Oliver Drake.....

[QBsILLEST1]

Depending on who signs and for how much, it looks solid. I'd be curious to know how much is budgeted for signing these kids. I'd imagine the team isn't counting on signing all of them.

So, if BAL finishes right around where their budget was, great. If money is left on the table that may be an indication that one of the signable but more expensive kids would have been preferable. If they go over budget and still sign the kids, that would mean Jordan is getting his guys -- outstanding.

Stotle, comparing this year and last year's drafts, did we take anywhere near this many tough sign value picks?

And to clarify, these kids that we took that will be tough signs and have commitments to college, are they better than the round they were drafted in? Are these guys Beal's and Bundy's and Brady's that we were trying to sign as many of as possible last year?

[Florida_Osfan]

No, that may actually be his destination. Didnt Hoes and Avery start off at Bluefield last year? If thats where they started, then expect to see Hobgood at Aberdeen. He can handle it based off of his stuff

Ah, I get you. That kind of confidence in a draft pick is great to see. But, I think Hoes and Avery both started in the GCL last year. I haven't looked at the stats to confirm it, but I distinctly remember the conversation, at least this year, being centered on the surprise leap both players made to full season ball.

I've only seen videos of Hobbs but his mechanics look great and his pitches seem to have quite a bit of movement. Of course, I'm not a scout... just a quickly growing fan of this pick.

[Florida_Osfan]

Ollie Drake didnt excite me until I got to read more of him last year, but this year its like we took a whole bunch of Bundy's . We took a whole lot of raw talent and I really like this year's draft, it will be a big part of our development as a ball club.....The value picks we got were amazing, especially with Berry in the 9th pick.....

Yeah, the Zagone pick didn't scream energy for me, either. But I liked the Drake pick from the beginning. And his pitching has been great. The only question about Drake is that he doesn't go deep consistently. I think his last outing was only 5IP. There might have been a reason for it, as I didn't see the actual game, but I'd like to see him going 7IP regularly. Otherwise, he is fast becoming one of the pitchers I most look forward to hearing about each week.

[Florida_Osfan]

Depending on who signs and for how much, it looks solid. I'd be curious to know how much is budgeted for signing these kids. I'd imagine the team isn't counting on signing all of them.

So, if BAL finishes right around where their budget was, great. If money is left on the table that may be an indication that one of the signable but more expensive kids would have been preferable. If they go over budget and still sign the kids, that would mean Jordan is getting his guys -- outstanding.

I'm guessing 10-12M? Does that sound right? If Hobbs gets the slot 2.5M for the 5th pick, that leaves 7.5-9.5M to lock up the rest of the picks.

[Lucky Jim]

No, that may actually be his destination. Didnt Hoes and Avery start off at Bluefield last year? If thats where they started, then expect to see Hobgood at Aberdeen. He can handle it based off of his stuff

No. They were both with the Gulf Coast Orioles.

You've said in a couple different places that Hobgood might start in Aberdeen. I suppose it's possible, but I don't see any evidence that it's the case.

And you're making pretty definitive statements about what he can handle and his stuff - what's the source of this confidence?

[Lucky Jim]

Yeah, the Zagone pick didn't scream energy for me, either. But I liked the Drake pick from the beginning. And his pitching has been great. The only question about Drake is that he doesn't go deep consistently. I think his last outing was only 5IP. There might have been a reason for it, as I didn't see the actual game, but I'd like to see him going 7IP regularly. Otherwise, he is fast becoming one of the pitchers I most look forward to hearing about each week.

Were there any MiL pitchers who went 7IP "regularly" last year?

[Stotle]

No, that may actually be his destination. Didnt Hoes and Avery start off at Bluefield last year? If thats where they started, then expect to see Hobgood at Aberdeen. He can handle it based off of his stuff

Hoes and Avery were Gulf Coast. I took Jordan's comments to mean Hobgood would start in Bluefield. Could definitely be wrong -- but NY/Penn is generally college guys and Appy League is college/advanced HS.

[Stotle]

I'm guessing 10-12M? Does that sound right? If Hobbs gets the slot 2.5M for the 5th pick, that leaves 7.5-9.5M to lock up the rest of the picks.

