caulfield12

Thanks. full article on the charade of the "advisor" system and what's really happening between teams and agents/advisors http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mlb-draft-cha...-143611758.html from Jeff Passan... The overwhelming favorite to go No. 1 overall before the season began struggled at times. Though a number of people in Houston's front office adore Rodon, he wants every bit of the near-$8 million, and the Astros' strategy as seen in their previous two years picking 1-1 is not to pay slot. Frank Montas, RHP, Chicago White Sox (High-A): Scouts are blowing Montas up. "Bad body, don't care," one said. "The stuff is that good." Said another: "I never thought he'd throw strikes. He's been incredible." Acquired from Boston in the Jake Peavy trade last July, Montas' fastball sits around 97 mph. And for now he has allayed fear about command and control with 40 strikeouts, five walks and zero home runs allowed in 37 innings.

Wait a second. Perhaps Nebraska two-sport recruit Monte Harrison does have reason to consider postponing his professional baseball career for a while. Harrison went 50th overall to the Milwaukee Brewers in the Major League Baseball draft Thursday night, far later than analysts and experts predicted during the past weeks. The outfielder — who’s also a four-star receiver recruit — had been almost unanimously tabbed as a top 25 prospect and first-round draft pick. Harrison, from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, even made the trip to New Jersey on Thursday to join six other high school prospects in the MLB Network studio for the unveiling of draft’s first 74 picks. Harrison was the last of the seven in attendance to get selected. The immediate presumption for Harrison’s perceived slide: MLB teams were unable to match the signing bonus desired by Harrison and his family. Harrison’s mentor, former Kansas City Chief Danan Hughes, alluded to this on his Twitter account Thursday night, noting that money was the driving force in teams’ draft-day decisions. Hughes was unable to be reached for comment Thursday. Harrison did not participate in an on-camera interview on MLB Network on Thursday. Brewers scouting director Bruce Seid reportedly indicated to beat reporters that signing Harrison would not be easy. Each franchise is limited to a predetermined pool of money that it can use to sign players drafted in the first 10 rounds. The Brewers have $7.6 million to spend, ninth-most among MLB teams. And they’ll surely offer Harrison more than $1.1 million, the predetermined signing bonus value assigned to the No. 50 pick.

In an interesting twist, we might be competing with former White Sox CFer Darin Erstad for Reetz's services...only 20 players in the last 5 years drafted inside the top 100 haven't signed (out of 500 total players), fwiw. Now it’s Reetz who’s been climbing draft boards since playing for the USA baseball under-18 national team last fall. And it’s (Monte)Harrison, the sixth-best high school prospect according to Baseball Factory. Harrison signed a football letter of intent in February, and he plans to be in the network’s New Jersey studio for the live broadcast of the first two rounds Thursday (he was picked 50th and didn't even give an interview to MLB.com...Danan Hughes, his advisor and former Hawkeye/Chief, thought teams were scared off by their demands). Erstad said he hasn’t talked to either recruit much lately. All the necessary conversations have already taken place. “We’re not a staff that’s going to hound these kids,” Erstad said. “We want them to enjoy their final year of high school and not have to worry about us being all over them. It’s going to boil down to what the family thinks is the best situation for them.” And Erstad said he has a good idea of what both Harrison and Reetz are thinking — as in, the kind of signing bonus that might lure them away from NU. MLB teams are limited to a specific allotment of cash that they can offer players drafted in the first 10 rounds, based on predetermined bonus values assigned to each pick. Teams are penalized for exceeding that amount. July 18 is the deadline for amateur players to sign professional contracts. Erstad knows there are no guarantees until then. “It’s tough to not have that control,” Erstad said. “The recruits have advisers, and the scouts have more access to prospective student-athletes than coaches. A lot of information, right or wrong, is given.” Still, coaches at this level will keep trying to find and lure those top-tier ballplayers — specifically the ones who might also place value in the college experience. “We’re going to look for elite kids,” Erstad said. “We’re going for this thing.” www.omaha.com

