Hrbowski

Two other guys who the Twins have been looking at are Jeren Kendall and Pavin Smith. Kendall went 1-3 with no strikeouts, and Smith went 0-4 with a walk.

Two of the top three SEC hitters were taken by the Twins last year. In fact, Greg Deichman is probably a better player than Rooker.

Video of the two, comparing scouting reports, talking to people who have seen them, etc. Of course it makes a difference seeing them in person, but I just am not impressed enough to call him a generational talent. BTW, just because someone says that a player is more than a hard thrower doesn't mean that he is a generational talent. Also, when Pint was a senior he threw just as hard, had better secondary offerings, and had similar control.

A couple things I would like to throw in here: #1 Greene is no better than Riley Pint, but he is just getting more hype because Jay Groome isn't in this draft. #2 My major league comp for Greene is Jameson Taillon, who has similar stuff, but a slightly bigger body.

Twins took him as a draft eligible sophomore last year, and he can return to college one more year. He is not in consideration to be taken at #1, but if he continues to play well he could get taken on day one. From a hitting standpoint he doesn't have anything that jumps out and makes me think he can hit against better pitching. He is loud in the box, which can mess up his timing, and he doesn't have quick hands. He does have OK plate discipline, and his slightly uppercut swing allows him to hit for power. Overall, I am not impressed enough that I would take him in the first round.

Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Early 2017 draft board: #1 – J.B. Bukauskas – rhp – University of North Carolina Bukauskas has been on fire this spring, with a strikeout to walk ratio of 70/11 in 47 innings. Some scouts do not think he will be a starter because he is only 6’0”, but his pitching repertoire is better than any other in the draft class. Bukauskas’ upside is a top of the staff starter, and if he has to move into the bullpen he should become a great closer. If I were picking number one I would take him over any other player due to his combination of upside and a closer proximity to the majors than the other players in the class. I do not view his size as a concern because if there has been any variance in the success of shorter versus taller pitchers, it has favored the shorter ones. Most taller right handed pitchers who were taken at the top of the draft because scouts viewed them as future workhorse starters never had their careers come to fruition. Meanwhile, smaller pitchers such as Tim Lincecum, Marcus Stroman, and Sonny Gray developed faster than the larger pitchers taken in the years they were drafted. To draw this thought to a conclusion, I do not buy into the philosophy of taller pitchers being better than smaller ones, and there is no data to back up this idea when you look at any sample of pitchers who have been taken in the first round. #2 – D.L. Hall – lhp – Georgia High School Hunter Greene has received more hype than any other prep pitcher this year, but Hall has as much upside as every other high school player. Hall’s fastball and curveball are both well above average, and with development his control will become good enough for him to head a rotation. Like Bukauskas, Hall is only 6’0”, yet scouts have not voiced concerns about his size to the same extent as they have about Bukauskas; that is probably due to his being a lefty. Considering everything, taking Hall would probably be the wisest move for a team looking for high school talent. #3 – Alex Faedo – rhp – University of Florida Faedo is the prototypical favorite of scouts: College righty, tall, and putting up good numbers against SEC competition. Although there is a lot to like about Faedo there are drawbacks, such as having had lower body injuries in the past. Since Faedo has not had any arm injuries some scouts do not feel that his health will be anything detrimental long term, but it could be a sign of his big body breaking down early. Faedo has a high ceiling, and if teams are willing to overlook his injury history he will be one of the first players to be drafted. #4 - Jacob Heatherly – lhp – Alabama High School Heatherly has not gotten much attention, but this lefty from Alabama is the most polished high school pitcher in the draft. Heatherly has four above-average pitches and advanced command for a prep pitcher, but the reason he is not considered a top-five pick by most scouts is because he does not have one pitch that is overly dominant. Heatherly’s repertoire gives him tools to work with, and his ceiling of a number two starter is appealing enough that a team should be willing to take a flyer on him high in the draft. One pitcher who Heatherly reminds me of is fellow Alabaman Braxton Garrett, who some readers might remember as the player I was high on very early last year, even though he was not considered a top ten player at the time. As the spring progressed others recognized Garrett’s potential and he was eventually taken seventh overall by the Marlins. Heatherly does not have the brilliance of Garrett, but he shows a similarity in being a lefty with an advanced feel for pitching. #5 – Hunter Greene – rhp – California High School Greene has long been the favorite to go number one in this draft, and even though I think he is overrated he does have a ton of potential. Since there has been no shortage of praise for Greene I will start out by giving the reasons I dislike him. The first reason is because his curveball is the only secondary pitch that is workable in games, and even though he has a fastball that occasionally touches 98 miles per hour he will not be able to get outs in the big leagues with just two pitches. Greene is working on a changeup, but it has not yet shown a ton of promise, and his command could become an issue that will hinder his development. Greene does have a high ceiling, yet I believe that I should warn Twins fans who are incessantly calling for the team to take him that there is a long path ahead, and that with the amount of development that Greene needs before becoming a major league ready starter, he may never survive the vicissitudes of the minor leagues. #6 – Tanner Houck – rhp – University of Missouri The comparisons of Houck to Max Scherzer have been rampant, and some of that could have to do with them sharing an alma mater. Another similarity is that they both use unorthodox deliveries, which has also raised eyebrows in the scouting world. Houck may have to go further to prove himself than other college pitchers, but if he does, he could move to the top of draft boards. Houck has a superb fastball and a secondary combination of a slider and changeup, which are both solid pitches. #7 – Jeren Kendall – of – Vanderbilt Kendall is the top college hitter in this draft, but that does not say a whole lot since this year is a very weak class for hitting. Kendall has been compared to Jacoby Ellsbury, and although he does show a lot of similarities on the baserunning and fielding sides of the game, he struggles to make contact at times. I will soon be writing a player profile for Kendall where I will cover him more closely. The following players are a drop off from the previous ones, and they probably will not be getting a whole lot of attention from the teams picking first in the draft: Brendan McKay is a two-way player who could be picked as either a first baseman or lefthanded pitcher. The Louisville Cardinal is a favorite for the Golden Spikes Award. Most scouts prefer him as pitcher. Vanderbilt Commodore Kyle Wright got a lot of talk over the winter as a potential number one pick, but a rough spring has silenced that. Wright still has a ton of upside, and should go early in the draft. The top high school hitter is Royce Lewis, who does not yet have a defensive home, and has one of the longest swings I have ever seen. He does have a ton of athleticism, and, if developed properly, he could be very rewarding for the team that drafts him.

