GDT: MLB Draft, June 10, 2020

[flafson]

Most of the stuff Martin posts is more about himself than the Jays.

There is probably a while before we sign him.

[BlueRocky]

 

A couple teams have been very active in the 20K market: Astros, Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs, Cardinals, Padres, Phillies, Reds

 

Edited June 14, 2020 by BlueRocky

[DigitalRock]

Not many on this forum.

 

True enough, there were a few though, probably in hiding right now.

[DigitalRock]

Sounds like great draft. I don't know my prospects but most excitement I have seen over a Jays draft ever.

 

No doubt about that, there are no guarantees but on paper looks like one of the Jays best Drafts ever.

 

It's a very difficult path to a championship if the Jays do not make a couple more big free agent signings in addition to Ryu.

 

If championship is the goal, Betts is an ideal target.

 

Well of course, in the AL east especially, build the young core first, then add the extra pieces you need via trades from position of strength, and FA signings. I think The jays will go after more when the team is ready.

[Ziggyy108]

Jays have apparently signed Austin Martin's teammate, 2B Harrison Ray.

[Ziggyy108]

Number 441 on BA's top 500

[BlueRocky]

 

Just grab everyone from Vanderbilt, we already have Austin Martin and Philip Clarke might as well.

[BlueRocky]

Number 441 on BA's top 500

Thanks!

 

441

Last: 442

Harrison Ray

Vanderbilt

2B

Notes:

Ht: 5-11 | Wt: 190 | B-T: R-R

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 22.4

 

A 5-foot-11, 190-pound infielder, Ray would have gotten plenty of attention as a senior sign in the 5-10 round range in a typical draft year thanks to his versatility and raw tools. While Ray has struggled to put up consistent offensive numbers over his Vanderbilt career and strikes out too much—24.8 percent whiff rate for his career—he can play every infield position and has good arm strength, average raw power and above-average running ability. He’s more of a fringy defender at shortstop who could fill in at the position in a pinch, and he has never gotten his power to translate to games consistently. Because of his question marks, a utility role in some capacity is Ray’s most likely fit at the next level, but there’s some interesting upside that could be unlocked if a team can get more out of Ray’s bat.

 

2019: Led the team in stolen bases with 21 in 66 games.

2020: 9 stolen bases this year in 18 games

Edited June 14, 2020 by BlueRocky

[TheHurl]

Good value for Ray although I am not a fan of his skill set

[Slade]

[BlueRocky]

281/.369/.561, OPS .930 in 2020 playing in Big 12.

Looks like a former pitcher turned 1B/OF with ability to hit. Played in the little league college world series in 2009/2010. Transferred from Cisco College to Baylor. Teammate of Royals 32nd overall pick Nick Loftin.

 

Edited June 15, 2020 by BlueRocky

[Slade]

[BlueRocky]

Slade is finding all the goodies, good catch!

Edited June 15, 2020 by BlueRocky

[BlueRocky]

Jays have apparently signed Austin Martin's teammate, 2B Harrison Ray.

 

 

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/top-25-seniors-to-watch-in-2020-mlb-draft-undrafted-free-agent-market/

Top 25 Seniors To Watch On MLB Undrafted Free Agent Market

 

11. Harrison Ray, 2B, Vanderbilt (No. 441): Ray can play all over the infield and was a starter at second base on Vanderbilt’s national championship team, but he’s never really broken through offensively.

Edited June 15, 2020 by BlueRocky

[Slade]

The Royals commitment to their minor leaguers are paying off. They got Saul Garza (379 on BA top 500) and Kale Emshoff (174 on BA top 500).

 

Hopefully we see similar results.

[BlueRocky]

I’m a little surprised no pitchers yet. They really like their senior college arms in the 10-30 pick range. Edited June 15, 2020 by BlueRocky

[P2F]

[Pendleton]

 

Atkins discussing the draft with TSN

[BlueRocky]

Good draft discussion between Kaitlyn and Andrew

 

e.g.

Andrew: Farrell got an absolute layup of a first pick as the amateur scouting director. Even if Martin ends up being a bust, it will be awfully difficult for anyone to criticize the Jays for making the pick because they would have been absolutely roasted if they hadn’t.

 

Interestingly, as I mentioned in my piece from the weekend about the Day 2 guys Toronto picked, I heard Kiley McDaniel say on an ESPN podcast that the Jays hadn’t had the greatest looks when scouting Martin and that it was suggested to him at some point that they might actually pass if he was still on the board for them. Obviously they didn’t do that, but I can’t help but wonder what kind of cascading effect that might have had on the rest of their draft. Getting all the bonus money straight seems like building a house of cards at the best of time.

