6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

• The Angels picked University of Utah first baseman C.J. Cron, a right-handed slugger who hit .434 with 15 HR and 59 RBIs. He went 17th overall.

  Update: Cron has announced his intention to sign quickly; his advisor is former Angels pitcher Scott Sanderson. It's probably for the best, because apparently he played through a shoulder tear this year. Nice.

  His pro debut will likely be delayed until 2012, according to Bill Plunkett.

• The Dodgers got lefty Chris Reed from Stanford with the 16th overall pick. He could be a conversion project, as some people think he may be a second or third starter once stretched out.

Labels: angels, dodgers, draft

// posted by Rob @ 6:00 PM link  //  0 comments

Labels: angels, draft

// posted by Rob @ 5:58 PM link  //  0 comments

8. Los Angeles Dodgers
Actual pick: Dan Opperman, RHP, Valley HS (Las Vegas, Nev.), N/A
Revised pick: Albert Belle, OF, Louisiana State U. (Baton Rouge, La.), 37.4 WAR

Drafted out of the same high school that produced Mike Morgan (en route to 17 losses for the Mariners that year) and Greg Maddux (then taking his lumps as a rookie for the Cubs), Opperman never reached the big leagues. He worked a tick over 300 innings in his minor-league career before retiring at age 23. Apparently there had been concerns about Opperman's elbow before the draft and the situation deteriorated from there.

Belle slipped to the second round. After a couple false starts, he made an impact with the Indians in 1991, hitting .282/.323/.540 (134 OPS+). Had he done that in Los Angeles, it might have made a difference.

The Dodgers went 93-69 that year, finishing one game behind Atlanta in the NL West. The Dodgers started Kal Daniels in left field; his WAR was 1.0. Belle's WAR in 1991 was 2.2. It is possible that Belle's presence might have been enough to lead the Dodgers past Atlanta and push them into the NLCS against Mussina's Pirates.

With Belle, the Dodgers almost certainly win the NL West in '96. Todd Hollandsworth enjoyed a fine rookie campaign, but there is no comparison between him and Belle that year:

Player         PA   BA  OBP  SLG OPS+
Belle         715 .311 .410 .623 158
Hollandsworth 526 .291 .348 .437 113

Add in the fact that the Padres don't have Caminiti (who won NL MVP that year) or Finley, and it's looking good for LA. How well the Dodgers would have done in the postseason is another story altogether. They hit just .147/.204/.221 while being swept by Atlanta, and Hollandsworth is the only guy who contributed anything on offense.

Of course, if the Dodgers had drafted Belle, this would have affected another organization as well, although perhaps not as much as you might think. The Indians produced some terrific young talent in the early-'90s (Belle, Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome), and although they would have taken a talent hit without Belle, they also ran away with the AL Central in 1995 (finishing 30 games ahead of the White Sox) and 1996 (winning by 14.5). After the '96 campaign, Belle signed with the White Sox, who—you guessed it—finished second to Cleveland.

Labels: dodgers, draft, history

// posted by Rob @ 7:48 AM link  //  0 comments

18. Kaleb Cowart, 3B, Cook HS (GA)
Inside the Pick: Seen as more of a late first-round talent, Cowart moved up to the Angels, and was a surprising selection for them, as he's considered a tough sign. What He is: Cowart is a fantastic athlete and a two-way talent, but someone many teams preferred as a pitcher. As a third baseman, he's a switch-hitter with power from both sides and a downright pretty swing. He's even an average runner, and his arm is strong.
What He is Not: Cowart's defensive reviews, other than his arm, are a mixed bag, and he'll need to improve his reads, footwork, and the accuracy of his throws. He's an aggressive hitter who looks to mash early in the count, and will need to temper his approach.
Path with the Angels: The Angels have very little when it comes to prospects that play on the left side of the infield, so there's nothing blocking Cowart's progress long-term.

