Chisoxfn

Perfect Game recently had an article showing all of the 2006 signing bonuses through the first ten rounds. When you take a look through you'll notice that most of the Sox players were signficiant reaches, as evidenced by the significant smaller signing bonuses compared to what the average player was getting. Next week, I'll put together some actual statistics just to show how much under average the Sox spent on the 06 draft (which was a very horrific draft for the Sox). Probably the worst draft in the last 10 years. Omogrosso and Shelby (albeit McCulloch) were about the only two guys in the first ten rounds that went for near slot money and well they are the only guys in the draft worth mentioning. It is pretty crazy though where you'll see at least a few guys later in the draft that get 6 figure bonuses. I even noticed the Rays and Royals throwing down pretty substantial amounts of cash. http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/articles/Dis...px?article=1304

2-0 Jays?

Before people act as if Cecil is a nonamer, it should be mentioned he was one of the Blue Jays top prospects and is was a #1 draft pick two years ago, IIRC. This isn't a nobody and he has done nothing but pitch exceptionally well in his professional career (shooting through the minors).

QUOTE (chunk23 @ May 15, 2009 -> 10:58 AM) BA Mock Draft 1. Stephen Strasburg (Nationals) 2. Dustin Ackley (Mariners) 3. Grant Green (Padres) 4. Kyle Gibson (Pirates) 5. Alex White (Orioles) 6. Donovan Tate (Giants) 7. Zack Wheeler (Braves) 8. Aaron Crow (Reds) 9. Jacob Turner (Tigers) 10. Chad Jenkins (Nationals) 11. Mike Leake (Rockies) 12. Tanner Scheppers (Royals) 14. Shelby Miller (Rangers) 15. Tim Wheeler (Indians) 16. Matt Purke (Diamondbacks) 17. Bobby Borchering (Diamondbacks) 18. Chad James (Marlins) 19. Rex Brothers (Cardinals) 20. James Paxon (Blue Jays) 21. Everett Williams (Astros) 22. Andy Oliver (Twins) 23. Eric Arnett (White Sox) 24. Mike Trout (Angels) 25. Tyler Skaggs (Angels) 26. Kyle Heckathorn (Brewers) 27. Jared Mitchell (Mariners) 28. Max Stassi (Red Sox) 29. Brett Jackson (Yankees) 30. Tony Sanchez (Rays) 31. AJ Pollock (Cubs) 32. Garrett Gould (Rockies) Here's BA on our projected pick http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/college/?p=1026 I noticed Grant Greens name wasn't on the list. I keep wondering how far his stock has really fallen. Before the college baseball season, Green appeared to be a lock as a top 10 pick and many experts had him going #2 overall with a good season. I know we already have a shortstop but if he really does slide to us I just couldn't pass him up. He's a hell of a talent. Below is a link with some info on him, but I'll definately get something written up on him in the coming week. http://projectprospect.com/article/2009/04...ospect-is-green

On a sidenote, good find on that link Ozzie. Lots of good tidbits in there.

Ah yes, I'm familiar with Perfect Game. Just not the acronym, haha. Alan Simpson is good but I've always thought he tended to over-exaggerate and a guy hitting 96 once on the gun tended to mean he sits at 96. And a guy throwing one really good slider, means he now has a plus slider. Just my two cents, but again all of this is based purely on what I read. In the case of Arnett there wasn't a ton out there but I did see a ton of first hand reports from this season and it sounded like the 2nd and 3rd time through the order teams would start to hit him a bit (still not a lot, given his very good overall numbers) and that it was because he really just had a fastball most of the time and it wasn't one with a lot of life (which means he really does need a pretty darn good secondary pitch as well as good command).

From ProjectProspect.com Pretty telling statistic and if I were a scouting director it would probably scare me a bit about taking a SS super early in the draft. Than again, I tend to believe shortstops are the best athletes in the field and as a rule of thumb I'd draft quite a few of em throughout the draft with a theory they could play any up the middle position.

What happened in the top half of the first for the Sox?

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ May 15, 2009 -> 04:13 PM) PG has a slightly different take on his secondary stuff: Whose PG? I can't say I've seen him pitch, but I'm hoping to catch some footage of his start tonight against Ohio State. If he in fact had a plus slider, I'd say he'd be a lot more interesting, but I read a ton of reports indicating that there is a lot more juice than truth to Arnett (and when I say that I mean there is a lot of hype and that really his stuff isn't as good as advertised at least in terms of what publications are saying). Again, this is based on zero first hand experience when it comes to him, but I read a lot of places indicating that he had a pretty non-existent secondary pitch, although it had improved this year.

BA is 0-3 with 2 strikeouts.

QUOTE (BearSox @ May 15, 2009 -> 04:03 PM) lol, Nix might indeed be the better defender, but Getz is an extremely good defender as well and has done nothing but make great plays at 2B. The slight defensive upgrade at 2B Nix might provide is not worth the defensive dropoff at 3B if we put Getz there. While Nix didn't look great playing 3B for the first time in a year and a total of 9 times in his career, he'd still be a better option at 3B as he has the much better arm. Getz is also thought of as a potential long-term option at 2B, so your better off moving the other guy around as opposed to Getz. Or at least thats Ozzie's though process and I can't argue with it.

