AL West Draft Review
I love the Angels for taking a bunch of high school and small school players I’ve never heard of. Really making my job easy, guys.
Los Angeles Angels
Best Pick: Ryan Chaffee, because he’s cool. Apparently he throws from 3 different arm slots. So there’s a lot of breaking balls right there, a decent fastball, and an excellent change.
Worst Pick: Khiry Cooper, who’s about 50-50 to sign and is very raw if he does.
Highest Risk/Reward: Zach Cone, very toolsy, speedy, has some big-bat potential at CF or RF.
Overall: It’s hard to screw up too badly when you don’t pick until #74, and they got some decent players, especially Chatwood and Chaffee.
Now, raise your hands if you think I’m going to say the A’s had a bad draft.
Oakland Athletics
Best Pick: Preston Paramore, a 3rd-round catcher with plus-defense and an excellent plate approach.
Worst Pick: Jason Christian, weak defensively and strikes out too much for a bat-first guy.
Highest Risk/Reward: Tyson Ross, a big pitcher with a mid-90s FB and two decent secondary pitches, but he has command issues.
Overall: Jemile Weeks was #11 on my board, and he’s followed by some good-looking college talent.
Seattle Mariners
Best Pick: Josh Fields, mostly because there isn’t much else to choose from here.
Worst Pick: Brett Lorin, who can’t even strike guys out in college. Maybe they thought they were getting Brent Morel?
Highest Risk/Reward: Ben Pribanic, who was a JuCo transfer before this year, so he has only one year of NCAA experience.
Overall: A college closer for a team that isn’t competing, and then a bunch of guys who’ve struggled to match up in college. Awesome.
Texas Rangers
Best Pick: Justin F’ING Smoak! The #1 guy on my value board at #11 will always be the best pick of the draft, no matter who goes after him.
Worst Pick: Tim Murphy, a guy with iffy control and not-special stuff who’s succeeded by deceiving college hitters.
Highest Risk/Reward: Robert Ross, a three-pitch high schooler with a plus fastball who knows how to pitch.
Overall: They could’ve stopped after Round 1 and had a great draft, but to Smoak they added some other good albeit mostly low-risk/low-ceiling players.
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