DRAFT DAY DISCUSSION THREAD

[Jaypers]

Today's the day. :mrgreen:

As we do every year, post anything and everything draft related here. KLaw, Callis and Mayo will have their final Mocks up today, and the guessing deadline for my contest is at 3pm CST, so don't forget to post yours, if you haven't already.

Let's kick this thread off with a question - Which player(s) are you most looking forward to seeing where they get picked?

You can find my answer here, in my latest Bowman Scout blog: My Top 10 Curiosities For the 2013 MLB Draft | Bowman Scout

 

[padremurph]

Kris Bryant for me. Went to a USD game and met him at a Padres game. Super nice guy. Should know by the end of the day if he'll be in draft or 2014 Bowman.

Also curious to see who the Padres select. I'm hoping someone decent drops.

 

[Jaypers]

Jim Callis' Mock 4.0 -- Mock Draft 4.0: The Final Countdown - BaseballAmerica.com

 

[TGutta]

I'll be keeping an eye on Tom Windle since he played for the Gophers, other than that I'm curious to see if any of the top 3 picks fall and if they do, if the Twins will take them or stick with what everyone believes will be Kohl Stewart. Also interested in seeing who takes a chance on Sean Manaea.

 

[rookieaddict]

Anxious to see if STL goes after Jacob Brentz from the St Louis area if he's there. Looks like a pretty exciting young lefty.

 

[MojoDan]

Hoping to see Stanek land in Boston. Also want to see where Peterson and Eades land.

 

[VandyDan]

Tony Kemp. SEC POY and an on-base machine. Gets knocked because of no college power numbers (despite good power numbers in the CCBL, wood bat league), and his small size.

I've watched him from the get go, and if he sticks at second base and can maintain even 75% of his college production, he'll be a 10 year pro.

Should be a steal--I've heard around 4-7 is the round for him.

For today's portion, I'm most interested in Riley Unroe, as he's become something of a personal cheeseball of mine.

 

[Jaypers]

KLaw's final Mock is up. Here are just the names (article is for Insiders) --



Astros 1 Mark AppelPOS: RHPHT: 6-5WT: 215School: Stanford

Cubs 2 Jonathan GrayPOS: RHPHT: 6-4WT: 239School: Oklahoma

Rockies 3 Kris BryantPOS: 3B/OFB/T: R/RHT: 6-5WT: 215School: San Diego

Twins 4 Kohl StewartPOS: RHPHT: 6-3WT: 190School: St. Pius X (Houston)

Indians 5 Colin MoranPOS: 3BB/T: L/RHT: 6-3WT: 215School: North Carolina

Marlins 6 Braden ShipleyPOS: RHPHT: 6-3WT: 190School: Nevada

Red Sox 7 Austin MeadowsPOS: OFB/T: L/LHT: 6-3WT: 200School: Grayson (Ga.) HS

Royals 8 Trey BallPOS: LHP/OFHT: 6-6WT: 180School: New Castle (Ind.) HS

Pirates 9 Reese McGuirePOS: CB/T: L/RHT: 6-1WT: 190School: Kentwood HS (Kent, Wash.)

Blue Jays 10 J.P. CrawfordPOS: SSB/T: L/RHT: 6-2WT: 175School: Lakewood (Calif.) HS

Mets 11 DJ PetersonPOS: 3B/1BB/T: R/RHT: 6-1WT: 205School: New Mexico

Mariners 12 Hunter RenfroePOS: OFB/T: R/RHT: 6-1WT: 216School: Mississippi State

Padres 13 Clint FrazierPOS: OFB/T: R/RHT: 6-1WT: 190School: Loganville (Ga.) HS

Pirates 14 Dominic SmithPOS: 1BB/T: L/LHT: 6-0WT: 195School: Serra HS (Gardena, Calif.)

D-Backs 15 Alex GonzalezPOS: RHPHT: 6-3WT: 200School: Oral Roberts

Phillies 16 Austin WilsonPOS: OFB/T: R/RHT: 6-5WT: 245School: Stanford

White Sox 17 Chris AndersonPOS: RHPHT: 6-4WT: 225School: Jacksonville

Dodgers 18 Ryne StanekPOS: RHPHT: 6-4WT: 190School: Arkansas

Cardinals 19 Tim AndersonPOS: SSB/T: R/RHT: 6-1WT: 180School: East Central CC

Tigers 20 Jonathon CrawfordPOS: RHPHT: 6-3WT: 200School: Florida

Rays 21 Nick CiuffoPOS: CB/T: L/RHT: 6-1WT: 200School: Lexington (S.C.) HS

Orioles 22 Hunter HarveyPOS: RHPHT: 6-3WT: 175School: Bandys HS (Catawba, N.C.)

