2010 MLB Draft Running Diary

Hello and welcome to the 2010 MLB draft! We are now in prime time with a seven person broadcast team including:

Greg Amsinger - Fresh off the stereotypical television host assembly line

Harold Reynolds - I know he had to be fired from ESPN but seeing him reminds me of the Baseball Tonight glory days and how bad it has gotten

John Hart - Looks like he did juuuuuuuust enough homework to not come off like a complete idiot

Peter Gammons - I love Peter Gammons and it hurts me to say this but he's more past his prime than Ken Griffey Jr. at this point, every second he is on camera is painful

Jim Callis - Looks like he hasn't slept in a week and had someone steal his lunch money on the way to the studio (it's all in good fun Jim, I love your work)

Jonathan Mayo - Looks like the guy who stole Callis' lunch money

Hazel Mae - Obligatory (semi)-hot field reporter and the only woman at or watching this draft

Today we will see Bryce Harper and his hype selected first overall by Washington as they slowly creep back to respectability. Behind him is a slew of questionable prospects, one of the weaker classes of the last ten years so teams will have to do their research this year. As picks are made I will include where the player was ranked on Baseball America's and Keith Law's prospect lists (the two sources I trust/respect the most), and the teams last 5 top picks. I'll also include my own personal take and observations on the players involved

Let's get the show started!

7:01 - Note that the Angels have 5 picks tonight, a rare change of pace for a franchise that typically punts their picks to sign free-agents.

7:02 - Harold Reynolds says he would take the HS shortstop Machado and John Hart says he would take HS RHP Taillon over Bryce Harper.... wow congratulations guys you are the only two people in the room who think that and that's why you are working for the MLB network.

7:03 - Bud comes out to silence and awkwardly reads a prepared statement, he might be the least charismatic man alive.

7:04 - Polite applause by the sparse crowd as Bud walks off, anyone who didn't know the MLB draft is a different animal from the NBA or NFL just figured it out.

7:06 - A breakdown of Harper's catching mechanics, which is relevant because there's probably only a 10% he ever catches a game in the majors.

7:07 - Gammons says, "but" for the second time tonight, over/under is 27 and I took the over.

7:09 - 1-1: Washington Nationals - Bryce Harper (BA rank: 1,KL rank: 1)

L5TP: Stephen Strasburg, Aaron Crow*, Ross Detwiler, Chris Marrero, Ryan Zimmerman

7:10 - Bud makes a joke about about the pick being a surprise, only the broadcasters laugh.

7:11 - Harper is announced as an outfielder, proving once again that Scott Boras always gets what he wants. Harper is really the only pick you can make here, I can't remember anyone being projected to have as much power as Harper. There are questions, of course, but he's a 17-year-old who played this year with a wood bat against 19 and 20-year-olds and dominating to a staggering degree.

7:13 - On tape interview with Harper about him enjoying playing every position. There were rumors about makeup concerns with Harper leading up to the draft, but the kid has clearly been coached on saying the right things.

7:14 - Debate on the next pick which should be either Machado or Taillon who have emerged as being head-and-shoulders above the rest of the class. I'd go Machado, he looks like a baseball player who happens to be a great athlete, the combo I prefer rather than reversed.

7:16 - 1-2: Pittsburgh Pirates - Jameson Taillon (2, 3)

L5TP: Tony Sanchez, Pedro Alvarez, Daniel Moskos, Brad Lincoln, Andrew McCutchen

7:16 - Of course they take the pitcher... as the broadcast teams casually comments how he allowed 11 runs in his biggest game of the year, that's always a good sign. In all seriousness he is what you look for in a pitching prospect, he throws hard (mid-90s), has a good breaking ball, is tall (6'7), and has a relatively clean injury history.

7:20 - The Baltimore Orioles "war" room is apparently 7 middle aged men silently staring at laptops, they're showing as much life as their team is right now.

7:21 - 1-3: Baltimore Orioles - Manny Machado (3,2)

L5TP: Matt Hobgood, Brian Matusz, Matt Wieters, Bill Rowell, Brandon Snyder

7:22 - We need to stop comparing Machado to Alex Rodriguez, he's a shortstop from Florida and that is about as far as the comparisons go. The kid can hit and should be able to play at shortstop, two things the Orioles really need, a very solid pick.

