2009 MLB Draft: Day One (Rounds 1-3)
by Ryan on Jun 9, 2009 5:31 PM EDT
in News
589 comments
Some interesting links from around the Web about today's MLB First-Year Player Draft (6:00 PM, MLB Network):
Draft Preview: Lottery a Tribe emphasis | indians.com: News
"The focus is always on that first-round pick, and that's usually where your impact players come from. There's always pressure, every year, with every first-round pick we take. But picking in the top half, we certainly feel even more pressure to make sure we're successful with that selection." -- scouting director Brad Grant, on the Indians' spot at No. 15.
Crystal ball: Plenty of Draft questions left | MLB.com: News (First Round Projection)
15. Cleveland Indians: Eric Arnett, RHP, Indiana University It could come down to Arnett vs. Scheppers, with Arnett winning because of his easy signability and the questions surrounding Scheppers' shoulder.
BaseballAmerica.com: Draft: Draft Preview: John And Jim's Fantasy Draft
15. INDIANS (Jim). The Indians want an experienced pitcher and there's a guy sitting right here who may have the second-best stuff in the draft after Strasburg. We're not privy to the medical reports on St. Paul Saints (American Association) righthander Tanner Scheppers, but if they're clean, this is the point where his value clearly begins to outweigh any nagging doubts about his shoulder. I couldn't take Scheppers at No. 9, but I can take him here.
Ohio.com - Pitching is name of game for Indians in draft
Pitching, pitching and more pitching — and perhaps even younger pitching than has been the norm. That's the mantra of Indians scouting director Brad Grant as Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft begins Tuesday evening featuring a new format.
Indians Draft Picks Rounds 1-3
First Round (15): RHP Alex White, University of North Carolina
Alex White Scouting Report
White was a top high school prospect in 2006, but went to UNC instead. He's still one of the better arms now, though his performance in the spring has been a little uneven. He does have plus stuff with a fastball-slider combination along with the makings of two other pitches. He doesn't always command his fastball that well, but that could be corrected with some mechanical tweaks. With his stuff and his track record, he's likely to go pretty early on Draft Day.
Second Round (63): OF Jason Kipnis, Arizona State University
Jason Kipnis Scouting Report
It's hard to argue with the statistical success Kipnis has had at ASU, particularly in his junior season. But projecting him is a little more difficult. He's got average tools across the board and does tend to play above them. But he doesn't profile as an everyday guy at any one outfield position, making him more of a tweener or fourth-outfielder type. Still, he's tightened up his swing and his on-base ability should appeal to those teams who really value those skills.
Third Round (94): RHP Joseph Gardner, University of California - Santa Barbara
Joe Gardner Scouting Report
After the first tier of college right-handers, there are a number of interesting arms for teams to consider. Gardner, in his first season as a transfer to Santa Barbara, has put himself into that category. He's big and projectable with the chance to throw three at least average pitches. He runs into trouble when he loses his arm slot, his stuff flattens out and he loses command. Even with that flaw, however, the big righty should hear his name called in the first few rounds.
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It will be hard for us to top last year’s draft. I speak, of course, not in terms of talent and productivity, which I’m pretty sure we won’t know for many years for either draft, but in name value.
Last year’s top pick, Lonnie Chisenhall, has a certain flair to it. But it was really just a weak harbinger of things to come. The draft really got exciting in the 12th round with the selection of Guido Fonseca. Guido, you might recall, began his professional career in grand style by hitting two batters. Two rounds after Guido the Indians went for another strong name, Carlos Moncrief, aka the Enforcer. Nate Recknagel came in the 19th. Moises Montero, who I think operates a vacation establishment in the Turks and Caicos was picked in the 26th. Harkening back to the Tribe’s post WWII glory days, the front office selected former OSS agent Michael Goodnight. In a tribute to the Diatriber and encouraged by Terry Pluto, Cleveland selected Trevor Cousineau in the 31st round. In the 38th round the Indians tried to select former Browns possession receiver, Brian Brennan, but a bad phone connection led to them taking Brian Grening instead. A bad choice of take-out Chinese options for lunch led to sudden departure of personnel from the draft room late in the afternoon leaving summer Intern Dave Blogowski (MSG allergy) as the only person around for the 43rd round selection. Not knowing what to do he put together two generic names in the hopes they matched with a real person, preferably in the draft. Hello, Mike McGuire. Disappointed by this turn in the draft philosophy, the real front staff returned and picked Dean Lagonowsky, Randon Henika, and Hector Acosta-Carillo. Along the way the Tribe also showed an ecumenical spirit, selection Mitch Mormann, Nick Christiani and Adam Abraham. Plus, in a serious coup given the rumored greenlighting of Ghostbusters 3 (original cast!), the Tribe drafted Eagon (Smith). 2009 has big vowels to fill.
by APV on Jun 9, 2009 4:44 AM EDT reply actions 7 recs
You’re supposed to be in Georgia you. Or did you have this prepared a month ago?
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Flying from Amsterdam in a few hours. I have easy internet at my brother’s apartment.
by APV on Jun 9, 2009 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
In 2007 we drafted Beau and Bo at the top, adding Allen St. Clair for a trifecta of picks that sound rich. In 2006, anticipated the clubhouse debates about what kind of M&Ms to supply in the clubhouse, we added Stephen Douglas. The 2005 draft will be remembered for Weglarz! but we did also draft both Cody and Cameron Satterwhite, plus Arshwin Asjes.
by FredOx on Jun 9, 2009 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I want to go on the record and say that the Nationals drafting Strasburg is a huge mistake and they absolutely should not do it.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 10:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Did I hear someone say Boo Thome?
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Although I may be the only person here, I also wonder if anyone wants to weigh in on this Arnett vs Scheppers thing? It seems like your classic safe pick vs. upside debate.
Also, I can’t find much good information that’s available for free on the net anywhere.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 10:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Honestly I’ve been getting a lot of info from Lookout Landing. Don’t tell them.
And why shouldn’t the Nationals pass on Strasburg? If they decide to play hardball and refuse to give him $50 million, do SS and Boras really want to risk him going back for his senior year? Making nothing? Odds are the Nationals are getting that pick again anyway.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
For me, it’s not just the money thing in a vacuum. It’s the money thing in the context of him being completely overhyped. I mean, TINSTAAPP, right? So why is everyone falling all over themselves that this guy can’t miss?
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
TINSTAPP encompasses the idea that some pitching prospects are so advanced that they are de facto major league pitchers already, hence “not merely a prospect.” David Huff for example. The case for Strasburg is that he’s already that good.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I honestly did not grasp that such an idea was part of TINSTAAPP. Thanks for the heads up.
What do you think though? As you said in the other thread, velocity isn’t stuff and it’s easy for me to believe that Strasburg could just throw the ball past people in the Mountain West, which probably does not produce a lot of professional hitters as a conference. To my mind, his level of competition hasn’t been high enough for him to be “that good” already.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
At $50 million, I think you have to pass. At $20 million, I think you take him, although $15 million is probably more appropriate.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pVyw2JlloM
It’s a bit more than velocity. It looks like he has a pretty good slider/slurve that he was using to get strike one a handful of times. Draft report says he throws a decent 80 mph change. Although of course you’re right, his bread and butter is the fastball. He lived off it this game and these kids were no match for it.
Then again if it’s in the strike zone major leaguers should have plenty of trouble with it too. He did pitch in the Olympics and got batters out after all.
