Keith Law’s First-Day Draft Reactions
ESPN's Keith Law found yesterday's first round insane. To fully understand why you should join ESPN Insider and read his piece, which I heartily recommend. A few highlights:
- Law found it interesting that the Brewers snagged high school righty Dylan Covey at #14, because they are a team in need of more immediate rotation help. GM Doug Melvin explained to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that scouting director Bruce Seid deserves credit for not taking the easy path in the form of a college hurler. On yesterday's conference call, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith learned that Covey feels there's a "really good chance" he'll sign rather than attend the University of San Diego.
- Law felt that the Reds took the best player available at #12 in college catcher Yasmani Grandal, and having strong catching depth in the system will not be a bad thing.
- The Cardinals drew praise for landing college third baseman Zack Cox, who surprisingly fell to #25.
- The Red Sox and Angels' many first-round picks were lauded by Law. College righty Anthony Ranaudo was an intriguing choice by the Red Sox. The Boras client was considered one of the draft's top talents before suffering a stress reaction in his forearm. WEEI's Alex Speier has more on Boston's three picks.
- The biggest surprise of the draft had to be the Cubs taking college righty Hayden Simpson at #16, who was not considered a first rounder by most draft gurus. Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken told Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune he had it confirmed that other clubs would've taken Simpson before the Cubs picked again at #65. The Yankees' selection of high school shortstop Cito Culver at #32 was another surprise.
- The Dodgers took a very tough sign in high school pitcher Zach Lee, who has a commitment to play football at LSU. Dodgers assistant GM Logan White insisted to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times that the team did not purposely take an unsignable player to save money.
Brewers’ First Rounder Covey Hopes To Sign
Dylan Covey says his friends and family celebrated so much that the house started shaking when the Brewers drafted him tonight. Covey was excited to be chosen in the first round, but the 18-year-old right-hander admits he has a lot to learn about the team that selected him.
“I know they have a slide in the outfield and that’s about it,” he said. “I don’t even think I know how to spell Milwaukee.”
He does know that he wants to start his pro career soon. Covey sounds willing to sign, though he has a college scholarship offer.
“I’m not completely writing college off,” he said. “But there’s a pretty good chance – I would say a really good chance – that I’ll sign.”
Covey and Brewers GM Doug Melvin have until August 16th to work out a deal.
Brewers Release Jeff Suppan
The Brewers released pitcher Jeff Suppan, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. By my calculation, the Brewers still owe Suppan $10.08MM, which includes a $2MM buyout after the season.
Suppan has spent most of the 2010 season in mop-up duty, posting a 7.48 ERA, 5.0 K/9, and 3.7 BB/9 in 21.6 relief innings. He's been a release candidate dating back to spring. Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who signed Suppan to a four-year, $42MM deal in December of '06, had this to say:
"Jeff has always been a true professional. He gave his best effort to the organization, whether it was on the field or in the community. I am confident that he can return to a starting rotation with another organization. We wish Jeff and his family nothing but the best."
Melvin was overly optimistic to think Suppan was ever anything other than a high 4.00s ERA innings eater, as that's what he was even in his '06 platform year. A strong postseason record may have inflated Suppan's price. On a conference call with Brewers beat writers, Melvin alluded to the many bad free agent pitching contracts signed that winter.
Odds & Ends: Perez, Howry, Brewers
Sunday night linkage..
- Mets manager Jerry Manuel insists that Oliver Perez's knee tendinitis is legitimate, writes Andy Martino of the Daily News. The timing of Perez's trip to the DL is being investigated by MLB in light of its curious timing.
- In her latest mailbag, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com writes that the Cubs brought back Bob Howry with the hope that he can help in specific situations with the help of Larry Rothschild. The Cubbies signed the reliever to a major league deal in mid-May.
- Former Brewers farmhand Brent Brewer will choose football over baseball after all, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The 2008 second-round selection quit baseball last month and will now play on scholarship at the University of Tennessee.
Draft Links: Pirates, Brewers, Red Sox
More draft news from around the web..
- The Pirates will take either shortstop Manny Machado or righthander Jameson Taillon with the second overall pick, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Earlier today, it was reported that the Bucs were looking at Machado, or Taillon but were also considering a "college pitcher".
- The Brewers' have had countless "what if" moments in the draft in recent years, including almost nabbing Wade Davis in 2004, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
- Several Red Sox shared their memories of draft day with Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal.
- A pair of Illinois prospects should go in the early rounds of the draft, writes Mike Helfgot for the Chicago Tribune. Mike Foltynewicz, a Texas commit ranked amongst the top 50 prospects in this class by Baseball America, will likely be the first.
Olney On Fielder, Lowell, DeJesus
In today's blog post for ESPN.com (Insider-only link), Buster Olney looks ahead to Stephen Strasburg's big-league debut on Tuesday. Olney suggests that Strasburg will be doing very well if he starts his career as strongly as Mike Leake has. In 11 starts for the Reds this year, the rookie right-hander has posted a 2.22 ERA and doesn't have a single loss to his name. A few other tidbits from Olney:
- Responding to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel column in which Michael Hunt argues that the Brewers need to trade Prince Fielder, Olney examines the slugger's market value and finds a few factors working against a possible trade. The Brewers are unlikely to move their marquee player unless they could land a package close to what the Rangers received when they dealt Mark Teixeira in 2007. After seeing the talent Atlanta gave up in that trade, and knowing how expensive it would be to extend Fielder, teams may be reluctant to roll the dice.
