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2013 Amateur Draft

Draft Notes: Cubs, Brewers

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The 2013 amateur draft begins Thursday evening with the first 73 picks, continues Friday with rounds 3-10, and concludes Saturday with rounds 11-40. The Astros have the first selection in the draft and nearly half of MLBTR readers believe Oklahoma's Jonathan Gray will be the one to hear his name called. Earlier today, we learned Gray, Stanford's Mark Appel, San Diego's Kris Bryant, and North Carolina's Colin Moran are the Astros' top possibilities, with high school outfielder Clint Frazier a distant fifth. Let's take a look at today's other draft notes:

  • The Cubs have spent most of their recent draft prep discussing their second and third round selections (41st and 75th overall) rather than who to take with the second overall choice, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. "We’ve probably discussed No. 2 for about two hours of the four days we’ve been here," said Jason McLeod, the Cubs' senior vice president for scouting and player development. "We’ll get into those guys more this week."
  • Those guys are Gray, Appel, Bryant, and Moran, according to Muskat in that same piece.
  • McLeod doesn't want the Cubs to pigeonhole themselves into using the second overall pick on need (starting pitching); but, instead are looking for a player "to provide significant impact and hopefully get us to where we want to go on a consistent basis," writes Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald. 
  • The Brewers are confident they will land a big league talent even though their first pick won't come until the second round at number 54, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I enjoy the challenge," Brewers amateur scouting director Bruce Seid told Haudricout. "You might miss the chance for a so-called impact player in the first round but there will be some (future) big-leaguers in there. We've just got to find them." The Brewers forfeited their first round draft choice (17th overall) when they signed free agent Kyle Lohse.
  • Within that same column, Haudricourt blames the Brewers' current woes, as well as a farm system thin on projected impact players, on their failure in the 2008 and 2009 drafts. The Brewers had 11 selections in the first two rounds of those drafts and none of those players have spent a day with the club at the MLB level and the top six picks in the 2008 draft are no longer with the organization.
  • Many teams have held pre-Draft workouts to get a better look at the prospects. MLB.com's Adam McCalvy provided an inside look at those workouts from the viewpoint of a former participant, Milwaukee outfielder Logan Schafer, who attended a Brewers' workout in 2008 and was later drafted by the team in the third round that year.  

Phillies Notes: Brown, Draft, Smith

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While some people were down on Domonic Brown, who had just 12 career Major League homers entering the season and hit .233/.309/.372 this April, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel believed that he could put together a streak of success at the plate, writes MLB.com’s Stephen Pianovich.  “I’ve made statements about guys like Jim Thome, Brian Giles, guys like that,” Manuel said. “And I’ve had guys in meetings say ’I’m going to tell you to shut up.’ By the end of the year, they don’t tell me to shut up. Seriously, I can name you a lot of guys. That’s part of loving the game. That’s also part of stand up and put what you see.”  Here’s more out of Philly, courtesy of Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer..

  • The Phillies are likely to grab a position player with the 16th overall pick in the draft, according to Brookover.  Assistant GM Marti Wolever admitted that he likes first baseman Dominic Smith who comes from the same high school in Northern California that produced Barry Bonds, Jim Fregosi, and Gregg Jefferies.
  • The Phillies can look to the rival Braves and Nationals for a reminder of how important the draft is, writes Brookover.  The Nats have eight players on their 25-man roster that they drafted from 2007-2011 while the Phillies have just four in Justin De Fratus (rd. 11, 2007), Michael Stutes (rd. 11, 2008), Tyler Cloyd (rd. 18, 2008), Joe Savery (18th overall, 2007).
  • More from Brookover, who writes that the outfield is an issue in the club’s farm system.  Meanwhile, Brown is an example of a draft risk on an outfielder that paid off.  “I know they picked him in the 20th round, but everybody thought he was going to play football and they gave him a lot of money,” the scout said.  Brown got a $200K bonus from the Phillies, which was quite high for a player taken that late in the draft.

Draft Notes: Astros, Moran, Gray

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Although it has been rumored that the Astros may draft North Carolina third baseman Colin Moran with the No. 1 overall pick, it's an unlikely scenario, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.  While Moran could be signed to an under-slot deal as the Astros did last year with top selection Carlos Correa, Moran lacks the legitimate No.1 talent of Correa.  Callis argues that although skimping on their first round pick would allow the club to spend more in other parts of the draft, he does not think the talent in later rounds is worthy of large bonuses.  Here is a look at some more news from June’s amateur draft..

  • Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle tweets that Jonathan Gray tops the Astros draft board with fellow right-hander Mark Appel a close second.  Sluggers Kris Bryant and Moran round out their current top four according to Smith.
  • Front office personnel have to adapt to changes in the draft process, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.  General Manager Jack Zduriencik of the Mariners and Rays Executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman have adjusted to new rules concerning spending, the ability to trade picks, and may soon have to navigate an international draft as well.  Although an international draft will not place until at least 2015, Friedman is ready for that type of event, which in his opinion would alter “the game theory of the draft.”
  • Gonzaga left-hander Marco Gonzales is a likely first-rounder, reports Terry Frei of the Denver Post. The Colorado native was selected by the Rockies in the 29th round in 2010, but has significantly improved his draft stock since then, likely falling somewhere between the Rockies' first two picks at No. 3 and No. 42.

Max Fogle contributed to this post.

Manaea Won’t Come At Discounted Price

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It wasn't long ago that Indiana State left-hander Sean Manaea was considered to be a potential No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft. Manaea dominated the Cape Cod League last summer, and scouts were enamored by the big lefty's size, velocity, slider and command. This season, a hip flexor issue has led to less-than-stellar results, and it's caused his draft stock to slip. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo writes that Manaea could be the biggest wild card in the draft and makes the near-impossible task of creating an accurate mock draft that much more difficult.

Mayo also spoke with Manaea's advisor — the infamous Scott Boras. Boras told Mayo that teams will not get Manaea at a discount if he falls in the draft, because the hip issue isn't serious nor is it permanent:

"I’m going to put a value on these kids, because medically, I know they’re fine. It’s illustrated it’s temporary and will be resolved. There’s no shoulder or elbow problem. He had a hip flexor problem. He was instructed, you can go pitch, you’re not going to hurt yourself.”

Boras suggested that it would be "crazy" for teams to let this issue get in the way of drafting Manaea. As many have come to expect from the always quotable Boras, he even tried to spin it as a positive by pointing out that the injury limited the mileage on Manaea's arm by limiting his innings.

In Mayo's most recent mock draft, he had Manaea going to the Cardinals at No. 19 overall. The recommended bonus for that slot, he notes, is $2.0558MM, but if Boras' comments are any indication, Manaea will require a far greater bonus to sign.

If he falls far enough, Manaea strikes me as an ideal target for a team that drafts a player who can be signed significantly below slot-value with its first pick. Should Manaea fall out of the first round, a team could employ a strategy similar to that of the Astros last season, when they signed Carlos Correa well below slot value at No. 1 overall and then landed Lance McCullers Jr. in the supplemental round and Rio Ruiz in the fourth round. All of that, of course, is speculation. As Mayo noted, Manaea argubaly represents the draft's biggest wild card.

Twins Notes: Draft, International Free Agents

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Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN has a tremendous amount of information on the upcoming MLB draft in the most recent edition of his weekly "Scoops" column. Here are some highlights from his highly informative piece (though there is much more to see in the full column)…

  • Twins VP of player personnel Mike Radcliff spoke with Wolfson at length Wednesday afternoon and said that the team's draft board for the No. 4 overall pick is down to four players: "We have enough guys we have no problem taking," Radcliff said. "Dollars, risk, creativity, we can go many ways."
  • Wolfson adds that at least one of the potential players would be someone the Twins could sign well below slot value, in order to spend more heavily on their second- and third-round picks. He adds that that player is likely high school catcher Reese McGuire, as has been rumored occasionally over the past few weeks. Asked about McGuire, Radcliff side-stepped the question a bit: "Well, we want a catcher every draft," he said. "Looking for a star catcher is the hardest thing to find."
  • The Twins have had a scout in attendance to see "every pitch" from Kohl Stewart over the past couple of years. Radcliff and scouting director Deron Johnson have seen him multiple times.
  • The Twins have a great relationship with Matt Sosnick and Adam Karon, who are advising McGuire and Nevada right-hander Braden Shipley. They're believed to be more interested in McGuire than Shipley. Sosnick, the agent for current Twins Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit, also advises high school arms Matt Krook and Andrew Church, plus San Francisco right-hander Alex Balog and Cal infielder Andrew Knapp. Each of those prospects ranks in the Top 100, per Baseball America.
  • Johnson has seen Arkansas righty Ryne Stanek numerous times, and the Twins have done more work on him than any team in this year's top 10.
  • High school lefty Hunter Green, who ranks as the draft's No. 31 prospect (per BA), is among the prospects who will attend a workout for the Twins on Monday. High school outfielder Austin Meadows did not attend a recent workout the team held for Georgia-area prospects.
  • The Twins aren't likely to pursue Minnesota high school outfielder Ryan Boldt with their second pick (No. 43). They will look at another hometown product in Gophers lefty Tom Windle at that spot, however. Boldt was considered a first-round talent before a meniscus tear ended his season. He hopes to be ready to play by August. 
  • The Twins have the fourth-largest pool to sign international prospects this year, and Radcliff says they will be "major players" in this year's market. Wolfson adds that the Twins very much like Dominican outfielder Lewin Diaz.
  • The team didn't have scouts in attendance to watch Japanese hurlers Shohei Otani and Masahiro Tanaka in Japan this past week.

