They cited Keith Law and Jim Callis as the sources. Supposedly Bickford is a late but fast riser on boards. SI for example has him at 19 to the cards.
Callis latest mock has Bickford at 1-23 while Law it's insider article says he's in the top ten. If he truely wants big bucks this could be the 2-1 target ladies Nd gents.
Apples to bowling balls. Not only was it two regimes ago but the '07 Astros had talent(ish), were coming off a strong(ish) 2006 (finish, anyway) and had an idea of contending. And, frankly, it was a poor decision.... Again, different regime, etc. And I'm not advocating an immediate promotion, nor that Springer skip valuable seasoning in OKC. Further... I don't understand your point bringing him up, anyway? If you're argument is that they shouldn't rush Springer, and Martinez is a reason why - OK; makes sense and I don't have any issue with that. I didn't explicitly communicate it - but my thoughts were that he would continue his progression/improvement and *earn* the MLB promotion. That goes for Singleton and, theoretically, Bryant, too - and every other prospect. I don't think they should wily-nily promote guys prematurely just to try and goose a fan base. Again, I jumped off from Bowden's comments that Zimmerman had gone from the draft to the bigs in the same season and that he thought Bryant was better. It got me wondering how much, if any, the Astros sink into thinking about a more immediate payoff for their fans.
You are right. The players that fall out of the comp round will usually fall until the fourth or so because there is less risk in losing the bonus pool money from the 4th round than say the 2nd or 3rd. Not to say that a team couldn't accumulate savings from multiple rounds but it would have to be by taking multiple guys who would sign for well under slot, which is generally counter productive.
The dream I had back in April was too life-like to forget about, so I'm sticking to it. Kris Bryant to the Astros, and Mark Appel will be a Cub.
I say Kris Bryant will be the pick. I've always had this philosophy that pitchers are made while hitters are born. I think it's much easier to teach a guy with the raw tools to pitch than it is to teach a raw guy how to hit, much less, hit with power. Kris Bryant will be a high strikeout guy, that's to be expected, and he might never hit for a high average. But the amount of raw and usable power he has is very rare.
Jeff Sullivan (Belchertown, MA) Any idea on Bickford's asking price? Klaw (2:29 PM) I won't repeat the number I heard, in case it's inaccurate. It's large. Ryan (Markham) Klaw - I hear the Jays have shown *no* interest in Clint Frazier. Do you think that is true, and if so, care to speculate on why that would be? Thank you Klaw (3:09 PM) I do, and I think there are a lot of reasons. Many people don't like the swing mechanically, he struggles with offspeed stuff, and he may end up a LF. He's not a lock - he's a very good prospect, but I hear readers treating him like he's the next Mike Trout, which he's not. http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/48183/mlb-insider-keith-law
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Deja vu. Two hours before <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23mlbdraft">#mlbdraft</a>, no concrete idea of what <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Astros">#Astros</a> will do at No. 1. Killing me!</p>— Jim Callis (@jimcallisBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/jimcallisBA/status/342745434755833857">June 6, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>All quiet in the <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Astros">#Astros</a> draft room for now. Astros to make tonight's 1st overall pick at 6 pm CT on @<a href="https://twitter.com/mlbnetwork">mlbnetwork</a>. <a href="http://t.co/FSWat5Xus7" title="http://twitter.com/astros/status/342738298629943296/photo/1">twitter.com/astros/status/…</a></p>— Houston Astros (@astros) <a href="https://twitter.com/astros/status/342738298629943296">June 6, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Comment From Dennis How would you rate Kohl Stewart vs. Archie Bradley coming out of HS? 3:49 PGJerry: That is a close call and a very good comparison. 3:51 Todd Gold: I liked Bradley a touch better personally, but they're both very very good prospects coming out of HS. Similar velocity, Stewart has a plus slider (and I'm told has added a quality curveball this spring), Bradley had a plus-plus curveball. http://www.perfectgame.org/Draft/DraftHQ.aspx
Jason Parks @ProfessorParks 9m Some scouts question Appel's fortitude and ultimate ceiling, which has to be an intense topic of debate for the Astros at 1:1.
It's pretty amazing how well kept the Astros are keeping their selection (again). Some sources - Astros absolutely will not take player A or B but have their eyes on C Other Sources - Astros are down to Player A or B; C out of the question.
NO to Moran but YES to Stewart. But what the hell do I know? I've just read up on these guys on the Internet. Either way, I'll venture to guess that Luhnow and company are just a tad smarter than I, and have done a ton more scouting/analyzing/watching/observing than I. I will say a potential draft starting with Stewart at 1-1 and Manaea at 2-1 is pretty damn tantalizing to me.
I trust they know what they're doing. I've just been hoping for the player that, if all goes well, is no more than 3 years away from contributing...not 4 or 5. If 2015 is the target, how is drafting another HS kid helping that goal?
