453 replies to this topic

[BigMike]

http://www.baseballa...og/draft/?p=949 Kyle Gibson, who should be a top 10 pick is sliding down after some injury concerns. Past two starts he's dipped down 10 mph slower on his fastball. Last start he went 8 shutout innnings, even with the supposed elbow tightness. Would you take him if he fell to the Sox on draft day, or play it safe?

You have to trust your scouts, and of course your medical staff. If your scouts love him, and your medical staff clears him, then you make the pick.

I don't play it safe, but I think there are guys who might fall I personally like a lot better. I like a couple of the HS arms a lot better. I'd absolutely take purke before Gibson

Medically this injury bothers me. Sure it is no big deal, and he should be able to recover easily, but this is a weird injury for a pitcher. I worry about whether there is some underlying cause

When I look at Gibson. I see a kid who if healthy is going to rush through a system, and get to the majors by next September, but I don't see a guy who is going to be a great pitcher. He just gives me an Ian Kennedy vibe.

[OttoC]

I'm surprised to see Stassi falling to the Sox in Law's mock, as everything I've seen on him up until now had him in the 16-20 range...

Stassi has quite a bloodline...his father, an uncle and grandfather all played minor-league ball and his great-uncle, Myril Hoag, was a teammate of Ruth and Gehrig for a time in his 13-year ML career.

[templeUsox]

As mentioned in the game thread, it was a little surprising when I saw today's NESN Catch of the Game winner to be wearing Sox under armour and sitting with another person wearing similar gear. I took a screen grab, you be the judge:





Max Stassi:



Couple that with this piece of info:

Catcher Max Stassi, projected to be a first-round pick in upcoming MLB Draft, goes 1-for-2 in last game. Next time he hits in front of anyone will be on June 8 at historic Fenway Park.

Link

Edited by templeUsox, 07 June 2009 - 07:00 PM.

[Williams Head Case]

SoSH's eagle eyes don't miss a thing.

Should one read anything into the Sox gear he is in, or do players get similar hauls no matter where they visit? I'm curious as a lot of my guys here at college were drafted out of high school and rep stuff that they got from the experience, but I wasn't sure if they had other things from teams that just scouted them, not drafted them.

[RedOctober3829]

SoSH's eagle eyes don't miss a thing.

Should one read anything into the Sox gear he is in, or do players get similar hauls no matter where they visit? I'm curious as a lot of my guys here at college were drafted out of high school and rep stuff that they got from the experience, but I wasn't sure if they had other things from teams that just scouted them, not drafted them.

You get gear from teams you work out with. If you work out with a lot of teams you will have a lot of swag.

[Cuzittt]

Moving this to the Main Board for Maximum Viewing. Draft begins on Tuesday.

[Papelbon's Poutine]

I'd be pretty shocked if the Yanks didn't take Scheppers if he fell to them at 29. Yes, he's an injury risk, but they gave Brackman an MLB deal when they knew he'd need TJ surgery.

The difference is the exact type of injury that Scheppers had. Brackman needed a TJ, which is a pretty routine surgery these days, especially as far as recovery rate goes. Guys often come back throwing harder after TJ. The Yanks knew Brackamn would miss X amount of time and likely be much the same pitcher he was before the surgery.

Scheppers had a shoulder injury and that's a completely different story. Shoulder injury at a young age hint at future shoulder injuries, perhaps severe ones and shoulder injuries still careers. He's agreat talent, but shoulder injuries are more risky than elbow ones. Not saying the Yanks (or another team) wouldn't take the risk given his ability, but it's not really comparable to Brackman in that sense.

Edited by Papelbon's Poutine, 07 June 2009 - 11:57 PM.

[SoxScout]

Max Stassi and Andrew Susac are catchers for Yuba City and Jesuit high schools, respectively. They are friends, having played during summers past on showcase travel teams where their defensive skills, ability to drive the ball and leadership abilities enhanced their national profile.