7:23 - Interview with Neal Huntington, GM of the Pirates who seems to have a penchant for bad trades and clever draft strategies, so far it's not going well.

7:25 - This is where things get interesting by the way, we knew that those three would be the early picks but now you will see a huge variance in opinions on talent.

7:26 - 1-4: Kansas City Royals - Christian Colon (18, 9)

L5TP: Aaron Crow, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Luke Hochever, Alex Gordon

7:27 - Colon is a middle infielder who was slow before breaking his leg in 2009 and does not have a large power ceiling, or a strong arm... sounds like a winner! Apparently Colon is known for taking ferocious uppercut swings, but is still very difficult to strike out, I'm not sure how that will work against better pitchers.

7:31 - Hart just compared Colon to Placido Polanco. I think with the fourth overall pick I'd hope for better than someone with less than 100 home runs in over 5,000 at-bats

7:32 - 1-5: Cleveland Indians - Drew Pomeranz (4,4)

L5TP: Alex White, Lonnie Chisenhall, Beau Mills, David Huff, Trevor Crowe

7:32 - Shot of Pomeranz, his 4-year-old's haircut and his parents celebrating. Pomeranz is sort of a poor-man's Brian Matusz, a polished college lefty who should make it to the majors fairly quickly. Let's hope he works out better than the last two players Cleveland took with similar profiles, Jeremy Sowers and David Huff.

7:34 - Pomeranz interview, he might be a zombie, I've seen people at a funeral more excited.

7:37 - Reynolds says Arizona should draft a pitcher because their team needs one... completely ignoring the fact that whoever they draft won't be in the majors for a couple years.

7:37 - 1-6: Arizona Diamondbacks - Barret Loux (34, 42)

L5TP: Bobby Borchering, Daniel Schlereth, Jarrod Parker, Max Scherzer, Justin Upton

7:38 - Anytime you can draft a guy 6th overall that is projected to go in the sandwich round you have to do it! Apparently Loux has a low-90s fastball and no standout secondary pitch. He's also had shoulder soreness and bone chips in his elbow in the last few years. The team says that Loux has been "rocketing up draft boards" lately, in other words after he stopped pitching. I wouldn't be excited if I was a Diamondbacks fan.

7:43 - 1-7: New York Mets - Matt Harvey (20,20)

L5TP: Steve Matz, Ike Davis, Eddie Kunz, Kevin Mulvey, Mike Pelfrey

7:44 - Despite the 20 rankings, I actually like this pick for the Mets. Harvey has flashed multiple plus pitches in the past and can be dominant at times. He has been frustratingly inconsistent at North Carolina but I'd rather take a guy who has occasionally been a great pitcher than someone like Loux, who hasn't.

7:45 - Harper interview. Polar opposite from Pomeranz, Harper is a great interview already at 17 and already sounds like a baseball player. He doesn't seem intimidated by the spotlight at all and that is going to serve him well considering the road ahead of him.

7:48 - 1-8: Houston Astros - Delino DeShields Jr. (55, 30)

L5TP: Jiovanni Mier, Jason Castro, Derek Dietrich*, Max Sapp, Brian Bogusevic

7:49 - As I mentioned with Machado, when it comes to high schoolers I like guys who can hit that also happen to be great athletes. DeShields is the opposite, he is a great athlete who might hit. One of the broadcasters just said that Houston had, "No idea where" they were going to play DeShields and another mentioned that he was unlikely to be a hold out and should be a cheap sign. So for those of you keeping track we have a player who might not hit, doesn't have a position and should be cheap to sign being drafted 8th overall. Sometimes there's a reason that a team is in the cellar.

7:53 - 1-9: San Diego Padres - Carston Whitson (15,5)

L5TP: Donovan Tate, Allan Dykstra, Nick Schmidt, Matt Antonelli, Cesar Carrillo

7:54 - The new regime in San Diego clearly separating themselves from the previous group who would never touch a high school pitcher. Whitson throws an easy 91-94 and had arguably the best slider of any prep pitcher and advanced command due to above average athleticism. I am generally not big on drafting high school pitchers but this is the type that I like, polished and with easy velocity.

