Blue Jays: 2013 MLB Draft Signing thread

[G-Snarls]

I haven't seen anything from the Jays yet

 

How does Heyman know for sure he chose to go to college instead of sign?

[ReturnOfTheYeti]

The Kalfus thing is getting old really fast. It was cute for a couple weeks now its just getting dumb.

 

Totally agree on that one - I'm getting real sick of it and I felt that way from the beginning.

[Angrioter]

Pretty much. Keith Law has tweeted that the Jays signing Brentz and Tellez wouldn't change his opinion on our draft as a whole being poor. Those two guys are okay, but they're not the type you plan your draft strategy around and blowing off half of your top ten picks over. Hollon also seems to have not profiled where he was taken.

 

They're going to end up without any first-round talents.

 

We lost Mat Latos, could sign Matt Adams and Jake McGee lol

[Angrioter]

 

KLaw is a Jays fanboy

[DuckDuckGose]

Pretty much. Keith Law has tweeted that the Jays signing Brentz and Tellez wouldn't change his opinion on our draft as a whole being poor. Those two guys are okay, but they're not the type you blow off half your top ten picks over. Hollon also seems to have not profiled where he was taken.

 

They're going to end up without any first-round or even consensus second-round talents.

 

Doesn't matter if the Jays picked off Law's list he would have found a reason to hate their draft. He's hated every draft they've had since he was fired.

[Mikeleelop]

is there hope for Bickford? I think so....

 

[Mikeleelop]

Bickford may still be in play.... we will see

 

[imsorry4beatinU]

High School players who was not drafted and in BA top 250

 

 

158 Dominic Taccolini ] RHP HS Kempner HS, Sugar Land, Texas Texas

174 Ryan Sluder [ OF/RHP HS Amarillo (Texas) HS

186 Keegan Thompson ] RHP HS Cullman (Ala.) HS

200 Tres Barrera [ C HS Sharyland HS, Mission, Texas

206 Max Knutson ] LHP HS Mounds View HS, Arden Hills, Minn. Minn.

207 Robert Ziegler [ RHP HS Defiance (Ohio) HS

212 Jake Rogers ] C HS Canyon (Texas) HS

221 Bret Boswell [ SS HS Heath HS, Rockwall, Texas

236 Ronald Healy [+] C/1B HS Elev8 Sports Institute, Delray Beach, Fla.

 

Which one of these guys would you sign?

[flafson]

All of them.

[Angrioter]

Good Read http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2013/7/12/4516898/aspiring-jays-not-signing-phil-bickford

 

Yesterday, we learned that the Blue Jays will most likely not be signing their latest first round pick, the 10th overall pick of the 2013 MLB draft. This of course, immediately calls to mind the 2011 draft, of which the first round pick, Tyler Beede, also did not sign. It would be short-sighted, however, to not also recall Daniel Norris and Kevin Comer, two other picks that Anthopoulos gambled on, not knowing if he could get a deal done. Matt Smoral was another high school pitcher who demanded a larger bonus than other teams wanted to give him (because of injury), but the Jays got that one done for the large price of 2 million dollars, the same as Daniel Norris got.

 

I don't think it's fair to slam the Blue Jays front office for making gambles on hard to sign players, especially since they have two more chances to pick a player who does sign with this pick in the next few years (although by 2015, the pick will be unprotected and only #12 rather than #10). What could ruin this year's draft, however, is if the Jays are unable to use the money they saved in this year's rounds 3-10 on players like round 11 pick Jake Brentz, a left-handed pitcher who will need to be offered a hefty sum to sign. The Jays would be unable to spend the saved money on international free agents due to seperate bonus pools, and using the money for signing free agents would be ineffective, as the money that goes towards draftees is still far less than what is needed to sign decent free agents.

