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College Team Profiles
So far…
The UNC and Texas editions were from last year, so expect both to be updated in the coming weeks. The LSU one is current, but needs to be finished. My goal is to knock a few of these out a week from now all the way until the draft in June, but they’ll be published as works in progress rather than finished products. So, maybe I start by picking three college teams at random — say, Vanderbilt, UC-Riverside, and Toledo — and then add three or four players to each team profile a day. This way we can spread around the brief scouting blurbs that normally come with each profile among multiple teams instead of just one.
Important Interjection —> The College Team Profiles aren’t meant to replace whatever day-to-day content you’d normally see around here. I’d rather they supplement the good stuff than replace anything. So if this sounds boring or not all that useful in the grand scheme of things, don’t worry. Plenty of rankings, lists, and mocks will still be ready to go.
Anyway, the actual point of this post is pretty simple – are there any teams you’d want to see done first? Top 10 teams? Big conference schools? Smaller schools? Teams with talented players eligible for the 2010 draft? Or teams with younger talent who won’t be ready until 2011 or 2012? Any preferences?
Happy New Year
The plan was to have the very first mock draft of 2010 up and ready for the new year, but — and really what else is new? — plans changed. Here’s the new plan for the upcoming week. Expect to see the following…
- 2010 Mock Draft
- Completed LSU College Team Profile
- Completed Top 25 High School Righthanded Pitching Prospects List, with commentary
After that, I’m up for anything. I really like doing the College Team Profiles, but they chew up my daily alloted baseball writing time very, very quickly. I thought the quick scouting blurbs on Jameson Taillon and AJ Cole worked pretty well, so maybe I can do a couple more of those on some other top prep prospects. Positional rankings are always good (e.g. Top 20 High School Middle Infielders), and I would also like to rework some of the Big Board rankings now that I’ve had some time to catch up on everything.
Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated, as always. And now for a quick sneak peak at the aforementioned first mock of 2010…
1. Washington – Bryce Harper (really going out on a limb here, I know)
5. Cleveland – Drew Pomeranz (don’t love the player, but having a very difficult time getting a read on any kind of drafting patterns out of Cleveland)
10. Oakland – Nick Castellanos (love the player, but risky matching the A’s up with a high schooler)
15. Texas – Cam Bedrosian (again, love the player and am willing to stick my neck out that he’ll be a first rounder even as his stock has slipped in comparison to some of those other high upside prep righties)
20. Boston – Yordy Cabrera (wild card drafting team gets one of 2010’s wild card talents)
25. St Louis – Sammy Solis (anticipating a big spring out of Solis as he anchors what could be a potentially epic USD pitching staff)
30. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Kolbrin Vitek (you know I’m not one to play the “different for the sake of different” card, but I do like to mention certain players as late first round possibilities that may not quite get exposure on a larger stage…ready for your turn in the spotlight, Mr.Vitek?)
October Baseball
Confession time – I’m a Phillies fan. Knowing that, I hope it is understandable why posting here has been sporadic at best over the past month. I thought I’d be able to be a real person (like, you know, go to work every day), obsessively follow the Phillies through October/early November, and begin posting semi-regularly again. I underestimated my baseball fandom, a mistake I won’t soon make again.
Thanks to all who have stuck with the site what with all of our “short breaks” over the past few months. I’ve been quietly pouring over all kinds of random scouting reports, watching video and live action at both high school showcases and college fall ball, and doing the best I can to convince my limited contacts to spill their guts about the new crop of draft-eligible talent. New thrice-weekly posting offseason posting schedule will be rolled out soon, along with plenty of new college and high school player profiles.
What’s Next?
I’m a guy who likes a good plan. I’m also a guy who likes making plans only to forget them mere seconds after committing to them. In an effort to remedy that second problem of mine, here’s what’s in store over the next few weeks…
- 2010 Mock Draft 1.0
- Position Breakdowns (Top Tens)
- College Team Profiles
- Class of 2011 Quick Preview
I’m sure I’m forgetting other good stuff I’ve either a) promised in the past, or b) should have thought of, but can’t come up with at the moment because, well, I stink at thinking off the top of my head like this. What am I missing?
October 5th
Back live on October 5th (not coincidentally the first day without baseball for the majority of big league fans) with tons of new content and, fingers crossed, a brand spanking new site interface.
