Draft Odds and Ends: Phillies, Red Sox, Brewers
Some draft-themed links…
- Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports that the Phillies signed their top draft pick, centerfielder Kelly Dugan.
- Being drafted by the Red Sox was only the start of an amazing day for Chris Costantino, according to John Gillooly of the Providence Journal.
- Adam McCalvy of MLB.com writes about the unusual good luck charm the Brewers used during the draft.
- John Branch of the New York Times profiles Alibay Barkley, the last player chosen in this year's draft.
- The number of draftees coming out of MLB's Urban Youth Academy rose again this year, according to Lisa Winston of MLB.com.
Draft Roundup: Late Picks, Strasburg, Purke
Time to pass along some more links, including some noteworthy selections late in the draft…
- The Philadelphia Daily News notes that the Phillies drafted Robert Amaro, the nephew of GM Ruben Amaro Jr.
- Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Cubs drafted high schooler Joey Jocketty, the son of Reds GM Walt Jocketty.
- There's another Porcello in the Tigers organization. MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that the Tigers drafted Jake Porcello, Rick's brother.
- MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger writes that the Angels drafted Asaad Ali, the son of Muhammad Ali, in the 40th round.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer responds to MLBTR's discussion, and says the Nationals have to determine how much it would cost to sign Stephen Strasburg before they know how to proceed. He adds that it's impossible to know how much goodwill the Nats would lose with their fans if they don't sign him
- Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram argues the Rangers "absolutely have to sign" first round pick Matt Purke. The only question, is: who pays?
Stark On Rockies, Angels, Pierre
In his latest article, Jayson Stark also discusses the many Rockies and Angels thought to be available. Here are the latest rumors:
- The Phillies are "hunting quietly" for right-handed outfielders. Ryan Spilborghs is on their radar.
- One official said Dan O'Dowd would consider moving "anyone" on the Rockies.
- The Rangers are believed to be watching Huston Street closely.
- Jason Marquis could become available too, but some think the Rockies should hang on, given his success.
- The Angels seem willing to listen on Mike Napoli, Jeff Mathis and their entire infield, which consists of Kendry Morales, Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar and Chone Figgins.
- They appear to have interest in young, high-upside pitchers, which could mean they're unsure they'll re-sign John Lackey after the season.
- The Dodgers are "sending out signals" that Juan Pierre could be available when Manny Ramirez returns. It's unclear whether the Dodgers would pick up any of the $15MM or so remaining on Pierre's contract.
- Among top starters, Erik Bedard is "most frequently connected with the Phillies," but many people around baseball doubt he would fit in Philadelphia.
- Phillies prospects Lou Marson and Michael Taylor are likely available, but J.A. Happ, Antonio Bastardo, Dominic Brown, Kyle Drabek, Jason Knapp, Jason Donald and Carlos Carrasco would be much harder to acquire.
- One scout thinks the Pirates may have acquired three future stars for Nate McLouth.
Rosenthal On Spilborghs, Peavy, Aybar
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that teams began calling the Rockies about Ryan Spilborghs last week when Carlos Gonzalez was called up. Here are the details from Rosenthal's column:
- The Phillies, Red Sox and Tigers were among the teams inquiring about Spilborghs.
- The Rockies will likely take their time fielding offers for Spilborghs and their other trade candidates. Jason Marquis, Huston Street and Brad Hawpe could all be dealt, but the Rockies aren't in a hurry to part with them.
- Rosenthal finds it hard to imagine the Padres trading Jake Peavy before the offseason unless the Cubs get permission to take on his contract or a surprise bidder emerges.
- The Angels could trade Erick Aybar for a bat or a reliever and make Brandon Wood their everyday shortstop. The Red Sox, Mets, Royals and Cardinals could use help at short.
- The A's, riding a seven game win streak, are not involved in any trade talks right now.
- The Angels would love to deal Gary Matthews Jr. for another overpaid player, but it's tough to match up bad contracts.
