Scouting the Draft: 11-23 Recap

OK, back to blogging the draft. More big surprises ahead, including the Giants, though it probably shouldn't have been a surprise. More on that later! Here's the breakdown:

11. Blue Jays: Deck McGuire- I think I like Deck a bit more than most analysts. I loved his scouting video. Great pitcher's body. Excellent mix of pitches. I think he has upside in velocity. He's polished enough to have a pretty darn good slide step with runners on base. Nice combination of ceiling and rapid return here for the Jays.

12. Reds: Yasmani Grandal- This one wasn't much of a surprise as this is where a number of mock drafts had Grandal landing if KC passed. The Reds needed a catcher of the future and Grandal provides a nice combination of defense and plate discipline. My comp would be Jason Varitek. Solid pick!

13. White Sox: Chris Sale- almost a given that the White Sox would take a college player. When Sale dropped out of the top 10, heck, make that top 5, he was an obvious choice. I personally think Sale is a bit too skinny, but can't argue with the value of this pick.

14. Brewers: Dylan Covey- The Brewers certainly need pitching. It's just that they need it now. Covey is a nice prospect, but I'm not sure he has any more upside than, say, Asher Wojciechowski who will be ready for the majors much sooner.

15. Rangers: Jake Skole- Jake who? The word on Texas was that they don't have a lot of money to play with what with the change in ownership. They also have multiple high picks. So what do they do in the draft? They take a HS kid with serious helium who has a two sport college scholarship to Georgia Tech. Go figure. I hadn't read Skole's name much, if at all prior to the draft.

16. Cubs: Hayden Simpson- Cubs fans just might be throwing themselves down the stairs on this one. Simpson put up gaudy numbers in college......that's division II college! So obscure, MLB didn't even have a scouting report on him! BA reports a low 90's fastball with good secondary stuff. He was #190-something on their ranking of draft prospects. Gotta be something here that most scouts don't see, or Jim Hendry has gone completely around the bend and basically punted the pick.

17. Rays: Josh Sale- Well there you have it. Tampa Bay isn't drafting in the top 5 and they still get a great pick. It just fell into their laps! He doesn't have a great body for defense, and D is all the rage these days, but the kid can flat out hit. Great pick at this spot for the Rays!

18. Angels: Kaleb Cowart- Gotta think the Angels were aiming for Dylan Covey here. Cowart is a a guy with a ton of talent but some quirky question marks. A two way player, he wants to be a hitter, but most scouts prefer him as a pitcher. He could just decide to go to college where he can do both! The Angels have several high picks, so it's probably worth the gamble to them.

19. Astros: Mike Foltynewics- Folty was never a complete unknown, but he caught serious helium in the weeks leading up to the draft, but was still projected as a late first or supplemental round pick. Nice upside here for the 'Stros.

20. Red Sox: Kobrin Vitek- Vitek was riding the elevator up and down the mock drafts. A lot of people expected the BoSox to take a chance on Anthoney Ranaudo here. They eventually got Ranaudo, but much later. Vitek is a classic "Moneyball" type selection by a classic "Moneyball" GM, except this GM has bucks to play with. Nice, if not great, bat. Doesn't have a real position. In this system, the position will take care of itself as long as he hits.

21. Twins: Alex Wimmers- The Twins like toolsy HS OF's and safe college arms at the top of their drafts. Wimmers certainly fits the second mold. Could be in the majors by this time next year, but probably will never be more than a #3 starter.

22. Texas: Kellin Deglan- another curious pick by Texas whose scouting director apparently didn't get the memo about signability. Deglan is a lefthanded hitting HS catcher out of Canada. His main attraction is he appears to be able to stay behind the plate long term.

23. Florida: Christian Yelich- Kind of a sleeper HS prospect, Yelich has a projectable bat, but may be stuck at 1B with a weak throwing arm. Not sure Florida needs more of that in their organization, and it's not clear that Yelich was the BPA here.

Next up: The Giants!!!