Flash Tizzle

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 08:19 PM) How can you grade a baseball draft this early? I just don't understand that. It seems that people grade on if they liked the players. What if KW jr is the next Curtis Granderson. Nobody knows, I think you should wait 5 years to grade a draft. Is it really that difficult to just give a letter grade with some reasoning to justify it?

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 08:03 PM) O'Neil seems solid, I shy away from relievers though as I typically believe you can find a lot of raw arms elsewhere and turn them into relievers at one point or another. Its why I like starters more than anything in terms of drafting pitchers and SS more than anything when drafting bats (as both have the ability to fill other needs; starters can also turn into relievers; SS's can play practically anywhere on the field). I was thinking Kyle Williams, who I know is a tremendous athlete, but this selection is TERRIBLE. Williams was ridiculously over-drafted. He is a very very good athlete (which is a plus) but his baseball abilities aren't at the level that warrant him going in the first 10 rounds. The Sox have done nothing but take easy signs when other superior talents were on the board. I'm obviously not in the war room and I haven't seen a ton of guys so I base a lot on other publications (which may not be right) but my god I just hate the philosphy/direction the organization seems to have. Again, this is very early and with the MLB draft more than any other draft, you dont' know who 90% of the guys are so its hard to necessarily hammer a pick. But when a consensus tells me a guy won't go for another 10 rounds and its only the 5th or 6th round I wonder why. Later on, I could give two craps because the deeper into the draft the far different each teams draft board is going to look. So, how would you grade our selections today? Overall, that is.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 07:48 PM) C- or D+ I was thinking the same. Although it seems someone asks this question every year on Soxtalk, and there's always those group of people who say "well, I think it's difficult to judge our grade right now -- (player A) or (player B) (bulls*** reasoning for failling to criticize the team)." I'm sure a few will come around and prove me right. I'm probably looking too far into this drafting of Williams in the 6th round (since I couldn't tell you one other player I'd prefer at the slot), but it just seems to convey a sense of misdirection within our organization. It's obvious Kenny has a significant voice in who we draft. It's also apparent he wasn't supposed to go there. Am I supposed to believe we just made that one mistake, that earlier selections in the 3rd/4th/5th rounds weren't overdrafts as well?

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 07:43 PM) Hopefully, the Sox take some more quick players like this. Maybe better numbers for the player, but I think we need some speed types in our system. First off, we shouldn't draft ANY more "quick players like this." Having the ability to play baseball should be a higher priority than speed. There's no maybe about it. Atleast in the 6th round. I'd like to hear the grades of people on our draft this first day. Williams alone in the 6th makes it impossible to grade above a C.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 07:39 PM) Outfielder Kenny Williams Jr., the son of the former big leaguer and current White Sox general manager, has barely played since being diagnosed with mononucleosis in early May. He also didn't see much action in his first three seasons in college, sitting on the bench for two years at Arizona and redshirting in 2007 after being academically ineligible following his transfer to Wichita State. An athletic 6-foot-2, 198-pounder who has been drafted twice—including by the Rockies in the 32nd round last year—Williams did shake off the rust in 2008. He's a switch-hitter with a quick bat, though he has yet to develop much power or plate discipline. His best tool is his speed, which he uses well on the bases and in the outfield. HAHAHA! Pathetic. I thought maybe the kid has talent to justify the selection. I can't say I know the typical player selected in the 6th round, but am I to believe he's the 180th best player in the NATION? Nice overdraft, White Sox. Atleast Guillen's kid was selected later.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 07:37 PM) Oh my god it's Kenny's son? Is it? I didn't think he had a son playing baseball for Wichita.

If our next selection coming up has a scouting video or scouting report available (through MLB draft tracker) I won't post for a week.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 05:53 PM) Like who are you thinking of? Melville? No way we'd sign him. Even if that's true, I doubt the alternative of drafting relatively unknowns in the third/fourth rounds is a great way of restocking your system. Atleast give the effort of drafting him. More than likely, whomever is drafted in these spots isn't going to turn out to be anything. I'd rather go for the best player. If it were me I'd give Melville and Beckham their money, and then pull a Wilder and find local hacks to fill out the remaining rounds.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 05:46 PM) Maybe it's just because I have zero faith that the Sox can develop players in the minors right now? Hopefully Buddy Bell can change that. haha, remember who you're talking to. I don't see how Buddy Bell changes anything. Can't fix much if the players he's responsible for are crap. Maybe we'll have a great draft, who knows, but it isn't too appealing to see us falling into the same pattern of honoring slot recommendations and neglecting talented players who've dropped.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 05:42 PM) I like the O'Neil pick....sounds like a righty specialist. I guess philosophies are different after the first couple rounds, but honestly, why even attempt to draft a specialist of any kind? I rather find pitchers, atleast this early in the draft, who have projectability -- and if later they become a specialist then fine.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 05:40 PM) College closer averaging a walk every two innings and just under a K/IP I love the "upside is limited.....should rise fast" portion of the Baseball America scouting report.

So, we draft a 22 year old pitcher with our third selection.... Do I dare even guess where he's ranked overall?

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 05:33 PM) KC takes Melville... They'll have to throw first round money at him. No way he signs at or around fourth round slot recommendations.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 04:59 PM) Obviously we're drafting someone with low demands in the third round to pick up and afford Melville in the fourth...right? MWAHAHAHAHA

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 04:53 PM) Wait that can't be right. Thankfully we've established a direct connection between military service and baseball talent! scrub.

LOL, who's this scrub? Everyone dig up scouting reports while I lazily await them.

If they want Danks, they'll have him. We're up.

Uh oh, isn't Cashner the pitcher who teams were thinking could be converted into a front line starter? It'd love to have additional selections for just this reason. You'd never take Cashner around our slot, but around 15-20 you can take a risk that he's either a great reliever or possible convert.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 02:41 PM) Cubs on the clock. Any guesses? Hopefully not Shooter Hunt. I love his arm, and would hate to watch him pitch across town.

QUOTE (dasox24 @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 02:35 PM) Absolutely. I said it earlier, but I really think he has the potential to be a very popular player if he makes it to the big leagues. In a completely heterosexual way, he's a good looking guy, polite (i.e. "Mr. Gammons"), cracked a couple jokes in there... Has the makings of a popular guy. The one thing that may hurt him is how little he relates to the typical, blue-collar Sox fan, and you can see that in how a few of you have already made comments about his bad accent and bad haircut, etc. He seems to have the Eric Byrnes personality. Look fits as well. We'll absolutely love him (if he's producing) and other teams will hate him because of his talent and outspoken personality. Oh, and yeah, the women will love this guy.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 02:32 PM) Talked to my brother at BA, and the Sox were thrilled and shocked Bekcham was still on the board. I'm happy with the pick, even if I hate UGa. We have Cincinnati to thank for that.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 02:31 PM) Man does this guy have a lot of hair. Is there a forehead under there anywhere? I have my hair about half his length and I can barely fit a baseball cap on my head. It must be hell for him to fit a Georgia cap on that dome.

Very well spoken player. The most composed I've heard all day.

QUOTE (dasox24 @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 02:22 PM) The thing about his professor asking him for an autograph was pretty funny... Seems like a guy who could be a fan favorite. Another thing: How is it possible for a person to have such a bigger lower-half of his body than upper-half? i.e. Wallace I'd guess he neglects the lower half of his body in workouts. He really is a disgusting fat body. Couldn't even run straight in the videos featured on ESPN.

QUOTE (SoxFan101 @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 02:17 PM) I dont know how I feel about the pick, on one hand it seems Beckham is comparable to Troy Tulowitzki and we all saw the impact he had on the Rockies last year... on the other hand his ceiling just does not seem that high to me which is a little dissapointing. In the end I dont know enough about college baseball and what not to really fully comment on the pick. I'm not complaining as I have in previous years with our selections, I just feel similarily -- is Beckham projected to be a superstar calibur player? A franchise player? If we believe so then great.