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Jun 6, 2014 -> 02:12 AM) Anyone know how long Day 2 will last? Trying to plan out my evening Just says the next two days are starting at 1:00 p.m., so all the higher picks (3rd-5th rounds) will already be over by then. Right-hander J.B. Bukauskas from Stone Bridge High School in Virginia is ranked No. 38 on MLB.com's Top 200 prospects list and is the highest-rated player still on the board entering the third round. He is one of 34 players in the top 100 who have yet to be selected. Bukauskas is committed to North Carolina and was a junior when school began in the fall. But at the request of the Tar Heels coaches, he moved his high school graduation up a year, becoming eligible for the 2014 Draft in the process. Though his dynamic arm excited scouts this spring, he remains committed to North Carolina and sent a letter to teams last month telling them he intended to attend college. Even after a pitcher-friendly Day 1 of the Draft, Bukauskas is one of 21 pitchers rated in the top 100 who were still on the board entering Day 2. Among the remaining highly ranked pitchers are a few who missed time this spring because of injury, including Rice right-hander Zech Lemond (No. 58); Milton (Ga.) High School right-hander Dylan Cease (No. 76); and University of Texas left-hander Dillon Peters (No. 83). Highlighting the available position players are two high school stars: Norris (Neb.) High School catcher Jakson Reetz (No. 40) and American Heritage High School (Fla.) shortstop Milton Ramos (No. 46). Norris (should be REETZ) is committed to Nebraska, and Ramos, considered by some scouts to be the best defender in the Draft class, is committed to Florida Atlantic. Of the remaining college players ranked in the top 100, most are pitchers. Arkansas right-hander Chris Oliver (No. 48) leads the group, while Oregon State right fielder Dylan Davis (No. 74) is the top position player. www.mlb.com

Looks like the Brewers (Medeiros/Gatewood/Monte Harrison--Nebraska football signee) and Indians (Zimmer/J.Sheffield/Papi) are getting the most acclaim for good drafts so far...Angels (Newcomb/Gatto) and Tigers (D.Hill/Turnbull) also are moving to improve bottom 5 farm systems. Blue Jays would have to be around 3rd. The Cubs were hanging out in no man's land with the No. 4 pick. They probably would have loved to take Jeff Hoffman, but they didn't want to risk a pick that high on an injured pitcher. Brady Aiken, Tyler Kolek and Carlos Rodon were the top three picks, so the team had to get creative. Kyle Schwarber, who has the best power among college hitters, became the fallback plan. He seemed like someone the Cubs could use to sign under slot, then allocate funds for a pitcher who falls into the second round. Instead, the Cubs drafted Maryland senior Jake Stinnett. He has a live arm and the arsenal to start, but he doesn't have an easy delivery and his command is fringe-average. Unless the team has big plans for Day 2, Stinnett is hardly the pitcher you want to get excited about. www.baseballprospectus.com

Should be around July 13th at 5:00 p.m. for the deadline if it's anything like two years ago...when Appel failed to sign with the Pirates.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/pro...?P=carlos-rodon He's roughly 34 innings under his 2013 totals. And his ERA was nearly a point lower, but everyone's overlooking that because of the velocity drop/command issues....IP/H ratio tightening...but his BB/K ratio stayed roughly the same. Not to mention the 6-7 vs. 10-3 record, which really wasn't indicative of his performance. He went from godly to near mortal, essentially.

One year ago, everyone would have been completely ecstatic. Now, it's a bit of a tempered optimism because the intense scrutiny for almost 3 years has led to all of his "warts" being exposed. For example, looking at only W-L record or H/IP. One big positive is that he's pitched a lot less this season than his sophomore campaign, so they don't have to be quite as careful monitoring him and reigning him in like Sale in 2010. That said, that 134 pitch game stands out, and he had another one in a subsequent game around 110-115 if I remember correctly. His velocity numbers have been up again after sinking into the low 90's. (The same thing happened with SF's pick Beede, who went from 94-98 to having almost no confidence in his fastball and then back up again his final collegiate start).

Just out of curiosity, did anyone have Saladino on their pre-season Top 15-20 list? 25? I definitely don't remember his name being inside the Top 15 or so.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 11:48 PM) As much as I harp on velocity being overrated, I'd kill for a RH fireballer. We're very LH heavy. Those LH pitchers have to differentiate themselves by giving hitter different looks. Quintana and Rodon would be the closest, in terms of fastball velocity and using the cutter vs. the slider. Nobody's like Danks right now, stuff-wise, with the mid to high 80's velocity and change. Same with Sale. One of a kind. It's yet another reason why Santiago was expendable.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 10:07 PM) Yeah, those were the only things that I'd say he needs to delete. "xxxx is offically gay" and "Queer" are a couple of the captions. Doesn't offend me in any way, but as a pro athlete, people will find a reason to make a big deal out if it. Shades of Beckham/Getz. What is it with Georgia boys like Adams, Beckham and Hawkeroo?

