royoung

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 10:41 AM) I like what I've read, but what scares me is Nola's scouting reports sounds a bit like Broadway. You know, good command with good off speed pitches. But Nola is not Broadway so if the Sox draft him all we can do is hope Nola doesn't turn out to be Broadway 2.0. Aaron Fitt of BA saw his start in the SEC Tournament against Arkansas and said he was at 95-96 in a first inning or so, then sat 92-94 until the 8th. That would do just fine.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 10:36 AM) Hawk is far more dialed in than you think. They still seek his opinions on players, and he talks to scouts all the time. I believe they ask his opinions as he has been around the game of baseball for 50 years, but I don't think he's a big influence. If anything, Steve Stone's brain would be the one to pick, as we are considering several different pitchers.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 10:30 AM) I believe Keith Law has a new mock up this morning with the Sox taking Nola. Not an insider though, so can't verify. Correct. He has Kolek falling to #8 which seems to be the buzz. His analysis on Nola to the Sox is below: "Analysis: I've heard they'd now take Nola over Tyler Kolek, although Kolek would still be in play here. I have conflicting notes on whether they'd take Carlos Rodon if he gets here."

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 10:13 AM) Aiken Rodon Nola With that said, I completely understand why they would choose Nola over Kolek. Kolek would go against everything that Hawk (mouthpiece of the organization?) has preached against. I view Hawk more as the senile grandfather of the organization. Is a dignified figure in theory, but in reality is kind of a embarrassment.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 09:47 AM) It's a VERY realistic scenario. If Rodon goes 1.1, the consensus seems to be Jackson goes 1.2, leaving Aiken to fall in our laps. I think saying Jackson is the "consensus" to go to Miami is a big stretch. There was some rumor from a Cubs blogger that they had a deal with him. That's not really news, most teams at the top have handshake deals with many players, it's just good sense to know what kind of dollars you can expect when you select someone. I would love Jackson to the Marlins as much as anyone because how much it helps the Sox, but I give it a 20% chance, with Rodon/Aiken the more realistic possibility.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 09:42 AM) I don't think it is anything against Kolek as much as just an organizational philosophy. Well if you are referring to their aversion to high school pitchers by all accounts Aiken seems to be #1 on their board. I am hoping like hell he falls to them some how.

Seth Lakso ‏@SethLakso 3m MLB draft updates per a source: looking like hou - aiken, mia - rodon.. And #whitesox now split on Kolek/Nola Previously he said the Sox were split "50/50" on Kolek or Rodon. So apparently they really like Nola? Or are not sold on Kolek?

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/prospect...php?reportid=78 Nice scouting report on Tim Anderson

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jun 4, 2014 -> 09:12 AM) From what I've read/heard on podcasts, the knock on Rodon has been the inconsistency of his stuff. The velocity has fluctuated a lot and there have been starts where he only "flashes" his 80 slider. As always, you fear that kind of inconsistency because pitchers' raw "stuff" tends to decline steadily from the day they are drafted; guys never throw harder than in their early 20's, typically. I thought the biggest knock on him this season was his fastball command, I didn't hear many complaints about his slider, aside from overusing it. But the "inconsistency of his stuff" could be a byproduct of the increased attention, if you see every single pitch he throws all year, you aren't going to get eye-popping stuff every outing. My point on Rodon, and again remember I prefer Aiken and would be fine with Kolek, is that he's had 49 starts in college under intense scrutiny and pitched extremely well. Even when is stuff wasn't on, he rarely gets rocked or leaves a game early. Brady Aiken made 11 starts this year against local high school batters, that's a very small sample size to justify a 5.71 million decision. I will be fascinated on Thursday if the Sox have to choose between Rodon and Kolek/Aiken or even Nola and Kolek/Aiken.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jun 4, 2014 -> 08:33 AM) Lol me too. But I think they'd sign him. He's seen his stock plummet over the course of a year, he won't risk it to be put in a position with even less leverage next year. I understand it's all about stuff and projectability, but I think it's funny people are considering Rodon's season such a disappointment. His numbers improved nearly across the board from last season, lower ERA, walk rate, and homer rate. The only things that spiked were his H/9, but when you decrease walks that will happen, his WHIP only increased slightly. His strikeout rate per nine innings for 2014 was actually above his mythical 2012 freshmen season number (10.67 to 10.60). Honestly I think the biggest reason Rodon's stock fell this year is the incredibly scrutiny that was placed on him and the rise of the other prospects. I personally prefer Aiken, but if we ended up with Rodon we are getting a very, very good pitcher who has been a workhorse under the microscope for a long time.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jun 3, 2014 -> 03:04 PM) If those are Law's words, well, I have backed Law a lot, but holy s***, way to go out on a limb. Well, it is kind of shocking to hear them "maybe" on Rodon and Nola, the top two college arms, and instead on two high school pitchers. Definitely not your usual White Sox draft board the past ten years.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jun 3, 2014 -> 02:56 PM) That is if the Sox take Kolek IMO. Everything I hear out of Cubs camp is they are not in on Kolek so even if Kolek fell out of top three they'd still be looking at Gordon/Pentecost/Conforto/Nola. Who knows if the media's right but it's been said across the board that the Cubs aren't interested in Kolek. I don't buy it, especially from the Cubs. They were "all over" Appel and Gray last year and shocked everyone by selecting Bryant. IF the Jackson Marlins connection has any validity, we would get to choose between whoever Houston passes on plus Kolek. In that scenario, Kolek would be the dark horse rather than the favorite, IMO.

QUOTE (Bigsoxhurt35 @ Jun 3, 2014 -> 02:49 PM) So is Houston down to Aiken or Rodon only? Supposedly Rodon, Aiken, or Jackson. If Jackson is *rumored* to be willing to cut a deal for Miami then I bet he would for Houston. I bet offers and negotiations are just flying around right about now.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 3, 2014 -> 02:25 PM) Some rumors on twitter about a predraft agreement between Marlins and Alex Jackson. That would make both baseball teams in Chicago very, very happy.

http://www.chicagonow.com/future-sox/2014/...mers-walks-off/ Recap posted. Nice night for the top offensive prospects

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jun 2, 2014 -> 01:29 PM) Yeah that's kind of scary. To be fair, he hasn't exactly done anything since he has gotten to pro ball. Keenyn Walker ‏@Keenyn_Walker This is by far the worst feeling I think I've ever had! Feels like I'm the only one that has my back! Is he high? He's .155/.231/.236 this year, the Sox have his back by doing him a favor and demoting him. Which is what they should of done with Hawkins last year, IMO.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jun 2, 2014 -> 12:15 PM) I'd prefer Kolek. That Thorburn article on BP the other day really sold me on his mechanics, which makes me feel better about his future. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article....articleid=23731 I looked up this article up and it was pretty fascinating. It was very complimentary of Kolek and he graded out the best out of the four pitchers they evaluated (Aiken, Rodon, and Hoffman). Kolek's summary: "His posture flashes plus but often settles closer to average, which is a tremendous accomplishment for an 18-year old with such a vigorous motion. Considering that stability tends to develop later than power (and is easier to develop), the profile gives Kolek a vaulted ceiling for mechanical efficiency."

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Jun 2, 2014 -> 01:08 PM) Here's a writeup from BA about the ideal body type for a pitcher and mentions Kolek. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/whats...thander-anyway/ Just based on body type alone, it would be pretty funny to have Sale and Kolek as our 1-2 punch in our rotation. I am rooting for us to draft Kolek just for the photo ops with those two.

Keenyn Walker demoted to Winston-Salem. His line at Birmingham between 2013 and 2014 is .192/.303/.269. Ouch.

At this point, I am expecting Kolek and would be very surprised if we have the opportunity to take Aiken or Rodon. But then again Houston and Miami have been so secretive it's really up in the air. Can't wait for Thursday

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/mock-...t-from-fiction/ New Baseball American mock draft has the Sox passing on Carlos Rodon for Tyler Kolek. His reasoning is below... WHITE SOX: The talk to this point has been that the White Sox would not pass on Rodon if he were available here. That talk persists, but so do the rumors linking Chicago to outsized Texas high school flamethrower Tyler Kolek. The Cubs are watching closely because while Kolek is not a Cubs target, Rodon is. The White Sox have a bigger bonus pool than the Cubs, but Rodon likely would eat up more of it. Projected Pick: RHP Tyler Kolek In his scenario, Houston takes Aiken and Jackson goes to Miami.

QUOTE (oneofthemikes @ May 30, 2014 -> 10:33 AM) I just wish some kind of info would leak about Houston's intentions for their pick. The waiting is killing me. I am sure they will be trying to cut deals up until the day. Was it leaked in previous years? I remember the year they took Correa I thought it was surprise.

Mine would be Davidson all the way. I figured (and hoped actually) they would start him in AAA for service time reasons and he would mash. Considering nearly everyone thought he could handle the majors adequately, his struggles in Charlotte are very surprising.

QUOTE (ptatc @ May 30, 2014 -> 09:07 AM) The pitches are fine if you throw them correctly. Throwing breaking balls does not inherently lead to elbow problems. Even with the large number of injuries this year, it's still a fraction of the overall number of pitchers who throw breaking pitches, which is everyone. I still think it's the overall effort of the delivery that makes the biggest difference. How much effort does it take to throw the 94 mph fastball. Many can do it, but how hard do they need to work at it. That's why a guy like Kolek who can throw over 100 could back off and safely throw 95. Thank you ptatc for your insight. On the effort on the delivery... nick (weed,CA) When I see Kolek I see a guy destined for TJ. Everything he throws is max effort, does this thought scare teams away? Klaw (2:20 PM) Completely disagree on the max-effort part. Apparently Law doesn't see Kolek as a max effort pitcher, perhaps the Sox agree?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 29, 2014 -> 10:25 AM) Or, he simply knows a lot of scouts and was spitballing to see if any of them would go "off the record" with what they've heard the White Sox were going to do...OR, they deliberately are putting bad information out there to throw other teams off, although having Nola in the Top 4-5 corresponds to a lot of independent reports out there recently. In the beginning, we always heard they weren't as high on Kolek, but then a lot of contrary accounts have been introduced. What was Bowden's draft (ESPN Insider)? He picked Kolek for the Sox, but it was a "what would he do" style than based off any real world information.