Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com wrote "The Pirates will take UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole with the No. 1 overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft on Monday, a baseball source told MLB.com." (Click here for the story and Cole's bio.)
No surprise there, we guess, if Mayo is right, and most media and baseball experts agree with him. So add one more power arm to the Bucs' prospect arsenal. And as a blogger bonus, another round of negotiations with Scott Boras for a top pick's signature will surely keep us in flaming posts over the summer.
The TV coverage tonight will be on the MLB Network for the first and supplemental round; coverage starts at six and the selections at seven. Tuesday (rounds 2-30) and Wednesday's (rounds 31-50) picks will be carried in real time and streamed on MLB.com.
Those second and third day prospects will be key to churning the system. The draft is supposed to be fairly deep and the Pirates could use some guys to keep the pressure on, although with all the sandwich picks, the Bucs won't pick again until #61.
There's no doubt that the organization from the big team down to Latin America has the imprint of Neal Huntington and Frank Coonelly; we'll see what one more year brings.
Showing posts with label draft 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label draft 2011. Show all posts
Monday, June 6, 2011
The Likely Suspects
OK, it's draft day; here's the likely suspects in a year when no one stands head and shoulders above the pack:
Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA - The word is that Cole will be the Bucco pick tonight. If so, the Pirates are going for the highest upside pitcher available.
Cole has a heater that ranges from 94-96 MPH and has touched 100. He also throws a two-seamer with movement, a couple of ticks slower than the four-seamer. His changeup is already pretty good, but his slider is still a work-in-progress. It needs to stay tight, and sometimes it gets loopy and hittable.
He's an inning-eater for the Bruins and as strong in the later innings as at the start, but lately been less than dominating. Cole's mechanics need some tweaking; some scouts think that his current arm action is an injury waiting to happen, although others think it's just fine.
The 6'4" 220 lb'er is projected to be a top of the rotation starter in the show who could be big-league ready by 2013. Cole is also the consensus top pitcher in this year's lottery.
There are two schools of thought involved here: the old school says you never have enough pitching, and the spreadsheet school that says top picks are much more productive when used on hitters, who are easier to project, than on pitchers.
Of course, old school guys tell you that hitters are easier to pick up on the market or in deals, so...
But the Bucs love themselves some pitching, and while nothing definitive has broken yet, the tea leaves are tilted pretty heavily toward Cole leaving the California surf for a career by the Three Rivers.
Danny Hultzen, LHP, Virginia - Hultzen has been all that in 2011, vaulting his name to the uppermost levels of MLB draft boards. But he's been faintly praised as "the safe choice," a guy that's already hit his peak and projects to become a #2 pitcher; pretty good, but good enough for the number one selection?
He throws throws a low-to-mid 90s fastball, a change-up and a slider, all with pinpoint control, and has a repeatable smooth and easy motion. But the scouts think it's his command, not his stuff, that makes him so tough on the hill, and have reservations that he can take it to "ace" level, where nastiness rules.
Taking either one and adding them to the mix of Jameson Taillon, Luis Heredia and all the other young arms the Bucs have amassed should give the Bucs a formidable rotation down the road, and it's possible either one of these players could join the big-league staff by 2013 and immediately become the number one guy.
Remember, the Bucs have invested heavily in prep arms, and it may take quite awhile before any of them break into the show, where a college kid could jump in the fast lane and fly through the minors. But pitchers are a risky bet, even at the elite college level, and so still lurking is the shadow of...
Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice - Last year, Rendon was the man, and was compared to Bryce Harper. But 2011 was his personal year from hell. He had shoulder and ankle injuries (the ankle was hurt playing for Team USA in 2010 and required surgery), no help from his teammates (with no protection in the order, nobody in their right mind would pitch to him) and had to deal with a new stick, courtesy of NCAA bat regulations that went into effect this season.