Also, just an FYI, if you want to see a comprehensive listing of the write-ups thus far, just look at the very 2nd post on this thread.

Right now it sounds like he might get one last shot as a starter in college but that theres a good chance that ultimately he ends up in the pen, but regardless, he has a shot to be a high impact pitcher. I also agree that I probably pass on him @ 23 (take him over IU's starter though) and pounce on him in the supplemental round.

It doesn't sound like Floyd is screwed. All the facts coming out of LA right now and all the radio show people are talking about how many holes the person bringing the claims has in the story and just how checkered there background is. Floyd would have been really stupid to do something that blatant as well and he doesn't exactly have a history of NCAA violations. Bottom line I don't think USC gets in trouble out of this, especially with people saying that Floyd couldn't have done what was claimed cause he wasn't even with the guy on the alleged dates (he was holding a freaking practice). The reality is we are talking about a guy that thought he was going to mooch off of Mayo and didn't end up getting any of the gravy train and now is deciding he's going to try and make a fuss.

It wouldn't be a baseball draft without me hyping a Titan. I've long said the program grooms great baseball players and while there aren't a ton that go on to become big league stars (Tim Wallach and Aaron Rowand being two of the best) there are a ton of Titans that go on to have productive big league careers. Josh Fellhauer is a guy that I think has a shot at being just that, a productive big leaguer. In fact, I'd even go as far as saying he has a similar skill-set as Aaron Rowand, although I'd say he has a bit less power potential and tools than Rowand did coming out of Fullerton. What Fellhauer does well is everything, despite the lack of awe-dropping tools. I wouldn't consider him a very projectable player but the former high school QB has a very strong arm and is one of the premiere defensive centerfielders in college baseball and projects to be a potential above average defensive centerfielder in the majors. Its a good thing too, because he doesn't have the power ability to stick as a corner outfielder. Fellhauer also possesses a very level and compact swing that has the potential to make him a very very good top of the order hitter (#1/#2) as he should hit for a high average. Despite putting up good numbers his first two years of college (now a junior), he made a big change to his swing this season, which has left it much shorter and more major league ready. Power wise his upside is 10-20 HR's, most likely settling in the 12-15 HR range with lots of doubles. He's shown a good eye in college and has cut the strikeouts every season and is a very smart runner on the paths and does a good job handling the bat which should again make him an asset a-top the order (hit and runs, moving a guy over, bunts, etc). As a whole I think the upside is a .300 hitting, good defensive CFer with 12-15 HR's a season, 15-20 steals, and a .360+ OBP. The odds that he does that might not be as great as some other players because that is probably his pure upside (where as many guys you see touted have far higher upside) but I think he has a semi decent chance of coming close to that upside because of his poise, and just the fact that he's been so well coached and is such a smart, level-headed ball player. Basically put, he's got a shot to be Mark Kotsay out in CF. Again, I'm a bit biased but I tend to have a good track record when it comes to Titans and Titans tend to outperform there draft selection. A Pre-Season All American, I honestly have no idea where Josh is slated to go but my guess is somewhere between the 3rd and 10th rounds and I leave such a large gap there because it really comes down to what scouts think of Fellhauers overall skill-set cause his production, there just isn't any way to knock it. I'd quiet pleased if the Sox took him anytime after the 4th round or so and he should be a relatively easy sign if you get him early enough, despite having another year of college as an option. He's batting 397 on the season with 16 stolen bases (23 attempts), 10 doubles, and 4hr's (179 ab's).

QUOTE (Kalapse @ May 15, 2009 -> 03:31 PM) According to Rongey, Fields much like Alexei last week has been "benched". And he should be. He looks lost at the plate. Hopefully a mental break will be good and that at the same time, him and Walker are working hard core on making some minor adjustments and that he's working big time on those adjustments in the cages.

QUOTE (BearSox @ May 15, 2009 -> 03:23 PM) I agree with ya. I wouldn't want this with either of our top 3 pick. 71 or later would be fine by me, but I see too much risk with this guy. I hate the idea of taking a guy in the first round who doesn't have any sort of secondary pitch and has only flashed a bare minimal potential of a second pitch. It would be one thing if he's shown a plus secondary pitch from time to time cause than you can at least hope you can coach and develop it into benig a consistent pitch but this guy just scares me. Very projectable, but again, your talking about a college age kid, not a high schooler, so will he really add any more velocity? Hell, I'd remotely understand it if he was a lefty, just because its rare to have a power lefty (albeit there are a few real good looking ones in this years draft), but a righty.

By the way, I just want to say...great job so far everyone. There is a ton of great draft stuff out there and we've been doing this for about a week. By the time the draft comes, I think any Soxtalk member that wants to will be able to have a damn good understanding of the draft without every having to leave Soxtalk (and without spending a dime).

