Hultzen or Bauer?

[baltfan]

Assume the Cole, Rendon, and Bundy are off the board. Whom do you choose and why?

[Can_of_corn]

Hultzen, left handed and Bauer's workload worries me.

[baltfan]

I said in another thread that I would choose Bauer because he has the higher ceiling. The guy seems to live and breath pitching. When I see him pitch, I just can't stop thinking of Lincecum. This team needs an ace, not a guy that profiles as a number 2

[section18]

Highlights of Bauer's outing last night.

http://www.dailynews.com/health/ci_18209558

Pretty impressive.......every five days? He will never be allowed to throw over 110 pitches for the Orioles which should be okay going every 5 days instead of once a week. I think you gamble on him over Bundy if both are available but not over Rendon if he's available.

[Scrat1]

Here's my order of preference, assuming Rendon and Cole are off the board:

Bundy/Hultzen/Bauer

[baltfan]

Yeah, this is how I see it. This kid is dedicated to pitching deep into games. The guy actually does drills to make sure that all of his pitches look the same. He is on the same team as Cole, pitching against the same competition, and his realists are better. Is that because guys are chasing his curve out of the zone? Maybe, but the kids seems bright enough to adjust if that stops working in the pros. He is devoted to mastering the art of pitching.

[eb45]

If Cole/Rendon/Bundy are off the board...

Starling

Gray

Jungmann

Bauer

Hultzen

[allstar1579]

Yeah, this is how I see it. This kid is dedicated to pitching deep into games. The guy actually does drills to make sure that all of his pitches look the same. He is on the same team as Cole, pitching against the same competition, and his realists are better. Is that because guys are chasing his curve out of the zone? Maybe, but the kids seems bright enough to adjust if that stops working in the pros. He is devoted to mastering the art of pitching.

It's because he's obsessed with the strikeout and has a funny looking delivery which is hard for college kids to pick up on. His 3rd and 4th pitches really aren't that good stuff wise, they are just tricky to read. In the pros when guys are seeing him more than one start or two starts a season that stuff isn't going to work anymore, he's going to have to develop those pitches more, and as fun as his inverse slider is, I don't know if it can stick as a viable pitch in the pros. I'm not as afraid of the pitch counts and wear and tear (although they bother me a bit, but for other reasons) as I am that he is afraid to pitch to contact and I think once he gets to a level where the tricks don't work anymore he's going to get hit.

[section18]

I would take Bauer but think it's more likely to come down to Hultzen or Rendon with Rendon the choice. There is still talk that Seattle will take Lindor the high school SS at #2.

[bigelow]

It's because he's obsessed with the strikeout and has a funny looking delivery which is hard for college kids to pick up on. His 3rd and 4th pitches really aren't that good stuff wise, they are just tricky to read. In the pros when guys are seeing him more than one start or two starts a season that stuff isn't going to work anymore, he's going to have to develop those pitches more, and as fun as his inverse slider is, I don't know if it can stick as a viable pitch in the pros. I'm not as afraid of the pitch counts and wear and tear (although they bother me a bit, but for other reasons) as I am that he is afraid to pitch to contact and I think once he gets to a level where the tricks don't work anymore he's going to get hit.

I respectfully disagree. Hultzen stuff is less than bauers. Hultzen like B Matusz could be around 88 in two years. Best pitcher we produced in years was bedard and he like the strikeout. So if bauers stuff is better. Numbers are better. Signing demands are cheaper. What's is the problem?

[bigelow]

I want bauer because he will be the quickest sign. Gives us flexibly with money to invest more in high schools guys to try and get a Mike Stanton type

[RVAbird]

Jungmann over both...

[Greg Pappas]

Stotle, Can you express your views on Bauer's pitch counts and workload? Thanks.

[allstar1579]

I respectfully disagree. Hultzen stuff is less than bauers. Hultzen like B Matusz could be around 88 in two years. Best pitcher we produced in years was bedard and he like the strikeout. So if bauers stuff is better. Numbers are better. Signing demands are cheaper. What's is the problem?

I never said Hultzen had better stuff overall than Bauer, although Hultzen has great command with his FB, and has the best change in the draft, and Bauer has his FB and curve, but after those they both tail off. If Hultzen had a 4th pitch, even average I would say they were neck and neck stuff wise. The real problem is his approach. Bedard wasn't in love with the strikeout but he had a swing and miss pitch he could get it if he got to 2 strikes. Bauer starts setting up for the K on his first pitch of the AB, that's all he is interested with. He's not overpowering guys for a strikeout, he's out thinking and out working them. The cost of that is high pitch counts and a reliance on it later. He just screams to me that he is afraid to pitch to contact and doesn't trust his defense. Maybe there is a reason for that at UCLA, but he can't pitch like that in the pros, their pitch recognition is too good and he will get caught. So his stuff is a tick better (command goes to Hultzen), numbers mean almost nothing when looked at alone, signing demands are unknown right now. I don't care what is said before the draft, it's all posturing, no one will know actual signing demands until a couple weeks after they are drafted. Matzek is a good example.

[bigelow]

I played against a kid ,who after his freshman season at Maryland threw 167 pitches in a wood bat league. He is still pitching in the red sox minor leagues. That is pitching away from contact, not 130