5 Round Mock Draft by Sickels

[Methodology]

Sickels has the Orioles taking Matusz in his latest mock draft and he also does the first 5 rounds.

http://www.minorleagueball.com/

[Moose Milligan]

I really hope we don't take Matusz. In his one liner here, he says that he'd be a great fit for us, but thats not a stretch, any organization could use a pitcher of that caliber. We need some hitters though.

Anyway, for our other picks he has:

50) Orioles: Niko Vasquez, SS, Nevada HS

81) Orioles: Sonny Gray, RHP, Tennessee HS

116) Orioles: Steven Hensley, RHP, Elon

146) Orioles: Xavier Scruggs, 1B, UNLV

If we don't go for Smoak, I hope we can get Dykstra in the 2nd, but it doesn't look like he'd last that long. Longshot, but whatever.

[hoosiers]

I find it difficult to believe the Os would draft the undersized Gray in the third round. Further BA mentions Gray as a potential closer.

Jordan has not spent such an early round pick on a likely reliever in his three years with the Os.

Not a fit, IMO, with past picks by JJ.

[Moose Milligan]

I find it difficult to believe the Os would draft the undersized Gray in the third round. Further BA mentions Gray as a potential closer.

Jordan has not spent such an early round pick on a likely reliever in his three years with the Os.

Not a fit, IMO, with past picks by JJ.

Do you know anything about Niko Vazquez?

[hoosiers]

Do you know anything about Niko Vazquez?

BA pre-draft issue has Vazquez 65th. Vazquez had academic issues and has question marks on where he will fit defensively - possibly 3B, 2B, may have a shot at catcher. Appears to be a quality bat.

[BoysofArbutus]

In the 5-round draft he did on May 31 he has the O's taking Hosmer with Smoak going No. 3 and Matusz No. 9 to the Nats. That's an awful big change to be made in just 3 days. Either Sickels found out something new in 72 hours or he's throwing spaghetti against the wall and having trouble reading what it says.

[CrimsonTribe]

In the 5-round draft he did on May 31 he has the O's taking Hosmer with Smoak going No. 3 and Matusz No. 9 to the Nats. That's an awful big change to be made in just 3 days. Either Sickels found out something new in 72 hours or he's throwing spaghetti against the wall and having trouble reading what it says.

If you'll look a little closer, you'll see that the May 31 draft (http://www.minorleagueball.com/2008/5/31/543140/2008-mock-draft-first-roun#comments)was actually a community draft where different commenters were each assigned a team to pick on behalf of. It was not a mock by Sickels alone.

[crawdad]

I find it difficult to believe the Os would draft the undersized Gray in the third round. Further BA mentions Gray as a potential closer.

Jordan has not spent such an early round pick on a likely reliever in his three years with the Os.

Not a fit, IMO, with past picks by JJ.

Gray is a huge talent, but the guy who drafted him admitted that he didn't know Gray was unsignable. I'd like to take him in the 13th or 14th round and see if a few million could change his mind.

[BoysofArbutus]

If you'll look a little closer, you'll see that the May 31 draft (http://www.minorleagueball.com/2008/5/31/543140/2008-mock-draft-first-roun#comments)was actually a community draft where different commenters were each assigned a team to pick on behalf of. It was not a mock by Sickels alone.

Ahh, good call. Thanks.

[Stotle]

Gray is a huge talent, but the guy who drafted him admitted that he didn't know Gray was unsignable. I'd like to take him in the 13th or 14th round and see if a few million could change his mind.

I have him as a signability flier, as well. I start him off in a rotation to help build arm strength and get his innings (about 2 seasons) then switch him to the pen and watch him move very quickly. About $700,000 depending on how high you are on him. He's still an undersized SP and he's getting the opportunity to start his career now. Boy is Vanderbilt going to be stacked to all hell if this class doesn't sign. They could dominate for the next three years...

[Jericho]

I still hold out hop ethat either Alvarez or TBeckham falls the O's. For the longest time, it seemed the only hope of that was if Alvarez's bonus demands made him fall. But now, it seems like there's decent chance of Beckham falling. It all hinges on Tampa Bay. And while a part of me will be suprised if TB passes on Beckham (particularly since TB's made themselves great by taking the best guy available, unlike say Pittsburgh), they've been so closely linked to Posey that there's a decent chance of it happening.

I see the first three picks as follows:

TB (Posey or T Beckham)
Pitt (locked into Alvarez)
KC (locked into Alvarez of Hosmer)

Meaning either Posey or Beckham falls, and I really doubt the O's nab Posey.

[SevisonJN]

In the 5-round draft he did on May 31 he has the O's taking Hosmer with Smoak going No. 3 and Matusz No. 9 to the Nats. That's an awful big change to be made in just 3 days. Either Sickels found out something new in 72 hours or he's throwing spaghetti against the wall and having trouble reading what it says.

The Orioles were working out a dark horse privately, could that guy have been Hosmer? If so, KC loves him. Maybe KC cemented the pick of Hosmer in his mind and since the Orioles draft board read like this:

Pedro Alvarez
Tim Beckham
Hosmer
Matusz
Smoak

The Orioles decided to go with Matusz?

[SevisonJN]

I still hold out hop ethat either Alvarez or TBeckham falls the O's. For the longest time, it seemed the only hope of that was if Alvarez's bonus demands made him fall. But now, it seems like there's decent chance of Beckham falling. It all hinges on Tampa Bay. And while a part of me will be suprised if TB passes on Beckham (particularly since TB's made themselves great by taking the best guy available, unlike say Pittsburgh), they've been so closely linked to Posey that there's a decent chance of it happening.

I see the first three picks as follows:

TB (Posey or T Beckham)
Pitt (locked into Alvarez)
KC (locked into Alvarez of Hosmer)

Meaning either Posey or Beckham falls, and I really doubt the O's nab Posey.

I read that Posey has $12 Million salary demands. If that is really true or he is using it to slide to a team like Florida because a deal is in place who knows. I think Florida likes Skipworth less that Posey, but couldn't plan for Posey to be there. If he is, I would look for Posey to be the pick at 6. I think if Beckham goes #1 to TB, Alvarez goes #2 to Pitt, Hosmer goes #3 to KC, and Brian Matusz goes #4 to Baltimore, then the Giants will draft Justin Smoak.

[fischbowl]

It's a forum mock, so John didn't draft for Baltimore. I happened to be Oakland.