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 09:51 PM) I did. i see he is aprt of the National Pitching association (NPA) which is the Tom house, Nolan Ryan, Larry Rothschild group. These are the guys that taught Mark Prior how to pitch and proclaimed his mechanics perfect. If you've heard of the towel drill and the football throwing drill, this is them. While i like their analysis method, I'm not a huge fan of their idea of the perfect mechanics and some of the drill to teach them. I noticed in the Kolek video there's a fitness/training center 1 hour from his ranch and they were definitely doing that towel/snap drill thing with him...jumping up onto a raised surface (mat) and landing in "squat" position, etc.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 09:06 PM) Marc Hulet ‏@marchulet 12m Not loving the delivery from #whitesox pick Spencer Adams based on http://mlb.com video #MLBDraft Is he related to Tim Hulet? Oops, definitely not....it's Hulett (former White Sox infielder). “We were surprised,” Laumann said. “We had pretty good information throughout the process here, especially the last couple of days, it sounded like he was going to be gone. Sometimes these things go sideways for one way or another, and I think we found out right after the first pick and leading to the second pick. “We watched the progression over several years and thought he was the consensus best guy on the board.” Thought to be the most polished pitcher in the draft, Rodon is believed to be the player who could reach the major leagues the fastest. Armed with a good slider/fastball combination, one American League scout called Rodon “one of the top 10 pitchers on the planet” in the spring. White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper said Wednesday he liked all four of the pitchers the club was looking at. “The closest to the big leagues is Rodon,” Cooper said. Some around the White Sox have suggested Rodon could pitch in the majors as a reliever later this season the same way Chris Sale did after he was drafted in 2010. While Laumann said it’s unfair to put Rodon on “the Sale track,” it is feasible the 21-year-old could pitch in Chicago in 2014. “With the type of fastball and slider he has, certainly could be a guy is on a so-called fast track,” Laumann said. “The most important thing is we get start on getting him comfortable with the organization.” www.csnchicago.com

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 08:58 PM) Any signability issues here? UGA recruit... So money will be an issue, especially as he fell almost 20 spots from where he was expected to be selected. They might really front-load almost all of their pool into the first 5-10 picks or so. You can't put Adams ahead of Anderson and maybe even Davidson or Hawkins (yet), but he's definitely Top 4-5. Probably comes in ahead of Danish and Micah Johnson. 1. Rodon 2. Anderson 3. Hawkins or Davidson 5. Adams 6. M. Johnson 7. Danish 8. Beck That looks a LOT more respectable.

6'3" 171lbs DOB: 04/13/96 | Scouting video An elite athlete, Adams is a three-sport star in high school. The same athleticism that allows him to throw down dunks on the basketball court has helped him develop into a coveted right-hander. Adams' fastball sits in the low 90s and tops out at 95 mph with excellent life. His sharp slider is his best secondary offering and has the potential to be a swing-and-miss offering. His changeup and curveball give him two more pitches that have the chance to be average or better. Adams, a Georgia recruit, has a loose, easy delivery and repeats it well. His long, lean build leads scouts to believe he could add more velocity as he gets stronger and focuses solely on baseball.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 06:16 PM) Any chance Trea Turner falls to 44? Slim and none.

Pentecost has to be here. That's who the Cubs should have taken. IDIOTS.

It is curious the reasons/excuses for why Rodon and Kolek weren't available (at least so far) tonight. Let's hope getting passed over and falling to 3 gives Carlos even more incentive to prove critics wrong. Break out the Rodon/Abreu/Ramirez/Viciedo posters, marketing department.

QUOTE (beautox @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 06:09 PM) can't believe we landed Rodon and we didn't even have to be as s***ty as the astros to make it happen. The future is bright with Sale, Quintana, Rodon and if one of Danish or Montas can make it and Johnson can refind his fastball and command money! Warren Buffett, III, has big-time potential for Univ. of Nebraska-Omaha.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 06:08 PM) Still would like to know what would have happened if Aiken-Rodon went 1-2. That saved the board months and months of debating Nola vs. Kolek, that's for sure. It saved thousands of keystrokes for TUC and Marty34.

Wow...thought Hoffman would go two spots later. Guess he's still asking for a significant amount of money...unless the team picking 10th was likely to be looking at him as well, logic would have dictated taking the guy they wanted the most at 9, but who knows? Will be very interesting to see how long it takes him to make it to the majors. Savings on the draft pool allotment I guess...in theory. Great gamble, but Reynolds/Gammons are right, the odds are pretty high he will have a second TJ within 5-7 years, which would really derail his career for good.

Wow, really early for Freeland. Most were projecting the teens or early 20's. Small frame/durability has always been the concern...a bit like Gio Gonzalez in that sense.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 05:51 PM) Yep, exactly. All those people questioning our fandom and being so visirol about us rooting for the Sox to lose now get to bathe in the reward of having Carlos Rodon on this team. We were sitting at like pick #11 before myself and others decided to bite the bullet and root for Sox losses. Now let's see who goes #11 to Toronto and ask everyone if they would trade Carlos Rodon for that person. The answer is going to be f*** NO. VITRIOL/IC?

QUOTE (hi8is @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 05:53 PM) +1 ( times fifteen thousand ) Be careful what you wish for if Rodon ends up with TJ and Hoffman's coming back at #11 in 2016 and mowing down hitters and looking like Justin Verlander. Time will tell.

Solid pick for the Phillies. Nola is a bit smallish, that had to be one of the concerns. Aaron's stuff isn't exactly comparable to Peavy. He's not a Cy Young type of arm, but probably better than Leake. Hoffman for sure to the Blue Jays at 11 still?