Rangers 23 Travis DemerittePOS: SSB/T: R/RHT: 6-1WT: 195School: Winder-Barrow HS (Winder, Ga.)

A's 24 Rob KaminskyPOS: LHPHT: 6-0WT: 190School: St. Joseph HS (Montvale, N.J.)

Giants 25 Matt KrookPOS: LHPHT: 6-2WT: 190School: St. Ignatius Prep (Hillsborough, Calif.)

Yankees 26 Eric JagieloPOS: 3BB/T: L/RHT: 6-3WT: 215School: Notre Dame

Reds 27 Jon DenneyPOS: CB/T: R/RHT: 6-2WT: 205School: Yukon (Okla.) HS

Cardinals 28 Devin WilliamsPOS: RHPHT: 6-3WT: 172School: Hazelwood (Mo.) West HS

Rays 29 Hunter DozierPOS: SSB/T: R/RHT: 6-4WT: 220School: Stephen F. Austin

Rangers 30 Kyle SerranoPOS: RHPHT: 6-0WT: 185School: Farragut (Tenn.) HS

Braves 31 Hunter GreenPOS: LHPHT: 6-5WT: 220School: Warren East HS (Bowling Green, Ky.)

Yankees 32 Billy McKinneyPOS: OFB/T: L/LHT: 6-2WT: 195School: Plano (Texas) West HS

Yankees 33 Ian ClarkinPOS: LHPHT: 6-2WT: 190School: Madison HS (San Diego)
__________________

 

[longbomberz]

JP, do you know how long each team has to pick in the first round?

 

[Jaypers]

JP, do you know how long each team has to pick in the first round?

5 minutes.

Sent from my XT907 using Freedom Card Board mobile app

 

[Jaypers]

And here is Mayo's final Mock:

Jonathan Gray still looking like No. 1 overall pick in MLB First-Year Player Draft | MLB.com: News

 

[Seiya]

Would be awesome if Frazier fell to the Padres, I think they take the best player available.

 

[TBTwinsFan]

I'll be keeping an eye on Tom Windle since he played for the Gophers, other than that I'm curious to see if any of the top 3 picks fall and if they do, if the Twins will take them or stick with what everyone believes will be Kohl Stewart. Also interested in seeing who takes a chance on Sean Manaea.

Agreed on Windle!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2WCuKHRk2Q

 

[BowmanChromeAddict]

For me, I'm most interested in any player that has had a Bowman USA release to date and Alex Gonzalez of Oral Roberts U (my alma mater).

 

[TBTwinsFan]

As for tonight, I'll be looking for Tom Windle to get the nod. He's on the edge though. Seeing a lot of articles where he may go later in the first, but don't put a ton of faith in that fact.

Otherwise, I'll be looking for former local high school talent, Northwoods League guys, and guys from my school.

 

[beefycheddar]

Looking forward most to see how two former USA guys in John Simms and Jake Rodriguez do over the draft. Here is an amazing article about Jake. His first game on the Cape last summer was the first game I ever took my son to, and what turned out to be the last game I ever watched with my father before he passed.

