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2013 Amateur Draft

Draft Links: Rockies, Smith, Orioles, Rays, Manaea

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Every team would love to find a gem like Matt Harvey in today's amateur draft, and CBS Sports' Jon Heyman breaks down how the Mets scouted and eventually selected the promising right-hander with the seventh pick in 2010.  "At the end of the day, we were hoping [Harvey] was going to be there," said Rudy Terrasas, then the Mets' scouting director. "There was a lot of luck involved….That's the guy we were hoping to get to us, and he fell into our laps. We weren't real happy with the other options."

There are the first of many of today's draft-related items…

  • The Astros and Cubs seem to be "in quandaries" over who they will select with the first two picks, Peter Gammons reports.  According to several GMs and agents, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow may wait until at least 3pm CST (three hours before the draft begins) before deciding between Mark Appel, Jonathan Gray or Colin Moran as the first overall selection.  (Both links are to Gammons' Twitter feed.)
  • Also from Gammons, the Rockies could be preparing to take high school first baseman Dominic Smith with the third overall pick.  ESPN's Keith Law (Twitter link) has also heard rumors to this effect.  It would be something of a surprise pick given that Smith hasn't been projected as a top-ten talent in most major rankings of draft prospects — Law ranks Smith 11th (ESPN Insider subscription required), Baseball America ranks him 14th and MLB.com ranks him 15th.
  • Heyman chimes in with CBS Sports' ranking of the top 30 draft prospects, with Appel topping the list (Smith, incidentally, sits at #20 in this ranking).  One AL scouting director has faint praise for this year's draftee, telling Heyman that the draft class “is not as bad as most folks are saying.''
  • The Orioles like high school catcher Nick Ciuffo, MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko writes, though the club usually tends to look for pitchers in the draft.  The O's have the 22nd overall pick in the first round.
  • The Orioles' draft needs are discussed by MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo in conversation with Daniel Gallen of the Baltimore Sun.  In general, Mayo says the Orioles are looking for players who can help them at the Major League level relatively quickly, with Kevin Gausman serving as "probably the best case scenario" in this regard.
  • The Rays are the only team who has yet to produce a Major League player from their last five amateur drafts, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times illustrates.  The main reason could be that the Rays tend to pursue players with the highest upside, rather than players who could make it to the Majors sooner but in less-impactful roles.
  • Baseball America's Jim Callis' final mock draft predicts that the Astros will take Gray with the first overall pick.  This is very much in flux, however, as Callis doesn't think Houston has yet decided on who it will select with the top pick.
  • Also from Callis, left-hander Sean Manaea's medical records indicated a labrum tear in his hip.  This latest injury concern causes Callis to drop the Indiana State product out of his first round mock entirely, though Callis has heard that teams with mid-first round picks like the Pirates or Phillies could potentially take Manaea.
  • Law's final mock draft (ESPN Insider-only) and Mayo's final mock draft for MLB.com offer differing choices for the Astros' top pick.

Draft Notes: Red Sox, Twins, Gray

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The 2013 amateur draft goes down at 6pm central tomorrow and we'll have wall-to-wall coverage here on MLBTR.  Here's a look at the latest news on the eve of the draft..

  • Picking at No. 7 hasn't changed much about the Red Sox's draft philosophy as they will still take the best player still left on the board, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.  "I've always thought you've got to take the best player," amateur scouting director Amiel Sawdaye said. "That's the way I've been taught. That's the way we've tried to proceed here in the last 10 years, 15 years. That's the way we'll continue to do it."
  • Twins Vice President of Player Personnel Mike Radcliff told Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) that pitcher Jonathan Gray is "still a player you're considering and have a lot of interest in" despite his positive test for Adderall.  After the news broke, ESPN's Keith Law estimated that the news wouldn't harm the Oklahoma product's draft position.
  • Radcliff expects to draft at least seven pitchers with the Twins' first ten picks and at least 20 with their top 40 picks, Wolfson tweets.
  • Matt Eddy of Baseball America looked at graduation rates and the impact that they historically have had on top 100 picks in the draft.  Among other observations, Eddy surmises that teams seem more than willing to players who profile as corner players or second basemen prove themselves in college before committing big bucks to them outside of the first round.