Their lives are about to change on Tuesday – baseball's draft day. It's also decision day as Stassi and Susac face a win-win prospect that very few 18-year-olds encounter: secure a lucrative signing bonus of what could be in excess of $2 million for a first-round pick and become a professional right away, or head off to college on a full-ride scholarship, Stassi to UCLA and Susac to Oregon State.

"The worst thing that can happen is they go to college, and how great is that?" said Jim Stassi, Max's Yuba City coach and father.

Draft projections have Stassi going in the first round and Susac going no later than the second.

A representative from each major league team has been in contact with Stassi and Susac. There have been text messages, personal workouts and in-house visits. Stassi graduated Friday, then took a red-eye flight to Boston on Saturday. He will work out for the Red Sox today.

"I'm trying to catch my breath now, here in the hotel," Stassi said. "It's a real big honor, all of this, and I'm having a blast."

http://www.sacbee.co...ry/1927117.html

[Eric Van]

Theo was quoted in the paper the other day about how wrong it was to draft for need, because you can never project what your organization will look like four years in the future. So you always take the best player available.

Here's an anecdote I think I can share by being vague as hell: one of the good young guys on the team was drafted via this philosophy rather than another guy they liked, but not as much, and who "filled a need." I was told that Theo briefly wondered that night whether they had done the right thing by going for the best player, period, rather than the guy who would fit better in the organization and might project to be more "useful" down the road. Well, that decision has proven to be an excellent one. So there has been some positive reinforcement for the principle.

[PaulinMyrBch]

"Vague as hell" leaves me wondering about the "other guy they liked", how has he worked out for whoever.

[BigMike]

Theo was quoted in the paper the other day about how wrong it was to draft for need, because you can never project what your organization will look like four years in the future. So you always take the best player available.

Here's an anecdote I think I can share by being vague as hell: one of the good young guys on the team was drafted via this philosophy rather than another guy they liked, but not as much, and who "filled a need." I was told that Theo briefly wondered that night whether they had done the right thing by going for the best player, period, rather than the guy who would fit better in the organization and might project to be more "useful" down the road. Well, that decision has proven to be an excellent one. So there has been some positive reinforcement for the principle.

The thing is Stassi may be both best player available, AND at a critical need position.

Stassi is an excellent prospect. There is a chance he doesn't make it to Boston, and if Boston doesn't draft him, then it is extremely likely he goes in the next 5 picks.

Yes there will be a few players rated higher on the BA chart than Stassi available when Boston picks, but it doesn't mean they are better players or better picks, and it certainly doesn't mean they are higher on Boston's internal scouting charts

[pokey_reese]

Given the signability questions, and the fact that the Sox pick ahead of the Yankees, I am surprised that this thread isn't filled with posts about Purke. Given the general fear of drafting for need, what do the Sox do if Stassi and Purke are both there at 28?

[amarshal2]

Given the signability questions, and the fact that the Sox pick ahead of the Yankees, I am surprised that this thread isn't filled with posts about Purke. Given the general fear of drafting for need, what do the Sox do if Stassi and Purke are both there at 28?

Pick the guy they like better. I don't know why Purke would change their approach.

Edited by amarshal2, 08 June 2009 - 09:03 AM.

[Todd Benzinger]

One thing to consider with drafting C prospects: the Sox are hardly the only organization for whom C is a position of need... there has been lots of talk lately about how thin the pool of talent is at catcher in the majors and upper minors right now (other than a handful of stars & potential young studs).

That Kevin Cash has been getting as much time in the majors as he has over the last several years (and with top organizations) tells you how thin the talent is there.

Hence, drafting catching prospects is somewhat akin to drafting pitchers over power hitters: they are likely to be a valuable commodity beyond the needs of the sox ML team in the next 4 or so years.

EDIT: of course, the chatter about catching prospects could just be because analysts see it as a position of need, and it could have nothing to do with the Sox actual plans.

Edited by Todd Benzinger, 08 June 2009 - 09:19 AM.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Theo was quoted in the paper the other day about how wrong it was to draft for need, because you can never project what your organization will look like four years in the future. So you always take the best player available.

