Saturday, August 10, 2024

2024 MLB draft diary

Starting the full draft diary
  • Chase Burns- Went 2nd
  • Travis Bazzana- Went 1st
  • Braden Montgomery- Went 12th, and I can't believe how far he fell
  • Hagen Smith- Went 5th
  • Trey Yeasavage- Ok, this one hurts. The Padres did some things that dropped them 10 picks. Yeasavage would have been there at the 15th pick, but was missed because of the team's dealings
  • James Tibbs- went 13th
  • Seaver King- went 10th
  • Jurrangelo Cijntje- went 15th
  • Michael Mullinax- OK. This would have been my pick, but given that he wasn't draft in the top 10 rounds, I'm assuming there was a signability thing. Given how high I had him, maybe there was a chance... but certainly I'll never know.
  • Ryan Johnson- I'm taking him with the 25th pick, which I'm sure the pundits will hate. In reality, he went 74th to LAA.
  • Mike Sirota I'm taking him at 52. In reality he went 87th.
  • Peyton Stovall- I'm taking him at 88. In reality he went 117.
  • Ethan Anderson- Went 61st
  • Carter Holton- Went 62nd
  • John Spikerman* Went 100th
  • Ethan Puig- I'd like to snag him at 118... he didn't get picked on day 2 in real life... and went undrafted (while not signing). I pass on him.
  • Konnor Eaton- He's the pick at 118. In reality he went 181 to Col
  • Austin Overn* (97th)
  • Perry Hargett Would be my pick at 134, but he's not drafted, so I pass here too.
  • Bridger Holmes Would be my pick at 134 (he goes 202 in real life)
  • Jeremiah Jenkins Would be my pick at 135. In reality he goes at pick 418
  • John John Gazdar- Would be my pick at 151. In reality he goes at pick 321
  • Eddie Saldivar- Wasn't picked so I pass on him
Seniors
  • Tanner Witt- I take him at 180. In rea;ity, he went at 413
  • Tyler MacGregor- Went undrafted and didn't sign anywhere
  • Izaak Martinez- I take him at 210. In reality, he went 535
11th round target
  • Luca Ramirez- He's there in the 11th round, and he signed, so I take him.

Ignoring Mullinax, there is a version of this draft in which we get Johnson, Sirota, Stovall, Eaton, and Holmes as college players (along with Jenkins and Gazdar), Puig, Hargett and Ramirez as HSers, and Witt and Martinez as seniors. In truth, that would be my perfect draft. Alas, it isn't meant to be because those HSers weren't drafted (and didn't sign after the draft).

Instead, we end up with a very college heavy draft (9 of my first 10 picks are college players), with Luca Ramirez as the lone lottery ticket. I don't hate it, but would have been thrilled to get a little more upside this year.

Friday, July 12, 2024

2024 MLB Draft Diary

Posting this today to serve as the final big board... will do a retroactrive diary after the draft is over.
  • Chase Burns
  • Travis Bazzana
  • Braden Montgomery
  • Hagen Smith
  • Trey Yeasavage
  • James Tibbs
  • Seaver King
  • Jurrangelo Cijntje
  • Michael Mullinax
  • Ryan Johnson
  • Mike Sirota
  • Peyton Stovall
  • Ethan Anderson
  • Carter Holton
  • John Spikerman*
  • Ethan Puig
  • Konnor Eaton
  • Austin Overn*
  • Perry Hargett
  • Bridger Holmes
  • Jeremiah Jenkins
  • John John Gazdar
  • Eddie Saldivar

Now we move to the seniors, who will possible all slot into weird places as needed.

  • Tanner Witt
  • Tyler MacGregor
  • Izaak Martinez
And finally, my binky pick:
  • Luca Ramirez

*These two are dependant on how things break. If I get Mullinax, I remove Spikerman and Overn from the board. If I miss Mullinax, but get Spikerman, I'd avoid Overn. Also- I'm probably too low on Overn.

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

3 Additions to the 2024 Big Board

Every year, I come out of the draft thinking "oh man, how did I miss/forget/not include THAT guy?!?" on ny big board... so I'm going to throw out a quick update here, with 3 players being added (though I'm not sure which spots they'll be in).
  • Ethan Anderson- He's a switch hitting 1b (possible catcher?) with good contact skills. Count me in.
  • Ethan Puig- His scotuing report on Baseball American reminds me of Michael Chavis. Now I know Chavis didn't become a superstart, but this guy could be one of the best hitters in the draft.
  • Bridger Holmes- I try to come out of every draft with 5 college players, one of whom is a reliever. Right now, my big board only has one reliever, so I'm tacking on a second one in Holmes, a sidearm reliever who was hella effective for Oregon State (my adoration for northern arms, both New England and the Pacific Northwest, has been discussed in various draft previews.

