2014 Draft class

[Marty34]

From what everyone seems to be saying, there's 2 guys head and shoulders above the others as things stand now and then a number of guys who could distinguish themselves at 3. Is my assessment wrong in that?

 

If you could save $500k on your first pick by taking a guy who might otherwise go number 5 at #3...while not sacrificing a lot in talent, that's like adding an extra 3rd rounder to the draft.

 

The setup has to be right, you don't want to do that when the #3 pick is head and shoulders above the #4, but so far no one seems to be making a case that there's an obvious #3 guy in any of these threads.

 

My first thought after hearing this possible strategy is that they won't take Kolek even if he is the consensus pick at 3 because he's too far away from the Majors. Taking him at 3 is the total opposite of the ML-ready prospects they've acquired via trade. i don't think that's the right approach to the draft.

[ShandyMan]

My first thought after hearing this possible strategy is that they won't take Kolek even if he is the consensus pick at 3 because he's too far away from the Majors. Taking him at 3 is the total opposite of the ML-ready prospects they've acquired via trade. i don't think that's the right approach to the draft.

 

Drafting players that are near MLB ready are usually the "safe" picks that end up being the Lance Broadways of the world.

 

 

Take the best player with the highest ceiling. Don't worry about being able to contribute right now.

[Balta1701]

Drafting players that are near MLB ready are usually the "safe" picks that end up being the Lance Broadways of the world.

 

 

Take the best player with the highest ceiling. Don't worry about being able to contribute right now.

But a guy who is farther away is simply going to be a higher risk. A guy 4-5 years away has 4-5 years of risks of injury and other things going wrong. On top of that, guys who are near MLB ready have been playing against older, higher-quality competition already themselves, so that gets thrown into the assessment as well.

[DirtySox]

How much of that is because of the 9th and 10th round picks as well as May in the 3rd? Didn't Anderson sign slot?

 

May was $50,000 under slot. James Dykstra was $200,000 underslot. Blount was under slot by $133,000. Goldberg was underslot by $125,000.

[ShandyMan]

But a guy who is farther away is simply going to be a higher risk. A guy 4-5 years away has 4-5 years of risks of injury and other things going wrong. On top of that, guys who are near MLB ready have been playing against older, higher-quality competition already themselves, so that gets thrown into the assessment as well.

 

True as well. I personally think that we should take Turner. I'm not sold on Hoffman and he was who I was referring to.

Edited January 25, 2014 by staxx

[Boopa1219]

This is a huge a mistake they need draft a position player, so they can build this new core of White Sox hitters (Courtney Hawkins, Micker Zapata, Tim Anderson, etc)

[Springfield Soxfan]

Hahn said at Sox fest that the Sox are likely to draft a pitcher. Quote from Trib:

 

He also said “odds are” the Sox will take a pitcher with the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft, considering four of the top five candidates likely will be pitchers.

[Boopa1219]

Hahn said at Sox fest that the Sox are likely to draft a pitcher. Quote from Trib:

 

He also said “odds are” the Sox will take a pitcher with the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft, considering four of the top five candidates likely will be pitchers.

 

They need position players desperately.

[southsider2k5]

Unfortunately the draft is top heavy with pitchers and we don't produce hitters.

 

Which is why we spent the last six months trading pitchers for hitters who are major league ready.

[Quin]

They need position players desperately.

 

You can always trade excess pitching.

[BlackSox13]

The Sox can always trade a good pitching prospect for a good hitting prospect so don't understand the perceived necessity for a position player. Teams are always looking for good young pitching, look at the Cubs.

[beautox]

This is a huge a mistake they need draft a position player, so they can build this new core of White Sox hitters (Courtney Hawkins, Micker Zapata, Tim Anderson, etc)

 

I disagree, in my opinion the next sox core looks something like this (given the fact they're going to give them 1200-1300 ABs before they move off those players.

 

DH - Viciedo if he breaks out this year if not ?

C - ?

1B - Abreu

2B - Semien

SS - Sanchez

3B - Davidson

LF - ? Viciedo but most likely getting relegated to DH due to his atrocious defense and provided he hits.

CF - Eaton

RF - Garcia

 

That to me is our foreseeable core, with Thompson and Johnson a bit off in the distance and with question marks looming for both of them.

 

I also think you could see both C and OF addressed by the trade deadline or next offseason in free agency possibly Colby Rasmus(28) or Alfredo Despaigne(28) if he defects.

[Boopa1219]

Unfortunately the draft is top heavy with pitchers and we don't produce hitters.