Draft Notes: Moran, Gray, Astros, Appel, Twins

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Third baseman Colin Moran is shooting up draft boards and Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears that he could even go first overall to the Astros.  Could the UNC product jump past both Jonathan Gray and Mark Appel to be the top choice in the 2013 draft?  Here's today's draft links..

  • Senior scouting officials from the Astros met with Gray during the recent Big 12 Tournament, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.
  • Appel made the right call in not taking the Pirates' offer in 2012 and re-entering the draft this year, suggest sources of ESPN's Jason Churchill.
  • The latest mock draft from Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) has Moran slated to go to the Astros.  Law doesn't think Houston will make a formal decision on the pick until Thursday, but the buzz within the industry has them leaning towards Moran.  The reasoning is that the third baseman's next-best alternative is to go No. 5 to Cleveland, where his slot value is less than $3.8MM.  Because of that, the Astros could offer him about $4MM or so and know he'd accept it.  The value of the No. 1 pick is $7.2MM, which would leave the Astros with enough to grab top talents who fall to picks 40 and 74.  They could take Gray but they wouldn't pocket much by doing that and they're not on Clint Frazier or Kris Bryant.  Appel doesn't seem to be one of their top two options either.  Also noteworthy – Law's scenario has Gray falling to the Indians at No. 5.
  • Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com's mock draft has Gray going No. 1 followed by Appel and Bryant.  At No. 4, Mayo now has right-hander Kohl Stewart going to the Twins.  Yesterday, Twins VP Mike Radcliff told Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN that he won't rule out Stewart due to his diabetes.

Quick Hits: Yankees, Chamberlain, Royals, Twins, Draft

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Based on roster surplus and thin relief market, it wouldn't be a surprise to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link) if the Yankees moved Joba Chamberlain sometime before July 31st.  The Rangers were keeping an eye on Chamberlain, who is finally back in action after resting a strained oblique, before the season started and its possible that the once-promising prospect could attract some attention between now and the deadline.  The Bombers could afford to part with the 27-year-old thanks to the recent emergence of Shawn Kelley and rookie Preston Claiborne in the bullpen.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • The Royals' struggles could cost manager Ned Yost his job, but not just yet, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  Knobler spoke with GM Dayton Moore earlier today and gets the impression that he is prepared to stand behind Yost.
  • Twins vice president Mike Radcliff told Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter) that he wouldn't rule out taking high school pitcher Kohl Stewart with the No. 4 pick due to his diabetes.  Radcliff and scouting director Deron Johnson (link) have been closely watching Stewart and have seen him throw a number of times.  
  • Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com was surprised to see the Angels designate Mark Lowe for assignment in order to make room on the roster for Jered Weaver.  Gonzalez notes that Michael Kohn, Garrett Richards, Dane De La Rosa, and Robert Coello could all be optioned, but the move to DFA Lowe instead is an indication of how well they are throwing.  Coello is looking particularly strong so far this season thanks in part to his modified forkball.

Draft Notes: Moran, Appel, Pirates, Int’l Draft

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Yesterday, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told ESPN's Buster Olney that he's less-than-thrilled with the depth in this year's draft.  However, you'll be hard pressed to find scouts that aren't high on the talent near the top of the boards.  Here's the latest draft news..

  • UNC third baseman Colin Moran is moving up draft boards and some say he might even go first overall to the Astros, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  However, Jonathan Gray, Mark Appel, and Kris Bryant are generally viewed as the top three players in the draft. 
  • Speaking of Appel, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com writes that he has no regrets about his decision to return to Stanford last year rather than sign with the Pirates.  "I tried to shield myself from it," Appel said of talk that he only returned to school to land more money this year. "But when you're on Twitter and anyone can say anything behind a keyboard without having to say it to your face, people will show their true colors. I saw a lot of people calling me greedy and things like that. Initially, it affected me, because I don't think anyone likes it when people don't like you. Then I realized that these people don't know me. All they know is I turned down $3.8MM."
  • The international draft talk is raising job security concerns amongst scouts, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America.  Some area scouts are worried about being moved to part-time status or losing their jobs altogether, particularly in countries that don’t produce a high volume of talent.  In the long term, scouts are concerned that if a draft leads to a decrease in the number of players signed in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, then that could hurt scouting jobs in those countries as well.  However, most international directors say that they aren't planning on changing much if an international draft is put into place.