Labels: angels, draft

// posted by Rob @ 8:24 AM link  //  0 comments

Labels: angels, draft

// posted by Rob @ 12:44 PM link  //  0 comments

Those bonuses are something Weaver's agent, Scott Boras, has connived to extend every single year. Kevin Goldstein reports that Bryce Harper, a prep catcher widely viewed as the best amateur talent in the game now, has escaped high school by getting a GED. He now toils for the College of Southern Nevada, a junior college.

Thanks to various loopholes, he has leverage against the draft in multiple dimensions:

Leverage traditionally comes from younger players, as high school players who find teams that don't meet their demands opt for the college game and an opportunity to maintain or improve their sdraft tock down the road. However, for Harper, by leaving high school two years early, getting his GED, and enrolling in a junior college that has no effect on his eligibility, he has created more leverage than any top pick in draft history, as he can return to his junior college next season and be just 18 when the 2011 draft begins—as old as the high school draftees.

Then there is the CBA that ends after the 2010 season. Consistently treated as the redheaded stepchild in previous talks, insiders on both sides of the table believe that the upcoming negotiations will be the one where the draft is finally addressed in a very real manner, including the possibility of a hard slotting system that would all but end the days of the over-slot signing bonus. Thus, the 2011 version of draft candidate Bryce Harper would almost be forced to sign, assuming that his leverage would be reduced dramatically the following year.

Labels: draft

// posted by Rob @ 8:05 AM link  //  0 comments

Labels: dodgers, draft, minors

// posted by Rob @ 1:32 PM link  //  0 comments

It's Official: Jed Hoyer New Padres GM

"I'm so excited for this incredible opportunity ... My goal is to build a consistent winner, year in and year out, for the city of San Diego. It's a clear goal. I want to make sure we can win consistently, and I'm incredibly lucky to have the pieces in place already, with a really good young core and a good farm system."

MLB Postseason Ratings Up 15% Over Last Year

Baseball America Releases Its Angels Draft Report Card

Labels: angels, draft, front office, padres, ratings, tv

// posted by Rob @ 8:20 AM link  //  0 comments

News

• Stephen Strasburg signed a $15.1M guaranteed deal with the Nationals, including a four-year major league contract.
• John Manuel declares the Rangers one of the losers in this year's draft:

  Most things have gone right for the Rangers since the Mark Teixeira trade in 2007. They've built the game's preeminent farm system and used young talent to take the American League wild-card lead. For once lately, things didn't go according to Texas' plan. The Rangers failed to sign first-rounder Matt Purke, who spurned reported offers of up to $4 million to attend Texas Christian. Purke is old enough that he'll be draft-eligible as a sophomore in 2011, and if he has two strong seasons he could well earn more. The Rangers missed a chance to add a local power arm, plus they didn't sign their ninth- or 10th-round picks. Also, Scheppers remains unsigned. But again, most of the other news in the Metroplex has been quite good of late.

  ... and the Rockies one of its winners:

  With a roster full of homegrown talent chasing down a playoff spot, the Rockies know how to use the draft and the scouting/player development approach to compete at the major league level. They took the dare on high school lefty Tyler Matzek, the draft's No. 3 talent, drafting him at No. 11 overall and then signing him for less than $4 million. Matzek caps a strong draft class that also includes power lefty Rex Brothers (supplemental first round) and toolsy outfielder Tim Wheeler (last pick of the first round). The Rockies signed all their picks through round 28.

• The Angels outspent the Dodgers on the first 10 rounds of the draft, $6.4M to $3.7M. The Angels ranked eighth overall in spending, while the Dodgers ranked 21st. The Angels signed 13 of 14 picks, while the Dodgers inked all eleven of their draftees.
• Sean Rodriguez made PCL Player of the Week, as did Ogden's Brian Ruggiano.
• No Angel or Dodger prospect made Pitcher of the Week.

Scores

Labels: draft, minors

// posted by Rob @ 12:40 AM link  //  0 comments

Jake Locker said he didn't want to go into details of the contract but that it was "kind of vague" as to whether there were any commitments to do anything baseball-related down the road. But there is apparently nothing in the deal that precludes him from playing football.

