BA has a couple of articles ranking draft prospects by position and by what round they should be drafted in based on talent. I thought I'd look at a couple of positions where the Giants have an organizational need. I'll give BA's rankings by round and then add my own comments if I have any. Shortstop is a position of extreme need at the MLB level. It's also a position of extreme scarcity throughout baseball. Although the Giants have some depth at the position in the minors, non of their prospects stand out as sure fire MLB successes, so it could be a position they are looking to draft this year:
First Round:
1. Francisco Lindor, HS- Projected to go in the upper half of the round, he won't be there at #29.
2. Javier Baez, HS- Projected toward the end of the first round he could be there at #29. Bigger than Lindor. Great bat, marginal defense, especially long term. Prone to emotional outbursts. Probably does not fit the profile of what the Giants are looking for.
3. Levi Michael, UNC- Steady, disciplined bat with a bit of speed. Probably doesn't project for much power. Marginal for sticking at SS, but probably can. Most mocks have him projected in the mid-20's, but could fall to #29. I just don't see him as enough of a sure thing to take him over a high-ceiling arm.
Sandwich Round:
4. Trevor Story, HS- Definitely a SS with a great arm. Has hit 90-92 as a pitcher. Close to a 5 tool player but the hit tool is a bit of a question mark. If you want a player who would definitely stick at the position, he might be a better choice than Baez or Michael at the end of round 1.
Second Round:
5. Brandon Martin, HS A bit of a sleeper who has flown under the radar until recently. A 5 tool prospect, "fast twitch athlete" who can stick at the position. May take some time to develop the tools. If you are definitely looking for a SS, could be worth a reach at #49 in the 1S.
6. Joe Panik, St John's- A college SS who will probably move to 2B in the pros. The hit tool is highly developed.
7. Nick Ahmed, Connecticut- More likely to stick at SS than Panik with a great arm(91-94 as a pitcher). The hit tool is not as developed as Panik's.
8. Jace Peterson, McNeese State- Don't know anything about this guy, but he's a football cornerback so is probably a great athlete.
9. Brad Miller, Clemson- Don't know much about him, but he seems to be a better hitter than SS.
10. Connor Barron, HS- Big for a SS. Is moving up draft boards. Has been compared to Reid Brignac of Tampa Bay.
11. Tyler Greene, HS- Has some tools but runs hot and cold. Could go high if a particular team really likes him.
Third and Fourth Rounds:
12. Brandon Loy, Texas
13. Jake Hager, HS
14. Tyler Grimes, Wichita State
15. Taylor Featherstone, Texas Christian
I think I've read that Hager has a nice hit tool. Don't know much about the others but lower round college shortstops almost never make it.
Fifth and Sixth Rounds:
16. Mitchell Walding, HS
17. Austin Nola, LSU
18. Justin Boudreaux, SE Louisiana
19. Kevin Kramer, HS
Don't know anything about any of these.
There was one name I was surprised to not see in the list: Julius Gaines! This is a very athletic looking kid who also looks great at the plate. Projects as a true SS. Committed to Florida International. Man, if he's really not ranked in the top 6 rounds I could really see the Giants taking him in the 6'th or 7'th. If they could then sign him for Chuckie Jones type money, he could be the steal of the draft. Remember his name! You can find several scouting reports by googling him and there's at least 1 scouting video on youtube.com. I think Klima did a report on him for baseballbeginnings.com too where you can find him listed as Kenneth Gaines, Jr.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment