royoung

Take this with a grain of salt of course, but some tidbits from Keith Law's chat today. He doesn't believe Rodon is the "clear" 1-1 anymore and has been "passed by a few guys." He declined to mention specifics, citing his rankings being released next week, but said that you could make an argument for Kolek, Gatewood, Jackson, Hoffman, Beede. His rationale is that his "fastball has been average, command average or a tick below, and he's not missing bats." Said that scouts/execs are "backing away from him." As far as other top pitching prospects, he believes Hoffman is the best of the Beede, Hoffman, Kolek trio. Calls Hoffman a "plus plus athlete with easy velocity and the potential for a plus curveball." Says that Beede is the "safest" of the three and that Kolek a "monster." Very down on Trea Turner. Said he has "no power, bad swing, not physical." No sure what not physical means, this isn't football or basketball. Said that Gatewood has really improved his hit tool, using the whole field and showing a "more mature overall approach." Thinks he'll go top 5-6.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Mar 12, 2014 -> 02:27 PM) What are the knocks on Gatewood? Every time I see a write-up, he sounds like a monster, yet some people are showing him falling to like 20. He is 6'5'' 190 so very unlikely he will stay at SS. In his swing he takes a long stride with a exaggerated toe tap that will likely lead to a lot of K's. He has tremendous power and when he makes contact he hits the ball hard. Upside could be a 3B with 30-40 homers but downside is a strikeout king at AA. If we were picking in the teens or early 20's I'd be excited to take a chance on him, but at #3 I would pass.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 12, 2014 -> 01:08 PM) It is still super-early, but I am feeling Beede for the Sox right now. Just a gut reaction. I agree. Early on I was worried that Rodon and Hoffman would be a class on their own, but Beede has definitely joined them. FYI, Beede is facing off against Aaron Nola Friday night in what could be a showdown between two top 10 picks.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 11, 2014 -> 02:42 PM) They're not going to challenge him until he can continously prove he's going to let pitches that are unhittable go past him. When he gets into those short grooves you can see him doing exactly that, he'll take a couple extra walks and have the count in his favor and the next thing you know he kills the ball, but then 2 weeks later he'll be back swinging at pitches over his head. Pitchers won't be scared of walking him until he shows he's not going to swing. Do you believe that Avisail Garcia is going to go through the same struggles? Viciedo actually has a higher walk rate than Garcia does thus far.

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Mar 11, 2014 -> 06:22 AM) I am not worried about Kolek's frame, his body is just more mature. He has a similar build to Noah Syndergaard who is listed at 6'6 240, and if you're worried about his athleticism remember that he is being recruited by SEC teams to play DE. Once he starts training with ML physical trainers his body will be in better shape. I think that guys like Hoffman and Beede have reached their ceilings and are who they are going to be, I don't find their numbers to be too spectacular or worth of being a top 5 pick in the draft. Tyler Kolek on the other hand is a 18 year old power-pitcher, who has a fastball that can hit 100mph and hits the high 90s with regularity. He also has a developing slider and curveball that scream plus, along with a change up that sits in the low 80s. He is compared to guys like Syndergaard, Strausburg and Jonathan Gray. The sky is truly the limit for Kolek and his potential. He has to be the pick. I am going to say first that even though I would be surprised if the Sox picked Kolek over a college pitcher, I still would be very excited about his potential. With his size, athleticism, and talent he could be an ace one day no doubt. I just would disagree with your assessment that his breaking stuff "screams plus." His slider is his most advanced breaking ball, followed by a curve, and I read some reports that he barely throws/controls a change up. With his size, it's no surprise he has a big fastball, but he is going to have to work very hard on his secondary stuff to realize his lofty potential. He is going to have a difficult time transitioning from blowing away small town high school hitters to professionals. With that being said, if the Sox do take him, they better believe they can refine those secondary pitches. I just don't see the Sox passing on more polished collegiate pitchers that high in the draft. I don't think Beede or Hoffman has "reached their ceilings." Beede and Hoffman have three plus or flashing plus plus offerings that profile as a #1 or #2 starter. I think if the Sox are looking for someone to pair with Sale at the top of the rotation during his time they go for Hoffman or Beede.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Mar 10, 2014 -> 01:29 PM) This is what I need to be convinced of regarding Beede. Does he have Ace stuff? From what I've seen and read the only real knock on him has been his command due to an inconsistent release point. He has a plus fastball, an even better change up, and his curve has "flashed" plus when he is commanding it. I would not be comfortable taking him if his walk rates were similar to last year but at least so far he seems to be in control. http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/11/06/s...tyler-beede-sp/