All I know is when Matt Wieters fouls off a Strasburg fastball, the impact could create a black hole. We’re in a time of all-time hype.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You’re right. He does have other good pitches. I just can’t believe the unanimity. I don’t here anyone saying he isn’t as good as everyone thinks he is.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So he’s either a Hall of Famer or he’ll never make it to the bigs.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I give him a 99.987654321% chance of making it to the bigs. So I guess he’s a HOFer.
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
..And after re-watching the video, I think it’s safe to say he got some generous calls once he got some insane momentum going. So I guess Strasburg will never strike out 23 batters in one game at the major league level. Bust.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The classic debate is tiresome and stupid.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 11:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Seems to me that the fan’s perspective is always in favor of the fragile-but-awesome guy. The healthy-but-boring guy, we have to watch him struggle; the fragile-but-awesome guy, we get to enjoy when he’s in fighting shape, and it’s outtamind outtasight when he’s not.
That’s not to say the Scheppers-style pick is necessarily wrong, just that it’s a risk-reward question in which the fan bears none of the risk.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You would think, having seen Laffey and Huff and even Sowers leapfrog over Adam Miller, that we would have learned to value guys like that.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What I really wonder, as I intimated in the other draft thread, is whether the Indians think they’ve found a compromise — that they’re better off with multiple kinda-risky, really-good-but-not-breathtaking guys who command 2nd to 4th round-ish bonuses — or if that was just their reaction to last year’s crop.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
My guess, a little of both. They pay second-round money to third- and fourth-round talents, but they only spend a 10th round pick to get the player. It is sneaky-savvy.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Intriguing short note in the WSJ this morning that claimed the Indians have done especially well in drafting pitchers in recent years.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124451132127696643.html
Just at a guess, I wouldn’t have said this was true.
by MTF on Jun 9, 2009 11:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
We’re getting credit for Shuey, Wright, Sabathia and Guthrie. They’ve produced a lot of marginal wins.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Although really now that I think about it the draft is a miniature version of a Shapiro trade. If we’re talking about the guy already can’t we be relatively certain we’re drafting someone else?
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 12:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I’m not an insider, what does he say about #15? Anyone? What are his thoughts on Scheppers?
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m not an insider either. I basically have decided never to forgive him for slighting Lonnie last year.
Neither, evidently, has Lonnie.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
My draft strategy? Guys under the radar making good on past malfeasance.
I noticed today that Casey Kelly, the SS picked right after Lonnie by the Red Sox (who signed him for between three and four times as much, I recall), has already been converted to a pitcher after a meek ’08 debut.
Does anyone else think we won’t draft a pitcher?
by jhon on Jun 9, 2009 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Draft a pitcher with the first pick, in case that isn’t clear. Of course we’ll draft a pitcher at some point.
by jhon on Jun 9, 2009 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Indians tend to ignore positional need questions entirely, so i they think a better position player is available, that’s who they’ll take.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not entirely true, Bud Grant, the Indians’ Director of Amateur Scouting, states at about 00:27 in the video below, that the Indians do draft for organizational need, although not for need at the major league level.
http://videos.cleveland.com/plain-dealer/2009/05/brad_grant_cleveland_indians_d.html
by millionairesrow on Jun 9, 2009 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
In the first round, they’ll take whoever they think is best, and if they think a first-round talent is available after the first round, they’ll take him there, too, regardless of position. After the first couple of rounds, they may start to have a greater interest in positional balance and needs.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wait it’s Scheppers? I am changing my mind.
by afh4 on Jun 9, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know, it’s like a farmer’s affection nickname for his incompetent sheepdog.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tanner Scheppers. That’s gotta count for something.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Right now, I don’t have Aaron Crow or Tanner Scheppers going in the first round. Teams in the top 10 are telling me that neither is a top choice for them, with a few teams pointing to medical concerns about Scheppers, and everyone pointing to their belief that neither player will sign for less than what he turned down last year. Of course, either player could go later in the round or even afterward and still get a seven-figure bonus, but more than one scouting director or general manager has told me in the past few days that he doesn’t want to risk a first-round pick on a player who might not sign.
Law says Arnett.
by FredOx on Jun 9, 2009 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So, Detroit is getting Crow AND Scheppers?
Good god.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I can see why we didn’t take Scheppers (though I don’t know if he was taken before us; I didn’t see the draft list outside of the first 3 – Strasburg, Ackley, and Tate).
Overall, it seems the choice of White is a solid choice, both in terms of health and in terms of potential.
The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.
by indiansfan on Jun 9, 2009 7:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What we can be certain of is that the Indians aren’t afraid to draft a player that they think the other clubs are sleeping on.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am developing a violent anti-Arnette opinion. I am working up a lather.
by afh4 on Jun 9, 2009 12:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Would it help if you imagined Will Arnett, but as a pitcher?
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
RAGE! I AM SO ANGRY ABOUT THESE PLAYERS I’VE NEVER SEEN.
by afh4 on Jun 9, 2009 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dennis?
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
HOW COULD WE DRAFT THAT GUY? I READ AN INTERVIEW WITH HIM! IT WAS UNINSIGHTFUL!
by afh4 on Jun 9, 2009 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
what’s this dennis joke I’m not getting?
by world dictator on Jun 9, 2009 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dennis Nosco. He’s a self-styled draft expert and putative Indians fan. He’ll be over at Lastoria’s place tonight. He was over here last year and went after the Tribe for drafting players that weren’t highly ranked by Baseball America.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Probably not the right usage of putative there. Apologies.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
haha
I figured it was that guy. I’ve read some of the forum’s on tony’s website. Its funny that he’s even being ripped over there.
by world dictator on Jun 9, 2009 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well really, why do the Indians even bother paying scouts when Baseball America puts out a list that everyone can use?
by dgcambridge on Jun 9, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why subscribe to Baseball America when Nosco’s insights are free?
by FredOx on Jun 9, 2009 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I would like to understand the thought process whereby someone takes something like Baseball America as gospel
*note: I enjoy BA
by Roger Dorn on Jun 9, 2009 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am kind of shocked that he’s hosting Nosco again. This is a guy who was so awful in his content and style that they literally purged Swerbs Blurbs of everything he had ever written.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
speaking of Iver (although he’s not there this year) I’m going to be at the pitchfork thing in July sitting in one of the poster tents (over at the Flatstock portion) with my friend who has a table there selling his posters. He’ll be wearing an Indians hat, I’ll be next to him with a can of Old Style and possible some free give away sunglasses so that I can walk around looking at women without being caught. Anyone Chicago LGTer going should stop by and give “salutations”
by hans on Jun 9, 2009 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Grr. I’m going to be in Chicago the weekend of the 10th.
by FredOx on Jun 9, 2009 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m not even sure Arnett is supposed to be a “classic safe” pick. He might just suck.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
How can a guy just suck, yet also be considered a first-round talent?
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I mean will suck, in a never-get-to-the-majors kind of way.
I could say this about 70% of the draft pool and I think my odds are good.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I guess what I’m getting at is Arnett doesn’t inspire much in me, but I’m willing to be converted.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Baseball Analysts interviewed Scheppers a couple of weeks ago. They didn’t interview Arnett or I’d have that too.
I stand by my prediction that we draft neither.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 12:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
He won’t be a first rounder—I don’t think anyway—but on the naming front I hope we draft Todd Glaesmann, and it’s pronounced “Glass man.”