7:58 - 1-10: Oakland Athletics - Michael Choice (11,19)

L5TP: Grant Green, Jemile Weeks, James Simmons, Trevor Cahill, Cliff Pennington

7:59 - A shot of Choice with family at home and proper celebration! Finally someone is happy to be drafted!

8:01 - Choice interview... Reynolds makes a joke that falls flat because he keeps forgetting jokes don't work with the two second delay. Choice seems genuinely happy to be drafted. He is a hitter with intriguing power potential and a chance to play center field. Oakland has been targeting middle of the diamond athletes the last few years that can hit and Choice fits that profile. In a draft with VERY few worthwhile college hitters Choice stands out.

8:03 - Gammons points out that "most" teams haven't drafted based on signability, A.K.A. everyone other than Houston.

8:04 - 1-11: Toronto Blue Jays - Deck McGuire (7,13)

L5TP: Chad Jenkins, David Cooper, Kevin Ahrens, Travis Snider, Ricky Romero

8:04 - Gammons says that Toronto should draft a power hitter and they instantly take a college pitcher. Everyone is comparing McGuire to Mike Leake as a four-pitch guy who should move quickly. While there is some truth to that, but Mike Leake had a 7:1 K:BB ratio the year he was drafted, McGuire is not even 4:1. At 6'6 and without a plus pitch (but with several solid ones) McGuire has back-of-rotation workhorse written all over him.

8:08 - A shot of the Reds draft room which appears to be full of about 20 living people, as opposed to Baltimore's 7 catatonic ones. In other news, Baltimore is in last and Cincinnati is in first.

8:09 - 1-12: Cincinnati Reds - Yasmani Grandal (13, 9)

L5TP: Mike Leake, Yonder Alonso, Devin Mesoraco, Drew Stubbs, Jay Bruce

8:10 - After apparently whiffing on a catcher with Mesoraco a few years ago (although he's showing some signs of life lately), Cincinnati tries again with one of my favorite players in the draft. A switch-hitting catcher that can hit and is real close to major league ready defensively? Sign me up.

8:12 - Our 7th commercial break and we'd better get some new commercials soon or I'm going to be start being brainwashed into buying awful products.

8:14 - They are promoting Strasburg's debut tomorrow hard... anyone who cares already knows guys.

8:15 - 1-13: Chicago White Sox - Chris Sale (5, 47)

L5TP: Jared Mitchell, Gordon Beckham, Aaron Poreda, Kyle McCulloch, Lance Broadway

8:16 - After raving about the pick Hart chimes in with, "I'm not sure he's a starting pitcher though." Oh? It's an amazing pick but you're not sure he's a starter?

8:17 - Obviously there is a wide variance on opinions of Sale looking at BA and KL's ratings. He reminds me a bit of Andrew Miller as a tall lefty with a low arm-slot. The difference is that Sale is a strike machine, whereas Miller had control issues. On the downside, Sale does not have a knockout secondary pitch. Based on stats Sale looks like a lock but there are reasons to be wary.

8:20 - 1-14: Milwaukee Brewers - Dylan Covey (18,8)

L5TP: Eric Arnett, Brett Lawrie, Matt LaPorta, Jeremy Jeffress, Ryan Braun

8:21 - Hart describes Covey as another "Safe, good, upside high school pitcher." Covey also has Chad Billingsley and Matt Cain comps thrown at him within 30 seconds of being drafted, no pressure kid. Of all the prep pitchers he might be the closest to the majors, as he already toys with four different pitches and has a strong frame.

8:25 - Announcers are predicting a surprise withe next pick, since this pick is a compensation pick the Rangers will not get another compensation pick if they fail to sign this player and therefore may take someone well down the board. Translation: someone just spoiled the pick and nobody on the stage has any idea who the guy is.

1-15: Texas Rangers - Jake Skole (NR, NR)

L5TP: Matt Purke*, Justin Smoak, Blake Beavan, Kasey Kiker, John Mayberry Jr.

8:26 - Right after Bud said the name you could hear the broadcasters whispering and scrambling to find notes on Skole. I have no idea who Skole is either so here is what the team just described him: only played three weeks of baseball this year and is a multi-sport athlete with upside who is a bit of a mystery. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Texas just wasted a pick.

