maggsmaggs

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 1, 2014 -> 03:13 PM) The big difference with this strategy is the dollars. Think of it in terms of percentages. If you've got a guy who is willing to sign for 10% under slot and you have the 17th pick, that becomes $210k you save; that's enough to give a 5th/6th round pick 3rd-round money. But if you've got the #3 pick and the guy signs for 10% under slot, that's $560k. That's the dollar value of a late 3rd round pick. That's enough money to give a 4th rounder 2nd-round money. That is a very good point.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 1, 2014 -> 02:39 PM) They could of course still do the opposite, find a guy that will sign for a tiny bit under slot at #3, allowing them to sign the equivalent of an extra 2nd or 3rd round draft pick maybe more than once in the top 10. I would think that strategy would be more useful with a mid-first-round selection rather than top five. But who knows?

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Apr 1, 2014 -> 02:11 PM) Couldn't agree more. The 2010 draft was incredibly successful with Chris Sale alone, never mind any future contributions from Jake Petricka or Matt Davidson (thru Addison Reed, who was taken in the 3rd). I'm guessing not many people care that Jose Ramos, the 20th round pick that year, was not very good playing professional baseball. That's why the Sox likely will be taking some more college seniors than usual in the first 10 rounds. Easy signs, low bonuses to offset the higher bonus that whomever we take at No. 3 will command.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Mar 30, 2014 -> 05:30 PM) The reason they are talking him up could be because they don't want the decision on whether to take him at 3 or not. I don't believe there's any way they take a Boras "client" at three. I'd be surprised if it were even an option. Pre-2012 CBA, yes. But now with the post-2012 CBA bonus caps, I think it is much more likely.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Mar 30, 2014 -> 11:27 AM) Finnegan should be closing in on the Top 10. No idea what Law thinks of him, but I'll bet Law will say: Short, two plus pitches, destined for relief. Not that it is actually true (see Chris Sale), but I'll bet he is not high on him.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Mar 29, 2014 -> 12:54 PM) Drafting an amateur player is about PROJECTION. NOT stats. While true, it certainly negatively impacts his projection when he is an average pitcher against bad college competition. If he can't dominate the UMBC's of the world, that is quite telling.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Mar 28, 2014 -> 03:25 PM) But Maryland-Baltimore County isn't exactly a powerhouse baseball program, are they? Yeah, I honestly can't call than a good start for Hoffman when UMBC is 5-11 with a team BA of .245, OBP of .316 and SLG of .318. Facing such subpar competition as that, he has to be better. I wanted Hoffman to start the year, now I want no part of him. I can't trust a guy who puts up mediocre numbers versus mediocre competition regardless of stuff.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Mar 27, 2014 -> 03:14 PM) He has a career FIP of 2.79 and career rates of 10.4 K/9 and 4.1 K/BB. He had a surgery his sophomore season and got shut down by management in another. I don't care how it is happening, but he is not staying healthy and not finishing seasons.

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 27, 2014 -> 12:52 PM) Reading this thread makes me not want any of them. Well when there isn't a once-in-generation type like Strasburg or Harper, every top prospect is gonna have warts. And hell look at Strasburg, he hasn't had nearly the impact people thought he would have. Granted, he has had injuries.

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 26, 2014 -> 10:06 AM) Lamarr Houston can play DT too. There are lots of ways to rotate in Young. In passing situations, Houston will definitely move inside and Young can play outside. In the modern NFL, you can't have enough pass rushers. And the Bears are still really only three-deep with proven DE talent, so there is definitely enough snaps to go around. Plus, Allen will probably be more effective with less snaps so he can stay fresh. I really think the Bears should draft some combination of S, DT and CB in the first three rounds of the Draft. In my perfect world: R.1 = Clinton-Dix Really hard to get elite safeties unless you draft high. R. 2 = Hageman or Tuitt (hopefully one falls) DT is very deep, so a good one will drop. R. 3 = Jean-Baptiste Big CB in the mold of Sherman. R. 4 = Gaines CB from Mizzou, he is a really good player, just look at how he held down Mike Evans. R. 5 = RB Thomas Jack of all trades from Oregon, who could be used in various roles. R. 6 = Lyerla Oregon TE, Major red flags and off-the-field issues, but maybe Long takes him under his wing since both share a similar story. Regardless we have no depth at TE and he can be an elite player if he ever cleans up. R. 6 = BPA

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Mar 25, 2014 -> 03:20 PM) Honestly at this point I'm straddling the fence with circulation to my nutsack being cut off. If Rodon still wants 1-1 money as the thid pick then I take Aiken without question. If Rodon isn't looking for 1-1 money and pitches well then I lean his direction. Its a tough call at this point with a lot of baseball to be played between now and June. With the option of going to college, Aiken probably has more leverage than Rodon and might be looking for similar amounts of money.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 23, 2014 -> 12:02 PM) Any confirmation Sox won't owe Boggs money for this year? Rotoworld makes it seem like they'll owe him 1.1 Rotoworld also recently posted that Leury Garcia was the heir apparent to Alexei, so...Always take what they say with a grain of salt.

QUOTE (Springfield SoxFan @ Mar 23, 2014 -> 08:45 AM) For what its worth, yesterday during the Sox/Giants broadcast, Hawks was very critical of taking a high school pitcher in the first round of a draft. All the more reason to then. Hawk is a boob. There is no doubt taking a high school pitchers presents a huge risk because of their age, lack of playing top competition, overuse, maturity, on and on, but if your scouts say the high school kid is the BPA, you take him despite him being a high school pitcher. As evidenced by his various gripes against sabermetrics, Hawk's opinion these days is about as valuable as a nickel.

