2007 Amateur Draft Diary

[Yoda]

Begins today at 2 p.m. on ESPN2 and MLB Radio.

Microline started this a couple years ago and these threads have always been amazing. I'm very much looking forward to this year's.

I plan to keep a log of our picks in the first post so that they'll be easy to find later as a reference. I'll also be posting links there for scouting reports and such for each player that we draft.

Our Top 2007 Draft pics:
1. Porcello, Frederick
2. Hamilton, Joey
3. Worth, Daniel
4. Putkonen, Luke
5. Furbush, Charles
6. Crosby, Casey
7. Iorg, Garth
8. Thomas, Devin
9. Miguelez, Emmanuel
10. Henry, Justin
11. De La Osa, Dominic
12. Perinar, Gary
13. White, Christopher
14. Taylor, Londell
15. Hernandez, Christopher
16. Kaiser, Kody
Bold = signed


MLB Draft Order
First Round
1. Tampa Bay Devil Rays - Price, David
2. Kansas City Royals - Moustakas, Michael
3. Chicago Cubs - Vitters, Joshua
4. Pittsburgh Pirates - Moskos, Daniel
5. Baltimore Orioles - Wieters, Matthew
6. Washington Nationals - Detwiler, Ross
7. Milwaukee Brewers - LaPorta, Matthew
8. Colorado Rockies - Weathers, Casey
9. Arizona Diamondbacks - Parker, Jarrod
10. San Francisco Giants - Bumgarner, Madison
11. Seattle Mariners - Aumont, Phillippe
12. Florida Marlins - Dominguez, Matthew
13. Cleveland Indians - Mills, Beau
14. Atlanta Braves - Heyward, Jason
15. Cincinnati Reds - Mesoraco, Devin
16. Toronto Blue Jays - Ahrens, Kevin
17. Texas Rangers - Beavan, Blake
18. St. Louis Cardinals - Kozma, Peter
19. Philadelphia Phillies - Savery, Joseph
20. Los Angeles Dodgers - Withrow, Christopher
21. Toronto Blue Jays - Arencibia, Jonathan
22. San Francisco Giants - Alderson, Timothy
23. San Diego Padres - Schmidt, Nicholas
24. Texas Rangers - Main, Michael
25. Chicago White Sox - Poreda, Aaron
26. Oakland A's - Simmons, Donald
27. Detroit Tigers - Porcello, Frederick
28. Minnesota Twins - Revere, Ben
29. San Francisco Giants - Fairley, Wendell
30. New York Yankees - Brackman, Andrew


Supplemental First Round
31. Washington Nationals - Smoker, Joshua
32. San Francisco Giants - Noonan, Nicholas
33. Atlanta Braves - Gilmore, Jonathan
34. Cincinnati Reds - Frazier, Todd
35. Texas Rangers - Borbon, Julio
36. St. Louis Cardinals - Mortensen, Clayton
37. Philadelphia Phillies - D'Arnaud, Travis
38. Toronto Blue Jays - Cecil, Brett
39. Los Angeles Dodgers - Adkins, James
40. San Diego Padres - Kulbacki, Kellen
41. Oakland A's - Doolittle, Sean
42. New York Mets - Kunz, Edward
43. San Francisco Giants - Williams, Jackson
44. Texas Rangers - Ramirez, Neil
45. Toronto Blue Jays - Jackson, Justin
46. San Diego Padres - Cumberland, Andrew
47. New York Mets - Vineyard, Nathan
48. Chicago Cubs - Donaldson, Joshua
49. Washington Nationals - Burgess, Michael
50. Arizona Diamondbacks - Roemer, Wesley
51. San Francisco Giants - Culberson, Charles
52. Seattle Mariners - Mangini, Matthew
53. Cincinnati Reds - Lotzkar, Kyle
54. Texas Rangers - Hunter, Raymond
55. Boston Red Sox - Hagadone, Nicholas
56. Toronto Blue Jays - Magnuson, Trystan
57. San Diego Padres - Canham, Mitchell
58. Los Angels Angels - Bachanov, Jonathan
59. Oakland A's - Brown, Corey
60. Detroit Tigers - Hamilton, Joey
61. Arizona Diamondbacks - Easley, Edward
62. Boston Red Sox - Dent, Ryan
63. San Diego Padres - Luebke, Cory
64. San Diego Padres - Payne, Daniel


