s football career and am a big fan of him, but I dont really get the pick unless they know he’s going to sign. The Phillies organization isn’t known for really paying overslot, and passing on playing QB at Miss State is going to cost a lot. I really hope he signs, but I’m not terribly optimistic.

    Also, I see nothing about Sweaney playing football at Oregon. Maybe he’s playing both, but everything I’ve seen indicates he’s a baseball signee.

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    1. It’s not the K/BB that’s the issue, it’s the low K/9 🙂 but yes, not exactly thrilling.

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      1. It’s pretty insane that he was hit by a pitch 3 times as much as he walked. I remember a former catcher who got hit a lot at the plate and that was Jason Kendall, but he also had a pretty good eye and walked.

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    3. “Not crazy about Monda’s K/BB rate in the Pac-12. 41Ks in 207 ABs and only 5 BBs”

      Monda’s “aggressive, he wants to hit.”

      Have to get the games over before 9:30 PM.

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  71. 5 BB’s in 207 AB’s? He’ll fit right in here. I’m sure RAJ has a locker ready for him.

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      1. Not a great athlete and a long swing. Maybe the scouts know something we don’t know….lol

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        1. that, or he told the scout he doesnt wanna go back to school, and is willing to sign for well under slot, if thats the case, then its really not a bad risk to take.

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          1. I suspect that is very close to the situation with Monda – he has probably indicated he will sign under slot.

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  73. I have a question (which might have already been analyzed ad infinitum): Does anyone know if there is a development lag for players from the NW, since they don’t have the year-round opportunities that players from FL, CA, TX, etc. have?

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    1. they tend to be a little more raw in their skill set coming out of HS, but the pitchers tend not to see the overpitching fatigue u see out of the hotbeds. I dont know if its ever been quanitified but i would assume they might take a little more time to hone their skills, but i dont think its really large enough to be statistically relavent.

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    3. Strangely enough, BA had a chart showing cumulative WAR state by state for all of the players drafted from 1999 through 2008. The state of Washington was 4th highest among HS draftees. Given the population of the state, that is absolutely amazing, especially given the lousy weather for HS baseball.

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  77. Trey Williams – 3B, son of a major leaguer and one year of college. I can get on board with that.

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  78. Cord Sandburg

    “He’s said to have a quick swing and “plus power potential”.”

    Why do I read that as He’s quick to swing at anything near the plate? Probably because he’s a football player. Other than the Cubs pitcher and Bo Jackson have any of these football players become good baseball players? It’s always seemed like a good idea to me to draft baseball players if you want to win baseball games.

    When I say “football players” I’m not talking about baseball players who happened to play football (or basketball) but specifically guys who excelled in those other sports and devoted enough time to football that they were raw as baseball players.

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    4. Dom Brown?

      I’m not sure if that type of profile is what you had in mind but he was committed to a big time football school and, I think, was pretty raw as a baseball player.

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      1. I mean guys who are on the fringe of baseball because they’re football players. Guys who only play partial seasons and don’t do the baseball talent circuit because they’re football players.

        Isn’t that what Sandburg is? Almost all these guys who get signed away from football seem to fail.

        The 3B from Idaho is like that too.

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        1. sandburg isnt like that at all. He was played in alot of showcases and was pretty well known on the circuit.

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            1. “Left handed hitter, aggressive hitter, upper half rotational swing, quick strong swing, plus power potential, shows his inexperience at times but shows top of the charts potential at others. Big time quarterback prospect, limited baseball repetitions but very high ceiling talent.”

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      1. Yeah and I’m not sure why they didn’t use their picks on Major League ready high schoolers with multiple, fully developed plus tools

        (sarcasm)

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        1. I really don’t understand why the Phillies don’t draft someone who can help the team from Day 1. Really boggles the mind. Terrible excuse of an organization. Not putting the team first but low bonuses and putting money in the owner’s coffers.

          CHEAP!

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          1. Because there is no such person you idiot. Sorry everyone, I am usually polite. But the stupidity of all of this overwhelmed me.

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            2. I think it was sarcasm too, but it’s hard to be sure. The problem is the draft seems to drive the WIP and philly.com crowds to our little oasis here, and for a few days it’s hard to tell the actual morons from the ones who are just pretending.

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          1. Larry Anderson heads up the Northwest scouting team…….they start at O’Malley’s on 12th and Johnson in Seattle and go from there.

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    1. apparently this kid has a pretty major tool with his hitting. they mentioned he was 3rd in college baseball in average.

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  82. DREW HENSON

    Remember him? Mr. Quarterback, paid big bucks by the Reds who then traded him to the Yankees because his deal wasn’t enough to keep him away from football. Raw 3B because hye was a football player.

    Domonic Brown was obviously a baseball player. He signed for just $200,000 out of high school. That’s chump change. He was devoted to baseball and football was something else he did.

    Scott Rolen played basketball but he was a baseball player all the way.

    Drew Henson was a football player who happened to play baseball as well. Maybe this is too nuanced for some to grasp.

    Chad Hutchinson another quarterback drafted and paid by the Cardinals, a Scott Boras client. Chad Hutchinson was a pitcher, or thought he was. It turned out that he was really a quarterback (though I don’t watch football so I can’t comment on whether he was any good there either).

    The Phillies need to hire Bobby Abreu as a hitting instructor and have him work with Cord Sandberg and see if Bobby can make him into a hitter. I’m really fed up with the swing at the first or second pitch and put it in play approach. A real losers formula.

    The 1993 Phillies were the team that inspired Billy Beane to focus on OBP (though he never really grasped the concept in its entirety). How ironic that the Phillies have turned into the type of free swinging failure of a lineup that caused a San Francisco radio host to go off on the air and lose his job (Uncle Ben’s Rice).

