2013 draft

[theblujay]

I really want either Frazier or Meadows. If either of them fall to us I will be thrilled. I'd much rather them take a position player over a pitcher too.

[GD]

Frazier/Meadows/Smith are my top 3 (in that order).

[Caper]

I think the Jays need to change direction first and foremost and draft athletes, real upside types with raw tools.

[Boxcar]

I assume you're talking about his power?

I like the fact hes supposed to have a elite eye and great contact skills (something our big league team and farm system badly lack). Seems like a typical Red Sox draft selection.

 

I personally just hate the way he looks when he hits. So much awkward movement.

[BarrysSyringe]

I really hope Frazier falls to us but can a five tool potential outfielder fall to ten?

[JaysFanToTheEnd]

I don't see either Frazier or Meadows falling to 10. Although I really really want them to.

 

I can see Manaea and Stanek due to reports of having control issues.

 

If Meadows does fall to us, I wonder if there will be any problems signing him. He was the 1st overall consensus pick earlier and if he drops down to 10, I wonder if he will pull a Appeal and just decide to go to college if he doesn't believe he's getting the right amount.

 

edit: then again there are reports that Marlins are linked to Braden Shipley. Twins are looking to save money for later rounds and by doing so may possibly pick Moran. And Kansas like to pick local talent and are looking for pitchers and they've been linked to Stanek.

[Caper]

That's all they've done the past three years, AA & Co. use the most aggressive draft board there is.

 

My sarcasm didn't come across very well.

[Captain Adama]

I don't see either Frazier or Meadows falling to 10. Although I really really want them to.

 

I can see Manaea and Stanek due to reports of having control issues.

 

If Meadows does fall to us, I wonder if there will be any problems signing him. He was the 1st overall consensus pick earlier and if he drops down to 10, I wonder if he will pull a Appeal and just decide to go to college if he

doesn't believe he's getting the right amount.

 

Meadows was never believed to be a 1st overall pick, let alone a consensus one...

[theblujay]

Since we don't have as many picks as we've had the last few years our first round pick really counts this year. AA has got to make sure he makes good picks in the first few rounds. No more McGuires or Jenkins

[JaysFanToTheEnd]

Meadows was never believed to be a 1st overall pick, let alone a consensus one...

 

You're right, it was Appel. Meadows was around 2-4.

[Angrioter]

Frazier/Meadows/Smith are my top 3 (in that order).

 

add Reese McGuire

 

JPA suck, AJ Jimenez can't stay healthy

[theblujay]

add Reese McGuire

 

JPA suck, AJ Jimenez can't stay healthy

 

I really don't want McGuire. What I've read says that he's another guy with a questionable hit tool. Prep catchers aren't close to sure bets either.

[GD]

add Reese McGuire

 

JPA suck, AJ Jimenez can't stay healthy

 

Ew.

[GD]

lol..........trolling again.

 

Nah, just poorly conveyed sarcasm, I think.

[ace3113]

Thomas Milone

Position: OF

Height: 6-0

Weight: 185

Bats/Throws: L-L

Birthdate: Jan. 26, 1995

High School: Masuk

City, State: Monroe, Conn.

Travel Team: CT Gamers

Commitment: Connecticut

Projected Draft Round: 2-3

 

Mike Trout was famously picked 25th overall in the 2009 draft, the 12th high school player taken that year. Many who do not fully understand the draft process and what goes into evaluating a 17-18 year old high school player have wondered how such a prodigious talent as Trout could have lasted that deep into what is turning out to be a good but not great draft class.

 

As background, the 11 high school players selected before Trout, in order of selection, include Donovan Tate, Matt Hobgood, Zack Wheeler, Jacob Turner, Tyler Matzek, Matt Purke, Bobby Borchering, Chad James, Shelby Miller, Jiovanni Mier and Randal Grichuk.

 

While everyone was talking about Tate down in sunny Georgia as the class’s five-tool player, the real five-tool future star was up in cold, wet New Jersey that spring. Trout also spent a limited time on the showcase and tournament circuit that summer.

 

If that scenario is going to repeat itself this spring, the player who is the potential Mike Trout, the player scouts and fans look back and say, “What were we/they thinking when we didn’t pick this guy when we had a chance?,” that player might be Connecticut high school outfielder Thomas Milone.

 

Three things have conspired to keep Milone from being scouted as much as most of his peers across the country. The first is simply being from Connecticut, where the high school baseball season doesn’t start until mid-April, a time of the year where players are starting to get fatigued from playing and practicing for three months in states such as Florida or California.

