A quick look at last year's top 4

[Frobby]

1. Garrett Cole: 2.53 ERA, .175 BAA, 8.8 K/9, 2.95 K/BB in high A.

2. Danny Hultzen: 1.44 ERA, .152 BAA, 9.7 K/9, 2.23 K/BB in AA

3. Trevor Bauer: 1.68 ERA, .192 BAA, 11.2 K/9, 2.31 K/BB in AA; 2.52 ERA, .220 BAA, 11.3 K/9, 2.58 K/BB in AAA.

4. Dylan Bundy: 0.00 ERA, .053 BAA, 12.0 K/9, 20.0 K/BB in low A; 2.70 ERA, .257 BAA, 11.7 K/9, 13.0 K/BB in high A.

All four are doing very well, but I have no complaints about our choice.

[BobDylanBundy]

Cole/Hultzen/Bauer were off the board, we couldn't have gotten them even if we wanted them.

Compare Bundy to Starling/Rendon/Bradley and you can feel very fortunate about our choice!

[RVAbird]

Cole/Hultzen/Bauer were off the board, we couldn't have gotten them even if we wanted them.

Compare Bundy to Starling/Rendon/Bradley and you can feel very fortunate about our choice!

I'd leave Starling off that list for now. Bundy dominated at a level he should have dominated and is succeeding in a short sample at a level that should provide some challenges for him. Starling, known to be the more raw product from the start, went to instructs and hasn't played a pro game yet. So, like everyone could have predicted, Bundy got the head start and should fly through the minors and make his ML debut first. But Starling still has superstar upside and hasn't gotten a chance to show us anything as a pro yet. It's far too early to start making any Bundy vs. Starling judgments.

[Frobby]

Cole/Hultzen/Bauer were off the board, we couldn't have gotten them even if we wanted them.

Compare Bundy to Starling/Rendon/Bradley and you can feel very fortunate about our choice!

I guess my point was, I feel fortunate that Bundy was still available at no. 4, even though the three that went ahead of him are doing very well.

[NCRaven]

I'd leave Starling off that list for now. Bundy dominated at a level he should have dominated and is succeeding in a short sample at a level that should provide some challenges for him. Starling, known to be the more raw product from the start, went to instructs and hasn't played a pro game yet. So, like everyone could have predicted, Bundy got the head start and should fly through the minors and make his ML debut first. But Starling still has superstar upside and hasn't gotten a chance to show us anything as a pro yet. It's far too early to start making any Bundy vs. Starling judgments.

All true, but I still have no doubt that Jordan made the right, even lucky given how he came to us ala Wieters, pick with Bundy. Now, as to Esposito...

[RyanW]

It's crazy that Cole and Bundy are at the same level. Cole was supposedly a very polished pitcher who could have been in the big leagues rather quickly, but that doesn't look to be the case with a high school kid being at the same level.

[DrOrioles90210]

It's crazy that Cole and Bundy are at the same level. Cole was supposedly a very polished pitcher who could have been in the big leagues rather quickly, but that doesn't look to be the case with a high school kid being at the same level.

Bundy wasn't a normal high school pitcher though. A lot of scouts mentioned that he should be looked at (in terms of development) as a college arm and not a high school arm because he was so advanced. The fact that Cole and Bundy are pitching at Hi-A says more about Bundy being way more advanced than most high school arms that it does about Cole.

[LookinUp]

In the end, we'd all obviously take the guy who has the most success in the majors. However, at this point I'd rather have Bundy than the other three because his upside in the majors seems higher.

If I were to rate last year's draft right now, it would be something like Bundy, Rendon (I'm probably to slow to lower this guy, but he's still a stud in the making in my book), Starling, Hultzen, Bauer, Cole. My pref last year was Rendon and Cole followed by Starling and Bundy in some order depending on the day. Cole just doesn't seem to have the IT factor that you'd expect from a mature fireballer. In the end, results will matter more than radar guns, and he just doesn't dominate like you'd expect.

Hultzen/Bauer, on the other hand, remind me of Matusz. I'm guessing they're overwhelming hitters with secondaries and advanced pitchability, and that their stuff won't quite play up to the top level in the majors. That's not saying they may not be the two best from the class (probably highest probabilities)...just that they don't seem capable of having 6-10 all star game appearances in their future, whereas Rendon, Bundy and Starling do have that potential, in my book.

[bobmc]

1. Garrett Cole: 2.53 ERA, .175 BAA, 8.8 K/9, 2.95 K/BB in high A.

2. Danny Hultzen: 1.44 ERA, .152 BAA, 9.7 K/9, 2.23 K/BB in AA

3. Trevor Bauer: 1.68 ERA, .192 BAA, 11.2 K/9, 2.31 K/BB in AA; 2.52 ERA, .220 BAA, 11.3 K/9, 2.58 K/BB in AAA.

4. Dylan Bundy: 0.00 ERA, .053 BAA, 12.0 K/9, 20.0 K/BB in low A; 2.70 ERA, .257 BAA, 11.7 K/9, 13.0 K/BB in high A.

All four are doing very well, but I have no complaints about our choice.

Was it your neighbor who was Hultzen's father? Have you chatted?

[Frobby]

Was it your neighbor who was Hultzen's father? Have you chatted?

Right, but I haven't seen Dr. Hultzen in a long time. In addition to being my neighbor, he was the neonatologist on duty the day my daughter (now 22) was born.

[RyanW]

Oh yeah I totally understand. Cole was just the #1 pick and expected to be doing much better than what he is now. I honestly expected him to start in AA. Not taking anything away from Bundy since he looks to be incredible.

[Babkins]

1. Garrett Cole: 2.53 ERA, .175 BAA, 8.8 K/9, 2.95 K/BB in high A.

2. Danny Hultzen: 1.44 ERA, .152 BAA, 9.7 K/9, 2.23 K/BB in AA

3. Trevor Bauer: 1.68 ERA, .192 BAA, 11.2 K/9, 2.31 K/BB in AA; 2.52 ERA, .220 BAA, 11.3 K/9, 2.58 K/BB in AAA.

4. Dylan Bundy: 0.00 ERA, .053 BAA, 12.0 K/9, 20.0 K/BB in low A; 2.70 ERA, .257 BAA, 11.7 K/9, 13.0 K/BB in high A.

All four are doing very well, but I have no complaints about our choice.

Just wow.

[Flosman]

I'd leave Starling off that list for now. Bundy dominated at a level he should have dominated and is succeeding in a short sample at a level that should provide some challenges for him. Starling, known to be the more raw product from the start, went to instructs and hasn't played a pro game yet. So, like everyone could have predicted, Bundy got the head start and should fly through the minors and make his ML debut first. But Starling still has superstar upside and hasn't gotten a chance to show us anything as a pro yet. It's far too early to start making any Bundy vs. Starling judgments.

I would argue that his numbers at Fredrick are basically every bit has dominate as the were at Delmarva.

[Frobby]

I would argue that his numbers at Fredrick are basically every bit has dominate as the were at Delmarva.

Dominant, not dominate.

The obvious difference is that he has allowed a lot more hits at Frederick. From what I've read, though, several of those hits were infield hits that might have been outs if the fielders had played them well. Certainly the numbers at Frederick are nothing to sneeze at.

[Pickles]

It's been said before, but that draft has a chance to be REAL special.