2017 1st round pick (21): DL Hall - LHP - Valdosta (Ga.) HS

[Cumberbundy]

4 hours ago, sportsfan8703 said:

You have to be a redshirt sophomore to be eligible.  3 years of NCAA D1 to be eligible.  I don't think many guys leave a powerhouse like FSU to go to JUCO.  

He might take overslot to sign but he's not as hard as we are thinking.  Unless he has Boras or something.  

Na. You don't have to put 3 years in college.

[Cumberbundy]

4 hours ago, sportsfan8703 said:

You have to be a redshirt sophomore to be eligible.  3 years of NCAA D1 to be eligible.  I don't think many guys leave a powerhouse like FSU to go to JUCO.  

He might take overslot to sign but he's not as hard as we are thinking.  Unless he has Boras or something.  

Pick 72

 

Bats: R

Class: HS

Height: 6'3"

Approx. Pick Value: $804K

Throws: R

DOB: 05/20/98

Weight: 190

Uselton started at quarterback at Southmoore High (Oklahoma City) as a freshman, and his athleticism and arm strength made him a promising college football prospect. He gave up the gridiron as a sophomore, however, and has blossomed into one of the toolsier high school players available in the 2017 Draft. He has eased some worries about his bat with a strong spring, and a club that fully believes in his hitting ability could pluck him in the first round. Uselton's bat speed, strength and leverage give him some of the best raw power in this year's high school crop. His right-handed swing has some arm bar and got out of sync on the showcase circuit, but he has done a nice job of quieting and repeating his stroke as a senior. He's doing a better job of using the entire field and scouts feel better about his chances of tapping into his considerable pop. A solid runner who covers ground with long strides, Uselton may lose a half-step as he fills out. That would prompt a move from center field to right, where his cannon arm would fit perfectly. He's a 19-year-old high schooler, which some teams see as a red flag and would make him Draft-eligible after two years at Oklahoma State if he attends college.

[jcarm]

11 hours ago, sportsfan8703 said:

You have to be a redshirt sophomore to be eligible.  3 years of NCAA D1 to be eligible.  I don't think many guys leave a powerhouse like FSU to go to JUCO.  

He might take overslot to sign but he's not as hard as we are thinking.  Unless he has Boras or something.  

A true freshman at a 4 year college can be draft eligible if he turns 21 within 45 days of the draft. It has happened before. Chris Dwyer was a true freshman at Clemson in 2009 and was drafted in the 4th round by Kansas City that year. I believe that he graduated high school at 19, attended prep school for a year and then went to Clemson.He was 21 at the time of the draft.

[Can_of_corn]

6 hours ago, Cumberbundy said:

Na. You don't have to put 3 years in college.

Gausman was drafted out of HS in 2010 (Dodgers) and was drafted by the O's in 2012.

In fact me forgetting he was 21 when drafted is what caused me to bring up the topic in the first place.

Hall probably signs, they most all sign these days.  But he isn't a lock and that might have been a factor in his being available at #21.

[FlipTheBird]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

Gausman was drafted out of HS in 2010 (Dodgers) and was drafted by the O's in 2012.

In fact me forgetting he was 21 when drafted is what caused me to bring up the topic in the first place.

Hall probably signs, they most all sign these days.  But he isn't a lock and that might have been a factor in his being available at #21.

Absolutely a factor. That, and and teams are still shying away from HS arms unless they're Uber talent, like Greene.

I don't think they'd have drafted him if they weren't prepared to make sure ink winds up on paper, though. Pitchers are gambling more than position players are by choosing to forgo the cash for college, what with how often they get hurt nowadays.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, FlipTheBird said:

Absolutely a factor. That, and and teams are still shying away from HS arms unless they're Uber talent, like Greene.

I don't think they'd have drafted him if they weren't prepared to make sure ink winds up on paper, though. Pitchers are gambling more than position players are by choosing to forgo the cash for college, what with how often they get hurt nowadays.

I do think he signs unless an issue with the physical comes up.  You know one of those, "we still want to sign you but this is going to have an impact on our offer" situations.

[Otter]

Pros: I give Dan and Gary credit for drafting for upside instead of need (college pitchers who would move fast through the system).  I don't know much about him, but all the scouting reports are impressive and the pundits and publications seem to really like the pick.  Also, he's lefthanded and has multiple potential plus pitches.

Cons: I generally prefer not to draft high school pitchers in the first round.  Everyone knows they are the highest risk demographic due to potential injuries, as well as the challenge of going from a 30 game season where they pitch once a week to a 130+ game season pitching every 5 days.  It's just impossible to predict how a 18 year old kid's arm will adapt to the added stress.  I prefer high school arms after the first round.  MLB Network showed a graphic last night that 20 of the MLB all-stars from last year were first round picks, and only 4 were 2nd round picks.  That shows how important it is to not miss on your first round picks.  And that's even more important for the O's who completely ignore the international market (of which 19 international signees were all-stars last year).

Overall, it will take a while to really judge this pick...let's just hope he has an easier road than Harvey.

[TINSTAAPP]

10 minutes ago, Otter said:

Pros: I give Dan and Gary credit for drafting for upside instead of need (college pitchers who would move fast through the system).  I don't know much about him, but all the scouting reports are impressive and the pundits and publications seem to really like the pick.  Also, he's lefthanded and has multiple potential plus pitches.