8:31 - 1-16: Chicago Cubs - Haden Simpson (191, NR)

L5TP: Brett Jackson, Andrew Cashner, Josh Vitters, Tyler Colvin, Mark Pawelek

8:32 - It is quickly thrown to Callis and Mayo as none of the main on-camera guys have any idea who Simpson is. Apparently he is a division II player who is under six feet tall and Callis/Mayo are doing a job holding back from ripping the pick. Apparently he can throw hard and that's usually enough for the Cubs (see: Samardzjia, Jeff).

8:35 - A phone interview with Manny Machado who is apparently calling from outer space based on the sound quality. Come on guys you knew he was going to be drafted in the top 3 a month ago, you couldn't get him a phone that worked?

8:36 - 1-17: Tampa Bay Rays - Josh Sale (7, 10)

L5TP: Levon Washington*, Tim Beckham, David Price, Evan Longoria, Wade Townsend

8:37 - And somehow the best pure hitter in the prep class falls to the Rays at the 17th pick.

8:38 - Amsinger comments how Sale's dad is a power lifter and that Sale has strength in his bloodlines, Reynolds points out that his bloodlines are Samoan and therefore we should expect him to be even stronger... I bet MLB's PR director has Reynolds on speed dial.

8:41 - Wally Joyner apparently representing the Angels in the studio, he looks like he's 70, this was my daily reminder that I'm getting old.

8:42 - 1-18: Los Angeles Angels - Kaleb Cowart (12,14)

L5TP: Randal Grichuk, Tyler Chatwood, Jon Bachanov, Hank Conger, Trevor Bell

8:43 - Apparently scouts like Cowart as a pitcher but he wants to be a hitter. He's also asking for a huge bonus. The Angels have 5 picks today and I'm betting they don't sign two of them, so a few rolls of the dice is expected. Cowart sounds like he has a higher ceiling as a hitter but is more of a sure thing on the mound, either way he is going to be a project, fairly typical for an Angels draft pick.

8:45 - Astros back on the clock, their selection of DeShields earlier would have been the surprise of the first round, if not for the Rangers and Cubs losing their minds.

8:45 - DeShields the younger on the phone, luckily his works, but the interview still lasts less than a minute, time well spent as always.

1-19: Houston Astros - Mike Foltynewicz (44,44)

8:48 - Reynolds saying that the Astros are clearly taking the players they want rather than who everyone else thinks should be drafted. While I admire their balls, shouldn't you be a bit concerned when you are taking someone that NO ONE thought would be draft in the first round?

8:51 - Just did some reading up on Folty during the commercial. Apparently he has a low-90s fastball, workable change and poor curve. He has a compact delivery and could add velocity as he grows but there is nothing that stands out about him. I will say that the Astros apparently did well when the surprisingly draft Jordan Lyles so there is hope.

1-20: Boston Red Sox - Kolbrin Vitek (25, 33)

L5TP: Reymond Fuentes, Casey Kelly, Nick Hagadone, Jason Place, Jacoby Ellsbury

8:53 - Vitek is a line drive hitter with a compact swing, some pop and a big arm. He sounds a bit like a right-handed Nick Markakis to me. A solid pick by a team that typically makes solid picks.

8:58 - A shot of the board in the studio with all the picks on it... they clearly did not have a Haden Simpson card to hang on the wall and had to make one quick.

8:59 - 1-21: Minnesota Twins - Alex Wimmers (21,12)

L5TP: Kyle Gibson, Aaron Hicks, Ben Revere, Chris Parmelee, Matt Garza

8:59 - Amsinger talks about Wimmers hitting accomplishments, unfortunately Wimmers is a pitcher making that information useless. Wimmers has by far the softest fastball of anyone drafted, often topping out at 90 MPH. He throws strikes which makes him a good fit for the Twins and he should get to the majors quickly.

9:02 - A graphic of Texas' recent first round draft picks is shown while Hart sings their praises, totally overlooking the fact that all of them have been a disappointment except Smoak.

9:03 - 1-22: Texas Rangers - Kellin Deglan (51,32)

9:04 - Deglan is considered the top Canadien prospect in the draft as Hart talks about his left-handed power and strong arm. Deglan has a lot of potential, but is a long way from the majors. Players from the northern states or Canada typically take longer to develop because they cannot play year round as easily. Catchers also take longer to develop than other position players, and let's not forget that Deglan is a high-schooler. Best-case-scenario has him in the majors in 2013.

