Chisoxfn

Since I don't have a draft tracker, whose on the clock now? And is there going to be a break at all? I want to know if I have time to drive home or if I should stay a little late to catch the Sox pick.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:35 PM) Heckathorn is my projection for #38 Not a bad guess. I expect a college righty.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:34 PM) Because they aren't as good as the people masquarading as experts around here think they are? Either that or signability I'd assume. Might be signability on Brothers, in Scheppers case he had a serious injury and signing issues. No one in there right minds would tell you that a healthy Scheppers isn't one of the 3 or 4 best arms in the entire draft.

I'd take Mitchell over Jackson every day of the week. Both are raw but Mitchell has so much more upside.

Aside from the Sox pick, I've pretty much been a machine today. Someone should pay me a large sum of money to do this for a living, haha.

I was stunned too, still I'm excited. It is fun having these kind of guys in the system.

Cubs have been rumored to be looking for an OF. Is Brett Jackson gone? Wheeler from Sacremento State is there too. If Jacksons there it'll be him, otherwise Wheeler, imo.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:28 PM) I mean if you hate this pick then something is wrong with you. It's a definite hit or miss, but like I said I'll gladly take the gamble on all upside like this. I'm not a fan of Mitchel, but I do like the kid and his intangebles. I'm alot higher on him then when people were slurping C. Young when he was here. To me he's already our best OF potential wise in the minors. Now if he figures it out.. he's Sizemore basically, if not.. he'll be a worse bust than Joe Borchard. Just my two cents. I'll still take Danks but I love that guy.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:28 PM) Does KW pick someone like E. Williams if he's there at 38? He damn well might. I'm not opposed to it either. The Sox new drafting strategy is to get as much talent as possible. They did so already in Mitchell and Williams would fit the bill. I still expect them to opt for a pitcher but if a real good looking high school outfielder is there, one whom they were believed to like a lot at 23, well it be tough to pass on him.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:24 PM) Our next pick is 38. Hopefully someone falls and we take a chance. If we do it, it won't be this early. Sox aren't about to waste a selection.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:23 PM) Quentin is more of a LF? How so. He came up as a RF, played RF in college, and has a very strong arm. I'd think his whole defensive skill set pointed to RF. He gets poor reads on the ball and doesn't have good range. Quentin has good speed for a big, but little acceleration. If it weren't for the fact that Lfers are so bad defensively in general, I'd call Quentin a below average lf. However, based on his competition he's at least average, potential to be above average but he ain't there.

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:24 PM) The selection of Fuentes and Heathcott should give all of you an indication of the variability among Baseball America and how organizations view players. Where are these guys in comparison with how they were valued on Baseball America? Just from the list posted several pages ago, neither were in the Top 30. And Scheppers, Wheeler, Brothers (three players with respective rankings of 9, 16, 17 remain). Every scouting director out tehre said that after the first couple picks, the whole rest of the top few rounds was a royal crapshoot. A guy 10th on one teams board might be 40th on another and vice versa. It is going to be really interesting.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:22 PM) All of his mechanics are bad. And he's shown power? 9 home runs with a metal bat in collegiate ball? He's got the strength to hit them out, but his swing isn't very conducive of hitting the ball hard. Ya he has. He hits the ball hard when he makes contact and has a more line drive approach but the guy flat out smokes the ball when he makes good contact. I think you are far to quick to call yourself a swing expert. A baseball swing isn't about how pretty it is but the suttle intracies. Just cause a swing looks bad doens't mean anything, it is all about the quickness of the hands and his ability to get himself into a hitting plane. He isn't far off from getting himself in a position where he squares up the ball a whole hell of a lot and when he does, its going to go a long way. Thats a big if, but it ain't near as awful as you make it sound like. If his swing was so horrible, he wouldn't be on almost every experts top 30 players and every experts top 2 collegiate athletes. Turns out he was damn near #1 overall on the Sox board.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:20 PM) So on MLB.com they said he projects as a CF'er who can steal bases and hit for power. Do you think thats accurate? Ya, he has a shot at busting, but he's got power potential. He strikes out a ton but he still looks like a power hitting top of the order threat due to his walk totals (he will k a lot though). The concern is if he'll be able to shorten that swing and hit for enough average. If he can, not only will he hit for average, but he'll have pretty damn good power.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:17 PM) I'll disagree about him sticking in CF but definitely agree on more experience. Who knows maybe he might really improve, but when you got Danks in the system who much better, barring a trade you gotta move Mitchell to LF. But hey if he really improves, fine, stick Jordan in LF. But I just dont see the kid being as good defensively in CF though I gotta stop comparing those two. Danks has a corner outfielders arm though. Either way Mitchell is playing CF up until he's blocked by a guy like Danks in the bigs and at that time they'll see whose the better CF with the other going to Lf. However, Quentin is more of a LF so I think they'd be better with Mitchell in CF and Danks in RF.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:16 PM) He hasn't shown any real natural baseball tools. His swing is ugly and if it wasn't for his amazing speed, he'd be a terrible OF. I hope I'm wrong, but I see another bust on our hands. HE's shown speed, power, a good batters eye. His swing isn't even close to ugly, just a bit long.