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
By the way, I agree on Scheppers. No way we take him. But I could see Arnett, which probably means it won’t happen, as you mentioned above.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The reason it won’t happen is because the Indians are utterly unconcerned with convention and peer pressure as they create their draft board.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But what do I know? I do believe that the need for pitching today at the parent club doesn’t make us any more likely to use the first pick on a pitcher than in any other year. But as always, so much depends on how the first 14 shake out.
I do expect that they’ll keep it close to the vest, and that Grant / Shapiro’s picking will be pragmatic yet clever.
by jhon on Jun 9, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Running bck
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Right.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
In the first round? Are you crazy?!
by cleveland teamer on Jun 9, 2009 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
WHY TAKE MCFADDEN WHEN YOU CAN GET SLATON OR FORTE LATER?
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
WHY TAKE CRABTREE WHEN YOU CAN DRAFT HEYWARD-BEY 20 SLOTS TOO EARLY?
by world dictator on Jun 9, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And I forgot to mention that I’m Dave Dombrowski.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
OK, after some informal research, my official ridiculous stupid draft-fan scenario for the Tribe is that Mike Leake makes it to 15. Bonus points because we’ll get to watch him in the CWS.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 3:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Bonus points because we’ll get to watch him in the CWS.
Interestingly, watching the CWS post-draft endeared me to Ryan Garko forever.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Interestingly, watching the CWS repelled me from Scatdypozz forever.
fixed
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What is wrong with the # new on this thread and the famous Z?
I’m assuming some stuff got deleted.
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 3:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Not sure, but this thread freaked out earlier and booted me out for a while.
by dgcambridge on Jun 9, 2009 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I have been having technical difficulties too. I’m assuming it’s the blog’s natural defense mechanism because I’ve been posting too much today.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
FWIW, I’ve had issues with this thread as well.
by millionairesrow on Jun 9, 2009 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
ditto
Ironically, I had trouble posting this very comment
by world dictator on Jun 9, 2009 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know very little about most of these guys, but I’d be fine with Sheppers as our #1 pick, as long as he’s passed a medical review. I’m in the boat of wanting some high octane arms in the system, and he fits the bill.
by mcrose on Jun 9, 2009 4:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Okay, having studied the 2009 draft for almost two entire minutes, I am going to make my dark horse prediction for the Indians’ first pick — Jiovanni Mier.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 4:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Mier’s committed to USC, and I wonder whether 15th pick money makes him skip SoCal.
by FredOx on Jun 9, 2009 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
When did they stop putting the word “committed” in quotes in this situation?
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Callis has the first eight picks (from what he’s hearing)
These eight picks look fairly certain:
1. Nationals: San Diego State righthander Stephen Strasburg.
2. Mariners: North Carolina first baseman Dustin Ackley.
3. Padres: Georgia HS outfielder Donavan Tate.
4. Pirates: Boston College catcher Tony Sanchez.
5. Orioles: California HS righthander Matt Hobgood.
6. Giants: Georgia HS righthander Zack Wheeler.
7. Braves: Vanderbilt lefthander Mike Minor.
8. Reds: North Carolina righhander Alex White.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 5:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
what an event … 7/7 were forecastable.
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
These aren’t predictions, these are pre-draft “what I heard they’re doing.” I think going into today Hobgood would be seen as a surprise. And a bad pick.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know, but if this event had guts, the Braves would have been able to hear the news, say “dammit, we want Wheeler” and made a trade with the Orioles.
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know if you gave Shapiro the choice he’d trade down three times. I don’t want that here.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
he’d have Pioli next to him as his adviser.
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I guarantee there was some post-NFL Draft cookout at Ron’s house where Shapiro was being wistful with Mangini “Man, I wish we could do that”
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
send his rookies on a servitude trip?
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey! A Bud Selig mini-speech! Thrilling!
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 6:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
They’re actually having the draft in the MLBN studio???
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
This is a game thread, right? I’m opening a beer.
I feel like there should be Mets fans in firefighter’s hats booing everything.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:12 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
The predictable.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ronth was just thinking that it feels so EMPty with-out himself.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I can safely say of all the odd variations people make of my username, I’ve never heard Ronth
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So let’s give them DeRosa for Strasburg.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
With those numbers? Against the Mountain West? Not an upgrade over Ohka.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
But we need help for this year.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So I was golfing this afternoon with my dad. My short game was an abomination, but I was ridiculous long and straight off the tee so I didn’t care. I’m shallow.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I’m the opposite. If I can just get with 150 yards quickly I’d run the course.
Unfortunately my tee shots go about 150 straight, then 150 to the right.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Er, “If I can just get withIN 150 yards OF THE PIN.”
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m ordinarily pretty handy with my middle irons, but I really overswing the short sticks. I like making things go boom.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 came out yesterday. Just sayin.
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I cannot play that game. I am both awful at it, and it interferes with actual golf.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m awful with real golf, so I tend to lean towards fake golf. But not mini golf.
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 6:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
My golf career consists of the time in gym class that I drove the ball with a baseball-like stance and swing.
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This is my problem when I tee off.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I definitely didn’t hold the club at an angle facing the ground. If it wasn’t 180˚, it was towards the sky.
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 6:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
My feed on mlb.com of the draft is actually ahead of my mlb network feed – is that normal??
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Watching both at the same time is not normal.
No, not you. Your helmet!
by PatBordersHelmet on Jun 9, 2009 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Said it before I could. So, as it was my same response, I give a rec. I’m egotistical.
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 6:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Haha I had the one on mlb.com on because it took me a few minutes to find mlb network on my tv. I’m only watching one now, thank you very much.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But which one? That is the question. The convince of not having a window open to flip between, or must you have an up to the second feed?
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I went with the ‘convince’, mostly because I’ll put the Indians game on my computer when it starts.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This just in: The Padres are boring. Reynold’s fix: Running. And hugs. Lots of hugs.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think Bud is chewing sunflower seeds.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 6:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, showing footage of Sabathia in a Yankees uniform while referencing his selection in 1998 is not awesome.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 6:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
BORAS: Okay, so let’s get our first offers on the table.
RIZZO: We’ll give you five dollars.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
BORAS: Okay, very funny, but really, what’s your offer.
RIZZO: (checks clipboard) Ten. Ten dollars.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m telling ya, if he decides to risk injury and play independent for a year, he’s just getting re-drafted by Washington. Checkmate.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Against what? He can choose not to sign, right? He can choose to play indie ball, right? He can re-enter the draft next year and face the Nationals having the first pick.
I’m honestly ignorant to any rule.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The rule is that he can’t be re-drafted by the same team.
*sigh*
by zempf on Jun 9, 2009 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, sorry to leave you hanging there, first nick.
by dgcambridge on Jun 9, 2009 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not at all. Thanks for clearing that up.
Still. Kid’s not getting $50 mil.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 10, 2009 5:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
BORAS: You’re just going to keep this up until I take a major league contract off the table, aren’t you?
RIZZO: (checks clipboard) Twenty.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Boston College is in Chester Hill, Bud?
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
He also said Ackley went to the University of Chapel Hill before he caught himself. He just hates the ACC, like everybody else.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Jesus Bud said Jorge Sanchez. You’re the commissioner.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
What is Jesus Bud and where can I get me some?