- The first base and designated hitter markets appear flush this summer, meaning it will be even more challenging for the Red Sox to find a suitor for Mike Lowell.
- David DeJesus has been hot lately, raising his average above .300, and there should be plenty of teams in need of offensive production who will notice.
Draft Links: Cardinals, Royals, Jackson, Rays
If this morning's round of draft-related links wasn't enough, here's some more reading material to prepare you for Monday….
- The Cardinals are targeting left-handed pitching, speed, and power in the draft, according to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo hears that the Royals don't quite have an agreement in place with Yasmani Grandal yet, but that Grandal is still the favorite to go fourth overall to Kansas City.
- Rany Jazayerli outlines why he thinks the Royals' draft positions in recent years have been unlucky.
- Within Peter Gammons' MLB.com piece on the draft, one National League GM says that after the top three of Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Jameson Taillon, "there's virtually no difference between the fourth and 44th picks."
- ESPN.com's Keith Law tweets that the Brewers, Astros, Marlins, and Yankees are interested in right-hander Luke Jackson, who looks increasingly like a first-round pick.
- Continuing their three-part preview of Tampa Bay's draft, DRaysBay examines some players the Rays could target with their first few picks.
- Fanhouse's Frankie Piliere runs down the latest draft buzz he's heard and updates his predictions for the first 15 picks.
- Former Athletic Scott Hatteberg is helping out with the club's draft preparation, according to Joe Stiglich of the Oakland Tribune (via Twitter).
Rosenthal On Fielder, Angels, Pierzynski, Mets
Let's check out the newest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- Milwaukee may not be able to find a taker for Prince Fielder before the trade deadline. Fielder's deal runs through next season and the Angels, who are the most obvious fit, only need a first baseman for the remainder of this season to fill in for Kendry Morales. The teams with the greatest needs for a first baseman/designated hitter type, such as the Mariners, aren't in contention. Rosenthal points out that Brewers GM Doug Melvin has always said that it's easier to move position players in the winter when more teams can be drawn into the mix.
- Angels GM Tony Reagins says that the team will be patient in finding a replacement for Morales. The Angels are starting to play better and Mike Napoli is an obvious internal solution as Jeff Mathis gets set to return. While their biggest need is in the bullpen, Reagins says that the team is comfortable with the pitchers that they have, for now.
- White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski would almost certainly consent to a trade if the club asked him to move on in order to give Tyler Flowers big league experience. Pierzynski has the right to veto any trade beginning on June 13th. The veteran is a free agent at the end of the season and could enhance his value by going to a contender. If he was still available in August then his salary is high enough that he would likely clear waivers.
- The Mets say that they have the payroll flexibility to add a starter at the deadline but it remains to be seen just how much and how willing they are to part with young talent. One solution could be putting Jenrry Mejia in the starting five as GM Omar Minaya believes that he could be a dominant starter. However, manager Jerry Manuel raised doubts about that happening this season.
Brewers Release Claudio Vargas
The Brewers released Claudio Vargas, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter). The team designated Vargas for assignment last week and couldn't find clubs interested in trading for Vargas.
Vargas, who turns 32 in two weeks, has a 7.32 ERA in 17 appearances this year with 8.2 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9. The fastball-slider pitcher has allowed 28 hits, including three home runs in 19.2 innings.
Last summer, when the Brewers were looking for pitching, they acquired Vargas from the Dodgers. Now, they're still looking for pitching, but they'll rely on recent call-ups (Chris Capuano, Kameron Loe) and acquisitions (Brian Bruney) to contribute instead of Vargas.
Stark On Orioles, Lee, Padres, Stanton, Angels
Major league executives told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark which starters they would most want to have for the next ten years. Zack Greinke and Tim Lincecum didn't make the cut, but Felix Hernandez, Josh Johnson, Ubaldo Jimenez, David Price, Brett Anderson and Jon Lester did. Here are Stark's latest rumors, as the trade market starts taking shape:
- Two teams say that the Orioles would listen on Kevin Millwood right now.
- A rival executive says the Orioles are "sniffing around for a shortstop." Stark hears rumors that they have interest in Twins prospect Trevor Plouffe.
- The Mariners won't seriously consider trading Cliff Lee before they're sure they can't salvage their season.
- There's increasing pessimism that the Astros will be able to obtain salary relief and prospects for Roy Oswalt.
- Teams are giving up on acquiring Adrian Gonzalez this summer, since the Padres continue to win.
- Two officials believe Heath Bell could be traded even if the Padres stay in contention. Check out this post from earlier in the week for more on Bell's trade value.
- Tom Gorzelanny could be on the market in a couple weeks when John Grabow comes off the DL.
- Stark hears that the Marlins will call Mike Stanton up next week. The Marlins are being cautious, since they want to prevent Stanton from obtaining super two status and teams believe the cut-off will be later than ever this year.
- Stark's sources don't expect the Angels to start searching for a bat to replace Kendry Morales for a few weeks. When they begin looking for offense, they're expected to look for someone who is about to hit free agency or a versatile player who can defend around the diamond. Kendry Morales is under team control through 2013, so Prince Fielder wouldn't be a fit for the Angels.