I suspect most fans will look at the state of the team’s outfield — both at the big-league level and in the upper minors — and wonder why he isn’t immediately moved to centre. Clearly, that’s an organizational need at the moment, but we’d be getting way ahead of ourselves by worrying about that kind of stuff. People forget that, like, at this point in 2016, we’d have worried about a centre-field prospect being blocked long term by Dalton Pompey or Anthony Alford — or a young second baseman getting stuck behind Devon Travis. Things change.

 

That said, turning Martin into an outfielder is obviously intriguing, but I would be surprised if the Jays went hard on trying to give Martin a single position. My guess would be that they try to preserve his versatility, at least until he proves there are positions he can’t play. Atkins has certainly made “versatility” something of a personal buzzword, and Martin has all the makings of a Swiss Army knife as an everyday player.

 

That will also allow Martin to fit on just about any roster in the system.

[BlueRocky]

Blue Jays Central @ Home with Austin Martin’s coach Tim Corbin.

Full video: https://t.co/U7YbKubUle

 

Spoilers: Austin Martin is the combination of Mookie Betts, Anthony Rendon, Roberto Clemente and Floyd Mayweather. Plan the parade route.

Edited June 15, 2020 by BlueRocky

[Slade]

 

Click on the tweet and read all his replies, worth it to understand the system.

[Brownie19]

Has anyone noteworthy signed for $20K?

[Slade]

Well that f***ing blows. Although I guess not a huge concern since it's unlikely there will be baseball.

 

Edited June 15, 2020 by Slade

[BlueRocky]

Yeah they mentioned before IFA will be delayed until January. It’s a bit of a farce, considering the higher profile guys like Manuel Beltre is already doing batting practice fully decked out in Blue Jays gear.

 

What’s more disappointing we totally missed out on Estiven Machado and Rikelvi de Castro doing stuff down in Rookie ball. Having no games can’t be good for their development.

[Krylian]

Yeah they mentioned before IFA will be delayed until January. It’s a bit of a farce, considering the higher profile guys like Manuel Beltre is already doing batting practice fully decked out in Blue Jays gear.

 

What’s more disappointing we totally missed out on Estiven Machado and Rikelvi de Castro doing stuff down in Rookie ball. Having no games can’t be good for their development.

 

At least the lack of development is equal across the board.

[L54]

I had a bad non scholarship college experience (leaving in my first year) and I still wouldn't give that up for $20k even in hindsight. L54, if you had a time machine do you have an amount that you would accept to forgo your college?

 

I mean I was nowhere near being drafted, played with a few guys who were senior signs. One should be in the bigs this year which is cool. As for a number that I'd take to skip entirely it would have to be six figures. These kids giving up their education and experiences in college to get thrown into the trenches known as the minor leagues for 20k is insane in my opinion.

 

I get that every case is player specific. Some guys will never be school guys so jumping straight to pro probably makes sense for a small percentage of kids. But 20k to give up everything that comes from going to university (development, strength, maturity, etc) is highway robbery of these kids. It's similar to junior hockey players who think that major junior (Q, O and WHL) is the best route for them who give up their NCAA eligibility just to find out they aren't quite good enough. Tough price to pay.

[Virgil_Hiltz]

I mean I was nowhere near being drafted, played with a few guys who were senior signs. One should be in the bigs this year which is cool. As for a number that I'd take to skip entirely it would have to be six figures. These kids giving up their education and experiences in college to get thrown into the trenches known as the minor leagues for 20k is insane in my opinion.

 

I get that every case is player specific. Some guys will never be school guys so jumping straight to pro probably makes sense for a small percentage of kids. But 20k to give up everything that comes from going to university (development, strength, maturity, etc) is highway robbery of these kids. It's similar to junior hockey players who think that major junior (Q, O and WHL) is the best route for them who give up their NCAA eligibility just to find out they aren't quite good enough. Tough price to pay.

 

I fairness to the hockey players in the CHL...they do get an education scholarship from the team/league. For every yr they play they get a yr of education in university/college or trade school.

Perhaps MLB should also consider similar??

[Carlos Danger]

Jared Jones signed. One of my favorites.. The Pirates kicked butt!

[L54]

I fairness to the hockey players in the CHL...they do get an education scholarship from the team/league. For every yr they play they get a yr of education in university/college or trade school.

Perhaps MLB should also consider similar??

 

I’m talking more about the kids who play a handful of games at 17 or 18 and then move to Junior A. The CHL does a good job of looking after their guys.

[Bturn2210]

5th-rder Zach Britton signs with

@BlueJays

for $97,500 (slot 136 = $410,100). Louisville OF/C, hit over power, flashes avg speed, avg arm.

@MLBDraft