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CraigK
Nov 4, 2008

by exmarx

Intruder posted:

The Astros drafted Brock Dykxhoorn

That'll be fun to watch people pronounce

deeks-horn, i believe

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Jim Dwyer
Mar 29, 2014

Craptacular! posted:

Newbie question: This is the first time I've seriously watched a draft. Is it not as important as I've been led to believe? All I've seen is fans hoping their team picks a franchise cornerstone, and MLB shilling it with the usual pomp.

But, there's no international players here. You might find the next McCutchen or Braun here, but if your scouting talent abroad is good enough, saying things like "Oh my god we drafted a pitcher in the first round and not a shortstop we're doomed" seems really hyperbolic.

Is the US developmental system that much better than, say, Latin America? Or is it just that having opinions about Venezuelans etc is hard?

most international players sign at age 16 and are scouted years before that, so they're basically impossible to project because they're not fully grown human beings

GoatSeeGuy
Dec 26, 2003

What if Jerome Walton made me a champion?


Crion posted:

While I don't specifically wish the Cubs ill, I will say I'm looking forward to the days when I never have to see a sentence start "I have enough trust in TheoJed that" again

When you live through Ed Lynch and Larry Homes the bar is pretty low.

Mornacale
Dec 19, 2007

n=y where
y=hope and n=folly,
prospects=lies, win=lose,

self=Pirates

Craptacular! posted:

Newbie question: This is the first time I've seriously watched a draft. Is it not as important as I've been led to believe? All I've seen is fans hoping their team picks a franchise cornerstone, and MLB shilling it with the usual pomp.

But, there's no international players here. You might find the next McCutchen or Braun here, but if your scouting talent abroad is good enough, saying things like "Oh my god we drafted a pitcher in the first round and not a shortstop we're doomed" seems really hyperbolic.

Is the US developmental system that much better than, say, Latin America? Or is it just that having opinions about Venezuelans etc is hard?

Approximately a quarter of MLB players are foreign-born, so a super basic estimate is that the draft is three times as important as international free agency. Plus it all happens at once on a regularly-scheduled date, so it's easier for everyone to get together to fuss about it.

The problem is that drafted players are typically so far away from MLB, and the failure rate is so high, that there's really nothing to do in most cases besides try to mind-read front offices and hope for things to turn out in half a decade. These facts also make it so that it's Really Dumb to freak out about positions, except at the very extremes (if you draft and sign 10 catchers, you're going to have a hard time finding them all time behind the plate), and anyone talking about drafting for need is either uninformed or writing apologia for a lovely draft.

I'm not sure how much this specifically addresses what you're saying.

-----

re: The Cubs, I got into a Twitter argument with a Cubs fan last night who insisted they were saving money for Bukauskas and now I'm smirking. Nice to not be the only cheap team in the NLC having a bad draft.

IcePhoenix
Sep 18, 2005

Take me to your Shida

Mornacale posted:

Approximately a quarter of MLB players are foreign-born

I refuse to believe this is real. Or if it is, I refuse to believe that most of these players aren't taken in the draft because they immigrated.

Mornacale
Dec 19, 2007

n=y where
y=hope and n=folly,
prospects=lies, win=lose,

self=Pirates

IcePhoenix posted:

I refuse to believe this is real. Or if it is, I refuse to believe that most of these players aren't taken in the draft because they immigrated.

The latter is probably true but I'm not going to bother when I think even that number is a good enough indicator of why the draft is important w/r/t IFA.

tadashi
Feb 20, 2006

IcePhoenix posted:

I refuse to believe this is real. Or if it is, I refuse to believe that most of these players aren't taken in the draft because they immigrated.

Almost half of the minor league players are foreign born vs the 1/4 foreign born MLB players.

To me, the importance of the draft is that you don't get to go scoop up a whole bunch of players. You can't afford to screw up those top couple picks. They're also much more costly mistakes if you screw up.

Harlock
Jan 15, 2006

Tap "A" to drink!!!

If you want to listen to a conference call from rounds 11 - 40, MLB.com is airing it.

FlamingLiberal
Jan 18, 2009

Would you like to play a game?



Brewers signed 2nd rounder Monte Harrison for $700K over slot. Originally some thought he wouldn't sign.

Groucho Marxist
Dec 9, 2005

Do you smell what The Mauk is cooking?

FlamingLiberal posted:

Brewers signed 2nd rounder Monte Harrison for $700K over slot. Originally some thought he wouldn't sign.

Nah he's been seen as a pretty easy sign, you would just have to go over slot with a pick in the area he was projected.

Imasalmon
Mar 19, 2003

Meet me in the Hall of Fame
I'm hearing that Aiken has signed for $6.5MM.

Harlock
Jan 15, 2006

Tap "A" to drink!!!

Fun with names

In the 29th Round, the New York Yankees select RHP Mariano Rivera

leokitty
Apr 5, 2005

I live. I die. I live again.

Harlock posted:

Fun with names

In the 29th Round, the New York Yankees select RHP Mariano Rivera

It's his son :ssh:

Paul Zuvella
Dec 7, 2011

Harlock posted:

Fun with names

In the 29th Round, the New York Yankees select RHP Mariano Rivera Jr.

Mornacale
Dec 19, 2007

n=y where
y=hope and n=folly,
prospects=lies, win=lose,

self=Pirates
I figure we may as well use this thread for Draft Pick Chat and Signing News instead of cluttering up N/V.

Anyway, word is that the guy who was widely seen as a reach for the Pirates in round 1, Cole Tucker, was going to be taken by the A's with the very next pick. So that's a little heartening. Also, they've signed him for $1.8M, which is $125,500 under slot.