9:07 - Come on guys if you are going to promote these upcoming games so much could you please come up with more than one package, it's not hard.

9:08 - 1-23: Florida Marlins - Christian Yelich (52, 26)

L5TP: Chad James, Kyle Skipworth, Matt Dominguez, Brett Sinkbeil, Chris Volstad

9:09 - A left-handed line-drive hitter who quickly has James Loney and Casey Kotchman comps thrown at him. Two guys who are major leaguers, but not very good ones. Apparently he is going to be moved to the outfield.

9:10 - Reynolds' mic cuts off in mid-sentence, maybe that was their subtle way of censoring him... or somebody just kicked the wire out.

9:12 - The consensus is that the Giants need to draft an athletic hitter because that's what the team needs. Do these guys realize that no one drafts based on need in the first round? No? Fine.

1-24: San Francisco Giants - Gary Brown (14, 52)

L5TP: Zack Wheeler, Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Ben Copeland

9:15 - Brown is one of the fastest players in the draft and a good defender in center field. The broadcasters are drooling over his .438 batting average and no one is pointing out that he has no power and probably never will. I'm more with Keith Law that Baseball America on this pick, Brown seems like Juan Pierre in a best case scenario and Jason Tyner in a worst. If you wanted to draft a college hitter, there were several better options on the board, unless you value defense really really highly.

9:19 - Everyone keeps talking as Bud starts to announce a pick, Bud threatens Reynolds even though it was Gammons/Hart doing the talking.

9:19 - 1-25: St. Louis Cardinals - Zack Cox (6,6)

L5TP: Shelby Miller, Brett Wallace, Pete Kozma, Adam Ottavino, Colby Rasmus

9:20 - Speaking of better college hitters... Cox is a hitting machine who may never develop plus power, but uses all fields and can handle any pitch.

9:21 - Gammons wisely points out that Cox has extra leverage as a draft-eligible sophomore and that the Cardinals have a history of going over slot to sign guys, making this a good fit.

9:22 - Yay more commercials... while they're going on I'll take the time to mention that Cox is another pick I really like. A guy with great hand-eye coordination and the strength to possibly add power down the road. He reminds me a bit of another Cardinals draft pick, Brett Wallace, but with a chance to actually stick at third base.

9:24 - Oh, did you hear that Strasburg debuts tomorrow?

9:25 - More really awkward Bud Selig talking to the broadcasters... that felt uncomfortable from here

9:25 - 1-26: Colorado Rockies - Kyle Parker (37, NR)

L5TP: Tyler Matzek, Christian Friedrich, Casey Weathers, Greg Reynolds, Troy Tulowitzki

9:26 - The Rockies had one of the best drafts of anyone last year in my opinion so I was curious to see this. The decided to take Parker who is a two-way player and a quarterback, making him one of the toughest signs around. Apparently they have no idea if he has anything other than power or where he will play in the field, yay.

9:29 - Callis/Mayo talking about the best guys left on the board and Bryce Brentz (someone who I'm a fan of) comes up. This guy was a monster last year but struggled with some nagging injuries this year and has become completely forgotten.

9:30 - The Phillies are on the clock, a team that always takes someone I have no interest in, can they keep the streak alive?

9:31 - 1-27: Philadelphia Phillies - Jessie Biddle (116, 90)

L5TP: Kelly Dugan, Anthony Hewitt, Joe Savery, Kyle Drabek, Mike Constanzo

9:32 - And Philly takes the hometown kid, a big high school lefty with control problems, in other words, yes the streak is alive. Biddle has plenty of upside as a 6'6 left-handed pitcher with a potential plus fastball, but control problems and no real secondary pitch to speak of scare me.

9:35 - They're talking about the '02/'03 drafts where the Dodgers did a great job, but it has been a bit more scarce lately.

9:36 - 1-28: Los Angeles Dodgers - Zach Lee (29, 76)

L5TP: Aaron Miller, Ethan Martin, Chris Withrow, Clayton Kershaw, Luke Hochevar*

9:37 - Just noticed that Bud pronounces Los Angeles as Los Angeleez.

9:38 - Typical Dodgers draft pick, a high school power arm who is a great athlete. Lee is apparently committed to LSU as both a baseball player and quarterback, so this could be a real tough sign. He has a better changeup than most prep pitchers and it is a credit to his talent that he is such a big prospect without devoting all of his time to baseball.

