dish

Yeah, that doesn't quite make sense to me either.

I have one small ask for this site. When we put pictures into the articles, could we mention who the player is? I haven't a clue who the guys is above and not a clue who most minor leaguers are when they appear in articles unless it is one of the top prospects we see a lot.

You think the Mets would be interested in Castro and Gibson in a return for Thor? Why would the Mets want two free agents they can just sign over the winter? Sano, sure. But any trade for Thor starts with a top 5 prospect. Our free agents aren't going to be something they want.

Two Twins make the list: https://www.mlb.com/news/jim-callis-predicts-mlb-top-10-2019-prospects/c-294181356

Sickels has him rated #2 FWIW. https://www.minorleagueball.com/2017/10/24/16537288/minnesota-twins-top-20-prospects-for-2018

For what it's worth - Indians 1st round draft picks when Falvey went from Scouting to Ass. Director of Baseball Operations. 2010 Drew Pomeranz Left-handed pitcher University of Mississippi 2011 Francisco Lindor Shortstop Montverde Academy 2012 Tyler Naquin Outfielder Texas A&M University 2013 Clint Frazier Outfielder Loganville High School 2014 Bradley Zimmer Outfielder University of San Francisco 2014 Justus Sheffield Left-handed pitcher Tullahoma High School 2014 Mike Papi Outfielder University of Virginia 2015 Brady Aiken Left-handed pitcher IMG Academy 2015 Triston McKenzie Right-handed pitcher Royal Palm Beach High School 2016 Will Benson Outfielder The Westminster Schools 2 High School Outfielders 3 College Outfielders 1 High School Infielder 3 High School Pitchers 1 College pitcher Not sure how much say he had in these picks but the Indians didn't really miss a 1st round pick with the possible exception of Mike Papi in 2014.... and even then that kid has a couple seasons left to turn it around.

Thanks for the welcome. Been here a while hiding in the background. My question: Why was Jay picked to be the closer and not one of the SPs? I kind of understand the fact 3 of them were seniors but I don't buy a coach worth his salt as choosing to go with seniority over ability... and I think Jay would have been considered the guy with the best ability/talent on that staff.

I'm hoping this is true. I think a lot of arm-chair baseball scouts assume a RP can easily become a SP because they just "need stretched out"... That is not the case. If it was Miller and Chapman would be starting pitchers and competing with Kershaw and other pitchers for Cy Youngs rather than Fireman of the Year awards. As for Jay, it depends whether he was in the bullpen because he was cutting his teeth and biding his time or if he struggled going more than 2 innings. Looking back before the draft a lot of scouts - IIRC - thought he could become a starter. Hoping our Twins scout was right.

My first post! Having played college baseball - admittedly not at the level of Jay... why was he a reliever when the best pitchers on most college teams are starters? You usually see the opposite - a college starter ending up as a reliever once he gets high enough in the system and hasn't shown the ability to go 6+ innings or develop quality secondary pitches that allows him to go through an mlb lineup multiple times. See Glen Perkins. I'm optimistic he can be a starter at the mlb level but if his own college coaches didn't trust him to start I question whether he can start at higher levels. Sure pitchers mature at different rates but if he was as nasty as he is hyped up to be he should have been starting every game he could in college. It's either poor coaching that slotted him as a closer, an extreme abundance of qualified SP on the roster, or the college coaching staff didn't think he could hold up as a SP. I applaud our scouts and staff for thinking outside the box for once and drafting a ton of high octane college RP to develop into SP but college coaches would have all those guys in their rotation if it was even remotely an option. A closer on a college team is usually not the best pitcher on the club. It's the guy who's got great stuff but can't harness it consistently over 6+ innings each weekend. Those are the guys that are used in 1 or 2 inning bursts. Maybe Jay can harness that 1-2 inning dominance and stretch it to 7 innings but I have my doubts. I hope I'm proven wrong but everything I've seen so far suggests he'll be a RP.