I know it won't happen, and he doesn't really have the track record to back up a top 5 pick, but Jonathan India is a really intriguing option to me.  Better defender than Bohm, absolutely crushing better comp in the SEC, has a little speed....I'm really curious if he could be an underslot play if they are negotiating to take Thomas in the 2nd.

MLBPipeline just updated and expanded their draft prospect list to 100.

Sounds like we might get a Baseball America mock tomorrow.

6 hours ago, Dunt said:

I know it won't happen, and he doesn't really have the track record to back up a top 5 pick, but Jonathan India is a really intriguing option to me.  Better defender than Bohm, absolutely crushing better comp in the SEC, has a little speed....I'm really curious if he could be an underslot play if they are negotiating to take Thomas in the 2nd.

He's super interesting and is just having a monster of a year.  Hit his 14th HR today off of Mize.  I don't think I could chance popping him at #4, but he would definitely be on my radar in the 10 to 15 range.

46 minutes ago, GenericUserName said:

MLBPipeline just updated and expanded their draft prospect list to 100.

They're really high on pitching. Speaking of which that's an awful picture for their #2 player Stewart, the dudes face looks like it belongs to one of those frozen, abandoned, long dead bodies on Everest.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/rankings/2018-mlb-draft-top-300-prospects/

 

BA's update top 300 list, behind the paywall.

Edited April 27, 20187 yr by Sleepy Harold

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2018-mlb-draft-picks-1-15/

 

BA Mock draft, paywall.

2 minutes ago, Sleepy Harold said:

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2018-mlb-draft-picks-1-15/

 

BA Mock draft, paywall.

Who do they have the Sox taking?

1 minute ago, maggsmaggs said:

Who do they have the Sox taking?

4

Nick Madrigal

Oregon State2B

Notes:

Chicago’s rebuild is in full swing. Teams are wise to never draft for need, but it doesn’t hurt to sync up your talent. With Michael Kopech, Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Zack Collins, Gavin Sheets and Micker Adolfo all in high Class A or higher, getting a fast-moving college bat would help further speed the upcoming talent infusion on the South Side.

Nick Madrigal is back on the field and showing no signs of rust after a nearly two-month layoff with a wrist injury. He has one of the best resumes in this year’s draft class and is a relatively safe pick as a polished college hitter who plays up the middle.

It goes Mize, Bart, Bohm, Madrigal. For what it's worth.

1 minute ago, DirtySox said:

It goes Mize, Bart, Bohm, Madrigal. For what it's worth.

Is that based on their top prospects, or who they see teams picking?

 

14 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Is that based on their top prospects, or who they see teams picking?

That was the mock.

Madrigal hasn't struck out once yet, in 41 AB's. He's hitting over .500, which suggests that his injury has not set him back, in the least. Is he considered a legitimate SS, or does he profile as a second baseman?

For some reason, I'm having a hard time getting myself pumped for Madrigal.  Just concerned about his lack of power, especially with wood bats. You add in that his best position is where our best future asset plays, and I'm hoping for something else come June 4th.

6 minutes ago, fathom said:

For some reason, I'm having a hard time getting myself pumped for Madrigal.  Just concerned about his lack of power, especially with wood bats. You add in that his best position is where our best future asset plays, and I'm hoping for something else come June 4th.

Not at all a bad idea to stock pile future trade assets as well. Not all of these guys will be on the sox when it's time to compete.

49 minutes ago, Lillian said:

Madrigal hasn't struck out once yet, in 41 AB's. He's hitting over .500, which suggests that his injury has not set him back, in the least. Is he considered a legitimate SS, or does he profile as a second baseman?

Ridiculous, should definitely interest the new Sox draft regime

22 minutes ago, fathom said:

For some reason, I'm having a hard time getting myself pumped for Madrigal.  Just concerned about his lack of power, especially with wood bats. You add in that his best position is where our best future asset plays, and I'm hoping for something else come June 4th.

I just think like I’m one of the modern, successful mlb franchises like the Astros and think would they avoid drafting a complete baseball player with a great hitting profile, one that avoids ks, because they have a redundancy?

No, I think they would just make him versatile, find them both spots to play consistently and use their depth to outlast and outplay others over a 162 game season without the luxury.

 

I also can't get over how much he reminds me though of Darwin Barney, who also went to Oregon St

After you mentioned this it got me curious to look them both up.  Here's their both of their numbers.  To my eyes, Madrigal looks to be a much better offensive player than Barney was.

Darwin Barney Baseball Cube

Nick Madrigal Baseball Cube

 

Year	Team	League	Lvl	Org	Unif	Pos	Age	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	DP	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	XBH	PA	babip	ISO	SecA	wOBA	BB%	SO%	K-BB	HR%	AB/HR	XBH%
2005	Oregon State	Pac10	NCAA-1	Fr	10	2b	19	58	226	46	68	9	1	2	44	6	2	23	21	9	6	5	0	5	.301	.380	.376	.756	85	12	269	.317	.075	.195	.340	8.55	7.81	0.91	0.74	113.00	17.65
2006	Oregon State	Pac10	NCAA-1	So	10	2b	20	66	261	53	86	11	3	0	36	16	4	43	19	6	10	4	0	7	.330	.430	.395	.825	103	14	324	.350	.065	.276	.373	13.27	5.86	0.44	0.00	0.00	16.28
2007	Oregon State	Pac10	NCAA-1	Jr	10	2b	21	67	278	53	84	20	2	5	56	14	3	33	33	4	4	6	0	12	.302	.377	.442	.819	123	27	325	.321	.140	.299	.360	10.15	10.15	1.00	1.54	55.60	32.14