More Site News
I feel bad that almost everything on the site post-draft has been news about the site and the general direction where things are heading, but you won’t have to put up with it much longer. After thinking it over for a good 5 minutes or so, I’ve decided I might as well go ahead and call what started out as an early summer period of sporadic posting activity what it really is. Time for an official mid to late summer hiatus.
I know what you’re thinking – how will life go on without the high quality analysis and information provided by The Baseball Draft Report? Wait, you’re not thinking that? Not at all? Not even a little? Ouch. Well, here’s the latest and greatest revision of my master plan all the same. I’m hoping to pop in with some of those random updates as promised, so if it’s a reallllllly slow day at work and you’ve read literally every other interesting site on the internet already, check back here on the off-chance you’ll be rewarded with a stray 2010 draft tidbit or two. That’ll cover the three weeks or so until my triumphant return. When will that be? Hey, thanks for asking!
The timing of the reemergence of the site is most excellent, in my humble opinion. Expect a return to a fairly regular blogging schedule on or shortly after the 2009 MLB Draft signing deadline. By August 17th (give or take), things will finally begin to take shape around here. Team-by-team draft report cards will be ready to go (doing them after the deadline made too much sense to me – the timeliness, or lack thereof, is sub-optimal, but the overall quality of the product will be worth it), a mock draft will be finally set to see the light of day, and never before seen 2010 prospect/college team previews will surface. All that plus another site redesign that has boom or bust written all over. Could be the best thing I’ve ever done from a tech standpoint, or could be an ugly, clunky, unimaginative mess. I’m excited to find out one way or another…
I’ll still be checking in daily (more or less) until mid-August, so feel free to drop a line in the comments or via email (thebaseballdraftreport at gmail dot com). I’ve got a terrible memory when it comes to keeping track of which comments I’ve responded to and which I haven’t (it’s not personal at all, I’m just a tad absent-minded when it comes to communication), so don’t feel bashful when it comes to badgering me for responses to something I’ve missed.
Time now for me to get writing…
Eastern League All-Star Game Redux
I’ve put off writing anything of consequence about the Eastern League All-Star game because, while the game was competitive on the field, there wasn’t a whole lot to get excited about from a prospect standpoint. Sure, there were some big names in the game. And, yes, some of those big names played prominent roles in deciding the outcome of a closely contested game. Something about the All-Star game environment, however, made the action on the field feel secondary to the spectacle of the surrounding entertainment. I don’t mean that as a criticism; in fact, even though I came to the game with pen and notebook in hand prepared to watch as the student of the game I so often pretend to be, I found myself enjoying the game in an entirely different, far more relaxed way than usual. I explored the park, sampled the well above-average Thunder concession stand menu, drank just enough to cause me to forget which team was which once or twice, and did plenty of people watching (always a treat at a minor league park, doubly so in a locale such as Trenton). Of course, that didn’t mean I completely ignored the action on the field. After the jump, a few meandering thoughts leftover from last Wednesday’s AA All-Star Game…
Eastern League All-Star Game
On a whim — spontaneity is my middle name, after all — I decided to snag a couple tickets to tonight’s Eastern League All-Star Game (AA) in beautiful downtown Trenton, New Jersey. At least a few of our readers out there aren’t just Google-driven searches stopping by trying to hunt down the latest draft signing updates or gratuitous pictures of pretty girls; we’ve got some hardcore prospect followers who actually keep up with players once they turn pro. I do try my best at staying up with all levels of baseball’s prospectdom, honest, but sometimes trying to track all these players and all these teams and all these levels of competition leaves me disoriented and completely overwhelmed, lost in a sea of seemingly never-ending prospects. Chuck me a life preserver of knowledge and let me know if I’ve overlooked any big names to watch heading into tonight’s game; I’ll be forever grateful. Here’s what I’ve got so far:
Northern Division —> Zach McAllister, Anthony Slama, Junichi Tazawa (not playing), Madison Bumgarner (not playing), Brian Jeroloman, Jesus Montero, Josh Thole (not playing), Lars Anderson, Whit Robbins
Southern Division —> Daniel Moskos, Joe Savery, Vance Worley, Hector Rondon (not playing), Alex Avila, Carlos Santana, Brian Friday, Beau Mills, Quintin Berry, Mike Taylor, Nick Weglarz
My attempt to tie this back into the overarching theme of the website — that would be the draft, if the name of the site wasn’t enough of a giveaway — centers on a couple of the college guys I remember well from my days working on the periphery of the baseball industry before I started up the site. Ah yes, those were the days. I remember seeing Jeroloman, Robbins, and Moskos play live and in color on more than a few occasions back in their carefree college years. Come to think of it, those were my carefree college years as well – no student loan payments, no rent checks, no 403(b)’s, no heightened expectations to straighten up and fly right. Those really were the days. Anyway, I’m pretty sure I wrote some nasty things about Jeroloman (couldn’t hit), some glowing things about Robbins (as pretty an amateur lefty stroke as I had seen in person, damn near almost brought a tear to my eye), and some largely apathetic things about Moskos (mechanical issues, little projection left in his arm, inconsistent stuff…but still a varied enough repertoire that I thought he could be a back of the rotation big league starting pitcher with time). It’ll be cool to see how my opinion has changed of each young fella, not to mention the fun it’ll be to check out some of the really big boppers (Montero, Anderson, Santana, Mills, Taylor, and Weglarz) scheduled to appear in the game.