Bochering reminds me a bit (just the idea) of a former Sox selection (whom they weren't able to sign out of high school), Wes Hodges. Hodges was a switch hitting 3rd baseman that ended up going to Georgia Tech and is now in AAA with the Tribe. He hasn't put up dominant numbers, but he's been pretty good in his first two minor league seasons (07 and 08) and might get his shot with the Tribe this summer.

It is widely believed that Ken Williams attended at least one of Jackson's games in person. The Sox apparently like his tools a lot, although he hasn't played as good as scouts thought he would this season and that makes him no longer a lock to go in the first round. Still, he's a pretty toolsy player with great athletism who fits into what the Sox seem to be preaching. I wouldn't be at all shocked if the Sox went his way. I still think Trout and Pollack are better fits, but you could make a far worse selection than Brett Jackson. The biggest thing is he still has had problem making contact and high strikeout rates from college players tend to be a pretty good indicator that a player will ultimately struggle to make it in the major leagues. He's striking out around 28% of the time, which is a pretty high strikeout rate for a top collegiate draft pick. For example, Josh Fields (yep, our Josh Fields) was said to have a pretty high strike-out rate in college and that was 18.5% of the time. Bottom line, I wouldn't touch him until the 2nd round, anything earlier is too risky for a guy that still has a lot of flaws in his game. Raw tools are good, but you shouldn't take projects too early, imo, especially with more complete players on the board with similar upside.

With 5 picks in the top 102, Volz (see description below) is the type of guy I would like to see the Sox take a chance on if he slides in the draft. Dynamite arm, just hasn't put it all together yet. In fact, I could compare him a bit to a guy like Luke Hudson or Dexter Carter that had good stuff, but didn't click until they moved to the professional ranks. Now I'm not saying Volz figures it out, but he's the type of guy I'd love to have in the system. I'll write a more detailed write-up later on this week or early next week. From MLB.com

From MLB.com

Baseball America released its first mock draft on 5/14/09 and had the Sox selecting a college righty out of Indiana, Eric Arnett. Some of the power lefties that myself and BearSox have talked about (Brothers/Paxton) were off the board while three outfielders (two college and one prep) we've touted were on the board (Stout - HS, Pollack, Aaron Miller). Pollack went to the Cubs with Stout going to the Angels at pick #24 (right after the Sox pick) with Miller sliding out of the 1st round. Prior to this selection, I can't say I was overly familiar with Arnett, however, he's one of two Hoosiers thats projected to go early in the draft (IU's catcher being the other, who statistically looks like a pretty nice pick for a back-stop). As of May 2nd, he was 9-1 with a 2.49 ERA in 10 games, giving up 58 hits in 76 innings of work. He's widely regarded as the top pitcher in the big ten this year but wasn't on most scouts radars (at least not as a top 5 round selection) prior to the season. In fact, he wasn't even on the radards of college coaches as he was a walk-on at Indiana. However, this year he added velocity to his fastball and improved his command. His fastball sits in the 93-96MPH range, but most reports I've read indicate that the fastball has little life. He mixes that fastball with a developing slider, which at times has looked promising but again is currently a work in progress. If I were to grade him, I think your talking about a guy with a good frame, whose put 3MPH onto his fastball this year and could potentially add additional velocity (6-5, 225) with a developing slider (a year ago, he has no other pitch). Bottom line, this guy could go anywhere from the back of the first round to the third round and any team that grabs him has to hope he has a lot more development left in him. He does sound to have a relatively similar scouting report of former #1 Aaron Poreda, although Poreda had a bit more juice to his fastball and a bit more developed off-speed pitch (albeit not a whole lot more developed). I reiterate that whoever takes him hopes he can really develop some additional pitchers, otherwise the only possibility of him making an impact will be out of the pen. And personally speaking, I hope the Sox stay away from him, at least in the first round. In fact, of all the names I've heard or seen, Arnett is the one that scares me the most. Below is a link to a video of Arnett http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgivHkTgXj4

QUOTE (fathom @ May 15, 2009 -> 02:10 PM) I'll be very disappointed if Beckham's not our starting SS within the next 2 years. I would hate for him to be moved to 3rd base, as that would mean Fields and Viciedo (defensively for Dayan) were busts. Fields is teetering on being a bust and it wouldn't shock me if he was. I hope he figures things out though. But I don't think anyone considered him a slam dunk to succeed.

QUOTE (flavum @ May 15, 2009 -> 02:23 PM) I don't know who any of these players are except Strasburg, but I'm glad the Sox had the 8th pick in the draft last year, and not this year. I was reading somewhere that the Sox have talked and the guys they were looking at were Beckham, Alonso, and Smoak. All of which would have been tremendous picks. And your right, the 8th pick this year would be the equivalent of something like the 20th pick in last years draft in terms of talent. That said, this is a very deep draft, its just there aren't a lot of sure things, particularly because this draft doesn't have near the top end collegiate talent. Hence why guys like Crow/Scheppers might go higher than they did last year and that usually doesn't happen. In Scheppers case, sure, because he fell due to an injury, but all things said, you wouldn't expect a guy like Crow to move up after sitting out a season.