22 (660) - Jose Vargas, 3B, Ventura College (JC). 6'3", 225, born 12/15/87.

 

23 (690) - Kyle Long, LHP, St Anne's Belfield HS, VA. He's 6'7" tall, and doesn't turn 18 until December, AND, he has a scouting report:

 

Player Name: Kyle Long

Position: Starting Pitcher/First Baseman

School: St. Anne’s Belfield HS (Va.)

School Type: High school

Academic Class: Senior

Birthdate: 12/05/88

Height: 6'7"

Weight: 280 lbs.

Bats: Left

Throws: Left

Report Date(s): 04/15/08

Game(s): Trinity High School

 

Focus Area Comments

Fastball: Long threw his fastball in the 86-89 range.

Curve: He's got a feel for a breaking ball and there is projection on his curve.

Control: He is inconsistent with his command.

Poise: He's got that football-type mentality on the mound.

Physical Description: Long is immensely strong, athletic and built like the lineman he's been in high school.

Medical Update: Healthy.

Strengths: Good makeup, competitive nature, size.

Weaknesses: He's very raw on the mound and has a long way to go.

Hitting Ability: Long has some holes in his swing, but when he makes contact, look out.

Power: He has tremendous raw power and can hit the ball out of any yard.

Running Speed: Not bad for a guy his size at all. The clock doesn't read great, but he can move pretty well.

Base running: He's better once he's underway and does well going first-to-third.

Arm Strength: The arm strength he shows as a pitcher should carry over to a defensive position.

Strengths: Size and raw power.

Weaknesses: He's got some holes in his swing and needs work on his overall offensive game.

Summary: The son of NFL great Howie and brother of top NFL draft prospect Chris, Long has shown enough on the diamond to make some feel he has a future in this sport. Big, strong and athletic, he did play football in high school, but has also pitched and played first this spring. He's raw in all facets of the game but with tremendous power at the plate and some intriguing stuff on the mound, it will be interesting to see if someone will like the bloodlines and football mentality enough to draft him early enough to keep him from going to Florida State.

 

 

Wouldn't he be turning 20 in December?

I love the fact that we're getting a good mix of pitchers and position players.

 

That 22nd round pick is a monster...6'3", 225 lbs? Nice.

 

And getting Howie Long's son is a great thing!!! Get him signed and make him a 1b!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited June 6, 200817 yr by OilCan

Wouldn't he be turning 20 in December?

Sorry, yes, you are correct.

 

in the video Long is wearing a shirt that says STAB, that would intimidate me enough....

Edited June 6, 200817 yr by Cali

I love the fact that we're getting a good mix of pitchers and position players.

 

That 22nd round pick is a monster...6'3", 225 lbs? Nice.

Check the 23rd round pick - 6'7", 280. Damn.

 

in the video Long is wearing a shirt that says STAB, that would intimidate me enough....

 

 

Even worse he's wearing s***. Thats some crazy s***.

The gun in the video had him hitting 91. And this is a "raw" high schooler.

 

 

And getting Howie Long's son is a great thing!!! Get him signed and make him a 1b!!!!!!!!!!!

If we sign him that'd be fantastic, I don't see that happening though.

Wow...if the Sox can sign Kyle Long...look the hell out....

 

AND MAKE HIM A FIRST BASEMAN!!!

24 (720) - Brett Graffy, RHP, Notre Dame. 6'2", 195, Junior at ND, born 3/12/87.

 

After this I'm off the board for a bit, so, someone else feel free to update this thread as picks come in.

 

I'm confused. I thought Kyle Long was projected to go much higher. Is signing him that much of a long shot?

I've been reading about long for a while now because I like to do a lot of research for the NFL draft and read about his brother. This is definitely a high reward type player who slipped b/c of his signability. He has excellent bloodlines and is super-athletic for a guy his size. I could really see him turning into a feared hitter and honestly looking 5 years down the road I'll be surprised if he doesn't make it to the bigs. He's got fantastic genetics, his dad obviously HOF pro football player, his mom was an olympic athlete I believe, and his brother is an elite athlete. On top of that he's got the same work ethic as his father and older brother. I absolutely love this pick. I know we still have to sign him but this could be the steal of the draft so far

I'm confused. I thought Kyle Long was projected to go much higher. Is signing him that much of a long shot?

 

Well, he's committed to Florida State, drafted in the 23rd round, and drafted by a cheap organization. I doubt they would dish out a ton of money to a 23rd round pick.

How many of these later round picks actually sign? I have never really paid attention to the draft and wondered how many sign compared to either go to college or go back to college.

How many of these later round picks actually sign? I have never really paid attention to the draft and wondered how many sign compared to either go to college or go back to college.

 

it all depends on the player and what he wants. However i can say that if it were impossible to sign any of these HS players contemplating college then no team would draft them. they are signable, just depends on what they are looking for, i.e. right organization, big money, coaches, personal connections, etc...

How many of these later round picks actually sign? I have never really paid attention to the draft and wondered how many sign compared to either go to college or go back to college.

Out of 50 picks, the White Sox usually sign about 25 to maybe 30. They generally do a good job getting guys signed in the first 20 rounds because they planned it ahead of time, i.e. they usually know what a player wants. Very seldom in the past do they draft guys who are expected to be extremely difficult signs, although maybe the better word is occasionally.

 

Most of these college jr. and sr. guys will sign and play in places like Great Falls and maybe Kannapolis and then you'll never hear from them again. Generally when you see a high school kid drafted late and they appear talented, it's likely they have a firm college commitment (scholarship) and are therefore much more difficult to sign.

 

There are exceptions, like Jordan Danks, who's already a college jr. so one would think he'd be an easier sign, but his agent is Boras so all bets are off.

 

A lot of these guys drafted will be on Great Falls roster in about 10 days, maybe a few at Bristol too. Others might sign a bit later, not play this year, and go to instructional league in the fall and you'll see them on a roster next year.

 

But frankly, if a team can get 3-4 decent major leaguers out of a draft and maybe 1-2 more that end up being good trade bait, they've done extremely well.

25 (750) - Taylor Thompson, RHP - Auburn - 6'5 225

Round 25 is Taylor Thompson, a big RHP out of Auburn University.

 

He's just a sophomore and is from Alabama. Bad stats this year and bad stats last year, so obviously the Sox are looking at projectablity here.

Edited June 6, 200817 yr by 29andPoplar

personal connections, etc...

Like a brother on the team? Danks? Yes!

Round 26 is Jorge Castillo, a right handed hitting 1B out of Florida Int'l University. 6'2, 225, 9/26/86, a senior.

 

He transferred from Univ. of Lousville after three years. Of Cuban descent, his grandfather played for the Cuban Nat'l team.

 

Might be one to watch, .367 average, high OBP, very few strikeouts.

Edited June 6, 200817 yr by 29andPoplar

On 24th rounder Brett Graffy:

 

Graffy, who touched 95 mph in his last Cape Cod League outing last summer, gets more run on his fastball and pitches in the high 80s when he drops down to a three-quarters arm slot. His splitter is a promising second pitch. Control never has been Graffy's strongest suit, and when he couldn't throw strikes he lost his role in the Fighting Irish bullpen.

 

-BA.

I haven't been paying attention on day 2. Any interesting picks? I see we picked up Danks?

Round 27 is Doug Thennis, a right handed hitting 1B, out of Texas Tech, a senior, 6'3 210.

 

He hit .283 this year with 36 walks and 45 K's, had a better year in 2007 when he was the team's leading hitter. Formerly drafted by the Washington Nationals.

Edited June 6, 200817 yr by 29andPoplar