Second Round
65. Tampa Bay Devil Rays - Kline, William
66. Kansas City Royals - Runion, Samuel
67. Washington Nationals - Zimmermann, Jordan
68. Pittsburgh Pirates - Welker, Matthew
69. Atlanta Braves - Fields, Joshua
70. Washington Nationals - Smolinski, Jacob
71. St. Louis Cardinals - Kopp, David
72. Colorado Rockies - Rike, Brian
73. Arizona Diamondbacks - Enright, Barry
74. Oakland A's - Desme, Gregory
75. Seattle Mariners - Almonte, Denny
76. Florida Marlins - Stanton, Michael
77. New York Mets - Moviel, Scott
78. Atlanta Braves - Freeman, Frederick
79. Cincinnati Reds - Cozart, Zachary
80. Texas Rangers - West, Matthew
81. San Diego Padres - Sogard, Eric
82. St. Louis Cardinals - Todd, Jesse
83. Philadelphia Phillies - Mattair, Travis
84. Boston Red Sox - Morris, Jeffrey
85. Toronto Blue Jays - Tolisano, John
86. Los Angeles Dodgers - Watt, Michael
87. San Diego Padres - Chalk, Bradley
88. Toronto Blue Jays - Eiland, Eric
89. Chicago White Sox - Griffith, Nevin
90. Oakland A's - Horton, Joshua
91. Detroit Tigers - Worth, Daniel
92. Minnesota Twins - Rams, Daniel
93. New York Mets - Rustich, Brant
94. New York Yankees - Romine, Austin


Third Round
95. Tampa Bay Devil Rays -
96. Kansas City Royals -
97. Chicago Cubs -
98. Pittsburgh Pirates -
99. New York Mets -
100. Washington Nationals -
101. Milwaukee Brewers -
102. Colorado Rockies -
103. Arizona Diamondbacks -
104. Cincinnati Reds -
105. Seattle Mariners -
106. Florida Marlins -
107. Philadelphia Phillies -
108. Atlanta Braves -
109. Cincinnati Reds -
110. Texas Rangers -
111. Houston Astros -
112. St. Louis Cardinals -
113. Philadelphia Phillies -
114. Boston Red Sox -
115. Toronto Blue Jays -
116. Los Angeles Dodgers -
117. San Diego Padres -
118. Los Angels Angels -
119. Chicago White Sox -
120. Oakland A's -
121. Detroit Tigers -
122. Minnesota Twins -
123. New York Mets -
124. New York Yankees -

[Yoda]

Mock Draft
Devil Rays will take Price No. 1, with plenty of surprises to follow
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...es/264204.html

By Jim Callis
E-mail this article
June 7, 2007 Print this article

The Devil Rays will make Vanderbilt lefthander David Price the No. 1 overall selection in the 2007 draft, which begins today at 2 p.m. Eastern. That's no big shock, as other clubs have said for weeks that they would have been surprised if Tampa Bay had gone in a different direction.

But it wasn't until Wednesday evening that the Royals settled on the No. 2 pick. Their delay in making a decision put the planning of other teams on hold, making an already murky draft even murkier. With MLB tightening the recommendations for each bonus slot in the first five rounds and putting increased pressure on clubs to toe the line—in a draft in which Scott Boras advises 10 players who could go in the first or supplemental first rounds—weighing ability against signability was as problematic as ever.

As scouting directors headed to bed for a few hours of sleep Thursday morning, here's how we expected the first round to shake out:

1. Devil Rays. Price and No. 1-ranked Vanderbilt's season came to a premature end when he gave up a shocking 10th-inning pinch-hit homer against Michigan, but that was the only blemish on his spring. Most clubs considered him a cut above the rest of the 2007 draft crop, and Tampa Bay made the easy decision to take him over Georgia Tech catcher Matt Wieters and California high school third baseman Josh Vitters.