But with the signing, the Angels own Locker's rights for the next six years and should he want to play baseball at any point during that time, he would have to play for them.

I'm tempted to tag this with the "stupid ideas" label, but the jury, obviously, is going to be out for a long time on this one.

Labels: angels, draft

// posted by Rob @ 10:44 AM link  //  3 comments

• First, via BTF, a New Yorker interview with Andrew Zimbalist. Excerpt:

  What kind of effects are we seeing in Major League Baseball?

  Attendance is down about five per cent this year. That news comes on the end of a string of thirteen years where attendance went up and revenue went up at a clip of eleven per cent per year. That was the average annual growth of revenue in baseball since the strike of 1994-95. Now that growth has stopped, and we’re probably seeing a reversal.

  At Yankee Stadium and Citi Field they have less capacity than they did at the old stadiums, and they’re still not selling out. A lot of sponsors have dropped out. Certainly the automobile sponsors are disappearing in baseball, as they have in other sports. Of course, the sport that has been hit most acutely by the recession is NASCAR—they depend most heavily on the automobile industry.

• Second item: via David Pinto, a Kansas City Star piece on the next big thing in MLB (and NFL) labor relations: the end (?) of compensatory draft picks for departing free agents, and the complaints of the unionized against the about-to-be unionized.

  Baseball’s draft has long been broken, with teams often drafting players based on bonus demands instead of talent. The highest bonuses in the last two drafts have gone to the No. 5 picks, and two years ago, stud pitcher Rick Porcello slid all the way to the 27th pick -- where he signed a total package bigger than No. 1 overall pick David Price.

  Michael Crabtree, you may have heard, is attempting to pull off something similar. Formerly the stud WR at Texas Tech, Crabtree was taken 10th overall by the 49ers but wants to be paid like he was selected 7th overall by the Raiders -- who made Maryland’s Darrius Heyward-Bey the first receiver selected.

  Crabtree is said to be willing to sit the entire 2009 season if he’s not paid like the best wide receiver in the class. It’s a move pulled straight out of the Scott Boras playbook for baseball picks, synergizing two sports that have little in common except a broken system of draft pick compensation.

  The players in both leagues are not only noticing, but they’re starting to speak out. The latest was 49ers tight end Vernon Davis putting Crabtree on front street to ESPN:

  “He needs to get his butt here and help this team out…He should take what he can get and get here.”

Labels: analysis, draft

// posted by Rob @ 7:12 PM link  //  0 comments

Labels: angels, draft

// posted by Rob @ 4:08 PM link  //  0 comments

The Angels didn't acquire the starting pitcher or reliever they were trying to land before Friday's trade deadline, but they still have a chance to sign a starting quarterback.

You heard right.

Jake Locker, the starting quarterback at the University of Washington, was selected by the Angels in the 10th round in this year's draft, and they have until Aug.17 to get his name on the dotted line.

No, the Angels aren't trying to make Locker choose between football and baseball. They know football is No. 1 at the moment. They just want to own his future rights if Locker's pro football career doesn't pan out.

And the Angels will own those rights for six years if Locker signs by the Aug. 17 deadline for 2009 draftees to reach a contract agreement.

But if Locker signs, he also would lose the final two years of his UW football scholarship, so any contract with the Angels would have to cover the cost of his continuing college education.

"Eventually, it'll probably get done," new Washington coach Steve Sarkisian, the former USC assistant, said this when asked if he expects Locker to sign with the Angels. "And that tells you what kind of athlete Jake is."

Angels scouting director Eddie Bane obviously concurs. Bane also drafted Locker in 2006, as a center fielder, in the 40th round out of Ferndale (Wash.) High, where he was a three-sport star.

Though Locker has not played baseball regularly since high school, he played 10 games last summer for the Bellingham Bells of the West Coast League, an independent summer league for college-age prospects. He batted .273 with one home run and three RBIs and was voted the WCL's top prospect by league coaches and Baseball America.

