Ozzie Ball

This is from one of Merkins articles regarding Jordan: Williams felt as if the selection of Jordan Danks, in a lower round than he was originally projected, almost served the purpose of making up for the lost second-round pick to Milwaukee via the free agent signing of Scott Linebrink. John Danks, who nervously moved around the clubhouse on Thursday waiting to hear about his brother, understandably was excited to receive the news on Friday. With the younger Danks expected to sign, it should be a true family affair in Spring Training next March. "You know, it's just one of those things where we're happy just to get him drafted," said John Danks of his brother, who was originally drafted by the White Sox in the 19th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. "It was a hard first day. We expected him to go higher than he did. "Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. But in hindsight, I don't think it could have worked out any better, coming over here to the White Sox. Hopefully, he can get to the Minor Leagues and have a couple of good years and we can play together some day. He's very good. The way we're looking at it, it's a steal for the White Sox, getting him where they did." Good news, now get it done Kenny.

One of the state's top catchers, James McCann has a tall, strong and projectable frame. He receives and throws the ball cleanly, but he will need to strengthen his arm and reduce his pop times. McCann's bat shows promise, but he does not yet exhibit the strength or bat speed to vault himself into the early rounds. If he does not sign he would wind up at Arkansas.

Randall Thorpe rated as the fastest player at the 2007 Area Code Games, running a 6.4-second 60-yard dash. He also has a strong arm, which makes him a standout defender in center field. But teams are unlikely to meet his asking price to keep him away from Texas A&M because they question his bat. He needs to add strength to his 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame, and he struggled to hit .300 against high school pitching this spring. -BA

On 24th rounder Brett Graffy: Graffy, who touched 95 mph in his last Cape Cod League outing last summer, gets more run on his fastball and pitches in the high 80s when he drops down to a three-quarters arm slot. His splitter is a promising second pitch. Control never has been Graffy's strongest suit, and when he couldn't throw strikes he lost his role in the Fighting Irish bullpen. -BA.

QUOTE (OilCan @ Jun 6, 2008 -> 07:24 PM) And getting Howie Long's son is a great thing!!! Get him signed and make him a 1b!!!!!!!!!!! If we sign him that'd be fantastic, I don't see that happening though.

Our 18th round pick is: Joshua Billeaud, RHP, Southern Mississippi Josh Billeaud also was selected in last year's draft, by the Rays in the 21st round. He returned for his junior season but has struggled, finishing the regular season with a 3-4, 7.39 record. Billeaud had more walks (37) than strikeouts (33) in 63 innings. He has arm strength, with a fastball in the low 90s and power slider, but is inconsistent.

Jonathan Weaver has a projectable frame and hasn't signed with a four-year school. The 6-foot-3, 185 pounder has an easy, fluid delivery. His fastball sits in the upper 80s and touches the low 90s, and his breaking ball shows promise. He has committed to Heartland (Ill.) CC. -BA.

-BA

Merry was more effective (than Nick Haughian) and turned into the Huskies' ace, which gave scouts time to warm up to him. He touched the low 90s with his fastball when he reached back for more, but worked better in the upper 80s, throwing his fastball with sink to the inner and outer halves of the plate. His curve and changeup are fringe-average, with the curveball lacking power. He added a slider he throws for strikes and would be a valuable senior ace for the Huskies, but could fit for some teams in the eighth to 12th round. -BA

Dexter Carter opened the season as the Sunday starter, but command trouble limited his work and relegated him to the bullpen. Carter was a 12th-round pick of the Rangers in 2005 coming out of high school, and his 6-foot-6, 200-pound frame and live arm still give scouts plenty to dream on. His fastball has touched 97 and he pitches around 92 mph. Carter's slider can also be a plus pitch, but like his fastball is inconsistent. -Baseball America.

Sorry if this has already been posted but I didn't see it anywhere yet (taken from SSS) BP loves White Sox 4th rounder Drew O'Neil Bryan Smith (4:42:33 PM PT): Another reliever worth mentioning, if only because I have some unique info: the White Sox take Drew O'Neil, from Penn State in the fourth. I LOVE this pick. I went through O'Neil's play-by-play logs last week, and look at what I found: O'Neil garnered 43 groundball outs in 2008, versus just THREE outfield flyball outs. He also had three infield flies and two lineouts. That's a sinker, and he's really about the same pitcher as Carlos Gutierrez.

From the BA blog: • White Sox GM Kenny Williams took his son, the speedy outfielder Kenny Williams Jr., out of Wichita State. He hit .325 and has excellent speed and range in center field but the consensus was that he wasn’t quite a first-day talent. He missed time this spring with a bout of mononucleosis.