9:39 - Billy Williams interview about being scouted by Buck O'Neil. The only interview today that I'm really happy they took the time to do, I can never get enough Buck O'Neil stories.

9:41 - Reynolds shamelessly sucks up to Billy Williams

9:41 - 1-29: Los Angeles Angels - Cam Bedrosian (56, 34)

9:42 - Bedrosian is what you would expect from the son of a Major Leaguer, intense and competitive. He is primarily a two-pitch guy with a plus fastball and sharp curveball. He throws plenty of strikes but because of his size (6'0) and max-effort delivery he profiles better as a reliever. the Los Angeleez Angels have now drafted a raw tough sign and a reliever with two of their five first day picks, not a great start in my opinion. But they are back on the clock again with a chance to turn things around. Then again they appear to have gotten the steal of the 2009 draft with Mike Trout so they could be smarter than all of us.

9:47 - 1-30: Los Angeles Angels - Chevy Clarke (97, 45)

9:48 - Another toolsy high-upside high school player. I don't know, I guess if you have a lot of picks to throw around you can take more guys that are high risk, but this is not the strategy I would be going for.

9:49 - Phone interview with Sale (the pitcher) who was relieved when he was drafted at 13... was it really that long of a wait? You were "really relieved"? Am I reading too much into it that I'm concerned about a pitcher from Florida Gulf Coast University getting flustered over not being a top 12 pick? Yeah, I think I am, but that no plus secondary pitch still bothers me.

9:51 - Sale just described his own pitching motion as unusual, the red flags are starting to pile up. On the plus side he is the first player drafted today that appears to have a sense of humor, so there's that.

9:52 - 1-31: Tampa Bay Rays - Justin O'Conner (24, 31)

9:53 - Drafted as a catcher, O'Conner apparently pitched and also played shortstop in high school. I'm always a bit worried about high-schoolers who have questions about their bat but as a catcher with some serious defensive upside I am intrigued.

9:55 - We go to commercial with my favorite team, the Yankees on the clock. I should point out that in the last decade the Yankees have chosen exactly one player with their first choice that I liked and then didn't even sign him (Gerrit Cole) so I'm not going into this with an optimistic outlook. In my opinion the Yankees should always draft starting pitchers because they can flex their financial muscle on every other position through free-agency. Anthony Ranaudo is still out there, a former potential first overall pick who had some injuries this year but has serious upside. I'd be alright with that gamble if they went for him.

9:58 - 1-32: New York Yankees - Cito Culver (168, NR)

L5TP: Slade Heathcott, Gerrit Cole*, Andrew Brackman, Ian Kennedy, C.J. Henry

9:59 - &#&#$%#$%#$%#&#

10:00 - O.K. I'm calm. Now, this player is an incredibly raw athlete with a big arm and questionable work ethic, and is another guy that none of the main on camera guys had ever heard of. I'm seeing the words "slap-hitter" in his profile. This sounds like C.J. Henry all over again but worse. While we're in between rounds I'm going to take a walk to blow off some steam.

10:03 - The picks in this round will be done every minute so my comments are going to be short and to the point.

10:06 - 1-33: Houston Astros - Michael Kvasnicka (63, 49)

- Jeff Bagwell! One of my favorite players! Get a haircut you hippie! Kvasnicka is a raw defensive catcher with a quick bat who will need more work than most college players.

10:08 - 1-34: Toronto Blue Jays - Aaron Sanchez (59, 15)

- A very projectable starting pitcher, a pick you would never have seen the Jays make while Ricciardi was in charge. We'll have no idea how good he is going to be for a couple years.

10:09 - 1-35: Atlanta Braves - Matt Lipka (76, 54)

L5TP: Mike Minor, Brett Devall, Jason Heyward, Cody Johnson, Joey Devine

- A speedy middle infielder with a compact line drive swing.

10:11 - 1-36: Boston Red Sox - Bryce Brentz (28, 10)

- Son of a bitch, the Red Sox get my favorite guy left on the board. An outfielder with serious pop and good all around tools, also described by everyone as a gamer.

