2018 MLB Draft Thread

[mvp 78]

Decker at 64. Baseball America has him ranked 110. Somebody must see something special in this kid to overdraft him.

 

Baseball America had him much lower than other publications. The SoxProspects podcast mentioned that others had him closer to the 60's (Law, ESPN, MLB, fangraphs).

[jacksonianmarch]

Also, the Sox are a fairly young team. They don't need guys up in BOS in the short term.

 

With contracts rising and the cliff approaching, having players capable of filling in within the next 2-3 seasons is prudent. Either to fill in or be dealt for cheaper fill ins

[mvp 78]

With contracts rising and the cliff approaching, having players capable of filling in within the next 2-3 seasons is prudent. Either to fill in or be dealt for cheaper fill ins

 

I don't live in a fantasy world.

[moonslav59]

Also, the Sox are a fairly young team. They don't need guys up in BOS in the short term.

 

We sure could use some farm infusions in the next 2-4 years.

 

We won't be able to keep everyone, and if we could just add one high impact player from the farm at a minimum salary, it would have a chain reaction effect with our tight budget.

 

It's not a given that Henry will spend $39.9M over the luxury tax 3-4 years in a row. Even without the maximum penalties being applied, the tax rate goes up and up on thet $39M.

[sk7326]

Really it's all "best available". What is tricky about saying look they picked a guy at 64 ranked 110 is that in reality the gap between 64 and 110 is pretty small ... eye of the beholder stuff. Kumar Rocker is still available and he fascinates me on a number of fronts (including somebody not in the spelling bee for me to take ethnic pride in).

 

It looks like the Sox are going ceiling so far with their two picks - which is a bit more of a throwback approach to the previous regime than the first couple of Dombrowski drafts. Nothing wrong with that - if the coaching, development and kid deliver the goods.

[jacksonianmarch]

Rocker is probably unsignable

[sk7326]

Rocker is probably unsignable

 

At this point, yes. Vandy commit. Of course if someone scrounges up a significant bonus that can change.

 

Someone will take him in round 11 or later and see if they can use some bonus savings to tempt him.

Edited June 5, 2018 by sk7326

[jacksonianmarch]

3rd rounder Durbin Feltman is the kind of pick I expected out of the Sox. Short statured closer with huge velocity and a slider that is really good already. He should run through the sox system quickly

[jacksonianmarch]

After the 2nd round overslot HSer, the sox have gone college. Feltman looks like a legit prospect. Not sure about the rest aside from Granberg, who has hit everywhere he has gone.

[Hugh2]

At this point, yes. Vandy commit. Of course if someone scrounges up a significant bonus that can change.

 

Someone will take him in round 11 or later and see if they can use some bonus savings to tempt him.

 

It's 50/50 at this point. The ultimate lazy man's answer, I know. But there's a strong possibility he signs. He's definitely getting drafted tomorrow, the questions do he sign and that will come down to, as you said, if a team has saved enough money on rounds 3-10 today to sign him.

[Hugh2]

What is absolutely fascinating is that the Sox are going with a completely different draft strategy and one I've never seen before. They're swinging for the fences and going after big power guys.

 

I can't think of the last time the Sox signed a 1B in the first round.

[jacksonianmarch]

This draft had a lot of power. Casas was one of the most powerful. I won’t lie, I wanted him in NY. I just wonder why DD went that route with the needs clearly being a two year turnaround of the system

[moonslav59]

This draft had a lot of power. Casas was one of the most powerful. I won’t lie, I wanted him in NY. I just wonder why DD went that route with the needs clearly being a two year turnaround of the system

 

Maybe he thinks the big need is for 2021 not 2020, although Casas might not be ready by then either.

 

Maybe he just picked the best player available on their chart. (He could be traded in 1-3 years.)

 

Maybe he saw the league moving towards power and jumped on the band wagon.

 

Maybe he likes some of the prospects we have in the system right now more than you and me, and he thinks we'll have significant infusion in the next 1-3 years.

 

It could be a little of all of this and more we don't know about.