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
did he pronounce it like the seinfeld character or something?
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So the Indians will pick, what, about 3 a.m.?
I must be lonely.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:32 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
If I could rec this 20 times, I would. Matchbox 20 references. I love it.
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Where does a player have to be on your affection scale to get a YouTube comment on a Matchbox 20 video?
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Speaking of Youtube however, I posted a comment on Everything I Do, I Do It For You, basically mocking the video, I guess. And I infuriated a couple of Bryan Adams enthusiasts.
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They have a few of everything on the Internet, don’t they?
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Listen, I said my piece. Let’s leave it at that, okay?
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
haha God, it’d be so awesome if that turned out to be an LGTer.
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 6:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I missed that first time around.
Hat tip, Tyler.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Seriously though, they built in 5 minute breaks or some crap? Like they haven’t run about 5,000 mock drafts in the last two months. Pick already.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This just in:
Magic Hat Summer Seasonal is… okay.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Shouldn’t be big news. I find Magic Hat brews interesting but not great.
Have you tried Wacko?
No, not you. Your helmet!
by PatBordersHelmet on Jun 9, 2009 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Concur on Magic Hat.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That’s what I’ve got. I wasn’t sure whether I should call it Summer Seasonal or Wacko, because it’s labeled both.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh, didn’t realize it was a seasonal. Did you pour it in a glass?
No, not you. Your helmet!
by PatBordersHelmet on Jun 9, 2009 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yep. Almost looked pink in this light.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Although I should take the silk off the lamp.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Should be more of a true red.
No, not you. Your helmet!
by PatBordersHelmet on Jun 9, 2009 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This is a lot less interesting than watching the NBA or NFL drafts. I think even most semi-knowledgeable baseball fans have never heard of the vast majority of these guys.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Exactly why this will never become a big event
by Roger Dorn on Jun 9, 2009 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I once went to a speech by Tim Brosnan, the VP of Business for MLB. Afterward, I asked him why they didn’t televise the draft. It was a few days after the draft, and he asked me who my favorite team was, and if I knew who they drafted. I said I did—listed Aubrey, Snyder, Miller, Herrerra, and Garko. And he said “That’s why. There aren’t enough people like you to make it work, and the people like you will find out anyway.”
I don’t know if it came off as condescending in print as it sounded, but it pissed the hell out of me. Of course, now they do televise it. So who’s the idiot here?
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think the real reason is no one would televise it.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
and hockey. Oh wait, WNBA gets better TV coverage than hockey
by Roger Dorn on Jun 9, 2009 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
ESPN did last year.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know. Probably did okay for the first round and then awful.
Now they have their own network though so they don’t really need to worry about it.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Right, if it had only been MLBN, I wouldn’t have as much of a leg to stand on. It was his one as much as anything, though.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Even more people like you wouldn’t be enough. There’s a difference between knowing who your team drafted and actually knowing enough about amateur baseball to be able to follow the draft with some interest.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
= why it’s awesome. You’ve never seen him get boxed out by a shooting guard, or drop a pass that hit him in the grill. You have no reality check. On draft day, for one day, they’re all superstars.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I just finished eating a bagel dog. That at least tripled the excitement level.
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bagel Dogs may only fall 2nd to Auntie Anne’s Pretzels in terms of crap food.
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They also slug like .800 when you look at their college stats.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Eh, not with you on that one. I mean, their college/HS stats mean close to nothing and there is no way to determine whether a pick was a good one or not. That, in my mind, is the best part of watching a draft. I think the facts that a) college baseball is relatively anonymous and b) these players won’t be seen for years most of the time are insurmountable.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Anyone else having a ton of trouble with the mlb.com video?
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 6:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Ok, so I read an article a little while ago on how there was this pitcher who could be in the majors this year and it wasn’t Strasburg. Anybody know who I’m talking about?
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 6:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
He was drafted last year, I think. Didn’t sign.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
David Price, the article was from 2007.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Pedro Martinez?
No, not you. Your helmet!
by PatBordersHelmet on Jun 9, 2009 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He thinks it’s the 20th century? That explains a lot.
No, not you. Your helmet!
by PatBordersHelmet on Jun 9, 2009 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Is it rare? I’ve actually almost never heard him speak before. He is awful, though.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That’s true. He does seem to drool over his own teeth when he tries to talk.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Just to bring up the WSJ article mentioned earlier in the thread: should teams be given credit for drafting a player who realizes his potential in another uniform? I say no. Drafting a guy, trying to develop him
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think you got cut off there.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Poop: Drafting a guy, trying to develop him, failing to do so and then giving up on him, is not, in my mind, an indication of being correct on a draft pick.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh, I withdraw my prior statement.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I say yes. Especially if they get consideration for him—the Rays don’t have Garza or Bartlett without Delmon.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah but Delmon had had a decent year in TB before they traded him. I’m talking about a Brandon Phillips situation.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Eh, you could make the argument with Guthrie, as the Indians screwed themselves with the ML deal. In general, though, I think you have to regard the draft as fire-and-forget. Mirabelli didn’t release Guthrie, you know?
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You know he’s writing quick bits between selections.
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 6:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m telling you, he smoked something — which would explain why he was late to announce the 3rd pick
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 6:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I guess this would be a good time to mention my dislike for Selig.
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 6:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I feel like—and forgive me for judging this kid on his first 15 seconds on TV—the Giants drafted a moron.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Was about to say: good thing they didn’t draft this guy for his brain.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
In fairness, he’s from East Paulding. It’s not exactly a private school.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Boy, does Jered Weaver’s hair ever keep getting dumber.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Boy, does Jered Weaver’s hair ever keep getting dumber?
Nope, never.
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I have literally no interest in this event.
2010.
by Gradyforpresident on Jun 9, 2009 6:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
It’s background noise while watching the Indians game before the basketball game starts.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Goldstein on the Braves pick:
The Braves take Minor. It’s indefensible. You don’t want to take a high school kid, that’s cool. You think he’s better than Alex White, who I’m not even that high on, and you’re nuts.
Number 7 picks who profile as No. 4 starters make no sense.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 6:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The Braves take Minor. It’s indefensible. You don’t want to take a high school kid, that’s cool. You think he’s better than Alex White, who I’m not even that high on, and you’re nuts.
Number 7 picks who profile as No. 4 starters make no sense.
Whoops. There was no original content there, forgive me.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Stop saying Cincinnatah
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
well, there goes my top guy for the Tribe
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 6:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Well, he runs a hell of an offense, but without Harrell, who knows?
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
HOW DARE THAT GUY TAKE DHB OVER MY GUY CRABTREE
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
my top guy for the Tribe was gone after #1.
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Did this have to be Selig, technically? Couldn’t it have been Melissa Joan Hart or something?
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The obvious choice here is Alyssa Milano.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They’re trying to keep her away from the young kids.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You both fail. It totally should have been that emo guy from Twilight.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Great, I could watch with my 16 year old cousin.
TYLER: What were they thinking? He’s a reliever at best!
KIM: /texts friends about Robert Pattinson
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Too related. Bring on Candice Cameron, or maybe that Blossom chick.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Blossom?