 

There is no better time to start than right now. Plus, do you think the White sox should stop drafting position players all together because their pitches have had more success? When you draft a player you're taking a risk, plus you add in the fact that since the White Sox were opposed to taking advantage of the previous CBA and never went over slot to sign a player , so they were forced to draft players (Mostly College Seniors) that while they had higher floors and were rhetorically less risky in terms of their development their ceilings in terms of their poetential were very low. With the new CBA the Sox can finally get those high ceiling players, and maybe since they have more poetential they might develop into better players.

[Quin]

There is no better time to start than right now. Plus, do you think the White sox should stop drafting position players all together because their pitches have had more success? When you draft a player you're taking a risk, plus you add in the fact that since the White Sox were opposed to taking advantage of the previous CBA and never went over slot to sign a player , so they were forced to draft players (Mostly College Seniors) that while they had higher floors and were rhetorically less risky in terms of their development their ceilings in terms of their poetential were very low. With the new CBA the Sox can finally get those high ceiling players, and maybe since they have more poetential they might develop into better players.

 

If the best player is tied between a hitter and pitcher, Sox need to take the pitcher.

[cabiness42]

If the best player is tied between a hitter and pitcher, Sox need to take the pitcher.

 

Even if it's a catcher?

[Balta1701]

Even if it's a catcher?

How much confidence do we have in the development of that catcher?

[Quin]

Even if it's a catcher?

 

Like I said in one of these threads, give me Hoffman/Kolek over Alex Jackson and then Reetz in the 2nd. After doing some research, I like what I see out of Reetz.

 

I'd be cool with Turner as well, but I have much more confidence in developing a pitcher.

 

Edited January 26, 2014 by Quinarvy

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

<!--quoteo(post=2925412:date=Jan 26, 2014 -> 02:51 PM:name=HickoryHuskers)-->

<!--quotec-->Even if it's a catcher?

 

Like I said in one of these threads, give me Hoffman/Kolek over Alex Jackson and then Reetz in the 2nd. After doing some research, I like what I see out of Reetz.

 

I'd be cool with Turner as well, but I have much more confidence in developing a pitcher.

 

 

While I have no begun to look at options for our 2nd round pick yet, I do like what you've been posting about Reetz. Even without knowing what's available, I think getting Hoffman and then Reetz would be a really great start to the draft. Those could immediately become 2 of our top 3 prospects.

Edited January 26, 2014 by Chilihead90

[Quin]

While I have no begun to look at options for our 2nd round pick yet, I do like what you've been posting about Reetz. Even without knowing what's available, I think getting Hoffman and then Reetz would be a really great start to the draft. Those could immediately become 2 of our top 3 prospects.

 

Yup.

 

Hoffman can likely be in the majors fast, Kolek has nasty stuff, Turner seems like he has a high floor, and then Reetz is an athletic catcher with a cannon arm that most places indicate will easily stay behind the plate.

[ILMOU]

More importantly Reetz played football in HS.

Don't send KW to scout him.

[southsider2k5]

Phil Rogers ‏@philgrogers 3h

 

@whitesox doing interviews w/candidates for 3rd overall pick. @scottmerkin says Beede, Kolek & Gatewood r next. Started w/Rodon ...

... Hoffman and Turner. Fascinating process for a team that has had only one top-10 choice in last 23 drafts.

[southsider2k5]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...ws&c_id=cws

 

With the third pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, the White Sox probably can't miss on finding a can't-miss prospect.

 

They better not miss with one of the few benefits to come from the 2013 debacle.

 

"It is [important], but essentially it might be easier because the first five players of the Draft, normally you're going to get a good player," said White Sox assistant general manager Buddy Bell of their lofty selection. "You can miss, obviously.

 

"You still have to do your due diligence, but we're going to get a good player. We're going to see a lot of guys. A lot of guys are going to see these players. Hopefully we see them on a good day to give us some options."

 

There's a greater ease to picking at three because the talent field can be narrowed down and a greater guess can be made as to who will go in the two prior picks as opposed to picking 18 or 21 or even lower. White Sox director of amateur scouting Doug Laumann and assistant scouting director Nick Hostetler already have met face-to-face with left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon, right-handed pitcher Jeff Hoffman and shortstop Trea Turner.

 

Meetings with right-handed pitchers Tyler Kolek and Tyler Beede and shortstop Jacob Gatewood are on the schedule. Rodon appears to be the clear-cut No. 1 pick for the Astros, and Laumann stated Sunday at SoxFest that he doesn't see Rodon slipping to No. 3.

 

"If he does, it would probably be under the circumstance that would probably make us question why he went there as well," said Laumann of Rodon. "Then again, there's a lot of baseball between now and then, so who knows?"