Projected Pick: David Price, lhp, Vanderbilt.

2. Royals. Kansas City tried to find a way to sign the draft's best high school pitcher (New Jersey's Rick Porcello) or hitter (California's Mike Moustakas) at a palatable price, but Boras wouldn't budge. In the end, it came down to the sweet-swinging Vitters or Missouri State lefthander Ross Detwiler. For the second time in three years, the Royals will spend the No. 2 overall pick on a third baseman. With Alex Gordon on hand, Vitters may move to left field.

Projected Pick: Josh Vitters, 3b, Cypress (Calif.) HS.

3. Cubs. Chicago would have taken Vitters had Kansas City passed, but there's no shame in taking Indiana prep righthander Jarrod Parker, who showed electric stuff all spring. A rumor that the Cubs would overdraft Virginia first baseman/lefthander Sean Doolittle circulated in the final days before the draft, but he's a target at No. 48, not at No. 3.

Projected Pick: Jarrod Parker, rhp, Norwell (Ind.) HS.

4. Pirates. Pittsburgh needs hitters more than pitchers and hoped to get Vitters. The other position players worthy of the No. 4 overall selection are advised by Boras, which likely will steer the Pirates toward college lefthanders Detwiler and Daniel Moskos (Clemson). If they overdraft a hitter, the candidates would be California high school third baseman Matt Dominguez and Pennsylvania prep catcher Devin Mesoraco.

Projected Pick: Ross Detwiler, lhp, Missouri State.

5. Orioles. Baltimore is the first team with strong interest in Wieters, though owner Peter Angelos has avoided doing business with Boras in the past. Detwiler and Canadian high school righthander Phillippe Aumont are at the top of the Orioles' preferred list of non-Boras clients, though Angelos may not want to go with a prep pitcher. If that's the case and Detwiler is gone, Baltimore could pop Vanderbilt righty Casey Weathers. That could start a chain reaction that would drop Aumont to the Brewers at No. 7, Mesoraco to the Phillies at No. 19 and Texas high school righty Chris Withrow to the White Sox at No. 25.


Projected Pick: Phillippe Aumont, Ecole du Versant, Gatineau, Que.

6. Nationals. No one has a good read on who has the final say with Washington's choice. General manager Jim Bowden wants Georgia high school outfielder Jason Heyward. Assistant GM Mike Rizzo, who had an impressive run as Arizona's scouting director, prefers Moustakas. And what about scouting director Brian Parker and national crosschecker Chuck LaMar (a former GM and scouting director)? Wieters and Detwiler could be two more options.

Projected Pick: Mike Moustakas, 3b, Chatsworth (Calif.) HS.

7. Brewers. Milwaukee kicked the tires on Moustakas and Wieters, though few clubs expect the team formerly owned by commissioner Bud Selig to contradict his slotting edict. If the Brewers don't exceed MLB's recommendation, they're likely looking at Aumont, Parker, Mesoraco and Tennessee center fielder Julio Borbon (yet another Boras advisee).

Projected Pick: Devin Mesoraco, c, Punxsutawney (Pa.) HS.

8. Rockies. Colorado would consider Aumont, and Moustakas would be a possibility if Boras wasn't a factor. That has the Rockies shopping for college lefties in Detwiler, Moskos and Arkansas' Nick Schmidt, with Weathers in play if all the southpaws disappear.

Projected Pick: Daniel Moskos, lhp, Clemson.

9. Diamondbacks. After overpaying 2006 first-rounder Max Scherzer with a $4.3 million guaranteed contract likely to reach $5.8 million with incentives, Arizona won't risk drawing the ire of the commissioner's office again. The Diamondbacks would love for Aumont to fall to them, but they'll settle for the best lefty remaining.

Projected Pick: Nick Schmidt, lhp, Arkansas.

