MLB Draft

[kcchief19]

Either the Royals are genius or amazingly stupid. With the first pick in the draft, the Royals bypassed so-called consensus No. 1 pick Andrew Miller in favor of Luke Hochevar, who was picked last year by the Dodgers but held out and re-entered the draft because the Dodgers wouldn't give him a $4 million bonus.

Here's why this is interesting -- the rumor going around Kansas City yesterday was that the Royals were negotiating with Hochevar's agent -- Scott Boras -- to make a deal to Hochevar a $4 million bonus, then Boras was going to get another of his clients, Max Scherzer of Missouri, to tell teams he wanted a $5 million bonus or he wouldn't sign. The intent would be to get everybody to pass on Scherzer until the Royals pick again, at which point they would select Scherzer and give him a No. 1 pick bonus too.

I pray to God that's what they are doing. Otherwise, they just drafte a guy at No. 1 who went No. 40 last year and has an ass for an agent.

[kcchief19]

Oh, hell, now I see Scherzer went to the Diamondbacks. I root for losers.

And Miller goes No. 6 to the Tigers behind four other pitchers. Quite a fall.

[SackAttack]

Scherzer went to the Diamondbacks at 11, so if that was their plan, it failed miserably.

As for Hochevar going 40 last year, it's BECAUSE he has an ass for an agent. His signability concerns were obviously legit and haven't gone away. It seems KC is just desperate for talent.

[SackAttack]

You know what, I don't know if I can argue with any of the Dodgers' three picks in the first round so far. I'm particularly amused that we drafted the son of Don Mattingly.

[dawgfan]

Holy fuck - 5 teams (including my Mariners) pass on Andrew Miller and he goes to Detroit? The Tigers have to be popping corks on Dom Perignon right now, salivating at the thoughts of a rotation of Bonderman, Verlander and Miller leading the way for the next half a decade or more.

I can't believe the M's pulled such a bullshit money-oriented stunt like this - they have plenty of money, signing Miller shouldn't have been a problem.

[SackAttack]

Yeah, the Miller fall is how we wound up with Kershaw, I think. If he goes higher, the Tigers take Kershaw and we wind up going somewhere else.

Instead, we get the consensus best HS pitcher in the draft, a guy the front office really liked in Bryan Morris, and then Preston Mattingly as a supplemental pick.

I'm very happy with our first round.

[SackAttack]

dola,

although it looks as if we don't have a 2nd or 3rd round pick thanks to the Furcal and Mueller signings. Still, a 50 round draft, should be plenty of talent left by the time we come up at 4.7.

[sovereignstar]

What's the best place to keep up with the picks?

[MrBug708]

espn.com has a listing

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Yeah, the Miller fall is how we wound up with Kershaw, I think. If he goes higher, the Tigers take Kershaw and we wind up going somewhere else.

Instead, we get the consensus best HS pitcher in the draft, a guy the front office really liked in Bryan Morris, and then Preston Mattingly as a supplemental pick.

I'm very happy with our first round.

Yeah, my Giants strategy was "pick guys Logan White likes" - and the fact that Morris fell to 24 really bothered me.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

espn.com has a listing

espn.com is the worst website of all time

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

What's the best place to keep up with the picks?

I've been using ESPN.com and SI.com, although MLB.com has live video coverage of the draft, so it might be worth checking out.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

espn.com is the worst website of all time

If you really believe this, your internet skillz are sorely lacking.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Yeah, my Giants strategy was "pick guys Logan White likes" - and the fact that Morris fell to 24 really bothered me.

I'm suprised the Giants actually used a #1. Of late it seems like they did whatever they could to avoid having to spend for one. Like signing Michael Tucker last year(maybe it was the year before).

[stevew]

I'm just guessing that the Phillies #1, Kyle Drabek, RHP/SS, H.S./The Woodlands, Texas, is former major leaguer Doug Drabek's son.

[stevew]

Tri dola,
Oh, I guess I didn't realize the Giants were the 10th worst team in the league last year, and can't lose their selection even if they try.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by stevew

I'm just guessing that the Phillies #1, Kyle Drabek, RHP/SS, H.S./The Woodlands, Texas, is former major leaguer Doug Drabek's son.

You would be correct in that assumption...

[George]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

What's the best place to keep up with the picks?

Here's the MLB draft tracker.

hxxp://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/events/draft/y2006/draftcaster.jsp

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

Here's why this is interesting -- the rumor going around Kansas City yesterday was that the Royals were negotiating with Hochevar's agent -- Scott Boras -- to make a deal to Hochevar a $4 million bonus, then Boras was going to get another of his clients, Max Scherzer of Missouri, to tell teams he wanted a $5 million bonus or he wouldn't sign. The intent would be to get everybody to pass on Scherzer until the Royals pick again, at which point they would select Scherzer and give him a No. 1 pick bonus too.