Draft Notes: Appel, Astros, Bryant, Ramirez Jr.

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We're one day away from the 2013 amateur draft. MLBTR will be providing live updates as the first and supplemental rounds progress, and we'll also host a draft chat for those who wish to participate. Here's the latest with just over 24 hours until things kick off…

  • Mark Appel gambled on himself by refusing to sign with the Pirates, and it looks like it's about to pay off, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Heyman adds that there's been extra suggestion of late that the Astros could select Appel first overall this time around. Appel will surely seek "at least" the $7.79MM slot value with the first overall pick, writes Heyman.
  • Meanwhile Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle writes that Appel's signability is still an issue for the Astros. General manager Jeff Luhnow told Ortiz that the Astros will set their own number (in terms of what they'd like to pay), and in some cases they'll be willing to go over or under that number. Luhnow adds: "That's what we did last year, and it worked out great because we were able to maximize what we got for our total pool of resources. We'll use that same strategy this year."
  • In an Insider-only piece, former Nationals GM and ESPN columnist Jim Bowden opines that the Astros should select San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant first overall. He writes that most of the best No. 1 overall picks ever — including Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones, Ken Griffey Jr., Darryl Strawberry and Joe Mauer — are position players. He feels that Bryant, whom he calls the closest to Major League ready of any player in the draft, minimizes Houston's risk.
  • Stan Grossfield of the Boston Globe writes that Manny Ramirez's son, Manny Ramirez Jr., is expected to be drafted out of high school in the middle rounds of the draft. Ramirez Jr. has tremendous work ethic, according to his high school baseball instructors. A Red Sox executive told Grossfield that while Ramirez Jr. has power, Boston isn't likely to draft him. Likewise, Orioles GM Dan Duquette told Grossfield he doesn't know much about Ramirez Jr. The younger Ramirez says he learned quite a bit from interacting with his father's teammates and coaches, including David Ortiz, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Don Mattingly.

New York Notes: A-Rod, Overbay, Francisco, Draft

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The Yankees publicly wish Alex Rodriguez a quick recovery and a return to the lineup, but CBS Sports' Jon Heyman points out that the club may privately hope Rodriguez retires so it can save roughly 80% of the third baseman's remaining salary due to an insurance policy.  Rodriguez would still be paid what he's owed but the Yankees would recoup around $70MM if A-Rod's hip surgery prevents him from taking the field again.

Andy Martino of the New York Daily News has a few more items about both the Bronx Bombers and the Amazins…

  • Lyle Overbay has become a crucial depth piece for the Yankees, which has surprisingly led to the career first baseman playing right field.  With Mark Teixeira's wrist still a question mark, the Yankees doesn't want to lose Overbay but still wants to find playing time for the veteran.
  • The Mets are slightly more likely to draft a college player in Thursday's draft since they feel they're a bit closer to contending.  After taking high schoolers in the first round in each of the last two seasons, the Mets could be tempted to take a player who is closer to contributing at the Major League level.
  • Frank Francisco's two-year, $12MM contract stands out as the most glaring of the errors the Mets have made in trying to fix their bullpen, Martino writes in a separate piece.  Francisco hasn't pitched this season due to an elbow problem and threw what Martino described as "the worst bullpen session [several Mets staffers] could remember" in March during Spring Training.  One of the staffers present said the sesssion "was disgusting" and that Francisco "is either hurt or he doesn’t care.”  Sandy Alderson said he thinks Francisco will pitch in 2013 though the GM gave no timetable about when the right-hander could return.
  • As reported earlier today, the Yankees released outfielder Ben Francisco.