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I could get behind this.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Throw in Winnie Cooper and I’d have to watch in a locked room.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thin ice here but the guy at the Tigers desk, reading the chart, looked a lot like Stanley from the Office to me.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 6:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Sam Dyson would be a hell of a pick for the tribe or mabe Grant Green.
by Tim1122 on Jun 9, 2009 6:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think Selig has 10 grand on whether he can pronounce something weird for every podium visit. He keeps saying Cincinnati and Detroit funny.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 6:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think he just said “Washington Nashuls”
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wow, Verlander, Porcello, Turner in Detroit’s rotation possibly — that’s scary
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 6:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I was JUST JUST about to post this. You and me.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Prep lefty, possibly the best pitcher available.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2009/reports.jsp?content=matzek
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ok, I’m on board! Matzek, let’s go. See? I just needed something to root for here.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Congratulations, now three of us will be pissed when he goes.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t want to read about him only to be disappointed.
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 7:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
A cop asked me to stop singing Hey, Hey We’re the Monkees last night. Guy had no fun meter.
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That doesn’t even make sense. You were too busy singing to get anybody down.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So we’re just randomly quoting lyrics now to get a laugh? Not funny.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You want to take this outside?
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oof.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think on the off-chance I see this cop again, I’ll sing this.
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 7:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Build Me Up Buttercup FTW.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I have drunkenly busted that one out in karaoke.
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I do a lovely mashup of buttercup and do you believe in magic on acoustic guitar. Real crowd parent pleaser.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Whatever gets the kids to let their guard down, right?
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
In retrospect, I’m not so sure about this one.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m happy to stay here – is a real game thread up?
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh wait there’s a game tonight. With real players. Pssh.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If this is the game thread….. Why isnt Garko starting he is batting 353 against bannister in 17 AB’s
by NCTRIB on Jun 9, 2009 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Colo-raad-o
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 6:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
There are dudes getting drafted in this draft that were born in years that I remember. Like 1990 and 1991. That sucks. I’m old.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 6:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Oh God.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Two years ago was my high school draft year. It freaked me out. If I were a premium prospect I’d be in the majors right now.
by Voltaire on Jun 9, 2009 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If it makes you feel any better, I’m old for AA.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 7:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I need to be mashing my way out of AAA and blocked by an All-Star.
2010.
by Gradyforpresident on Jun 9, 2009 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m going to choose to read this as a veiled sex comment.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Me neither, but I’ve had some beers. See?
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t feel like drinking.
2010.
by Gradyforpresident on Jun 9, 2009 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
/hands up, backing away slowly
My bad dude, my bad.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah I was depressed seeing how some nfl rookies are older than me.
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 9, 2009 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Looks like the Nationals are trying to get some help now through the draft. Not something you hear often in baseball.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 7:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Remember how we used to feel about people who were born in the 70s? That’s us now. Dig it.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Storen is a relatively easy sign, which they need after drafting Strasburg.
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
These picks so far bode pretty well for the Indians. There’s some good talent left.
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 7:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
If Alex White falls to 15, would you rather have him than Matzek?
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
null
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 9, 2009 7:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was typing my response, but hey, doesn’t matter anymore.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That being said I was going to go with, “I think I’d be happy with either.”
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We got the best prep lefty in LAST year’s draft. What do you want?
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Okay let’s start rooting for the Tribe to get high school catchers.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Didn’t we sign like a 15 year old Catcher out of Prague?
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
See, the point is to jinx it… forget it.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It was more about jogging my memory, rather than sounding like a dick when I asked it.
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ah. Well yes, we did. I wish Adam was here to let us know what’s up.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
For real. Shouldn’t he be scheduling his work events around the needs of the blog?
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I thought the blog was his work events.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Via Lastoria:
To continue his development while finishing high school Červenka and the Indians have agreed upon a specific playing plan for the next two seasons. Červenka will continue to compete for his club team, KOTLARKA, during the 2009 season. He will travel to Goodyear for extended spring training during his school holidays and spend the 2009 and 2010 summers at the MLB Academy in Australia (Australian Summer League). He will maintain this plan until his high school commitment has been completed (high school in the Czech Republic ends at age 19).
by JRontherim on Jun 9, 2009 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Looks like Scheppers might be available at 15, maybe even one of Crow or White. Good stuff
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 7:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I’m actually hoping #1 there isn’t, and #s 2 and 3 are.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Can we take two players with our pick?
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know Scheppers is a risky pick, but in terms of stuff he’s only second to Strasburg.
Btw … Shelby Miller is also still available, though he’ll probably won’t get past Texas
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Predicting those 3 players go in 12, 13, and 14.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
damn … hopefully Oakland does something strange here.
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Aaron Crow, listed as having “No School”
Whoa, he’s gonna be 23 this year….could he be topside next year with Greinke and Meche?
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I guess a lot depends on how he performs. Just like Scheppers, he pitched all year against wood bats. Does anyone know if that makes a difference?
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No idea about wood, but I’d also imagine the quality of competition in Independent Leagues is like High-A or AA. I mean, Craig Brazell plays in St Paul.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
According to a Scheppers interview the indie leagues have much more disciplined hitters.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
A’s Twitter
W/ our pick up, 5 players in our top 13 are still on the board..just showing that there’s a lot of difference of opinion in this yrs draft
seems to be giving out lots of inside info.
by Voltaire on Jun 9, 2009 7:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
ah, I got that one right. Risky pick by the A’s
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 7:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Take the injured one, Nolan. Do it. He’s got STUFF.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
c’mon man he does have tremendous stuff. I’d rather have White, but still, Scheppers warrants a long look.
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m not going to tell you for superstitious reasons.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well those 2 guys are available for us. I’m guessing White.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 7:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Previous injuries are not a good sign for pitchers. Especially shoulder ones.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Scheppers and White still available. Not sure what that means. 2 picks til ours.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 7:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
wow, we can choose from White, Scheppers AND Miller.
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 7:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
We have to pick one of those three right?
by roywhitby on Jun 9, 2009 7:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah, I think so. Best players available. Unless there are some high bonus demands, I really think White will be the guy
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 7:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
guys, please post the name when it happens, i’m tv-less w/ shitty ’puter
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 7:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Now you’ve convinced me we will pick Arnett
by Roger Dorn on Jun 9, 2009 7:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But people think we’ll pick him. So we won’t.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Solid prospect, but not when White is available.
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 7:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t think we should take him with White and Miller on the board.
by roywhitby on Jun 9, 2009 7:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
EVERYONE JUST GO TO MLB.COM THEY HAVE PAGE-LONG REVIEWS ON EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS DRAFT.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
First clip has great music, for everyone’s information.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And his favorite baseball movie is “For the Love of the Game”
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m disappointed by his last answer, “What one word describes Alex White?” We would have accepted “Hardworking. Alpha Male. Jackhammer. Merciless. Insatiable.”
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:31 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Harold said we can throw away this season
by Roger Dorn on Jun 9, 2009 7:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Reynolds already pegs White as a reliever, yay.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Harold Reynolds: This kid has a chance to be in their bullpen next year.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 7:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
wow, Reynolds is making an ass out of himself. White is definately a starter
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 7:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Interesting fact: White is represented by Boras. Tribe showing some balls.
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 7:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The one possible negative – we’ll just have to “deal” with him, pardon the pun.
The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.
by indiansfan on Jun 9, 2009 7:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The more I look at it, Purke would have been a great pick too but the Rangers took him. I wonder what Shapiro et al were doing as all these pitchers started falling.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I’m on the record as really liking the pick. I’m glad he fell to us.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
+1 – I like it also.
