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2012 MLB Draft


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Poll: Overall, how would you grade the O's draft? (11 member(s) have cast votes)

Overall, how would you grade the O's draft?

  1. B (9 votes [81.82%])

    Percentage of vote: 81.82%

  2. A (0 votes [0.00%])

    Percentage of vote: 0.00%

  3. C (2 votes [18.18%])

    Percentage of vote: 18.18%

  4. D (0 votes [0.00%])

    Percentage of vote: 0.00%

  5. F (0 votes [0.00%])

    Percentage of vote: 0.00%

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#41 JeremyStrain

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Posted 13 April 2012 - 09:55 AM

I'm going out to see Stroman tonight, and I think I might try to tweet some updates from the game if anyone is interested.

He's facing LHP Jimmy Reed from MD who has been a RP until last week but shutout NC State in his first start and has a 0.34 ERA for the season, this could be a good game.
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#42 JeremyStrain

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Posted 13 April 2012 - 08:38 PM

Wow. He's really good. Sat 93-95 with good control and one of the nastiest sliders ever. Didn't use the change a whole lot, the FB and SL were enough but it was a plus pitch when he did throw it. Three legit pitches, very athletic. Falls off towards 1B a bit, but still managed to range to 3B and make a tough play for an out. Don't think he'll go as high as #4, but he'll be a great pick for someone in the first.
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#43 Luke Jackson

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Posted 13 April 2012 - 09:24 PM

I was also there. Was right behind home plate with the scouts. To set the scene, Maryland was doing some sort of event where groups of frats/sororities were there and it was basically the biggest bro-festival in the history of Maryland this side of Ocean City. All the people in those groups seemed relatively obnoxious and were walking in front of scouts while Stroman was pitching, blocking their gun from registering. One scout called it an "effing nightmare." Innings 4-7 were played in twilight because the lights at that field suck and didn't take effect until late in the game.

****FULL DISCLOSURE: Take what I say from this point on with a grain of salt. The pitch speeds are correct but I'm by no means a scout, so yeah.*****

Anyway, onto the 5-foot-8 RHP Stroman. The scouts around me had him sitting 92-93 and touching 94. His slider seemed inconsistent to me in the sense that some innings he was throwing it tight and for quality strikes. Other innings, he was missing outside to RHH with it and wasn't commanding it. I felt he overused his slider -- Maryland hitters weren't squaring up his fastball and he'll need to focus more on his FB in pro ball. Fell in love with his slider IMO. Also showed a change and a hook, but only a few times each. The hook he showed, however, was filthy. As the poster above me noted, Stroman's really athletic, as he bounced off the mound to field a couple bunts, including one where he picked up a bunt barehand on the third base side and threw out the runner fading away towards the third base side dugout. There's some effort to Stroman's delivery.

Final line: 8 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 8 K, 1 BB.

I don't know if Stroman will start in pro ball, but I'd give him a shot at it. He has velocity, a great slider and curve, and maybe a chance at a changeup. Maybe the 'pen is in his future, but I'd give him a shot in a rotation, especially if I'm spending a mid-first rounder on the kid.
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#44 Luke Jackson

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Posted 13 April 2012 - 09:26 PM

Orioles 2011 draftee KJ Hockaday is the third baseman for Maryland and he looked better tonight than he did earlier in the season. Hit a couple of long line drive outs to either gap off Stroman. Big kid, certainly looks the part.
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#45 JeremyStrain

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Posted 14 April 2012 - 09:54 AM

I was also there. Was right behind home plate with the scouts. To set the scene, Maryland was doing some sort of event where groups of frats/sororities were there and it was basically the biggest bro-festival in the history of Maryland this side of Ocean City. All the people in those groups seemed relatively obnoxious and were walking in front of scouts while Stroman was pitching, blocking their gun from registering. One scout called it an "effing nightmare." Innings 4-7 were played in twilight because the lights at that field suck and didn't take effect until late in the game.

****FULL DISCLOSURE: Take what I say from this point on with a grain of salt. The pitch speeds are correct but I'm by no means a scout, so yeah.*****

Anyway, onto the 5-foot-8 RHP Stroman. The scouts around me had him sitting 92-93 and touching 94. His slider seemed inconsistent to me in the sense that some innings he was throwing it tight and for quality strikes. Other innings, he was missing outside to RHH with it and wasn't commanding it. I felt he overused his slider -- Maryland hitters weren't squaring up his fastball and he'll need to focus more on his FB in pro ball. Fell in love with his slider IMO. Also showed a change and a hook, but only a few times each. The hook he showed, however, was filthy. As the poster above me noted, Stroman's really athletic, as he bounced off the mound to field a couple bunts, including one where he picked up a bunt barehand on the third base side and threw out the runner fading away towards the third base side dugout. There's some effort to Stroman's delivery.