How the hell does that planning session go?

Boras: I have a great plan. We're going to ask for a $5 million bonus!
Scherzer: Great, I'd love to get $5 million.
Boras: Well, you won't get $5 million. It's all part of the plan.
Scherzer: What plan?
Boras: My plan to get you onto a specific team.
Scherzer: Which is... ?
Boras: The Royals!
Scherzer: [long silence]
Boras: Um... The Royals!
Scherzer: [long silence]
Boras: And, um...
Scherzer: I want you to leave now.
Boras: Wait, it made sense on the car ride over here...

[digamma]

I still can't get over the fact the D Rays drafted Eva Longoria.

[Schmidty]

I am so stoked about the fact that the Tigers got Miller. That staff is going to be so solid for a long time.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

If you really believe this, your internet skillz are sorely lacking.

Ok, it's the worst website of all time that does not contain a pic of tubgirl.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

I am so stoked about the fact that the Tigers got Miller. That staff is going to be so solid for a long time.

Until they fail to make the playoffs and sell their whole team to the Reds or Indians..

[SunDevil]

Where is Mel Kiper when you need him....

[stevew]

In all of the other sports, the draft is a pretty decent deal. MLB could at least attempt to try to commercialize this a bit, anyways. Might help to build a bond between fans and their organizations(and young players) a bit more.

And why is pick trading outlawed?

[stevew]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

I can't believe the M's pulled such a bullshit money-oriented stunt like this - they have plenty of money, signing Miller shouldn't have been a problem.

Well, if money isn't the issue, then perhaps they just liked someone else better. Or thought that their pick had a bigger upside, anyways.

[MalcPow]

Originally Posted by digamma

I still can't get over the fact the D Rays drafted Eva Longoria.

Her backside is incredible!

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

I am so stoked about the fact that the Tigers got Miller. That staff is going to be so solid for a long time.

If we know anything about top pitching prospects, it's that they always turn out to be solid.

[SackAttack]

Looks like the Cubs drafted Jeff Samardzija. I wonder if he'll sign.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

If we know anything about top pitching prospects, it's that they always turn out to be solid.

The Tigers have been pretty damned lucky lately (Verlander, Zumaya), so I am positive this luck will continue.

[MalcPow]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Looks like the Cubs drafted Jeff Samardzija. I wonder if he'll sign.

He has said previously that he will pitch in the minors over the summer but will be playing for the Irish this fall.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by MalcPow

He has said previously that he will pitch in the minors over the summer but will be playing for the Irish this fall.

So it's ok to play professional baseball, but what Jeremy Bloom did cost him his eligibility? I love the NCAA.

[MrBug708]

It's not professional, it's minor league....

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by MalcPow

He has said previously that he will pitch in the minors over the summer but will be playing for the Irish this fall.

How is that even possible? Are the minor leagues considered amateur leagues by the NCAA?

[MrBug708]

Summer Leagues are allowed and I know the NCAA allows it so players can play for minor league teams provided they foot the bill will still playing another sport. Ricky Manning did this at UCLA.

Jeremy Bloom took sponorship money and therein lies a huge difference

[MalcPow]

Athletes can actually be paid as professionals in another sport and maintain eligibility. Bloom's problem was that his sport didn't afford him the opportunity to earn a professional salary, olympic athletes support their careers through sponsorship, which is illegal under NCAA rules, so he was looking at paying $100k/yr to maintain his eligibility. It is obviously a bizarre and strange set of rules that creates a situation like that, but what can you do?

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by stevew

Well, if money isn't the issue, then perhaps they just liked someone else better. Or thought that their pick had a bigger upside, anyways.

Except the problem was that money was this issue - several sources are reporting that the M's were determined not to pay a bonus outside of their "slot", which meant they weren't going to be willing to pay Miller in the $6-8M range he'll probably want. What's bullshit is that the M's aren't cash-strapped - they have become a big-revenue team since the opening of Safeco Field, and yet they still act like a small-revenue team in very dumb ways. They are penny-wise and pound-foolish as the saying goes.

Miller was the consensus #1 talent in the draft. Morrow could end up being a pretty good pitcher, and Miller might tank (or get injured, which is more likely for pitchers) but nobody had Morrow ranked higher on their draft boards than Miller, including the M's. They passed on him due to money.

[Terps]

O's took Billy Rowell, a SS from Bishop Eustace Prep in NJ with the 9th overall. He'll go to Bluefield and play 3B, where he projects better. Nice to have a power hitting prospect in the organization for a change.

They took junior college pitcher, Pedro Beato, with their sandwich pick. The Mets were supposed to sign him as a draft and follow and didn't. He had Tommy John surgery in 2004, but has great upside and he'll start in Aberdeen. Baseball America touted him as one of the best arms in the draft, ranked #13 on their top 200.

