We put a draft preview up on FutureSox, leveraging material that our own bbilek1 posted in the pre-draft thread (and added a few things). Check it out here.

 

We will of course be following the draft on the blog and the twitter when it starts, and we will have a draft-day thread on here for discussion.

 

Good stuff, I really liked what bbilek posted up.

I'm hoping that a good left handed hitter is available in our #17 slot. That is a huge void in the organization.

Dominic Smith looks intriguing to me.

I'm hoping that a good left handed hitter is available in our #17 slot. That is a huge void in the organization.

Dominic Smith looks intriguing to me.

You don't draft a player who is 3-5 years away and very likely will amount to nothig to fill a current void in the organization. Who knows, maybe we trade Peavy or Rios for a young left-handed bat at the deadline or even sign a left-handed bat in free agency.

 

I think organizational need gets overplayed way too much when it comes to the draft. This isn't the NFL, take the BPA early on and fill out your needs in the 20s and later if need be. These guys are all essentially lottery tickets, some with better odds than others, and when you don't take the BPA you're not going to be maximizing your chance of hitting on one of them. It's extremely unlikely any of the guys we'll be able to select at 17 will help us next year and by then our needs could be totally different.

You don't draft a player who is 3-5 years away and very likely will amount to nothig to fill a current void in the organization. Who knows, maybe we trade Peavy or Rios for a young left-handed bat at the deadline or even sign a left-handed bat in free agency.

 

I think organizational need gets overplayed way too much when it comes to the draft. This isn't the NFL, take the BPA early on and fill out your needs in the 20s and later if need be. These guys are all essentially lottery tickets, some with better odds than others, and when you don't take the BPA you're not going to be maximizing your chance of hitting on one of them. It's extremely unlikely any of the guys we'll be able to select at 17 will help us next year and by then our needs could be totally different.

 

Yes, of course, you're right. However, it just seems like you have to start filling the pipeline with a few left handed bats, at some point. The only potential left handed impact bat in the whole system is Barnum.