Here's an anecdote I think I can share by being vague as hell: one of the good young guys on the team was drafted via this philosophy rather than another guy they liked, but not as much, and who "filled a need." I was told that Theo briefly wondered that night whether they had done the right thing by going for the best player, period, rather than the guy who would fit better in the organization and might project to be more "useful" down the road. Well, that decision has proven to be an excellent one. So there has been some positive reinforcement for the principle.

Eric: that bit was just in the Globe a few days ago. The two players were Pedroia and Kurt Suzuki. It sounds just like the situation you are alluding to:

In 2004, officials inside the Red Sox draft room drew a line down a board full of names. On one side were players the Sox assumed would be available when their first pick, the 65th overall, arrived. On the other side were players the Sox assumed would be gone. A shortstop from Arizona State named Dustin Pedroia and a catcher from California State named Kurt Suzuki were on the second side. And yet, as the 65th pick neared, neither had been selected...

The Sox preferred Pedroia's offensive potential, so they chose him. Suzuki fell to the Athletics two picks later. It taught the Red Sox a lesson they still use as they get ready for this year's draft, which begins Tuesday. They have become accustomed to picking late in rounds, and they prepare for anything. The Sox' first choice this year will be No. 28 in the first round....

When the Red Sox pick, it will be based on ability and potential, not position. "As far as what we look for when we go out to scout, it's just the best players," Epstein said. "There's such a delay in development time - you're talking four to six years - you can't base your wants off the current state of the big league team, or even to an extent the state of your system."

The Sox would base a pick on a position "maybe as a tiebreaker," Epstein said. "But really what you want to do is produce big leaguers. You're going to miss 38 out of 40 picks most years. When you find someone you think is a big leaguer, you should take that player regardless of the position."

EDIT: The Herald ran pretty much the same story, by Tomase.

[pokey_reese]

For what it's worth, while this isn't quite draft news it is at least related in that signing young Latin American free agents serves the same purpose, and this is what BP had to say about the Dominican SS that the Sox have been linked to:

Jose Vinicio, SS, Dominican Republic
Height/Weight: 5'11"/160
Bats/Throws: S/R
Agent: Josue Herrera Pros: Vinicio possesses solid athleticism and emerging power. He’s expected to grow another inch or two and fill out his wiry frame, but he already has surprising power for his size. Scouts point out that he plays more games than most top prospects, and will have no problem sticking at shortstop defensively at upper levels. Vinicio also shows a smooth stroke from both sides of the plate, also hitting with solid power, particularly from the right side. His speed is above-average; some think his power could be produce 15 home runs annually.
Cons: Vinicio isn’t big right now, and is still raw in his offensive approach. If you’re giving out elite money to get him, you’re counting on continued offensive and physical development.
Quick Fact: Herrera, Vinicio’s agent, is a former Indians scout credited with signing Fausto Carmona.
Comparison: A switch-hitting Edgar Renteria was tossed out as a future body comparison; that also sticks as a projected skillset.
Projected Team/Bonus: In terms of talent, Vinicio was already considered worthy of a $750,000 to $1 million bonus, but during the showcase in Santo Domingo rumors spread that the Red Sox has struck a verbal deal for $2 million. Some sources contend that the bonus is for closer to $1.5 million, and the higher bonus number was leaked to discourage other offers. Either way, Vinicio is expected to sign with the Red Sox on July 2^nd.

[AZBlue]

It gives me a chill (and not in a good way) to read that Edgar Renteria comparison....I'll let it pass and trust the Sox braintrust.

[Papelbon's Poutine]

Wow. Keith Law's latest mock has Aaron Crow dropping out of the first round.

Right now I don't have Aaron Crow or Tanner Scheppers going in the first round. Teams in the top 10 are telling me that neither is a top choice for them, with a few teams pointing to medical concerns on Scheppers, and everyone pointing to their belief that neither player will sign for less than what he turned down last year. Of course, either player could go later in the round or even afterward and still get a seven-figure bonus, but more than one scouting director or GM has said to me in the past few days that he doesn't want to risk a first-round pick on a player who might not sign.