So, who am I missing? Or, who on the list is someone I should pay extra special attention to? Or, should I just skip the game entirely and see what other fun, legal or otherwise, I can conjure up in Trenton on a Wednesday night?
Still Alive…and Ready for Another Site Update!
[Slight changes going on around here, so if you want to be surprised or hate meta-blog posts then you might want to skip this one and check back again later in the day. I always feel a little silly getting all meta and writing about the site itself (I mean, who even reads this anyway, you know?), so I’d understand if this gets skipped over. I wrote today’s post specifically for any daily reader of the site (thanks, by the way) to know exactly what is going on with the direction of the site. I also wrote it for myself. See, for me anyway, this is all a trick to get motivated and committed to follow self-imposed publicly seen deadlines. So, read it or skip it, it’s all good, but just know that real stuff is coming…]
Summer is my time for relaxed scheduling around here, but we have a new plan of action that calls for a slightly tighter schedule going forward. I hope/think it’ll work out. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far, let me know if any of this makes sense. It’s a combination of explaining what I’ve been up to (good stuff, hopefully) and what I’d like to do going forward…
I’ve been working pretty hard at finding ways to make time to sit down and focus on writing up certain features for the site (i.e. draft report cards and player/college preview profiles for 2010) while also doing the behind-the-scenes digging (like going to games and showcases, checking out video, making calls and emails to people way smarter and better connected than I’ll ever be) that helps me actually back up some of the silly things I write. I enjoy all of that, no doubt. However, I can’t shake the feeling of guilt when I don’t have anything I deem worthwhile to plaster up on the site, especially when I go longer than a day or two without any kind of update.
So, the new plan: totally random notes that require little writing prep time (fun fact about me – I hate writing), but serve as interesting (hopefully) and topical jumping off points for more involved features to come. For example, in doing my digging on 2010 prep pitchers I’ve come across a wealth of information on some really interesting names for the next year’s draft. Under my current system, I file it all away until…well, I’m not really sure. What am I waiting for? I started this site wanting to do “features,” and I still kind of like the idea of that, but my real goal was to just share as much info as I can with people who care about this stuff as much as I do. Waiting on sharing good information so that I can put it in a nice article-style post runs counter to what I’m trying to do. I realize now that I work better when I just type. Get info, do a little more digging, get a little more info…then type. It’ll be way more of a natural process for me, one where I don’t have to literally set aside time each day to sit at a desk and try to find the motivation to write about the 29th round pick of the White Sox for grading purposes. (By the way, White Sox are next on my list of 2009 draft report cards!). So, the new plan: totally random notes pertaining to the draft whenever I feel like it (these should come early and often) while simultaneously continuing some of the long-range features that I’d like to get done before the end of summer (report cards, early mock drafts, and anything else we can come up with). I’m digging this plan so far, and I really think it’ll work out better for all involved…especially the readers who check in every day wanting to see something new (thanks again for reading, it’s been a blast and you are all a huge part why).