Final line: 8 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 8 K, 1 BB.

I don't know if Stroman will start in pro ball, but I'd give him a shot at it. He has velocity, a great slider and curve, and maybe a chance at a changeup. Maybe the 'pen is in his future, but I'd give him a shot in a rotation, especially if I'm spending a mid-first rounder on the kid.


Weiters shirt? I was behind you talking to a couple alumni players.

Stroman threw 94 more than anything for the night, but I saw him hit 95 a couple times, and saw him at 92. He wasn't throwing his hardest in game though, saw him hit 96 in warm ups early. His slider sat 84 all night and his CH was about 81. You are right about a couple of things though, he was almost exclusively using his FB/SL combo, but I think some of that was because of the strikezone. The ump was calling about 4 inches off the plate to the right a strike all night. Early on he threw some sliders that were off the plate a good 3 inches and got called strikes on them. So I think he fell in love with it. His FB has some run back in on LHB so he can't use that OR the slider in on RHB because they end up in the middle of the plate. That's where his change comes in, that's got to be his in-on-RHB pitch, but it seemed like he was afraid to throw it. Sometimes an ACE gets this ego thing that gets them in trouble, which is what happened on the run he gave up. He's facing the two best power bats MD has, with a runner on 2B instead of going to that nasty slider outside he's used all night, he tries to blow a FB past him high which he lays off. 3-1, and at this point with 1B open you throw off the plate and give up the BB. He got cocky and tried to blow a FB past him (RHB) which tailed back over the plate and got SMOKED to CF to plate the run. He got lucky with the next batter who smoked one deeper to CF, but it fell at the warning track.

His change is the one that looks like the FB but then bites down at the plate last second, he got a K with it in the 6th before giving up the run. It looked like he was toying with a curve too I saw once or twice, it was a big breaker that starts behind RHB and ends up low and away on them, but he only threw it a couple times all game.

You are dead right it was a nightmare. As soon as I started walking in from lot 1 and saw all the colored t shirts I knew it was greek week and I was going to want to shoot myself. Apparently one of the baseball managers is on the council and made it a requirement to go to the game for an event. It would have been nice if they would have sat on Duke's side and been loud and rowdy, but they weren't and had no interest in the game. It was obnoxiously annoying.

I'm going back next Friday for Clemson and Kevin Brady, but I'll be a little hesitant after last night.
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#46 Luke Jackson

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Posted 15 April 2012 - 04:40 PM

Yeah, I was in the Wieters shirt. May be there Friday to see Brady, we'll see.
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#47 JeremyStrain

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Posted 15 April 2012 - 08:48 PM

Yeah, I was in the Wieters shirt. May be there Friday to see Brady, we'll see.


Let me know if you decide to go, I'll be there in just about the same spot, wanna see Brady and Schaffer, and hopefully Reed one more time, not sure how I feel about him yet, I want to see his velo come back. Dropped from 91-92 to 86-88 last week.
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#48 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 17 April 2012 - 07:06 AM

Hardball Times: Scouting Mark Appel
http://www.hardballt...verall-in-2012/

#49 Nuclear Dish

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Posted 18 April 2012 - 07:42 AM

If the O's draft a dookie with a high pick, I don't know what I'll do.

Just the thought of it made me throw up in my mouth.

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#50 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 20 April 2012 - 09:40 AM

BSL: http://baltimorespor...ife.com/?p=4068

As we move closer to the June Amateur Draft, Baltimore Sports and Life has reached out to a couple of MLB Draft Analysts for their thoughts.

Those questioned were:

David Rawnsley, Perfect Game
http://www.perfectgame.org
https://twitter.com/#!/PerfectGameUSA
https://twitter.com/#!/DavidRawnsleyPG

Matt Garrioch, SB Nation / Minor League Ball
http://www.minorleagueball.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/mattgarrioch

Rob Ozga, Baseball Draft Report
http://baseballdraftreport.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/bbdraftreport

Baltimore Sports and Life thanks these Analysts for taking the time to contribute.