10. Giants. San Francisco has preferred to give away first-round picks in the past, but it has three first-rounders and three supplemental first-rounders in 2007. While the Giants have to find a way to save money somewhere in the draft, they're the odds-on favorite to take Wieters, who'd immediately become their best position prospect. If San Francisco doesn’t want to tangle with Boras, it would look at Weathers and the three college lefties. All four of those arms could be gone, which then would have the Giants turning to a high school righty such as Texas' Blake Beavan or Florida's Michael Main.

Projected Pick: Matt Wieters, c, Georgia Tech.

11. Mariners. Seattle would consider Aumont, but a more realistic hope would be to get one of the three college lefthanders or Weathers. If the Orioles or Giants pop Weathers ahead of them, Seattle's fallback could be late-blooming Washington lefty Nick Hagadone.

Projected Pick: Casey Weathers, rhp, Vanderbilt.

12. Marlins. Florida hoped Parker would fall this far, but that won't happen. The Marlins have had success with young pitchers and could go for Beavan, but targeting a position player would fill a bigger need. Borbon, Heyward, Dominguez and Mesoraco are the leading candidates.

Projected Pick: Julio Borbon, of, Tennessee.

13. Indians. Cleveland has been linked to Beavan for weeks and is headed in that direction unless Aumont, Parker, Detwiler or Moskos falls. The Indians also like North Carolina high school lefthander Madison Bumgarner and investigated the signability of Massachusetts prep lefty Jack McGeary, who's likely headed to Stanford, but no accord could be reached.

Projected Pick: Blake Beavan, rhp, Irving (Texas) HS.

14. Braves. It's no secret that Atlanta likes high schoolers, athletes and Georgians, and Heyward is a perfect demographic fit. He'd also be a good value for the Braves with this pick. The natural inclination if Heyward is gone would be to give Atlanta the next-best Georgia prospect: prep lefthander Josh Smoker. But Smoker didn't finish the season well and Main, whom some teams see as a five-tool outfielder, would make more sense in that scenario.

Projected Pick: Jason Heyward, of, Henry County HS, McDonough, Ga.

15. Reds. Cincinnati is focusing on a group of position players that includes Heyward, Borbon, Oklahoma high school shortstop Pete Kozma and Mesoraco. Kozma is attractive because he's the best all-around middle infielder in the draft. Early rumors had the Reds taking Texas prep third baseman Kevin Ahrens, but he's more of a sandwich-round target for them at No. 34.

Projected Pick: Pete Kozma, ss, Owasso (Okla.) HS.

16. Blue Jays. Toronto wants to find a pair of players at premium positions with its pair of first-rounders. The Blue Jays are locked in on Tennessee catcher J.P. Arencibia and know they almost certainly can get him at No. 21. So they'll spend their top pick on a high school position player such as Kozma, Dominguez, Mesoraco or California catcher Travis d'Arnaud.

Projected Pick: Matt Dominguez, 3b, Chatsworth (Calif.) HS.

17. Rangers. As usual, Texas needs pitching. The Rangers would love to nab homestate product Beavan, but he won't make it to them. They still can get a quality arm in Main or Connecticut high school righthander Matt Harvey.

Projected Pick: Michael Main, rhp/of, Deland (Fla.) HS.

18. Cardinals. St. Louis has kept its intentions closer to the vest than any club. The Cardinals like college players with a strong track record of performance, and they haven't shied away from Boras clients in the past. That makes Wieters an obvious choice if he gets this far, and Florida first baseman Matt LaPorta fits the profile if Wieters doesn't. Porcello is another Boras client who would be a steal this low, but it's uncertain the Cardinals would feel comfortable shelling out big money for a high school pitcher. Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) third baseman/first baseman Beau Mills has some advantages over LaPorta: He hits lefthanded, has a chance to play third base and may not cost as much. St. Louis also has looked at college arms such as UC Riverside righthander James Simmons, Cal State Fullerton righty Wes Roemer, San Francisco lefty Aaron Poreda and Hagadone.

Projected Pick: Matt LaPorta, 1b, Florida.

19. Phillies. Philadelphia covets Mesoraco, but he's in the mix for several clubs ahead of them. GM Pat Gillick's clubs usually seek draftees with high upsides, making Main, Ahrens and Kozma possibilities. The Phillies are the first club associated with powerful Florida high school outfielder Michael Burgess, but his inability to make consistent contact renders him too much of a risk. Fast-rising Texas prep righty Chris Withrow appears to be the frontrunner if Philadelphia wants a pitcher.

