2013 draft

[Daniel Labude]

That mock was painful to read. Dear jeebus I hope that doesn't happen.

 

Agreed, why wouldnt they take Frazier if available.

[TheHurl]

I find it funny that the NCAA can take away Paxton's eligibility based on Paul Beeston's comments but they won't be able to follow up on a test that they didn't administer. I agree that this won't effect anything with JG's status.

[GD]

Agreed, why wouldnt they take Frazier if available.

 

Holy s***, I completely missed that. If we take Ball over Frazier I'm gonna throw a remote through my wall.

[ace3113]

Is Sportsnet showing the draft this year?

 

Yes. If not on the regional channel then likely Sportsnet One or the Score, depending on other content that may be on that day.

 

Baseball America's mock draft

 

With the draft coming up on Thursday, we wanted to take yet another look at how the first round might unfold, this time if four of our draft experts were making the picks. This isn’t our projection of how the first round will play out, but rather who editor John Manuel, executive editor Jim Callis and assistant editors Conor Glassey and Nathan Rode would take with picks 1-33. After the order of rotation was selected from the Baseball America candy bowl/random draft order generator, the four experts alternated choices, balancing their own preferences with each club’s needs and financial situation. Rode won the right to lead things off:

 

1. ASTROS (Nathan): There’s a certain level of pressure that comes with the first pick and despite the overall feeling that this is a down year in the draft, there are plenty of very good options at the top. I’m a big fan of the high school outfielders in Georgia—Clint Frazier and Austin Meadows—but I can’t pull the trigger on one of them over the college options here. I’m taking Oklahoma righthander Jonathan Gray. I like the size and stuff, with the fastball life being the ever-so-slight separator between him and Stanford righty Mark Appel. It would be fun to see San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant’s power in Minute Maid Park, but you can never have enough pitching. I don’t expect a Carlos Correa discount on Gray, but think I could get enough to give me some wiggle room on later picks: JONATHAN GRAY.

 

2. CUBS (Jim). You’re not going to draft for need at the top, but the Cubs’ biggest need dovetails nicely with the elite prospects in this year’s draft. They need pitching and there are two obvious frontline starters in this crop. I’m mildly tempted by Bryant, but the choice comes down to Gray and Appel, and the Astros have made it easy here by taking Gray off the board. I like Gray a little more because I think his stuff is more electric when he and Appel are at their best, but I’m happy with Appel at No. 2. He has more polish, a deeper repertoire and a longer track record, and he has dominated this season like scouts always hoped he would: MARK APPEL.

 

3. ROCKIES (Conor). If the first two picks off the board are the two power pitchers, the third pick becomes a slam dunk, in my opinion. Bryant has the best usable power in the draft and hit 31 home runs this season, the most in the college BBCOR era. He’s cut down on his strikeouts and can hit the ball out to all fields. While he has the athleticism to handle third base, I would stick him in right field and let him mash his way to the middle of the Rockies’ lineup. He has the potential to be their best power hitter since Matt Holliday: KRIS BRYANT.

 

4: TWINS (John). It’s my fate to have the fourth pick in a three-player draft. So be it; I’m not going off the board with this pick. Texas prep righthander Kohl Stewart is out of the region I report on, but that hasn’t stopped the buzz from spilling over to scouts and crosscheckers I’ve talked to. The consensus seems to be that Stewart has similar stuff to Appel and Gray with a bit more athleticism, and he seems to have dispelled some early reports of shaky makeup. The Twins need power arms, and Stewart gives them one: KOHL STEWART.

 

5. INDIANS (Nathan). Again, the high school hitters are tempting, as is North Carolina third baseman Colin Moran. However, I love the reports on Nevada righty Braden Shipley. He’s a competitor with two plus pitches and two more that could develop into average ones. Couple that with his relative freshness as a converted shortstop and athleticism and I see a premium arm: BRADEN SHIPLEY.

 

6. MARLINS (Jim). In real life, I think Miami will try to cut a deal here. In this scenario, my finalists for the pick would all be position players: Frazier, Moran and Meadows. Moran is the best pure hitter in the draft and the safest of these three players, though I don’t see a true plus tool beyond his very good bat. I go back and forth between the Loganville, Ga., rivals. Meadows might have the highest ceiling of these three, as a potential five-tool center fielder, though the downside is a left fielder with ordinary power. Give me Frazier and his explosive bat speed. If they both have to move to a corner, he profiles better there than Meadows: CLINT FRAZIER.

 

7. RED SOX (Conor). This is crushing. I was really hoping to get Frazier here with Boston’s highest first-round pick since the team took Trot Nixon in 1993. It’s not like the remaining options here are bad, I just think Frazier is special and would be a perfect fit in Boston. Instead, I’ll go with the other redhead in the draft and take Moran, as I give him a slight edge because of his defense and lefthanded bat over New Mexico third baseman D.J. Peterson: COLIN MORAN.

 

8. ROYALS (John). I’m also crushed because I hoped Moran would fall to me here. His patience and plate discipline could revolutionize a Royals franchise that doesn’t know how to draw walks. But with Moran gone, I’ll turn to Indiana prep lefthander Trey Ball. I’m not as high on Meadows as, say, Conor and Nathan are, and I like Ball’s athleticism, power lefthanded arm and plus fastball: TREY BALL.

 

9. PIRATES (Nathan). Had Ball been available, this pick would have come down to him or Meadows for me. When the Pirates took their gamble on Appel last year, they passed on outfielder David Dahl, so Meadows serves as a fine replacement. I would give him every chance to stick in center field and I’m definitely higher on him than most—I’m pretty sure I have a bruise on my backside from sitting on the fence between him and Frazier. I like Meadows’ bat, athleticism and size. I trust his power will develop enough to profile on a corner if he can’t stick up the middle: AUSTIN MEADOWS.