Labels: angels, draft

// posted by Rob @ 3:21 PM link  //  0 comments

"It will be our first chance to see what direction this is going," Scott Locker said on Tuesday morning before heading to Seattle for the meeting. Locker is acting as his son's adviser as Jake Locker cannot hire an agent without losing his football eligibility.

What Scott Locker said has remained clear in the two weeks since the Angels drafted Locker in the 10th round, however, is his son's commitment to football.

"His main goal in life is to be a next-level football guy," Scott Locker said. "He wants to play on Sundays, and that's the goal."

Scott Locker said Jake has continued to make it clear to the Angels that he does not want to play baseball this summer even if he signs, and is unlikely to want to play next summer, though that hasn't been completely ruled out.

But the Angels are apparently fine with that as their interest in Locker remains far in the future. If the Angels sign him by Aug. 17, they will hold his rights for the next six years, banking that he may want to turn to baseball someday if football doesn't work out.

"In all the initial talks and things it was all about just the down-the-road prospect of having him should he hit a bump in his football career," Scott Locker said. "Then they would be the first in line."

Labels: angels, draft

// posted by Rob @ 6:27 PM link  //  0 comments

Gavin McCourt, the son of Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, was drafted in the 39th round Thursday by the Boston Red Sox. Will Scott Boras do the negotiating?

McCourt was an all-league outfielder at North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake this season who's hoping to walk-on at Stanford.

Labels: draft, mccourts, red sox

// posted by Rob @ 2:10 PM link  //  0 comments

Labels: angels, draft

// posted by Rob @ 1:39 PM link  //  0 comments

The Win That Feels Like A Loss: Angels 4, Rays 3

The good news last night was Jered Weaver, who struggled with a bad case of poor command, unusually for him this year; he walked four, the first time this year he's had that many, and tying a career mark. His offense gave him an early 2-0 lead in the first by jumping on James Shields, including an RBI single by Vlad (who later erased himself on the basepaths). Weaver made that lead hold up through five, and after Chone Figgins drove Howie Kendrick home on a sac fly in the sixth, the two runs Weaver gave up still didn't get the Rays the lead. It was only the fifth time this year that Weaver had given up two or more runs, which should tell you something about how exceptionally good he's been.

The Angels suffered a scare in the seventh when Darren Oliver hit Rays leadoff man, pinch hitter Joe Dillon, the first of two he plunked (the other being Carl Crawford); he loaded the bases with one out but escaped when he got Carlos Pena to bounce into a lineout double play to Kendry Morales, a tightrope nobody in the Angels dugout wanted to see him walk.

Despite Kendrick blowing it on the basepaths in the top of the frame (he erased himself by going first-to-third on a Chone Figgins single) the Angels managed to push across the winning run on Bobby Abreu's RBI double. That set up Brian Fuentes' nervous save in the ninth, walking the first batter he faced (Joe Dillon, who got aboard in both appearances) but otherwise escaping damage — improbably, getting out of the jam by getting the speedy Carl Crawford to GIDP. Fuentes leads the AL in saves, but it seems like the Angels fanbase is leading the AL in heart attacks, too.

Yahoo box • Angels recap

Dodgers Beat Pads With The Longball: Dodgers 6, Padres 4

The Pads got to Chad Billingsley in the first with an early 2-0 lead, and he wobbled through much of the rest of the game, recording only one 1-2-3 frame. Fortunately for him, his offense gave him a lead the Pads couldn't match and that was largely that, though Jonathan Broxton gave up a single run in the ninth in a fairly improbably fashion: an RBI single to David Eckstein? Huh.

Helen says I should be a Dodgers fan this season; I'm not down with that on general principle, but it's certainly easier to watch them in late innings.

Footnote: Jon observes this is win 10,000 in franchise history, including the old American Association Brooklyn teams.

