caulfield12

I see some of those “southern” guys fit in on the Twitter spectrum quite well with Gordon Beckham...oh, well. And Bohm might have given the worst interview in a decade (granted, the interview questions weren’t exactly penetrating, either.) As far as Jack Parkman’s comment, the OTHER problem with high school hitters is that when you really hit paydirt with a superstar like Harper or Machado, 1) they won’t even consider signing an extension at age 24-26 and 2) you lose them right when they hit their athletic peaks, ages 26-29/30. So another team gets to piggyback off the fruits of your labors, so to speak.

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/mlb/article212507244.html Local story (Sacramento Bee) on Madrigal, his family, anecdotes about his baseball career growing up and the significance of being the highest player drafted from that region of California.

Except those high school players in Rounds 2-5 aren't exactly "blue chip" stocks. They're more like a cross between "penny/OTC" stocks and the NASDAQ in terms of their eventual success rates. Teams could draft 9 high school guys from Rounds 2-10 and only a couple (if they were lucky) would even make it to the big leagues.

Very simple solution...raise the EITC high enough where there are MORE significant/appreciable incentives to work (especially for single mothers), otherwise, the long-term costs to society of children not being raised well will more than offset any short-term benefits from saving money that would have been allocated to welfare/WIC/AFDC/food stamps payments by the government. if single mothers could not get any welfare, they would not start "taking responsibilities for their actions" they would start getting more abortions...not to mention, welfare can be a very good thing for a single parent. Do you have any idea how much raising a child costs? A lot of single mothers are young and don't have a college degree, and needless to say, if you're struggling with the financial responsibilities of raising a child you are not earning enough to go to college and eventually get a degree to fix that matter. single parents sometimes need welfare to make sure their child doesn't DIE. i mean, what do you think is the bigger loss, tax dollars, or the lives of children through malnourishment or illness without medication? sure, there are some woman out there who keep having kids in order to collect more welfare, don't find a job, basically take from the systems money, but there are people who abuse every privileged, the world isn't perfect and neither is welfare. also, in terms of child support. the money received from the father is not enough to raise a child. it's just help, and if you have sex with a woman, the child is every much of yours as it is hers, so you really should be helping her pay for it. men need to take just as much responsibility for their actions as woman. and a woman does not trick a man into impregnating her..i mean, there are a few independent cases, but really? morning sickness, looking like the good year blimp, difficulty moving around, CHILD BIRTH. that's not worth your money, especially since it's not enough to pay for the child and then have an additional income anyways. having a child is actually still losing money from your income for the woman, even with child support. not to mention, my sister is on food stamps and receiving child support AND a working woman and she's still barely making ends meet. i mean, when you have kids, you can't exactly run out and work 80 hours a week, and the hours you do get at some low paying job really doesn't cut it. she is taking responsibility. she made a mistake, but she kept the kid, she's raising it, she's out there working, and she's getting a little help, because without it, she'd probably be living in the car, my nephew wouldn't have enough food, and i'm honestly sick to my stomach thinking about what could happen to him. me? i was assaulted and ended up pregnant. i'm not on welfare, nor am i getting child support because of my situation (his money isn't worth him being in my son's life even the slightest). i'm stripping to earn an income and working a couple days a week at a hospital (to fill in the employment gaps on future applications and also to get benefits). i'm taking responsibility, and i didn't even do anything to lead to the pregnancy, except maybe trust someone i thought was a long time friend. him on the other hand? this is all on him. i wouldn't have been pregnant if he'd stayed the f*ck away from me, yet where is he? no clue. he's not paying child support, doesn't have to be a part of the kid's life nor does he want to, and basically got off scotch free (while i had a kit done, no charges were pressed. the deal was if he stayed completely out of my life and my son's life, he wouldn't have to pick out an outfit for court). so, not only is child support and welfare sometimes necessary for single mothers (as i know i would definitely need it had i not decided to strip), but it's not just the woman who has to take responsibility. it's the man. and it's not just the woman who "don't", according to you, it goes both ways. there are a lot of woman out there completely caring for their children while the father's life hasn't changed at all. so, basically, if welfare and child support were taken away, almost every single parent depending on it would end up on the streets and the mortality rate of children would go up. in addition to that, more woman would get abortions. yes. you came up with a brilliant idea, didn't you? https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AwrE19VOKRZbCzQAUAhXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTByMjB0aG5zBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?qid=20110302165004AAc8sKK

I doubt they'll bring in more than one closer...likely a closer and MAYBE a veteran set-up guy like an Addison Reed. Depends on whether or not Nate Jones is traded, to an extent. Brantley and AJ Pollock are the two best outfielders...Pollock was looking at a $100+ million deal before going down to injury yet again. Could see Moustakas/Donaldson (if his value falls off a cliff to the point where the risk is worth it), Brantley and a top reliever as the three biggest adds without breaking the bank. Just don't trust guys in their walk year putting up HUGE numbers and then falling off as soon as they've signed huge megadeals (especially playing for what's likely to be a .500, at best, team in 2019).

Is Aaron Ashby former MLB catcher Alan's son?

Oblique strain. Out for the rest of (the collegiate) season. Came back too early and re-injured it in May.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/10-degrees-manny-machado-vs-bryce-harper-frenzy-two-biggest-money-contracts-american-pro-sports-history-162619590.html Passan argues that Machado SHOULD get the biggest contract (but might not because of "marketing" factors surrounding Harper) Players trending up: Michael Brantley, Trevor Cahill, Jeurys Familia, Tyler Flowers, Gio Gonzalez (3 times?), Yasmani Grandal, JA Happ, Jeremy Hellickson, Joe Kelly, Jed Lowrie, Nick Markakis, Leonys Martin, Moustakas, Bud Norris, Adam Ottavino, Wilson Ramos, Garrett Richards, Tyson Ross, Kelvin Herrera Five relievers. Six starting pitchers in there that all would be potential Sox targets. Also, valuing Dallas Keuchel appropriately will be an interesting one to watch. Two catchers in Ramos and Grandal (looking less likely with development of Collins/Zavala)...doubt we take back Tyler Flowers, but strange things have happened. Would now have to go Michael Brantley (who also has an injury history) over AJ Pollock because of the cumulative number of injuries...and also taking away a key member of the Indians/divisional opponent.

Dunning with one of his rougher outings of the season. Still think Jimenez isn't going anywhere until after the Southern League All-Star game. The more interesting question is how long both Collins and Zavala remain with the Barons...popular choice is pushing up Seby to Charlotte first because of his age/experience.

Hard to imagine Swish didn't call the Yankees first and really push them to let him to do it....because you think someone more representative like a Bernie Williams or Jorge Posada type. Definitely not Nick Swisher.

Interesting we drafted an injured player...hopefully they'll let that oblique strain heal 100% before he goes to Kanny or W-S Walker was the Sooners' leading hitter this season, hitting .352 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs — all team highs. Walker struggled early in the season before finding a groove showing why he was considered one of the top collegiate bats in the country going into the season. Walker's Oklahoma season ended after the regular season when he suffered an oblique strain in the regular-season finale at Kansas on May 19 and then aggravated the injury two days later in practice. Walker missed the Big 12 Tournament and the Sooners' regional at Florida State. Murray, the Sooners' center fielder, was picked by the Oakland A's with the No. 9 overall pick earlier Monday. https://newsok.com/article/5596986/steele-walker-oklahomas-junior-outfielder-is-the-second-sooners-player-taken-in-mondays-first-two-rounds

At least we didn't take another Louisville outfielder?

Few players in the 2018 college Draft class can match Walker's track record with wood bats. He led the Northwoods League with a .406 batting average in the summer of 2016 and was Team USA's most productive hitter last summer. His pure hitting ability gives him a chance to become the first Oklahoma position player selected in the first round since John Russell in 1982. Thanks to his hand-eye coordination, pitch recognition and controlled approach, Walker repeatedly laces line drives to all fields. He's not big but he has a quick left-handed swing and some deceptive strength that should produce at least average power. Though he makes contact so easily, he continues to hone his plate discipline and draws his share of walks. Walker's bat is his lone above-average tool and will have to carry him. While he uses his savvy to get the job done in center and right field for the Sooners, his average speed and fringy arm likely will push him to left field in pro ball. Scouts do love his instincts and makeup. mlb.com This is a bit of a strange one...in the sense that we already have Robert, Jimenez, Adolfo, Rutherford, Basabe, Fisher, Call, Gonzalez, etc. And that he basically only has ONE plus tool. If he can only play LF, that leaves his options pretty limited in this organization.

The addition of Madrigal provides depth up the middle and a safety net in case Moncada or Anderson don't end up as the players the White Sox envisioned. Plus, it's possible Madrigal - or either Moncada or Anderson - could be moved around the field to a different position should there be too many high-quality middle infielders on the big league roster one day, certainly something Rick Hahn and his front office would describe as a good problem to have. "You look at it and you say, ‘Can he play another position? Can he play third? Can he play short? Can he play center?' Because he can run," White Sox scouting director Nick Hostetler said of Madrigal on a recent White Sox Talk Podcast. "All of those factors are yet to be answered because we don't really know. We haven't seen enough. There isn't a big enough sample size for us to say, ‘Yes he can.' We have to look at the tools, the way the body works, the way the feet work in sync. There's a chance. I'd give this kid a chance to play anywhere on the field this year." For now, the White Sox added the draft's highest-ranked position player, per MLB.com's rankings, and a new star to their rebuilding effort. The drama now becomes where Madrigal will rank among his fellow White Sox prospects as he begins his development in the minor leagues. https://www.yahoo.com/sports/welcome-rebuild-white-sox-add-233145954.html

Have to really like the McClanahan pick for the Rays, hopefully they can keep him healthy...

Competitive Balance Draft Picks. Definition. Competitive Balance Draft picks were implemented in the 2012-16 Collective Bargaining Agreement to create an additional way for small-market and low-revenue clubs to add talent to their organizations. OSU picks all over the place...

Maybe they coached Thomas a little to make it SEEM like he wasn't interested in going to the White Sox at all (diversion!)...then the White Sox strike and we find out they already had a deal worked out with him well in advance.

orgying?

The Astros have so many guys who are DH/1B types already....Gattis, McCann, JD Davis, Tyler White, Gurriel...but why not go for it? Much better risk than the Cubs took with Schwarber at #4, although that's still worked out okay for them.

I already noted the power is mostly of the Doubles variety, but I think more could come. The first thing I’d do if I drafted Madrigal is introduce him to the squat machine and tell him to get super acquainted with it. He needs more low end in his swing, a lot more. He’s such a good contact hitter I wouldn’t want to overhaul his swing entirely but I would tweak 3 things and I think those tweaks, all pretty minor could unlock a lot more power. On to the videos where I’ll discuss more, but first here’s one sans comment, just so you can see the swing. This one is courtesy of Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen from a couple years back. Nick still has the same swing, so don’t think I’m cherry picking here. So first the basics before I talk about my tweaks: Madrigal has a huge leg lift, that’s rare for a guy with such good contact ability. I usually hate them, but Madrigal’s succeeded quite well with it, so I’d live with it for now (I’ll talk about the tweaks later). You’ll also notice he takes a really long stride and lands with his foot closed (parallel to the front of home plate). His swing has a good upward plane also, which should gear him to more power than you see. The problem is his lower half doesn’t drive the way it should and that closed front foot actually locks his hip some and saps power. My idea for tweaking his swing was figuring out how to keep the contact skills that make him so effective, but to actually get some power out of the swing. That’s important for any hitter, but especially for a guy who is so small for a pro baseball player. Power hitters use a leg kick to get their weight back, build momentum and drive through the ball. Madrigal’s is purely timing, with no power in it at all. He picks it up and puts it down with a big stride, but doesn’t carry momentum from it. It would be great if he loaded with it and started rolling forward more before planting the foot, that would build the momentum and allow him to drive from his back leg, which has very little drive in the current swing.The second tweak is to land with his front foot more open, this will free his hips to come through with his hands and carry his lower half momentum through the contact. If you freeze his swing at contact his hands are well ahead of his hips, which means some of that lower half rotational power is left sitting in the tank. The last, and biggest, tweak is for him to drive from the back foot more. There are, obviously, 2 ways to power your hip rotation. You can pull your hips through with your front side, this will cause your back heel to lift in order to free the back hip to turn. Or you push it open from the back leg. Your heel will still lift, but closer to the point you make contact with the ball in your swing. Madrigal’s back heel is up the instant his front foot lands, there’s not a lot of power in pulling your hips through, so I’d rather he plant and push. Opening that front foot should free him to do this more easily. I don’t want to undersell making changes to swing mechanics, there’s always risk, but I tried to make ones that don’t alter his normal stride, eye level, plane or kick, but instead maximize what he’s already doing. I think he can probably get to average power and above average to plus hitting. Combined with his speed that probably makes him an occasional All Star and a solid impact Starter on most every team in the Majors. https://www.thegoodphight.com/2018/3/21/17145876/2018-phillies-draft-preview-nick-madrigal-2b

Not in this day and age, when Tim Anderson is on track for 30-35 homers. Everyone projected him at 12-15, 18 tops...on draft day. Someone that comes to mind from the past in terms of hitting effectively at 2B with not great power, Tommy Herr of the Cardinals.

Or Kotsay...

Rays have had terrible luck with pitching injuries this year....among top prospects.

Borchard and Fields...

Every mock had him in mid Round 2. Plus, added risk of a football injury this fall and abbreviated start to his baseball career this summer.