AL West Links: Angels, Morales, Mariners, Baker

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The Astros are 5-16 against the Athletics, Mariners and Rangers this season, but are 7-3 against the Angels following their four-game sweep of the Halos in Anaheim.  After last night's defeat, Angels manager Mike Scioscia held a closed-door team meeting and told reporters (including Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times) that "it seems like these four games, a switch flipped off" for his club.  "A series like this certainly can bring the frustration back into the team.  We can't let that happen," Scioscia said. 

Here's the latest from around the division…

  • The Angels are likely to be buyers or inactive at the trade deadline, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez opines.  Gonzalez would "be shocked" to see the Halos start selling significant talent at the deadline since he doesn't believe they would give up on the 2014 season as well, plus, "the Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton contracts don’t really let you go into rebuild mode."
  • The Mariners have no need to pursue an extension with Kendrys Morales now since they'll have leverage on him in free agency this winter, Dave Cameron of the U.S.S. Mariner blog writes.  If the M's make Morales a qualifying offer after the season, Cameron thinks Morales' market will be very thin since no team was willing to sacrifice a first-round pick as compensation for such a limited player; Adam LaRoche's free agency from last offseason is cited as a comparable.  I profiled Morales as a possible trade candidate back in April, but he is hitting well enough (.299/.364/.491 entering today's play) that Seattle may see him as a long-term answer in their lineup if he keeps it up for the rest of the season.
  • Many Mariners fans are calling for manager Eric Wedge and/or GM Jack Zduriencik to be fired, but Larry Stone of the Seattle Times argues that club president Chuck Armstrong or CEO Howard Lincoln could be ultimately responsible for the Mariners' struggles.  "Under the Armstrong/Lincoln regime, this organization has pretty much been run into the ground over the past decade — except for their ability to turn a profit, which the M’s have done almost every season, good, bad, or worse," Stone writes.
  • Jeff Baker tells MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that the Rangers and Yankees the "main two" suitors for his services last offseason, though "a lot of teams knocked on the door."  Baker signed with Texas in January, before the Yankees' need for corner infield help became so dire.
  • Cavan Biggio is projected to be picked late in the first round or early in the second of Thursday's draft but his famous father isn't putting any pressure on the Astros to pick his son with the 40th overall selection.  "I just didn't want the organization to feel they had to take my son because he's my son. I didn't want my son to feel the Astros took him because he's my son," Craig Biggio tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart and Chris Abshire.  "I stayed away from it, and Jeff [Luhnow] and I have an excellent relationship. We haven't discussed it all, but he knows my feelings where I'm at."  The elder Biggio works as a special assistant to Astros GM Luhnow.

Draft Notes: Moran, Gray, Blue Jays, Mariners, Orioles

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Baseball is a generational game, and it should come as no surprise to hear that many of this year's prospects have relatives involved in the sport.  Conor Glassey of Baseball America ran down some of the more prominent players who have fathers, uncles, brothers and cousins involved in baseball.  Top prospect Colin Moran has major big league ties as his brother is Mariners pitching prospect Brian Moran and his uncles are former outfielder B.J. Surhoff and pitcher Rich Surhoff.  Here's more draft linkage…