Yahoo box • Dodgers recap

More On Yesterday's Drafts

More on Angels' pick Garret Richards at #42:

The state of Oklahoma is loaded with pitching prospects this year, and no one has stuff as unhittable or a performance as mystifying as Richards. He routinely sits at 93-95 mph with life on his fastball and touched 98 in a relief outing against Wichita State. He has a mid-80s slider with bite that peaked at 89 mph against the Shockers. And if that's not enough, he has a power curveball and flashes an effective changeup. He has a quick arm, a strong 6-foot-2, 217-pound build and throws on a downhill plane with little effort. Yet Richards never has posted an ERA lower than 6.30 in three college seasons, and opponents had batted .281 with 10 homers against him entering NCAA regional play. "It's unbelievable that he gets hit," one scout said. Outside of a stint in the Alaska League last summer, Richards never has harnessed his wicked stuff on anything approaching a consistent basis. He has trouble throwing strikes and flies open in his delivery, allowing hitters a good look at what's coming. He has the raw ingredients to become a frontline starter, and on the rare occasions when he has command, he looks like an easy first-round pick. Where he'll actually go in the draft and whether he'll ever put everything together remain to be seen.

Miller is 6-foot-3, 205 pounds and a two-way prospect, but the Dodgers drafted him as a pitcher. He went 3-3 with a 5.12 ERA in 13 games, with 65 strikeouts in 51 innings. As a hitter, he batted .310 with 12 homers and 47 RBIs in 186 at-bats.

"Aaron is a physical athlete who has had a limited amount of time on the mound," said Logan White, assistant general manager of scouting. "With the help of our player development staff, we see a bright future for him as a left-handed pitcher in the Erik Bedard mold. He is a terrific competitor and a first-class person with great makeup. ... He's definitely a prospect as a position player, but we like him better as a pitcher."

MLB.com has more on yesterday's signings by the Angels; Mike Trout is apparently unaware of the Angels' history:

"I love the Angels and their winning history," said Trout, who played football as a freshman and basketball all four years in high school. "I played center field all season, and it's a good fit. I love to track some balls down."

#48: Angels pick LHP Tyler Kehrer out of Eastern Illinois.

#56: Dodgers pick OF Blake Smith from Cal, a two-way player whose pitching problems begin with a serious inability to find the plate; his stuff is excellent.

#80: Angels pick LHP Pat Corbin from Chipola (Fla.) JC, where he was the top JC prospect in the state.

#96: Dodgers pick RHP Garret Gould from Maize (Kan.) HS. "Gould just keeps getting better and was quickly pitching his way into the first round."

#110 (3rd round): Angels pick ASU LHP Josh Spence.

Arizona State lefthander Josh Spence is hard for hitters--and scouts--to figure out. The Australian won 27 games in two years for Central Arizona JC and was a 25th-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks last year. He came to ASU instead, and few pitchers put up better numbers, as he was 8-1, 2.37, with 99 strikeouts against 24 walks in 80 innings. His fastball peaks at 87 mph, and he uses it well to set up his four offspeed pitches: a changeup, curveball, slider and cutter. He'll throw any of the pitches in any count and any sequence. He throws from a lower three-quarters arm slot and will even throw some of his breaking balls sidearm. Hitters never have comfortable at-bats against him, often walking back to the dugout shaking their heads. But it's not just smoke and mirrors with Spence. His changeup and slider are legitimate plus pitches, and scouts say he shows the hand speed with his slider to indicate that his fastball velocity could improve. Spence pitches with a lot of confidence and never gives in to hitters. Scouts love his makeup; they're just not certain how his repertoire will play in pro ball. He missed a couple of weeks late in the season with a strained ligament in the middle finger of his left hand, but returned by the postseason. He'll likely be drafted by a more statistically inclined team or one with extra picks.

Labels: angels, dodgers, draft, padres, rays, recaps

// posted by Rob @ 8:26 AM link  //  2 comments

The Reds at #9 bust Callis' streak by taking RHP Michael Leake.

Stevphen Strasburg is driving up to Scott Boras' Newport Beach offices from his mother's house in San Diego for a press conference.

Nothing ever changes in Bucco-land:

Kevin Goldstein (3:34:55 PM PT): The Pirates go with their late decision of Tony Sanchez. This is not a good pick, but it's too early to call this a bad draft, as they want to spend big internationally and look to slot bust later.