I love Law, but is there anyway in hell Crow makes it past Boston and NYY?? I would be utterly shocked.

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

It gives me a chill (and not in a good way) to read that Edgar Renteria comparison....I'll let it pass and trust the Sox braintrust.

Yeah, it would suck to develop the next Edgar Renteria. Wtf are you talking about?

[Wingack]

Wow. Keith Law's latest mock has Aaron Crow dropping out of the first round.



I love Law, but is there anyway in hell Crow makes it past Boston and NYY?? I would be utterly shocked.

Outside of Strasburg, can one argue Crow is the most MLB ready? Seems like there are a lot of teams that would jump at him given that.

[Yaz4Ever]

One guy that would make me happy to see drafted in the first round is Wil Myers. I had the opportunity to meet this kid a couple of weeks ago...dynamite kid, says he'd LOVE to play for the Sox, and the last time I looked his stock had risen. He was slated as a late first-rounder when I first looked, but I've since heard that he's a top 20 pick meaning he may be gone by the time the Sox pick. Regardless, this is a kid I'll be tracking.

[Eric Van]

Eric: that bit was just in the Globe a few days ago. The two players were Pedroia and Kurt Suzuki. It sounds just like the situation you are alluding to:

EDIT: The Herald ran pretty much the same story, by Tomase.

History repeats itself. My anecdote is from a later draft, at a point in time before the Pedroia over Suzuki decision was proven to be correct. To answer the previous Q, the guy they passed on has just reached AAA at age 25 and projects as an MLB backup at best.

[AZBlue]

Yeah, it would suck to develop the next Edgar Renteria. Wtf are you talking about?

Fragile mind, fragile back.

[templeUsox]

History repeats itself. My anecdote is from a later draft, at a point in time before the Pedroia over Suzuki decision was proven to be correct. To answer the previous Q, the guy they passed on has just reached AAA at age 25 and projects as an MLB backup at best.

Ellsbury over Bogusevic?

[templeUsox]

One guy that would make me happy to see drafted in the first round is Wil Myers. I had the opportunity to meet this kid a couple of weeks ago...dynamite kid, says he'd LOVE to play for the Sox, and the last time I looked his stock had risen. He was slated as a late first-rounder when I first looked, but I've since heard that he's a top 20 pick meaning he may be gone by the time the Sox pick. Regardless, this is a kid I'll be tracking.

Who knows, you may get your wish:

The name of Wesleyan Christian Academy star Wil Myers will get called tonight by a major league baseball team in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.

Last week, Myers worked out for the Royals and Red Sox. Davis and his son, Luke, went with the Myers family to Boston and the coach said his son and Wil's brother Beau were shagging flies during Wil's workout - when the ball wasn't soaring over the Green Monster.

Link (RR)

[SoxFanSince57]

Fragile mind, fragile back.

I think the reference was primarily to Vinicio's body type.

Comparison: A switch-hitting Edgar Renteria was tossed out as a future body comparison; that also sticks as a projected skillset.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crystal ball: Plenty of Draft questions left
28. Boston Red Sox: Jacob Turner, Westminster Christian Academy, Mo.
Here's the tendency to go with the "tough sign" again. Anyone who slides here might be of interest as the Sox take the best player on the board, usually regardless of signability.

From MLB.com

Sox Prospects has these players as potential picks for the Sox at #28

First Round (#28)

Matt Hobgood (#25/#40)
RHP, Norco HS (CA). Committed to CS-Fullerton.
Mid-90s fastball with solid breaking ball and changeup. In addition to projection, he’s put up spectacular numbers in 2009 (9-0, 0.38 ERA, 84 strikeouts in 55 innings).

James Paxton (#26/#37)
LHP, Kentucky (Junior).
Fastball tops out at 97 mph. Excellent control and movement. Decent curveball with a passable changeup. Solid mechanics. Inconsistent.

Everett Williams (#27/#19)
OF, McCallum HS (TX). Committed to Texas.
Athletic centerfielder with excellent bat speed. High power potential, minimal present power. Good baseball instincts. Top line speed.

