392 replies to this topic

[Mike in STL]

I hope his bat travels fast through the system.

DJ stands for Demetrius Jerome.

[Mackus]

http://www.amazinave...top-player-drop

Article from this week from a guy wondering if he may slide all the way to the Mets at 53. But he ranked him #30 overall. Also mentions that he rated Dylan Bundy as the best prep arm he's ever rated (Aiken #2).

[Coker]

Wonder if the O's will tinker with his stance right away, trying to minimize the crouch and get him to stand more upright. 

[Mike in STL]

Wonder if the O's will tinker with his stance right away, trying to minimize the crouch and get him to stand more upright. 

I wouldnt mess with a thing until he proves he cant hit major league pitching. Most of baseball is comfort. If hes comfortable and can hit, dont change a thing.

[Coker]

Crawford from BP:
 

25. Baltimore Orioles

D.J. Stewart, OF, Florida State

 

I thought Stewart and Naylor were pretty similar in value, and while getting him 13 picks later is substantially better, taking a late second-round talent in the first round isn't exactly great process. The approach at the plate is impressive with an above-average hit tool, but the power is only average, and I really don't see any chance that he stays in the outfield long term. I'm not a fan of taking a medium-floor, low-ceiling player early, and to me that's what Baltimore just acquired with the 25th pick

BA:

25. Orioles

Selection: D.J. Stewart, of, Florida State

The Yankees drafted Stewart in the 28th round in 2012 out of Jacksonville’s Bolles School, where he had won five state championships (three in football, two in baseball). He chose not to sign and went on to Florida State, where he has built a strong track record of success. He was the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year as a sophomore and led the league in all three triple-slash categories with a line of .351/.472/.557, and in 2015 he was leading the nation with 62 walks and ranked third with a .525 OBP as the season neared its close. Stewart has a quick swing, good plate discipline and the strength to drive the ball, and he’d set a new career high with 12 home runs. He has managed to make his unorthodox stance work in college, but scouts aren’t sold that it will work at the next level. He crouches very low at the plate, which can make it tougher for him to unleash his raw power. Many scouts believe that if he just stands up a little taller, he’ll be able to turn on inside pitches with more consistency and tap into more of his power. Stewart is listed at 6-feet, 230 pounds, but has more athleticism than his frame suggests. He was a running back in high school and his fringe-average speed allows him to cover ground well in the outfield. His below-average arm strength likely limits him to left field, but his powerful bat fits that profile.

 

Edited by Coker, 08 June 2015 - 09:11 PM.

[Mike in STL]

Fangraphs ranked him #22 last ranking in a ranking at the end of last year. #26 in their recent one.

[BaltBird 24]

The MLB draft - probably the biggest crapshoot in sports. We'll be able to judge DJ Stewart in about 4 years. 

[Mike in STL]

Heres to hoping with his power, size, and plate discipline, he can be a left handed Kevin Youkilis.

[SportsGuy]

Probably a first baseman.  Don't like the limited power.  If he can't hit for power, teams will attack him in the zone more and the walks will go away.

 

Maybe changing his stance will help.

 

I always like taking college players but a medium ceiling college player right now is meh, especially in a system that needs a lot of help.

 

Still, plate discipline is good...college player is good.  Plays a position of need(wherever he ends up).

 

Some positives there but seems like a very meh pick on the surface.

[bnickle]

If you get more power out of the frame, and he carries over the avg and OBP tool then we have a legit ML bat. I'm fine with that, but you got to find that power and hope the other tools carry over. Probably won't know get a great feeling until he hits AAA. Expect him to move fast and hit through AA.

[SportsGuy]

If you get more power out of the frame, and he carries over the avg and OBP tool then we have a legit ML bat. I'm fine with that, but you got to find that power and hope the other tools carry over. Probably won't know get a great feeling until he hits AAA. Expect him to move fast and hit through AA.

