Blue Jays Board 2014 Mock Draft

[ace3113]

The official board mock draft begins today and will continue through the end of May until all the picks have been made. Once your team has made its pick, please PM the next poster/scouting director on the list. If none is listed, PM me and I will make that pick. Volunteers are still needed to be the scouting director for one of the unclaimed teams. You can still stake claim to that until such point as their first round pick is made. After that they belong to me.

 

So acting as this board's Bud Selig I welcome you to the 2014 Blue Jays Message Board Mock Draft. The first pick belongs to the Houston Astros, fatcowxlive, you're on the clock.

[KingKat]

I'll take the Clevelands.

 

So far these are the picks and GMs/SDs.

 

1ST ROUND

 

1. Astros - fatcowxlive

2. Marlins - JFAS

3. White Sox

4. Cubs - GD

5. Twins - King

6. Mariners

7. Phillies

8. Rockies

9. Blue Jays - GD

10. Mets

11. Blue Jays (Phil Bickford) - GD

12. Brewers - Grant77

13. Padres

14. Giants

15. Angels - GD

16. Diamondbacks

17. Royals - Northof49

18. Nationals

19. Reds

20. Rays - JFAS

21. Indians

22. Dodgers

23. Tigers

24. Pirates - Grant77

25. Athletics - fatcowxlive

26. Red Sox

27. Cardinals - TheHurl

 

COMPENSATION ROUND A

 

28. Royals (Santana) - Northof49

29. Reds (Choo)

30. Rangers (Nelson Cruz)

31. Indians (Jimenez)

32. Braves (McCann)

33. Red Sox (Ellsbury)

34. Cardinals (Beltran) - TheHurl

 

COMPEITIVE BALANCE ROUND A

 

35. Rockies

36. Marlins (M. Krook - unsigned) - JFAS

37. Astros (from the Orioles) - fatcowxlive

38. Indians

39. Marlins - JFAS

40. Royals

41. Brewers - Grant77

 

SECOND ROUND

 

42. Astros - fatcowxlive

43. Marlins - JFAS

44. White Sox

45. Cubs - GD

46. Twins - King

47. Mariners

48. Phillies

49. Rockies

50. Blue Jays - GD

51. Brewers - Grant77

52. Padres

53. Giants

54. Angels - GD

55. Diamondbacks

56. Yankees

57. Royals - Northof49

58. Nationals

59. Reds

60. Rangers

61. Rays - JFAS

62. Indians

63. Dodgers

64. Tigers

65. Pirates - Grant77

66. Athletics - fatcowxlive

67. Braves

68. Red Sox

69. Cardinals - TheHurl

 

COMPETITIVE BALANCE ROUND B

 

70. Diamondbacks (from the Padres)

71. Diamondbacks

72. Cardinals - TheHurl

73. Rays - JFAS

74. Pirates - Grant77

75. Mariners

[fatcowxlive]

Err sorry for taking a long time, I was knocked out for most of yesterday.

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Houston-Astros-Logo.svg/200px-Houston-Astros-Logo.svg.png

http://www.perfectgame.org/images/profilepics/474322.jpg

 

My draft pick is going to be................ LHP, out of the Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, California, Brady Aiken.

 

This was a goddamn tough decision, and before anyone wants to say anything, let me try to justify my thinking in selecting this young man (he's younger than me!).

 

The Houston Astros under general manager Jeff Luhnow have turned their organization around for good. The same organization that had high profile players such as Oswalt, Berkman, Bagwell, Clemens, Bourn, Pence and much more from the past and present enjoyed a good decade of baseball, and have since blown up this team and are trying to draft their way to the top. Brady Aiken fits the bill that Lunhow wants on the team. With their top 2 prospect being position prospects (Corria and Springer), I believe they want a very, very high ceiling #1 pitcher highlighting the future of the Astros (although many would argue Appel is exactly that). Lunhow is not afraid to go with his guns, even if it's against what a lot of scouts/analysts on the internet would say. This situation here is very similar to the one two years prior, where Corria was picked over the #1 mock draft choice at the time (Mark Appel). Corria is too a very young highschooler with tools that make him look legendary at his age right now. Very similar to Aiken, who features "improved velocity" on his fastball clocking in at 93-95, topping out at 97 miles per hour and a plus breaking ball. The lefty high schooler throws a great amount of quality starts - moreso than his HS counterpart for a top spot, Tyler Kolek. This year he has struck out 80 HS bats in only 43.2 innings (229 in 144.2 total high school innings) and if that isn't convincing enough, he was on USA's under 18 team where he had a 1.13 ERA and struck out 19 in 16 games, including a dominant performance against Japan, striking out 10 in 7 innings while giving up 5 hits and 1 run. His health is good, and he's taking precautions at a young age as he works with a physical therapist and participates in a "pre-hab" program where he works on his forearm to prevent future forearm strains. Health is a big issue for starters as seen by this season of the Majors alone, and of my 4 big choices for my #1 position he seems to be the healthiest. Kolek throws 103 as a highschooler and makes me scared because of that fact, Jeff Hoffman was shut down after TWO starts where he complained about arm soreness and Rodon just pitched a 130+ game on short rest, eek. This guy is amazing, he cut down his walks by 20% in one year, cut down hits, increased fastball range, increased movement/break on curve ball in just one year, what a stud. It was hard not to go with #1 mock pick Rodon, or Hoffman, or even the local highschooler Kolek, but I think I made the right decision here!