AJ Pollock (#28/#23)
OF, Notre Dame (Junior).
Another athletic centerfielder, Pollock makes outstanding contact and has gap power. Excellent speed. Advanced approach at the plate. Average arm.

Tony Sanchez (#29/#32)
Catcher, Boston College (Junior).
Excellent defensive skills all around - solid glove, arm, and game calling ability. Tough demeanor. Offensively, he makes good contact and has average to above average power and plate patience.

Max Stassi (#31/#30)
Catcher, Yuba City HS (CA). Committed to UCLA.
All around offensive and defensive skills coupled with top flight athleticism, intelligence, instincts, and leadership ability. However, his arm is average and he can struggle with advanced off-speed stuff.

David Renfroe (#33/#67)
SS/RHP, South Panola HS (MS). Committed to Mississippi.
Two-way player prefers being a position player. As a pitcher, he has a 94 mph fastball, and a very good but inconsistent slider. Offensively, he makes excellent contact, projects as a .300 hitter at the major league level with some decent power potential. Superior athlete also is an outstanding football player.

Chad James (#35/#24)
LHP, Yukon HS (OK). Committed to Oklahoma State.
Great pitcher’s frame at 6-4, 200. Smooth delivery, excellent command. Fastball sits between 91-93 mph, gets up to 95 mph. He also utilizes a really nice curveball and a plus changeup. Mixes in all three pitches well.

Garrett Gould (#37/#25)
RHP, Maize HS (KS). Committed to Wichita State.
Fastball goes 90-94 mph. Low 80s curveball with plus potential. Decent changeup. Probably needs some tweaks to his mechanics.

Signability Players
On Friday we brought you a report on seven first round talents that may slip due to signability concerns. Of those seven, word is that Boston would be interested in Tyler Matzek (#9/#8) and Jacob Turner (#13/#5), but not the others. But don’t believe everything you hear. There are also some recent rumors that independent league RHP Aaron Crow (#8/#7) could slip to the end of the first round, or that the Sox could go after injured catcher Luke Bailey (#190/#96) in later rounds.

http://news.soxprospects.com/

Edited by SoxFanSince57, 08 June 2009 - 11:08 PM.

[bowiac]

Ellsbury over Bogusevic?

Ellsbury over Bogusevic would be a weird example for the "don't draft for need" thing.

1. Bogusevic is a center fielder now. As a draft pick, he was a pitcher primarily I recall, but that's an awfully broad "need" to draft for.

2. Ellsbury was being drafted half a season before Damon was to be a free agent. Center field at the time was very much so a need - hell, even if Damon resigned, the Red Sox had to have known he wasn't long for center field.

3. Ellsbury isn't like lighting the world afire himself. I wouldn't be particularly surprised to see him become a backup sooner rather than later...

I'll go with Masterson, who was taken as the Red Sox thought they were pretty flush with pitching, so much so that they dealt Arroyo that year. Pretty much impossible to figure out who the player they passed on was, as the "position of need" at the time could literally have been any on the diamond. That team had an aging Varitek having a down year, a Youkilis who hadn't yet broken out, a free agent 34 year old second baseman in Loretta, no shortstop at all (albeit a promising Pedroia down in the minors), Lowell (32, and a year away from free agency), Manny (who the team had already placed on waivers), Crisp (looked like a bust already), and the remains of Trot Nixon.

I'll go with Aaron Bates. He just got called up to AAA, and is 25, right? Some nice synergy there or something.

[TomRicardo]

Wow. Keith Law's latest mock has Aaron Crow dropping out of the first round.

I love Law, but is there anyway in hell Crow makes it past Boston and NYY?? I would be utterly shocked.

Sure, if the Red Sox are pretty sure the NYY's aren't going to pick Crow in the first round why would they pick him? They can easily pick him up in the second or third round. He will continue to slide if he gets out of the first round. Anyway, I can see the Yankees picking the best positional player on the board. Also why would the Yankees pick an extremely tough sign when they only have two picks in the first three rounds? Also if either guy doesn't sign there is no compensation.