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Per the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team is now provided with a slot-based pool for how much they can spend in the Top 10 rounds. For the Orioles, the 2012 Aggregate Bonus Pool comes in lower than what Baltimore has spent during 2008-11. If you go over your pool, there are increasing penalties. What are your thoughts on this provision of the CBA, and what direct differences will we see in this draft because of it?”

Rawnsley: “I personally like the new CBA, although I’m not sure I’m in the majority in the scouting community on this. If fact, there are still plenty of people, from scouts to agents and certainly the players/parents, who really don’t understand all the ramifications. What’s for sure is that the draft will be very different this year and no one is really sure what will happen. There is almost constant discussion among scouts about strategies but very little agreement on what they will be! You will definitely see the dynamic of how the high school prospect is draft and paid change, there will be definite deflation on their signing bonuses after the first 60-75 picks.”

Garrioch: “I think most teams will spend about 104.99% of what their slots total if they are aggressive and teams that are not may not spend their allotted amount. I think the main difference will be past the 10th round. I don’t that a lot will change at the top of the draft but I think scouts have more responsibility to find out where people will sign and who is likely to go to college.”

Ozga: The most honest answer I can give here is simple and straight forward: nobody knows to what extent the new slot restrictions will impact the draft. The most logical immediate impact could be the rise of affordable college seniors, junior college prospects willing to sign underslot deals, and high school players with limited college
options. In the long run, I have no idea what we’ll see. There are some who think the rule changes could really, really hurt baseball over time as two-sport stars move away from the diamond to play sports (e.g. basketball and football) with more immediate benefits. That’s a nightmare scenario, of course, and one I try not to spend too much
time worrying about. A more optimistic outlook sees a future where the new monetary restrictions on the draft actually allows for a situation where the draft does what it was designed to do – reallocate talent tothe weaker teams to create a more equitable competitive environment.

And as much as it pains me to say this, all the recent changes has me now on board with the idea that it would probably be best to abolish the draft as a whole. I love following draft season in all four of the major sports, but the inherent unfairness to the players jumps out at me now more than it did when I was younger. The whole system is kind
of messed up when you really think about it. But that’s a whole other discussion altogether…”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Joe Jordan was the Orioles Amateur Scouting Director, and was replaced by Gary Rajsich. Under Rajsich, the Amateur and Pro Scouting Departments have been combined. A number of Pro/Advance Scouts were reassigned to the Amateur Side. What advantages or disadvantages do you think that brings to the organization?’

Rawnsley: “I’m not privy to what the Orioles were thinking but having worked in a ML scouting office for almost 10 years, I can’t imagine any practical advantage of combining the departments. They serve two different functions entirely. Amateur scouts dred professional coverage during the summer for the most part, I can assure you that. You are watching two different types of baseball for two different reasons and you should be reporting to two different people.”

Garrioch: “I don’t deal with scouts a lot. I think the way technology is improving, I think fewer advance scouts are needed because so much is archived and can be watched at the press of a button. Without a combine or a single place to see all the amateur prospects, sending more of them out to watch the amateurs is a better use of employees.”

Ozga: “From the outside looking in, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I admittedly don’t know a ton about the inner-workings of the new Baltimore front office, but it seems growth through the draft and international market should be the backbone of the new regime. I’m not sure combining the two departments accomplishes that goal, but time will tell. I do like the general idea of shifting scouts between the pro and amateur departments. I’ve always felt that one of the most difficult things about scouting — I’m no scout myself, so this info comes secondhand – is maintaining perspective on what it is you are evaluating. Judging amateurs in a vacuum can melt your brain overtime. Getting a chance to see some finished products on the pro side gives a scout the opportunity to see what it is they are actuallybuilding towards. As an aside, I’m a big Joe Jordan fan and am looking forward to seeing the impression he makes on the Phillies’ upcoming draft.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “As we get closer to June, the Mock Drafts are increasing, and we continue to see different names associated with Baltimore and the 4th overall pick. Is Stanford’s Mark Appel the only player at the top of the board, with likely no chance of falling to the O’s? Who do you currently project to the O’s?”

Rawnsley: “Ironically, I put Appel at #4 in my first mock draft of the year, published earlier this week (http://www.perfectga...px?article=6864). There is no clear order to the top 6-7 picks right now (Gausman, Zimmer, Appel, Zinino, Buxton, Correa, a healthy Giolito) and it’s really just guessing at this point. It’s believed that Houston and Kansas City really want college pitching, but that’s just speculating, too. Everyone is in the mix for everyone.”