 

Edited May 2, 2014 by fatcowxlive

[fatcowxlive]

JFaS you're up! Clear your PMs lol

[ace3113]

I think there's a very good chance that's the guy too. I really wanted the Jays to pick him at 9 pre-season before his stock just blew up.

[GD]

I think there's a very good chance that's the guy too. I really wanted the Jays to pick him at 9 pre-season before his stock just blew up.

 

This was me with Bryant last year lol

[ace3113]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/jonathan-mayos-pipeline-inbox-how-does-brady-aiken-stack-up-vs-elite-lefties?ymd=20140501&content_id=73960330&vkey=news_mlb

 

How does Brady Aiken compare with top left-handed pitching prospects like Henry Owens and Andrew Heaney?

-- Johnny, Atlanta

 

Aiken is the freshly minted No. 1 prospect on our Draft Top 100 list. The SoCal left-hander has probably done more than any other 2014 Draft prospect in terms of separating himself from others in the class. We had Aiken ranked at No. 9 overall in the fall as the top high school southpaw in the class, on the cusp of being a top 10 pick.

 

Now, Aiken is atop the board, ahead of N.C. State's Carlos Rodon as the best pitcher in the class, and ahead of Tyler Kolek in a comparison of prep arms. Some of that has to do with Aiken's increased velocity, to go along with the plus pitchability that he has always been known for. His maturity has enabled him to dominate all spring and make him look much more like a front-line starter in the future than he did even last fall.

 

Aiken is definitely ahead of where Owens was when he came out of the California high school ranks. Owens was thought of highly, but a lack of plus stuff, combined with what was thought to be a lack of projection, tempered enthusiasm a little. Heaney is a little different, seeing that he was a college draftee in 2012 out of Oklahoma State and was three years old than Aiken is now. But even though Heaney slid because of signability in high school, he was never in the same stratosphere as Aiken is now.

 

Heaney and Owens lead the Top 10 left-handed pitching prospects list currently. They've had success in pro ball and are both pitching in Double-A, so it might not be fair to compare them to Aiken, who won't turn 18 until August. But one thing we can do is look at their grades:

 

Aiken: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 60 | Overall: 65

 

Heaney: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 60 | Overall: 60

 

Owens: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 50 | Overall: 60

 

These are future grades and Aiken has to go out and do it, but he has a slightly better chance to be a frontline starter than the other very talented southpaws in this conversation.

[Frenchsoup]

I could really see them taking Kolek if there going to go highschool arm

[ace3113]

Miami Marlins: Carlos Rodon

 

Preseason favourite to be the clear number 1, Carlos Rodon. He didn't fall, Aiken just flew up. Rodon is already a solid pitcher with ace potential. He can jump into the Marlins rotation behind Jose Fernandez and be a 1-2 punch for years to come. The Marlins like where their rotation is headed with the young Fernandez and emerging youngsters Nathan Eovaldi, Henderson Alvarez, and Justin Turner. Rodon can turn the young and inexperienced rotation into an exceptional one.

 

Thats just the small blurb, I need to write a little more soon.

 

That's perfect actually. Short and to the point. That rotation would be ridiculous. You would have right handed Jose Fernandez and left handed Jose Fernandez.

[ace3113]

I guess I'm picking for the Pale Hose as they're unrepresented.

[ace3113]

With the 3rd pick in the 2014 MLB draft the Chicago White Sox select Tyler Kolek a right handed pitcher from Sheppard, Texas.

