alysonfooter Kvasnicka, out of the University of Minnesota, is listed in Baseball America as a catcher, but the Astros have him down as a third baseman. alysonfooter The Astros have selected Mike Kvasnicka with their third and final pick (33rd overall) of the first day of the #mlbdraft.
The Pick: Michael Kvasnicka, 3B/C, Minnesota The Buzz: The Minnesota Gophers third base prospect has a good switch-hitting bat. He may slide to catcher despite having one of the best catchers in the minors.
Keith Law: Kvasnicka whips the bat through the zone, and while there's some lift to the swing he doesn't utilize his lower half and is probably going to hit for doubles power at best, especially from the left side. He's disciplined with good plate coverage and has the bat speed to let the ball travel and still make contact. He has arm strength but still needs work on getting from the crouch to release, as he's relatively inexperienced behind the dish and isn't even the full-time catcher for the Gophers. His value comes down to whether a team thinks he can catch; if he can, he should go in the top two rounds, but if not, his bat probably won't play in an outfield corner due to his lack of power projection.
Keith Law: Delino DeShields Jr. looks little like his father physically, but has inherited a good amount of his dad's baseball talent. DeShields (the younger) is built like a runningback, and is committed to LSU to fill that role. If he was taller than his listed 5'8?, I imagine he'd be a consensus first-round pick. He has an incredibly simple, quiet swing, very short to the ball, with power from his upper-body strength; he has the swing path to hit for some power but his finish is restricted and he may not get to it when swinging wood. He's one of the fastest runners in this draft and should be a plus defender in center with an average arm. The major knocks on DeShields are his height and build, both unusual for a position player, and his dedication to baseball, as I've heard from several scouts that earlier in the spring, he would mail in at bats or entire games and didn't give observers any impression that he wanted to play baseball rather than football. He's played harder and better down the stretch and if he indicates that he's signable he'll go in the first or at worst sandwich rounds to a team that's willing to overlook his stature and bet on his bat and legs.
Keith Law: Foltynewicz -- I'm told it's ?fole-TIN-eh-vitch,? but scouts all refer to him as ?Folty,? and who can really blame them -- is the best high school arm in the upper midwest this year, an area that can be a little underscouted because of the weather and late-starting high school seasons. He's primarily fastball-change-slow curve, and he trusts his offspeed stuff, using the curve and changeup in two-strike situations and against hitters on both sides of the plate. He's hit 95 a few times over the last several years, but will sit more 89-93 now while just flashing that better velocity. He takes a moderate stride, and everything about his delivery is quick and purposeful, from his first move toward the plate to his simple, short arm action. He's committed to the University of Texas but should be a top-fifty pick if he's signable there. --------------------------------------------------- Andy Seiler: Mike Foltynewicz is a tall, projectable right-handed pitcher from Minooka Community High School in Minooka, Illinois, a far southwestern suburb about 50 miles outside of Chicago. Foltynewicz has really come on strong this spring, and it’s looking more and more like he’ll be a top prospect in short order. He seemed to get better and better every time scouts saw him, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him jump into the natural first round. He features an arsenal of multiple above-average pitches, and I see his ceiling as that of a true number two starter, capable of shutting down Major League offenses. His fastball is his best pitch, a true 92-94 mph offering that touches 96, and he has the frame to add even a tick or two more. His delivery is reminiscent of Tim Lincecum’s, though he doesn’t get the same extra-long stride that Lincecum incorporates in his back-to-the-plate windup. He does get excellent late life on his fastball and has average command, making it a plus to plus-plus future pitch. He uses a pair of breaking balls in a curveball and slider, but his curveball is the better pitch. It’s an upper-70s pitch that has great power and late break, getting above-average future grades from scouts. His slider is an 82-84 mph pitch with some tilt, though it’s more of an average show-me offering than a Major League quality pitch. His changeup advanced more than his other offerings this spring, and it has received a few future plus grades due to excellent fade. With all this progress, "Folty" now projects as a supplemental first or second round arm, perhaps even as high as the natural first round as I said above. A University of Texas commitment shouldn’t be a factor if his name gets called that high.
Catching prospects are really, really easy to trade though. Actually, let me strike that. Good prospects are really, really easy to trade. I don't think you should draft with the thought, "Oh, I've got player x in that position so I won't draft a player because of that". There's no telling where things will be in a few years. Take Best Player Available and go from there.
I agree 100% -- but from the reports it just doesn't sound like he really was the BPA. To be honest, I have no idea -- I was just staring at the MLB network's best available, and he wasn't on it.. and then I read the tidbit about him having 2nd round value if he can catch. I hope I'm wrong.
thescorer Delino DeShields sounds very signable. If he does, Astros will start him in CF, move him to 2B. -Z
Whats up with the Astros reaching for the 3rd straight year. We needed a power hitter and they passed on Choice and Sale. Not cool.
Which is why the baseball draft is such a crap shoot. People can't even agree on something which should be objective rather than subjective. I at least like that they went with high schoolers/upside in the first round...
Just sign all these mofos that we picked today and a lot of the ones we will pick in the next couple of days. Repeat in 2011 and 2012 and 2013 and on and on...
Aj Cole, Stetson Allie, Alex Wilson, Reggie Golden, Brett Eibner, Brandon Workman. There are plenty of impact talent available tomorrow, particularly if the Astros are willing to go overslot with their next few picks.
Michael Kvasnicka is playing on ESPN U. He's due up 3rd in a minute or two. EDIT: First AB, RBI double to right center that missed hitting the wall on the fly by a foot. Then tried to advance to 3rd on a grounder to short and was thrown out. EDIT X2: Single, line drive to center in 2nd AB. Scored on a triple by the next batter.
How can you really say that we need a power hitter when we need pitching and reliable infielders. A solo HR every so often will not help you win ballgames. We need guys that can get on base and the old pitching and defense combo.
YOu need a power hitter to go with those guys that will hit for average they been drafting for the last two years. YOu need the power hitter to go with pitching and reliable infielders. Name a power hitter in the Astros farm system that will make a impact for years to come. You can't. Choice or Sales would of been it to replace Berkman. I guess they'll go for a power bat next year.