I'll done a final big board right before the draft, which will serve as my basis of my (belated) draft diary.

Saturday, July 6, 2024

2024 MLB Draft Big Board

Coming into the 2024 draft, I see four players as a clear top tier.
  • Chase Burns- I think he's got the best opportunity to be an ace level pitcher
  • Travis Bazzana- Chase Utley clone?
  • Braden Montgomery- Possibly the highest upside in the entire draft
  • Hagan Smith- I get Jon Lester vibes from him

It seems HIGHLY unlikely that any of those 4 makes it to my fake Padres team, but if one is available, I'm jumping for joy.

The next group of four is where I'm hoping to find a player (i.e. ideally one of these four makes it to me)

  • Trey Yeasavage- I'm coming around on the idea of guys with great control being able ti increase their veolcity, as opposed to high velocity guys learning where the ball is going.
  • James Tibbs- Terrific hitter who's done it against high level competition.
  • Seaver King- I get a RHH Ben Zobrist vibe here.

My next two are guys that I would lve to add as high upside flyers

  • Jurrangelo Cijntje- I have no idea what to make of this guy... I've seen him comp'd to Marcus Stroman (yes please) from both sides of the plate to who knows what.
  • Mike Mullinax- He's my CF of the future if I can get him

Back to the college ranks for a few.

  • Ryan Johnson- Possibly the best control in the draft (see the note above about Yeasavage and control)
  • Mike Sirota- He was expected to be a top 15 or so pick coming into the draft, but I'm still all-in (sort of... I originally had him about Cijntje and Mullinax, but given where the Padres pick (25 feels too high for Sirota), I'm dropping him with the idea he may be there in the 50s when my pick comes around again)
  • Peyton Stovall- This guy can hit.
  • Carter Holton- Quality LHP with great stuff. May end up in the bullpen, but I'll let him show me that's the case.
  • John Spikerman- I'm pretty smitten with him, but if I end up with Mullinax, I'd pass on Spikerman
  • Konnor Eaton- GMU Alumni (which I'm a sucker for) with good stuff.

My next HS flyer is

  • Perry Hargett- This guy can fly on the base paths, and has a chance to sitck as SS.

Next, I've got my eye on a couple of potential contact hitters (in truth... this group is sort of take it or leave it for me... but I din't want to run out of players to draft, whivh has been an issue in the past).

  • Austin Overn- He's another speedy guy (note, I pass on him if I've got Mullinax or Spikerman)
  • Jeremiah Jenkins- Kid out of Maine, and I love the NE players.
  • Jon Jon Gazdar- He's a likely 2b with plus feel for contact
  • Eddie Saldivar- I thought he would be a great hitter when he was at Long Beach State.

Next up, we're looking at a trio of seniors. These guy could move up the board (or down) depending on how the draft shakes out.

  • Tanner Witt- Coming our of HS, this guy was considered a comp to Kris Bryant as a hitter, with higher upside on the mound. I've drafted him twice already... and I just can't quit him.
  • Tyler Macgregor- Northeastern batter who's got good contact.
  • Izaak Martinez- LHRP who shoud move quickly.

And finally, my 11th round target:

  • Luca Ramirez- It's Manny's kid... I'm all in.

Identifying a perfect draft from the list above is REALLY hard. If it ends up being Sirota at 25, that feels a bit like a reach, but maybe there's a way to use the extra picks in the 4th to make up for that (this makes me wonder if I should have more HS players on the list).

As with last year, I'll be doing the draft diary after the draft is over (and removing anyone who wasn't drafted).

Friday, July 14, 2023

Shadow Padres 2023 Draft Diary

After years of doing the diary (and picks) in real time, I've elected to switch things up and make picks after the draft is complete. I think the approach is to only draft players who were actually drafted (the idea being that if a team grabbed a player, they believe it is possible that the player will sign). Will this make it so I stop accruing extra picks (for not signing players)? I'm not sure, but it will make things a little smoother.

Year after year, I picked up guys who didn't sign. It's tough as a casual fan because of the obvious information asymmetry (teams clearly know more about whether a player will sign and how much he'll require than I do, since I'm nothing more than a random fan).