10:12 - 1-37: Los Angeles Angels - Taylor Lindsey (NR, 55)

- A high schooler with a powerful swing and arm, but no position.

10:13 - 1-38: Toronto Blue Jays - Noah Syndegaard (NR, NR)

- Typical tall projectable righty. Similar to Sanchez but nowhere near as well known or polished.

10:15 - 1-39: Boston Red Sox - Anthony Ranaudo (26, 16)

- WHAT. THE. HELL. The Red Sox get the only other guy on the board I really liked. I didn't need any more reasons to dislike them but that's not stopping them from giving them to me.

10:16 - 1-40: Los Angeles Angels - Ryan Bolden (141, NR)

- So the Angels have taken a ton of athletes that they plan on turning into baseball players. Good for them... maybe... no, probably not.

10:18 - 1-41: Toronto Blue Jays - Asher Wojciechowski (22, 28)

- A big power arm that seems destined to move into the bullpen. Toronto has loaded up on arms with some speed in them here in the compensation round.

10:21 - 1-42: Tampa Bay Rays - Drew Vettleson (45, 99)

- He can switch pitch but wants to be a hitter. Reynolds points out that his swing looks a lot like Mickey Tettleton, very true, and also weird to see.

10:22 - 1-43: Seattle Mariners - Taijuan Walker (70, NR)

L5TP: Dustin Ackley, Josh Fields, Phillippe Aumont, Brandon Morrow, Jeff Clement

- Yet another tall projectable righty. Walker separates himself a bit because he is an excellent athlete.

10:24 - 1-44: Detroit Tigers - Nick Castellanos (17, 11)

L5TP: Jacob Turner, Ryan Perry, Rick Porcello, Andrew Miller, Camerson Maybin

- Everyone expected the Tigers to take Stetson Allie (which would have been a good pick) but they surprised everyone and made an excellent selection in Castellanos. A corner infielder who should hit and hit for power.

10:25 - 1-45: Texas Rangers - Luke Jackson (126, 87)

- One of the high school pitchers that I like a lot with two plus pitches and a consistent delivery.

10:27 - 1-46: St. Louis Cardinals - Seth Blair (34, 53)

- Three pitch power arm who may end up in the bullpen, but has intriguing upside.

10:28 - 1-47: Colorado Rockies - Peter Tago (36, 71)

- Dante Bichette rocking the bald look and it's working even worse for him than it is for Wally Joyner. Tago is a high school pitcher with a quick arm and lower arm-slot, he is even more raw than most of the high schoolers being drafted in this area.

10:29 - 1-48: Detroit Tigers - Chance Ruffin (57, 65)

- Texas' closer. I'm never a fan of drafting pure relievers in the top 50 picks particularly when they lack a plus fastball (like Ruffin)

10:31 - 1-49: Texas Rangers - Mike Olt (98, NR)

- A potentially powerful bat and plus defender at third. There are some questions about his ability to handle plus breaking pitches.

10:33 - 1-50 St. Louis Cardinals - Tyrell Jenkins (43, 23)

- A great athlete with a big arm. Jenkins is also an excellent football player but should be signable, an excellent pick to cap off the day.

Closing Thoughts

- I can't believe no one drafted Stetson Allie (yet) because he was one of my favorite high school pitchers.

- I can't remember a draft when so many teams went so far away from expectations.

- Bryce Harper is apparently an outfielder.

Top 5 Drafts IMO

1. Boston Red Sox - They had 3 picks, none of them early and somehow ended up with two of my favorite 15 players in the draft.

2. Washington Nationals - Did the right thing and took the best player in the draft regardless of price.

3. St. Louis Cardinals - Cox was a steal and I like the Jenkins pick as well.

4. Tampa Bay Rays - Sale was a steal, O'Conner and Vettleson are also intriguing players.

5. Detroit Tigers - I don't like the Ruffin pick but getting Castellanos where they did was probably the bargain of the day.


Worst 5 Drafts IMO

1. Texas Rangers - 4 picks and in my opinion they did not get any top 30 talents.

2. Houston Astros - Had the 8th and 19th pick but ended up with only compensation round talent.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks - I just don't understand why you would take Loux with the 6th pick at all.

4. Chicago Cubs - Haden Simpson?

5. New York Yankees - Once again the Yankees waste a first round pick, inexcusable for a team with their resources