Importance Of The 2017 Draft

I personally was hoping we would draft Kyle Wright from Vanderbilt - quick rising pitcher that could've the big club soon. Royce Lewis has looked promising so far, hopefully that continues.

Yep. I think they just saw too much risk with the pitchers for the #1 overall pick. I’m just glad we didn’t get the kid out of Louisville. Between him, Greene, wright and the NC kid, one of the pitchers could turn out to be a stud. Hard to say who though. Hopefully Enlow and Leach erase some of that pain though

Agree with McKay from Louisville - wasn't a fan of him. Leach has some big potential, excited to watch him. Enlow has some growing to do, physically, which could make his ceiling climb higher.

A lot of attention has been understandably paid to Lewis and Rooker, but I think a lot of people are really sleeping on Enlow, who was a consensus top 30 pick and for some (i.e., Keith Law, who is behind a paywall) a top 14 pick. Yes, his velocity apparently dipped toward the end of the spring, but that's not that uncommon with an 18 year old, and according to reports from the GCL, it was back up later in the summer.

Here is what some people said BEFORE the draft:

John Sickels:

 

Enlow hit 94 MPH last summer but his velocity was down somewhat early this spring, in the 88-90 range, although in later outings he was back into the 92-93 territory with his fastball. He has a highly-projectable frame and could easily be 6-5, 200 in a couple of years. Most observers expect his velocity to increase as he matures and it isn’t hard to imagine him throwing consistent gas in the mid-90s a few years down the line. As good as the fastball can be Enlow’s best pitch is actually his curveball, which is one of the best breaking pitches in the entire class, high school or college. The curveball has been too much for most prep hitters to handle and as a result he doesn’t use a straight change-up very often. Enlow repeats his delivery well and has shown he can throw strikes with both of his key pitches. He’s responsive to coaching and should be able to improve his change-up with experience.

Jim Callis:

Mlb.com (Callis, Mayo):
 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 50

 

Enlow might have the best breaking ball in the 2017 high school class, with low-80s power and 12-to-6 shape. He operated in the low 90s and hit 94 mph with his fastball early in games on the showcase circuit, though he has worked more at 88-92 mph as a senior and still has to show he can maintain his velocity in the later innings. That shouldn't be an issue once he fills out his oh-so-projectable 6-foot-4 frame.

The headliner in a standout Louisiana State recruiting class, Enlow has a loose, quick arm and a relatively easy delivery. He already fills the strike zone, so the only items on his to-do list are to get stronger and develop a changeup he hasn't needed yet. He has the upside of a frontline starter.

Eric Longenhagen (Fangraphs):
 

Blayne Enlow, RHP, St. Amat HS (LA)

#33 overall on my board, chance for plus fastball and curveball, had one of the better max curveball spin rates measured on the showcase circuit (2700+ rpm)

Also, Bob Sacamento's report from after the draft at the GCL was that Enlow's FB was back in the mid-90s. His whole report is worth reading.
 

During the GCL season, Blayne's fastball showed to be a plus pitch sitting 94-95 mph regularly with great life that runs in on the hands of right handed hitters.When he wants he can rearback and get a few more ticks on his fastball as I've seen him max at 97 mph. Still his already above average control over his heater was what really sets him apart.

 

In addition to his fastball, Blayne features a wicked 84-86 mph slider with hard sharp bite getting as much break vertically as it does horizontally.Characteristically it looks very similar to a hard curveball aka a slurve but he showed me the grip and it's a slider.His other secondary pitch is a changeup but it's still in it's infantile state as he didn't need much of it as a prep pitcher.Nevertheless, Enlow shows a great ability to let the ball tumble out of his hand and releases the 88-89 mph pitch out of the same arm slot as his fastball creating even more deception.

 

Yeah I liked Gore a lot and Greene felt like a guy you might be kicking yourself about in five years but can't fault the Twins approach. They got a much more projectable player #1 overall and used the savings to get multiple live arms.

The results may or may not work out but you have to like the process.

Agreed - I'll read anything Bob contributes.

Also, Bob Sacamento's report from after the draft at the GCL was that Enlow's FB was back in the mid-90s. His whole report is worth reading.

 

I was all in on Mackenzie Gore. He signed for less than Lewis did, too.

Like others here, I have come around to thinking that Royce was a decent pick.

It will be fun to follow this draft class and see how they do.

For good reason, Gore has the tools to be a true ace. I think the tradeoff is a little less ceiling for significantly better probability. I can go either way, but don't mind the "safer" pick at #1 and then hitting upside guys in the next couple of rounds.