My top three at the moment would have to be: 1. Rondon, 2. Beede and 3. Kolek. You cannot deny that Kolek has elite stuff that is once in a blue moon for a high school pitcher. I really do not care if he takes three years to make the majors, if he is the guy who projects the best for the future of all the guys remaining at the number three spot, I think the sox should pull the trigger even if it is at the expense of someone who could possibly contribute within a year.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Mar 15, 2014 -> 09:41 AM) Nola's really - deadly command and control. Just doesn't have the stuff for top 5. Gives off a Lance Broadway vibe.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Mar 15, 2014 -> 08:41 AM) THAT'S FANTASTIC! (for the rest of the NFC North) As a part-time player, he will be solid. But as a full-time starter, he is nothing more than an average DE. Packers have money, so I think it is an overall solid signing for them. That being said, Willie Young is probably a better player than Peppers going forward and will be making like much less.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Mar 11, 2014 -> 12:53 PM) i dont believe Peppers can be merely cut and re-signed. I think he has to be either restructured or let go. Otherwise you would think a lot of teams would pull that stunt in order to lower cap hits It is essentially the same thing. The reason you re-structure is you still want to retain the player's rights. If you release and then attempt to re-sign, he then has an opportunity to field offers from other teams. If you re-structure, he can't. Definitely is legal under the CBA to release, then re-sign. Happens a lot with borderline 53-man roster players.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Mar 10, 2014 -> 01:29 PM) This is what I need to be convinced of regarding Beede. Does he have Ace stuff? That's from MLB Pipeline. He's walked five batters in 25 innings this year, which is very good. So it looks like at least early on he has harnessed his stuff. Based on the scouting report, does not seem like he would be considered an "Ace" but more so a No. 2. Aces generally have two elite-level pitches. But if the Sox are looking for the best combination of stuff and production at No. 3, you figure Beede might be the guy

On the year, 2.12 ERA, 29.2 innings, 21 hits and 45/6 K to BB. My main reservation about Nola is the lack of dominant stuff. At No. 3, can you really take a middle-of-the-rotation guy even if he is a safe bet to reach his potential? Then again, Finnegan whom I really like, could end up a reliever. Beede definitely looks to be the guy who has leaped into the conversation at No. 3 with Hoffman and Kolek.

Second-round pick possibility: Aramis Garcia, Catcher, Florida International. Baseball America had a nice write-up on him a week ago and he is projected to go right around where our second-round pick is. However, he may be exploding this year. Everything indicates he can stay at catcher, very solid defensively, great arm and a great leader. Offense has been great this year for FIU. .457 BA, .548 OBP (7 BB to 2 SO), .629 SLG (1 2B, 1 3B and 1 HR).

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 26, 2014 -> 11:20 AM) The Yankees are not giving up slot money this year. They actually might be willing to considering they are already planning on spending above the cap by more than 15%. Essentially trading away international cap space just is a monetary move for them, costing them more in tax. It could be an interesting option for them to acquire players since other teams do not want to exceed the cap. Instead of giving a team $2 million in a trade, they could give them $1 million in international cap space, which is probably more valuable to receiving team, yet costs the Yankees the same as the $2 million they could have just traded in a deal. There are certain restrictions, however, in trading international cap space though, so it may not fly in this type of deal.

The best option has to be Murphy. FanGraphs ranked him the No. 2 prospect in the Yankees system and he is the youngest (at 22). By far, the most potential and a legit starting catching prospect. I am not sure Beckham alone could get the deal done. But both teams dealing from a position of strength.

QUOTE (southside hitman @ Feb 24, 2014 -> 09:31 AM) That body type scares me. 6'5'', 250 at 18 years old? I suppose it's the same concerns for a Chris Sale type of build, but at least he was a proven college pitcher. If you look at him in any of the scouting videos, he is not a fat guy. Most of the weight is in the legs, no real signs of a gut. I mean, the kid is from nowheresville (Shepherd), Texas and probably has been living on fat, greasy southern cooking his entire life. If he gets on a professional exercise regimen and diet, that will take care of all problems. That is why the draft interview process is so crucial in determining someone's wok ethic, drive, etc. to make sure he will put in the work to be physically fit.

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 21, 2014 -> 04:44 PM) Brandon Finnegan of TCU with another dominating start: 7IP, 6 hits, 0 ER, 0BB/9K Finnegan is real interesting. Plus fastball (93-95, 70 pitch according to MLB Pipeline), slider (60 pitch according to MLB) and developing change. Granted the competition is not the greatest so far and its real early, but you gotta love the Ks and low BB totals.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Feb 6, 2014 -> 11:06 AM) Dan Bernstein ‏@dan_bernstein Sources: #Cubs frustration w/rooftops' intransigence is high enough that they are discussing "unavoidable prospect" of options elsewhere. I am very dubious of Bernstein and his sources. His sources always say something vague and obvious, making me question if he really has sources or is just trying to make himself look important. Regardless, this is a leverage play by the Cubs. They have put so much money into that area in the last few years, that they are not going to move. The Cubs entire value is tied in with Wrigley and Wrigleyville. They can't leave. They won't leave. They don't want to see their franchise valuation tank by moving to Schaumburg.