They've also signed their 6th- and 18th-round picks, woo. :geno:

IcePhoenix
Sep 18, 2005

Take me to your Shida

The Twins signed Gordon for slot and he's already off to Elizibethton (rookie league) so yay.

IMB
Jan 8, 2005
How does an asshole like Bob get such a great kitchen?

Mornacale posted:

re: The Cubs, I got into a Twitter argument with a Cubs fan last night who insisted they were saving money for Bukauskas and now I'm smirking. Nice to not be the only cheap team in the NLC having a bad draft.

They actually had a good draft, so...

IcePhoenix
Sep 18, 2005

Take me to your Shida

IMB posted:

They actually had a good draft, so...

Since you can see into the future can you tell me if Buxton pans out or if his injuries this year threw him off track?

ChampRamp
Mar 29, 2010

:siren: SAVE_US.CHR :siren:

IMB posted:

They actually had a good draft, so...

Wait, you think the Cubs had a good draft? Don't make me internet yell at you.

DannoMack
Aug 1, 2003

i love it when you call me big poppa
The Jays signed Sean Reid-Foley for slot? I thought he was definitely due more than his slot. I don't understand why the Jays are actually signing players.

IMB
Jan 8, 2005
How does an asshole like Bob get such a great kitchen?

ChampRamp posted:

Wait, you think the Cubs had a good draft? Don't make me internet yell at you.

Best college bat, lots of high ceiling arms mixed with org filler. Whats not to like? Its like a consensus good draft.

Mornacale
Dec 19, 2007

n=y where
y=hope and n=folly,
prospects=lies, win=lose,

self=Pirates

IMB posted:

They actually had a good draft, so...

Good for me as a Pirates fan, definitely.

R.D. Mangles
Jan 10, 2004


I'm skeptical that we can just declare drafts great or terrible immediately, especially since all of the pitchers are facing imminent ligament death.

e: But I admit I don't follow prospects or anything at all.

Mornacale
Dec 19, 2007

n=y where
y=hope and n=folly,
prospects=lies, win=lose,

self=Pirates
I think that rating a draft is more about discussing the front office's process than trying to say whether the results will be good or not. Clearly the end result is hugely random, but a bad process makes your chance of a bad result higher.

e: For instance, that's why hearing Oakland wanted Cole Tucker in the 1st was heartening to me for the Pirates draft. Their first two picks were seen as big reaches, but the rest of the draft didn't indicate that it was about saving money to spend elsewhere. Given their past drafts, I don't think that it's just an all-around cheap-out. So essentially the quality of the draft boils down to the idea that the Pirates legitimately thought these were the best players available, and whether I trust their talent evaluations more than BA and Keith Law etc.

Mornacale fucked around with this message at 03:41 on Jun 11, 2014

Intruder
Mar 5, 2003

The Astros have signed

2nd Round pick A.J. Reed
8th Round pick Bobby Boyd
9th Round pick Bryan Radziewski
10th Round pick Jay Gause
40th Round pick Alex Hernandez

They're close to agreements with

1st Round pick Brady Aiken
6th Round pick Brock Dykxhoorn
7th Round pick Derick Velazquez
11th Round pick Dean Deetz
16th Round pick Ramon Laureano
27th Round pick Brandon McNitt
30th Round pick Sean McMullen

DeepDickPizza
Oct 11, 2012

THREE TIME! THREE TIME!

ChampRamp posted:

Wait, you think the Cubs had a good draft? Don't make me internet yell at you.

I think the Cubs had a really solid draft. The consensus top 3 picks (all pitchers) were off the board, so they took what they considered the top bat (at a position of need, to boot). There were a few guys who could be considered the top bat, demonstrating the lack of a sure-thing after the first three picks. They'll hopefully use the savings from drafting Schwarber in the first round to lock up a bunch of tough-sign pitchers that they drafted in the subsequent rounds.

When you can't get a shot at one of the three "sure thing" pitchers, using your slot money wisely to try and lock up a whole bunch of high-upside arms seems like a great strategy. I fail to see what's not to like about the Cubs' draft. There's not exactly a "wow" pick, but there's a ton of guys with a lot of upside.

Intruder
Mar 5, 2003

"Position of need" in the MLB draft :raise:

Monicro
Oct 21, 2010

And you could feel his features in the air
A wide smile and perfect hair
He had complete control of the rising tides
And a medicine bag hanging at his side

In the flowing blue world of the death-dealing physician

Intruder posted:

"Position of need" in the MLB draft :raise:

That and you're kidding yourself if you think he won't be a 1B hth

DeepDickPizza
Oct 11, 2012

THREE TIME! THREE TIME!
I highly doubt Schwarber sticks at catcher, but if there's even a slight chance of it, that has to add a little bit of value, from the Cubs perspective. Anyway, all indications are that they hope he can play LF and Zagunis is the real option to stick behind the plate, but it doesn't hurt to at least try and keep him at the position when there's such a dearth of good catchers in the Cubs' pipeline. And if worse comes to worse and he ends up at first, oh well, he seems like a solid enough bat that he should be moveable in a trade.

Politicalrancor
Jan 29, 2008

240 lbs at 21, jesus christ.

leokitty
Apr 5, 2005

I live. I die. I live again.
The Cubs announced him as not a catcher so don't even waste time speculating about Schwarber at catcher.

DeepDickPizza
Oct 11, 2012

THREE TIME! THREE TIME!
Ok then.

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tadashi
Feb 20, 2006

Does anybody know anything about Eddy Alvarez, the speedskater who was drafted by and just signed with the White Sox, other than it's cool that not every multi-sport player drafted is football/baseball?

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