MLB round 1 draft results…
5. June 2008 by gchacko.
1. Tampa Bay: SS Tim Beckham- Georgia high school - The Rays take the best overall player on the board. The system isn’t particularly strong at middle infield, so if he stays at shortstop or moves to second, he’d probably be the second-best prospect in their system after David Price
2. Pittsburgh: 3B Pedro Alvarez- Vanderbilt - The pick makes sense for the Pirates, who have had a hard time developing power hitters and don’t have a lot in their system. If he moved to first base, he’d have a clear path to the majors there. Same thing at third base.
3. Kansas City: 1B Eric Hosmer- High School - Hosmer has the most raw power of anyone in the first round, but also has a very refined appraoch at the plate. He has very quick hands and good plate coverage. he has a hold middle in, but if pitchers try to pitch him inside, they’d better get it all the way inside.
4. Baltimore: LHP Brian Matusz- San Diego - Probably the fastest moving starter in the draft. The Orioles have to consider moving him quickly through the system. He has about four average or better pitches. Not a ton of projection here; he is today what he’s going to be three or four years from now.
5. San Francisco: C Buster Posey- Florida State - Posey is the best catcher in the draft, and he is likely to move quickly. There is very little downside to Posey. Defensively, he can play in the big leagues right now.
6. Florida: C Kyle Skipworth- High School - Skipworth has the potential to be a star behind the plate. Like Posey, he’s only been playing the position for a short time, but he has a very strong arm. If he is able to stay behind the plate, he can be a superstar-caliber hitter.
7. Cincinnati: 1B Yonder Alonso- Miami - Alonso is the first surprise of the draft. It’s a surprise because they weren’t linked to him and he’s asking for $8 million and a major league deal. He’s a left-handed power hitter with a very patient approach, and he should hit for quite a bit of power at Great American Ballpark.
8. Chicago White Sox: SS Gordon Beckham- Georgia - He wasn’t supposed to be available at this spot, so the White Sox must be thrilled. He can play second base, but there’s a good chance he stays at shortstop. He has tremendous baseball instincts. He’ll probably move pretty quickly through the system.
9. Washington: RHP Aaron Crow- Missouri - Crow is the top college pitcher on my board. He might have two plus pitches right now. He’s a power pitcher who projects as a No. 2 starter. If he can sustain his velocity at the high end (low-mid 90s), he has a chance to be a No. 1 starter.
10. Houston: C Jason Castro- Stanford - Castro didn’t get to catch last year in the Cape Cod League because the team had Posey. Castro was expected to go in the second half of the first round. He’s a contact hitter; he will not hit for a lot of power. He’s an average regular catcher in the big leagues.
11. Texas: 1B Justin Smoak- South Carolina - This is the best pick in the draft so far. Smoak is the third-best player on my board. He’s a switch-hitting Adrian Gonzalez with more power. In the Rangers’ ballpark, he has a good chance to hit 40 home runs, if he develops. There are no major holes in his game.
12. Oakland: 2B Jemile Weeks- Miami - This is the riskiest pick so far. He can’t play anywhere but second base in the infield, so he has to hit well enough to be a major league regular. He’s a plus runner; he needs to be more contact-oriented with wood.
13. St. Louis: 3B Brett Wallace- Arizona State - Wallace has the best pure bat in the college ranks. He will hit for average and power. He draws a ton of walks and is very disciplined. He works the count, not just for walks but also to get good pitches to hit in hitter’s counts. He started to show a lot more power this year.
14. Minnesota: OF Aaron Hicks- High School - In terms of tools, Hicks is one of the top three or four players in the draft. He’s first-rounder as an outfielder and a pitcher. He is relatively unpolished, so he should take a long time to get to the majors. He’s gotten by a lot on strength and bat speed for now. The Twins will have to work with him on his hitting approach.
15. Los Angeles Dodgers: RHP Ethan Martin- High School - Martin is a two-way player. He came into the year as a potential first-rounder as a third baseman, but he didn’t hit well at the beginning. He likes to pitch, and he shut down American Plantation H.S. (the team of prospects Eric Hosmer and Adrian Nieto) in February. He throws 91-95 mph. He has a chance to be an above-average bat at third base, and he obviously has a plus arm.
16. Milwaukee: C Brett Lawrie- High School - Lawrie made himself into a first-rounder with a strong two-month stretch with a wood bat this spring. He has a great swing that is very clean. He’s out on his front foot a lot, so it’s unclear if he’ll hit for power unless that changes. His ultimate position is the biggest question.
17. Toronto: 1B David Cooper- Cal - Cooper is a polished hitter who should hit for a high average. He’s shown home run power with metal but not so much with wood. He’s a solid defensive player at first base. I think the draft pool forced a change in direction.