Garrioch: “In the mock draft John Sickels and I are currently doing, I chose Lucas Giolito to go the O’s.”

Ozga: “I’d actually go out on a limb and say Appel might be the most likely “big name” to fall to the Orioles at four. I think the top three will be, in some order, Byron Buxton, Mike Zunino, and, assuming his arm checks out, Lucas Giolito. If it plays out that way, I’d be all over one of the three college righthanders (Appel, Kevin Gausman, and, my personal preference, Kyle Zimmer) with the fourth overall pick. Another college righty Marcus Stroman, prep lefty Max Fried, and young shortstop Carlos Correa would also currently be on my short list. As much as I like the idea of a future infield that includes Correa, Machado, and Schoop in some combination, I’d guess Baltimore takes their favorite arm in the first. All bets are off if Buxton is still there.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “I’m guessing Baltimore currently has 12 or so players they are extensively Scouting, as possibilities for that 4th pick. Does that seem accurate to you? Is there any player you currently have going 15th-30th, that you think has the potential to wind-up going Top 5?”

Rawnsley: “That sounds like a very realistic number to me at this point and would certainly include most or all of the seven players I listed above. The only two players I’ve definitely heard in the top 5 that I didn’t list above are SoCal HS lefty Max Fried and Texas A&M RHP Michael Wacha. Duke RHP Marcus Stroman also gets lots of 6-10 talk, although I’m not sold on him that high at this point.”

Garrioch: “I would say that’s a fair number. As for the 15th-30th, I don’t think anyone that low currently will be picked in the top 5.”

Ozga: “Yeah, I think you pretty much nailed it. I’d venture that the O’s have somewhere between 10-20 names currently under serious consideration for the fourth pick. The top five might be a tough spot for guys further down the board, especially because I think you can put the names Buxton and Zunino down in ink at this point. Zimmer would have been my preseason pick for the second part of your question, but now it seems like he’s a near certainty for at least the top ten. Richie Shaffer could go high to a team who’d rather get a big bat early and then try their like looking for pitching later on in the draft. Addison Russell could also go off the board earlier than expected if teams think he can play shortstop professionally. To answer your question in reverse — which top prospects could fall to the end of the first round — I’d say Walker Weickel and Matt Smoral, who both have top ten talent, could slip for reasons of ineffectiveness (the former) and injury/signability (the latter).”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Due to all the compensation picks, the O’s next selection in the draft will be the 65th overall pick. Who are some players you find interesting in that range of the draft?”

Rawnsley: “I did my Mock Draft V.1 with 60 picks, then did a “Next 10″ in alpha order. I’m going to move a couple of these guys into the top 60 in V.2, but this is who they were:
Next 10 (alphabetical order): RHP Mitchell Brown (Century HS, MN), C Clint Coulter (Union HS, WA), OF Jeff Gelalich (UCLA), RHP Branden Kline (Virginia), RHP Dan Langfield (Memphis), RHP Pat Light (Monmouth), C Wyatt Mathisen (Carroll HS, TX), 3B Corey Seager (Northwest Cabarrus HS, NC), 1B Adam Brett Walker, (Jacksonville), 3B Patrick Wisdom (St. Mary’s).”

Garrioch: “A quick answer is high school talent that slides. Matt Smoral, Trey Williams, Walker Weickel and Nick Williams have been sliding for various reasons. All are top talents and taking a prep talent that slides would be best. A couple college players that might be there are Jeff Gelalich and Stefan Sabol who are both very good talents.”

Ozga: “Projecting that area of the draft at this point is tough, especially this early in the process, but we’ll give it a whirl. At 65, I’d look at one of the talented prep outfielders like Nick Williams (Dom Brown type of player and athlete), Lewis Brinson (reminds me a little of a CF version of Austin Wilson from Stanford), and DJ Davis (four potential plus tools) if they are still available. I’m also particularly high on prep bats CJ Hinojosa and Alex Bregman, both first round quality talents who may fall due to spring injuries. There are almost too many pitching possibilities that I feel bad mentioning any for fear of leaving somebody exciting out. A pair of California prep righties stand out as viable picks at 65: Kieran Lovegrove and Shane Watson. Lefthander Sam Selman is a personal favorite who is slowly starting to put it together this year for Vanderbilt. His stuff is electric when on (mid-90s fastball, low-80s slider, emerging change), but command and inconsistent velocity will almost certainly keep him out of the first. Selman was compared to Brian Matusz before enrolling at Vandy – hopefully that comp doesn’t spook any O’s fans. College reliever and potential pro starter Michael Morin is another favorite. I’m one of those guys who will do anything for a good changeup, and Morin has great one. I’ve compared him to a young Ryan Madson (pre-Madson’s 2008 big velocity jump), but I’m not sure the industry consensus likes him enough as I do so 65 might be too early.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Going back to the 2011 Draft, what were your impressions of Nick Delmonico and Jason Esposito?”