It's not like he was creamed spinach for the Owls. He hit .332/6/37 despite being walked an ungodly 79 times in 297 plate appearances (27%), leading to an unreal .552 OBP. His slugging percentage was .531; he had 20 doubles and a couple of triples to go with six long balls. He can rake; he has a short, easy maintenance kind of stroke. Rendon hit .388 with 20 homers as a freshman and .394 with 26 homers as a sophomore, posting a .530 OBP and .801 slugging percentage.
The injuries are said to be his major red flag. In the pros, he would have sat on the DL awhile and been back when at 100%; in college, he played through the pain and never allowed his shoulder time to heal, and in fact may be aggravating it.
The shoulder issue moved him from third to second base, but he has a rep as an outstanding glove guy when healthy. His shoulder problem is said to be a muscle sprain that requires rest, not the knife. Still, three injuries in three years is a factor that will weigh heavily.
So for the Pirates, the choice is to roll the dice on a pitcher that could top their rotation in a couple of seasons, or a somewhat safer bet on fragile (think Dewey) batter that could do the same. All three have special talents; all three have flaws. We'll find out soon what way the FO goes.
Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA - The word is that Cole will be the Bucco pick tonight. If so, the Pirates are going for the highest upside pitcher available.
Cole has a heater that ranges from 94-96 MPH and has touched 100. He also throws a two-seamer with movement, a couple of ticks slower than the four-seamer. His changeup is already pretty good, but his slider is still a work-in-progress. It needs to stay tight, and sometimes it gets loopy and hittable.
He's an inning-eater for the Bruins and as strong in the later innings as at the start, but lately been less than dominating. Cole's mechanics need some tweaking; some scouts think that his current arm action is an injury waiting to happen, although others think it's just fine.
The 6'4" 220 lb'er is projected to be a top of the rotation starter in the show who could be big-league ready by 2013. Cole is also the consensus top pitcher in this year's lottery.
There are two schools of thought involved here: the old school says you never have enough pitching, and the spreadsheet school that says top picks are much more productive when used on hitters, who are easier to project, than on pitchers.
Of course, old school guys tell you that hitters are easier to pick up on the market or in deals, so...
But the Bucs love themselves some pitching, and while nothing definitive has broken yet, the tea leaves are tilted pretty heavily toward Cole leaving the California surf for a career by the Three Rivers.
Danny Hultzen, LHP, Virginia - Hultzen has been all that in 2011, vaulting his name to the uppermost levels of MLB draft boards. But he's been faintly praised as "the safe choice," a guy that's already hit his peak and projects to become a #2 pitcher; pretty good, but good enough for the number one selection?
He throws throws a low-to-mid 90s fastball, a change-up and a slider, all with pinpoint control, and has a repeatable smooth and easy motion. But the scouts think it's his command, not his stuff, that makes him so tough on the hill, and have reservations that he can take it to "ace" level, where nastiness rules.
Taking either one and adding them to the mix of Jameson Taillon, Luis Heredia and all the other young arms the Bucs have amassed should give the Bucs a formidable rotation down the road, and it's possible either one of these players could join the big-league staff by 2013 and immediately become the number one guy.
Remember, the Bucs have invested heavily in prep arms, and it may take quite awhile before any of them break into the show, where a college kid could jump in the fast lane and fly through the minors. But pitchers are a risky bet, even at the elite college level, and so still lurking is the shadow of...
Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice - Last year, Rendon was the man, and was compared to Bryce Harper. But 2011 was his personal year from hell. He had shoulder and ankle injuries (the ankle was hurt playing for Team USA in 2010 and required surgery), no help from his teammates (with no protection in the order, nobody in their right mind would pitch to him) and had to deal with a new stick, courtesy of NCAA bat regulations that went into effect this season.
It's not like he was creamed spinach for the Owls. He hit .332/6/37 despite being walked an ungodly 79 times in 297 plate appearances (27%), leading to an unreal .552 OBP. His slugging percentage was .531; he had 20 doubles and a couple of triples to go with six long balls. He can rake; he has a short, easy maintenance kind of stroke. Rendon hit .388 with 20 homers as a freshman and .394 with 26 homers as a sophomore, posting a .530 OBP and .801 slugging percentage.