[SoxScout]

Mississippi's high schools could produce some high-round draftees, like South Panola shortstop David Renfroe, an Ole Miss signee.

Renfroe says he only wants to play infield and doesn't want to be considered as a pitcher, even though he has a fastball in the mid-90s. That could hurt his draft stock, but ESPN.com's Keith Law recently wrote that Renfroe could go as high as the second round.

"I just really want to be an every day player," Renfroe said. "I'm really excited about tomorrow and I'm anxious to see what happens."

Renfroe said the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners have shown the most interest.

http://www.clarionle...317/1287/SPORTS

For Tate High's Jayce Boyd, the suspense has been building for close to a year. Relaxation is still at least many hours away, though.

Boyd is expected to be chosen in the first five rounds of the Major League Baseball amateur draft, which starts today at 5 p.m. with rounds 1-3, but there are variables aplenty that could affect where he goes. Because the third baseman already has signed a full scholarship with Florida State, Tate coach Todd Boyd says his nephew has a dollar amount in mind that he would need to get to pass up the full ride to FSU.

That's not the end, though. Todd Boyd said the Red Sox and Yankees have both inquired about drafting Jayce. If they do, they might place him provisionally on their summer team so they could decide if they wanted to give him his asking price and he could go on to FSU if they didn't. Also, if a team selects him in the first three rounds but fails to sign him, that team receives a 2010 pick in nearly the same slot as this year. So if there's a chance, a team might be willing to take a shot.

http://www.pnj.com/a...ll could go pro

MLB video: http://mlb.mlb.com/m...tent_id=4351713

Showcase profile: http://www.powershow...ile-fl-boyd.php

Seventy-two hours after wearing a brown mortarboard, Max Stassi was hitting balls over the Green Monster.

The catching phenom and Yuba City high baseball standout walked across the stage of Honker Stadium on Friday, boarded a plane to Boston on Saturday and on Monday, stepped onto the field at Fenway Park and auditioned for one of the top organizations in Major League Baseball.

"This morning they set up the whole field just for him to work out," said Max's father and high school coach Jim Stassi. "It was just him and 16 Red Sox's brass and he did an entire workout."

And in the words of the 18-year-old new graduate — "It was great."

"It was a lot of fun, I had a great time there," said Max Stassi. "I hit a couple over the Green Monster."

After the family trip to Boston, which included taking in a game at Fenway, meeting general manager Theo Epstein and hitting balls over baseball's most notorious fence, Stassi admitted he was smitten with the Sox.

"It's a great organization and I hope it works out," he said.

http://www.appeal-de...tassi-high.html

Edited by SoxScout, 09 June 2009 - 04:43 AM.

[Eric Van]

I'll go with Aaron Bates. He just got called up to AAA, and is 25, right? Some nice synergy there or something.

It's funny, I was going to say that the guy they didn't take has had a Bates-like career with the team that did draft him, except he's been a bigger disappointment because he was taken higher.

I will say this, because it is relevant: Pedroia over Suzuki was best over perceived need. In this later case, the guy they liked best was actually at a deep position, as in, where would we play this guy even if he turns out great? So it took some stick-to-your-principles cajones to draft him anyway. And it turned out great. Part of the "don't look too far ahead, things have a way of working themselves out" philosophy.

I might have made it completely obvious now . . . folks who want to entertain themselves by trying to guess (personally I find that kind of puzzle irresistible) should PM me.

Edited by Eric Van, 09 June 2009 - 01:40 AM.