Rawnsley: “I’m a big Jason Esposito fan and think he will make a very good professional and a solid big league starting third baseman. He’s much more athletic than you would expect. The disconnect among scouts on Delmonico’s future position worried me, as catching is the most difficult position on the baseball field and it’s one of those things that if you wonder if he can catch or not, he most likely can’t. So the bat is going to have to play big.”

Garrioch: “I had both slotted as supplemental round types of talent. Delmonico with higher upside and Esposito a solid future major leaguer that won’t be a star but could help an MLB team. I liked both picks.”

Ozga: “I liked Jason Esposito as a high floor prospect who should have value based on his defense alone. Both the Matt Dominguez and Pedro Feliz comps make a lot of sense to me. I think the pick says something about Baltimore’s commitment to young pitching since, as we all know, nothing says “pitcher’s best friend” quite like a strong defense behind him. I don’t have a positive feeling about Delmonico, but I can’t really back that up with any concrete baseball insight. If I had to try, I guess I’d say I’m not 100% sold on his defense at
third and I don’t think he has the bat for first. If he was willing to move behind the plate, then maybe we’d be on to something. His lack of a plus tool is something I don’t like to see, especially in a prep prospect, but getting a player that many smarter people than I like a whole lot in the sixth round is something even I can’t quibble about. On the whole, outside of a pretty sensational first round selection I wasn’t all that impressed with what Baltimore did in 2011. Esposito and Delmonico were the second and third best prospects (in myestimation) selected by Baltimore in last year’s draft.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “20 year old Cuban OF Jorge Soler is attempting to gain residency in the Dominican Republic. When the new CBA begins July 2nd, there will be a $2.9M International cap for each player. Assuming he signs with someone prior to 7/2, he figures to get a contract of at-least $25M. We’ve seen reports comparing him athletically to Bubba Starling. Based on what you know about Soler, where do you think he would go in the Amateur Draft, if he were eligible to be selected?”

Rawnsley: “I have never seen Soler play and am not qualified to speculate where he would fall in the draft, but I’m not a big fan of giving 18-21 year old players of any nationality and background that kind of money and especially not position players who haven’t proved they can hit. I’d challenge you to go over a list of all the big contracts given to Cuban position players in the 18-21 year old range that surpassed the normal draft amount for the top 5-10 picks and see if you think the team would do it again. Yeonis Cespedes is not the comparison here, he’s a 26 year old man.”

Garrioch: “I think he would go between 8th and 25th overall. I can’t see him going before some of the top talent but he wouldn’t slide too far because of his potential.”

Ozga: “I think Soler would have an outside chance of cracking the top ten, but would more reasonably fit in somewhere between picks 11 and 20. Buxton, Zunino, Correa, and maybe Marrero (position scarcity and all) are the only three or four position players that I think you could definitely say would go higher than him. After those three, I think Soler would be on the same level of fellow outfielders Albert Almora and David Dahl. I know I’d be a lot more comfortable if I had the option of drafting him and paying him a slot bonus rather than giving him that $25 million, but such is life.”

#51 Adam Wolff

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Posted 20 April 2012 - 10:09 AM

Excellent work, as always.

I haven't followed the draft as closely as I typically do this year, so pieces like this are very helpful for me to help catch up a bit on things I should already know!

I'm sure I'll get the draft fever very shortly.

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#52 RichardZ

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Posted 20 April 2012 - 11:00 AM

Great stuff. Right now I like Correa and Buxton as high ceiling HS bats, Giolito as the best arm in the draft, and most of the talked about college pitchers (Appel, Zimmer) as safer picks.

#53 JeremyStrain

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Posted 20 April 2012 - 01:14 PM

Trying to get out to see Brady and Shaffer from Clemson tonight at 6pm.

