AL East Draft Review
If you haven’t guessed from the title, you’ll be seeing division-by-division draft reviews for the next week-plus. I’ll only be reviewing the first day (6 rounds), since everything after that is a massive question mark. Best pick/worst picks are relative to where they are drafted, so while Brian Matusz may be the best player the Orioles drafted, he may not be the best value. Let’s start with the AL East:
Baltimore Orioles
Best pick: Jerome Hoes, a big-time high-school 2B bat who, if signed, will by paid above slot; good value here.
Worst pick: Greg Miclat, a college SS who has a good plate approach but has shown no interest in hitting the ball out of the infield.
Biggest risk/reward: Jerome Hoes.
Overall: Overall a very good draft, getting an excellent pitcher and a bunch of other toolsy guys. Even Greg Miclat’s a solid pick, but I had to find somebody to nitpick.
Boston Red Sox
Best pick: Ryan Lavarnway from Yale in the 6th round, who had a lot of production (.467/.531/.873 in 2007, .381/.532/.762 in 2008) and is, obviously, extremely intelligent. (Yale!). Oh yeah, he’s a catcher.
Worst pick: Bryan Price, a college reliever in the supplemental round who has shown consistent control problems.
Biggest risk/reward: Casey Kelly, who is one of the most athletic guys in the draft (can be a QB/SP/SS), will be tried as a pitcher out of high school, and will be a difficult sign, although perhaps not for the Sox.
Overall: I like the Kelly and Lavarnway picks, but in between those two picks there are a lot of mediocre college pitchers, often with control issues.
New York Yankees
Best Pick: Josh Satin, an extremely productive college 2B who doesn’t have much in the way of tools. If he can stay at second, his bat will carry him to the majors.
Worst Pick: Gerrit Cole. Kevin Goldstein repeatedly calls him the most talented high school pitcher in the draft, but he has the worst make-up issues of anybody in the draft, may be a difficult sign, and beyond all that he’s still a high school pitcher.
Biggest risk/reward: Cole.
Overall: Really not a fan. Like the Sox, they went for some instant help with some iffy college relievers, and I think David Adams and Jeremy Bleich are pretty close to wasted picks. There’s a pretty decent shot that this first day will leave the Yankees with no major leaguers.
Tampa Bay Rays
Best Pick: Kyle Lobstein. A projectable high school lefty with three pitches that should be at least average, and he already has very solid command of all three.
Worst Pick: N/A.
Biggest risk/reward: Tim Beckham. Very toolsy high school shortstop, will be very expensive, but if he works out could be an absolute stud.
Overall: As you might’ve guessed after ‘Worst Pick’, I absolutely LOVE this draft. All players have a reasonable chance to be impact major leaguers.
Toronto Blue Jays
Best Pick: Markus Brisker, an extremely athletic high school OF with advanced plate discipline but raw hitting tools. Good value in the 6th round.
Worst Pick: Andrew Liebel, a ‘pitchability’ college starter whose ceiling is a 4th-6th starter type. Not great for a 3rd round pick.
Biggest risk/reward: Ken Wilson, who’s another toolsy high school OF with a ton of speed. Also raw at the plate with an uppercut swing.
Overall: A mixed bag, but overall pretty good apart from the 3rd and 4th round picks.
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Come on now Denny. Your crazy bias towards the D-Rays system is a little much.
Find me one person anywhere who doesn’t think the Rays have the best minor league system in baseball, and I’ll show you a coke addict.