The injuries are said to be his major red flag. In the pros, he would have sat on the DL awhile and been back when at 100%; in college, he played through the pain and never allowed his shoulder time to heal, and in fact may be aggravating it.
The shoulder issue moved him from third to second base, but he has a rep as an outstanding glove guy when healthy. His shoulder problem is said to be a muscle sprain that requires rest, not the knife. Still, three injuries in three years is a factor that will weigh heavily.
So for the Pirates, the choice is to roll the dice on a pitcher that could top their rotation in a couple of seasons, or a somewhat safer bet on fragile (think Dewey) batter that could do the same. All three have special talents; all three have flaws. We'll find out soon what way the FO goes.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Pirate Draft - Bucs To More Or Less Miss A Round
The Pirates have that coveted #1 pick in the 2011 draft for the first time since 2002 when they selected Bryan Bullington. So far the betting line is that 3B Anthony Rendon from Rice will don a Pirate cap. Goodness knows another bat in the lineup would be a most welcome sight.
Then again, college pitchers Gerrit Cole and Matthew Purke may be the apples of the FO's eyes. One of those two could be the finishing touch to a dynamite staff in, oh, 2014 or so: Jameson Taillon, James McDonald, Ross Ohlendorf, Rudy Owens, and 2011's choice, with Brad Lincoln, Justin Wilson, Bryan Morris and company also in the mix.
But we'll deal with the who-to-pick issue later. This is just to alert the loyal Pirate fandom that thanks to compensation, the Pirates pick first - and then don't have another selection until #58. They miss virtually an entire round.
There are three teams that were awarded extra first round picks in 2011 because they didn't sign their top pick in 2010. And the sandwich round, where compensation for free agent signings is given, stretches from #34-57. The Pirates even shot themselves in the foot somewhat; San Diego got pick #56 as compensation for Kevin Correia's Bucco deal.
It's jumped a few slots this year; the sandwich round ended at pick #50 last year and #49 in 2009, when the Pirates drafted Tanner Scheppers and Victor Black in the sandwich round.
Now its no surprise that Pittsburgh isn't in the compensation round - you have to lose talent to free agency to get there, and the Pirates dumped all their veteran pieces long ago. It's sorta self-regulating; the lesser teams get the higher impact players, while the more loaded teams make up in quantity what they lose in quality.
Still, having 56 picks fall between Pittsburgh's first and second selection makes it awfully hard to load up on difference makers.
Then again, college pitchers Gerrit Cole and Matthew Purke may be the apples of the FO's eyes. One of those two could be the finishing touch to a dynamite staff in, oh, 2014 or so: Jameson Taillon, James McDonald, Ross Ohlendorf, Rudy Owens, and 2011's choice, with Brad Lincoln, Justin Wilson, Bryan Morris and company also in the mix.
But we'll deal with the who-to-pick issue later. This is just to alert the loyal Pirate fandom that thanks to compensation, the Pirates pick first - and then don't have another selection until #58. They miss virtually an entire round.
There are three teams that were awarded extra first round picks in 2011 because they didn't sign their top pick in 2010. And the sandwich round, where compensation for free agent signings is given, stretches from #34-57. The Pirates even shot themselves in the foot somewhat; San Diego got pick #56 as compensation for Kevin Correia's Bucco deal.
It's jumped a few slots this year; the sandwich round ended at pick #50 last year and #49 in 2009, when the Pirates drafted Tanner Scheppers and Victor Black in the sandwich round.
Now its no surprise that Pittsburgh isn't in the compensation round - you have to lose talent to free agency to get there, and the Pirates dumped all their veteran pieces long ago. It's sorta self-regulating; the lesser teams get the higher impact players, while the more loaded teams make up in quantity what they lose in quality.
Still, having 56 picks fall between Pittsburgh's first and second selection makes it awfully hard to load up on difference makers.
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