 

[a700hitter]

My niece is a teacher at American Heritage, but Casas is at a different campus. My niece usually knows about the top athletes at the school. She knew about the kid India who went to the Reds, but she didn’t know Casas. If he was such a big deal, I would think that word of his fame would have spread to the DelRay campus.

[mvp 78]

My niece is a teacher at American Heritage, but Casas is at a different campus. My niece usually knows about the top athletes at the school. She knew about the kid India who went to the Reds, but she didn’t know Casas. If he was such a big deal, I would think that word of his fame would have spread to the DelRay campus.

 

They are a perennial powerhouse. Another MLB draft pick to them is no big deal. https://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/?key_school=1a35fa5a

[moonslav59]

My niece is a teacher at American Heritage, but Casas is at a different campus. My niece usually knows about the top athletes at the school. She knew about the kid India who went to the Reds, but she didn’t know Casas. If he was such a big deal, I would think that word of his fame would have spread to the DelRay campus.

 

I guess the Sox should have spoken to your niece before pulling the trigger.

 

[jacksonianmarch]

The sox popped Nicholas Northcut with their 11th selection. He's a Vandy commit and should have been a 3rd rounder in terms of talent alone. Outside of that, the sox seem to have all signable guys in Day 3 of the draft. My assumption is they wont have enough money to sign Northcut if they need to shell out for picks 1 and 2 as he is a Vandy commit and that clearly scared teams off in the earlier rounds

[Larry Cook]

We drafted a few power hitters and quite a few relievers, including the best reliever in the draft.

 

I absolutely love the tcu pitcher. He is legit.

 

The first two picks appear to be dalbec clones. Long swings and not much contact.

[jacksonianmarch]

Don’t mind the first two picks in terms of talent. They’re hitters only. One is a 1b, the other a LF. If they don’t hit enough, they’re entirely useless. But their power is special at an early age and guys who can hit a ton of bombs get a lot of leash. Typically guys with big power and big swing and miss don’t progress fast in the minors until they show advanced plate discipline and are able to walk to offset the K’s. That takes some time. Most first rounders fly through systems just due to their draft stock, but Casas may stay down at the lower levels to work on his discipline then move in a couple years. Strange matchup with him and the Sox. The Sox needed quick movers and while they got talented kids, they got guys who will take time to mold

[a700hitter]

They are a perennial powerhouse. Another MLB draft pick to them is no big deal. https://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/?key_school=1a35fa5a

That is true. Excellent Baseball and football programs.

[a700hitter]

I guess the Sox should have spoken to your niece before pulling the trigger.

 

All the really big time athletes at American Heritage take her Environmental Science course. Don’t blame me if this guy is another big stiff like that minor leaguer player of the year that bombed out whose only contribution to the organization was getting tralraded for Steven Wright. What was his name?

[Spudboy]

All the really big time athletes at American Heritage take her Environmental Science course. Don’t blame me if this guy is another big stiff like that minor leaguer player of the year that bombed out whose only contribution to the organization was getting tralraded for Steven Wright. What was his name?

 

Casas has a long swing.

 

Otherwise I don't see anything remarkable about him.

 

What is the name of the hippy 1st baseman the Sox coddled for several years?

 

I can see this kid ending up bust as well.

[jacksonianmarch]

Spud, he has light tower power. Like I said before, I wanted him in NY. He’s got a unique ability to hit the ball a mile

[Jack Flap]

Casas is a swing-for-the-fences type of pick, to be sure. The focus on power in the early rounds with guys like Casas, Decker, Cottam, Granburg, etc. is interesting and feels like a shift from recent drafts. I hope we can sign Northcut, another guy with plus power potential.

 

In the near term, I'm most interested in Feltman.

[Hugh2]

All the really big time athletes at American Heritage take her Environmental Science course. Don’t blame me if this guy is another big stiff like that minor leaguer player of the year that bombed out whose only contribution to the organization was getting tralraded for Steven Wright. What was his name?

 

If this guy turns into the Trey Ball of hitters I'm going to completely blame you.

[Hugh2]

This pick was your classic high risk/high reward pick. He was ranked by MLB/BA/PG @ #20 #25 and #31 respectively. 6'4" 240 LB's with plus plus raw power to all fields.

