2014 Draft class

[DirtySox]

...and now within 4 games in the loss column for the 12th pick in the draft.

 

Ugh.

[flavum]

Ugh.

 

Good day yesterday with a bunch of bad teams winning. Unfortunately the Cubs blew a big lead.

 

66-96 should get the Sox the 3rd or 4th pick.

 

So with 35 left, playing .400 ball would be good. If the Sox go 14-21, the Cubs would have to go 12-22 to tie and get the 3rd pick.

 

Hopefully the Sox get swept by the Rangers, then whatever against the Astros, and then tank on the Boston, New York, Baltimore road trip. 3-7 at best.

[DirtySox]

Thread revival.

 

Kiley McDaniel's Top 50 2014 MLB Draft Prospects as of August 21st. Going to start my draft research/familiarization a few months earlier than usual.

 

http://mlb.scout.com/2/1318151.html

[Quin]

Thread revival.

 

Kiley McDaniel's Top 50 2014 MLB Draft Prospects as of August 21st. Going to start my draft research/familiarization a few months earlier than usual.

 

http://mlb.scout.com/2/1318151.html

 

Kolek looks really intriguing.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Thread revival.

 

Kiley McDaniel's Top 50 2014 MLB Draft Prospects as of August 21st. Going to start my draft research/familiarization a few months earlier than usual.

 

http://mlb.scout.com/2/1318151.html

 

It would be great if Braxton Davidson has an awesome senior year and works his way to a top 3-5 pick. Athletic left-handed 1B who is considered the best pure hitter in the draft and was hitting upperdeck shots at the Metrodome when he was 16? Sign me up. Put Viciedo at 1B for few years while this kid develops, and then slide him right in to 1st base. I don't see any other good offensive lefties in our system for the future, especially none at 1B (sorry Andy Wilkins, you are my AAP, but let's be honest).

[southsider2k5]

It would be great if Braxton Davidson has an awesome senior year and works his way to a top 3-5 pick. Athletic left-handed 1B who is considered the best pure hitter in the draft and was hitting upperdeck shots at the Metrodome when he was 16? Sign me up. Put Viciedo at 1B for few years while this kid develops, and then slide him right in to 1st base. I don't see any other good offensive lefties in our system for the future, especially none at 1B (sorry Andy Wilkins, you are my AAP, but let's be honest).

 

Drafting a 1B at #3? Ew.

[DirtySox]

Kolek looks really intriguing.

 

Agreed. He could have Giolito-esque helium this season. (Before the injury of course.)

 

I'm also starting to warm-up to Alex Jackson.

 

Gatewood is really intriguing too, but a prep player with potential strikeout issues scares me with the organization's inability to develop similar players.

[witesoxfan]

It would be great if Braxton Davidson has an awesome senior year and works his way to a top 3-5 pick. Athletic left-handed 1B who is considered the best pure hitter in the draft and was hitting upperdeck shots at the Metrodome when he was 16? Sign me up. Put Viciedo at 1B for few years while this kid develops, and then slide him right in to 1st base. I don't see any other good offensive lefties in our system for the future, especially none at 1B (sorry Andy Wilkins, you are my AAP, but let's be honest).

 

Barnum is decent, he's just years away. I think he could have a big year next year given a full, healthy offseason.

 

Drafting a 1B at #3? Ew.

 

I agree with this too unless the guy is considered a virtual lock to come up and start hitting right away, and I don't think we'd see that.

[ILMOU]

Hoping that a lefty college bat is the best player available. Although, if a college pitcher, who'd likely be ready in '15-'16, is the best choice, that would allow more opportunity to trade for such a player.

 

I have a feeling that the Rockies will be shopping Cargo sometime between now and next mid-season, and I hope we make a run at him.

Edited September 27, 2013 by Stan Bahnsen

[fathom]

Part of the reason I love having the 3rd pick over the 5th or 6th pick is that if you get 1 or 2 players that blow up this season (ie: J. Gray this year), then you're getting a possible #1 pick talent with the 3rd pick. Rodon is likely to be a top 2 pick, and if Hoffman keeps the momentum going from the Cape Code League, you're looking at 2 big time talents right there.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Drafting a 1B at #3? Ew.