    Wow do I ever miss Bobby Abreu’s approach (and The Kruker, Daulton and Nails).

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    1. I too agree with the approach. I think youre underrating the players talent and overrating the control an organization has on a players at bats. The Phillies are a low OBP team because of the player personnel in the lineup.

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    2. If Dom Brown was “obviously a baseball player,” he would have been picked WAY before the 20th round.

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    3. ‘;I’m really fed up with the swing at the first or second pitch and put it in play approach. A real losers formula’…better check the data files…highest batting averages are on first or second pitches..

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        1. Well obviously the highest OBP would likely occur in a 3-0 count, that’s because a walk is actually possible in that count.

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    4. Drew Henson and Chad Hutchinson turned out to be equally bad on gridiron and should have stayed with baseball.

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  83. If you look around baseball, many teams are using the first pitch swing approach. Using math and all that other stuff, if percentages say this first pitch will be a fastball 80% you take your chances. In this day and age of the non-steriod era, you will see more 80’s numbers of a low BA but 20 plus homers. That was the norm back then and it is trending that way once again.

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    2. The first pitch approach is fine as long as you have hitters who can make sure the ball is a FB in a favorable spot of strike zone, before they swing. We have too many guys who just start their FB swing early, regardless of what or where the pitch is. Yes, I am looking at you Ryan Howard and Delmon Young. This is the result of no longer being able to handle a plus FB without cheating a little, plus never having had great pitch recognition skills. We have a lot of ‘didn’t you used to be’s on the roster.

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      1. Delmon Young never had even a decent walk rate after his first year and a half in the minors, which was in the Sally league. and AA Southern league. I don’t think he has a problem handling fastballs.

        Howard definitely has a problem with fastballs above 89 MPH from LHP. With RHP he seems to be able to deal with 91 MPH. His biggest problem is not being able to recognize breaking balls and lay off them, which may be due to him trying to cheat on a fastball.

        That said, swinging at the first pitch never seems to be a good approach if you have the ability to work a count. If all you’re capable of is guessing then I suppose it’s no worse to swing at the first pitch as it is the third or fifth. However, having a lineup full of guys who swing early every AB leads to low OBP figures and low run totals.

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        1. And low pitch counts for the opposing pitcher. That is the biggest problem. That apart, if a pitcher wants to throw a FB to get ahead in the count, it is not a bad idea to swing at it. Foremost, the batter needs to not be predictable. Don’t swing at many first pitches and you’ll always be starting down 0-1. Start guessing FB on first pitch and swinging and you are going to get few FB and fewer strikes on pitch 1. Howard has been very predictable over the years and has taken a lot of first pitch strikes and then swung at bad breaking balls once he has two strikes.

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        2. Delmon Young actually has a decent walk rate this season. Also an OPS a little better than he had his last two seasons in the AL. Still not a guy I want in the starting lineup, but he’s currently hitting as well as could realistically be expected. With his D he is still replacement level or less.

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    1. 2nd player(Twins got one) from the hotbed known as Seton Hall. My alma mater rules the baseball world.

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      1. My son goes to Seton Hall and watches most of the home games. He will draft a scouting report on Prosinski that I will post in the next day or so.

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  85. So that ends the guys the Phillies MUST SIGN to get the full allocation of their draft pool, right?
    And they will need to sign all them (all draftees thus far) to be able to go over slot for Sandberg right? (I though all 10 needed to be signed, but maybe unsigned guy just gets that slot taken out of the total pool?).

    Also the remaining guys in rounds 11-50 could be offerred $100K plus the ‘leftover’ from the 10 round money, right?
    So Rds 11-15 is where the known $100K HS guys should be taken. Then maybe a few ‘overslot’ guys from 16-20, just in case the ‘leftover’ is enough to convince him to bypass college. Then just take roster filler guys are HS guys you’d like to talk to for future considerations.

    Makes sense to draft some College Seniors to get the ‘extra’ pool money to offer on a HS to bite, as long as not too many of those HS upside guys are still on the board.

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  86. Since I have not seen much info on the college seniors drafted (not that anything is expected of them but I will root for them just the same). Parr has hit tool and speed. Martin had good results from small school. Posinski shutout Arizona in 2011 CWS and has been good for last two years.
    Phillies MLB website has good blurb on all these guys but here’s a little I found elsewhere:

    http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/nashville-regional-preview/
    Illinois stands out for its athletic lineup, which is headlined by brothers Justin Parr (.399/.455/.583, 6 HR, 51 RBI, 15 SB) and Jordan Parr (.303/.396/.433, 6 HR, 41 RBI). Justin Parr, the Big Ten player of the year, also plays a good center field, where his strong arm is an asset.

    http://www.swosuathletics.com/news/2013/5/30/BB_0530133724.aspx
    ST. CLOUD, Minn. – SWOSU’s starting pitcher Shane Martin completed the All-Central Region trifecta on Thursday as he earned a second team all-region selection by the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
    Martin adds this honor after previously being named second team All-Central Region by both the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and Daktronics. Martin anchored the Bulldogs’ pitching staff during his senior season, finishing with a record of 11-2 and a 2.85 ERA. He entered the Great American Conference tournament tied for the national lead with 11 wins, earning a unanimous first team All-GAC selection. His efforts helped rank SWOSU among the best teams in the Central Region, leaving the Bulldogs in contention for their first postseason berth since joining NCAA Division II until the final week of the season. A Weatherford native and two-time GAC Pitcher of the Week this season, Martin concluded his SWOSU career with a record of 22-9.

    http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5789
    Prosinski, meanwhile, has a 2.11 ERA in 85 1/3 innings and teams are hitting him at a .232 clip …

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