MASN: An early mock draft
https://www.masnspor...p-and-more.html
Posted 28 June 2020 - 09:22 AM
Posted 28 June 2020 - 12:01 PM
Here's a mlb.com early look at a top 20 players for 2021 draft.
Kumar Rocker
Rocker was ranked No. 23 on our Draft Top 200 in 2018 as a Georgia prepster with a ton of arm strength. There were command issues and that, along with a strong commitment to Vandy, pushed him to the 38th round. A dominant freshman year and strong start to his sophomore year, with the same high octane fastball-slider combination but with better command, makes him the clear choice atop this list.
Posted 28 June 2020 - 02:01 PM
Posted 29 June 2020 - 11:59 AM
This could be a case where Elias actually hopes to not have the 1st pick with a consensus #1 pick being a pitcher.
Seems pretty clear they've learned from their time in Houston they hate taking pitchers at the top (none of them have really worked out) and the models they leverage probably need more useful data than you get from HS numbers.
...so drafting 2nd or 3rd might actually be preferable (to them) for doing what they did this year.
------------------
So if you're just looking at profiles, maybe a kid like Matt McLain has a lot of Austin Martin in him, but maybe has a lower price-tag you can work with in the rest of the draft.
Matt McLain
In 2018, McLain was ranked No. 54 on our Draft Top 200 and was taken at the end of the first round by the D-backs, but he opted to head to UCLA. After an All-Star turn in the Cape Cod League, his bat seemed to take a big step forward this spring. He’s always had a knack for making contact, but it was louder this year, with more extra-base thump, to go along with his plus speed and the potential for him to play up the middle somewhere defensively.
Posted 29 June 2020 - 12:29 PM
If we just royally suck again this year and end up with a top pick next year, a young nucleus of Adley, Kjerstad, and a stud '21 SP supported by guys like Rodriguez, Harvey, Hall and some of these other kids is actually semi-hopeful.
Hopefully they do it right this time, and think about long term competition over yearly $$ and figure out how to extend talent. Reading Britt's articles and reliving letting Cruz go cause they thought he'd magically fall apart (even though there were a lot of signs against it), which alienated Machado more (and him coming off the knee injury was the perfect time to extend him) and letting Markakis walk, again petrified of the what if injury bug. is just a big ol knife twist.
Posted 29 June 2020 - 12:37 PM
If we just royally suck again this year and end up with a top pick next year, a young nucleus of Adley, Kjerstad, and a stud '21 SP supported by guys like Rodriguez, Harvey, Hall and some of these other kids is actually semi-hopeful.
Hopefully they do it right this time, and think about long term competition over yearly $$ and figure out how to extend talent. Reading Britt's articles and reliving letting Cruz go cause they thought he'd magically fall apart (even though there were a lot of signs against it), which alienated Machado more (and him coming off the knee injury was the perfect time to extend him) and letting Markakis walk, again petrified of the what if injury bug. is just a big ol knife twist.
Still don't blame the Orioles for not investing in Cruz. He was 34 at the end of '14. "14 was his best season by far since '10.
But more power to him... he went out and crushed for another 5 years. Know Mike Randall argued hard at the time to extend him.
Posted 29 June 2020 - 12:46 PM
Still don't blame the Orioles for not investing in Cruz. He was 34 at the end of '14. "14 was his best season by far since '10.
But more power to him... he went out and crushed for another 5 years. Know Mike Randall argued hard at the time to extend him.
I did too. Markakis I was a little more understanding on because he had the wrist issue that completely drained his power, but we were a team that desperately needed OBP, and he still gave that in spades.
But Cruz had a good history, was very in shape, was very productive here, and was such an impact in the locker room he would have been worth that contract if he just sat on the bench and coached.
I know I've said it before, but they need to stop acting like this tiny market team. It's all a show so they can cry poor in the MASN deal, but they showed they could drop $120m plus on payroll, they just did it on stupid investments instead of making smarter moves. It just stunk of not having someone in a financial capacity to predict the market and give rough ideas on how inflation and prices were going to go up in near future years. Something MOST teams these days have. Being reactionary doesn't tend to work when it comes to pro sports contracts.
Posted 29 June 2020 - 01:25 PM
This could be a case where Elias actually hopes to not have the 1st pick with a consensus #1 pick being a pitcher.