Last but not least, first round signing post will be updated at some point later today. I’m not sure how useful that is to a hardcore draft follower, but it seems to be pretty handy for fans just popping in to check on their favorite team’s first round pick. I really should focus more on draft signings, especially those difficult to sign mid-round high school guys, but, quite frankly, all of that bores me. It’s all posturing until signing day, anyway…wake me up August 17th, then we’ll talk. I guess that attitude doesn’t make a ton of sense (you could say the same thing about all the pre-draft hype – who cares that you are projecting Player X to go to Team Y, you’ll find it all out for real on draft day), but what can I really say? It just doesn’t get me all excited. For now, I’ll stick to my minuscule coverage of first round signings only. So stay tuned for that update later today, if interested.
Signings Update and College World Series Championship Live Blog
How are things? Just swell, I trust. Alright, enough about you. Let’s talk about me. Here’s what I’ve been up to when not traveling too far to go to rained out rookie league games…
First, I updated the signings page. I did it quickly — really, can you blame me? It’s important info, no doubt, but boring to write/talk about, I think — so feel free to jump in and offer any corrections or changes you see fit. I’m making up the slot/above slot/under slot distinctions as I go because, quite truthfully, I’m not really sure how I stand on the issue of MLB’s suggestion that bonuses be reduced by 10% across the board. I mean, it wasn’t a formal request, right? I know for a fact that some teams just laughed it off, so can we really claim that it’s the new standard for this year’s “slot” bonuses?
I can’t decide on what standard I should follow, and, like I alluded to earlier, I find the whole slot/above slot/under slot aspect of the draft to be the most tiring draft quirk to follow. What I’m trying to say is, I won’t lose too much sleep if I’m off on some of my big bold colored claims I’ve been making. If a correction needs to be made, call me out on it and I’ll happily oblige.
I’ve also spent time contemplating on which of the immediate post-2009 draft projects (team grades, round-by-round discussion, or a 2010 mock) I want to get to first. Decisions, decisions.
Lastly, I made the executive decision to sit on the couch and watch baseball tonight. There’s a pretty important college game going on, so I’m going to use the occasion as an excuse to watch entertaining baseball under the guise of doing the “work” of updating this too long dormant site of mine (I hate going a day without something up here, let alone almost a week). Check back later tonight for live updates and draft-related commentary about Game 1 of the College World Series.
What’s Next?
Where do we go from here? I’ve got some ideas for the next few days that I think will be worth a read including, but not limited to:
- Another “Live” Blog Covering Day 3
- 2009 MLB Draft Grades (including best/worst pick, closest to bigs, best tools, and anything else I can think of)
- Best Pick by Round (1-50)
- 2010 Mock Draft (never too early)
- A Full Night’s Sleep!
The 2009 MLB Draft Countdown Begins…
Less than a week remains until the 2009 MLB Draft…crazy, right? We need a plan. Here’s my tentative schedule for the next few days, but feel free to add any suggestion you’d like to see – I’m nothing if not flexible.
Friday – Mock Draft 3.0 (with commentary)
I’m thinking I ought to make that my last mock of the season, for no other reason than any updated version would admittedly be mostly a rehash of the great final mock that Jim Callis at Baseball America puts together. I obviously use BA, Baseball Prospectus, and PG Crosschecker as resources during the year, but I try not to be swayed too much by their respective mocks. It’s a tough balancing act — keeping up with what the excellent mainstream publications are saying while also incorporating my own opinions and sources — but I’d like to think it’s worked out pretty well so far. That’s just a long way of saying that I don’t want the temptation of plagarizing too much of Callis’s awesome final mock (Mock v4.0 will be posted on BA on Tuesday morning, by the way) to get in the way of what I hope will be a pretty good final mock of my own.
Weekend – First Day (Top 3 Round) Mock; Personal Big Board of 2009 Draft Prospects
I want to expand the mock to the entire first day, but it’s more of an exercise in seeing whether or not I’m capable of doing it rather than any kind of attempt to accurately guess who goes where. Yeah, that’s a cop-out, but it’s better than me lying, right? I’m excited to put the final touches on my Big Board, but unsure how big it’ll wind up being…it’ll be at least 75 players deep, but it could be as massive as 300 players.
Monday – Shadow Draft Rules; Random Sleepers I Like; Last Minute Draft News Updates
I’ve shadow drafted the top few picks for the Phillies the past few years, so maybe I’ll dig up some old stuff on that. I’ll also lay out my plans for maybe doing a new team this year – teams that pick in the middle of each round are optimal, I think, and the Phillies aren’t that team this year.