- The Mets made a "blunder" when they paid $36MM for Oliver Perez when they could have gone after, Randy Wolf, who's only guaranteed $5MM.
Odds & Ends: Draft, Cardinals, Mets
A dosage of mostly vague, speculative links to calm the nerves before tomorrow's draft:
- Derrick Goold at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gives part 2 of his rundown of potential picks for the Cardinals.
- Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe talked to one former scouting director who says the Nats should think "long and hard" before selecting Stephen Strasburg.
- The Phillies have to wait until the 75th pick for their first draft selection, and David Gurian-Peck at MLB.com says they're leaning toward a high school player.
- Dan Connolly at the Baltimore Sun dishes on the Orioles' draft options at pick no. 5. President Andy MacPhail says he's not afraid to dole out a large bonus.
- Mark Bowman at MLB.com talked to Braves head of scouting Roy Clark and speculates the Braves will pursue pitching with the seventh pick.
- Paul Hoynes at the Cleveland Plain-Dealer relays the opinion of Indians director of amateur scouting Brad Grant that the MLB draft needs a medical combine.
- Matthew Cerrone at MetsBlog is fielding questions for an exclusive interview with Mets skipper Jerry Manuel.
Odds & Ends: Phillies, Moore, Draft
Three years ago today, four current big leaguers were selected on day two of the 2006 MLB Draft: Derek Holland of the Rangers, Daniel Murphy of the Mets, David Robertson of the Yankees, and Clay Zavada of the Diamondbacks. Here's some lazy Sunday afternoon linkage for you.
- Sam Mellinger tweets that current Royals' and ex-Phillies' executive Mike Arbuckle says that his biggest regret is drafting Reggie Taylor over Roy Halladay in the first round of the 1995 Draft. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Arbuckle isn't alone with that sentiment.
- Jim Salisbury runs through the Phillies' trade chips.
- Royals' GM Dayton Moore says that his team isn't in need of any major changes right now, via Bob Dutton. “We are constantly evaluating our internal options to improve our team, and specifically our offense. And we’re always looking for opportunities to improve our team through trades or the waiver wire, and we’ll always be aggressive in trying to do that. But I’m confident that we will begin to perform better and play as we did in the first 30 games of the year. That’s all I can focus on.”
- Meanwhile, Rany Jazayerli suggests a move for the Royals: trade for Jeff Francoeur. His reasoning: buy low on someone with gobs of talent.
- Texas high school outfielder Randal Grichuk made a name for himself by hitting a few homers during a predraft workout at Busch Stadium, according to Derrick Goold.
- Ross Ohlendorf's thesis shows that the rate of return of the top 100 picks from the 1989-2003 drafts was about 60%.
Price’s Latest: Draft, Red Sox, Astros, Giants
Ed Price of MLB FanHouse has a new article up, with notes on the draft and around the Majors.
- Price writes, "'The bottom line is there is a consensus,' said an industry source who monitors the draft closely, 'and that consensus is: There's no consensus after [Stephen] Strasburg.' The source said he has counted 63 players who could be taken in the 32 choices of the first round."
- Price also gives us an industry insiders "educated guess on the top five: Strasburg to Washington, [North Carolina's Dustin] Ackley to Seattle, Vanderbilt lefty Mike Minor to San Diego, former Missouri right-hander Aaron Crow to Pittsburgh and Georgia high-school right-hander Zack Wheeler to Baltimore."
- Due to free-agent compensation picks and "the rule that gives a team that fails to sign a high choice a corresponding pick the next year", the White Sox have 3 of the first 61 picks. Arizona has 7 of the first 64. Colorado has 3 of the first 34. The Angels have 5 of the first 48.
- The Mets first pick is 72nd overall. The Phillies first is 75th.
- The first three rounds of the draft are this Tuesday, with the first round on MLB Network.
