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AL Draft Notes: White Sox, Tigers, Yankees, Orioles

By Jeff Todd [June 8, 2013 at 9:14am CST]

The first ten rounds of the MLB amateur draft are in the books, with rounds 11-40 set to begin this afternoon. A chain reaction at the top of the first round led to several surprises, writes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. When the Indians passed on Colin Moran with the fifth pick in favor of high school outfielder Clint Frazier, the Marlins were excited to find Moran waiting for them at number six. The two players that Miami was expected to be debating with their slot, in turn, fell to other teams: the Pirates were able to get youngster Austin Meadows at number nine, while college starter Braden Shipley slid all the way to the Diamondbacks with the fifteenth pick. Here are some notes on the early draft hauls of a few American League clubs:

ESPN's Keith Law broke down the first ten rounds of each of the American League clubs. You should check out the entire piece for all the details (Insider subscription required).
Law praised the White Sox for prioritizing upside in its first-round selection of shortstop Tim Anderson, though he was less high on the club's drafting of pitcher Tyler Danish (who Law says "has the worst arm action I've seen in this draft class") in the number 55 slot. Likewise, Law was underwhelmed by third-round center fielder Jacob May but felt that the Sox' fourth-round chioce, Andrew Mitchell, could be a steal if he can develop an effective third pitch.
Among the AL clubs, Law was perhaps most critical of the Tigers. Listing the limitations of the college starters that the club went with at the top of the draft, Law writes that Detroit "may not have drafted a starting pitcher or everyday player through the first 10 rounds."
Among the teams that had a solid start to the draft, according to Law, were the Yankees. New York had three of the first thirty-three picks, all sitting between number twenty-six and thirty-three. Law opines that the club "nailed" those selections by getting a combination of power (Eric Jagielo and Aaron Judge) and young, high-upside pitching (Ian Clarkin).
Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich provided some interesting insight on the draft process to MASN's Steve Melewski. The team is excited about its fifth-round selection, young pitcher Travis Seabrooke, who Rajsich says has a big frame and improved while the team watched him closely. Meanwhile, Melewski says that Baltimore's tenth-round choice, college catcher Austin Wynns, could be a target for an under-slot signing to free up some cash to ink other players.