 

Year	Team	League	Lvl	Org	Unif	Pos	Age	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	DP	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	XBH	PA	babip	ISO	SecA	wOBA	BB%	SO%	K-BB	HR%	AB/HR	XBH%
2016	Oregon State	Pac12	NCAA-1	Fr	3	ss	19	49	195	38	65	11	5	1	29	8	2	15	14	1	11	2	0	3	.333	.380	.456	.836	89	17	224	.352	.123	.231	.360	6.70	6.25	0.93	0.45	195.00	26.15
2017	Oregon State	Pac12	NCAA-1	So	3	ss	20	60	237	53	90	20	2	4	40	16	4	27	16	6	8	4	0	7	.380	.449	.532	.981	126	26	282	.389	.152	.316	.419	9.57	5.67	0.59	1.42	59.25	28.89
2018	Oregon State	Pac12	NCAA-1	-		ss	21	10	41	14	21	2	1	2	10	3	0	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	.512	.565	.756	1.321	31	5	46	.487	.244	.415	.565	8.70	0.00	0.00	4.35	20.50	23.81

32 minutes ago, bmags said:

I just think like I’m one of the modern, successful mlb franchises like the Astros and think would they avoid drafting a complete baseball player with a great hitting profile, one that avoids ks, because they have a redundancy?

No, I think they would just make him versatile, find them both spots to play consistently and use their depth to outlast and outplay others over a 162 game season without the luxury.

 

See Jose Ramirez, Marwin Gonzalez, Happ/Zobrist, A. Cabrera, Merrifield, etc.

Versatility is so important in today’s game...or look at Yolmer, Saladino and Leury, for the Sox.  Allows another pitcher on the active roster. 

Here is what John Sickels, of Baseball Nation had to say about Madrigal, just last week:

 

"Speed is the best tool overall, with grades between 60 and 70 depending on the source. You can split the difference at 65 if you like, but everyone agrees that he’s an excellent baserunner with an ideal combination of instincts, athleticism, and aggression. 

Speed doesn’t matter much if you can’t get on base but Madrigal excels in that department, with a superior batting eye and contact ability. There’s plenty of bat speed and his power production has improved steadily. He should hit a substantial number of doubles and triples and has a shot at hitting double-digit homers down the line. He can bunt, too, if you’re interested in small ball.

Madrigal plays second base for the Beavers due to the presence of Cadyn Grenier at shortstop. Madrigal is a tremendous second baseman, MLB.com going so far as to say he could be a Gold Glover someday. His arm and range are good enough for him to be a plausible shortstop, too. To top it all off, his makeup is considered superb."

 

Well, there is your SS and lead off hitter, allowing Moncada to move to the middle of the order. Let him take Anderson's place, when he's ready. If Anderson becomes a star, he'll net something very valuable, in a trade, with that contract.

16 minutes ago, Lillian said:

Here is what John Sickels, of Baseball Nation had to say about Madrigal, just last week:

 

"Speed is the best tool overall, with grades between 60 and 70 depending on the source. You can split the difference at 65 if you like, but everyone agrees that he’s an excellent baserunner with an ideal combination of instincts, athleticism, and aggression. 

Speed doesn’t matter much if you can’t get on base but Madrigal excels in that department, with a superior batting eye and contact ability. There’s plenty of bat speed and his power production has improved steadily. He should hit a substantial number of doubles and triples and has a shot at hitting double-digit homers down the line. He can bunt, too, if you’re interested in small ball.

Madrigal plays second base for the Beavers due to the presence of Cadyn Grenier at shortstop. Madrigal is a tremendous second baseman, MLB.com going so far as to say he could be a Gold Glover someday. His arm and range are good enough for him to be a plausible shortstop, too. To top it all off, his makeup is considered superb."

 

Well, there is your SS and lead off hitter, allowing Moncada to move to the middle of the order. Let him take Anderson's place, when he's ready. If Anderson becomes a star, he'll net something very valuable, in a trade, with that contract.

You’re really suggesting we trade a star as our contention window opens so we can better balance the lineup?

No, not at all. I'm saying that there is no reason not to draft Madrigal, if he is the best player, solely because Moncada blocks him at second base.

The scouting report says that he has the ability to play SS, at a high level. Therefore, if the Sox draft him, and he earns the starting SS position, in three or 4 years, they could then trade Anderson. The Sox have options to resign Tim, for 2023 and 2024, at $12.5 M and $14M, respectively.  If Madrigal were ready before then, Anderson could be traded, with that contract. If Anderson has flopped, the Sox would simply not pick up the team options, which would only cost them $1M, for the buy out, in either year.

It should also be noted that Anderson is not a "star" yet. He may well become one, but I wouldn't attach that moniker to him, just yet.

Edited April 28, 20187 yr by Lillian

Just draft the best guy available and worry about where they fit if/when the time comes. No need to complicate it.