Morning topic #1: who are our top options for 2nd round pick?

[Frobby]

OK, 60 players are gone. Who do you like as top choices for our 2nd rounder?

[Stotle]

OK, 60 players are gone. Who do you like as top choices for our 2nd rounder?

More costly:

Dillon Howard (rhp, Searcy HS, Searcy, Ark.)

Daniel Norris (lhp, Science Hill HS, Johnson City, Tenn.)

Derek Fisher (of, Cedar Crest HS, Lebanon, Penn.)

Johnny Eierman (of/2b, Warsaw HS, Warsaw, Mo.)

Austin Hedges (c, JSerra HS, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)

Probably slot or close to it:

Anthony Meo (rhp, Coastal Carolina)

Alex Dickerson (1b/of, Indiana Univ.)

Noe Ramirez (rhp, Cal. St. Fullerton)

BA Vollmuth (3b, Univ. of Southern Mississippi)

Jason Esposito (3b, Vanderbilt)

[Frobby]

Thanks, as always, Stotle. Just my opinion, but with all the picks our competitors had, price should be no object. What kind of coin are we talking about for Howard, Norris, Fisher, Eierman and Hedges? By the way, if you didn't have checkbook concerns, would you rank all five above the other five?

[baltfan]

Thanks, as always, Stotle. Just my opinion, but with all the picks our competitors had, price should be no object. What kind of coin are we talking about for Howard, Norris, Fisher, Eierman and Hedges? By the way, if you didn't have checkbook concerns, would you rank all five above the other five?

I think Law and Goldstein said Norris's bonus demand was $4 mil.

[Roll Tide]

I think I'd take Norris and throw the money at him. They had him ranked next to Bell all last night.It makes you wonder why Boston didn't select him with all the picks they had. they certainly have the money.

[weams]

OK, 60 players are gone. Who do you like as top choices for our 2nd rounder?

Players from Baseball America's top 50 that are still on the board.

No. 15. Josh Bell, of

No. 16. Daniel Norris, lhp

No. 28. Austin Hedges, c

No. 30 Andrew Susac, c

No. 31 Dillon Howard, rhp

No. 32 Matt Purke, lhp

No. 39 Jorge Lopez, rhp

No. 41 Josh Osich, lhp

No. 42 Alex Dickerson, of

No. 46 Dillon Maples, rhp

No. 50 Tony Zych, rhp

[waroriole]

Can someone make the case against Purke here? Is the injury and signability concerns going to cause him to plummet?

[weams]

Can someone make the case against Purke here? Is the injury and signability concerns going to cause him to plummet?

He wants money like he would have gotten before his injury.

His shoulder injury is far from over.

He has the option if he is better to go back to school next year and show it becoming number one.

The scouts say his mechanics are a mess.

There are other options for a team that had no supplimental and needs it's number two to be a hit.

[weams]

From a scout before his injury which has cause him to lose 6 or 7 mph.

Purke mechanically….his arm action is very loose and whip-like — very tension free. He breaks his hands late, which speeds up his arm as it tries to catch up with the rest of his body. A late hand break can benefit a pitcher’s velocity and make it tougher to pick up the ball out of his hand.

The tradeoff to that deception and extra arm speed is that it might add a little more stress to the shoulder. In addition, Purke doesn’t incorporate his lower body all that much into his delivery, forcing his arm to do much of the work. Pitchers who have a busier lower body also tend to have their breaking stuff play-up because hitters react to that lower body movement and gear up for something hard.

[waroriole]

Thanks weams. Let's look elsewhere, I'd like to get a guy who can come right in with the 2nd pick.

[Dipper9]

Players from Baseball America's top 50 that are still on the board.

No. 15. Josh Bell, of

No. 16. Daniel Norris, lhp

No. 28. Austin Hedges, c

No. 30 Andrew Susac, c

No. 31 Dillon Howard, rhp

No. 32 Matt Purke, lhp

No. 39 Jorge Lopez, rhp

No. 41 Josh Osich, lhp

No. 42 Alex Dickerson, of

No. 46 Dillon Maples, rhp

No. 50 Tony Zych, rhp

Drafting Bell should would make things confusing when reading minor league reports! lol

[JTrea81]

Somebody who has an excellent chance at being an everyday player at the ML level would be nice.

It seems the bats really aren't that deep in this draft, which is a shame.

Norris would seem like the pick here. Load up on arms to deal later I guess...

[Jammer7]

I would love to see us take a Daniel Norris with pick #64, but realistically...doubt it. I like Dillon Howard (RHP - ARK HS), Matt Dean (3B - TX HS), and Josh Osich (LHP - Oregon St.).

With the third round pick, I like Cody Asche (3B/OF* - Nebraska), Tyler Gibson (OF/3B* - GA HS) and Mason Hope (RHP - OK HS).

I don't know anything about Julius Gaines (SS - GA HS). I saw on Diamondscape that Nick likes him a lot. Anyone have info on him?

[section18]

Volmuth, Osich and Esposito. Any of the three are good selections.

[tennOsfan]

I've seen Norris pitch and umped a couple games where he played centerfield. His control hasn't been as pinpoint as one would like -- certainly not in Bundy's league. But his low to mid 90s fastball has a definite action that looks to a right-handed batter that the ball is coming inside off the plate only to straighten back and nip the corner. If he can learn to pinpoint that ... curveball is a beauty also. And he's a very solid athlete. His pitching motion looks almost effortless.

Like I said in another thread, should the O's take him in the second round, I'll do everything I can to help encourage my local boy the O's way. His dad owns a bicycle shop here, and I'll buy a new bike if I have to.