Projected Pick: Chris Withrow, rhp, Midland (Texas) Christian HS.

20. Dodgers. There was talk Wednesday night that Bumgarner's agent was floating a $2.3 million price tag in order to drop him to Los Angeles, which paid that amount to fellow high school lefty Clayton Kershaw as the No. 6 overall choice in the 2006 draft. The Dodgers would be tempted to take Beavan, Aumont or Heyward.

Projected Pick: Madison Bumgarner, lhp, South Caldwell HS, Hudson, N.C.

21. Blue Jays. If they gamble and miss out on Arencibia, Toronto could select Mesoraco or D'Arnaud. If the Jays don't want to take two high schoolers in the first round, they could consider college backstops such as Oregon State's Mitch Canham.

Projected Pick: J.P. Arencibia, c, Tennessee.

22. Giants. The two names attached most often to San Francisco with its second first-rounder are local product Poreda and Mills, initially a favorite for the club's choice at No. 10. The Giants probably won't be able to take one and sneak the other through to No. 29. They'd also take a look at Simmons and Roemer.

Projected Pick: Aaron Poreda, lhp, San Francisco.

23. Padres. San Diego's braintrust loves polished college prospects, especially pitchers, so Simmons and Roemer are the top candidates. The Padres would prefer Schmidt, who probably won't get close to him though his talent fits better here than toward the top of the draft. If the Cardinals and Giants pick off Simmons and Roemer, Hagadone is a possibility. High school second baseman Nick Noonan, a native San Diegan, often gets mentioned here but is more of a late sandwich-rounder for the Padres.

Projected Pick: James Simmons, rhp, UC Riverside.

24. Rangers. Porcello still hasn’t found a home by this point, and teams were buzzing Wednesday night that an unnamed club picking ahead of the Yankees at No. 30 would grab him. That club could be Texas, as it never has enough pitching and owner Tom Hicks can't seem to get enough Boras clients. Another Boras possibility is Harvey, whose price tag is considerably lower. Then again, some scouting directors are convinced that Porcello and Harvey could wind up together at North Carolina together rather than sign. If the Rangers run out of pitching choices, Ahrens and fellow Texas high school third baseman Will Middlebrooks might be attractive.

Projected Pick: Rick Porcello, rhp, Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, N.J.

25. White Sox. Chicago general manager Kenny Williams is demanding more high-ceiling talent, and his club held out slim hope for a shot at Bumgarner that won't materialize. The White Sox' second choice appears to be Withrow, though the Phillies could ruin that for them. Plan C could be North Carolina prep shortstop Justin Jackson, Middlebrooks or Virginia prep righthander Neil Ramirez.

Projected Pick: Justin Jackson, ss, Roberson HS, Asheville, N.C.

26. Athletics. Oakland is expected to jump on Mills, arguably the best college hitter in the draft, if he gets to No. 26. The Athletics also would consider Simmons and Roemer, and possibly Rice lefthander Joe Savery, Oklahoma State outfielder Corey Brown and Mississippi shortstop Zack Cozart.

Projected Pick: Beau Mills, 3b/1b, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho).

27. Tigers. Detroit has exceeded slot money for first-round picks Justin Verlander, Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller the last three years but will likely heed MLB's wishes in 2007. The Tigers won't bite on Porcello or Wieters, though the less-expensive Harvey could be appealing. They'd love for Kozma or Dominguez to somehow drop this far, but that has little chance of happening. Arizona high school righthander Tim Alderson is a more realistic bet.

Projected Pick: Tim Alderson, rhp, Horizon HS, Scottsdale, Ariz.

28. Twins. Minnesota is on several infielders, including Kozma and Iowa high school third baseman Jon Gilmore. There also are whispers the Twins could take a lefthander such as Poreda or Georgia prepster Nathan Vineyard. But the southpaw who could be a steal—if healty—is Savery, an almost certain top 10 pick before he had minor labrum surgery last summer. He hasn't been at his best in 2007, but he looked more like his old self in his last start in the NCAA regionals.

