If YOU were Tampa Bay...

[Greg Pappas]

who would you take with the first overall pick?

[McNulty]

I know in the Mock I picked Beckham, but I think Alvarez is going to be something special, Boras or not...I'm almost inclined to say I'd rather have Smoak over him also.

[LookinUp]

They have a ton of young hitting. Pitching is what gets you over the hill. I'd go there.

[Greg Pappas]

They have a ton of young hitting. Pitching is what gets you over the hill. I'd go there.

The Rays are in the enviable position to have fairly equal amounts of talent in their bats and arms.

They have the best collection of young arms in baseball... yes, even better than us (according to scouts), and a great core of young bats in Upton, Crawford, Longoria, etc...

With catching considered their weakest position, some are speculating that Florida State catcher Buster Posey would fill a position of need and be the best option at #1. I think Posey is a decent choice certainly, but perhaps not the best player available.

Personally I think they could use the bat over the arm in a close call. It's nice to be in their spot either way.

[Greg Pappas]

My apologies all... I forgot one of my very faves... Justin Smoak! :angryfire:

Hmmmm, ahhh well, just post if you would've picked him.

[furryburres]

They have a ton of young hitting. Pitching is what gets you over the hill. I'd go there.

They have a ton of young pitching also, plus two amazing pitchers (Kazmir, Shields). Garza, Davis, McGee, Price, Morlan, Niemann, Hellickson, Gibson.

[Sports Guy]

Beckham...He seems to be the best talent in the draft.

[allstar1579]

Bucking the most common thought, I'ma go with Posey to address a complete organizational hole. Besides, they've already got some MI prospects, and a ton of pitching prospects, why not take a catcher here? My 2nd pick for them would be Smoak, can never have enough big bats to put in the lineup, even if he was their DH, him and Pena could be a great 1-2. That being said, they will probably take Becks.

[Stotle]

Bucking the most common thought, I'ma go with Posey to address a complete organizational hole. Besides, they've already got some MI prospects, and a ton of pitching prospects, why not take a catcher here? My 2nd pick for them would be Smoak, can never have enough big bats to put in the lineup, even if he was their DH, him and Pena could be a great 1-2. That being said, they will probably take Becks.

SInce TAM has all but openly declared they are building their club solely through draft and development, I don't think it's a stretch to picture them drafting based on need. They have amassed their talent and they are nearing their window of opportunity for competing (2010ish - 2014ish). I think Posey makes a lot of sense. Otherwise, they will likely take best talent and look to make another prospect-for-prospect swap (like Young/Garza) in order to address C. Perhaps with TEX?

[Greg Pappas]

SInce TAM has all but openly declared they are building their club solely through draft and development, I don't think it's a stretch to picture them drafting based on need. They have amassed their talent and they are nearing their window of opportunity for competing (2010ish - 2014ish). I think Posey makes a lot of sense. Otherwise, they will likely take best talent and look to make another prospect-for-prospect swap (like Young/Garza) in order to address C. Perhaps with TEX?

Good post. We think alike as regards Posey and TB. Word from BA is that TB rally likes Posey, so much so that it just begins to make sense more and more that he's being targeted. Is he the #1 player? Maybe not, but he has the makings of a future All-star catcher, and is just a bit behind Wieters as a catching prospect. Tampa would not surprise anyone choosing Posey.

[markpolis]

Good post. We think alike as regards Posey and TB. Word from BA is that TB rally likes Posey, so much so that it just begins to make sense more and more that he's being targeted. Is he the #1 player? Maybe not, but he has the makings of a future All-star catcher, and is just a bit behind Wieters as a catching prospect. Tampa would not surprise anyone choosing Posey.

I think it's posturing on their part. You don't pass up a Derek Jeter/Albert Pujols type player for Jason Kendall. IMO, you can't draft based on need, especially with the #1 overall pick in the draft.

Selecting a catcher in the first round is a very risky proposition at best. To take Posey over Beckham or Alvarez would be a huge mistake. One I hope the D-Rays are foolish enough to make because that would mean one of those players would fall to the Orioles at #4.