 

Picking someone like Chris Sale at No. 3, meaning a player who could help the White Sox in that same season, doesn't seem to be extremely likely. But Laumann believes the player picked could help soon.

 

"Certainly if it's a college guy, that's a distinct possibility. If it's a high school guy, we'll probably be sure that we're cautious," Laumann said. "To think there would be another repeat of what happened with Chris Sale or something like that, I think that was an aberration.

 

"That was kind of the perfect storm that year. If it's a college guy, he certainly fits in with this young core we have that are Double- and Triple-A and young guys in the big leagues that will fit in the next couple of years."

[NorthSideSox72]

You cannot force yourself to take a pitcher simply because your system has historically been better at developing them. You also do not draft position players (at least in the first 10 rounds) simply because the system lacks them. These are both horrible pieces of logic to follow, and the Sox won't.

 

First of all, the "system" is not static. The scouts, coaches, etc. have all undergone a lot of changes the past couple years. So the historical track record means little.

 

Second, if you decide to focus your draft on pitchers because you think you are better at developing them, you artificially and unnecessarily cut down your talent pool by MORE THAN HALF, which is idiotic. You are intentionally cutting down the value you get in the draft. That makes no sense.

 

Third, if anyone thinks the Sox aren't aware of their lack of success getting position players to the majors, you are deluding yourself. They know, and they've made changes, and will keep making changes.

 

Fourth, drafting for organizational in baseball is nonsensical for the simple reason that it takes years to develop players for MLB. You don't know what you will need on the MLB team in 2-4 years, so you can't draft to MLB needs. Sure, you fill in org gaps in the later rounds, say 21-40.

 

The Sox will take the best player available in the first, and at least through the 10th or so, because that is the only smart way to go about it.

 

[harfman77]

Agree that this would be a bad idea. Disappointing that they are even considering it.

 

If you grade players 2-10 similarly, what is the harm in taking the guy who you can sign? If it means getting Toussaint instead of Kolek, but being able to spend money later on to sign someone like Kodi Medeiros in the second round and Jeren Kendall in the third round by offering overslot money? You go from having one first round pick to potentially three and by taking a guy that you have evaluated to be a similar talent. It is just good business and is a great way to add additional talent to the system with no extra cost.

 

If you see a clear difference, you take the guy that is rated above, but if it is a cluster from 2-10 as it appears to be, make the move that gets the system more talent

 

This is a huge a mistake they need draft a position player, so they can build this new core of White Sox hitters (Courtney Hawkins, Micker Zapata, Tim Anderson, etc)

 

This is a huge a mistake they need draft a position player, so they can build this new core of White Sox hitters (Courtney Hawkins, Micker Zapata, Tim Anderson, etc)

 

You mean like Jared Mitchell, Keenyn Walker, Trace Thompson, Barnum, Phegley and Beckham? They have drafted plenty of position players but have a much better track record evaluating and developing pitchers. Since the Sox have been relatively successful at developing pitching, they were able to take assets (Peavy, Santiago and, Reed) and transform them into prospects to fill positions of need.

 

Saying that you have to take a position player just isnt true. Sure there are some guys that might makes sense there, but to exclude pitching, which is projected to be the strength of the top of the draft, is selling the team short. Rodon is a consensus number one right now, after that there is only one position player ranked in the top 5 and three in the top 10.

[harfman77]

You cannot force yourself to take a pitcher simply because your system has historically been better at developing them. You also do not draft position players (at least in the first 10 rounds) simply because the system lacks them. These are both horrible pieces of logic to follow, and the Sox won't.

 

First of all, the "system" is not static. The scouts, coaches, etc. have all undergone a lot of changes the past couple years. So the historical track record means little.

 

Second, if you decide to focus your draft on pitchers because you think you are better at developing them, you artificially and unnecessarily cut down your talent pool by MORE THAN HALF, which is idiotic. You are intentionally cutting down the value you get in the draft. That makes no sense.

 

Third, if anyone thinks the Sox aren't aware of their lack of success getting position players to the majors, you are deluding yourself. They know, and they've made changes, and will keep making changes.

 

Fourth, drafting for organizational in baseball is nonsensical for the simple reason that it takes years to develop players for MLB. You don't know what you will need on the MLB team in 2-4 years, so you can't draft to MLB needs. Sure, you fill in org gaps in the later rounds, say 21-40.

 

The Sox will take the best player available in the first, and at least through the 10th or so, because that is the only smart way to go about it.

 

I disagree with this, you will see many teams take signable org guys in rounds 3, 4, and 5 and use the savings their to go after a guy that slipped. And conversely people stop drafting the best player available after the first round and take best player available that we can actually sign. There is definitely more strategy than just going down the board of how you ranked players going into the draft.