The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.
by indiansfan on Jun 9, 2009 7:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
White’s (relatively) pedestrian numbers in 2009 have him falling down some draft boards but with an excellent pitcher’s frame, solid mechanics and a low-90s fastball with excellent sink, scouts still think this kid is a future front-of-the-rotation contributor. White touches 95. Fans will get a chance to see White compete in his third consecutive College World Series in the coming weeks. He’s a junior, so that’s three in three years for White. Not bad. (Posted by Patrick Sullivan)
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Bryan and I both get it right as Cleveland takes Alex White. Looking at where we were 10 hours ago, there must be a ton of high fives right now in Cleveland’s draft room — crazy great get at 15, and he’s signable.
Dug this up from an Unfiltered post I filed in Omaha last year:
“After the game, [Fresno State coach] Mike Batesole said he would be "shocked if Alex White doesn’t go first in the draft next year." It’s hyperbole, but it’s amazing what White has done. A starter all year, Mike Fox called on White in relief for three consecutive days. He didn’t have his best stuff today, but all weekend we saw a 93-96 mph fastball and a wicked slider. Steven Strasburg is in another tier, which Batesole might not realize, but Alex White certainly joins Grant Green as the guys right behind Strasburg. It will be a good year to draft in the top five, if nothing else.”
When the slider is good, like it was last year, he has three nasty pitches, a big frame, and a floor as a legit Major League reliever. Is it bad I like 11-15 more than 2-6?
From BP’s roundtable with Goldstein.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Wait is he the guy ESPN did a story on pitching all those consecutive days?
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also from BP:
Quick note to those who worry that Alex White doesn’t strike out tons of hitters…he has almost a 2 to 1 groundball to flyball ratio in 2009
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hm, the Indians, favoring a groundballer? Weird.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We’re developing a monopoly (or close to it) on groundballers. :-)
The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.
by indiansfan on Jun 9, 2009 7:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And … that happened.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 7:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
All of a sudden I’m very interested in the CWS.
You know Selig? Ombudsman.
by rolub on Jun 9, 2009 7:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I hate his name. “Alex White” isn’t the name of a ballplayer, it’s the name of a draft bust.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 7:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Alex White is just as likely to be your team’s draft-day bust or CPA.
You know Selig? Ombudsman.
by rolub on Jun 9, 2009 7:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
his first pro inning – 3 Ks, 2 HBPs – the guy is a darkhorse
by APV on Jun 9, 2009 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You are all stepping onto MY SHIP if you’re getting on the Guido bandwagon. I saw that tub of lard get drafted and I said, “That’s my guy.”
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Adam who was the centerfielder/pitcher we drafted late?
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Alex White sounds like an ordinary name, but with better than ordinary stuff, which is what I think many of us were preferring – i.e. someone with a higher ceiling than we seem to have been taking lately.
The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.
by indiansfan on Jun 9, 2009 7:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We should trade back into the bottom of the first round for Scheppers.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Man, screw Scheppers. The only reason we ever talked about that guy is because everyone thought White would be long gone.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 7:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
After hearing reports that Scheppers’ injury history is still murky and the fact that he probably won’t take less than he was offered last year, I’ve moreless soured on him as well.
If we could get him in a later round and be able to sign him, I might take a flier, but that probably wouldn’t result in us signing him, so I’d probably look elsewhere now. It’s likely better we didn’t take him – my bad for preferring him before. It’s amazing how more facts can change one’s opinion quickly, isn’t it? :-)
The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.
by indiansfan on Jun 9, 2009 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I won’t be surprised if he’s a flier pick, but risk is risk, a hard divisor on the projected value of the player.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 8:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
OK, I’m going to miss a few picks so I can go pick up my Phil Steele 2009 annual.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 7:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Keith Law thought White would go 7.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Most folks had him at 7 or 8. I saw one mock draft that had him at #12.
I think the A’s tweet probably has it right … it’s a muddy pool of talent.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It sounds like White had “higher-rated” talent, but for whatever reason, he dropped – hopefully, that turns out well for us. :-)
The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.
by indiansfan on Jun 9, 2009 7:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He had a couple rough patches, and he throws the split too much. The Indians are more scientific and thus less superstitious and less easily “spooked” than the average club. Everyone saw White as a Top 5 guy a few months ago, and the Indians possibly still see him that way.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 8:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
BBTF has brought up a good point about MLB Network’s coverage here.
First, MLBN loves every pick.
Second, Harold Reynolds thinks every pitcher drafted after Strasburg should be converted to reliever.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 7:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Just taking a flier. He looked convincing to me, and I would speculate he was the Indians’ top position player on the board.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 8:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ed Wade might be great at drafting. He sure ain’t great at contracts.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 8:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Arnett goes 26 to the Brewers. Who have they ever drafted?
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Actually a lot of great guys.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
http://castrovince.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/06/indians_take_white_at_no_15_ov.html
blah. A reliever? c’mon.
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 8:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The only defense of this is that he could be on the team in 2010 if he’s a reliever.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah, but that’s short term thinking which is very unlike Shapiro & Co. Hopefully it’s just a temporary thing, because his value lies in that he has 3 pitches which all have the chance to plus.
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
For the record, I hate converting any starter to reliever unless it’s a necessity and it’s clear he can develop no more as a starter.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And……still pitching in college is too f’ing early.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Or Kerry Wood. Or Rafael Perez. Or Jensen Lewis.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think Wood and Lewis are very defensible transitions. Wood for health, Lewis because he had a chance to be a crappy to meh starter or a pretty good reliever.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What I mean is, I think it was a mistake to move Morrow to the bullpen.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh, I obviously totally misunderstood.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 8:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Morrow has a lot of talent. They just converted Aumont to relief too and he was on fire during the WBC.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wonder Twin powers activate!
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
there obviously have been a number guys converted from starter to reliever with great success. Usually it’s because they lack a third pitch, command issues, durability or just a boost in stuff. White doesn’t fit any of those “criteria” except maybe shaky command, but that could be fixable.
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 8:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Point is, you don’t know on draft day.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I am really disappointed to hear we drafted a reliever, in our estimation, in the first round. Hopefully, we’re able to make up for it in the next few rounds if this is true.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know, my statement had nothing to do with what the organization plans to do with him. Obviously I disagree with them if they’re going to turn him into a reliever right away.
by ahowie on Jun 9, 2009 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ah, right.
I’m wondering if this is a real report. Obviously it’s real. It just doesn’t seem like part of the Plan though. Then again neither was calling up LaPorta so early.
Maybe… maybe he’s been going so hard for UNC at the end of this season and throughout this tournament that they just want to “Woah there” him for the rest of 2009. But does that hurt if they try to switch him back for 2010?
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well, you could easily limit his workload with pitch counts, or you could just shut him down.
I can’t imagine them turning him to a reliever right away. White has too much leverage to not sign a deal and return to UNC for his senior year.
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If I’m White I don’t turn a deal down. The only mistake would be on the Indians’ part.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
it may be risky to turn it down, by why not. He had somewhat of a down year, and if he really wants to start, he can easily go back for a last year in college and build up his stock.
by JP_Frost on Jun 9, 2009 8:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So, I’m thinking about it more and I’m thinking: If the Indians scouts think he’s the closer of the future, a la Papelbon, and he could be ready by the end of next year, I would definitely be OK with that.