I've come to the conclusion that we suck a little bit at drafting.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 04:18 AM) I'm hoping Smoak goes 3 (Royals could have went with Alvarez at 3, but that doesn't look like it will happen unless Pitt shocks the world and doesn't take him) to the Royals, Hosmer than would go 5 to the Giants (they like Hosmer more than Posey I think) and than we'll see Posey quite possibly slide to 8. Its me hoping, but who knows. Posey... eh, what's his potential, .285, 15-20 homers, good to great defense and he should walk a bit so a decent OBP. With the no. 8 pick I want someone with star potential and I don't think that guy is Posey. Give me Smoak.

Smoak Hosmer Those are my 1, 2.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jun 4, 2008 -> 11:02 PM) f*** YEAH! This means the odds of Crow being there at 8 increased a ton! But does it also increase the chance that we take, say, Jason Castro? As Beckham was supposedly one of our main targets.

From John Manuel's blog: • The White Sox have been linked to Arizona State’s two-time Pac-10 triple crown winner, Brett Wallace, at the No. 8 spot, but the Sox may be more interested in another Pac-10 lefthanded hitter. Chicago farm director Alan Regier was given extensive scouting duties in the wake of Dave Wilder’s firing. Regier, a former assistant coach at California, is the godfather of Stanford catcher Jason Castro. Regier’s recent promotion to the scouting side has fueled speculation that Castro, whose profile is similar to Chicago’s current catcher, A.J. Pierzynski, could be the Sox’ pick. http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=286#more-286

QUOTE (fathom @ May 31, 2008 -> 06:27 PM) Question...which of these guys are Boras clients? As chisoxfn says Hosmer is, Pedro Alvarez is and a little further down, Gerrit Cole and Alex Meyer I know definately are. I think those are the only potential 1st round talents represented by Boras.

An article on Justin Smoak, breaking down his swing. Doesn't really tell us anything new but worth a quick read anyway. http://www.baseball-intellect.com/Articles...stin-smoak.html If he's there he'd be my pick. The guy says he's gong to try and add one on Gordon Beckham sometime this week also.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 25, 2008 -> 11:41 PM) Okay, so if they want to go with the college bat and Smoak is off the board (I'm not going to even mention Posey/Alvarez as there is no way he'll be there at 8), than the debate would be between Alonso, Wallace & possibly Connor Gillespie. Well let's just say the first 7 picks are (in no specific order): Alvarez Beckham Posey Matusz Crow Beckham Smoak Then I'd probably scrap the "college bat only" mentality and go best player available which in my opinion would be Hosmer, but assuming they don't want to touch Hosmer I'd probably go for one of Skipworth, Yonder Alonso or Aaron Hicks. I don't think going the high school route would be bad it just wouldn't be ideal.

Nice to see Gordon Beckhams name pop up as a player we're considering, I've been campaigning for him for about a month now. He'd be a great pick in my opinion. Brett Wallace wouldn't be soo terrible, definately a reach at no. 8 but it's not like he doesn't have a good bat. I like Hicks a lot but with the way our farm is I think we need more of a "can't miss" type prospect and Hicks definately isn't that. I think a big college bat is definately the way we should go.

Anyone know the extent of Jose's injury? I heard it was pretty serious but haven't heard any real specifics.

QUOTE (scenario @ May 17, 2008 -> 02:22 AM) Jose Martinez has been playing VERY well for Kanny. .421 BA in his last 10 games. Over .300 for the season as of tonights game. http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?ac...=18&t=64682 Well let's not go that far, he's getting hits but not displaying any power, OPS on the year is at .741.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 14, 2008 -> 04:31 PM) Shelby is untouchable in my book. The guy is a total freaking STUD. I also want to continue to annoit the fact that I want to see Chris Getz playing 2B for the White Sox. Oh and if Fields was still considered a prospect, I'd point out that I'd still rank Shelby ahead of him. That is how much I think of Shelby. I expect him to rank in the top 25 prospects in all of baseball at some point of his minor league career. I LOVE John Shelby also, not so high on Getz though, he seems an awful lot like David Eckstein and David Eckstein is s***.