Projected Pick: Joe Savery, lhp, Rice.

29. Giants. If San Francisco can't land both Poreda and Mills, it likely will pursue a high schooler after selecting collegians with its first two picks. Smoker would be a nice value because he didn't figure to drop here until his sluggish finish. The Giants might want a prep hitter if they've taken two college pitchers, and Ahrens, Middlebrooks, Jackson and Gilmore could be in that mix.

Projected Pick: Josh Smoker, lhp, Calhoun (Ga.) HS.

30. Yankees. The consensus is that New York will take the best talent who slides this far because of signability. The Yankees would have no problem affording the price tags of Porcello, Wieters or Moustakas, though they've never handed a major league contract to a draft pick. North Carolina State righthander Andrew Brackman, another "out of the box" Boras client, has huge upside but also so many questions surrounding him that he probably can be had in a later round. Harvey will come cheaper than his Boras brethren and wouldn't command a big league pact. Catchers such as Florida high schooler Yasmani Grandal and D'Arnaud and athletes such as Brown and high school outfielders Wendell Fairley (Mississippi) and Kentrail Davis (Alabama) also would address New York needs. Davis is yet another Boras client.

Projected Pick: Matt Harvey, Fitch HS, Groton, Conn.

[Yoda]

DRAFT COVERAGE

MLB.com: Draft Central | Draft Tracker | Mock Draft
ESPN.com
Baseball America: Draft Blog | Draft Tracker

[TonyJM]

Passing up Smoker and Harvey there would be painful. We've been tantalized by these big name high school starters for so long, Alderson would be a bit of a disappointment. I agree with cruzer though - I don't think Callis would be going against the grain and reporting that we're going to stay within the slot money if there wasn't something to it.


-Tony

[cruzer1]

I think about him all the time, but especially today. Draft day was usually Brian's favorite day of the baseball year.

[CW]

Alright Micro, now Callis says the Tigers won't go over slot whereas Keith Law says they will in later rounds. What gives?

[TonyJM]

Originally Posted by cruzer1

Draft day was usually Brian's favorite day of the baseball year.

Ditto, man. This thread is going to be odd without e.

[Yoda]

Nonsense. E has been tracking this stuff for weeks. He's reading this so don't act like he isn't here. He'd be pissed. ;)

[cruzer1]

Originally Posted by Yoda

Nonsense. E has been tracking this stuff for weeks. He's reading this so don't act like he isn't here. He'd be pissed. ;)

I agree.

[Big Toe]

It was staggering how on the mark Callis was last year. He's been consistent in predicting Alderson for us. I think we wind up with Alderson. He'll probably sign for slot money and that'd clear us up for spending more dough at 60 and in the second (97?).

[hammb]

This is disappointing to read. I'd MUCH rather pay outside of slot money for a big time talent. In my opinion you are given a certain amount of money to invest in your club each year. You can spend that on prospects, free agents, or extending your own free agents.

Extending your own is required to maintain your level, but in order to improve your club you can either spend it on FAs or on prospects. In the long run I think the money is MUCH better spent on taking the best prospects available. You don't get the immediate return of a big time FA, but the money is far less, and is the risk even that much more? Seems like a great deal of FAs flop anyways.

Our system is better than it was, but could still use some top tier talent added to it. Paying above slot is the easy way to infuse it with better talent than what your draft position would suggest.

[Yoda]

There is a lot of talent to be had in the later rounds though. Much better value, IMO. I don't mind them spending slot money in the first round as long as they take risks in the later rounds.

[hammb]

In this particular mock that might be the case, Yoda, but what if Porcello drops as has been mentioned in a few other places?

If you're picking at #27 and have a shot at a top 5 talent you're much better off in the long run by taking him, IMO.

[TonyJM]

Would Smoker be demanding out of slot money? If it's between a max effort, bullpen-bound high school righty that throws in the 90-92 mph range, and a less effort, high school lefty with nice second pitch command that throws in the 90-92 range, I'd take the lefty.