But if he’s going the Rafael Perez route, seventh inning, eighth innning set up guy, then it’s crappy.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He’s going to be blocked by Ace Closer Bear Killing Kerry Wood and Boy Wonder Jon Meloan.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also Sipp.
Joe Smith is the butler.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It’s tempting Iron, but I’d rather develop him as a starter and see him ala Huff in three years.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
this wouldn’t be terrible, but long-term I think I want him starting.
Couldn’t he be a September callup this year as a reliever if he signs quick?
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 10, 2009 1:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ehh, even Papelbon was a 4th-round pick
by cleveland teamer on Jun 10, 2009 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The presumptuousness of a civilian strongly criticizing the draft never fails to crack me up.
Here’s the classic of the genre.
The Indians generally do not convert new amateur signings to relief right away, even if they think that’s where he’ll end up eventually. It’s tough to get relievers as many innings as you’d like them to have to develop. Unless they think White can jump into the big-league mix next year, I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t start in the rotation.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t really mean it, if that makes you feel any better.
As a general rule, it seems like not a great idea to draft a relief pitcher in the first round though, no?
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 8:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t know.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 8:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And, really, to call me booing loudly presumptuous is like calling what the drunk guys at MSG do every year when they boo some poor college football player inappropriate or rude or something like that. There’s no way you take me that seriously.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 8:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was missing the “irony.”
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 8:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It’s not that there’s irony, it’s that I feel like I have earned a reputation of not having strong, “know-it-all” opinions. Realistically, I like the community here and love the analysis that you and others smarter than myself about baseball provide.
I try and limit my contributions to jokes and fairly innocuous complaining and I thought everyone had caught on to the fact that it’s really all I do.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 8:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m like this but with pictures.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dude, you’re selling yourself short. I’m way more irrelevant than you. (This is where I would use a smiley face if, you know…..)
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 8:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’d end this thing we have over the smiley face.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe he has irrelevance by association.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 9:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So unlike a fat friend in real life, Fantana does not make me look better?
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I usually only read your FanShots
by cleveland teamer on Jun 10, 2009 9:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But… I don’t like it. I don’t think this is Nosco territory. I think White is a great pick. I just want him to start.
Or at least I don’t want the Indians drafting him assuming/hoping he shifts to relief.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 8:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Even if they plan to make him a releiver, there’s a good chance they’ll start him out in a rotation to get him reps as he works with whatever mechanical issues they want him to work on. Putnam was in the same boat this year, and only got taken out of the Kinston rotation when we had our brief system-wide bullpen panic.
I agree, tho – with his pitches and history, you have to give him a chance to start. I’ll be very disappointed if they put him in the pen right away.
by mcrose on Jun 9, 2009 8:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
As a side note, I’ve been keeping my eye on the Lookout Landing draft thread for giggles, and I see out of the corner of my eye that they just took Baron. They are gonna be SO. PISSED.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 9:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Damn, the Rockies have had a gorgeous draft…..by BA’s standards. Nosco is moving to Denver!
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I’m predicting that Scheppers goes to the White Sox, and pitches for 19 years.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 9:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
And I’m really supposed to treat you guys like you’re two separate people?
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I never asked for that. I’m happy to be lumped in with any of the regulars around here.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I actually feel the same.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I keep hoping you’ll confuse me for Brick.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 9:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
your verb tense is too good.
FE WEE
by westbrook on Jun 10, 2009 1:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That.. will have been sucked.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 10, 2009 5:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
step one: stop using caps. step two: lots of typos.
by Brick. on Jun 10, 2009 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I thought they’d take him with their first pick.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 9:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well it’s all to hell now, the draft tracker has frozen.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 9:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
One of these vets has got to be on the verge of going rogue…..like Jay Buhner announcing the Mariners have drafted his cousin or something.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Oh Lord, the Pirates dignitary was the Rookie of the Year in 1955. Yeesh.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
And this dude from the MLB Scouting Service WILL NOT criticize a pick. WILL NOT. I wish a team would draft me.
Frank would say “Well, this is a guy I’ve never heard of, so you gotta figure he’s got talent to be drafted this high.”
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
They’d be certain you’re a ballplayer. Probably great legs. Workhorse.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 9:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Great baseball mind, really mature, even for a 26-year old.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Great room, strong walls. Solid bed for lovemaking or heavy petting. A real hotel room.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 9:36 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
It’s got some sheetrock, a real nice, thick carpet….efficient low-flow plumbing.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So these picks now get, what, 30 seconds? Awesome. And Ben McDonald and Shawon Dunston announcing picks? This is better than the first round.
Looks like we have Fryman.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 9:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Underwood: “Cruz will either load the bases or get out number 2 right here”
by Roger Dorn on Jun 9, 2009 9:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
No, the other one is coed.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They are using the term “dignitary” pretty loosely.
by bewwolv on Jun 9, 2009 9:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
“After Strasbourg, Draft pieces fall into place.”
Thanks for that, MLB.com. I really thought everyone was going to flee the continent or start eating themselves or something after the first pick.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 9:40 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Seriously. I’m pretty sure that was Danny McBride pretending to be him.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 9:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
KIPNIS!!!!!
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
MLB.tv tells us we’re considering taking an outfielder and converting him to second base……….
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Seriously, this is going to be the best CWS for Indians fans ever.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Andrew H, if you were wondering, Jack McKeon was in Seacaucus tonight as the Marlins dignitary. I’m pretty sure he was wearing an Indians t-shirt under his blazer.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Andrew is shattered that we took a UNC guy and is now rooting for the Astros.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I pictured him switching to the Royals
by Roger Dorn on Jun 10, 2009 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nah. He thinks RoyalsReview is beneath him.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 10, 2009 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So, he’s basically Ben Francisco?
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 9:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think he’s got better on-base skills and less power. Several draft analyst sources have said we’re moving him to second base.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think the Indians know something we don’t about converting good athletes to center field. Remember when Brantley’s defense was considered shaky?
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was about to say he’s either Ben Francisco with a little less pop or Trevor Crowe with less speed.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m sorry, Micucci is the funniest last name I’ve ever heard.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 9:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
North Carolina vs Arizona State
Sunday, June 14
1:00PM
ESPN
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
What the hell, can’t be less interesting than the WBC.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 9:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The best news is, you start watching and drinking this game at 1 and you’ll be at full speed in time for Tribe/Cardinals at 8
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 9:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh good lord, I cannot drink for more than 4 hours anymore without falling asleep.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’ve run into that problem, but really, you just have to drink through it. Or drink Jack & Coke’s.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
There’s the sleepiness, but there’s also the fact that my hangovers really dialled it up once I graduated and stopped living upstairs from a bar. Now, I get a couple sheets to the wind and start thinking, aw, hell, I’m ruined til noon.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Jack is syrupy enough on its own. If I want a Coke mixer I usually go with J&B.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Which one of these am I supposed to reply to?
It’s always reassuring to hear someone else’s “it used to be easier to drink” story, because mine sounds exactly like yours and I pine about the good old days more than I’d like to.