That was from today. My post is from yesterday.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Alex-Faedo-0199.jpg Alex Faedo (All rights to Andrew Woolley) Today I begin my coverage of the 2017 MLB Draft, which starts on June 12. I am going to provide some updates on the overall performance of the top players, prospect profiles, prospect rankings, and mock drafts, so have fun! Jeren Kendall is a player that scouts have been watching for some time, and now that he is draft eligible he will be getting even more attention this spring. Kendall’s first week has been interesting, with Jeren maintaining a high batting average, but also striking out as often as he gets a hit. When Kendall hits the ball it becomes must watch baseball, with his blazing speed making routine groundballs difficult plays for the infielders. When Kendall is on his game he can drive the ball into the gaps, but to become a consistent player he will need to make some adjustments. There have been no concerns about the Vanderbilt centerfielder’s fielding and base running skills. We move along to another Vanderbilt player, but this time a pitcher. Righty Kyle Wright’s first two games have been what you would expect from him, with decent starts in both outings. Wright will not miss a ton of bats, but he does have good control for a young pitcher. Wright is a natural athlete and will be a player to watch in the months leading up to the draft. The next player to look at is another big righty pitching in the SEC, but with even more dominating stuff. Alex Faedo is one of the leading candidates to be taken with the first pick of the draft, and if he shows he is healthy he could become a lock to be taken with the first pick, and although I have objections to that I will leave that to be explained in an upcoming blog post. Faedo has been missing bats this season, but he was also hit well for his standard on opening day. The Gator’s Friday night starter has been in the spotlight for his whole college career, and he will continue to be down the road. One player who has been utterly dominant over his first two starts is J.B. Bukauskas, with 21 strikeouts in 13 scoreless innings. Bukauskas is a small guy, but if you were reading the radar gun you would never guess that, with his dazzling fastball reaching the high nineties. Some scouts say that he uses too violent of a delivery to stick in the rotation, but some of the most successful small pitchers in the majors used a violent delivery. If Bukauskas continues to dominate his critics will get quiet. Brendan McKay is the top two-way player in the nation, and has dominated the competition at the college level. McKay’s ceiling is a middle of the rotation starter, but if he gets drafted as a hitter he will be limited to first base. Because of the Louisville Cardinal’s consistent playing he has made a name for himself, but he will have trouble when the competition gets tougher. We move back to big righties from the SEC, but this time with Mizzou’s Tanner Houck. Houck has been striking out batters this spring, but when he has not been doing that he has been getting hit, with 8 earned runs served up in 10 innings. Houck needs to stop running up his pitch count so quickly, which has limited him in the number of innings he has been able to throw this year. If Houck can lock in this season he will move into the area of the first overall pick. Alex Lange is the final player who I am covering with this post, and of course he is a big righty from the SEC. Lange has been sharp this spring, showing improvement in his command and keeping his pitch count low. Lange has a good fastball along with the best breaking ball in the draft class, so if he can stay in the zone this spring he should find his name being mentioned as a potential number one pick.

