http://minorleagueball.com/story/2007/6/3/15622/22068

 

The person picking for the Sox takes Matt LaPorta at #25. I know it's not the high school power arm that everybody wants, but honestly, I wouldn't mind LaPorta. This farm system is totally devoid of position prospects, unlike in the pitching department where there's some good (not great) arms throughout. LaPorta is hitting .402/.582/.817 at Florida this season and has only struck out in ~9% of his at-bats. Compare this to say, Joe Borchard, who struck out in ~23% of his at-bats in his final season at Stanford.

 

Anyways -- assuming the first 24 picks went the way they did in this mock draft, who would you take?

We have a much deeper pitching farm then position player farm. I like LaPorta, but my only problem with him is that he is only really a 1B/DH, and one of our rare prospects with good upside we have is a 3B/1B/DH type also.

I'd like to see us take Weathers from Vandy. Yes he does turn 22 a week from today, but he has the nasty kind of stuff our system needs an infusion of, and his age and college experience would put him on a faster track I would assume. Then again, that all depends on what HS power arms are stiil there when we pick. If some fall, that changes the dynamic. I like LaPorta, but he's a 1B/DH exclusive type guy. Yes we need position help more than pitching help, but we'd be better off taking somebody like Frazier from Rugers or a power arm (we still need more power arms) than LaPorta IMO.

Edited June 4, 200718 yr by whitesoxfan101

Why has Burgess fallen so far? If he's still around, I have no problem taking a high ceiling pick with a possible 40 homer a year outfielder.

Why has Burgess fallen so far? If he's still around, I have no problem taking a high ceiling pick with a possible 40 homer a year outfielder.

 

I was going to say that because we need an OF with big time power potential, but I have strong doubts as to if he'll actually be there. I'd take him if he were though.

Why has Burgess fallen so far? If he's still around, I have no problem taking a high ceiling pick with a possible 40 homer a year outfielder.

 

Baseball America says that his ability to make consistent contact is a big concern.

 

I'd like to see us take Weathers from Vandy.

 

Weathers is a reliever. Seeing that the Sox have all of two picks in the top 100, I'm not taking a reliever, even if he is on the fast track.

We need middle infielders, badly. Like BearSox said, we've got a few good pitching arms, but we really have no one in the middle infield that has done much.

Edited June 4, 200718 yr by SoxFan1

FWIW, the guy doing the mock draft for the Sox had them taking Tanner Robles, a left-handed pitcher who's rated the best prospect in Utah. Here's a scouting report I found on him from PG Crosschecker:

 

SCOUTING REPORT: Robles was considered one of the handful of top pitchers for the 2007 draft after a dazzling showing on the showcase circuit last summer. His fastball routinely popped 94-95 mph with riding life; his curveball was also a big league pitch. But his stock faded this spring as his velocity dropped and he failed to command his breaking stuff. He was throwing 92-93 mph, topping at 94 in his first few starts, but his velocity gradually slipped below 90 and was down to 85-86 mph at one point. He would often lose significant velocity within a game. His fastball also lacked the movement normally found in lefthanders and his curve was not as sharp. Scouts started questioning whether Robles might be just a product of showcase events, where he was able to let it all out for just an inning or two. But they began focusing on his mechanics as the root of his problem, saying a stiff delivery and lack of rhythm were major contributing factors. Through it all, Robles continued to dominate the competition in Utah and finished his career with a perfect record while playing on three straight state championship teams. Robles has an excellent feel for the game, but his inconsistency this spring has taken him out of the first round to possibly as low as the second or third rounds.

We need middle infielders, badly. Like BearSox said, we've got a few good pitching arms, but we really have no one in the middle infield that has done much.

 

Yeah MIF help is the #1 concern right now by about a mile, but this isn't the greatest draft to try and find help there. There are a lot of directions we could head with this pick, a lot depends on what everybody before us does.

Edited June 4, 200718 yr by whitesoxfan101

Robles sounds like another 90 mph fastball type guy....pass

 

Yeah MIF help is the #1 concern right now by about a mile, but this isn't the greatest draft to try and find help there. There are a lot of directions we could head with this pick, a lot depends on what everybody before us does.

 

Frazier seems like he could be a good fit, but does he project to be a light hitting middle infielder?

Robles sounds like another 90 mph fastball type guy....pass

Frazier seems like he could be a good fit, but does he project to be a light hitting middle infielder?

Piranha light hitting? Or Royce Clayton light hitting?

Frazier seems like he could be a good fit, but does he project to be a light hitting middle infielder?

 

Rutgers plays him at short, but he's a pretty big fella, 6'4 or 6'5 and about 225 pounds, hence some project him at 3rd. He has 22 homers and 22 doubles this year with a .766 slugging percentage and .381/.505 BA and OBP split (1.271 OPS). He's 25 for 30 in steals and has 2 triples as well, and a 60/49 BB/K rate in 239 at bats.

Griffith is my choice based upon the community mock draft posted on Sickels' site.

 

Yes, we're void of projectable middle infielders, but then again, our

general manager has yet to publically announce his desire to avoid long term deals with positional players.

 

Even with JAG providing the ballclub with several options for the future, pitching remains a concern of mine because of those within our division. Until it's apparent we possess enough talent to match Minnesota, Cleveland, or Detroit, then the most projectable, highest ceiling starting pitchers should be selected early in the draft.

What do you guys think about Eric Sogard from ASU as a possible 2B prospect? Obviously not in the first round, but he seems like he could be Dustin Pedroia 2.0...

 

Another infield prospect I like is Danny Worth from Pepperdine as well. He isn't the most flashy player, but he is the type of hitter we need. He doesn't have big pop or anything, but he does have very good gap-to-gap power, and can get a lot of doubles and even triples. Plus, he is a stud defensively at SS...

 

He just seems like the type of player the twins would get and just shock everyone.

The last BA mock I saw had Wieters falling to #18 because of Boras and bonus demands. It would be awesome if he could fall to us.

I REALLY want LaPorta.