  • The Twins would take Oklahoma right-hander Jonathan Gray if he was available when the club was on the board with the fourth overall pick, two sources tell Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com (Twitter link).  It's no surprise the pitching-hungry Twins would take the highly-touted righty, though it would be a mild surprise to see Gray drop to the No. 4 pick, his recent positive test for Adderall notwithstanding.
  • Stanford right-hander Mark Appel tops Keith Law's ranking of the top 100 draft prospects.  While Law thinks Appel is the best talent in this year's draft, he predicted the Astros would take Moran with the first overall pick in his most recent mock draft (an ESPN Insider subscription required for both pieces).
  • Blue Jays amateur scouting director Brian Parker talks to Sportnet's Shi Davidi about the upcoming draft and how the Jays won't have extra compensatory picks for the first time since 2008.
  • The most recent collective bargaining agreement hurt the amateur draft, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star writes, and Griffin believes the system would be improved by a worldwide talent pool draft and allowing picks to be traded.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America spoke with Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith about the Blue Jays' possibilities in the draft.  While there's no Bryce Harper-type player to be found in this year's class, Toronto can still snag a "really good player" at No. 10 overall, in Callis' estimation.  Kohl Stewart is a guy that could intrigue the Blue Jays, but Callis expects the Twins to snag him at No. 4.
  • The Mariners see plenty of promise at the No. 12 pick, writes MLB.com's Greg Johns.  "I keep reading and hearing this is a weak Draft and I always stay away from that," M's scouting director Tom McNamara said. "I think it's fine. Where we're picking, we're fine."  Catcher Reese McGuire is regarded as a top 12 pick by most experts and is right in the Mariners' backyard, but McNamara is predictably tight-lipped about the club's potential interest in him.
  • Callis also checked in with Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com about what we might see the Orioles do.  In two of his three mock drafts so far, Callis has the O's taking South Carolina high school catcher Nick Ciuffo and the BA scribe says that he has gotten some A.J. Pierzynski comps.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

Hoyer On Bullpen, Walks, Feldman, Soriano, Draft

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Cubs GM Jed Hoyer was on Buster Olney's podcast for ESPN today; here are some highlights.

  • The Cubs' bullpen sports a 4.26 ERA, 13th in the National League.  Hoyer knows it needs to get better, and espoused his philosophy: "A big part of it is drafting power arms and having a surplus and inventory of those kind of guys. Usually you draft starters in the draft, and a lot of the best relievers are failed starters and I think you have to really do that year after year after year. I think that's how you end up with a good bullpen. Going out in the offseason and deciding, OK, we're going to spend money on the bullpen, that's a total fool's errand."  Hoyer splurged on Kyuji Fujikawa for two years and $9.5MM this offseason, and he's having Tommy John surgery this month.
  • Regarding the Cubs' inability to draw walks, Hoyer said, "We've got to change up the whole culture. The culture of the Cubs was always, swing early in the count, walks were never something that was emphasized. It's a really slippery slope, you don't want to have a bunch of passive hitters on your team. At the same time, walks are indicative of a good approach at the plate, and we don't have that. We've tried to bring in hitters…Rizzo has a good approach at the plate, DeJesus is excellent, Nate Schierholtz, Valbuena's a good on-base guy. But a lot of the guys we inherited have struggled with that adjustment, and something we have to keep on pounding away at. We've said, if guys we inherited aren't going to do that, we have to find other people because we're just not going to win baseball games if we don't get on base more."
  • It's not true that the Jim Hendry regime ignored walks and OBP til the very end, however.  The Cubs led the NL in walks in 2008, when they won 97 games.  They spent big money on Kosuke Fukudome prior to that season because of his approach at the plate, and signings like Milton Bradley and Carlos Pena were of a similar mindset.  Regarding Hoyer's comment about "guys we inherited," Starlin Castro, Welington Castillo, and Alfonso Soriano all have walk rates below four percent this year.  Then again, so do Schierholtz and Scott Hairston.  And at .334 in his Cubs career, Rizzo hasn't been an OBP machine either.
  • Though Hoyer suggested the team will replace low-OBP players, shortstop Starlin Castro (.294 this year) isn't considered part of the problem.  "He'll figure out the on-base thing," said Hoyer, who says Castro is "just in a slump right now."
  • If there was any doubt, it sounds like the Cubs will be trade deadline sellers once again.  "If you are in a situation where you're not going to compete that year, and you have players that aren't signed for the next year, you're doing a disservice not to acquire young players at that time," said Hoyer.  The Cubs' impending free agents include Matt Garza, Scott Feldman, Carlos Marmol, Dioner Navarro, Shawn Camp, Kevin Gregg, and Ryan Sweeney, while David DeJesus has a club option for 2014.  Hoyer noted that the draft is a line of demarcation, after which teams start talking trade in earnest.
  • The Cubs convinced Feldman to sign by offering an opportunity.  "We told him flat out this winter when we recruited him that he'd be in the rotation and we'd try to give him as many starts as possible," said Hoyer, who admitted being able to offer that kind of opportunity is one of the few nice things about being in a rebuilding situation. 
  • Though the Cubs have "never really been in a huge hurry to move" Alfonso Soriano due to his positive clubhouse influence, Hoyer admitted, "At some point, it may make sense."  Hoyer feels that Soriano might welcome a trade for a chance to get a ring.  Hoyer said Soriano, who has a full no-trade clause, has not given the Cubs a list of teams, preferring to take it on a case-by-case basis.  Back in February, Soriano told reporters there were "six or seven" clubs he's named to the Cubs as acceptable trade destinations, teams in the "east or center."
  • The Cubs pick second in Thursday's draft, and Hoyer noted, "We've really made a concerted effort not to let that #2 pick derail the rest of the draft."  The Cubs have narrowed their list down to four college players, thought to be Mark Appel, Jonathan Gray, Kris Bryant, and Colin Moran.  Tomorrow or even on draft day, Hoyer and company will whittle their list and take the best player on their board that doesn't go to the Astros first overall.
  • How have Hoyer and Cubs president Theo Epstein done since taking over in fall 2011?  Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald judges their major moves.