 

In theory, going for hard to sign players who go later than they "should" based on talent level is a good idea, and fits right into AA's theory that the club needs high upside players to build a competitor in the AL East. There are two problems I can see, however. The first is that AA's high upside players are, so far, not doing that well. Matt Smoral, Daniel Norris, and also Tyler Gonzales have very real command problems. Jacob Anderson (currently on the 60-day DL) has failed spectacularly, and Matt Dean has not been much better. There are no success stories to compensate for the failures of the 2011 (and to a lesser degree 2012) draft, although Marcus Stroman has been decent, and D.J. Davis and Mitch Nay have had solid debuts in a small sample. With the right training, one would've expected some of these guys to turn into very solid prospects, but the best they've done is holding their own. I'm aware that it's too early to really tell, but the same is true for Anthopoulos and his staff, and I would be surprised if they weren't at least a bit worried about the lack of early success from the 2011 and 2012 draftees. Did they get lucky in 2010? Did they push their strategy too far to the extreme after 2010?

 

The second problem I see is the lack of consistency applying the high upside strategy. Trading six years of two high upside prospects for just one year of a 38-year old pitcher just doesn't fit the strategy. Neither does trading a bunch of lesser, but still decently high upside prospects for a collection of proven players with high salaries. Noah Syndergaard is dominating AA as a 21-year old, while Jake Marisnick is hitting .286/.355/.483, also in double-A, with Justin Nicolino at a healthy 2.18 ERA in high-A, even if his strikeouts are down a bit. Don't write off the less high-profile prospects like Asher Wojciechowski, Anthony DeSclafani, Kevin Comer and David Rollins, either. These guys are not all going to be stars, but some might, and that's exactly what the Jays should've been looking for; valuable players who are under team control for a long time. I'm not opposed to trading away prospects (Stewart for Jackson -> Rasmus was a good one) but they should bring in something better than one year of Dickey (they could have just signed him to a contract as an FA after 2013) or a few years of J.A. Happ, or an overpaid veteran combined with an injury-prone star on a fair contract.

 

Was Bickford even the right pick, since Braden Shipley (arguably similar upside but more proven and more signable) was still available?

 

Has AA and his staff focused too much on upside at the cost of everything else?

 

Does AA need to apply the high upside strategy more consistently?

 

I don't have definite answers to these questions, just opinions. Be sure to give us your opinion too!

[flafson]

None of them will sign so the question can't really be answered. Obviously you'd sign them if you could.

 

Assuming we can't get any of out guys, you could use the money to offer them crazy bonuses that they may accept.

[imsorry4beatinU]

None of them will sign so the question can't really be answered. Obviously you'd sign them if you could.

 

we have 1.8 million dollars of money to spend, of course I would sign them, but money will lure them for sure and especially if the Jays get desperate later today.

[TheHurl]

 

KLaw is a Jays fanboy

 

Doesn't point out that most others that have turned down first round money have got at least the same when they did sign. I'm not sure if any high schooler has turned down top 10 money though. There just isn't that much room to move up for him. Chances are he could blow out his arm and still make a million though.

[TheHurl]

Doesn't matter if the Jays picked off Law's list he would have found a reason to hate their draft. He's hated every draft they've had since he was fired.

 

Didn't he love our 2011 and 2012 drafts

[Caper]

Didn't he love our 2011 and 2012 drafts

 

That's what I recall as well. If he hasn't liked the Jays draft... this is the 1st one I heard of.

[imsorry4beatinU]

Doesn't point out that most others that have turned down first round money have got at least the same when they did sign. I'm not sure if any high schooler has turned down top 10 money though. There just isn't that much room to move up for him. Chances are he could blow out his arm and still make a million though.

 

Karsten Whitson also turned down top 10 money and was drafted 1126th this year

[imsorry4beatinU]

Didn't he love our 2011 and 2012 drafts

 

He did, he loved our 2011 draft. so..technically our 2011 draft picks were s*** and he loved it. He hates our 2013 draft meaning that our 2013 draft will be great!

[Caper]

Karsten Whitson also turned down top 10 money and was drafted 1126th this year

 

He is unsigned thus far. When is his deadline?