Baseball America's most recent mock, for comparison: 1. Pedro Alvarez, 3b, Vanderbilt 1 Despite down year caused by early hamate injury, Alvarez is the draft's top talent. Whether or not he's worth a major league contract in the $8.5 million neighborhood is the bigger question. 2. Tim Beckham, ss, Griffin (Ga.) HS 4 Hasn't had a huge spring, but Beckham has the best combination of tools, athleticism and projection of any player in the draft. Comparisons to the Upton brothers don't fit, however. 3. Brian Matusz, lhp, San Diego 2 Surest of the sure things, a three-pitch lefty who misses bats with more than enough fastball and excellent secondary stuff. 4. Buster Posey, c, Florida State 15 In the mix starting at No. 1 overall after hittng .477 in conference games, Posey makes a case as the draft's safest pick at its most premium position. 5. Aaron Crow, rhp, Missouri 3 As much as you could ask for in a fastball, yet Crow has fallen off the torrid pace he set in the season's first two months. 6. Eric Hosmer, 1b, American Heritage HS, Plantation, Fla. 8 Asking price is high for Boras Corporation client and Arizona State signee, who has now strength and now power. "It's like watching a college hitter," one scouting director said. 7. Justin Smoak, 1b, South Carolina 5 Recent hot streak has Smoak contending to be drafted in the top five like former prep teammate Matt Wieters. 8. Gordon Beckham, ss, Georgia 24 Posey and Smoak are catching up in terms of 2008 production, which merely makes Beckham's season outstanding instead of singular. 9. Tanner Scheppers, rhp, Fresno State 22 Still learning to harness his electric stuff; 92-96 mph fastball in recent starts, and still relatively new to pitching. Could be draft's top arm if he becomes more efficient. 10. Shooter Hunt, rhp, Tulane 17 Command issues have him a tick behind Scheppers at this time; plenty of fastball to go with a true power breaking ball. 11. Kyle Skipworth, c, Patriot HS, Riverside, Calif. 12 Dominant performance (18 hits in a row) stands out even in crowded Southern California high school ranks. 12. Yonder Alonso, 1b, Miami 7 Opponents and scouts marvel at Alonso's professional approach and hitting ability, leading to 10 homers in just 22 Atlantic Coast Conference games. 13. Tim Melville, rhp, Holt HS, Wentzville, Mo. 6 Doing a little of everything for his team of late, Melville has had a two-homer game and 14 strikeouts in recent outings for Holt High. 14. Aaron Hicks, rhp/of, Wilson HS, Long Beach 13 He's done it all in the last week, throwing a complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts on the mound and contributing a solo homer to lead off a 34-0 romp against Compton High the next game. 15. Christian Friedrich, lhp, Eastern Kentucky 9 The draft's most polished lefty commands three pitches, including a fastball with average-to-plus velocity and a good, if slow, curveball. 16. Ethan Martin, rhp/3b, Stephens County HS, Toccoa, Ga. NR More evidence that Martin's pitching skills have moved to the fore—he threw a complete-game no-hitter with 11 strikeouts in a start April 23. 17. Joshua Fields, rhp, Georgia NR One-inning at a time approach has suited the nation's top closer, who just gave up his first earned run this weekend. 18. Gerrit Cole, rhp, Lutheran HS, Orange, Calif. 11 With an arm as good as any in the draft, Cole still has managed to see his stock fall due to concerns about his delivery, mound presence and secondary pitches. 19. Alex Meyer, rhp, Greensburg (Ind.) HS NR Six-foot-7 Kentucky signee has little in common with last year's Indiana phenom, Jarrod Parker, but should join him in first round. 20. Casey Kelly, ss/rhp, Sarasota (Fla.) HS NR Tennessee quarterback signee and son of ex-big leaguer Pat Kelly has shown first-round talent as both position player and pitcher. 21. Brett Wallace, 1b/3b, Arizona State NR Red-hot of late, Wallace remains one of the draft's best pure hitters and has firmed up his body. 22. Conor Gillaspie, 3b, Wichita State NR A grinder and a premium hitter, Gillaspie has built on his strong summer, when he was MVP of the Cape Cod League. 23. Jemile Weeks, 2b, Miami 25 Rickie's younger brother lacks his pure physicality but has offensive upside, including line-drive swing, speed and surprising power. 24. Andrew Cashner, rhp, Texas Christian NR Fast-moving closer has upper-90s velocity, pushing to front of down college crop in Texas. 25. Ryan Perry, rhp, Arizona 16 Poor early performance somewhat mitigated by a move to the bullpen; still one of the draft's elite arms at 92-97 mph. 26. Reese Havens, ss, South Carolina NR He's built on his Cape Cod League improvement; his 1.150 OPS this spring is a 400-point improvement on his first two seasons. 27. Jason Castro, c, Stanford NR Third-string catcher last summer in Cape Cod (behind Posey and LSU's Sean Ochinko), Castro has plenty of bat and enough ability to stay behind the plate. 28. Brett DeVall, lhp, Niceville (Fla.) HS 30 Florida's top prep pitcher saw his 18-innings scoreless streak in the postseason end when he was used on two days' rest; Niceville won 3-2 anyway. 29. Daniel Webb, rhp, Heath HS, West Paducah, Ky. NR Despite fierce competition from the state's strongest draft crop ever, Webb remains the class of Kentucky. 30. Ike Davis, 1b/of, Arizona State NR Before recent injury (he hasn't started for five games), Davis was making a case for Pac-10 player of the year as he's nearly matched his career home run total with 15