 

Eric Hosmer, Yonder Alonso, Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez, Pat Burrell, Carlos Pena, Todd Helton, Frank Thomas, Will Clark, Mark McGwire were all 1B taken in the top 10 picks recently. In fact, there were only about 4 1B that I saw drafted in the top 10 that I didn't include on this list because they were not very good (guys like Travis Lee).

 

I agree that 1B should be a default position that sluggers fall back in to, but if the consensus really is that this kid has the best pure bat in the draft, and has that plus-plus power, I'm totally fine with getting him at #3 if he has a great senior year in HS, and a lot of that is because he is left-handed. If he was a righty, I wouldn't even be looking in to him honestly.

[witesoxfan]

Eric Hosmer, Yonder Alonso, Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez, Pat Burrell, Carlos Pena, Todd Helton, Frank Thomas, Will Clark, Mark McGwire were all 1B taken in the top 10 picks recently. In fact, there were only about 4 1B that I saw drafted in the top 10 that I didn't include on this list because they were not very good (guys like Travis Lee).

 

I agree that 1B should be a default position that sluggers fall back in to, but if the consensus really is that this kid has the best pure bat in the draft, and has that plus-plus power, I'm totally fine with getting him at #3 if he has a great senior year in HS, and a lot of that is because he is left-handed. If he was a righty, I wouldn't even be looking in to him honestly.

 

Well that's silly too. You take the best player possible, regardless of what they do. This isn't football where guys are almost certain to make it and be productive. There are a ton of guys drafted in the top 10 that don't ever end up doing s***. I mean, you could have the next Frank Thomas available to you at 3, but you wouldn't take him because he's right handed? You might end up with Dmitri Young or Tony Clark then which isn't bad but it's not Frank Thomas, and you could end up with Marc Newfield or Dave McCarty instead.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Well that's silly too. You take the best player possible, regardless of what they do. This isn't football where guys are almost certain to make it and be productive. There are a ton of guys drafted in the top 10 that don't ever end up doing s***. I mean, you could have the next Frank Thomas available to you at 3, but you wouldn't take him because he's right handed? You might end up with Dmitri Young or Tony Clark then which isn't bad but it's not Frank Thomas, and you could end up with Marc Newfield or Dave McCarty instead.

 

Do we not agree that lefties have more value than righties? He was ranked in that article as the #8 prospect in the draft. I am saying if he was right-handed, he would probably be quite a few positions worse, no?

[witesoxfan]

Do we not agree that lefties have more value than righties? He was ranked in that article as the #8 prospect in the draft. I am saying if he was right-handed, he would probably be quite a few positions worse, no?

 

I don't think that matters. Lefties are nice because they will hit righties better. Still, good hitters will hit guys no matter what hand they throw with, and at the top of the draft like that, you are going to find those hitters.

 

Draft the best guy you can, period.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

I don't think that matters. Lefties are nice because they will hit righties better. Still, good hitters will hit guys no matter what hand they throw with, and at the top of the draft like that, you are going to find those hitters.

 

Draft the best guy you can, period.

 

Well, I did say in my original comment, "I hope he has an awesome senior year and is ranked somewhere in the #3-5 spots." Obviously you aren't going to skip a handful of better options to draft for position, but my point was that I hope he plays well enough next year to deserve getting picked at #3, because he sounds like something we need.

Edited September 28, 2013 by Chilihead90

[oldsox]

Hoping that a lefty college bat is the best player available. Although, if a college pitcher, who'd likely be ready in '15-'16, is the best choice, that would allow more opportunity to trade for such a player.

 

I have a feeling that the Rockies will be shopping Cargo sometime between now and next mid-season, and I hope we make a run at him.

I follow the Rockies very closely, Stan, and I gotta ask if you have seen something about their trading Cargo. Not that I wouldn't like to have him with the Sox, even though I am very familiar with his shortcomings. Any trade talk would start with Sale and include other pitchers as well.