 

10. BLUE JAYS (Jim). The top nine players on the BA 500 have gone in our top nine picks, so no bargains for me here. There’s no obvious choice, either. My gut tells me to pick one of three players: Washington high schooler Reese McGuire, the best catcher in the draft; Arkansas righthander Ryne Stanek, who is clearly the best college pitcher left; and California prepster J.P. Crawford, the best shortstop in the draft. Give me the lefthanded-hitting catcher with power potential and sound defensive skills: REESE McGUIRE.

[z3r0s]

Is Sportsnet showing the draft this year?

 

http://www.sportsnet.ca/schedule/

 

hmmm, I guess not... well that... sucks

[GD]

If the Red Sox got Moran I'd be pretty pissed off.

 

I'd much to prefer it to Frazier.

[Angrioter]

Gray is a moron

[Slade]

Law is usually on point with who the Jays will take so unless one of the Top guys fall I'm fully going to expect Ball. I don't think McGuire is going to be there.

[JaysFanToTheEnd]

so none of the sport channels are going to be airing the draft?

[Abomination]

Is Sportsnet showing the draft this year?

 

I would think it'll be available on mlb.com regardless.

[cornelius woodenfeet]

I hope that the 2013 draft will worth the pain of crossing your balls...

 

nonesense child, i can cross my balls like i can blink my eyes!

[DuckDuckGose]

Well I watch it every year on my computer. I just have terrible internet connection at my new place right now and I doubt it will be fixed before Thursday. I can view online fine but when it comes to watching a live stream or even a video its a nightmare.

 

I know they showed the first round last year on Sportsnet so I was hopefully they would this year as well.

 

I followed on my phone last year, lots of analysis for every pick but, the videos wouldn't work.

[theblujay]

Please be Frazier or Meadows by some miracle.

[Abomination]

Keith Law has an interesting little draft tool (I believe it's ESPN Insider Only):

 

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/draft/tool/index

[GD]

Keith Law has an interesting little draft tool (I believe it's ESPN Insider Only):

 

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/draft/tool/index

 

Insiders only. Should I sign up for insiders? Is it worth it? It's tempting.

[The Cats Ass]

Draft Order

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2013/order.jsp

 

 

I didn't know that for the comp picks you don't actually get the pick # of the team that signed your player, It's just a pick at the end of the first round. Ex: Brewers gave up the 17th pick to sign Lohse but St. Louis only got pick #28 for comp for losing him.

 

Also, didn't how the playoffs play out effect where the teams in the playoffs pick?

[theblujay]

Insiders only. Should I sign up for insiders? Is it worth it? It's tempting.

 

Insiders comes free with a subscription to ESPN the Mag, so that's why I have it. IDK how much it costs separately, but I guess if you spend a lot of time on ESPN it could be worth it.

[rosalie52]

nonesense child, i can cross my balls like i can blink my eyes!

 

Cool!

[Abomination]

Insiders only. Should I sign up for insiders? Is it worth it? It's tempting.

 

I've had insiders for a few years, but I don't think I'm going to renew it. I mostly use it for the Keith Law stuff, but I can't really justify the cost ($80 for 2 years) just for that. (I don't want the Magazine, so that part of it is useless to me).

[DuckDuckGose]

Haven't listened to it yet, but Keith Law talked to Jim Callis about the draft on his weekly podcast: http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=9341866

 

Both think it doesn't effect his draft stock. Teams view it as a one time "knuckle-head" type of issue and not a drug abuse problem. Appel and Gray both aren't asking for the moon and are still expected to go at the top of the draft. They think that Gray will now ask for less money which may make him more attractive to teams at the top of the draft. Gray has elite stuff and more upside, Appel has more polish and is better now. They don't think Gray will make it out of the top 3, definitely not the top 5.

 

There's still like 20min more but, I stopped listening...

[Slade]

I wonder how long he's been on Adderall? It's actually quite an addictive drug.

[Boxcar]

Wow, Law has Moran going #1, Frazier #13, Gray going #4 and Kohl Stewart going 16. Crazy.

[Angrioter]

Wow, Law has Moran going #1, Frazier #13, Gray going #4 and Kohl Stewart going 16. Crazy.

 

Khol Stewart #16

I don't think AA don't add that kind of talent to our farm.

[theblujay]

Wow, Law has Moran going #1, Frazier #13, Gray going #4 and Kohl Stewart going 16. Crazy.

 

How would Stewart make it out of the top 10 after being project so high for so long?

[StevieRay]

so according to that podcast, Pitts wants a position player. We can say bye bye to Meadows and Frazier.

[Boxcar]

so according to that podcast, Pitts wants a position player. We can say bye bye to Meadows and Frazier.

 

Didn't know that they could take two players. Also, catcher is a position.

[Angrioter]

so according to that podcast, Pitts wants a position player. We can say bye bye to Meadows and Frazier.

 

Pitts = Reese McGuire and/or JP Crawford

[DuckDuckGose]

How would Stewart make it out of the top 10 after being project so high for so long?

 

Simple answer, he wont make it past Boston at 7.

[DuckDuckGose]

Pitts = Reese McGuire and/or JP Crawford

 

The Pirates got McCutch at 11th overall 8 years ago, perhaps they try to strike gold again a snag a potential 5 tool talent in Meadows.

[StevieRay]

Didn't know that they could take two players. Also, catcher is a position.

 

Frazier going not past Red Sox goes without saying. And I think Meadows>Mcguire in prospect terms.

 

What is up with diminishing the argument of McGuire is really a defensive catcher. Haven't heard that line in a while.