Tuesday – Christmas in June Live Blog (starting 4ish)
I can’t wait.
MVN MLB Outsider: 2009 MLB Mock Draft Selections
I mentioned it briefly earlier in the week, but I participated in the MVN MLB Outsider: 2009 Mock Draft. Out of context my turn as the Angels scouting director may not be the most interesting read (that’s why I linked to the whole mock – it’s full of pretty interesting opinions on who is going where and well worth a look), but if you take it as a mini scouting report on the drafted players (Skaggs and Williams) then it sort of works as a stand alone piece. Anyway, I did my best Eddie Bane impression and came up with the following:
1.24 Los Angeles Angels: LHSP Tyler Skaggs
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are in prime position to completely restock a rapidly declining farm system with five selections in the draft’s first 48 overall picks. Relatively weak draft or not, scouting director Eddie Bane and his staff are no doubt as geared up for June 9th as Vlad Guerrero sitting on a 3-0 meatball. As much fun as it must be for the Angels front office to actually, you know, have early round picks at their disposal (they haven’t had a first rounder in two years), it’s also serious business for a franchise that has seen their young talent supply dwindle as the decade has rolled along.
So, what to get the farm system that needs everything? The Angels have shown a proclivity towards youth and upside over experience and polish. Due to the desire to get their hands on prospects as early in their development as possible, Eddie Bane has explicitly stated his preference for drafting high school players over college players, all other factors being equal. Keeping that in mind, and noting that potential college targets (Rich Poythress and Rex Brothers to name two) are already off the board, the Angels first pick of the first round is LHSP Tyler Skaggs from Santa Monica HS in California.
In a draft year loaded with high upside prep pitching, the Angels figure to be in on any number of the talented high school arms. Of the pitchers left on the board, Skaggs represents the most impressive blend of projectability and present skills. The Californian portsider is unusually mature for a high school lefthander with a build and curveball that evoke memories of a young, effective Barry Zito. If the comparison to the former Oakland A’s star is unbecoming to an interested Angels fan, then perhaps a more palatable name would be Colorado’s first round pick last year, Christian Friedrich. The similarities in scouting profiles describing both Friedrich and Skaggs are uncanny, but Skaggs has the advantages of youth and projection on his side.
His excellent performance against his tough Southern California high school competition and extensive high level tournament experience give scouts confidence that he’ll make a smooth transition to professional ball. His fastball currently sits at a solid-average 88-90 MPH, but plus movement and above-average command of the pitch make it a good one at present. His aforementioned slow low-70s CB is a plus pitch already. A big part of Skaggs’ success going forward hinges on the development of a solid third offering; whether or not his slowly developing slider or his little used, but promising changeup emerges as that pitch remains to be seen.
Buying on Skaggs means believing in his ability to add bulk to his 6-5, 180 pound frame as a professional. If he fills out as hoped, he’ll be in a much better position to unleash the full potential of his fastball velocity, but it’s far from a guarantee. Even so, a potential mid-90s plus fastball, a present plus curve, and the chance at developing a third above-average offering (I’m a believer in the change, for what it’s worth) make Skaggs a likely target of a team that loves their high reward high school pitchers.
1.25 Los Angeles Angels: OF Everett Williams
Before getting into which player fits the Angels draft blueprint best, I think it’s wise to make note of the franchise’s willingness to bust slot and draft players with signability red flags in recent years. If a player drops due to signability concerns, then you can be sure scouting director Eddie Bane has confidence that owner Arte Moreno will pony up the big bucks to take advantage. The Angels track record of snagging risky signs in late rounds (Jordan Walden in the 12th, the late Nick Adenhart in the 14th round, and Mark Trumbo in the 18th, and) may not show a perfect correlation to their enthusiasm in taking an early round faller, but it does show a pretty clear pattern of an ownership group willing to spend an extra dollar (give or take seven hundred fifty thousand dollars) to get the player they identify as having the best value with each pick. Players like Grant Green, Donavan Tate, Jacob Turner, Tyler Matzek, Matt Purke, and Shelby Miller all might want to at least mentally prepare for the possibility that they could slide right into the mid-20s and become Angels property before the end of the summer. Get those base tans, flip flops, and board shorts ready just in case, gentlemen.
