Beckham could be at #4 afterall

[DennisTheOsFan]

At this point, would you guys be happier if we drafted Alvarez, or Beckham?

[Hank Scorpio]

At this point, would you guys be happier if we drafted Alvarez, or Beckham?

Alvarez.

Characters.

[DennisTheOsFan]

He is the safer pick, while Beckham is the sexier pick.

One thing good about drafting Alvarez is we don't need to worry about Rowell panning out at 3rd. If he does, fine. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But if Rowell struggles at 3B, we won't have to make him fit there. (I think I read that Alvarez has a good glove at 3B).

If Alvarez and Rowell secure 3B and 1B, we may need to see how Brandon Snyder handles LF.

[Stotle]

At this point, would you guys be happier if we drafted Alvarez, or Beckham?

Beckham, but with a specific reasoning in mind. I don't think Alvarez falls to BAL unless some issues arise (or continue) over the course of the season -- primarily injuries. If Alvarez were to fall to #4, BAL would likely be obligated to draft him, concerns and all. At that point, I'd rather have the 5-tool SS that projects to stay at SS. If PA somehow manages to fall to 4th because of signability (bonus demands), provided everything else is in order, I start sporting my Vote for Pedro shirt.

EDITORIAL NOTE -- Despite the popularity of Napolean Dolemite and the trendy nature of said VfP shirt, I do note own a Vote for Pedro shirt.

[Stotle]

He is the safer pick, while Beckham is the sexier pick.

One thing good about drafting Alvarez is we don't need to worry about Rowell panning out at 3rd. If he does, fine. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But if Rowell struggles at 3B, we won't have to make him fit there. (I think I read that Alvarez has a good glove at 3B).

If Alvarez and Rowell secure 3B and 1B, we may need to see how Brandon Snyder handles LF.

I'd prefer Snyder at 1st and Rowell in LF. The less Snyder throws, the better, and Rowell is probably a slightly better athlete.

Alvarez has the tool set and athleticism to project to 3b/1b/LF/RF/DH at the ML level.

As an aside, Beckham could likely play anywhere on the field (save for C), though the question of power may limit where you put him for productivity purposes.

[DennisTheOsFan]

Is that right? I figured Rowell, being the taller player, would be less likely to play the outfield than Snyder. But athleticism plays a role in determining this, as does actual defensive abilities in LF.

[Camden_yardbird]

True enough, but I read this morning in that NYTimes article, that the Pirates have 'changed their scouting and development system' (probably old news to some, but news to me)...maybe that will make a difference in their picks this year?

Huntington sent out a letter to the fans stating what looks to be what the base of this article is informed by. They basically said the reason they didn;t make any offseason moves was because they were redoing scouting and talent evaluation infrastructure. Littlefield and McClatchy really, really let the who thing go. There scouting apparantly would be best described as worse than college scouting when those two left. I wouldn't think they are making the same mistakes. They like the O's are in capable hands to rebuild now.