Image courtesy of Jamie Squire/Getty Images Chris Devenski will become an ace. Chris Devenski is the most underrated player in baseball, and I am on a mission to let everybody know who he is. After his rookie year with the Houston Astros last year he was still largely ignored, so let me give you a briefing. Devenski has one of the best changeups in baseball, and it is no small stretch to say that he can rival the changeup of Kyle Hendricks, and having a signature pitch that is one of the best in the league gives him a jump start on the long list of pitchers waiting to become household names. He also has a sneaky fastball, and a slider that can get batters to chase. Keep an eye on the Astros righty this year. Sonny Gray will be a top 10 starting pitcher. Sonny Gray has become known as the undersized righty who once made it big in the majors, but his real claim to fame is getting exceptional horizontal movement on his pitches, and in doing so he outpaces all other right handed pitchers in the league. Gray has struggled with injuries in the past season, but if he is healthy he has the potential to be a top ten pitcher in wins above replacement, something he has never done before. Here is a not so bold prediction: Sonny Gray will be a hot commodity at the trade deadline. Brian Dozier will be the top second baseman in baseball. If you had told me in July of 2015 that in 2016 Brian Dozier would hit over 40 homers I would not have been surprised, but if you had told me that exactly one year later I would have been. That is how good Dozier’s second half was last year, which led some to say that his outburst was an unrepeatable fluke and that he will come back to earth this year. One thing that naysayers do not consider is that there were some legitimate changes to Dozier’s approach at the plate, and his torrid second half was the result of some hard work. If Dozier can bring the changes over to this year look for him to outperform Altuve, Murphy, and other star second basemen. Mac Williamson will be the Giants starting left fielder. Mac Williamson is another player whom you may not have heard of before, but the corner spot is up for grabs this spring and there is no clear favorite for the job, so even if he does not win the spot right out of camp he should still have a chance to steal it midseason. Williamson has raw power that he can tap into, and if he can start elevating the ball better in games he could collect thirty round trippers. The Giants are perennial contenders for the pennant, and if Williamson gets a starting role look for him to a force at the plate. Keon Broxton will be the first 30-30 player since 2012. Keon Broxton flew under the radar last year, but the center fielder for the Brewers will not be able to do that for much longer. His unique skill set will elevate him above the competition, and Broxton will be on the road to superstardom. Broxton has some concerns, and the fact that he strikes out at a ridiculous rate is one of them. If he can keep a high batting average on balls in play he will still be on base enough to worry pitchers. Freddie Freeman will be the top hitter in the National League. Freddie Freeman did not get enough attention last year because he played on a terrible team, so he was virtually ignored when it came to MVP talk. The Braves’ new ballpark dimensions are more favorable to a lefty hitter than Turner Field, so Freeman has an extra advantage this year, even though he does not need it. It may surprise you, but in recent years Freeman put up similar numbers compared to David Ortiz, and since Ortiz is now retired, baseball fans will need to find a new favorite lefty hitter. We cannot ignore Freeman for much longer. Trea Turner will be the best player on the Washington Nationals. Max Scherzer, Bryce Harper, and Daniel Murphy all play on the Nationals, but Trea Turner is really that good. Turner has blazing speed and surprising power, and with his return to his natural position of shortstop his fielding will no longer hurt his value. Something else that Turner has working for him is that he will get a chance at a full season, and in 73 games last year he hit 13 home runs and stole 33 bases. Another plus is that he will have Harper and Murphy hitting behind him, which is something almost all other hitters would covet. Andrew Miller will win the American League Cy Young. It is getting to the point where the great relievers in baseball can no longer be ignored, and Andrew Miller or the Orioles Zach Britton have the best chance to take home the coveted award. I am going with Miller over Britton because of Miller’s higher strikeout rates. If Miller takes home the award baseball writers will not only have to ignore the fact that Miller is not a starter, but also that he is not even a closer. I am guessing that if they lay aside one prejudice they can lay aside another. The Athletics will make the playoffs. It seems like the Oakland A’s are never projected to make the playoffs, but they are a team that can be put together in bits and pieces and come away with a championship caliber club. 2017 should be no exception, and even though the Athletics have already been projected to have a losing record, they quietly have a solid roster. The pitching staff will be the leading force for the A’s, with Sonny Gray and Sean Manaea being the headliners, and the lineup is solid, which makes the Athletics a legitimate contender. The Houston Astros will defeat the Washington Nationals in the World Series. The Washington Nationals are loaded with talent, but the Houston Astros are a very exciting bunch in 2017. With no mention of the Chicago Cubs or the Boston Red Sox this prediction may surprise some, but the best team in the regular season usually does not win the World Series, and last year’s Cubs were the exception to the rule. The Astros pitching staff is the biggest concern for them right now, but if Dallas Keuchel can get back to his 2015 form they will not need to worry, and I already have pegged Chris Devenski for a breakout year, which would be huge for this team. Overall, the Astros are a great team.

