I have debated writing draft retrospectives for a while but the question has always been, where do I begin?  I have debated going all the way back to the Jimmy Rollins draft but those drafts were incredibly thin and become rather boring after a while.  Seeing the 2007 draft as the first draft James covered for this site it seemed as good a place as any to start.  Obviously I am not going to touch on every player here, but there are some highlights at low lights a plenty in the 2007 draft.

Round 1 Pick 19 – Joe Savery – LHP – Rice

Savery at the time was the ultimate boom bust pick.  In his freshman year Savery was the top freshman in the country and one of the most dominating pitchers in college baseball.  His next two seasons were marred by injuries but when on he flashed at least three plus pitches on a workhorse frame.  The problem is the velocity never came back and the secondary stuff regressed.  By the time Savery reached AAA he was little more than a minor league innings eater.  Savery then spent a year trying to hit, before he returned the mound with renewed velocity and a usable slider.  Since then Savery has started to salvage and put together a career as a fringe LH reliever.  2014 Outlook: LHV and Philly Continue reading Drafts Revisted: 2007 →

There has been much debate this season about the value of losing.  In sports like basketball and football where a draft pick can make an immediate impact there has always been the philosophy that you want to be really horrible or really good and that anywhere in between punishes your ability to improve your club.  For years under the old CBA teams could circumvent the competitive balance measures such as free agent compensation by spending all the money they wanted in the draft and internationally while blatantly ignoring unenforceable edicts from the commissioner’s office. Continue reading The Value of Losing in the new CBA →

The signing is official (as in he signed the paper), but the team has yet to announce it or the amount.  The source right now is a picture tweeted out by Crawford’s sister of him signing his contract.  The tweet has since been taken down because the news has yet to be announced.  Slot for the pick is $2,299,300 and Crawford is expected to be very close to it.

Jim Callis ‏@jimcallisBA6m

#Phillies sign 1st-rder J.P. Crawford for $2,299,300. California HSer, easily best SS in #mlbdraft, solid bat/run/D w/a little pop too.

Looks like the deal is right at slot giving the Phillies about $250,000 to entice Hernandez, Monda, and any players after the 10th round.

So I’ll post this graphic here with whatever info I can compile from the various media reports. I’ll try to scan through the comments here for that kind of info, so if you see I’m missing something, just make mention of it in a new comment at the bottom of the page, and please post any media links if you have them, so I can save them on my end.

Continue reading 2013 Draft Tracker →

I will go more in-depth at then of the day, but are some quick notes.

3rd Round – Cord Sandberg – OF

It is going to take a bunch to sign Sandberg but it looks like the Phillies saved some money in the 2nd and they have been on Sandberg long enough to know what it will take.  Sandberg has plus tools except for the hit tool, which due to his limited time playing baseball is really unknown.  this is a boom or bust pick but he could be a Top 10 player in this draft if it works out.  He is a typical Phillies pick but they got him in 3rd not the 1st. Continue reading 3rd – 5th Round Analysis →

Rounds 3-10

First Round Underway, have fun!

Only 4 hours away from the start of the draft.