- The Astros are not in "dump mode," says Price. Quoting a person familiar with Drayton McLane, "'His track record is when everybody says you should dismantle [he doesn't]," the person said. 'He's been so lucky.'"
- With Jed Lowrie returning and the ballclub winning, the Red Sox are not looking to add a bat and instead can wait to see if David Ortiz improves.
- The Giants want a bat, but they won't give up premium young pitching.
A Penny For Phillies’ Staff?
MLB.com's Todd Zolecki is reporting that the Phillies have been following Boston's Brad Penny, and have been told the price for Penny is Jason Donald. Buster Olney had reported this as well.
Donald has struggled early, but it is hard to believe the Phillies would make such a deal. If they see the guy who pitched 208 innings of 3.03 ERA baseball for the Dodgers in 2007, maybe. But Penny is at 6.04 ERA in 149 innings ever since, and it is hard to see Penny as enough of an upgrade to warrant dealing one of your best middle infield prospects.
Zolecki also reports that the Phils don't seem to view Tom Glavine or Vicente Padilla as options. Hard to believe the Phils would take on another Jamie Moyer-like pitcher in Glavine, or deal for a pitcher, Padilla, they dealt away for very little a few years ago.
Realistically, none of these pitchers is likely to pitch better than Antonio Bastardo, who was dominant at Double-A Reading.
Draft Updates: Red Sox, Rays, Angels, Phillies
Here's what five of last year's playoff teams plan to do with their draft choices…
- MLB.com's Ian Browne says the Red Sox are happy to be selecting 28th because it means they were successful in the majors last year.
- Like the Red Sox, the Rays pick late, but they're not used to it, having had the first overall pick the last two years. As MLB.com's Bill Chastain reports the Rays are considering 15 or 20 players with their 30th pick and there's some speculation they could go for a catcher.
- The Cubs are focusing on doing well deep into the draft according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Their first pick will be the 31st overall.
- The Phillies' first pick will come after 74 players have already been selected. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports that they'd like to add more bats and left-handed pitching.
- The Angels, on the other hand, have five of the first 48 picks. MLB.com's Lyle Spencer says they'd like to add some power at the corner infield and outfield positions. They're one of many teams interested in high school outfielder Everett Williams.
And some buzz surrounding the nation's top amateur players…
- ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill hears that the Mariners may be intimidated by the demands Scott Boras will likely make for his client, Dustin Ackley. He's considered the best college hitter in the draft, but the Mariners are apparently not willing to offer more than $6MM to sign him. Aaron Crow could be an alternative for the Mariners.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law believes it would be a mistake for the Padres to take Mike Minor with the third pick. Check the article out for more updates on some top talent.
- In a separate piece Law tracks the improvements some players- Stephen Strasburg, for one- make between high school and college.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Peavy, Glavine, Yankees, Phillies
On this date nine years ago, the Marlins selected Adrian Gonzalez with the first pick of the amateur draft. The 16-year-old would sign a deal later that day that included a $3MM signing bonus. Two trades later, Gonzalez leads the National League with 22 home runs. The 2009 draft is in four days, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- Goat Riders of the Apocalypse propose a three-way deal in which the Cubs would send Carlos Zambrano to the White Sox and the Padres would send Jake Peavy to the Cubs.
- River Ave. Blues takes a look at what the Yankees may need before the trade deadline and who they may be able to deal with.
- Phlavio's Corner has a list of 20 players that could be moved and where each might end up.
- The Ghost of Moonlight Graham analyzes the early returns on some of the trades from this past offseason.
- Jorge Says No! argues that the Mariners might be better off moving Russell Branyan sooner rather than later.
- MLB Notebook comes up with a list of five clubs that could land Tom Glavine.
- Dodgers Rumors feels that Glavine is a perfect fit for the Dodgers.
- We Should Be GM's says the Phillies need to add a starting pitcher now and generates a list of players to target.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.