[allstar1579]

I think it's posturing on their part. You don't pass up a Derek Jeter/Albert Pujols type player for Jason Kendall. IMO, you can't draft based on need, especially with the #1 overall pick in the draft.

Selecting a catcher in the first round is a very risky proposition at best. To take Posey over Beckham or Alvarez would be a huge mistake. One I hope the D-Rays are foolish enough to make because that would mean one of those players would fall to the Orioles at #4.

But you are doing the same thing, comparing those guys to Jeter/Pujols when they could just as easily be Ed Rogers/Scott Hatteberg, and Posey end up being the next Piazza. As long as you are taking talent that is in the same pool together (i.e. top 10 picks, 2nd ten picks) you aren't doing yourself a total disservice. While you should not consider current players/prospects because of the nature of arrival time versus injuries and decline when drafting...there are teams out there that build SOLELY through the draft, like TB. For them, the only way to GET a decent catcher, is to trade for one (no one besides Texas has them to spare), or draft one. If you are stocked well at SP, and have prospects in the pipeline at other positions, it doesn't hurt you to take someone like this. What was your take on us taking Wieters last year? Same thing and the difference between #1 and #5 isn't that much in MLB Drafts.

[markpolis]

But you are doing the same thing, comparing those guys to Jeter/Pujols when they could just as easily be Ed Rogers/Scott Hatteberg, and Posey end up being the next Piazza. As long as you are taking talent that is in the same pool together (i.e. top 10 picks, 2nd ten picks) you aren't doing yourself a total disservice. While you should not consider current players/prospects because of the nature of arrival time versus injuries and decline when drafting...there are teams out there that build SOLELY through the draft, like TB. For them, the only way to GET a decent catcher, is to trade for one (no one besides Texas has them to spare), or draft one. If you are stocked well at SP, and have prospects in the pipeline at other positions, it doesn't hurt you to take someone like this. What was your take on us taking Wieters last year? Same thing and the difference between #1 and #5 isn't that much in MLB Drafts.

Wieters was and is a special talent who clearly merited consideration for the #1 overall pick. Posey is not in the same class as Wieters.

IMO, Posey is not special. Very good, yes. He has a chance to be a very solid major league player. I don't think he is or will be an All-Star caliber catcher.

IMO, Beckham and Alvarez are special talents and that's my point. You don't pass up on the potential of a special talent for another player solely based on need.

Besides Texas, Oakland and Seattle both have surplus catching prospects.

[markpolis]

RZNJ posted this link in another section:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/events/draft_report/y2008/index.jsp?mc=posey

I'll say it again, Posey is a nice player, but he should not merit #1 overall consideration.

[McNulty]

IMO, Posey is not special. Very good, yes. He has a chance to be a very solid major league player. I don't think he is or will be an All-Star caliber catcher.

Posey is much closer to Russell Martin than Jason Kendall. I know this because I saw Martin in AA upwards of 20 times, and I've seen Posey even more than that.

Posey's first year at FSU he had very few home runs, which is where the misconception about "gap power" comes from. Its the baseball equivalent of "possession receiver", which is to say its a term that means nothing. He learned and developed the past two years to become an outstanding power hitter, all the while changing positions. I think he will hit 25 homers consistently during his peak years. Just my two cents, take it for what its worth, but I've seen the kid enough to know.

I remember a few years ago, Gordon Beckham and Posey were both Shortstops in a regional against each other. All the buzz was about how great these two players were supposed to be, but they were both hitting below their "expected" power levels. Seems to me that I would trust the scouts, because despite what the numbers suggested during their freshman seasons, they both certainly figured it out during their sophomore campaigns.

I'll throw down on any bet about him becoming an All-Star catcher by 2013.

Edit: I also saw Stephen Drew a few dozen times, and he wasn't the collegiate player that Posey has been this year. He deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Wieters (who I also watched a lot).