[Chicago White Sox]

I follow the Rockies very closely, Stan, and I gotta ask if you have seen something about their trading Cargo. Not that I wouldn't like to have him with the Sox, even though I am very familiar with his shortcomings. Any trade talk would start with Sale and include other pitchers as well.

Sale > Cargo, especially when you factor in the contracts.

[GGajewski18]

I follow the Rockies very closely, Stan, and I gotta ask if you have seen something about their trading Cargo. Not that I wouldn't like to have him with the Sox, even though I am very familiar with his shortcomings. Any trade talk would start with Sale and include other pitchers as well.

 

I would think it would start with Quintana/Santiago, Beck, and others

[ILMOU]

I follow the Rockies very closely, Stan, and I gotta ask if you have seen something about their trading Cargo. Not that I wouldn't like to have him with the Sox, even though I am very familiar with his shortcomings. Any trade talk would start with Sale and include other pitchers as well.

 

I saw it speculated by some writer recently, can't remember where, but it's also a gut feeling based on the huge salary escalations in his and Tulo's contracts starting in 2015, and the storied cheapness of the Monforts. I'm not sold on Bettis, Pomeranz, or any of their other pitching spects, outside of Gray and Butler, and I don't think the Rox are either. Nicasio and Chatwood are still major ?'s. Pitching depth was, is, and always will be the Rox biggest obstacle because no agent will ever let their FA clients sign here, unless it's a no-other-options scenario - they have to get it done with kids and trades. There are also the recent injury concerns with Cargo, but equally or moreso with Tulo, granted. The top position spect is lefty OF David Dahl.

 

In any case, I don't think Sale is a necessary part of the package. Given Pomeranz' failure to this point, and De La Rosa's age and injury history, I think Quintana could be the centerpiece, accompanied by several pitching prospects. IMO, the deals that the Sox are able, or not able, to make will depend largely on creating a logjam of starting pitching blocked by the established MLB'ers. What we really need is for a few of the group that includes: Beck, Snodgress, Cose, Jaye, " the Hound", B. Ortiz, Olacio, Hansen, Danish etc. to emerge as real prospects with quality first-half performances next year - then wheel and deal at the deadline.

 

God knows, the folks around here have seen enough of Jeff Francis.

Edited September 28, 2013 by Stan Bahnsen

[Y2Jimmy0]

Can we talk about the Sox having the 3rd pick now? Still too soon? I wanted to check with everyone before bringing it up again because of the thin skin around here.

[2nd_city_saint787]

Can we talk about the Sox having the 3rd pick now? Still too soon? I wanted to check with everyone before bringing it up again because of the thin skin around here.

 

 

...obviously, seasons over.

[flavum]

The Sox had to match the Cubs the last 27 games to get the 3rd pick. The Cubs went 9-18.

 

No Problemo. The Sox went 7-20.

[BigEdWalsh]

The Sox had to match the Cubs the last 27 games to get the 3rd pick. The Cubs went 9-18.

 

No Problemo. The Sox went 7-20.

We out-sucked the Cubs. Pitiful but in this instance, that's a good thing.

[DirtySox]

Kiley McDaniel's updated High School Top 100:

 

http://sbb.scout.com/2/1331563.html

 

If Alex Jackson shows signs he might be able to stick at catcher I have considerable interest.

 

Also some local boys to take notice of. Might have to catch some High School Baseball this year.

 

71.) Jake Godfrey RHP - Providence Catholic (IL) - Notre Dame

72.) Brad Bass RHP - Lincoln-Way Central (IL) - Notre Dame

87.) Darius Day CF - Simeon (IL) - Arizona

Edited September 30, 2013 by DirtySox

[Boopa1219]

I am really hoping that the Sox draft either Jackson, Kolek or even Gatewood, who I am very high on.

 

I can see Jackson sticking at C where his value would rise, or he can move to either 1B or LF, I can see Kolek can becoming a Jose Fernadez/Matt Harvey/Jonathan Grey type pitcher. Gatewood could become a 30/30 player in the pros, and has really high upside

 

I prefer drafting High School player than their college counterparts, but you always take the best player available.

Edited October 1, 2013 by Joshua Strong