THat's what I'd like to see alotted. I'd be shocked if BAL was planning on spending that much. Plus, if that IS the budget then there is no way Jordan passes on some of the names like Stassi/Younginer.

[Lucky Jim]

Hoes and Avery were Gulf Coast. I took Jordan's comments to mean Hobgood would start in Bluefield. Could definitely be wrong -- but NY/Penn is generally college guys and Appy League is college/advanced HS.

My take too.

[Crazysilver03]

Depending on who signs and for how much, it looks solid. I'd be curious to know how much is budgeted for signing these kids. I'd imagine the team isn't counting on signing all of them.

So, if BAL finishes right around where their budget was, great. If money is left on the table that may be an indication that one of the signable but more expensive kids would have been preferable. If they go over budget and still sign the kids, that would mean Jordan is getting his guys -- outstanding.

I say we unload Baez's contract on someone and use that money back in the draft.

[Stotle]

I say we unload Baez's contract on someone and use that money back in the draft.

Again, sounds great, but doesn't look like something BAL is considering thus far. If something like that were in the cards, I think you would have seen some pricier alternatives selecting (acknowledging that I do not know what some of these BAL-drafted kids are asking for).

[Duke2010]

I'm guessing 10-12M? Does that sound right? If Hobbs gets the slot 2.5M for the 5th pick, that leaves 7.5-9.5M to lock up the rest of the picks.

That seems a bit high. Last year, we spent 7.3 million on the draft, so I'd would assume that the budget is somewhere in this ballpark. I'd be happy if we spent 8M this year, and anything else is gravy-and as Stotle said, it means that Jordan is getting exactly what he wants.

My rough estimates (I'm basing this off of last year's slot, but also considering overslot guys) are that Hobgood will cost 2.2-2.5M, Givens will command 700,000-800,000, and Townsend will take his slot value of 500,000-525,000. After that, I could see Henry getting anywhere from 400K to 500K. Tolliver is likely to get around 300K, and Dalles is probably a 200k sign. Wirsch will cost more than the average 7th rounder, probably 300-400K, and Harris will go overslot around 100-150K IMO. Berry is tough, and could command 2nd/3rd round money in the ball park of 600-800K. Once again, Cowan should be an overslot guy, and hopefully he signs for 100K-200K. So, just after the top 10 picks, I think we'll be around 5.5-6.0M. If our budget is around 7.5-8M, I think we'll be in good shape to sign a few other overslot types. Bush, Ohlman, and Martin are probably all looking for at least round 4-6 money, so it'll be interesting to see who fits into our budget.

Personally, I think our budget is flexible, and if Jordan's picks are reasonable, they'll get signed. We should be able to do a lot with 8M this year, and I'm looking forward to seeing how close (or how far away ) my signing bonus projections are.

[Crazysilver03]

Again, sounds great, but doesn't look like something BAL is considering thus far. If something like that were in the cards, I think you would have seen some pricier alternatives selecting (acknowledging that I do not know what some of these BAL-drafted kids are asking for).

I know it isnt Orioles related, but I remember the Pirates GM saying that they had like 27 guys asking for 6 figures. I wonder if that is the case for the Orioles.

[Duke2010]

THat's what I'd like to see alotted. I'd be shocked if BAL was planning on spending that much. Plus, if that IS the budget then there is no way Jordan passes on some of the names like Stassi/Younginer.

I totally agree. If our budget was 10-12M, then we would have had a legit chance to sign everyone of your shadow draft picks, Stotle. That's just crazy to think about.

I'd love that kind of budget every year, but I think we'll be in the 7.5-8.5 ballpark in most year. Based on the guys we picked, we could do very well if we spend 8M or so.

[Stotle]

I totally agree. If our budget was 10-12M, then we would have had a legit chance to sign everyone of your shadow draft picks, Stotle. That's just crazy to think about.

I'd love that kind of budget every year, but I think we'll be in the 7.5-8.5 ballpark in most year. Based on the guys we picked, we could do very well if we spend 8M or so.

I set a soft $9mios budget with room to go up to $10mios. Picks 1-10 in the Shadow were made with the understanding that all 10 likely wouldn't be signed.