[ace3113]

Not that it will mean much but just for reference:

 

158 Dominic Taccolini RHP HS Kempner HS, Sugar Land, Texas Texas

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Taccolini, affectionately nicknamed “The Big Taco” among scouts, brings plenty of very positive things to the table, along with a couple of drawbacks that could limit his draft realities out of high school. On the plus side is that Taccolini has two very good pitches in his 89-92 mph fastball and his upper-70s slurvy breaking ball. The distinguishing aspect of his fastball isn’t the velocity but the outstanding consistent hard sinking life that Taccolini gets on the pitch, even at 91-92 mph. The slurve is a potential plus pitch that has very sharp biting action and can buckle knees at times. On the other side of the ledger is Taccolini’s high effort delivery that includes a severe double head whack. There is also concern about his large physique, although his frame gives him the strength to maintain his velocity while giving him a window for more velo down the road. Taccolini is signed with Arkansas, where he could develop into a dominating college closer, similar to current Razorbacks stopper Colby Suggs, with his two potential plus pitches.

 

174 Ryan Sluder OF/RHP HS Amarillo (Texas) HS

Amarillo is well off the beaten track for most scouts, and Sluder has never participated in the showcase or travel ball circuit in the summers and fall, so the scouting community has been left scrambling on the very athletic 6-foot-3, 200-pound Sluber. Originally scouted as a multi-tooled outfielder, scouts have begun to think that Sluder might have a brighter future on the mound, where he has been 91-93 mph in recent starts. Sluder, who had multiple offers to play college football as a wide receiver, has signed with Oklahoma State for baseball.

 

186 Keegan Thompson RHP HS Cullman (Ala.) HS

Thompson was the Alabama 5-A player of the year as a junior at Cullman High, when he went 8-1, 1.46 with 107 strikeouts in 72 innings, hit .423-15-61 and led that school to a state title. He began the 2013 season by homering twice and fanning 14 in an Opening Day, 2-1 win, but his performance since hasn’t been as consistently dominant amidst concerns by scouts that he will be unsignable, no matter where his performance dictates that he might be drafted. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Thompson has a firm commitment to attend Auburn, where he’ll almost certainly be afforded an opportunity to play both ways at the college level, but scouts have consistently locked in on his lively arm, near-average stuff across the board and excellent feel for pitching, and see his future on the mound. His fastball has been consistently in the 89-92 mph range this spring, and could conceivably reach the mid-90s once he focuses only on pitching—particularly if used in a short role. Thompson is perceived as a little short in all areas of his game to warrant being drafted in the first round, but could come into play by the second, but only if he’s considered signable. If not, he may tumble in the draft, possibly beyond the top 10 rounds.

 

206 Max Knutson LHP HS Mounds View HS, Arden Hills, Minn. Minn.

Knutson has the talent to sneak into the top 10 rounds of the draft, with an athletic 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame and a very loose and live arm. He has legitimate two-way talent at the college level should he honor his commitment to Nebraska, and recently recorded 94 mph throwing from the outfield at the Perfect Game Spring Top Showcase. His left-handed swing is short and quick to the ball geared to driving balls to the gaps with some over the fence pop as well to go along with good speed, running 6.54 in the 60 at the 2012 PG National Showcase. Knutson profiles as a left handed pitcher at the professional level, with the ability to sit in the upper-80s routinely peaking at 91-92. He shows very good arm speed on his fastball, but currently doesn't maintain that arm speed on his two secondary offerings; a low-70s changeup and a curveball that sits right around 70 mph. Knutson will become a much more complete pitcher as those two pitches develop, and he could gain another 2-3 mph on his fastball in the process.