[Hairps]

Here's a summary of projected Sox picks from different mock drafts:

Sox Mocks

	PLAYER	POS	HS/C	SOURCE	PGX RANK
14-May	Renfroe, David	SS/RHP	HS	Rawnsley	33
22-May	Sanchez, Tony	C	C (Boston College)	Goldstein	29
27-May	Stassi, Max	C	HS	Law	31
4-Jun	Stassi, Max	C	HS	Mayo	31
5-Jun	Purke, Matthew	LHP	HS	Ebert	10
5-Jun	Stassi, Max	C	HS	Callis	31
8-Jun	Stassi, Max	C	HS	Rawnsley	31
8-Jun	Turner, Jacob	RHP	HS	Mayo	13
8-Jun	Stassi, Max	C	HS	Law	31
8-Jun	Sanchez, Tony	C	C (Boston College)	Manuel	29
9-Jun	Turner, Jacob	RHP	HS	Callis	13
9-Jun	Stassi, Max	C	HS	Goldstein	31
9-Jun	Turner, Jacob	RHP	HS	Mayo	13

"PGX RANK" is each player's ranking from PGCrossChecker. I've linked to each source site below. They're all great and I'd definitely recommend folks subscribe.

http://insider.espn......ame=mlb_draft
http://www.baseballa...om/today/draft/
http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/
http://www.baseballp...s.com/index.php?
http://mlb.mlb.com/n...0...9&fext=.jsp

EDIT 1: New BA/Callis mock added.
EDIT 2: New BP/Goldstein mock added.
EDIT 3: New MLB/Mayo mock added.

Edited by Hairps, 09 June 2009 - 01:53 PM.

[Hairps]

28. RED SOX. Getting Turner here would be a coup for Boston, which is as aggressive as any team in the draft. Though the Red Sox are willing to spend, they'd pass on Tate and Green and it's unclear how far they'd go for Purke. They'd take Crow as well. Boston needs catching, and could consider high schoolers Myers, J.R. Murphy (Florida) and Max Stassi (California). Georgia first baseman Rich Poythress could slide in here as well.

Projected Pick: JACOB TURNER.

http://www.baseballa...009/268312.html

[Hairps]

28. Boston Red Sox: Everyone assumes that the Red Sox just take signability guys, but that's not totally accurate. They have a real logic and path for each one of those players, and don't just spend money willy nilly. They have to feel the player is worth it, and rumor has it that they don't think the premium high school arms looking for Porcello-type deals are. This will likely be a more straightforward pick, and they've been looking at catchers all year. Tony Sanchez is the easy thought here because of the local connection, but if you measure who was seeing what, they seem to prefer the top high school backstop available, as everyone in the Boston front office and his brother saw Max Stassi this spring. When they were there, he played very well, and they had him in town for an impressive private workout in the days leading up to the draft.
[Projected] Pick: Max Stassi, C, Yuba City HS (CA)

https://baseballpros...?articleid=9031

[Foxy42]

Anyone know of a good twitter feed for the draft?

[Eric Van]

https://baseballpros...?articleid=9031

Goldstein has Texas taking Turner at 14 as a "steal," so he would probably agree with Callis that if he fell to us at 28 we'd take him over Stassi.

The prognosticators seem to agree on two things:

1) It's Stassi unless a signability guy they like falls in their lap
2) The likeliest such guy is Turner

Edited by Eric Van, 09 June 2009 - 12:43 PM.

[templeUsox]

Anyone know of a good twitter feed for the draft?

I'll be tweeting all the picks @templeusox.

[Drocca]

Anyone know of a good twitter feed for the draft?

http://twitter.com/mlbdraft

[Quintanariffic]

Goldstein has Texas taking Turner at 14 as a "steal," so he would probably agree with Callis that if he fell to us at 28 we'd take him over Stassi.

The prognosticators seem to agree on two things:

1) It's Stassi unless a signability guy they like falls in their lap
2) The likeliest such guy is Turner

Some recent reports have Crow and Scheppers falling out of the first round. Both are more highly regarded than Turner. It will be interesting to see what they do if multiple guys fall in their lap.

[Rough Carrigan]

If the yankees do draft Slade Heathcott, as Kevin Goldstein projects, do we just call him Slocumb Heathcliff?

[SoxScout]

4. Pittsburgh Pirates: Tony Sanchez, C, Boston College
Bound to be the first "Huh?" pick of the Draft, Sanchez seemed more like an end-of-first-round supplemental type. But he plays a premium position, and he plays it well, with some pop in his bat to boot. Is it a reach? Could be. But in a muddled Draft class, this could be the time to do this and save money for some later-round selections. Aaron Crow, Zach Wheeler and Grant Green are still being considered.