Anyway, here's the order of players I had coming into the draft, along with the detail of how things went:

My top targets

  • Rhett Lowder- Went 7th to Cin
  • Kyle Teel- Went 14 to Bos
  • Enrique Bradfield- Went 17 to Bal
  • Charlee Soto- ***Drafted with the 25th pick (in the real, he went 34th to Min)
  • Jacob Wilson- Went 6 to Oak
  • Tanner Witt Drafted with the 96th pick. In reality he went in the 18th round to Baltimore, and I'm guessing he won't sign... but Soto and Witt as a top 2, especially when I don't have a 2nd round pick to work with... is pretty great.
  • Matt Shaw- Went 16 to ChN
  • Alex Clemmey- Went 58th to Cle (This one hurt... the idea of a Soto/Clemmey combo to start the draft would have been amazing).
  • Sean Sullivan- Went 46th to Col
  • Travis Homeyman- Went 90 to Stl.
  • Cal Fisher- Skipping because he wasn't drafted
  • Luke Shliger- Drafted with the 128th pick in the draft (in reality he went 180 to SF)
  • William Privette- Draft with the 191st pick (in reality he went 381 to Tex)

Pitcher Interruption

  • Juaron Brown-Watts- Went 89 to Tor
  • Kiefer Lord- Went 86 to Bal
  • Kade Morris- Went 101 to NYM
  • Jason Savacool- Went 185 to Stl.

Back to the draft

  • Justin Riemer- Went 133 to Boston
  • MJ Seo- Skipped because he wasn't drafted
  • Cam Clayton- Skipped because he wasn't drafted
  • Andrew Walters- Went 62 to Cle
  • Cam Minacci- Went 174 to LAA
  • Jeron Williams- Picked with the 221st pick (in reality he went to HOU at 284)
  • Connor Burns- Went 141 to Cin
  • Christian Kapcyk- Went 161 to Cle
  • Jordan Smith- Picked with the 251st pick (in reality he wasn't drafted, but he's a GMU guy, so I'm OK with it)
  • Hiro Wyatt- Went 75th overall (I was SUPER low on him)

In the 11th round, I'm taking Grant Gray. I doubt he will sign, but it lets me get to know him (and puts him high on my list for 2026)

And here is the list of seniors I was keeping an eye on

  • David Smith- Picked with the 311th pick (in reality he went 410th to Detroit... I'm like having he and Compton both as a way to save a few bucks for Witt and/or Grant Gray
  • Drew ComptonPicked with the 281st pick (in reality he signed with Braves as an undrafted FA)
  • Jake Gustin- Picked with the 431st pick (in reality he went undrafted)

Friday, July 7, 2023

2023 MLB Draft Big Board

Yesterday's post had a lot of info on how I'm breaking down players. Today's puts them in order (more or less).
PlayerPositionSchoolNotesPipeline RankProspects Live Rank
Rhett LowderRHSPWake ForrestNA612
Kyle TeelCVirginaNA711
Enrique BradfieldCFVanderbiltNA2115
Charlee SotoRHSPRedborn Christian HSNA2825
Jacob WilsonSSGrand CanyonNA108
Tanner WittRHSPTexasI'm higher on him than most folks will be, because I think he's the best gamble in the draft7644
Matt ShawSSMarylandNA1623
Alex ClemmeyLHSPBishop Hendricken HSNA5048
Sean SullivanLHSPWake ForrrstNA12359
Travis HoneymanCFBoston CollegeNA6140
Cal Fisher2b/SSDeerfield HSNA154319
Luke ShligerCMarylandSkipped if by some miracle I get Teel170123
William PrivetteRHRPCollgee of CharlestonNANA154

This is where I'd have a moment to look at the group of pitchers I like, including

PlayerPositionSchoolNotesPipeline RankProspects Live Rank
Juaron Watts-BrownRHSPOklahomaNA6738
Keifer LordRHSPWashingtonNA12767
Kade MorrisRHSPNevadaNA142112
Jason SavacoolRHSPMarylandNA199295

Back to the normal draft

PlayerPositionSchoolNotesPipeline RankProspects Live Rank
Justin Reimer2BWright StateNotesNA235
MJ SeoRHSPSchoolNotesNA334
Cam ClaytonSSWashingtonNot interested if I somehow get Wilson150245
Andrew WaltersRHRPMiamiNA12462
Cam MinacciRHRPWake ForrestNA160167
Jeron WilliamsSSToledoNANANA
Connor BurnsCLong Beach StateSkipping if I get Teel or Shliger169306
Christian Knapczyk2b/SSLouisvilleSkip if we get Wilson or Clayton
Jordan SmithCFGeorge MasonNotesNANA
Hiro WyattRHSPStaples HSNA234159

This is the group of seniors I'm gunning for, and I would grab the first available after getting 3 of the HS targets.


PlayerPositionSchoolNotesPipeline RankProspects Live Rank
Davis Smith2BUconnNANANA
Drew Compton1b/3bWake ForrestNANANA
Jake GustinOFBryantNANANA

Finally, no matter who's available from my draft board, I'm looking at Grant Gray, number 99 on MLB Pipeline and 87 on ProspectsLive, if he's there with my pick in the 11th round.

