You absolutely go pitcher. The Astros have been playing well lately because starting pitching has given them a chance to win. Springer, Singleton, Altuve, Correa are going to get better and be plenty good offensively down the road.
with Nolan here this is the first time I feel comfortable IF we went with a high school pitcher like Aiken or Kolek. I trust Nolan to make the best move and his ability to evaluate pitching.
So because we have some bats and just some.. we should just hope Correa actually pans out, Singleton stays off the weed, Altuve doesn't bolt in a few years, and Springer doesn't get hurt or something? Nah I'll pass.. Get a position player and draft pitchers in later rounds... or in comp. Get the big bat. Our pitchers are only getting better in the minors and in this class we might get a diamond in the rough. I'll put my money on position player.
Take whoever is gonna be the best player, regardless of position. If it turns out that position is blocked, you can always make trades for proven big league players at a position you do need. Never draft for need in baseball.
If Appel had been killing it for the past year, I'd be all for picking a bat. But because there are at least some concerns, you have to draft a pitcher. Keep in mind, we are still looking for our ace and a future closer. Pitchers should be the number 1 position on the draft board.
It is going to be Aiken. He is the most talented player IMO despite being a prep player. His upside is unmatched in this draft.
Disagree. Its much easier to find an impact arm later in draft than an impact bat. Think about recent astros history. Oswalt, wade miller, Wandy, keuchel, Cosart (with the Phillies) were all late round or international signings. Look at the starters the astros have picked over the last twenty years with top two round picks: it's pretty ugly. The Tony Mcknights of the world haven't done very much. On the other hand the Berkman, pences, and castro of the world have a higher success rate. I like aiken and rodon, but my personal preference might be to grab Jackson at 1 and invest in high upside high school pitching with picks 37 and 42.
You evaluate Nolan Ryan's ability to evaluate pitching because he was, himself, a good pitcher? I'll trust the career scouts and the team's decisionmakers over Nolan Ryan, thanks.
Was all about Rodon all year but I've recently switched my interest to Aiken, much more upside IMO and the Kershaw comparisons are exciting, all the makings of a true no. 1. I'll be fine with either, even if we take Kolek or Jackson I'll be ok. Just gotta wait and see.. my board would be: 1. Aiken 2. Rodon 3. Jackson 4. Kolek
Scouts have never been sold on his body. There are concerns over his athleticism. Concerns about how his stuff & command has come and gone the last 2 seasons.
I feel like good pitching is the most important component to winning but I dont like the idea of taking a pitcher 1.1 because pitchers will break down over time especially in todays game.
With the way last year's 1-1 is looking, I would rinse and repeat pitcher. I like Aiken or the other HS kid who throws one hundy!
Reported from AstrosCounty: Kiley McDaniel is reporting that Carlos Rodon's pricetag is firmly $6m+ Astros have $7,792,200 for the 1.1 so that plenty of money to sign Rodon and to overslot the 1.37 and maybe the 2.1.
My philosophy is that taking a bat 1-1 (Jackson) will help win more games in the regular season, and taking a potential ace (in Aiken or Rodon) will help more games in the postseason. The success of the 2005 Astros or any of the SF Giants teams that were driven by great starting pitching, with just enough offense to compete helps prove that point. On the other hand, the failures of the Angels, Rangers, and even the Yankees show that having the top hitters in the league don't necessarily translate to championships. Looking at the current roster and taking the pipeline into consideration, I think our offense should be fine. So as I genuinely feel like we can complete the rebuild and be perennial playoff contenders in 2015 and 2016, I just imagine adding an ace to the rotation in Aiken in 3 years, and can't help but get excited about the potential.