And Harvey wouldn't be in the Porcello/Wieters range...Hitting 95. I don't think Chadd could pass that up.


-Tony

[TonyJM]

It's also interesting Callis has Carpenter failing out of the first. He won't be there for our supplemental...But that'd be awesome if he lasted.

[Ron Burgandy]

Originally Posted by Yoda

There is a lot of talent to be had in the later rounds though. Much better value, IMO. I don't mind them spending slot money in the first round as long as they take risks in the later rounds.

Several years ago, BA posted a good article regarding the percentages of various types of picks to make it to MLB. This included both statistics by round drafted, as well as by position. If I remember correctly - and not surprisingly - the first round picks were much more likely to make the majors than later round picks. Some of this, undoubtedly, is because teams have invested more in these players. But a lot of it is also that this is where the most talented players generally are drafted.

For that reason, I have to disagree with Yoda here. I'd rather splurge on an elite prospect in the first round (Porcello, Weiters), even if it means going a safer route in subsequent rounds. As Verlander, Maybin, and Miller have proven, this type of investment is more likely to pay off in a big way.

[TonyJM]

I have to imagine someone's done a study on this...Trahern was a nice late round purchase. And guys like Anthony Reyes, Chris Carpenter, Casey Weathers and David Adams wouldn't have been bad dudes to sign if we had ponied the cash. Generally though, I agree...I'd want the impact talent now.

Mark - How big a reach would Cozart be in the second round? We missed out on our polished SEC shortstop last year.

[hammb]

Another thing, Yoda. You state that there is more value in the later rounds by paying above slot, and I don't disagree that the relative value is better. However, why should it be either or?

If I'm running a baseball team I don't put any cap on what I'm going to pay my draft picks. I tell my scouting people to go out and draft the absolute best prospects they can in every round regardless of signability issues. We'll get most of them signed, even if we end up paying millions more than any other MLB club.

Yes, we're going to have far less money to invest in our major league club's payroll, but after years of doing this we should (if our scouts & development people are sound) have the best minor league system in baseball. Our system should be stocked with a lot of top prospects who are in various stages of development.

My personal opinion is that building a consistently stellar farm system is the best way to ensure consistent major league success. Consistent MLB success will ensure higher revenues that we can continue to spend on the best prospects available to us. If you find that your big league club needs an extra piece midseason you can also send some of these prospects off at the trade deadline. That's one luxury we don't currently have. Our current farm system cannot afford to lose Maybin or Miller because they're our only truly elite prospects. If you followed my draft philosophy you should always have a few top prospects available to move for big league players.

Of course if your scouts aren't doing a good job it doesn't matter what your draft philosophy is, you'll be struggling regardless.

It should also be noted that I really enjoy gambling ;)

[Yoda]

Hammb - I agree 100%, if they have an unlimited budget. I don't know if that's the case though. If they spend high in the first round and have to then go cheap the rest of the way, I think it hurts us. We took a bunch of safe picks last year. I'd rather distribute it more evenly I guess. I don't really mind either way though, as I'd be thrilled if we did get Porcello.

[Oblong]

Hey Yoda, how about putting in the first post a list of everybody's picks and then update as necessary? The mods could fill in as needed. That way someone can quickly see who drafts who.

Or is that somewhere in the otehr forums?

[TonyJM]

Originally Posted by Oblong

That way someone can quickly see who drafts who.

Outrageous...They should be forced to flip to page 13 of this thread and read through 18 inane comments before they find that out.


-Tony

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Oblong

Hey Yoda, how about putting in the first post a list of everybody's picks and then update as necessary? The mods could fill in as needed. That way someone can quickly see who drafts who.

Or is that somewhere in the otehr forums?

Good idea! :p

Originally Posted by Yoda

I plan to keep a log of our picks in the first post so that they'll be easy to find later as a reference. I'll also be posting links there for scouting reports and such for each player that we draft.

[Oblong]

That just says "our picks". I was referring to the entire draff.

