Current Preference List (3/22/2012)

[The Maestro]

Stotle, first off, thanks for the great info as always. I'm curious, for a guy like Buxton who doesn't face top notch competition during the school year, how make or break are the tournaments or showcases that he would participate in? Secondly, if you were the Orioles and both were available at #4, would you select Buxton and his ceiling or Zunnino and his probability? Thanks.

[Stotle]

Stotle, first off, thanks for the great info as always. I'm curious, for a guy like Buxton who doesn't face top notch competition during the school year, how make or break are the tournaments or showcases that he would participate in? Secondly, if you were the Orioles and both were available at #4, would you select Buxton and his ceiling or Zunnino and his probability? Thanks.

The big showcases and tournaments are a huge deal. Not just because it gives evaluators a place to see the top guys play against each other, but the events tend to draw the high level decision-makers. Buxton showed very well at Under Armour, and it really helped his stock.

That said, he'll be expected to show well throughout the spring. If you start to struggle against uneven competition, it has the potential to do damage at the top of the board (though you can get away with it later in the 1st and sandwich round).

[Stotle]

Good to hear. But why mention "that doesn't command much' date=' if any, over traditional slot"? Do you foresee money being an issue with this first pick?[/quote']

General comment regarding decision-making at the top of the draft and putting a number on kids.

[allstar1579]

From Nick's tweets at the game it looks like Zimmer is sharp today and very much a candidate for #1.

[oriolekid]

I'm really starting to like Stryker Trahan. I'd put him up there with Buxton and Gio in terms of highest upside in the draft tier. Power potential is as high as it gets for a catcher, and he's solid defensibly behind the plate, and has also played 1st and 3rd so if we draft him, and Wieters is still going strong at catcher in 3 years, we can switch him to 1st.

[allstar1579]

More notes from Nick today, Appel looks good, 93-96 (where's he's been all season) with a good 84 mph power curve, CH just looks average though, so he might just be a 2.5 pitch pitcher at this point. I'm interested to get his take when he gets back of Zimmer v. Appel.

I think Appel, and Zimmer are looking like locks for the top 4 right now. With Zunino in there too, it should leave a pool of those guys, Marrero, Giolito (if not badly injured), and Buxton hanging around that #4 spot. Should be an interesting article next week from Nick on what he thinks about #4.

[allstar1579]

The more players who step up as elite talents, the better it is for us.

Exactly. This sorta thing happens every year, a couple extra guys work their way into conversation at the top, this is just the time it happens.I'm pretty confident we'll get a very good player at #4, just NO clue which one it'll be

[allstar1579]

If Zimmer and Appel go top 3, I think I'd be happy with a choice of 2 or 3 of Buxton, Gioloto, or Zunino.

That's what I was thinking too. I personally tend to shy away from the athletic raw OF, but I think Buxton is more advanced than most of them are. I would love to get Giolito, but I'd want to make sure this injury isn't some long term thing first.

[allstar1579]

If I REALLY like Giolito and they told me he needed TJ surgery, I think I'd still take him. But I'd have to like him an awful lot.

I don't know if his scholly offer gets pulled if he has surgery or not, if that's the case and he can't go to school I take him in a couple rounds, pay him overslot and wait out his recovery, I like him THAT much, and TJ doesn't scare me like a shoulder surgery. I can't remember what the injury actually was though, and I'm too lazy to go downstairs and get my notes

[allstar1579]

Not quite as easy with the new rules. The O's get a total of 6.M+ for the draft. First pick slot is 4.2M Their 2nd round pick (#65) is something like 650K. Now if you make a real pick with the first choice (let's say Buxton) then you most likely will use all of, if not most of that slot money. It's not like you'll be able to give Giolito 3 or 4M in the 2nd round without forfeiting some future 1st round picks.

Not talking about that much of an overslot like the old days. Overslots now won't be crazy big, but guys will know where they are taken what they are going to get, it's either that or school. If his scholly is gone because of the surgery (I honestly don't know if it works that way, I wasn't a scholly player) then his options are drastically reduced, and he's more at the mercy of the team that takes him and rehabbing on their dime. I think highly enough of him I'd take him in the 2nd if I could get him there and give him a little over slot just so he knows I appreciate him. It's either that or he has to try to find a school to take him next year after he heals. All hypothetical of course, but these new rules are going to make issues like this more interesting because teams can't just pop them in the 6th round and give them a couple million.

[McNulty]

What don't you like about him?

