Astros looking to take Colin Moran #1? Let's hope so.

[InfraRen]

Kiley McDaniel‏@kileymcd

Working on Mock Draft likely up on Monday. Big development since the last one is real momentum to UNC 3B Colin Moran going #1 overall to HOU

 

 

Kiley McDaniel‏@kileymcd2m

Astros have had parade of high level scouts in to see Moran including GM & Owner. Would clearly be discount on slot but isn't just posturing

 

Kiley McDaniel‏@kileymcd2m

Doesn't sound like Appel/Gray are open to giving a big discount, so Moran looks like the target if HOU decides to replicate 2012 strategy.

 

This would be the best possible thing for the Twins, leaving one of Appel, Gray or Bryant available for us. Let's hope so!

[cmb0252]

I still don't buy it but if, big if, they actually take Moran at 1 that still doesn't mean the Rockies won't take a pitcher. They need pitching more than us.

[InfraRen]

I still don't buy it but if, big if, they actually take Moran at 1 that still doesn't mean the Rockies won't take a pitcher. They need pitching more than us.

 

If that's the case, so be it - we still get the biggest power guy in the draft in Kris Bryant.

[Steve Lein]

I really hope this happens, as I would like the Twins to get a Gray/Appel/Bryant far more than anyone else in this draft, BUT, it strikes me as extreme posturing considering the player Houston drafted last year with the below-slot strategy, Carlos Correa, is destined for 3B already...

[Twins Daily Admin]

If that's the case, so be it - we still get the biggest power guy in the draft in Kris Bryant.

 

Agreed. This would be big news. Bryant looks to be a special bat. I'd be happier with Appel or Gray, just because of need, but Bryant looks like the real deal too.

[Cap'n Piranha]

I still don't buy it but if, big if, they actually take Moran at 1 that still doesn't mean the Rockies won't take a pitcher. They need pitching more than us.

 

Obviously Gray or Appel would be great to pair with Meyer, but what Kris Bryant is doing is pretty ridiculous.

 

.338/.496/.876, 12 2B, 3 3B, 30 HR, 57BB, 37K.

 

That's insane. A Buxton-Rosario-Mauer-Sano-Bryant-Arcia-Walker-Hicks-Santana lineup has the potential to be absolutely lethal as early as 2015-2016.

[InfraRen]

Wow, Cap'n - that lineup would be nuts.

 

Bryant is a heck of a "consolation prize" if the pitchers are gone.

[Dance with Disco Dan]

Damn you, Kiley McDaniel for reviving a shred of hope that one of the consensus top 3 falls to the Twins. It took me awhile to let it go and focus on the likely candidates at pick no. 4.

 

I would normally chalk this report up as Houston posturing, to warm Gray or Appel up to the idea of taking a discount. But McDaniel's contention that the owner is flying around to look at Moran makes me take this idea much more seriously. I guess we'll see soon. If this happens, sign me up for whoever is left. Would love either Gray or Bryant.

[Mike Sixel]

I'll take that bet, what odds do people want? Gray or Appel will be the pick, I'd bet Gray if I had to pick one. But I'm happy to take the field over Moran....

[YourHouseIsMyHouse]

Well I'm not sure this is anything to be hopeful for. 2 and 3 would likely be Gray and Appel anyway. Bryant really isn't much of above the rest in my book. I'd still take Stewart given the remaining choices, but that's just me.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Well I'm not sure this is anything to be hopeful for. 2 and 3 would likely be Gray and Appel anyway. Bryant really isn't much of above the rest in my book. I'd still take Stewart given the remaining choices, but that's just me.

 

This. In no world is an ace worth less than a power bat. You see it in what people pay for pitching, and in how hard it is to find a good ace. The advantage Bryant has is that he's much more of a sure thing than a guy like Stewart, but in terms of ceilings, Stewart, Gray, and Appel are far better options.

 

I certainly wouldn't cry about getting Bryant, but a lineup full of sluggers wont' be winning many games without good pitching... and we all know well what types of pitchers that our rotation would be augmented with.

