2018 1st round pick (11) Grayson Rodriguez - RHP - Central Heights HS TX

[baltfan]

7 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

We took Sisco in rd 2 and he wasn’t even listed in mlb.com’s top 200. Maybe top 300. Now he’s a 21 year old starting MLB C. 

I agree with this.  Rankings are ok, but very imperfect.  Every year there ar which school guys that go undrafted or are drafted later who end up being high first round picks a couple of years later. 

[weams]

26 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Gorman scares me.  I wanted no part of him.

I was afraid of him.

[Otter]

9 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

We took Sisco in rd 2 and he wasn’t even listed in mlb.com’s top 200. Maybe top 300. Now he’s a 21 year old starting MLB C. 

That's true; maybe Gary's best pick.  But there's also a big difference between the 2nd round and the 11th overall pick.  Once you get to the 2nd round the opinions on prospects can vary greatly between organizations.  But in the top 15, it's usually a lot more uniform views on prospects.

[jtschrei]

Winn and Libertore were there. Turang also. Bit of a head scratcher to me. We’ll see.

[Jammer7]

I like this pick, I like it a lot. I know the numbers say it’s a huge risk with HS pitchers in the first round, but he’s shown some intangibles to get his body where it needed to be. He has that wow factor. I was hoping we could pick from him, Weathers, Libby and Nolan Gorman. I wanted Liberatore or Weathers, but Gray Rod is a beast.

And please, enough with the Hobgood references. I get it, but isn’t it just a bit premature to pin that on him or Rajsich? 

[sportsfan8703]

3 minutes ago, Otter said:

That's true; maybe Gary's best pick.  But there's also a big difference between the 2nd round and the 11th overall pick.  Once you get to the 2nd round the opinions on prospects can vary greatly between organizations.  But in the top 15, it's usually a lot more uniform views on prospects.

Keith Law had Rodriguez #10. 

I think people are a little too swayed by the tv coverage. The mlb draft is too much of a crapshoot for them to cover it well. They are trying though. Our guy wasn’t there. Therefore they didn’t talk about him a lot. I’m sure if he was there they would’ve interviewed him and then talked more about him. 

I see a guy in Rodriguez with a real simple/easy delivery. Liberatore had to rely on quick pitching and gimmicks to get outs in HS. Who wants that with your #1 pick?

[weams]

 

[Jammer7]

Just now, sportsfan8703 said:

Keith Law had Rodriguez #10. 

I think people are a little too swayed by the tv coverage. The mlb draft is too much of a crapshoot for them to cover it well. They are trying though. Our guy wasn’t there. Therefore they didn’t talk about him a lot. I’m sure if he was there they would’ve interviewed him and then talked more about him. 

I see a guy in Rodriguez with a real simple/easy delivery. Liberatore had to rely on quick pitching and gimmicks to get outs in HS. Who wants that with your #1 pick?

Liberatore does not have to rely on gimmicks, trust me. He’s legit. Seen him in person several times.

[weams]

2 minutes ago, Jammer7 said:

I like this pick, I like it a lot. I know the numbers say it’s a huge risk with HS pitchers in the first round, but he’s shown some intangibles to get his body where it needed to be. He has that wow factor. I was hoping we could pick from him, Weathers, Libby and Nolan Gorman. I wanted Liberatore or Weathers, but Gray Rod is a beast.

And please, enough with the Hobgood references. I get it, but isn’t it just a bit premature to pin that on him or Rajsich? 

Rajsich does not love stories. 

[Vandy]

It's a bit overreactionary and possibly lazy to immediately lump this guy in with Hobgood. Hobgood was ranked 40th by BA and we took him 5th. Rodriguez has been ranked anywhere from 10th to 24th and was talked up as a possibility to PIT within the last week. I don't love the pick and would've been very happy with Winn, but I'm looking forward to seeing how GR develops. 

[baltfan]

13 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Keith Law had Rodriguez #10. 

I think people are a little too swayed by the tv coverage. The mlb draft is too much of a crapshoot for them to cover it well. They are trying though. Our guy wasn’t there. Therefore they didn’t talk about him a lot. I’m sure if he was there they would’ve interviewed him and then talked more about him. 

I see a guy in Rodriguez with a real simple/easy delivery. Liberatore had to rely on quick pitching and gimmicks to get outs in HS. Who wants that with your #1 pick?

Where did he have him #10?   Here is last I can find. 

22. Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Central Heights High School, Nacogdoches, Texas. Rodriguez is a sort of poor man's Carter Stewart, which, of course, is still a first-rounder of sorts. Rodriguez has been up to 97 with a power curveball, and he's big like Stewart is, 6-foot-5 and 230-plus, though he has more effort in his delivery, and there's at least a little concern that his trouble repeating it will eventually point him to the bullpen. He also hasn't shown much of a third pitch to date. He's committed to Texas A&M but seems very likely to go in the first round and sign.

 

http://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/23583441/updated-top-100-draft-prospects

[sportsfan8703]

From BA,

Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Central Heights HS, Nacogdoches, Texas (BA Rank: 24)
HS • 6-4 • 230 • L-R 
The biggest pop-up player of the 2018 draft class, Grayson Rodriguez is a huge, 6-foot-5, 230-pound righthander who was primarily in the lower 90s over the summer with some bad weight on his body. Over the winter he got into the gym, worked with a trainer and overhauled his body, cleaning it up and looking like a completely different pitcher this spring. The results were astounding, as Rodriguez has regularly been up to 97-98 mph with his fastball and sits in the mid-90s throughout his starts with remarkable ease in his delivery. In addition to the velocity that he’s shown he can sustain, Rodriguez has heavy life to his fastball and spots it fairly well in the strike zone, giving the pitch the makings of a 70-grade offering—If it’s not already there. In addition to the fastball, Rodriguez has a low-80s slider and a curveball that is a step ahead at 72-74 mph and occasionally slows up. He doesn’t throw it often, but he mixes in an occasional changeup to show it’s in the repertoire as well. Rodriguez has a very poised approach on the mound and rarely shows any emotion as he cuts through opposing lineups in front of deep crowds of scouts and high-level decision makers. Reportedly many teams in the back end of the first round have been bearing down on Rodriguez and he’s done enough this spring to establish himself among the top tier of high school arms.
 

[Jammer7]

19 minutes ago, weams said:

Rajsich does not love stories. 

Not sure I follow you?

[weams]

1 minute ago, Jammer7 said:

Not sure I follow you?

Joe Jordan fell in love with the Hobgood story. 

[sportsfan8703]

UPDATE — From Kiley McDaniel’s chat today:

Rangers

12:46

Who are some names beyond what we’ve been mocked to that we have been connected to?

Kiley McDaniel

12:46

We heard after the mock that Texas prep RHP Grayson Rodriguez will not get past your pick.