A year ago, I mixed a lot, mostly with caffeine because it seemed to work. Now I’ve adopted sort of a military approach and I just blast right through fatigue to drunkenness. Alternatively, I drink three beers and yawn a ton, which makes me a real catalyst for late night shenanigans.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ha, but I see 21-year-old dudes out at the bar now, slovenly and raucous, and I enjoy being able to form complete sentences. It’s like, no, I’m not as unconscious as I used to be able to get, but I’m also not pudgy and puffy-eyed all day. I take this trade.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Me too. But you’d still like to be Superman, when the need arises, which it inevitably does.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nap from 5:00 to 8:00. Done.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The “High, I’m ____” way each ex-baseball guy introduces himself is weird and funny.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 10:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Any recognizable names to root for left in the draft?
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 10:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
When the BA guys says, “I gotta be honest, at the beginning of the year I wasn’t aware of this guy,” it’s time to turn in.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 10:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I cracked an MGD. I’ll wait out the Indians’ third pick.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
More power to you. I’m going to bed.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 9, 2009 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
WE’RE ON THE CLOCK FOR THE THIRD ROUND, FOLKS! GET FIRED UP!
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Joseph Gardener, UC Santa Barbara
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 10:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Joseph Gardner, out of UC Santa Barbara.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Scouting report says that his effectiveness depends heavily on his ability to maintain a consistent arm angle. When it is on, so is he. Sounds like there’s stuff to work with here.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 10:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Both pitchers tonight have had a good repetoire with live fastballs. High stuff quotients.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 10:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Both have significant wood-bat league experience.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And both from very high-level programs.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
To me, it feels like two arms worth getting excited to see in pro ball and a big shoulder shrug for Kipnis.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m guessing you’re not a Phelps/Phedroff fan?
by dgcambridge on Jun 9, 2009 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hear the combination can cause heart attacks
by APV on Jun 10, 2009 5:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thinking about that. Remember that we took Cord Phelps very high last year as well, even though he didn’t turn out to be as expensive as some guys who came later. Maybe they’ve just identified 2-3 as good places to sneak in an affordable college position player
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Replying to you and dg, I guess my first reaction with Kipnis is that his bat isn’t as big as Fedroff’s and he’s not a proven 2B commodity like Phelps was. I’m open to the idea that they think he can really play center or they want to try to move him to 2B.
Maybe the Brantley comp that got brought up earlier is valid.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fedroff also was just a good athlete who hadn’t played much center, but I specifically asked about that, and Grant said they had every reason to believe he could stick there.
I mean, if Kipnis is a good defensive CF, does that change your analysis any?
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
First of all, as I defensively said to Jay earlier, anything I say is not analysis. It’s average-fan-speak, nothing more.
Having said that, yeah, if he’s a good defensive CF, there’s room for that in the lineup. What little I had read made him sound more like he was too unathletic for center but not stickful enough for the corners.
by NickFantana on Jun 9, 2009 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh please, like I’d heard of any of these guys except that Salzberg whatsisface before tonight.
I’m just saying, Brad Grant knows a whole lot more about what makes a good center fielder than I do, so if that’s their explanation for it — he’s like a left-handed version of what Jason Michaels was supposed to be — then I’m on board.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Should say, to the extent I think about any of this, I imagine these scouts learn a lot more about a guy’s swing by watching him take a few cuts than they do about his defense by watching him run down a few fly balls.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am excited about White because he’s a first round pick and everything I’ve read sounds good, but I really have no way to know what to think about these guys, nor will I for probably a year.
by jakesinger777 on Jun 9, 2009 10:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
God, Callis, just undo the suit coat. Just UNDO it.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I haven’t done any research and am just gonna go all cleveland.com on you guys, but I don’t like using the 15th overall pick on a relief pitcher.
by ASP on Jun 9, 2009 10:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Was just about to post on this. Brad Grant’s job as far as Alex White is concerned is over — Grant’s the draft director. White will almost certainly begin his career as a starter, and if he has the mechanics and the ability to keep it up, the Indians won’t move him out of that role for the hell of it.
What I’m saying is, we didn’t re-draft Zach Putnam here.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This seems a bit naive. The Indians are an open organization that likes a free-flow of ideas, not so much each guy marking his own territory. The first-round pick does not go to a guy on the basis of a development plan that isn’t in harmony with the organizational philosophies on that subject. Furthermore, the first-round pick most assuredly gets direct input from Shapironetti.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 9, 2009 11:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agree and disagree; I surely didn’t mean to slight Grant. Larger point being, if he pitches like a starter — cleans up his delivery, maybe, or if he shows serious improvement in his change-up or curveball, or if his joint mobility reports come back super-happy — then the Indians aren’t going to foreclose that developmental opportunity to him just because it’s not what they originally dictated.
I’m getting wordy. If White demonstrates the health and talent to start, I don’t seriously believe the Indians won’t give it full consideration. That’s all I mean.
by fleerdon on Jun 9, 2009 11:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And for the record, the Indians have said that “Putnam is not a guarantee to never start again.” Granted, it’s likely Putnam will likely be a reliever, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could start for a ML team.
My main point is that, I think the Indians have every intention of White starting for them. If, he can’t develop that 3rd pitch (scouting reports say he already has a plus fastball and a plus slider), then at worst (provided he stays healthy, of course), he’s a back-end reliever or even closer.
But to presume he’s only a reliever as ASP mentioned above I don’t think is accurate – he also started for NC; every intention is that he will start in our system until further notice, and at this point, he is a starting pitching prospect, not a reliever prospect.
Just my 2 cents – no offense.
The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.
by indiansfan on Jun 10, 2009 12:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But there’s a difference between a reliever with the potential to start and a starter who might relieve.
If the default opinion on White is that he’s a reliever then the odds are stacked against him being a starting pitcher. He could pitch well and still wind up in the bullpen because of where the Indians project him. Or if White struggles in the rotation, the Indians will probably see it as validation of their theory. Whereas another player might be given the benefit of the doubt and/or more time to develop.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think the Indians are going to make an uninformed knee jerk decision. But Projectability plays a big role in player development..
by world dictator on Jun 10, 2009 3:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The odds are stacked against every single draftee being a regular major leaguer in any role, period, even the first-rounders — excepting maybe Strasburg, and only Strasburg, and only maybe.
It isn’t about where the odds are stacked with a first-rounder, though, it’s about best/highest purpose. The discussion on White is not fundamentally different than the discussion on Papelbon or Justin.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 10, 2009 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don’t know if anyone has mentioned this/asked this.
But if White is a Junior could he refuse to sign and return to college for his senior year?
I wonder if White/Boras might have a problem with a conversion to reliever. White might prefer to start and Boras obviously knows that starting pitcher money is a lot more than reliever money, presumably now but also in the future.
If I’m White I’d seriously think about returning to UNC if I’m drafted as a reliever. Build my stock back up and cash in on top 5 money next year.
by world dictator on Jun 10, 2009 5:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Did someone in the Indians organization say that White will be a reliever? I saw all the talking heads make that speculation. But I did not hear that from the organization.
by JK in CBus on Jun 10, 2009 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No offense, but there is a link in this very thread saying so. I’ll repost it.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jun 10, 2009 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wow, not smart… Both me & Grant. Thanks Nick
by JK in CBus on Jun 10, 2009 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The idea that the Indians would be saying this publicly before talking to the player about it is fairly farfetched.
The Brad Grant video posted yesterday had an interesting comment in it, one I’ve heard before. He said essentially that the Indians assign a value to each potential draftee, and for the ones they’re serious about, they try to find what dollar amount he thinks he’s worth. When A > B, put him on the draft board, take the best one available in every round, and then sign him. Done.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jun 10, 2009 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