The Pirates hope he can be a Molina-esque shut down defender with the ability to hit 15-18 home runs a year. If it doesn't work out, he's at least a backup. Tons of way better talent on the board, but Pittsburgh hopes some of will still be around when they pick again.

#24,25: The Angels take LF Randal Grichuk and CF Michael Trout. Trout goes on MLB.com with a big smile on his face. Goldstein:

Kevin Goldstein (5:14:12 PM PT): My girlfriend, Margaret, notes that Mike Trout has "good skin." That's the kind of hardcore analysis you're not going to find anywhere else.

We’d heard word that Randall Grichuk was going to go in the second half of the first round, but he’d been pegged to St. Louis and Houston, not the Angels. He’s one of the better prep hitters available in the draft, and while some scouts weren’t sold on the rest of his tools, he’s fairly athletic and is an average runner presently. Still, he’s getting drafted this high for his bat. He is the first player drafted who wasn’t on our last revised Top 50.

Mike Trout, come on down. He’s finally off the board, and falling no longer. Trout is on hand this year in Secaucus, and he looks pretty excited. It’s hard to believe that this is the third year of the draft on TV, and the last two years, only one player has shown up.

Aaron Hicks came last year. Mike Trout came this year. Trout had to wait a bit longer, 11 more picks than Hicks did.

The Angels have gone hard after hitters with a pair of outfielders with Randall Grichuk and Mike Trout now.

Update: From the Dodgers' press release:

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today selected Baylor University left-handed pitcher Aaron Miller with their first pick (36th overall) of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. Assistant General Manager, Scouting Logan White made the announcement.

Miller, who captained the Baylor baseball team in 2009, was taken in the sandwich round (between the first and second rounds) as a compensation for the loss of free-agent pitcher Derek Lowe. The Dodgers did not have a first-round selection due to the signing of free-agent second baseman Orlando Hudson.

“Aaron is a physical athlete who has had a limited amount of time on the mound,” said White. “With the help of our player development staff, we see a bright future for him as a left-handed pitcher in the Erik Bedard mold. He is a terrific competitor and a first-class person with great makeup.”

Miller went 3-3 with a 5.12 ERA in 13 games (six starts) during his junior season at Baylor in 2009. He struck out 65 in his 51.0 innings of work. The 21-year-old played right field when not on the mound, and batted .310 with 12 homers and 47 RBI in 56 games overall. He also logged a .415 on-base percentage and a .548 slugging percentage en route to earning Second-Team All-Big 12 Conference honors.

Miller, a 6-foot-3, 200-pounder, did not pitch during his freshman season in 2007 and made just six appearances (two starts) on the mound as a sophomore in 2008.

Miller entered the 2009 campaign as a Baseball America Third-Team All-American. He played in 13 games with Chatham of the Cape Cod League last summer, but his season was cut short after undergoing surgery on his right (non-throwing) shoulder.

Miller in 2009 also earned First-Team All-Academic Big 12 honors, as well as Second-Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American accolades. He graduated from Channelview (TX) High School as a salutatorian in 2006. Miller was originally selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 11th round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.

In three seasons at Baylor, Miller batted .301 with 28 homers and 127 RBI in 153 games. He entered the draft as the eighth-best left-handed pitcher among draft-eligible prospects according Baseball America.

The Dodgers have selected a pitcher with their first pick in each of the last seven seasons:

2003 Chad Billingsley (24th overall)
2004 Scott Elbert (17th overall)
2005 Luke Hochevar (sixth overall)
2006 Clayton Kershaw (seventh overall)
2007 Chris Withrow (20th overall)
2008 Ethan Martin (15th overall)
2009 Aaron Miller (36th overall)

#67: Interesting coda on the Robert Stock story:

Bryan Smith (6:52:28 PM PT): The Robert Stock story continues, as he goes 67 to the Cardinals. Stock left high school a year earlier to get a jump start on USC. People are going to really question if it was in his best interest, as he probably would have been a first rounder after his senior high school season. I like Stock a lot better as a pitcher than a catcher, as he has really not progressed with the bat in 3 years. But the Cardinals announced him as a catcher, so they're going down that road first.