[cruzer1]

Originally Posted by TonyJM

It's also interesting Callis has Carpenter failing out of the first. He won't be there for our supplemental...But that'd be awesome if he lasted.

His injury issues are scaring others from the first. He'll most certainly go in the supplemental.

[Buddha]

Originally Posted by cruzer1

I think about him all the time, but especially today. Draft day was usually Brian's favorite day of the baseball year.

[hammb]

Originally Posted by Yoda

Hammb - I agree 100%, if they have an unlimited budget. I don't know if that's the case though. If they spend high in the first round and have to then go cheap the rest of the way, I think it hurts us. We took a bunch of safe picks last year. I'd rather distribute it more evenly I guess. I don't really mind either way though, as I'd be thrilled if we did get Porcello.

In that case I do agree with you I guess. I think I'm arguing more from what MY draft philosophy would be, as opposed to who I think we should pick within Detroit's current philosophy.

I agree that it harms our organization to invest all of our available money into our first round pick and then take subpar talent through the remaining 49 rounds. I'd still have a hard time passing on some of these first rounders that are talked about dropping though.

Like I said, I think in the long run you're much better off investing a LOT in your draft picks and cutting back on your major league payroll. $20 million will go a lot further on draft picks than it will on FAs.

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Oblong

That just says "our picks". I was referring to the entire draff.

Oh. I could do that. That would would get really long though. We're talking 1500 players.

How about I just post a link above our picks for the draft list?

[Oblong]

Maybe just the first couple of rounds then. I'll find the first round list and post it and you can copy/paste it into the first thread and make it all pretty and everything since you are good at that. :)

[Yoda]

Hah. Sure thing. :p

[Oblong]

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/...?content=order

That's the link that has the entire draft.

[Shaggy Ry]

I don't think I could justify paying $10M+ to a high school pitcher anyways. What hammer does MLB have if we went over slot?

[Yoda]

Crap, I already put those in the first post. We can just keep them up there if you want. Myself or any of the mods can update it as the draft goes along. I don't wanna have to do all of the work though.

[DennisDubay]

For the fans that aren't totally hip into the rules of the draft, and "slot money", can you tell me why:

Why would MLB frown upon the Tigers going for "out of slot money" players, which would mean spending big on draftees (Right?) but allow teams to spend 55$ Million dollars just to TALK to a pitcher from another country?

[redshark63]

On a related note,

Doesn't the draft and subsequent signings, lead to some releases at the lower levels (WM, EST (including O-Tigers/GCL Tigers) to free up positions/playing time for the new players?

[Oblong]

Originally Posted by Yoda

Crap, I already put those in the first post. We can just keep them up there if you want. Myself or any of the mods can update it as the draft goes along. I don't wanna have to do all of the work though.

I took out the text in my post that had all the draft positions. I think the way it is now is perfect. I'll update as I can and I assume the other mods will too.

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Oblong

I took out the text in my post that had all the draft positions. I think the way it is now is perfect. I'll update as I can and I assume the other mods will too.

Thank God for "copy and paste", eh?

[Oblong]

what's that? I just wrote it all down on my yellow legal pad, then typed it here.

[DaYooperASBDT]

Wish I knew more about the college/high school kids, but this will be fun to follow. Thanks Yoda for this.

[Todd]

any idea how fast the round will go now that espn is covering it?

[apabruce]

A review of the important draftees from this century:

2000-Nook Logan

2001-Ryan Raburn, Humberto Sanchez

2002-Granderson (#3), Zumaya (#11), Clevlen (#2)

2003-Sleeth at #1, Giarratano at 3, both dealing with injuries, but also Virgil Vasquez at 7 and Jordan Tata at 16

2004-Verlander (#1), also French at 8 and Trahern at 34

2005-Maybin, of course, and also Larish at 5, Hollimon at 16. This draft also gave us Whelan (4) and Claggett (11), who combined with Sanchez and Ilitch's pocketbook to give us Sheffield

2006-Miller at 1, Cody at 8, Below at 19, and Scram at 18. Too early to tell, although Miller is contributing already.

Given that summary, it looks like 2002 was the best draft of the last seven, giving us two good major leaguers.