9. Detroit Tigers: Aaron Crow, RHP, Fort Worth Cats
It looked as though Purke might find a home here, but it's looking as if his bonus demands will make him slide some. But with Crow getting down to this spot, the Tigers won't let him go any farther.

12. Kansas City Royals: Wil Myers, C, Wesleyan Christian Academy, High Point, N.C.
The Royals would be interested if the college arms listed above -- White, Minor, Leake -- got to them at 12, but in this scenario, they'd look elsewhere. College bats such as Green and Sanchez still will be discussed, but the Royals really like what they've seen from Myers, a strong high school bat who's shown some ability to stay behind the plate.

27. Seattle Mariners: Tanner Scheppers, RHP, St. Paul Saints
It was too much for them to consider him at No. 2, though perhaps he belonged in that conversation based on pure stuff. But the shoulder concerns could drop him this far, and after taking the bat at No. 2, the Mariners could opt for an arm here.

28. Boston Red Sox: Jacob Turner, Westminster Christian Academy, St. Louis, Mo.
Here's the tendency to go with the "tough sign," again. Anyone who slides here might be of interest, as the Sox take the best player on the board, usually regardless of signability.

Jonathan Mayo's final mock with players of interest, http://bit.ly/xrRau

No Stassi or Gibson in the 1st.

[sibpin]

I'll be tweeting all the picks @templeusox.

Thanks - will be at Fenway for the game tonight and Sox-only draft info would be great. Hope you can provide 140-character analysis as well.

[redinchicago]

Anyone know of a good twitter feed for the draft?

I'm hoping Goldstein updates throughout the draft..

http://twitter.com/kingclip

[SoxScout]

Sanchez worked out a deal with Pitt according to Law. Unbelievable. I hope the kid does well and I eat crow, but WTF.

[Mystic Merlin]

Sanchez worked out a deal with Pitt according to Law. Unbelievable. I hope the kid does well and I eat crow, but WTF.

If you take pre-draft 'rankings' as either gospel or informed prognostications, then, sure, it's a 'bad' pick. I don't, and given that Huntington and Co. have shown the willingness to lay some cash down in the draft (last year: Alvarez, Grossman), I'm not ready to question this pick.

I mean, seriously, we know about 7821 times less about the MLB Draft than the NFL Draft, year in, year out. These guys are notoriously difficult to project or even evaluate, and all we have to work off of is - at worst - select opinions of random scouts and website scouting reports and - at best - some first-hand knowledge of the player in question.

I'm not trying to be obtuse, but - assuming for a minute we're dealing with remotely sufficient info - what should Pittsburgh do? They can't trade down, and it's apparently unlikely Sanchez will last until their second pick. Why not take the guy they like and know they can sign, regardless of position?

[SoxScout]

You are right about not knowing more than blurbs about these guys... but the guys who get paid to write these blurbs couldn't believe it when this option popped up, what, a week ago? So going by those, his statistical breakdown against other college hitters, and even factoring in his position... it just seems like a reach. I wouldn't be happy, and Pirates fans are pissed. Again, I hope he works out and is awesome.

I'm sure if they pick up a big time signability guy everything with be all sunshine and rainbows..... but piecing together everything about Sanchez, all I can think about is that he's a "rich man's Tim Federowicz."

[Dionysus]

OK, I just got home.. and it's not on ESPN? I don't get MLBN so where can I WATCH the Draft?

[cheekydave]

OK, I just got home.. and it's not on ESPN? I don't get MLBN so where can I WATCH the Draft?

MLB network live at 6

[SoxScout]

Live online: http://mlb.mlb.com/m...aftlive_app.jsp

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

How long does each team get to pick in the first round again?

Edited by Morgan's Magic Snowplow, 09 June 2009 - 04:54 PM.

[redinchicago]

BP roundtable (Goldstein and B Smith):

Draft Chat