 

The second factor is that Milone has not traveled outside the Northeast playing in the travel team environment, and there has been no opportunity to see him match up against national level competition except at two showcases last summer, the East Coast Professional Showcase and the Area Code Games. His only exposure to national scouts was literally a 10-day window in early August.

 

The third factor was that Milone is an incredible football player, perhaps not on the same level nationally as a Kohl Stewart or a Cord Sandberg in the 2013 draft class, but in his own right one of the most dominant players in the country.

 

Consider this; playing for a 10-2 Masuk High School team that has gone 34-3 over the past three seasons, Milone ran for 1,033 yards on 60 carries (17.5 yard per carry) and 19 touchdowns, caught 40 passes for 1,094 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaged 48 yards on six punt returns, three of which were touchdowns, also threw a pair of touchdown passes on option plays, made 42 tackles and intercepted two passes as a safety, and also served as his team’s punter.

 

I happened to be at both the East Coast Pro and the Area Code Games during that 10-day window to see Milone last summer and below are my notes from those two events.

 

(East Coast Pro): Star of the event. Tightly wound quick-twitch athlete, very strong, crushes the ball, one piece swing with some stiffness but ball just explodes. Has all the characteristics of a speed player, steals bases aggressively, big OF range, makes plays and performs. Don't know where he's been hiding. Would have been an All-American if he did this at the National Showcase.

 

(Area Code Games): Had a great BP, hits some absolute bombs where balls usually aren't hit at Blair Field, didn't do much in the games, was often overanxious and got self out many times, center field tools on defense, arm fringy ave.

 

The first thing that stands out about Milone for me from those two events was how hard he hit the ball and the way it came off the bat. His left-handed swing, as noted, was a bit stiff and one-piece but his bat speed was simply outstanding. He hit one ball in BP over the right-center field scoreboard at Blair Field, which is the first time I’ve ever seen that done in my dozen or so trips to Long Beach. When Milone squares a ball up, it’s loud contact similar to when Clint Frazier squares up a ball.

 

But Milone’s speed and the way he uses it also stands out. He only ran a 6.68 60 at the East Coast Pro, but he plays much faster than that on the baseball field and has reportedly run a 4.38 in the 40 during football workouts, which translates better to what I’ve seen on the baseball field. Milone has a quick initial burst that will enable him to steal bases and track down balls in the outfield at a very high level. He also plays the game with an energy level that is typical of a football type mentality.

 

While it is possible to compare Milone’s overall draft scenario to Trout’s, the comparison between the players isn’t especially appropriate. The best comparison might have been made just above, with Milone assuming the role of the left handed hitting Clint Frazier. One has to wonder if you switched the two and moved Frazier to Connecticut and Milone to Georgia three years ago whether you might have the same situation, only reversed.

 

In a few years we should be able to answer that.

[GD]

Where's Milone projected to go? Could he fall to us in the second round?

[ace3113]

Where's Milone projected to go? Could he fall to us in the second round?

 

PG says round 2-3.

[theblujay]

PG says round 2-3.

 

I'm on board, take him the 2nd round.

[GD]

I would take him in the second round.

 

Frazier/Meadows/Smith - 1st

Milone - 2nd

____ - 3rd

Martinez - 4th

Covey - 5th

 

Who'd be a good choice in the third round? Healy?

[theblujay]

They're not actually saying Milone has Trout's tools, they're saying it's been difficult to scout him since he plays in the Northeast and has some sort of power/speed package.

 

The Jays will get dozens of looks on him by the draft (they have ~40 amateur scouts), if they like him as a Trout-type steal, they'll take him second round.

 

I'd much rather take someone like him with big upside with the bat than most of players.

[ace3113]

I would take him in the second round.

 

Frazier/Meadows/Smith - 1st

Milone - 2nd

____ - 3rd

Martinez - 4th

Covey - 5th

 

Who'd be a good choice in the third round? Healy?

 

Perfect Game:

 

Dylan Covey

Position: RHP

Height: 6-2

Weight: 200

Bats/Throws: R-R

Birthdate: Aug. 14, 1991

College: San Diego

Hometown: Pasadena, Calif.

Previously Drafted: Brewers '10 (1)

Projected Draft Round: 2-4

 

Dylan Covey’s name has circulated in the prospect and scouting world for quite a long time now. We’ve profiled a number of top college players in this year’s class who were drafted out of high school a few years back. But, Covey wasn’t exactly a token draft pick - this was an elite high school talent who was a 14th overall pick in the first round by the Milwaukee Brewers back in 2010. He was an Perfect Game All-American in 2009 and was undoubtedly one of most highly touted prep arms in the class. The Brewers wanted him, and it appeared Covey was ready to turn pro, but a bad break at the time kept that from happening.