“Why do bad things happen to good people?”
It’s a common cliche that gets thrown around all too often; but it’s the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Falmouth Commodore catcher/second baseman Jake Rodriguez.
The returning Oregon State junior was activated nearly two weeks after the beginning of the season, and unlike some ballplayers who arrive tardy because of the College World Series or making up final exams, Jake suited up late because of a recent loss: the death of his father, coach and friend Marco Rodriguez.
On June 7, as Jake was hitting in the OSU batting cages, he received a phone call from his mother, Nancy, saying that his father, known to family and friends simply as Tony, had been rushed to the hospital in an ambulance due to shortness of breath. Jake immediately packed his bags, got in his car with his girlfriend, Ashley, and drove over 500 miles south to his then-hometown of Elk Grove, California, arriving after 2 AM on Friday.
It was discovered that Tony, a traveling businessman working for a label-making company based in Chicago, had a blood clot in his leg and would have to stay at the hospital until it dissolved.
Once Jake had the opportunity to visit his father, he and his three sisters did so, and they spent all of Friday at his side. Then the next day, Jake spent the entire day with his dad, one-on-one, before he had to leave Sunday for a final exam the following day back at OSU.
The Rodriguezes spoke to the doctors that Sunday, who said that the blood clot had dispersed and he was “good to go.”
Jake sat and talked with his dad for another hour and a half before hitting the road, but about an hour into his trip he received a phone call from his sister Meagan, telling him he needed to come back.
When he arrived home he found out the news; the clot had actually migrated to his lung, obstructed his blood flow and caused a sudden death. Tony was only 43 years old.
As Jake sat on the right field bleachers of the Arnie Allen Diamond and retold the surreal story of his father’s recent death, tears welled in his eyes and he called it “the worst day of my life.”
“He was a great role model for me on and off the field,” said Jake of his father, who had been his baseball coach up until age 11. “I learned everything from him, and he made me want to be a better person.”
“He was a man that took pride in leadership skills and was never one to judge others,” Jake continued, saying that when he someday becomes a father, he hopes he can become the type of father that he had growing up.
In that last Saturday of Tony’s life, he helped Jake set his goals for the summer and beyond, getting him excited for the upcoming Commodores season.
“He wouldn’t want anything else for me right now, than me being out here playing baseball,” said Jake. “He wanted me to come out here, not just from a baseball standpoint, but just as a learning experience in general.”
Last summer Jake’s father, mother and three sisters came out to watch him, and even got a chance to see him play in the Cape League All-Star Game at Fenway Park.
But this summer his father will only be with him in spirit, which, for Jake, is comforting: “I know he’ll be helping me get through the summer down here, that’s for sure.”
In his much-anticipated return to the Commodores, Jake arrived 11 games into the season, stepped into the batters’ box of Cotuit’s Lowell Park on June 27 for the first time since his father’s death, and took one mighty swing, connecting with a thunderous crack.
Now Jake Rodriguez is not a home-run hitter.
In 251 career at bats with the Beavers, Rodriguez has hit only three home runs.
As for last summer, as an all-star member of Falmouth: zero home runs in 162 at bats.
But by the time this ball had landed, it had traveled well beyond the 399-foot marker in center field, and Jake was traveling around the bases with a mix of emotions.
“When I first came to bat, I just wanted to get my bat on the ball and get a hit,”Jake said. “I wasn’t really thinking, and my mind was clear.”
However, once he began that home run trot, thoughts of his father raced through his mind.
“It was probably one of the craziest moments of my life,” said Jake. “I know it was emotional for my mom and grandparents as well [who were listening in Chicago].” Jake’s mother and sister moved back to the city where he was born, 10 minutes from his beloved Wrigley Field, because his father had recently been called back to work at his previous work location. Despite his death, the family completed the move with Jake’s help and support.
Commodores Coach Jeff Trundy was emotional as well about Jake’s first game back, which also included an RBI double, a stolen base, a successful pickoff to second and a run-saving tag at the plate.
“To have him start the season off in that manner [with] all that he’s gone through... it sent chills up and down my spine,” said Trundy. “I love Jake Rodriguez, and obviously he’s a very, very good player, but he’s even a better person. He’s just a kid that you want to be around every single day.”
And every single day this summer, Jake plans to arrive to the ballpark to work with resilience, gaining confidence as a hitter, knowing that his dad is watching him in each and every at bat.
But back to that un-Jake-like monstrous home run in Cotuit: Where did that sudden surge of power come from?
Just ask Jake; he’ll tell you he wasn’t swinging that bat alone. He’ll say that his dad, Tony, had his hands wrapped around the wooden handle as well, right on top of his.
And for the Commodores’ sake, they hope Tony is swinging that bat with Jake all season long.

That was the biggest "Disney" moment I will ever see in person.

 

[SydBarrett]

I'm just hoping the Mariners are able to land one of the outfield highschooler's. I guess I would be okay with Peterson as a consolation.

 

[19braves77]

Heard Seattle loves Bickford the way they loved Walker when he was a prep player.

 

[George_Calfas]

FIGHTINGILLINI.COM - Justin Parr Bio

 

[baseballguy350]

I'll be selfish, and say all I care about in the draft is Jaypers' super Puig Metal contest.

My original unedited submission back on May 29th of Appel, Gray, Bryant, Stewart, Moran, Shipley, Frazier, Ball, McGuire, Meadows looks pretty good, but I would have edited it, swapping Gray and Appel, if someone hadn't already done so earlier, eliminating the tiebreaker.

Secondary interest is my beloved Red Sox picking as high as they have since Trot Nixon. Should be fun.