Obviously a prelude to the Santana signing.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Mar 10, 2014 -> 10:48 AM) Stoltz absolutely loves Ravelo and he claims he can stick at 3B because of his athleticism. Other scouts have said the contrary. Stoltz only follows the prospects that are in his proximity and he falls in love with a few of them and Ravelo is one of those. Either way, his stats don't lie and he was fun to follow last year. I just hate the fact that he plays 1B. I would be interested to know the rationale for the move to 1B. If they truly believe he can't play anywhere but 1B, it would be disappointing, but not as bad as Stoltz seems to think. Black and Wilkins are basically non-prospects, Barnum is a huge question mark and Abreu could easily move to DH by the time Ravelo is ready.

If Hoffman isn't there, I think the Sox call on Beede. He's more polished than Kolek, has similar upside, and has dominated thus far this spring. His command was a knock on him previously, in 2013 he had 63 walks, 14 wild pitches and 10 hit batters in 101 IP. But thus far this spring he 5 walks to 33 strikeouts over 25 IP and a nice .129 batting average against. If he keeps that up, he might pass Hoffman as the 2nd best arm available.

QUOTE (flavum @ Mar 6, 2014 -> 03:42 PM) Abreu homer Hell yes! First of many

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Mar 6, 2014 -> 03:35 PM) Adam Eaton 3-for-3 Dude came in ready for baseball. Gotta love it

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 6, 2014 -> 03:16 PM) Carlos Sanchez RBI single scores Dayan and ties up the game. Carlos Sanchez, the prospect who went from overrated to underrated in one year.

Boggs getting lit up. People might want to slow their roll on anointing him the closer.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Mar 6, 2014 -> 11:57 AM) Watching this video - His frame reminds me of a young version of former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks. His delivery is kind of jerky? Too many potential red flags for my taste at #3 overall. Throwing gas will get you noticed in HS, but in the pros he's gotta have some great secondary stuff too.

QUOTE (PolishPrince34 @ Mar 6, 2014 -> 10:11 AM) Trea Turner should be out of the running at #3. Positives are speed and defense, but way too many flaws as a hitter. Has a very awkward swing that will not generate any power. Not a fan of Turner. I think it's pitcher all the way. I think they jump for joy if Hoffman is there, if not Kolek or Beede. Just my (mostly) uninformed opinion.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Mar 3, 2014 -> 11:47 AM) I am shocked to see this list is from Sickels. I thought it was pretty bad. You have guys like Hawkins, Sanchez and Beck who just got killed because of their seasons last year. I wonder how many other prospect lists have the guy with the most potential in the system at #11. Then you have Surkamp way higher than he should be. Perhaps Sickels love his minor league numbers? Don't like the list much at all. He penalizes Hawkins and Sanchez for being placed extremely aggressive and doesn't pay much attention to their tools. I would argue that Sanchez has a much better chance of making an impact in Chicago than Micah Johnson, for example. Micah Johnson at age 23 looked very over matched at A+ and AA. Carlos Sanchez dominated those leagues at age 20, but struggled (understandably) at 21 in AAA. And that's not even factoring in huge defensive advantage Sanchez has over Johnson. Sanchez can play two or three positions (2B, SS, 3B) passably while Johnson has yet to find a position.