18. New York Mets: 1B Issac Davis- Arizona State - The Mets said they wanted to focus on college bats with their first two picks, and Davis was probably the best hitter left on the board. His pitch recognition is good, and he has a clean swing once he gets it started. He has 30-plus homer power in the big leagues if everything clicks. He’s also a good defender with a plus arm at first base.
19. Chicago Cubs: RHP Andrew Cashner- TCU - Cashner could get to the big leagues this year. On his best days, he has two pitches that grade as 60. The slider is at 88 mph, and it’s an out pitch. And he can run his fastball up to 98 mph. There’s a question about his command; can he command his pitches?
20. Seattle: RHP Joshua Fields- Georgia - I’m surprised to see a team in last place take a reliever this high in the draft. He’s up to 97 mph and has a power curveball. If he can’t get big league hitters out this year, he will next year.
21. Detroit: RHP Ryan Perry- Arizona - Perry touched 100 mph in the NCAA regional last weekend. He was consistently 94-98 mph on the Cape last summer. Arizona tried to make him a starter, but it didn’t work. He has the best stuff of any closer prospect in the draft.
22. New York Mets: SS David Havens- South Carolina - This is a great pick for the Mets. He makes all the plays at shortstop because he reads the ball off the bat so well. At the plate he has excellent pitch recognition and hand-eye coordination. If he has to move to second base because of the presence of Jose Reyes at shortstop, he has more than enough bat. Havens has a great approach and instincts, and he should move quickly through the Mets’ system.
23. San Diego: 1B Allan Dykstra- Wake Forest - He’s a big, strong first baseman with a chance to hit for power. His approach is pull-oriented; I have to see him use the whole field to believe he’ll hit for average and to really profile offensively at first. He’s no better than average at first base and can’t play third.
24. Philadelphia: SS Anthony Hewitt- High School - Hewitt looks as good as anyone in a uniform in this year’s draft. He’s a five-tool package. He will put on a show in batting practice, but he’s struggled in game situations against tough competition.
25. Colorado: LHP Christian Friedrich- Eastern Kentucky - Friedrich is the best pick relative to draft spot so far. He has a chance for four average or better pitches. His curveball is already among the best among college starters in the draft. He’s added a cutter that is very effective against right-handed hitters.
26. Arizona: LHP Daniel Schlereth- Arizona - Schlereth is another college reliever who should be quick to the majors, even getting there this year. He has a plus fastball and breaking ball. He should wreck left-handed hitters in the big leagues.
27. Minnesota: RHP Carlos Gutierrez- Miami - Now this is the biggest surprise of the first round so far. Gutierrez is another college closer whose fastball tops out at 94 with sink. But he doesn’t have a viable second pitch, not even a breaking ball.
28. New York Yankees: RHP Gerrit Cole- High School - This is a great pick; he fell to the Yankees for financial reasons. Cole has the best arm among the prep pitchers in the draft. He has a loose, quick arm. He has the best fastball of the high school pitchers; it tops out 97 mph. He needs more consistency on the breaking ball. And he needs to just throw his changeup instead of guiding it. He’s a high-ceiling arm that could be a No. 1 starter. If that doesn’t work, he could be a dominant reliever.
29. Cleveland: SS Lonnie Chisenhall- Pitt CC - Chisenhall is not a first-rounder for me. It’s a bet on his bat. He has a simple, clean swing and good bat speed, although his swing plane is flat (making it harder for him to hit for power) and his bat is in and out of the zone quickly. He doesn’t currently have a position.
30. Boston: SS Casey Kelly- High School - Kelly was announced as a shortstop, but he is a first-rounder as either a position player or a pitcher. On the mound, he throws 89-91 mph; he has command of his fastball and is very aggressive with it. He also has a plus curveball. At shortstop, he has good instincts and is natural and athletic.
Trying to be an unbais NY baseball fan
5. June 2008 by gchacko.
In the previous article there was a mention of Matt Holliday being on the trading block… I could not help but let my mind wander and think about what it would take to land him on either NY team…
- Mets - A package around Fmart and Heilman for Holliday and Brian Fuentes
- Yankees - A package around Abreu or Matsui and Ian kennedy for Holliday and Fuentes
For the Mets this would solve the left field situation as well as help out the unstable bullpen
For the Yanks it would add another power bat and 8 inning pitcher and let Joba into the rotation.
Also, Teixeira being a free agent would be a nice addition to both teams
Met lineup (09) - Reyes, Wright, Beltran, Teixeira, Holliday, Church, Castillo, Schinider, P …
Yankee lineup (09) - Damon, Jeter, Teixeira, Arod, Holliday, Abreu/Matsui, Posada, Cano, Melkey
WOW…