I feel like a moron throwing out opinions, but:

He seems like he gets fooled a lot on quality breaking stuff. Outside of his receiving skills, I think he's OK defensively.

I don't know why, but I've always thought Austin Maddox was a better hitter and I would like to see him moved back behind the dish when he goes pro.

Maybe Stotle can provide some opinions.

[allstar1579]

I feel like a moron throwing out opinions, but:

He seems like he gets fooled a lot on quality breaking stuff. Outside of his receiving skills, I think he's OK defensively.

I don't know why, but I've always thought Austin Maddox was a better hitter and I would like to see him moved back behind the dish when he goes pro.

Maybe Stotle can provide some opinions.

I was thinking the same thing about Maddox the other day honestly, and all I can really think of is that he's behind probably the college player of the year at C right now, and he can pitch in RP pretty well too, he's lights out as closer. I feel like he might get moved back to C next season when Zunino is gone, but he could be like some previous ACC Catchers who also served as closers.

PS- Don't ever feel like a moron throwing out opinions, I miss you chiming in with ACC analysis like back in the day.

[Stotle]

I feel like a moron throwing out opinions, but:

He seems like he gets fooled a lot on quality breaking stuff. Outside of his receiving skills, I think he's OK defensively.

I don't know why, but I've always thought Austin Maddox was a better hitter and I would like to see him moved back behind the dish when he goes pro.

Maybe Stotle can provide some opinions.

That's definitely a hole in his game, but it doesn't show up every weekend. Sometimes he presses and expands his zone, but he also shows an ability to hone in and track the ball pretty well. That said, I think his offensive prowess gets exaggerated some. He's a good hitter, but were he not a catcher, he wouldn't be an early-1st Round guy for me. Closer to 50-50 offensively, with a chance for above-average to plus power if squares enough balls at the next level.

I think some teams would consider Maddox as a bat at the pro level (potentially), but it won't be behind the plate. He's just too stiff back there, and while he has a cannon he isn't particularly accurate (mostly because his footwork isn't great). I kind of liked him at 3b, but am in the minority there based on other scouts I've spoken to (I'd still stick him there in low-A and instructs and see how he does. A pro team might put the bat in his hand and stick him at 1b. I am actually curious as to whether he could DH and close for an AL team. That would be pretty awesome (though highly unconventional).

I was thinking the same thing about Maddox the other day honestly, and all I can really think of is that he's behind probably the college player of the year at C right now, and he can pitch in RP pretty well too, he's lights out as closer. I feel like he might get moved back to C next season when Zunino is gone, but he could be like some previous ACC Catchers who also served as closers.

PS- Don't ever feel like a moron throwing out opinions, I miss you chiming in with ACC analysis like back in the day.

Maddox is a pro next year, barring anything unforseen like injury. In any event, even if Maddox were to return to Gainesville, Gushue is the better defensive catcher and can also rake. He would be behind the plate as the starter next year, I'd imagine.

[allstar1579]

That's definitely a hole in his game, but it doesn't show up every weekend. Sometimes he presses and expands his zone, but he also shows an ability to hone in and track the ball pretty well. That said, I think his offensive prowess gets exaggerated some. He's a good hitter, but were he not a catcher, he wouldn't be an early-1st Round guy for me. Closer to 50-50 offensively, with a chance for above-average to plus power if squares enough balls at the next level.

I think some teams would consider Maddox as a bat at the pro level (potentially), but it won't be behind the plate. He's just too stiff back there, and while he has a cannon he isn't particularly accurate (mostly because his footwork isn't great). I kind of liked him at 3b, but am in the minority there based on other scouts I've spoken to (I'd still stick him there in low-A and instructs and see how he does. A pro team might put the bat in his hand and stick him at 1b. I am actually curious as to whether he could DH and close for an AL team. That would be pretty awesome (though highly unconventional).

Maddox is a pro next year, barring anything unforseen like injury. In any event, even if Maddox were to return to Gainesville, Gushue is the better defensive catcher and can also rake. He would be behind the plate as the starter next year, I'd imagine.

Duh, I knew that. My bad. Didn't realize Gushue was a C though, I just started paying attention to him after you said something the other night.

[Stotle]

Duh, I knew that. My bad. Didn't realize Gushue was a C though, I just started paying attention to him after you said something the other night.

Gushue is also an early enroll. He was on the showcase circuit this summer (and I think he even played in Jupiter in October, if I remember right). He enrolled at Florida in January. So he should be a high school senior this spring but instead won the DH job on the best team in college baseball.