Current Preference List (3/22/2012)

[Stotle]

Got me thinking...What is the difference in ceilings between Strasburg and Dylan? how does their stuff compare overall?

Strasburg's stuff was better at draft time (legit "80" fastball, ++SV and +CH) and gets better plane. Bundy throws with less velo but less effort. Both have very good command, but Stras' is a little better across the board. Bundy, obviously, has time to catch up in a lot of these areas by the time he reaches the Majors.

I think most evaluators would take Strasburg over Bundy, were they both in the same draft, due to body type, overall stuff, and past workload. I don't think it'd be a shock if Bundy proved to be that rare undersized power ace, and ends up performing as well or better than Strasburg over the course of their respective careers. But that's all a long ways away.

[WV O's]

Awesome. Thanks. Hopefully, with the decreased effort, Dylan can be the healthier of the two.

[JohnnyK27]

Updated Pref List for this week. Full article has notes on the bottom five (6-10), the five that dropped out (11-15), and Carlos Correa video:

Current Preference List (April 11, 2012)
1. Mark Appel, rhp, Stanford Univ.
2. Byron Buxton, of, Appling County HS (Baxley, Ga.)
3. Kevin Gausman, rhp, Louisiana St. Univ.
4. Kyle Zimmer, rhp, Univ. of San Francisco
5. Mike Zunino, c, Univ. of Florida
6. Albert Almora, of, Mater Acad. (Hialeah Gardens, Fla.)
7. Lucas Giolito, rhp, Harvard-Westlake HS (Studio City, Calif.)
8. Gavin Cecchini, ss, Barbe HS (Lake Charles, La.)
9. Carlos Correa, ss/3b, Puerto Rico Baseball Acad. (Gurabo, P.R.)
10. Deven Marrero, ss, Arizona St. Univ.

Dropped out:
11. Max Fried, lhp, Harvard-Westlake HS (Studio City, Calif.)
12. Stryker Trahan, c, Acadiana HS (Lafayette, La.)
13. Zach Eflin, rhp, Hagerty HS (Chuluota, Fla.)
14. David Dahl, of, Oak Mountain HS (Birmingham, Ala.)
15. Walker Weickel, rhp/1b, Olympia HS (Fla.)

Nice stuff ... I really appreciate what you do. I like the undersized pitcher ( his name escapes me) but I read about him in another thread. But I'd prefer to see them draft a legit cleanup hitter regardless of position.

[WV O's]

Can someone compare Buxton to Hosmer when he was drafted? I am wondering what makes him risky (other than being in HS). Would you have said Machado was AS risky?

[allstar1579]

Can someone compare Buxton to Hosmer when he was drafted? I am wondering what makes him risky (other than being in HS). Would you have said Machado was AS risky?

Different kinds of players. Hosmer was more elite bat but didn't need to be a superstar in other areas because he's a 1B. Buxton is more of one of those fabled 5-tool players Super athletic, tools all over, but still a bit raw and seems like half of those guys never develop and a lot of his value ties to his CF ability.

Machado had a lot of value tied to SS, but I think he was a little bit more safe with the bat than Buxton.

Not taking anything away from Buxton, he's supposed to be a great prospect, but for me as a philosophy I tend to shy away from the 5-tool OF.

[mcinww0]

Different kinds of players. Hosmer was more elite bat but didn't need to be a superstar in other areas because he's a 1B. Buxton is more of one of those fabled 5-tool players Super athletic, tools all over, but still a bit raw and seems like half of those guys never develop and a lot of his value ties to his CF ability.

Machado had a lot of value tied to SS, but I think he was a little bit more safe with the bat than Buxton.

Not taking anything away from Buxton, he's supposed to be a great prospect, but for me as a philosophy I tend to shy away from the 5-tool OF.

The stuff I've heard on Buxton reminds me of BJ Upton; all the tools in the world but still hasn't panned out as a great player

[RVAbird]

The stuff I've heard on Buxton reminds me of BJ Upton; all the tools in the world but still hasn't panned out as a great player

Upton has averaged 4 fWAR per season over his 5 full seasons. I don't necessarily think Upton is a great comp so much as a convenient archetype match, but if you guaranteed me Upton-like production from Buxton, I'd grab him at the top of the draft without hesitation.

That's not to say Buxton doesn't come with a good amount of risk, but I think you're underrating Upton.

[Stotle]

The stuff I've heard on Buxton reminds me of BJ Upton; all the tools in the world but still hasn't panned out as a great player

Buxton is more BJ Upton's athleticism in Justin's future body. The Upton's each had more advanced baseball skills than Byron at the same time.

[Fan4Life]

Got me thinking...What is the difference in ceilings between Strasburg and Dylan? how does their stuff compare overall?

Not only that, but how does the #4 pick in this draft year compare to last year or the year before. Is he that good, or is it a poor draft class. Without having some reference when making these lists it is almost impossible for those of us that don'[t follow this as closely as the professionals on here do to get the proper value out of it. And I don't want their hard work to not be recognized. But I do need some kind of reference point.

[Stotle]

Not only that, but how does the #4 pick in this draft year compare to last year or the year before. Is he that good, or is it a poor draft class. Without having some reference when making these lists it is almost impossible for those of us that don'[t follow this as closely as the professionals on here do. And I don't want their hard work to not be recognized. But I do need some kind of reference point.

Mark Appel is currently #1 on the pref list and would generally be in the discussion for 6-10 range last year, behind Rendon, Starling, Cole, Bundy and (for me) Sonny Gray. There isn't much separation up top this year, so you generally have 4-5 players that would generally slot in the 3-5 range in a typical class, or 6-10 range in last year's class.

[Fan4Life]

Mark Appel is currently #1 on the pref list and would generally be in the discussion for 6-10 range last year, behind Rendon, Starling, Cole, Bundy and (for me) Sonny Gray. There isn't much separation up top this year, so you generally have 4-5 players that would generally slot in the 3-5 range in a typical class, or 6-10 range in last year's class.

Excellent. Thank you for the time you spend with this... and us...

[Stotle]

Another sneak peak for the kind folks chatting draft over here. Full article will post tomorrow at noon and will start to compare/contrast player profiles at each position:

Current Preference List (April 18, 2012)
1. Mark Appel, rhp, Stanford Univ.
2. Kevin Gausman, rhp, Louisiana St. Univ.
3. Byron Buxton, of, Appling County HS (Baxley, Ga.)
4. Kyle Zimmer, rhp, Univ. of San Francisco
5. Albert Almora, of, Mater Acad. (Hialeah Gardens, Fla.)
6. Mike Zunino, c, Univ. of Florida
7. Lucas Giolito, rhp, Harvard-Westlake HS (Studio City, Calif.)
8. Carlos Correa, ss/3b, Puerto Rico Baseball Acad. (Gurabo, P.R.)
9. Gavin Cecchini, ss, Barbe HS (Lake Charles, La.)
10. Deven Marrero, ss, Arizona St. Univ.

[JayThomas]

Thanks Nick.

[Jammer7]

Thanks Nick. Interesting to see Almora moving up. Is there power in the bat? Everything else seems to be there.

[Stotle]

Thanks Nick. Interesting to see Almora moving up. Is there power in the bat? Everything else seems to be there.

Inconsistent right now, but frame, swing plane, bat speed and pre-game all point towards at least average power in the future.