[kcchief19]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

How the hell does that planning session go?

Boras: I have a great plan. We're going to ask for a $5 million bonus!
Scherzer: Great, I'd love to get $5 million.
Boras: Well, you won't get $5 million. It's all part of the plan.
Scherzer: What plan?
Boras: My plan to get you onto a specific team.
Scherzer: Which is... ?
Boras: The Royals!
Scherzer: [long silence]
Boras: Um... The Royals!
Scherzer: [long silence]
Boras: And, um...
Scherzer: I want you to leave now.
Boras: Wait, it made sense on the car ride over here...

I had similar thoughts as well. The only reason it made remote sense is that you're assuming Scherzer might want to play in his home state and in the conspiracy theory the Royals were going to pay both like they were the No. 1 pick.

I thought it was a pretty funny idea -- the cheapest team in baseball conspiring with the biggest dirtbag in baseball to spending $8 million on two pitchers who knowing the Royals luck would have their arms gnawed off by a Rottweiler at a Wichita petting zoo.

[oykib]

Originally Posted by stevew

In all of the other sports, the draft is a pretty decent deal. MLB could at least attempt to try to commercialize this a bit, anyways. Might help to build a bond between fans and their organizations(and young players) a bit more.

And why is pick trading outlawed?

In basketball and football, we have seen the players. there is some star power to drive the draft. In baseball, there is almost no star power. Nobody watches college baseball, and half the time the biggest prospect is a high schooler whom nobody could have seen.

As to the trading of draft picks, it's just a dumb, arcane rule like the million dollar limit on money included in trades.

[bulletsponge]

I thought it was a pretty funny idea -- the cheapest team in baseball conspiring with the biggest dirtbag in baseball to spending $8 million on two pitchers who knowing the Royals luck would have their arms gnawed off by a Rottweiler at a Wichita petting zoo.

LMFAO!

[GoldenEagle]

A friend of mine from high school, went 182 to the Brewers. It is good to be drafted in the top six rounds, but the Brewers?

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

A friend of mine from high school, went 182 to the Brewers. It is good to be drafted in the top six rounds, but the Brewers?

Be thrilled - 3 years from now, the best team in the NL central will be the Brewers. This is a talented team, on the upswing. PLus, the 300K bonus won't hurt.

[MalcPow]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

Except the problem was that money was this issue - several sources are reporting that the M's were determined not to pay a bonus outside of their "slot", which meant they weren't going to be willing to pay Miller in the $6-8M range he'll probably want. What's bullshit is that the M's aren't cash-strapped - they have become a big-revenue team since the opening of Safeco Field, and yet they still act like a small-revenue team in very dumb ways. They are penny-wise and pound-foolish as the saying goes.

Miller was the consensus #1 talent in the draft. Morrow could end up being a pretty good pitcher, and Miller might tank (or get injured, which is more likely for pitchers) but nobody had Morrow ranked higher on their draft boards than Miller, including the M's. They passed on him due to money.

Sometimes it's not just money. The commissioner's office has put a lot of pressure on teams over the years to stay in line with the "slotting" to try to reign in the big demands. So some owners have decided to take the hard line on these sorts of things just on principle. But it's probably still mostly money.

[INDalltheway]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

You know what, I don't know if I can argue with any of the Dodgers' three picks in the first round so far. I'm particularly amused that we drafted the son of Don Mattingly.

I've seen him play a few times. When I found out he got picked this early I just started laughing.. He has a good last name, that is for sure.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by MalcPow

Athletes can actually be paid as professionals in another sport and maintain eligibility. Bloom's problem was that his sport didn't afford him the opportunity to earn a professional salary, olympic athletes support their careers through sponsorship, which is illegal under NCAA rules, so he was looking at paying $100k/yr to maintain his eligibility. It is obviously a bizarre and strange set of rules that creates a situation like that, but what can you do?

I dunno, apply an ounce of common sense to the situation?

[Qwikshot]

Phillies got Doug Drabeck's son...lots of family connections

[DeToxRox]

Where'd Almonte get drafted?

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

A friend of mine from high school, went 182 to the Brewers. It is good to be drafted in the top six rounds, but the Brewers?

I read that he was kicked off of the Mississippi Rebels' baseball team after committing three team violations. What's that all about?

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by INDalltheway

I've seen him play a few times. When I found out he got picked this early I just started laughing.. He has a good last name, that is for sure.

Dodgers used a sandwich pick on Luke Hochevar and never signed him last year. Drafting Mattingly this high can't be any worse than that.

That said, the Dodgers also didn't have another pick 'til 4.7. If they felt Mattingly would go in the 2nd or 3rd round - and I don't know if he would have, but they seemed to feel that was the case - and they were as sold on him as they seem to be, then drafting him in the first round is fine.