Labels: draft, live blogging

// posted by Rob @ 3:52 PM link  //  2 comments

24. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Nobody really has any idea what the Angels are doing with their back-to-back picks. They love Mike Trout, and will pounce on him if available, but he's gone in this scenario. Chad James needs a home, and as a tall, projectable lefty who's been clocked at speeds as high as 95 mph this year, he could go much higher. On the other hand, he could have some signability issues this low.
Pick: Chad James, LHP, Yukon HS (OK)

25. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: If there's one other pattern for the Angels, it's their affinity for young local talent, and Jiovanni Mier is the only high school shortstop on the board who looks like he can stay at the position and is worthy of a late first-round selection. Reviews are mixed on him however, as some see him as a front-line defender with a 70 arm, while others see him as a 45-50 runner with a good first step and merely solid arm strength. This is not a projection made with much intelligence, other than the fact that it just kind of makes sense.
Pick: Jiovanni Mier, SS, Bonita HS (CA)

...

Massive Helium Watch: Reymond Fuentes, OF. The top talent in Puerto Rico has been in the US this week, and his private workouts have been nothing short of stunning. He's a 70-plus runner with impressive bat speed and some power, and the teams that like him think he could develop into a true power/speed threat in center field. He wasn't even in my Top 50 on Saturday, but in the last 24 hours he's been attached to teams as high as Detroit at #9 (where his workout for them bordered on legendary), to plenty of teams picking in the 20s. Most likely to take a shot at him? The Astros at 21, the Angels with one of their picks at 24 and 25, or the Rays at 30.

Scott Boras, Scott Boras Corporation
I received a phone call over the weekend from a big-league executive, and we began a discussion about Saturday's Top 50 Draft Prospects article. "Did you notice what the first five have in common?" I was asked. I certainly didn't notice it while writing the piece, but another glance and I required just seconds to put it all together: all five are being advised by Boras. It might be his greatest draft ever, and the Boras Factor is wreaking havoc both for people working on mock drafts and for teams working on their war-room boards.

Labels: angels, draft, previews

// posted by Rob @ 1:13 PM link  //  0 comments

• First, a Marc Hulet piece about the Angels' recent and upcoming drafts:

  The amateur draft has not been an area of strength in recent years for the organization. The club has thumbed its nose at the draft while preferring to build a winning organization through free agency and trades. The club, though, is running out of tradable commodities. Despite losing its 2009 first round pick (32nd overall) for signing reliever Brian Fuentes, the club actually gained two higher picks (24th, 25th) after losing free agents RHP Francisco Rodriguez and 1B Mark Teixeira. The club also has three supplemental first round picks, so now is the time to rebuild the farm system.

• Second, about replacing Jeff Weaver with Eric Milton:

  Jeff Weaver got the call to replace McDonald after an impressive four-inning relief outing in which he held the Padres scoreless. After two solid starts, Weaver’s seasonal line sits at 14 innings with a 2.57 ERA and 3.01 FIP. He isn’t the same guy from the Tigers days or the first Dodgers stint but Weaver at least deserved to stay in the rotation.

  Instead, Joe Torre has called upon Eric Milton to get at least one start in favor of Weaver. I’m not sure if Jeff is hurt, but I would hope he is for the sake of this decision. Granted, Weaver’s sample of performance is small, but when evaluating pitchers from start to start, small samples and scouting info are the only bits of info available.

  This is a topic of considerable interest around the Dodger blogiverse, with Jon making the fairly obvious point that Guillermo Mota's was the mistake; I largely agree with him that it basically doesn't matter which scrap-heap pickup becomes the Dodgers' fifth starter, Weaver and Milton are functionally interchangeable. MSTI didn't care that much but cautioned Torre might go back to his vetruhn fetish at some point, presumably at the expense of the lately demoted James McDonald, or possibly Eric Stults.

Labels: angels, dodgers, draft

// posted by Rob @ 9:09 PM link  //  2 comments