[Anorthagen]

I the Twins have the opportunity a take a #1 starter in the draft they won't hesitate. No matter if it is the next mike trout up there

[cmb0252]

I the Twins have the opportunity a take a #1 starter in the draft they won't hesitate. No matter if it is the next mike trout up there

 

They hesitated last year. The Twins are going to take the BPA.

[johnnydakota]

They hesitated last year. The Twins are going to take the BPA.

 

As baltimore brings up Gusman and we passed on Appel last year, along with zimmerman and several others..

[kab21]

As baltimore brings up Gusman and we passed on Appel last year, along with zimmerman and several others..

 

Perhaps you have missed what Buxton is doing right now and how he is getting consideration as the top overall prospect in the minors while in Low A. If Bryant is there at #4 then he should be the pick.

 

54 gms and 30 HR's - just ridiculous

 

The Twins would potentially have 3 elite bats to pair with Mauer (declining but still elite) and Arcia (well above average potential).

[bird]

Do you guys honestly believe there's a single team that wouldn't give up its 2012 pick for Buxton?

[InfraRen]

Do you guys honestly believe there's a single team that wouldn't give up its 2012 pick for Buxton?

 

Nope. I'd bet they all would.

[bird]

So, johnnydakota, tell us more about "Gusman" and "zimmerman" and Appel and the "several others" you think the Twins were stupid enough to pass over in favor of Buxton.

 

Ah. That's what I thought. Criticizing out of sheer habit.

[2wins87]

I can't see this happening, because it just seems like a terrible strategy.

 

I can't believe that the Astros really think Moran is a comparable talent to the other top guys in the draft. They really thought Correa was, so it was a good strategy. But this would be something like trading the first pick for the 5th pick and some pick in the middle of the first round (plus a couple of somewhat higher picks in the later rounds--in a shallow draft). Seems like an awful idea to me, I wouldn't be happy if I were an Astros fan and they did it.

[MichiganTwins]

For this reason, we are Twins fans. So we should hope the Astros do make a dumb decision. Then, we are able to get one of the top three guys in this draft. Here's to the Astros!

[Mike Sixel]

Do you guys honestly believe there's a single team that wouldn't give up its 2012 pick for Buxton?

 

 

I think it is not as cut and dry as you think. Buxton is in low A, and Gausmann is going to start in MLB games this year. He's also looking better than people thought he'd look. Yes, Buxton is exciting and we can all hope he continues to be great at upper levels and here, but I don't think it is that cut and dry. Actually, I'd rather have Gausmann right now. He's more certain, and his ceiling is one of the top 20-30 pitchers in the game. Given that you need 5 starters, and they literally have zero right now, I'd still rather have Gausmann.

[Twins Twerp]

I think it is not as cut and dry as you think. Buxton is in low A, and Gausmann is going to start in MLB games this year. He's also looking better than people thought he'd look. Yes, Buxton is exciting and we can all hope he continues to be great at upper levels and here, but I don't think it is that cut and dry. Actually, I'd rather have Gausmann right now. He's more certain, and his ceiling is one of the top 20-30 pitchers in the game. Given that you need 5 starters, and they literally have zero right now, I'd still rather have Gausmann.

 

So it's THEY when the Twins suck (like the last 2 years) and I bet it was WE when the Twins were winning. On the Buxton front...mike wants wins is the kind of guy who takes Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan. Considering the Trailblazers NEEDED a center (that would be the pitcher you are talking about), they took one. Who cares if Jordan is great? I, for one, would rather have a top 3-5 position (all positions) player than a top 20-30 pitcher.

[bird]

I think it is not as cut and dry as you think. Buxton is in low A, and Gausmann is going to start in MLB games this year. He's also looking better than people thought he'd look. Yes, Buxton is exciting and we can all hope he continues to be great at upper levels and here, but I don't think it is that cut and dry. Actually, I'd rather have Gausmann right now. He's more certain, and his ceiling is one of the top 20-30 pitchers in the game. Given that you need 5 starters, and they literally have zero right now, I'd still rather have Gausmann.

 

I don't HAVE an opinion about it. I'm not qualified to have one, but I still doubt, big time, that the Orioles would pass on an opportunity to trade Gausman straight up or Buxton. I think that decision would take about two seconds, given the reports we're starting to see from the scouting world on Buxton.