Quick Hits: Boras, Draft, Cubs, Dietrich

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Scott Boras isn't generally in favor of pre-free agency extensions, but he ultimately lets his players decide for themselves, he tells Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. "I don’t think there’s any question that the reason a club offers a player guarantees when they don’t have to is they deem it to be beneficial to them — just by the nature that they offer them," says Boras. "So if the club is doing something beneficial for the club, obviously most likely it’s not beneficial to the player." Regardless, Boras' general stance doesn't mean he's not open to pre-free agency deals in certain situations — he himself cites the Carlos Gonzalez and Elvis Andrus deals, both of which he negotiated. The discussion comes in the context of questions about a potential extension for the Mets' Matt Harvey, but that doesn't sound particularly likely, given that Boras represents him and he turned down a substantial bonus offer after being drafted out of high school by the Angels. Here are more notes from around the majors.

  • The Cubs, who have the second overall pick in the upcoming draft, will choose between four players: Oklahoma pitcher Jonathan Gray, Stanford pitcher Mark Appel, San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant, and UNC third baseman Colin Moran. MLB.com's Carrie Muskat notes that they'll get another chance to watch all except Appel, since Oklahoma, USD and UNC are all in the field of 64 for the NCAA Division I baseball championship. Just over 50% of you predict that Astros will select Gray with the first overall pick, which would leave the Cubs to choose from Appel, Bryant and Moran.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos characterizes this year's draft as "a down year" in a podcast interview with ESPN's Buster Olney. "It's just not nearly as deep. That being said, there's going to be a bunch of really good big-league players that come out of this draft," just as is the case every year, Anthopoulos says. Anthopoulos also notes the Blue Jays have had a difficult time figuring out who might fall to them with the No. 10 overall pick and who to select when the time comes. "There's really no clear-cut player with the players who are going to be remaining," he says.
  • Cubs reliever Kevin Gregg isn't interested in talking about the trade deadline, Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago reports. "I almost look at it as a little disrespectful to the guys on the team that are here because this is a good product," says Gregg. "This isn’t like we’re getting our butts kicked on a daily basis and they’re looking to clean house. … To be looking at what the future holds in June or July is worthless to me." Gregg says he still hopes the Cubs will wind up in contention, although that possibility seems remote, given that the team is 13 games back in the NL Central and that the three teams ahead of them all have one of the best records in baseball so far this year.
  • Second baseman Derek Dietrich, who was traded from the Rays to the Marlins last December for Yunel Escobar, is finding it strange to be at Tropicana Field as a visiting player, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports. "It is a little weird being in this side of the clubhouse," says Dietrich. "The Rays do a great job in raising their players. They really prepare you to be a successful big leaguer. I definitely got better in their organization. I appreciate everything they did for me, giving me that first opportunity. But I'm happy to be here, and be with the Marlins." The Rays picked Dietrich in the second round of the 2010 Draft. He's hitting .237/.308/.424 in 59 at bats in his rookie season with Miami.

Draft Notes: Gray, Appel, Bryant, Int’l Draft

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Earlier today, Tim Dierkes asked MLBTR readers who they think will go No. 1 overall in the 2013 draft.  More than 51% of you say that Oklahoma right-hander Jonathan Gray will go to the Astros with the top pick while Mark Appel came in second with roughly 30% of the vote.  Here's the latest on the upcoming draft..

  • Have you fallen behind on the latest draft news?  Baseball America (sub. req'd) has you covered with profiles of their top 500 prospects.  After Gray, Appel, and Kris Bryant – who could very well be the top three picks – outfielders Clint Frazier, Kohl Stewart, and Austin Meadows round out the top six.
  • Kiley McDaniel of ScoutingBaseball.com posted his second mock draft yesterday, with the Astros taking Appel and the Cubs taking Gray.  McDaniel offers thoughts on each of his 33 projected first round picks, so be sure to check it out.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America fielded reader questions in a draft mailbag earlier today.  One reader asks which two-way guy in the draft has the most potential with the talent they won’t be drafted for, similar to Stetson Allie.  Callis believes that the player with the best fallback plan is Indiana high schooler Trey Ball, who likely will be a top-10-overall choice as a lefthanded pitcher but could also wind up as an outfielder.
  • Ben Badler of Baseball America has nine questions that MLB must address if they want to implement an international draft.  First and foremost, baseball must figure out which countries will be lumped into the draft and which ones won't, Badler writes.
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