Gray, Blair Test Positive For Banned Stimulant

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9:56pm: Marshall right-hander Aaron Blair also tested positive for Adderall, reports Conor Glassey of Baseball America. Blair ranked as the No. 41 draft prospect, per BA.

Glassey spoke to a pair of front office executives from different teams, and each believed Gray's usage was a one-time mistake that won't be held against him. A source close to Blair told Glassey that his usage was also a one-time instance.

5:18pm: ESPN's Keith Law reports that Oklahoma right-hander Jonathan Gray, projected to be one of the Top 5 picks in Thursday's MLB draft, has tested positive for Adderall — a stimulant which is banned by the Joint Drug Agreement between MLB and the players' union. According to Law, the test will not result in a suspension, and it's not likely to cause him to slip in the draft.

In fact, in a second piece (this one for ESPN Insiders only), Law outlines a scenario in which this test could actually make Gray more appealing to the Astros with the first overall pick. Law writes that Gray's bonus demands will be lower due to the poor result. One source told Law he expects Gray to sign for a "huge" discount. In that scenario, the Astros could likely sign Gray below slot with the first pick and allocate some of the additional funds to later players without risk of exceeding their bonus pool.

Adderall is typically prescribed as a treatment for ADHD, but Gray did not have a prescription for the drug. In Law's first piece, he notes that more than 110 active players were granted exemptions to use the drug in 2012. Carlos Ruiz's 25-game suspension to open the season was the result of using Adderall without a prescription, he adds. Most teams that Law has spoken to thus far aren't overly troubled by Gray's test, though it does bring his judgment into question.

Draft Notes: Mock, Expert Draft, Mets, Phillies

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It's draft week!  On Thursday, the first 73 players will be chosen in MLB's first-year player draft.  Draft order can be found here.  The latest info:

  • Need a refresher on MLB draft basics?  Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca has you covered.
  • How about a fresh mock draft from ESPN's Keith Law?  Law is hearing high school righty Phil Bickford at #8 to the Royals, though he doesn't seem a fan of the idea.  Law's mock draft requires a subscription, but is chock full of info and is well worth it.
  • Baseball America editors John Manuel, Jim Callis, Conor Glassey, and Nathan Rode participated in an expert draft, taking turns making picks for teams.
  • The Mets are targeting a college hitter in the draft, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  He suggests D.J. Peterson, Hunter Renfroe, Austin Wilson, and Aaron Judge as possibilities.  The Mets draft 11th, and Law went with high school first baseman Dominic Smith.
  • The Phillies pick 16th, their earliest since Gavin Floyd was chosen fourth overall in '01.  Assistant general manager of amateur scouting Marti Wolever told Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com, "One guy in particular I saw last year and I thought he was one of the best position players I saw last year. I think maybe there is a chance we can snag him this year. I hope so. I have my fingers crossed."

