MLB Bonus Baby

[SrMeowMeow]

I don't know if this has been posted before, but this is an amazing draft blog I found recently: MLB Bonus Baby. The guy seems incredibly knowledgeable and goes into a lot of detail.

Here's a choice Orioles link: http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/02/03/2010-draft-review-baltimore-orioles/

[oriolesprospects]

I don't know if this has been posted before, but this is an amazing draft blog I found recently: MLB Bonus Baby. The guy seems incredibly knowledgeable and goes into a lot of detail.

Here's a choice Orioles link: http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/02/03/2010-draft-review-baltimore-orioles/

Andy Seiler, who published the article you linked, no longer writes for MLBBB. He was the site's only writer for years but suddenly disappeared and doesn't respond to emails. Matt Garrioch is the new head writer and while he's not quite as knowledgeable as Andy, he still provides updates and some decent analysis.

[GoldGlove21]

Three things jump out at me. First, while guys can slip due to signability concerns I would say that first round picks should be elite talents if they are available and you are hold a top pick. The advantage to having a top-5 pick is that you can take the guys with the highest ceiling, so don't burn a top pick on Hobgood so you can sign two other guys at overslot money. If this is the strategy, then don't give your second round pick up for a reliever!

Second, there were players I never heard of that were selected after we picked the prospects mentioned in the article. Picking Snyder really hurt when you look at what came after him. What bothered me was that the guy seemed to not have a clear cut position. If I am picking in the top-10 I want to know I am getting a player that can hit and field, not just a DH type.

Third, it looks to me that the whole "Athlete" and "Speed" traits that were tied to Jordan seems to be what the Rays were looking for when they selected guys like Crawford and Upton. We are also trying to go pitching heavy in our drafts to build depth at the position. If Joe Jordan is trying to mimic another organization it looks to be the Tampa Bay Rays to me.

[SrMeowMeow]

Well, in other posts, Seiler is very complimentary of the cheap early/overslots later draft. But I think we could have found a better slot pick than Hobgood, who wasn't in anybody's top ten.

[Greg Pappas]

I chatted with Seiler last year before the Draft, and he was leaving MLBBB (if memory serves) to work for Perfect Game.

[Stotle]

I chatted with Seiler last year before the Draft, and he was leaving MLBBB (if memory serves) to work for Perfect Game.

He's definitely not at Perfect Game. I spoke with a PG guy this fall (September) and Seiler was off their map.

With due respect to the incredible amount of content Seiler was able to produce, he was much more compiler than evaluator. Not that reporting doesn't have a very important place in the draft universe, but the biggest value was as a source of names to watch for people not closely following the amateur stuff. That and, right or wrong, I'm generally skeptical of bloggers that routinely cite "sources" when discussing players from all over the map.