Seems pretty clear they've learned from their time in Houston they hate taking pitchers at the top (none of them have really worked out) and the models they leverage probably need more useful data than you get from HS numbers.
...so drafting 2nd or 3rd might actually be preferable (to them) for doing what they did this year.
------------------
So if you're just looking at profiles, maybe a kid like Matt McLain has a lot of Austin Martin in him, but maybe has a lower price-tag you can work with in the rest of the draft.
Matt McLain
This makes zero sense. Elias may not wish to have the #1 pick because it means his club was once again the worst in baseball. But it would have nothing to do with any projected #1 pick. They can still pick whomever they choose and they have shown already that they are more than happy to do what they think is best and could care less what the rest of the pundits think.
Posted 29 June 2020 - 02:06 PM
This makes zero sense. Elias may not wish to have the #1 pick because it means his club was once again the worst in baseball. But it would have nothing to do with any projected #1 pick. They can still pick whomever they choose and they have shown already that they are more than happy to do what they think is best and could care less what the rest of the pundits think.
Really? Imagine the reaction if they had 1-1 and had taken Hjerstad instead of Torkleson. Think they'd embrace that blowback?
That's the kind of kid Rocker will likely be (consensus #1 like Tork) and they had nearly zero success drafting pitching in Houston.
Rocker could look like Mark Appel to them and they'd rather just go another way....letting someone else absorb what you think is risk just makes your life a little easier in the post draft commentary.
If the Orioles pick second again and Rocker goes 1-1 to whomever, that means they'll get the guys they actually prefer and not have to deal with any of the messaging management of not taking a consensus guy.
Posted 29 June 2020 - 02:08 PM
Posted 29 June 2020 - 02:22 PM
I think they'd take him and cringe while they do it....hence my comment that they'd rather be picking 1-2.
And I disagree completely.
If in this hypothetical they could magically swap picks and have nobody realize that it wasn't the true order, they would decline to do that and still take the guy they think is clearly above the rest.
Posted 29 June 2020 - 02:22 PM
If Rocker is clearly the #1 guy they'll take him. They aren't stupid and the top pick almost always signs slightly below slot anyway so it's a win-win.
I do not believe they will dip down an entire talent tier lower (and going from #1 to #2 ranked player is usually a tiered step) to avoid a pitcher.
I think they'd take him and cringe while they do it....hence my comment that they'd rather be picking 1-2.
Posted 29 June 2020 - 02:24 PM
I deleted that post to modify my comment a little....you were quoting it at the same time....above it the adjustment but it now shows up after you pulled the original.
Posted 29 June 2020 - 02:30 PM
A little tamer, but still not sure I agree. Maybe their ideal player is a position player and not a pitcher, and they'd prefer if the guy that is clearly the guy plays on the diamond instead of on the bump. But I think they'll happily take the best overall guy even if that's a pitcher over secretly preferring the best-of-the-rest if he's a CF or SS. Some years maybe it's not a talent gap there, but the jump from #1 to #2 is usually noticeably big.
Posted 30 June 2020 - 11:44 AM
If Rocker is clearly the #1 guy they'll take him. They aren't stupid and the top pick almost always signs slightly below slot anyway so it's a win-win.
I do not believe they will dip down an entire talent tier lower (and going from #1 to #2 ranked player is usually a tiered step) to avoid a pitcher.
Posted 30 June 2020 - 06:02 PM
NO team ever wishes they had the #2 pick instead of the #1 pick. That's just silly.
Posted 27 August 2020 - 11:42 AM
Posted 01 September 2020 - 09:08 AM
I think Matt McLain was my early pick for Elias based only on profile blurbs that was put together on a top20-ish guys.
Elias clearly doesn't want a pitcher early and his negative experiences in Houston with them likely drive that. I'm not really judging that either way, I just think it's likely true.
You probably have Rocker and Leiter stacking up as 1-2 and he can probably get what he actually wants outside of top 2.
Posted 01 September 2020 - 11:47 AM
I'd like to see them continue with the trend of drafting guys who actually have some defensive value and ability to be more than LF/1B/DH. They had an interesting discussion with Brian Roberts during the game yesterday. Draft them SS was the bottom line.
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users