Right....Can the Orioles develop his power?  He doesn't  have to be a 30 homer guy but somewhere in the high teens/low 20s and a lot of doubles would be fine. Kind of like Votto.

[Mackus]

The MLB draft - probably the biggest crapshoot in sports. We'll be able to judge DJ Stewart in about 4 years. 

 

Good point.  "Value" is pretty much a ridiculous concept in the MLB draft aside from perhaps generating some cap space for signing overslot guys later on.

 

It doesn't matter if the guy you take at #25 was rated #15 or #40 by the "consensus".  All these guys are unmolded clay, it's all about which ones will be able to shape up into good MLB-level players, and there really isn't any way to discern.  And it's not like you can trade back if the guy you think is likely to become the best player is someone the consensus ranks much lower.  Trust your scouts, and take the guy you think will become the best player.  Just be sure to also assess your scouts results, if they consistently get it wrong (or wrong more often than your competition), it's time for new scouts (or a new scouting director).

[Mackus]

Where are you guys seeing limited power?  I haven't read much, but nothing I've seen says he projects as a guy limited to the teens in HRs.  I've been seeing 25+.  Which in this current offensive era, is quite a bit of power that will play at any position if he can do the other things well enough.

[tennOsfan]

With the crouched swing, it's tough to tell if his power could translate.  I think he'll need to adjust it a bit.

 

I'd rather have a five-tool player with the 25 pick, but this guy is probably a better bet to contribute in a few years than the average toolsie stud.

[RichardZ]

I wouldnt mess with a thing until he proves he cant hit major league pitching. Most of baseball is comfort. If hes comfortable and can hit, dont change a thing.

 

 

Yeah.  I think they might approach him and suggest it and see if he's receptive.   Don't want to force it on him.   If he struggles, he'll be more willing to change.  IF he struggles.

[Coker]

Steve Melewski ‏@masnSteve  15s

15 seconds ago

O's scouting director Gary Rajsich said O's have no concerns about Stewart's pronounced crouch. No plans to change it.

Steve Melewski ‏@masnSteve  now21 seconds ago

Rajsich said after Stewart reports for orientation in Sarasota, he thinks Stewart could go to Aberdeen.

[FFH]

 

I wouldnt mess with a thing until he proves he cant hit major league pitching. Most of baseball is comfort. If hes comfortable and can hit, dont change a thing.

I agree about comfort, but I have to say that the the swing is pretty disconcerting.
He generates all of his power from his upper body and barely gets the rest of his power from his legs.

He does get his bat to the ball quickly and has a very still head, which looks to me like it will play well hitting for average. According to the FL st website, it looks like he had some walks as well, and had more BBs than Ks. I'm interested to see how this plays in the minors.

[Matt_P]

The MLB draft - probably the biggest crapshoot in sports. We'll be able to judge DJ Stewart in about 4 years. 

 

Be able to judge in two years. He'll probably be in AA/AAA at the start of 2016. Should know his fate in three years unless he's a late bloomer.

 

The left handed bit is a good sign. Given that we have Young/Pearce in RF seeing Stewart go there wouldn't surprise me.

[Mackus]

I agree about comfort, but I have to say that the the swing is pretty disconcerting.
He generates all of his power from his upper body and barely gets the rest of his power from his legs.

 

I'm no scout, but I noticed the same thing.  Looks like he generates a ton of bat speed in the BP videos and limited game tape I saw, but it's all from the upper body, he barely rotates the hips at all.  I'm pretty surprised he produces the power he has without generating more lower body torque. 

 

Hopefully the developmental guys can help him get even more drive from the lower body without sacrificing contact or plate discipline.

[Mackus]

From what I've read, Stewart was more highly rated at the end of last season and before this season started, then fell down some boards as the draft approached.  Certainly not because of a poor season or anything like that, though.  The one blog I found hypothesized that teams would start to get scared off by his atypical stance. 

 

Here's an article from the end of last season with him rated #22.

http://www.fangraphs...b-draft-top-51/