BTW, if we make a trade with the Mariners we should not target Zunino. If you want to go after their busts we should try Danny Hultzen.

But then TR won't say, "We came close to a deal for..." because you only do that when you are buying.

Hardly. We are not buyers this year.

If he can keep it up go ahead and shop him, but I think we would be better off hanging on to him because the Royals are the only contender who would be a fit.

Why would anyone want to sell low on Gibson, Dozier, or Plouffe? Especially Gibby?

You never watched him pitch a whole game, so how would you know?

Yeah, and Chapman.

Sano has a higher ceiling.

He didn't.

Yay!! (Positivity)

I suppose not. Betances could be in there.

TR better make some trades before we get mediocre. I really want the #1 pick.

It may be strong in pitching, but there isn't a top end pitcher available, yet...

You can throw in Strasburg as an electrifying pitcher in the NL. When he is healthy he is probably the second best pitcher in baseball.

Watches my friends play baseball Read and write about draft prospects Play the cello Campaigns for politicians Bird watches Sadly watching my friends play can be more heartbreaking than watching the Twins. (We lost in the state championship game yesterday.)

It seems like most of the good ones are in the NL. Kershaw, Syndergaard, Fernandez, Arrieta, Bumgarner... and than in the AL you have Sale and Salazar and that is about it.