Should have some notes on them late tonight I hope. *Exclusively for BSL ;)
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#54 Luke Jackson

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Posted 20 April 2012 - 01:52 PM

I'll be there too. I'll be behind home plate in an Ovechkin shirt.
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#55 JeremyStrain

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Posted 20 April 2012 - 02:02 PM

I'll be there too. I'll be behind home plate in an Ovechkin shirt.


I'll meet you there, same spot, I'll have my Caps hat on.
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#56 JeremyStrain

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Posted 20 April 2012 - 07:52 PM

Sorry I didn't have a chance to come down and talk to you Luke, it was packed and the wife and kids tagged along so I ended up leaving earlier than I wanted to.

Saw some good stuff, I'll post some notes in a little while once I get settled in.
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#57 JeremyStrain

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Posted 20 April 2012 - 11:02 PM

So, full disclosure, I had my kids with me tonight, so I ended up having to leave a couple innings earlier than I like, but I have some short notes.

Reed, MD- Is a good later round follow. His FB has lost a couple mph as he's stretched out from a RP, 91-92 3 weeks ago, down to 87-88mph right now, but that will change with a normal routine. It's got a great little tail on it that breaks in on LHB, really cool since he's a LHP. His change is probably his best pitch, sitting around 81-82 with really good control, a little bit of break and some good depth. He's averaged over 8ip as a starter with almost 1k per inning.

Brady, CLM- Is as good as advertised. Easy motion and release, nice heavy 4S, but he lives up in the zone with it. Sat 92-94 with it, but it's a little straight and advanced hitters shouldn't have much trouble with it when he gets it up. He dropped his curve for a slider last year, and it was there, but nothing special, sitting 83-84 with it, and a little late movement away from RHB. His change looked even better than last year, and he had pretty good control of it, sitting 77-81mph with it. He's still got some control issues, but had no problem throwing 7IP without breaking a sweat.

Stolz SS, CLM- Didn't see much out of him at bat, a couple seeing eye singles, but in the field the D looked nice. GREAT range, sure hands, good glove, but the arm is probably avrage.

Shaffer 3B, CLM: He's huge, and looks the part. He was pretty much pitched around the first two AB, so I know Reed reads the stat sheets (.390 8 HR), but with one cut he took and missed on, I wonder if he doesn't have a hole in his swing down and in. It didn't look like he extended very well with the bat. (Although he did have a great eye).

I'll have more this weekend, but I'm beat. Luke was there (it was crowded) he might have some insights as well.
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#58 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 21 April 2012 - 09:29 AM

Thanks guys.

Maybe some of our draft experts here - Don Olsen, Stotle, allstar1579, jcmitchell, etc - can provide some additional thoughts on the potential 2nd round options mentioned?:

HP Mitchell Brown (Century HS, MN):
C Clint Coulter (Union HS, WA):
OF Jeff Gelalich (UCLA):
RHP Branden Kline (Virginia):
RHP Dan Langfield (Memphis):
RHP Pat Light (Monmouth):
C Wyatt Mathisen (Carroll HS, TX):
3B Corey Seager (Northwest Cabarrus HS, NC):
1B Adam Brett Walker, (Jacksonville):
B Patrick Wisdom (St. Mary’s):
Matt Smoral:
Trey Williams:
Walker Weickel:
Nick Williams:
Stefan Sabol:

#59 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 21 April 2012 - 11:22 PM

Bump for the edited in comments of Rob Ozga.

#60 Don Olsen

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Posted 22 April 2012 - 11:52 AM

I will tell you that this is a year to take every single mock with a heavy grain of salt. I simply see so much fluidity, even at the top.

I can see 1:4 go to even 15 choices depending when a club sees a certain sure fire top flight pick. Being in my area, I have seen the best and worst out of a few "dark horses" that I could see a surprise selection. I have privately worked out a handful of guys and the Orioles have done the same simply to gain a better read. This is going to continue up until early June for sure this season.

We usually have a slightly narrowed focus at this point heading into May. This is not the case this season and really pulling overtime to gain continued looks.

As far as what is going on...trust your board and your strategy. This new CBA is a wrinkle that will even heighten smart scouting departments advantage over everyone else.

It is tough to signal out who is around in the early 60's, simply because of too many variables that makes #30 to #100 simply crazy this season. I told Chris to expect a few curve balls and head scratches, still do at this stage. There is a tough call on 1:1, much less 1:4, even more so 2:4 and further.
  • BSLChrisStoner likes this
@Olsen_Don




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