Thursday, July 6, 2023

Building my 2023 Big Board

The Padres pick 25th in this year's draft, so that's where I'll be making my choice. The 2022 draft is the first time in a LONG time that one (or more) of my picks failed to get signed, so that's kind of exciting. However, the Padres spent a ton of money on Xander Bogaerts, meaning I don't have a second round pick to work with. This draft is interesting and frustrating all at once.

Let me start by saying there's no way the Paul SKenes or Dylan Crews makes it to 25 (by the way, that's the order I'd take them in). And I suspect my top 4 college players will all be drafted before that.

This year, I find myself separating the college and high school players more than I have historically. Part of that stems from having little interest in HS players this year. It's weird, but there are only 5 HS players I've got on my board, and one of them is on my board as my ideal 11th-round pick (I'm adding a sixth here just in case he slips). Those players are:

  • Charlee Soto- He's incredibly young, and has amazing stuff. Also, my view is that the pendulum away from HS pitchers has swung so far that he may actually be undervalued.
  • Alex Clemmey- I tend to love players from the Northeast with Vanderbilt ties. Clemmey fits the mold, and his location makes me think he's got more bullets left than most other HS pitchers
  • Cal Fisher- I think he'll end up being one of the best hitters to come from this draft
  • MJ Seo- I see a lot of Marcus Stroman here. Signing him away from LSU seems doubtful, but he'd be on my board.
  • Grant Gray- Gray is my 11th round target. I suspect he'll go to UCLA, but stranger things have happened.
  • Hiro Wyatt- He's a smaller Northeast arm.

College-wise, There are a lot of players I'm intrigued with. My top XX (again, excluding the LSU guys) are:

  • Rhett Lowder- I think he has the highest floor in this draft
  • Kyle Teel- He's a Jason Kendall clone, and Jason Kendall is my all-time favorite catcher.
  • Enrique Bradfield- Yep, he fits my high contact, huge RUN tool approach
  • Jacob Wilson- Somehow, I imagine him as a .300 hitter playing SS for a very long time.
  • Tanner Witt- The injury history is scary, but he has as much upside as any pitcher in the draft (Skenes included).
  • Matt Shaw- He's a guy I've liked for a while. I'm probably lower on him than I should be, but stranger things have happened.
  • Sean Sullivan- I think he'll end up being a #3 starter.
  • Travis Honeyman- He's a CF/LF tweener with a decent hit tool and speed.
  • Luke Shliger- He's a poor man's Kyle Teel.
  • William Privette- Multi-inning relievers who can be effective are like gold.
  • Justin Riemer- Wright State SHH 2b who ProspectsLive thinks could hit 300.
  • ***See Note About Pitching Below
  • Cam Clayton- He might be a poor man's Jacob Wilson... good at everything but not stellar in any one thing.
  • Andrew Walters- I'm curious about him as a potential starter.
  • Christian Knapczyk- If I end up with Wilson or Clayton, he falls off the board for me. But if I miss on both of those guys, he wouldn't be a terrible addition as a speedster who plays good defense (and helps me develop pitchers)
  • Cam Minacci- Flame throwers who can be closers are always in demand.
  • Connor Burns- I don't know what to make of the bat, but he's a tremendous defender, and has a floor as a high-quality backup backstop. (I skip him if Teel or Shliger ends up on my roster)
  • Jeron Williams- Toldeo speed demon with some patience at the plate.
  • Jordan Smith- CF from George Mason (my alma mater).

***There are 4 pitchers I sort of see as similar in value, and they all sort of fall into this range of my big board. As such, the idea would be to see which of these guys are available at this point and then decide on whether to grab one of these guys or keep going on the board as it lays out. In other words, if all 4 of these guys are available, I'd probably grab Clayton and hope that at least one of these four is available at my next pick. If 3 of them go earlier, I will scramble to get whoever was left. Any of these 4 becoming a quality major leaguer wouldn't surprise me, and I'm sort of rooting for them to end up with someone like the Indians or Dodgers.... teams that have a habit of building up quality pitchers.

  • Juaron Watts-Brown- Likely innings eater at the major league level.
  • Keifer Lord- He's got the best control of the 4 here.
  • Kade Morris- Another high-floor pitcher with strong control
  • Jason Savacool- I just happen to like him.

As with every draft, I have a couple of seniors to add to the mix here, and these guys would be prioritized in the event that I get 3 of the high schoolers I mentioned above before the 10th round.

  • David Smith- He's a scrappy little guy from UConn who switch hits and plays the game the right way.
  • Drew Compton- I remember when Mark Teixeira comps were being thrown around on this guy.
  • Jake Gustin- His junior season was derailed by hamate surgery, and he hit well last year (but I think there's more in the tank).