That is the lowest I've seen Hawkins ranked all off-season. God I hope he comes back and hits with a vengeance this year.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Feb 27, 2014 -> 12:10 PM) Getting something for free and then selling it for cash is generally a good business plan. Suck it Beane! *Rick Hahn laughs maniacally*

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Feb 24, 2014 -> 02:25 PM) If you look at him in any of the scouting videos, he is not a fat guy. Most of the weight is in the legs, no real signs of a gut. I mean, the kid is from nowheresville (Shepherd), Texas and probably has been living on fat, greasy southern cooking his entire life. If he gets on a professional exercise regimen and diet, that will take care of all problems. That is why the draft interview process is so crucial in determining someone's wok ethic, drive, etc. to make sure he will put in the work to be physically fit. Or he could get that big signing bonus and eat it. But you are right, the Sox have to do their due diligence on any prospect and feel great about their make up to select them with this important of a pick. My point is to take a HS kid at #3 overall when we are trying to do a "reload" I'd imagine it would have to be very impressive kid, like Courtney Hawkins was coming out of school.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Feb 24, 2014 -> 09:00 AM) Kolek is a typical Marlins pick, they love upside high school players. That body type scares me. 6'5'', 250 at 18 years old? I suppose it's the same concerns for a Chris Sale type of build, but at least he was a proven college pitcher.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 21, 2014 -> 11:42 AM) When you are drafted #3 overall, there is high level of expectations that come with it. No doubt. I hope the spring differentiates some pitchers from the pack to join to Rodon and Hoffman at the top of the board.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 21, 2014 -> 10:01 AM) The elite upside pitcher will be in the system in June. That number three pick in the draft is the future #2 to Chris Sale. Ha. No pressure kid.

This is an insert from an article titled "Five biggest draft storylines" by Christopher Crawford of ESPN. He highlights my fear that Rodon and Hoffman go 1 and 2, then we are left with a tough decision at #3. 2. Who's No. 3? He may not be the lock that Rodon is at the top spot, but East Carolina right-hander Jeff Hoffman is the clear-cut No. 2 talent in the class to start the year, with a fastball that touches 97 mph and a curveball that could already be a big league offering. Hoffman is the most realistic candidate to challenge Rodon for the first pick, though Miami is likely to consider several options with the No. 2, including hard-throwing right-hander Tyler Kolek from Shepherd (Texas) HS. The third spot, which belongs to the Chicago White Sox, is very much up for debate. Most believe that catcher Alex Jackson of Rancho Bernando HS (San Diego) starts the year in that position, but the lack of a knockout tool could see Jackson slide towards the back half of the top 10. Jacob Gatewood of Clovis (Calif.) HS is the type of player the White Sox have coveted in the past, an athletic player with plus-plus power from the right side, though the concern that he may not have more than a fringe-average hit tool concerns teams. Chicago has very little pitching depth in its system, so arms such as Hartford left-hander Sean Newcomb or UNLV right-hander Erick Fedde could move their way into consideration with big campaigns; if Hoffman were to "fall" to pick No. 3, the White Sox would likely jump for joy.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Feb 20, 2014 -> 02:16 PM) Who will be the opening day starter at 1B? Do the Sox send Paulie out there symbolically as a tribute or defer to the rookie? With how under the radar Konerko likes to be, I really doubt he would want to included in the opening day lineup as a tribute against a righty. I'm sure this whole year is going to be tough for him.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 20, 2014 -> 10:29 AM) I don't understand your position. You say ARods contract is an albatross, yet the Yankees spent half a billion this offseason on free agents. You say Fielder had an awful contract, yet Dombrowski was able to move it. If you are making a point that taking on these contracts will keep you from doing anything else, (and Santana or Jimenez aren't exactly at ARod or Prince's price level) I think you are using some really bad examples. If anything, they go totally against your point. I would say a better example would be the Cubs circa 2010. They were handing out misguided contracts like candy; Soriano, Silva, Lilly, Zambrano, Lee, Dempster, Ramirez, and Fukudome all received 4 or more years at 10 million plus per year. That is terrible team management and it forced them to jettison those contracts for next to nothing or simply eat them.