Mock Draft Picks 1-10

[Stotle]

Welcome to the First Hangout Mock Draft. Picks 1-10 will be completed by Monday, and of course the thread is open to comment and discussion from anyone. The order will go as follows:

1. TAM (McNulty)

2. PIT (Markopolis)

3. KAN (Greg)

4. BAL (Pete)

5. SFN (Stotle)

6. FLA (Furry)

7. CIN (AllStar)

8. CHA (McNulty)

9. WAS (Markopolis)

10. HOU (Greg)

Please give your pick and some sort of explanation just to get the convo going. Enjoy; Tampa is on the clock!

[Greg Pappas]

Welcome to the First Hangout Mock Draft. Picks 1-10 will be completed by Monday, and of course the thread is open to comment and discussion from anyone. The order will go as follows:

1. TAM (McNulty)

2. PIT (Markopolis)

3. KAN (Greg)

4. BAL (Pete)

5. SFN (Stotle)

6. FLA (Furry)

7. CIN (AllStar)

8. CHA (McNulty)

9. WAS (Markopolis)

10. HOU (Greg)

Please give your pick and some sort of explanation just to get the convo going. Enjoy; Tampa is on the clock!

"Marko!"........ "polis!" lol... I used to spell his name that way at times... it just has a ring to it that we are familiar with.

Go McNulty!... Woo-Hoo!

[markpolis]

"Marko!"........ "polis!" lol... I used to spell his name that way at times... it just has a ring to it that we are familiar with.

Go McNulty!... Woo-Hoo!

I'll be able to give my pick later tonight. (Thursday night)

[Greg Pappas]

I'll be able to give my pick later tonight. (Thursday night)

Cool, me too... my pick with KC at three will be more difficult now that Crow is being advised by Boras.

[NCRaven]

Tampa on the clock. They've filled 3B for the next 6-10 years with Longoria and took a pitcher at the top last year in Price. Do they pass over Alvarez and Crow or Matusz and go with the high school uberprospect T. Beckham? HS players scare me at #1 overall. It's the ultimate high risk-high reward situation, but I'd close my eyes tight and take the kid.

[Stotle]

Tampa on the clock. They've filled 3B for the next 6-10 years with Longoria and took a pitcher at the top last year in Price. Do they pass over Alvarez and Crow or Matusz and go with the high school uberprospect T. Beckham? HS players scare me at #1 overall. It's the ultimate high risk-high reward situation, but I'd close my eyes tight and take the kid.

I think Alvarez in RF is intriguing. Crow and Matusz are both solid picks, with Beckham being the toolsy HS stud. Posey could be the darkhorse.

[Stotle]

Cool, me too... my pick with KC at three will be more difficult now that Crow is being advised by Boras.

Are you actually calling boras to feel him out on his demands? If so, you get extra points.

[furryburres]

Tampa on the clock. They've filled 3B for the next 6-10 years with Longoria and took a pitcher at the top last year in Price. Do they pass over Alvarez and Crow or Matusz and go with the high school uberprospect T. Beckham? HS players scare me at #1 overall. It's the ultimate high risk-high reward situation, but I'd close my eyes tight and take the kid.

Well, they can't take Crow, because everyone is afraid of a Scott Boras client. And their surplus of young pitchers... And Beckham is one of those young, 5-tooler, once in a generation guys that you don't want to mis out on. He could reach the majors by age 20, and in 2011 their team reads like this:

C: John Jaso

1B: Pena (power monster)

2B: converted Reid Brignac/Iwamura

SS: Beckham

3B: Longoria

P: Davis, Price, Niemann, Mcgee, Kazmir, Shields, Garza (pick any rotation out of those 5= possible best rotation in majors)

Closer could be Mcgee.

DH:?

Then their OF is something like: Desmond Jennings, Crawford, and Upton.

How scary good is that team? Not one weak spot besides DH.

Or they could pick Alvarez, and have Brignac stay at SS, Iwamura at 2B, and then put Alvarez in at DH.

You really win either way.

[furryburres]

I think Alvarez in RF is intriguing. Crow and Matusz are both solid picks, with Beckham being the toolsy HS stud. Posey could be the darkhorse.

No, he's not. He's intriguing at DH. Their outfield is too crowded with Jennings, Crawford, and Upton.

[Stotle]

No, he's not. He's intriguing at DH. Their outfield is too crowded with Jennings, Crawford, and Upton.

Respectfully, I disagree. Jennings may eventually be a very good lead-off hitter. He's a very good OF right now, but needs to improve his jumps and routes to the ball. I'm not sure he's standing in the way of any potential first-overall selection in any draft.

[markpolis]

Tampa on the clock. They've filled 3B for the next 6-10 years with Longoria and took a pitcher at the top last year in Price. Do they pass over Alvarez and Crow or Matusz and go with the high school uberprospect T. Beckham? HS players scare me at #1 overall. It's the ultimate high risk-high reward situation, but I'd close my eyes tight and take the kid.

No comment from me until Tampa makes their pick.

[Stotle]

No, he's not. He's intriguing at DH. Their outfield is too crowded with Jennings, Crawford, and Upton.

Also, I'm not sure how 3 players constitutes crowded. And I guess, also again, I wonder if Crawford is sticking past 2010. Why not draft Alvarez, shift him to RF and put Jennings in LF where his average arm strength won't hurt the team defensively.

Would you ever even really want Jennings in RF for a ML team? How many 1st to 3rds would we see?

[furryburres]

Also, I'm not sure how 3 players constitutes crowded. And I guess, also again, I wonder if Crawford is sticking past 2010. Why not draft Alvarez, shift him to RF and put Jennings in LF where his average arm strength won't hurt the team defensively.

Would you ever even really want Jennings in RF for a ML team? How many 1st to 3rds would we see?

I actually meant LF, with Crawford in right and Upton in center. They've also got Royster, Fernando Perez...

They'll spend the money on Crawford, to mantain him.

Why not just put Alvarez at DH? His bat is absolutely amazing.

But if they don't think they'll mantain Crawford, then by all means...

[furryburres]

Respectfully, I disagree. Jennings may eventually be a very good lead-off hitter. He's a very good OF right now, but needs to improve his jumps and routes to the ball. I'm not sure he's standing in the way of any potential first-overall selection in any draft.

Almost every prospect has bad routes. It's a fixable problem.

I just think they should pick someone for a position that they would need more, then shift over Brignac.

[Greg Pappas]

Are you actually calling boras to feel him out on his demands? If so, you get extra points.

Me and Scottie B go wayyyy back... in fantasy land.

Quoting Kevin Goldstein from BP: "Alvarez and Crow are both Boras, as is Hosmer and Cole. Another busy and fruitful year for the Scott Boras Corp."