Assuming the draft board shakes out like it has here so far (no big fallers), the Angels may be faced with their choice of yet another premium prep prospect. Everett Williams is a fast rising, tools-laden high school outfielder from McCallum HS in Austin, Texas. Despite early reports comparing him to speedsters like Houston’s Michael Bourn and fellow 2009 Draft prospect Brian Goodwin, Williams is a different kind of player with a unique power/speed blend. What makes Williams stand out from Goodwin and the rest of the crowded prep outfielder peer group is his ceiling with the bat. Scouts were slow to accept Williams’ near-plus raw power because it didn’t quite look right coming from his thin 5-10, 175 pound frame. The already substantial power took another step forward this spring as Williams followed through on a commitment to adding muscle, putting on close to 15 pounds of good weight since last summer. Combine that with a very strong throwing arm, enough speed and athleticism to easily stick in centerfield, and you’ve got a player that profiles favorably to Detroit outfielder Curtis Granderson. Everett Williams is, like Tyler Skaggs before him, another high upside high school pick for the Angels that just makes sense.
A closing thought as I run up against the maximum word threshold – watch out for the Angels popping University of Washington OF/QB Jake Locker with an early mid-round pick (early as round 4, late as round 7). Adenhart, Trumbo, and Walden were all risky signability picks, but Eddie Bane and his staff did their homework to know exactly how much each player needed to sign on the dotted line. Locker’s commitment to football and time away from baseball make him as risky a signability pick as any player in the draft, but his raw tools are good enough that some team will call an all-out blitz in an attempt to get him signed. That team will be the Angels, you heard it here first.
Business First, Texas Second
On this week’s agenda: respond to comments/emails, update links on the sidebar, finish Texas team profile, publish new first round tiers post, publish new mock draft…and get to anything else topical that comes to mind.
For now, the first three writeups from the “College Team Profile – Texas” post that I had hoped to have completed by now, but couldn’t because of a wonky laptop. Yeah, I know – excuses, excuses.
One of the most popular (fine, the only) question I’ve been emailed since starting this site up goes a little something like this: I’m going to see ____ University/College/State play this weekend and I was wondering if there was anybody with a professional future that would be worth watching. The College Team Profiles are designed to preemptively answer any and all questions about the prospects from a particular college team…or maybe just open up a whole new set of questions, we’ll see. The next three draft classes for one particular school are featured, with the players ranked in order (great to less great) within each class.
As always, whether you agree, disagree, or think I’m a dope who should leave this sort of stuff to the experts (thanks, Mom)…let’s hear it via email (thebaseballdraftreport@gmail.com) or in the comments section.
Introducing three draft-eligible players of note from yooooooour number one national seed, the Texas Longhorns…
- 2009: Brandon Belt – 1B
I’m a very big fan of the toolsy Belt, something that is easy to admit after he put it all together with a .342/.432/.582 season line in a pitcher’s park this past year. He has a pretty lefthanded swing that has a tendency to get too long at times. That same swing has a setup that resembles Jeff Bagwell’s right down to the deep crouch though I promise that the comparison is more of a fun frame of reference for nostalgia’s sake than any kind of baseball skills comp. Belt has good size (6-5, 205) with above-average power potential. In fact, he has already shown that his player plays with wood. He has a very good arm and is a plus athlete, two factors that had teams scouting him as a lefthanded pitcher out of high school and junior college. Belt is a fourth to eighth round possibility that will no doubt spend his draft day hoping to break his own personal 11th round curse – he’s twice been drafted in that very round. The aforementioned pitching experience is an added perk that could make him a realistic conversion candidate if hitting doesn’t work out professionally.
- 2009: David Hernandez – SS
Hernandez is little more than an organizational type, but only because of his ability to play shortstop. He doesn’t have it in him to contribute anything meaningful with the bat, but could develop with the glove to advance a level or two professional over time. Even though I don’t like him as a prospect, I think he’ll be a mid-round draft for a team in need of a rookie ball middle infielder. I’d put money on him returning to the Longhorns for his senior year.
- 2009: Austin Wood (SR) – LHRP
A rubber-armed closer capable of pitching multi-inning games, Wood has a tremendous work ethic and plenty of big game experience. He doesn’t throw particularly hard and he doesn’t have have a shutdown breaking ball, but he throws from a modified sidearm slot that lefthanded batters have a very tough time dealing with. It’s easy to typecast Wood as a LOOGY and nothing more going forward, but his success as both a multi-inning closer and starting pitcher during his career at Texas should afford him the opportunity to at least get a chance in middle relief as a pro. He’s another mid-round candidate that will be drafted more for organizational depth than anything, but he has a shot at a big league career if drafted by the right team.