[UCLA_YANKEE_COLA]

Just this offseason Buxton was considered the much better prospect by every prospect list that I saw. Since then Buxton has been the talk of the minor leagues, exceeding all expectations (and being compared to Mike Trout by Jim Callis). Gausman has been quite good but I'm pretty certain mike wants wins would be alone in preferring him to Buxton.

[Mike Sixel]

Gausmann was about 5 spots behind Buxton on at least 1 pre-season ranking. All I'm saying is taht it is not so cut and dry as you all make it.

 

As for "we" vs "they", I'm pretty consistent. I almost never say "we" because I'm not part of the Twins, I'm just a fan.

 

As for drafting for need vs elite players, I just think you are all a bit too certain of who the BPA is, we just don't know. It is possible that several players turn out better than Buxton, it is possible Buxton becomes one of the greatest players ever. Jordan was the third pick that year, not 2nd. So at least two teams were wrong, that's kind of my point. The future is darn hard to predict, and the certainty you all have that Buxton will be better is a bit over the top for me. heck, there were people bragging about how right Ryan was about KC after April.....it's just too early to know right now, imo.

 

You have every right to have a different opinion.

[nicksaviking]

This report is breaking way too early for me to feel comfortable with it. Think about the backlash the Twins would be taking right now from the local media and educated fans if they were in the Astros position and were thinking about picking Moran. More reports like this could create a wave of negative public opinion that convinces the Astros to take the BPA.

[nicksaviking]

So it's THEY when the Twins suck (like the last 2 years) and I bet it was WE when the Twins were winning. On the Buxton front...mike wants wins is the kind of guy who takes Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan. Considering the Trailblazers NEEDED a center (that would be the pitcher you are talking about), they took one. Who cares if Jordan is great? I, for one, would rather have a top 3-5 position (all positions) player than a top 20-30 pitcher.

 

I think you probably need to link some evidence of Mike using We vs. They if you're going to throw around those kinds of accusations.

 

I wanted Gausman (or Appel), and I didn't think the decision should have even been close. But I'll admit I was wrong and am now happy with the Buxton choice. Still wish the Twins had an arm like Gausman ready to contribute though. Comparing Gausman/Buxton to Bowie/Jordan is a pretty dramatic leap however. It's not like Buxton and Gausman were ever really that far apart on the prospect scale, they were pretty evenly matched. It was more like the Josh Beckett/Josh Hamilton debate though on a lesser scale, those two were bigger names at the time.

[Twins Twerp]

Gausmann was about 5 spots behind Buxton on at least 1 pre-season ranking. All I'm saying is taht it is not so cut and dry as you all make it.

 

As for "we" vs "they", I'm pretty consistent. I almost never say "we" because I'm not part of the Twins, I'm just a fan.

 

As for drafting for need vs elite players, I just think you are all a bit too certain of who the BPA is, we just don't know. It is possible that several players turn out better than Buxton, it is possible Buxton becomes one of the greatest players ever. Jordan was the third pick that year, not 2nd. So at least two teams were wrong, that's kind of my point. The future is darn hard to predict, and the certainty you all have that Buxton will be better is a bit over the top for me. heck, there were people bragging about how right Ryan was about KC after April.....it's just too early to know right now, imo.

 

You have every right to have a different opinion.

 

Yes he was and I didn't say that he wasn't. But Hakeem Olajuwon was the first pick and he was a hall of famer so I feel like that wasn't a terrible pick. He also won his club 2 championships so I feel it was a wash. Still would have taken Jordan but...if it is too early for Buxton, is it not to early for Gausman?

[Mike Sixel]

yes, that's my point.....it is too early to know....so I'd bet there are teams that would rather have the guy dominating AA, than the guy in low A, but I could be wrong. I'm at least willing to admit that I could be wrong, and the answer is not 100% obvious. That's the whole point of my posts, we just don't know, and therefore there should be room for polite disagreement, w/o name calling and other implications of stupidity.....

[ThePuck]

I still don't buy it but if, big if, they actually take Moran at 1 that still doesn't mean the Rockies won't take a pitcher. They need pitching more than us.

 

I don't think many saw Correa being picked by Houston #1 last year