I want Manea this year and obviously Rodon the next. Do you guys think there is any chance we can pull off what we did last year? Draft a player for much less and be able to spread the money around, but still get one of the best players in the draft? Also the slotting money for each pick increased from last year, didn't it?
Slot amounts haven't been formally announced yet. They grow with MLB revenue, which is expected to be about 6%.
Baseball America Preseason HS All-Americans Of course, this doesn't mean much until the games count. But you sort of get an idea of who's being considered among the elite in the high school ranks. The scouting directors of all 30 MLB teams select the players. To no one's surprise (hopefully), those two guys from Georgia were unanimous 1st-teamers. Also nice to see a kid from my old high school (Cy-Woods) get recognized. Casey Meisner (a RHP who is committed to Texas Tech) was named to the 3rd team.
Karsten Whitson, RHP Florida, was just declared out for the season after undergoing minor shoulder surgery. http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog...son-to-miss-season-following-cleanup-surgery/ Whitson was a former top 10 overall pick out of high school and after a stellar 2011 freshmen season at Florida was considered an early frontrunner to go 1-1 this draft (not unlike how people currently view Carlos Rodon for the 2014 draft). His draft stock took a little bit of a stumble after an injury plagued sophomore season and should continue to plummet after this news. If the Astros can save some money upfront in the draft he could be an intriguing selection in a later round.
Mark Appel is pitching this afternoon vs. Rice. Come out and watch him....I'll be there. 4:30pm Stanford and Rice both have a number of top prospects. From Stanford Austin Wilson ought to be a very high pick, as should Brian Ragira. From Rice, you can watch Austin Kubitza pitch today -- he matched Appel last year at Stanford in a very tight game. I would LOVE for the Astros to grab Kubitza. Fastball with incredible movement and a good slider.
Thanks for that. I'll probably start making my way down at about 2:50. Also, Kubitza's brother, Kyle, is a 3B in the Braves system who played at Texas State.
Jeff Luhnow has acknowledged that left-handed pitching is definitely an area that needs to be addressed. And so, I present to you... Stephen Tarpley. A native of Gilbert, Arizona, Tarpley spent the 2012 season at USC, where he was named a Freshman All-American after going 5-3 with a 3.22 ERA, walking 29 and striking out 67 in 78 innings. However, he transferred to Scottsdale Community College in order to become eligible for this year's draft.
Well, we know that catcher is still an area of need in the system, so I present to you.... Elvin Soto, a draft-eligible sophomore catcher from Pitt. Here's a blurb on him from BA's Aaron Fitt, who thinks that the Panthers could surprise in the Big East. He was also on Team USA's under-18 squad in 2010, alongside Albert Almora, Bubba Starling, Francisco Lindor, and our very own Lance McCullers. Big East preview (BA): #15 best draft prospect for the 2013-14 drafts Pitt Athletics Page 2012 stats: .250/.314/.398, 7 HR, 38 RBI, 14 BB (8 HBP), 50 K, .993 fielding percentage, 37.9% caught stealing percentage With that said... I'm thinking that Soto could be a fit in the 4th round?
Couple of links: Minor League Ball: Matt Garrioch's Top 100, updated Baseball America: Interview with RHP Andrew Dunlap For more on Dunlap, see post #135.
Interesting list 1. Ryne Stanek, RHP, Arkansas, JR, Risk: Low The Good: Potential for two plus-plus pitches The Bad: High effort delivery. 2. Kris Bryant, 3B, San Diego, JR, Risk: Low The Good: Big power, good hit tool, good arm The Bad: May be a 1B, so bat has to play. 3. Clint Frazier, OF, Georgia HS, HS, Risk: Medium The Good: Crazy tools, athletic The Bad: Intensity could burn him out. 4. Sean Manaea, LHP, Indiana State, JR, Risk: Medium The Good: Potential for two plus-plus pitches The Bad: May be a reliever if change doesn't improve 5. Colin Moran, 3B, North Carolina, JR, Risk: Low The Good: Polished bat with power coming The Bad: Power may be average or below at 1B 6. Dominic Smith, OF-1B, California HS, HS, Risk: Medium The Good: Huge power potential The Bad: May be a 1B. Hitting mechanics need work. 7. Austin Wilson, OF, Stanford, JR, Risk: Medium The Good: Elite power potential, big arm The Bad: Hit tool needs work, could end up at 1B 8. Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford, SR, Risk: Medium The Good: Potential for three plus pitches The Bad: Too hittable for his stuff. 9. Jonathan Denney, C, Oklahoma HS, HS, Risk: High The Good: Very good D, huge bat potential. The Bad: He's a prep catcher in a deep class. 10. Justin Williams, OF, Louisiana HS, HS, Risk: High The Good: Powerful, athletic, young. The Bad: flaws in swing, throwing mechanics 17. Austin Meadows, OF, Georgia HS, HS, Risk: High The Good: Elite tools across the board. The Bad: The tools may not translate to baseball skills. Questionable hit tool. 85. Cavan Biggio, 3B, Texas HS, HS, Risk: Medium The Good: Plus hit tool. Bloodlines. The Bad: Hate the bat waggle. Not sure where he plays defensively
It's early, but I think that Austin Kubitza's stock is rising fast. Threw 7 shutout innings with double-digit strikeouts against Hawaii; the only bad news was that he issued 5 walks. 7 IP, 4 H, 5 BB, 13 K Also, Zech Lemond is nails.
I don't get the stanek love, at least not at the top of the draft. He strikes out fewer batters than Appel and his stuff is a step down from Appel and manaea.
Stanek dominated in last year's college tournament. High pressure games against the best college teams. Can't argue with those results.
Austin Wilson out 6-8 weeks with a stress fracture in his right elbow. http://rangers.scout.com/2/1269332.html