Cons: I generally prefer not to draft high school pitchers in the first round.  Everyone knows they are the highest risk demographic due to potential injuries, as well as the challenge of going from a 30 game season where they pitch once a week to a 130+ game season pitching every 5 days.  It's just impossible to predict how a 18 year old kid's arm will adapt to the added stress.  I prefer high school arms after the first round.  MLB Network showed a graphic last night that 20 of the MLB all-stars from last year were first round picks, and only 4 were 2nd round picks.  That shows how important it is to not miss on your first round picks.  And that's even more important for the O's who completely ignore the international market (of which 19 international signees were all-stars last year).

Overall, it will take a while to really judge this pick...let's just hope he has an easier road than Harvey.

Among late first round draft picks over the last 20 years, there have been a lot more high school pitchers who became stars/top pitchers in the majors than college pitchers. It's not even close really. Aaron Sanchez, Michael Fulmer, Noah Syndergaard, C.C. Sabathia, Adam Wainwright, Gio Gonzalez, Lance McCullers and Matt Cain were all late first round or supplemental first round picks who had or are well on their way to having tremendous ML careers. Meanwhile, the best college pitchers drafted in the late first round have been Lance Lynn, Jeremy Guthrie, Clay Buchholz, Matt Garza, and Ian Kennedy. The gap in quality is staggering. A team is far more likely to get an ace or borderline ace drafting a high school pitcher with a late first round pick than they would be drafting a college pitcher. 

[Otter]

22 minutes ago, TINSTAAPP said:

Among late first round draft picks over the last 20 years, there have been a lot more high school pitchers who became stars/top pitchers in the majors than college pitchers. It's not even close really. Aaron Sanchez, Michael Fulmer, Noah Syndergaard, C.C. Sabathia, Adam Wainwright, Gio Gonzalez, Lance McCullers and Matt Cain were all late first round or supplemental first round picks who had or are well on their way to having tremendous ML careers. Meanwhile, the best college pitchers drafted in the late first round have been Lance Lynn, Jeremy Guthrie, Clay Buchholz, Matt Garza, and Ian Kennedy. The gap in quality is staggering. A team is far more likely to get an ace or borderline ace drafting a high school pitcher with a late first round pick than they would be drafting a college pitcher. 

Good examples, and I agree with you to a point.  I agree there is more upside at this point in the first round with a HS pitcher, but I still think there's a lot of risk too.  Or maybe it's just my scarred memories of our pitching development process over the past 20 years that's clouding my judgment...

But here's to DL breaking the curse, progressing rapidly through our system with no injuries or development setbacks, and ultimately anchoring our rotation for years to come...

[sportsfan8703]

21. Baltimore Orioles:  LHP D.L. Hall, Valdosta (Ga.) HS
Callis: I think Hall has the potential to be a great value for the Orioles here at No.21. He's a smaller left-hander who draws comparisons to Scott Kazmir with his low-90s fastball and overpowering curve. Based purely on talent, he could have gone five or so picks higher. - MLB.com

[Reboulet'sStache]

Love drafting high upside guys in the first round.  If the organization can't develop them, fire everybody in the organization.  But that we shouldn't ever be drafting the D.J. Stewart's of the world in the first round.

[sportsfan8703]

3 minutes ago, Reboulet'sStache said:

Love drafting high upside guys in the first round.  If the organization can't develop them, fire everybody in the organization.  But that we shouldn't ever be drafting the D.J. Stewart's of the world in the first round.

Why the DJ Stewart hate?  Sedlock is off to an equally slow start but Stewart always gets piled on.  Stewart is actually in AA doing pretty well.   He looks like he's going to be a Steve Pearce type in the MLB.  That's good value at the back of round 1.  Cheap 6+ years of a cost controlled starting position player.  

[MDtransplant757]

41 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Why the DJ Stewart hate?  Sedlock is off to an equally slow start but Stewart always gets piled on.  Stewart is actually in AA doing pretty well.   He looks like he's going to be a Steve Pearce type in the MLB.  That's good value at the back of round 1.  Cheap 6+ years of a cost controlled starting position player.  

I don't get why the O's messed with his swing. It worked wonders at FSU. 

[Can_of_corn]

13 minutes ago, MDtransplant757 said:

I don't get why the O's messed with his swing. It worked wonders at FSU. 

Might have something to do with the 218/288/345 line he put up in Aberdeen as a 21 year old.

[Go_Os]

From a Keith Law chat...

 

Aaron C.: What’s your personal policy on writing about/discussing “makeup” issues? Do you prefer to independently confirm them or do you only address them if they’ve already been publicly reported elsewhere? Thanks! 
Keith Law: I rarely discuss them, because it’s dangerous. If there’s an arrest or a suspension, that’s easy. A failed drug test is pretty concrete too. But on a guy like DL Hall, where I think some scouts just didn’t like the kid very much, is that something you need to know about as readers? What if it’s bogus, but still affected where he was picked? That’s where I struggle. I’m supposed to explain to you what’s going on, but if a stupid rumor is the cause, but is just a stupid rumor, how do I present that to you all?