 

207 Robert Ziegler RHP HS Defiance (Ohio) HS

Typical of almost all prospect pitchers who come from Defiance High, Ziegler has an advanced aptitude for spinning a breaking ball. His power curve may be the best in the Ohio high school ranks, and puts him in select company with the likes of former Defiance arms like current big-leaguers Chad Billingsley and Jon Niece, along with right-handers Dace Kime and Anthony Kidston, two promising prospects at the University of Louisville. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Ziegler compares in many ways to the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Kime, who left Defiance as an eighth-rounder in 2010 and could emerge as a second- or third-rounder in this year’s draft with the general improvement he has shown this spring in his stuff and command. Ziegler could follow a similar career path as he also projects as a sixth-10th rounder this year as a high school senior, and could improve his draft position by a few rounds if he ends up in college at Kentucky, and refines his breaking stuff, smoothes out his delivery and reaches the low- to mid-90s more consistently with his fastball—much like Kime has done. Ziegler has the type of loose, projectable arm to add velocity and incorporate the same upgrades in his game.

 

236 Ronald Healy C/1B HS Elev8 Sports Institute, Delray Beach, Fla.

Healy was removed from the Jupiter High School team for academic reasons this spring and has been working out and playing at the Elev8 Institute in lieu of playing high school baseball. While some scouts are likely to shy away from the two-way talent, other organizations are going to be attracted by the chance of getting a seemingly very signable high school talent with potential plus raw tools at the right price. While Healy’s past calling card has been as a left handed hitting catcher with plus raw arm strength and power tools, he has received perhaps more attention this spring for his pitching potential, as he’d topped out at 94 mph with a hard spinning curveball. Healy compares in many ways to Texas’ Andrew Dunlap, another catcher/right handed pitcher with the dual power/arm tools who is also not playing high school baseball, albeit for different reasons.

[z3r0s]

236 Ronald Healy C/1B HS Elev8 Sports Institute, Delray Beach, Fla.

Healy was removed from the Jupiter High School team for academic reasons this spring

 

Sign this guy, he's too dumb to go to college anyway, what other choice does he have

[DuckDuckGose]

Didn't he love our 2011 and 2012 drafts

 

He loved the Sanchez pick, I think he has been critical of every other selection. I know he liked AA's strategy of accumulating compensation picks but, I was under the impression he generally didn't like the way AA decided to use them.

[DuckDuckGose]

That's what I recall as well. If he hasn't liked the Jays draft... this is the 1st one I heard of.

 

I thought he liked the first round for the Jays and not the rest last year, was also under the impression he hated the Jays draft without Beede.

[TheHurl]

Karsten Whitson also turned down top 10 money and was drafted 1126th this year

 

we'll have to see where he ends up next year. He still would have made over $1M this year if he was willing to sign for it. Padres also tried to low ball him that year too. Offered him virtually the same as what we offered Deck. $3M less than what Zach Lee got, $500K less than Ranaudo and $150K less than Allie got. All guys he was ranked higher than. I don't think Whitson will work himself back to the top 20 next year to make his $2.1 he turned down but I think he'll get paid still. Dylan Covey was drafted 14th in 2010 and turned around to get just $350K out of the 4th round this year but he intended to sign in 2010 until he was diagnosed as diabetic and didn't want to start his pro career until he new he could handle being on the road with the diabetes.

[TheHurl]

He loved the Sanchez pick, I think he has been critical of every other selection. I know he liked AA's strategy of accumulating compensation picks but, I was under the impression he generally didn't like the way AA decided to use them.

 

I looked it up and he has never put the Jays in his "First day winners" or his "First day losers" until this year. I'm not a huge fan of Law's amateur rankings though. At least not compared to BA or Perfect Game.

[imsorry4beatinU]

have we signed anybody yet today?

[imsorry4beatinU]

how to you put twitter news on this? someone copy and paste what they do please

[imsorry4beatinU]

 

^^ how do you do that?

[flafson]

You put [ tweet] the id number of the tweet and then you close it with [/ tweet]

Without the space ofcourse.

[imsorry4beatinU]

Failed post

[o2cui2i]

I called the Bickford pick an intentional walk as soon as it was made. AA went out of his way to draft a guy who he KNEW wasn't going to sign. next years draft is much better and now he has an extra early round pick. not a bad idea, if he can fire all his scouts and get someone working for him who can evaluate players properly. t

 

then he needs to fire the development staff and get in people who will work towards getting players in a position to be useful for the JAYS.