Monday Bullets
A few quick bullet points to start the week off right. I’ll apologize in advance for the fact that they are almost all meta-bullets…I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately and this seemed like as good a place as any to unclog some of my jammed up thoughts. Sorry again, that’s a gross metaphor. Here’s what I came up with so far…
- I’ve gotten to as many comments as I can, but there are still a few left that I’m looking forward to responding to. I make it a point to respond to every comment I get, so if you have been eagerly anticipating a response then most of you will be pleasantly surprised that I’ve finally caught up. If you could care less about me responding, well…carry on. If you want reach me via email instead of through the comment section, that’s fine by me. Get in touch at thebaseballdraftreport @ gmail.com (no spaces though).
- My confession: This site wasn’t designed with 2009 in mind. I’m a long-range planner, believe it or not, so when I first decided to get in on this I knew deep down that there wouldn’t be enough time between my start up in February and the draft in June to sit down and publish all of the information I’ve been collecting. In fact, that’s the problem that is killing me right now – information overload. I’ve got lots of information, information that I think is good and worth sharing, but not enough time to sift through it, organize it into a string of cohesive thoughts, and then pretty it up so that it’s ready to be published for the masses to tear it apart (I do love that last part). On top of that, I want to evolve past being primarily a hunter-gatherer of information and settle into a website with roots – we’re talking more firsthand accounts, guest pieces from people way smarter than I’ll ever be, interviews and analysis from inside sources, and more in-depth scouting reports. In the meantime, I’m faced with the dilemma of picking and choosing what is most important to get out in front of the ’09 Draft. I still think positional lists are useful, so that’s something I want to cover. Mocks aplenty, of course. I want to bust out my own personal big board (with the accompanying lists of my own personal favorites), plus a consensus big board that hopefully will reflect how the first 100 picks or so will go down. There may be more of a post-draft focus this year because it’ll be easier for me to deal with less time sensitive material – I can digest each team’s picks and do that instant-grading thing that so many columnists tear apart every year (I still love it and I always will – who doesn’t enjoy reading post-NFL Draft report cards?). Any other definite features that I should add but am forgetting? I don’t want the site to get bogged town into solely worrying about who will go where in the first round, but I get easily frustrated when I realize there isn’t enough time for me to report on every draft eligible player that I have info on. That’s when I fall back on just worrying about the first round, something I know I don’t want to do. But if I begin talking about my favorite high school third basemen from Utah, then I know I’ll eventually get mad at myself for not having enough time to talk about my favorite (insert position) from (insert state) from (insert age grouping). It’s hard to run a website when you are crazy, you know? I need a plan…
- I seriously have a little black book chock full of…wait for it…brief scouting reports of players from the draft. Give me a second to reflect on how cool that makes me. It would be one thing if the book wasn’t literally little and black, but it is. Oh, it is. If it was a normal sized notebook with Hannah Montana or someone on the cover, that would be alright. But, no, it had to be little and black. I am that suave, sophisticated, charming ladies man that you see out and about hitting up the local nightlife. Me and my little black book. I value it quite highly, even though on more than one occasion I have been stopped by a stranger who wanted to know if I always carried a bible around with me. Do kids today still have little black books? I guess they probably have evolved into little BlackBerries, right? Man, now I sound like Andy Rooney. I’m too young to sound this old. Did kids ever actually use little black books? That always seemed like more of a TV/movie device than anything else, but maybe I was just never big time enough to know any differently. Anyway, yes, I do have a little black book full of draft notes. That has all of my positional rankings in it. I think it’s about time I just get into those – no more messing around with other things, no more getting distracted with my job or my moving into a new place, none of that. So, if you made it this far in this rambly disjointed mess of a post, get ready for a week or so of rapid fire position-by-position lists of the top draft prospects for 2009. This is the short-term plan, but it is, like so much of what I do here, subject to change at a moment’s notice.
- Lastly, Strasburg/Ackley as the first two picks? Is this something we can all agree on? Strasburg is a slam dunk, we know that much, but is Ackley such a clear front runner for the second spot that we can finally begin to pencil him in with confidence?
The Baseball Draft Report 