 

http://www.studentsports.com/baseball/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2014/02/Tyler-Kolek-600-2.jpg

 

"We had Tyler number 1 on our board from the beginning and are happy that he fell to us. He has all the attributes that scouts look for in a number 1 pitcher: size, stuff, and makeup. Physically mature with a durable 6'5" 230 lbs frame. He has a smooth, low-effort delivery that allows him to sit 93-95mph with his fastball throughout an entire start, and he can consistently reach the upper 90s or triple-digits when he needs to. He compliments the heater with a pair of breaking balls, a slider and a curve which have both flashed plus at times. He's been dominant for his high school team this spring particularly during his 15inning hitless streak to start the season. Every time our area guys have gone in to see him they came back impressed, not just with his stuff, but with his makeup and composure. He's big and strong and most importantly he competes, which is exactly what you want in a potential ace."

Edited May 3, 2014 by ace3113

[ace3113]

GD it's your pick. You're on the clock.

[ace3113]

Pretty disappointing that so many teams are unrepresented. Ace, couldn't you head to some other baseball/prospect forums and see if anyone will fill out some more remaining spots?

 

I thought about that but it's tough to recruit people from other forums as a newbie or outsider and be taken seriously. I think we have a good amount of people though. I think less than 10 teams are unaccounted for. Spanky knows a ton of people, maybe he can summon more volunteers.

[ace3113]

This is fun! Thanks for running this Ace. I have between 2 players I am going to select (I'm sure it's pretty obvious who they are), but it will be dependent on who GD takes with this pick IMO.

 

No prob.

 

I strongly considered Hoffman and Freeland with my pick, since the White Sox usually show an affinity for college players early in the draft, but they've been changing their MO over the last few years with Hawkins, Barnum, and Danish, and I just can't see them passing up Kolek especially with Hoffman's recent arm soreness and his overall lack of dominance since after the Cape Cod League.

[GD]

Ugh I'm not writing a blurb.

 

My top 3 guys are off the board so I'll go with Jeff Hoffman. We're starved for pitching prospects, passed on Jon Gray last year, Hoffman is pretty f***in great, etc, etc.

[fatcowxlive]

Ugh I'm not writing a blurb.

 

My top 3 guys are off the board so I'll go with Jeff Hoffman. We're starved for pitching prospects, passed on Jon Gray last year, Hoffman is pretty f***in great, etc, etc.

 

Wow someone's lazy!

 

Btw poor guy has arm soreness past 2 starts and they finally shut him down lol

[ace3113]

Theo is that you? lol

[ace3113]

King up to bat.

[ace3113]

No worries take your time. Also, you guys don't have to write more than a paragraph at most. Also, not trying to sway your pick but just thought it was interesting what KLAW said yesterday.

 

Jerry (Joliet)

If Aiken, Kolek, and Rodon are off the board, who would you take at number 4?

 

Klaw

(1:11 PM)

 

Today, Erick Fedde and Nick Gordon would probably be my next two names. That's with Hoffman (and Finnegan) on the shelf, though.

[ace3113]

I'll update after the Raptors game or tomorrow, depending on if I'm sloshed.

[KingKat]

Just adding my name for the Clevelands

 

1. Astros - Brady Aiken

2. Marlins - Carlos Rodon

3. White Sox - Tyler Kolek

4. Cubs - Jeff Hoffman

5. Twins - Alex Jackson

6. Mariners -----------------------------------------

7. Phillies - ace3113

8. Rockies - z3r0s

9. Blue Jays - GD

10. Mets

11. Blue Jays (Phil Bickford) - GD

12. Brewers - Grant77

13. Padres

14. Giants

15. Angels - GD

16. Diamondbacks

17. Royals - Northof49

18. Nationals - King

19. Reds

20. Rays - JFAS

21. Indians - KingKat

22. Dodgers

23. Tigers - King

24. Pirates - Grant77

25. Athletics - fatcowxlive

26. Red Sox - ace3113

27. Cardinals - TheHurl

 

COMPENSATION ROUND A

 

28. Royals (Santana) - Northof49

29. Reds (Choo)

30. Rangers (Nelson Cruz) - ace3113

31. Indians (Jimenez) - KingKat

32. Braves (McCann)

33. Red Sox (Ellsbury) - ace3113

34. Cardinals (Beltran) - TheHurl

 

COMPEITIVE BALANCE ROUND A

 

35. Rockies - z3r0s

36. Marlins (M. Krook - unsigned) - JFAS

37. Astros (from the Orioles) - fatcowxlive

38. Indians

39. Marlins - JFAS

40. Royals

41. Brewers - Grant77

 

