IIRC McCann played 1B his freshman and sophomore year at GT. No doubt about his big bat. He might be willing to learn to play 3B or to learn to throw with his left hand or to learn how to hit right handed.
I would be very surprised if Lee were assigned to Tri-City, so they’ll likely take another catcher to play there, although I doubt it’ll be in the next few rounds. But yes, adding McCann to Lee would take that position from an organizational weakness to possibly the strongest position in the system. Just looking at Lee’s profile and the current rosters, I would not be shocked if he were assigned to AA in a few weeks. Robinson and Canelon certainly aren’t blocking anyone, and none of the lower level guys (Papierski, Manea, Salazar) appears ready to move up. Another thought is that Houston may be counting on automated strike zones being put in place within the next few seasons, which would dramatically change how catchers are evaluated. Good hitting catchers with strong arms and game calling but poor framing would get a big boost in value. Both Lee and McCann seem to me like the type of catching prospect who would benefit from such a change.
Song has to serve a minimum of 2 years in the Navy. He will be 24 before he touches a baseball in a professional league
I would be surprised if Lee were to be sent above Tri-City. Even Beer started there, and he was super advanced. Lee has hit for 1 season now, so is probably a little behind his peers. You dont mess with your first round picks development just because that's where there's an opening. It's been a long college season, he can split time with Perry and DH or play 1st. If he hits his way up higher, that's great.
You are the one making a Nolan Fontanta comparison, I haven't seen anybody else doing that. People said Bregman couldn't stick at SS. People said he wouldn't hit for power. Kessinger like Bregman was highly regarded coming out of High School. Bregman was a top 5 pick of what people considered a pretty weak draft. He way surpassed expectations because he had more power than anyone ever thought. It's just kind of ridiculous to assume any of the players drafted are anybody 2.0. He's Grae Kessinger, and may be a nobody or a future star. Of course the most likely outcomes are bench player or worse, but you never know one way or another how a player will develop. Oddly enough though: https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2019/6...preview-no-13-persons-of-interest-two-hitters
For the Astros or for any team? And more importantly, just looking at position players? Carlos Rodon made skipped AA and was in AAA in his draft year. Brandon Finnegan made it to the majors. Aaron Nola made it to AA. So pitchers definitely do sometimes. Matt Chapman played one game in AA, so I don't think that counts. As far as I can tell the last position player to do it was Mike Zunino, and Anthony Rendon the year before.
Y’all are probably right. Quick search shows that Mike Zunino reached AA in his draft year, but he spent a few games at a lower level. But I do think Houston is getting more aggressive with their prospects. That’s evidenced in both practice (8 2017 draftees at AA or higher, 4 2018 draftees at AA or higher) and in comments made by Luhnow (in the recent ringer article).
As a high school wide receiver, Brewer drew interest from the likes of Michigan and Wisconsin, but his football hopes evaporated when he dislocated his shoulder as a senior. He slipped through the cracks in baseball recruiting and wound up spending his first two college seasons at Lincoln Trail (Ill.) CC. He has been a revelation after joining the Wolverines as a junior, exciting scouts with his combination of tools and performance. If he realizes his upside, Brewer will have at least solid tools across the board. He has well above-average speed and plus raw power, giving him 20-20 potential. He doesn't try to do too much at the plate, using his combination of a quick right-handed swing and strength to deliver hard contact to all fields. A center fielder at Lincoln Trail, Brewer has played mostly right field and first base this spring because Michigan had greater needs there. He needs to refine his instincts a bit but he has the quickness to become a quality defender in center when he returns there in pro ball. His arm grades as average to solid and plays up because he makes accurate throws.
Brewer is the 2019 Big Ten Player of the Year. This was his only Division I season. .349/.409/.612, 12 HR, 54 RBI, 55 R, 22 BB, 44 K, 23 SB (4 CS), 1.021 OPS
Hair kind of reminds me of Jake's, too. Also quickly seeing some player comps to him on Twitter, they do have similar tools too. Also, is it just me, or have we seen a rise in bats R/ throws L position players in recent years?
Love that write up. I'm guessing he only lasted this long because of a lack of track record. Picks like these are always exciting because of the potential.
Hope we can stock up on some good pitching arms in the later rounds. Just curious, when was the last time we didn't take a pitcher in the first 3 rounds? BTW, is there a site where I can see a complete list of Day 2 picks for all teams? Thanks!
I LOVE the Brewer pick. Elite upside (Andrew McCutcheon?). They just need 2 more infielders to complete a pretty salty position player group in the top rounds over the last 3 drafts: CF Brewer (2019-3) 2B Kessinger (2019-2) LF Beer (2018-1) C Lee (2019-1) RF McKenna (2018-4) DH Matijevic (2017-2) 1B Adams (2017-6) 3B TBD (2019-4-8) SS Pena (2018-3) Bench: Salazar (2017-7), Julks (2017-8), TBD IF (2019-4-8)