 

If this guy hits, he's your clean up hitter.

 

It will also be interesting to see what these guys sign for. There's no way they have enough money to sign both Northcut and Watson. I was actually thinking Watson was their back up if a deal with Northcut falls through. It might be hard to go too far under-slot with Casas and Decker but admittedly I know nothing.

 

The Sox completely changed their strategy in this draft and went big, lets hope it pays some dividends in a few years.

[sk7326]

The sox popped Nicholas Northcut with their 11th selection. He's a Vandy commit and should have been a 3rd rounder in terms of talent alone. Outside of that, the sox seem to have all signable guys in Day 3 of the draft. My assumption is they wont have enough money to sign Northcut if they need to shell out for picks 1 and 2 as he is a Vandy commit and that clearly scared teams off in the earlier rounds

 

looks like between relievers and college kids they think they have scrounged up enough $$ to toss at Northcut. I mean in this day and age it is safe to assume everybody in the Top 10 rounds will sign (barring medical surprises).

[mvp 78]

He was just drafted the other day and you old miserable f***ers are already thinking he's a bust. Classic TS...

[Station 13]

Boston Red Sox

Best Pick: Triston Casas, 1B, American Heritage HS (FL) – Round 1, Pick 26 – Casas battles Nolan Gorman to be the player with the most power of the high school class. He was supposed to be a 2019 draftee but took on a heavy academic work load and reclassified to be eligible this year. He is not all that athletic, meaning he will be a first baseman only before long. He has performed against good competition and shows good pitch recognition although the pure hit tool is still a question. Typically a high school first baseman is not a prospect to get excited about, but a bat that could realistically give you 35+ HR a year is always a prospect to be excited about.

 

Reach: Kyle Cottam, C, Kentucky – Round 4, Pick 130 – Cottam has shown real power, but I don’t like the hit tool despite his .346 average with Kentucky this season. He allows his weight to shift out front too often, and when he doesn’t he drops his back half to create an uppercut swing instead. The inconsistent body control screams inconsistency at the next level and I could see some prolonged slumps. He does not have the arm or glove to stick behind the plate, and I am not sold on the power reaching its potential, nor the hit tool being enough to play as a first baseman.

 

Sleeper: Durbin Feltman, RHP, TCU – Round 3, Pick 100 – It was hard to watch the MLB draft coverage and not hear Callis pounding the table that Feltman could be a guy that fits into the Red Sox bullpen this year. While that is incredibly uncommon, it is not a crazy idea. His fastball is a legitimate plus pitch, sitting mid-90s and touching 99, but his delivery is so herky-jerky it plays as though it is even harder than that. His slider is also a plus pitch that runs a ton. His mechanics will only ever be a reliever, but it is surprisingly repeatable despite all the moving parts. He doesn’t have the greatest command, but he controls the pitches enough to not be a liability there. To go with his plus stuff, he has the demeanor of a closer, not afraid to show emotion on the mound.

 

Deep Sleeper: Chase Shugart, RHP, Texas – Round 12, Pick 370 – The best player taken after the 11th round by the Red Sox is Nicholas Northcut, but there is almost no chance he signs as he has a commitment to Vanderbilt where he will both pitch and play in infield. Shugart was taken a round later and can be another quick moving bullpen arm for the Red Sox. He got some time as a starter this year for the Longhorns, but it is pretty clear his future is in the pen. He is a short righty but can touch 97 with ease in one inning stints and has two breaking balls that both grade out average to better. There is some concern over his fastball which doesn’t have any run to it and lacks much of a downhill plane as a result of his shorter stature. He is not a future closer, but he does have big league reliever potential and could possibly get there by the end of the 2019 season.

 

https://www.minorleagueball.com/2018/6/6/17436250/mlb-draft-recap-al-east

[Hugh2]

He was just drafted the other day and you old miserable f***ers are already thinking he's a bust. Classic TS...

 

Most of these guys do go bust, even top of the first round picks fail 50% or more of the time, so claiming these guys will probably bust is taking the easy way out.

 

That would be like me trying to claim I'm a weather man by predicting sunny skies every day.