QUOTE (jenks45monster @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:12 PM) The more I'm reading about Mitchell, the more I'm liking. I'd guess maybe Curtis Granderson type along with the Carl Crawford comparisons. Great athlete, decent power. His swing and defense are in question. His defense is raw but he has the skillset to be a gold glove Cfer. Plenty of speed to go out and get a ball, great acceleration, its just a matter of him getting more experience and with that he should improve at his reads.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:12 PM) I'm so sick of people saying we got the best athlete in the draft, big whoop. Josh Fields is a great athlete as well... I don't give a s*** about athletes, give me baseball players. Fields isn't a great athlete.

I hope Ozzie realizes these guys are his future.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:04 PM) Do you think this is the type of guy you bring up quickly? It looked to me like the guys were saying he was a bit of a project. No, but I have to think the Sox have seen him enough that they have an idea of what to do with his swing and will make a minor adjustment and let him play from there on out. He has a very good eye and really its just a minor hitch in his swing, nothing near as bad as Fields/BA have. But I think he needs a full year in the minors (meaning all of next year) at a minimum. Definately more raw than a Danks.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 05:02 PM) *crickets* Wow. The MLB guys loved this pick, said he had the highest upside of any position player in the draft. Can we look back to see who were the people upset with Beckham being drafted? Mitchell is the best collegiate athlete in the draft. So it isn't a bad pick at all. If you prefered a pitcher or felt that a guy like Trout falls than I could see being upset, but bottom line, the Sox got a toolsy guy and I like that. Danks/Mitchell give the Sox two really toolsy minor league outfielders. Hopefully the Sox can grab a couple nice power arms now. If Phelgey is there they might even take him too and see if he can stick at catcher, but maybe not, since they already have one offensive catcher who might not be able to stick defensively.

From BA

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 04:59 PM) It's fine, the panel for MLB Network likes the pick. I don't mind it, Mitchell has huge potential to give us something we've lacked. The knock by some on Brothers was that they thought he was going to wind up in the pen. I happen to disagree with that assessment but I can't kill the Sox. Mitchell is a 4/5 tool type of talent who hits the s*** out of the ball when he makes contact. He has a nice walk rate, a s***ton of speed and his only big knock are the strikeouts and maybe not a plus arm. I'm surprised but not pissed. I happen to think I'd have went P first and than OF because I think you'd overall get better value going that route as opposed to the other.

4th high profile 2 way player the Sox have taken in about 7 years. Richard/Borchard/Fields being the other notable ones.

And I know nothing...turns out they liked the toolsy outfielders more, haha. I really think the Sox changed there pick based upon need and not who they had as the best guy on there board. Mitchell is a f***ing great athlete though.