SECOND ROUND

 

42. Astros - fatcowxlive

43. Marlins - JFAS

44. White Sox

45. Cubs - GD

46. Twins - King

47. Mariners

48. Phillies - ace3113

49. Rockies - z3r0s

50. Blue Jays - GD

51. Brewers - Grant77

52. Padres

53. Giants

54. Angels - GD

55. Diamondbacks

56. Yankees

57. Royals - Northof49

58. Nationals - King

59. Reds

60. Rangers - ace3113

61. Rays - JFAS

62. Indians

63. Dodgers

64. Tigers - King

65. Pirates - Grant77

66. Athletics - fatcowxlive

67. Braves

68. Red Sox - ace3113

69. Cardinals - TheHurl

 

COMPETITIVE BALANCE ROUND B

 

70. Diamondbacks (from the Padres)

71. Diamondbacks

72. Cardinals - TheHurl

73. Rays - JFAS

74. Pirates - Grant77

75. Mariners

 

[ace3113]

With the 6th pick in the 2014 MLB draft the Seattle Mariners select Bradley Zimmer an outfielder from the University of San Francisco.

 

http://humboldtcrabs.com/sites/humboldtcrabs.com/files/imagecache/rotator/2012-06-13-Zimmer.jpg

 

"Bradley fits in with our scouting philosophy of targeting polished college players, who also possess high upside. Our scouts love his advanced hit tool and strikezone judgement, (.376/.461/.596 in 43 games so far this spring), and believe that with his projectable 6'4" 185 lbs frame the power should eventually come. A five tool player, with above average tools across the board, Bradley also has plus speed (6.40 seconds in the 60-yard-dash) and plus arm strength (92 mph from the mound). We feel he has the potential to be a perennial All-Star either in right or centerfield, with upside our scouting director Tom McNamara has compared to a young Shawn Green or Paul O'Neill."

Edited May 3, 2014 by ace3113

[o2cui2i]

I think we should all take time to mock the jays draft choices... oh wait, sorry wrong thread.

[ace3113]

With the 7th pick in the 2014 MLB draft the Philadelphia Phillies select Kyle Freeland a left handed pitcher from Evansville University.

 

http://www.rightfieldfog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/HYA13_kylefreeland.jpg

 

"The Phillies are happy to bring Kyle into the organization. We felt this was an opportunity to add a very high upside young arm to our system, and couldn't pass it up. Kyle brings a combination of size, stuff, and command that really intrigues us. He throws a fastball from 91-93 mph, with a peak of 97. The pitch has great deception and life. His slider can be unhittable at times, and is a major league strikeout pitch right now, while his curve ball and changeup give him two usable pitches to keep hitters off balance. Of the names remaining on the board we really felt he had the best chance to be an impact player, especially after seeing him in the Cape League last summer where he finished with a 2.25 era, striking out 48 batters in 40 innings while only surrendering 4 walks, and simply carrying that dominance over into this spring with his college team where he currently has a 1.90era to go along with 106 strikeouts in 80.2 innings against only 7 walks."

 

 

.

[ace3113]

z3ros you're up with the Rockies selection whenever you're ready.

[z3r0s]

With the 8th overall pick in the 2014 MLB draft the Colorado Rockies select Tyler Beede a right handed pitcher from Vanderbilt University.

 

http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/tyler-beede-2013-dp.jpg

 

The Rockies organization is very pleased to selected Tyler Beede with their 8th overall pick. Tyler offers a great combination of now stuff and upside, with a prototypical pitchers build to boot. His fastball sits in the low-mid 90's, bringing it up to 97 when he needs a little bit extra. He compliments that with a hammer curve in the low 80's and a changeup around the 80 mark that has great depth and separation from his fastball. By the time he is finished developing he could bring three plus offerings to the mound in Coors. Tyler has worked hard to improve his command this year, as evidenced by bringing his BB/9 down to 3.34 this season, while maintaining a K/9 north of 9.

 

We believe that Tyler will move quickly through the minors and join the home grown rotation that we will need in the mile high city.

[GD]

With the 9th pick, the Toronto Blue Jays select Alex Jackson, because duh.

[ace3113]

With the 9th pick, the Toronto Blue Jays select Alex Jackson, because duh.

 

Um...might want to talk to King/Minnesota about that. lol

[ace3113]

Guys, updated picks are on page 1 for future reference.

[ace3113]

Should we appoint a new CEO, Donald Sterling style? lol

 

P.S. - This probably how the Jays scouts are like anyway.