Quick Hits: Profar, Rodriguez, Kawasaki, Cubs

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The Rangers should seriously consider trading Jurickson Profar, Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. Galloway argues that, despite Davis' strong 2012 and brilliant start in 2013, he won't criticize Jon Daniels' 2011 trade of Chris Davis (and Tommy Hunter) for Koji Uehara, because the trade was intended to position Texas for a World Series run, and the Rangers did in fact make it to the World Series. If the Rangers can arrange a Profar trade that sets them up for another run at a title, Galloway argues that they should make the deal and live with the results. Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine, however, tells ESPN's Jim Bowden that, while the Rangers will likely be active at this year's trade deadline, they plan to keep Profar, Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler, rather than dealing one of them (both links via Twitter).

As a side note, Galloway calls the Davis/Uehara deal "the worst MLB trade of this decade," even though he refrains from criticizing Daniels for it. Uehara was excellent for the Rangers, particularly in 2012, but he's since moved on, and Davis is currently hitting .357/.440/.754 with 20 home runs for the Orioles. Here are more notes from around baseball.

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman discusses Alex Rodriguez's ten-year, $275MM contract in an interview with ESPN's Buster Olney. Rodriguez and the Yankees are currently in the sixth year of the deal, and Rodriguez will make $86MM from 2014 through 2017. Rodriguez has not yet played in 2013. "Alex would even tell you he couldn't live up to [the contract]," Cashman says. "Hopefully he can return to being, at the very least, an above-average player at that position."
  • When Jose Reyes returns, the Blue Jays will have to decide what to do with Munenori Kawasaki, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star writes. Due to the Jays' contractual obligations to Maicer Izturis and the presence of Emilio Bonifacio and Mark DeRosa, there would appear to be no space for Kawasaki once Reyes returns. Griffin suggests that the trade market for Izturis could be better than that of Kawasaki, though the Jays might have to pay some of the approximately $9MM remaining on Izturis' contract.
  • Cubs manager Dale Sveum is hoping for an infusion of arms in this week's draft, Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune reports. "Obviously pitching is what you want to get in the organization as much as you possibly can," says Sveum. When the Cubs make the No. 2 overall selection, either Oklahoma's Jonathan Gray or Stanford's Mark Appel, or perhaps both, will still be on the board.
  • Twins GM Terry Ryan discusses the role of general managers in the draft in an interview with 1500ESPN's Phil Mackey. GMs generally get credit or blame for their draft picks, but other front office personnel may be more responsible for those picks. "My role would be to take the blame when we don't do well, but I also get the praise when we do well. That's not fair," says Ryan. For example, Ryan discusses his role in the selection of Ben Revere, the No. 28 overall pick in the 2007 Draft. "That's a pick that I got praise for I think at the time. I didn't have anything to do with Ben Revere. (Our scouts) did. They all had seen him a lot. I get the praise. 'Good pick, there you go Terry.' Hell, I never even saw (Revere)."
  • Quintin Berry, who was recently designated for assignment by the Tigers, could make it through waivers and wind up back with Triple-A Toledo, MLB.com's Jason Beck tweets. Given that Berry is 28 and has hit just .168/.278/.234 so far for Toledo this season, that seems to be a fairly likely scenario.
  • When the Blue Jays begin a series in San Francisco Tuesday night, Melky Cabrera will face Giants fans for the first time since being suspended last August for failing a PED test, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm reports. Cabrera vanished after receiving word of the suspension, not talking to the San Francisco media. He then signed a two-year, $16MM contract with the Jays in the offseason. Cabrera says he isn't concerned with how the fans will react to his return. "I don't worry about that, it's up to the fans. It's nothing I have control of," Cabrera explains. "I'm just going to play the game. If they decide to boo, that's fine. If they decide to cheer, that's fine with me, too. But, I'm not going to worry about that."
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