 

Covey underwent a physical examination leading up to what looked like his probable signing with the Brewers in August of 2010, and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Milwaukee remained interested in signing him, but it was decided by Covey and his family that perhaps he was best off attending college and pitching close to home in San Diego. It was an unfortunate situation, but if there’s a bright side, it’s clear that over the three years since then that the development at the college level has been a very positive and perhaps necessary thing for Covey.

 

The first season in college ball for the 6-foot-2, 200 pound right-hander wasn’t an easy one. In nine starts for the Toreros, Covey struggled through serious command issues, walking 28 batters in 34 1/3 innings pitched, and pitching to a 7.60 ERA. It was clear he had some adjustments to make, and to his credit he came out in 2012 as a very different pitcher. While the walk numbers were still high, as he walked 43 in 81 1/3 innings, it was a clear step forward in every other department. Covey worked in 17 games, pitching to a 3.32 ERA and allowing just 74 hits in those 81 1/3 innings.

 

Following what was a big step forward in his development, Covey would head to the Cape Cod League to pitch for the Orleans Firebirds. And, it was on that stage that we’d see flashes of what made him a 14th overall pick a couple years earlier. The results were somewhat uneven for the right-hander, and he worked primarily out of the bullpen. He compiled a 3.85 ERA over 25 2/3 innings of work, allowing 27 hits and striking out 16. There were days where Covey would labor badly, but other days would provide glimpses of brilliance.

 

Covey made just two starts among his 13 appearances on the Cape, and I attended both of them. One of those starts was highly impressive, and the other was somewhere closer to the other end of the spectrum. The good version of Dylan Covey came out of the gate working at 90-92 mph early, and eventually built up to 91-94 by the middle of his outing. The fastball showed excellent life and boring action in on right-handed hitters. He pitched aggressively in the zone and was not afraid to work on the inner third of the plate.

 

In the first of his two Cape Cod starts, he eventually reached 96 mph with his fastball and did it out of a sound delivery and with a relatively easy arm action. As was the case with the fastball, Covey’s curveball got better as the game progressed. It’s a knockout, plus offering when he’s on his game as he was in this particular outing, showing late downward bite at 81-83 mph. Covey also mixed a workable changeup at 83-86 mph, but it was not a featured offering.

 

That game was the Dylan Covey scouts believed could go in the first round yet again. In his final appearance of last summer, however, the other side of his game showed up. The consistency of the breaking ball wasn’t there, and the velocity didn’t build up to quite the same heights. As a result, he gave up six runs in five innings of work, striking out just one batter in the process.

 

This spring has been a similar story for Covey. He’s looked very good in stretches, as well as not so good. And, he’s given scouts glimpses of that fastball that reaches 96 mph and that plus curveball. That inconsistent track record is, in all likelihood, going to keep him out of the top two rounds this June. But, he could also end up being a value pick around the third round if a team believes they can harness his raw ability.

Edited May 22, 2013 by ace3113

[ace3113]

Ibid:

 

Jeremy Martinez

position: C

height: 5-11

weight: 200

bats/throws: R-r

birthdate: Dec. 29, 1994

high school: Mater deicity,

state: Fountain valley, calif.

Travel team: Ftb chandler

commitment: Southern california

projected draft round: 2-3

 

The top of the annual rule 4 draft, more commonly known as the june draft, is almost always dominated by players with tools, or the physical ability to play and compete at the major league level. Scouts will often throw out the simple phrase “tools play” when either promoting an under-performing prospect or disparaging a high performance type player. Skills often become secondary in the equation and historically and logically that’s where they should properly belong. However, there is one position on the baseball field that is often the exception to that “tools play” mantra with a classic potential example of that in the 2013 class. The position is catcher. The example is 2012 perfect game All-American Jeremy Martinez. Catcher is the single position on the baseball field, if you don’t include left-handed specialty reliever, which requires the least amount of tools and physical athleticism and the greatest amount of non-physical skill to play at the major league level. Once you can establish a certain level of physical ability to receive, block and throw the ball, the requirements to be a big league catcher lean heavily towards intelligence and aptitude for the game, courage and work ethic. The ability to hit at a major league level is frequently considered a bonus for a catcher, not a necessity. That is a primary reason why the scouting community has traditionally shied away from high school catchers, as it is too easy to evaluate their tools and too difficult to judge their positional skills and make-up at that level. That is changing with the reality of top prospects playing more games in the summer and fall against a higher level of competition, but catchers are still the most difficult position to evaluate at the high school level. That is not to say that Jeremy Martinez doesn’t have physical tools. He has one-spot athletic quickness behind the plate, strong calm hands receiving the ball and major league average arm strength. His strength and right-handed bat speed is solid enough to project that he will be competitive at the highest levels and might even have some extra base power eventually. The less said about his running speed the better. But the most important parts of martinez’ game and his prospect status aren’t measured by the physical tools on the scouting report.

If he had a “baseball resume” in the traditional sense instead of a “scouting report” it would look something like this:

 

2008: As a 13-year old, played on the 14u usa national team that went 6-0 on a trip to guatemala, playing with teammates such as albert almora, c.j. Hinojosa, rio ruiz, cody poteet and chris rivera. Hit .700-2-9 in those six games.

 

2010: Starting varsity catcher for cif champion mater dei (20-10), hit .348-3-32 with a 12-10 walk-to-strikeout ratio.

 

2011: Hit .388-4-32 with a 22-11 walk-to-strikeout ratio on the nationally ranked (24-6) mater dei team. Hit .387-1-9 (10-4 walk-to-strikeout) as the 17-year old starting catcher on the 18u usa national team that went 14-0, including a trip to columbia.

 

2012: Hit .388-0-18 (14-8 walk-to-strikeout) on another nationally ranked 24-6 mater dei team that won the national high school invitational. Named as a perfect game all-american 2013: Currently hitting .400-0-16 (14-5 walk-to-strikeout) for the no. 2 ranked mater dei team (23-2) that repeated their nhsi championship. The performance is especially noteworthy as martinez has been using a wood bat exclusively.

 

There are some very consistent markers in that resume that stand out. The offensive performance is noteworthy simply because it is so consistent and also includes an unvarying track record of being able to recognize pitches and control the strike zone from a young age. Martinez has also been very integral to winning teams his entire development, as the three USA national teams were a combined 28-3 and his Mater Dei teams are a combined 91-24 in his four years. Playing in a high level winning environment breeds a winning approach to the game. Lastly, Martinez has obviously gained his coaches respect by twice starting underage on national age group teams, starting for a high level high school team as a freshman (an extremely rare accomplishment, especially for a catcher), and being allowed to use a wood bat while everyone is using metal (PG’s Todd Gold has seen 100-plus high school games this spring and Martinez is the only hitter he has seen use wood). I have to admit personally as a scout that i was underwhelmed by Martinez’ physical abilities, especially compared to peers such as Reese Mcguire, Nick Ciuffo or Brian Navarreto, when i first saw him last summer. But I’ve learned to appreciate the things he does do very well and most importantly appreciate his skills in the context of the position he plays. I also had the opportunity to see him off the field and in dugouts frequently during the summer and get a feel for his personality, which matches all markers on his baseball resume. Because of all the above, Martinez is one of the hardest players to slot in the 2013 draft class. I’ve been told that there are a number of teams that have him in the 2-3 round area. I also understand that there are teams that are perfectly content to let him play college baseball at Southern California. But if he signs and goes out and plays rookie ball this summer, don’t be surprised if he hits .388, his team wins lots of games, his pitchers love throwing to him and his coaches respect him. He has a long track record of doing those things.

Edited May 22, 2013 by ace3113

[GeorgiaPeach]

add Reese McGuire

 

JPA suck, AJ Jimenez can't stay healthy

 

Are you suggesting drafting based on org. need???

[GD]

Perfect Game:

 

Ibid:

 

Not to be a jackass, but I'm sick and tired, can you give me the TL:DR version of those? They're really long and I don't have the energy to read those but really want to.

[ByronBlaze]

You hear about a guy 40 minutes ago and you already want him as our second round pick?

 

Edit: To Gordie re: Milone

[GD]

You hear about a guy 40 minutes ago and you already want him as our second round pick?

 

Edit: To Gordie re: Milone

 

I'm open minded. I went and watched some video on him. Don't see why he wouldn't be a good pick.

[Angrioter]

18 of 20 best dominican-Venezuelan prospect signed verbal agreements.

 

Cubs signed Eloy Jimenez

 

f***

[GD]

18 of 20 best dominican-Venezuelan prospect signed verbal agreements.

 

Cubs signed Eloy Jimenez

 

f***

 

Did we get Gudino?

[Atothe]

How serious is this manea injury? Is it a shoulder strain or just soreness?

[GD]

It's not July 2 yet, Gudino can't be signed until then.

 

Isn't everyone making verbal agreements like Angrioter said, though?