2014 First-Year Player Draft Thread

[rafibomb]

The draft begins tomorrow and I don't know about you guys but I'm excited. First time we've had a 1st round draft pick since 2011 (C.J. Cron).  We got the 15th pick and surprisingly most mock drafts have us taking a college bat, whether it be Max Pentecost, Schwarber or Bradley Zimmer. I would be fine with Pentecost or Zimmer but I am not too big on Schwarber if I can't stick at catcher for the Angels, which all reports indicate he can't. Honestly, I'd like to see us take someone like Tyler Beede if he is available when we pick. I've seen have him as high as top 10 but as low as 25. What are your takes?

 

 

[UCLAngel]

High upside arm would be my preference...if Hoffman falls I go with him. Nola or Freeland if they fall seem like good options as well. Second pick I'd love to see a guy like Taylor Sparks. I think we need another 3B in the system.

Agree with you...very excited for the draft.

[jshep]

I hope we get a toolsy middle infielder.

[rafibomb]

High upside arm would be my preference...if Hoffman falls I go with him. Nola or Freeland if they fall seem like good options as well. Second pick I'd love to see a guy like Taylor Sparks. I think we need another 3B in the system.

Agree with you...very excited for the draft.

 

Fun fact: Taylor Sparks was my classmate all 4 years at Saint John Bosco High School, hands down the most humble and down to earth person I've met in my life. Everyone would watch the baseball team practice just to watch him hit bombs.

Edited June 4, 2014 by rafibomb

[Sherlock31]

A lefty fireballer would be my pick if I am the GM

[martinpa25]

Alex Jackson !!!!!!!!!

[Adam]

I'd probably take the best available bunter/hit-and-runner for the first dozen or so rounds

[SoWhat]

I don't really like any of the college bats this year, except for Conforto. I hope they go with an arm and grab Tyler Beede. 

[UCLAngel]

Fun fact: Taylor Sparks was my classmate all 4 years at Saint John Bosco High School, hands down the most humble and down to earth person I've met in my life. Everyone would watch the baseball team practice just to watch him hit bombs.

That's pretty awesome. Good to hear he's got the attitude to go with the skill set. Never got to play with/go to school with anyone, but played against a few-Trumbo, Romines, Espinosa, Hughes. Those guys were just in a different league. It's funny to see the ones that make it big...there were some guys that were more highly touted that didn't make it as far (Jason Corder comes to mind).

[AngelsAndRamsFan]

I wonder what Bolden and Clark are up to.

[tdawg87]

I don't know who any of these people are.

[Cdaniel]

Beede was supposed to be a top 5 maybe even a #1 pick but had a tuff year. I've seen some drafts have him as low as the 2nd round.

UCLAngels, where did you go to highschool?

[rafibomb]

Beede was supposed to be a top 5 maybe even a #1 pick but had a tuff year. I've seen some drafts have him as low as the 2nd round.

UCLAngels, where did you go to highschool?

I have a hard time believing that if Beede is still available when the Angels are on the clock they won't grab him. 

Edited June 5, 2014 by rafibomb

[Dreams]

I'm definitely excited too.  I'll be watching, tracking the draft starting tomorrow.

 

Hopefully we go: pitcher, pitcher, hitter, pitcher, pitcher, pitcher, hitter, hitter...

[SoWhat]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-road-to-draft-day-part-1/

Very good read for those interested in the behind the scenes stuff that leads up to the draft.

[Inside Pitch]

I have a hard time believing that if Beede is still available when the Angels are on the clock they won't grab him. 

 

Depends,..  have their heard his Boston rap song?    That's enough to turn off a lot of teams.

[Inside Pitch]

First round I hope they take the highest upside safest bet possible regardless of position.   Second, through fifth picks I hope they go pure upside and then 6-10 back to high floor guys.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Inside Pitch

[rafibomb]

Depends,..  have their heard his Boston rap song?    That's enough to turn off a lot of teams.

Young Beedah better walk out to the mound with Young Beedah playing.

[SoWhat]

I'll be doing cartwheels if Braxton Davidson is available in the second round.

[ten ocho recon scout]

I hope we get a toolsy middle infielder.

as long as hes a switch hitter, dominican, and isnrelated to another utility guy from another team that no one knew until one or both of them changed their name due to visa issues

[AngelsAndRamsFan]

@ScottyA_MWAH: Kaleb Cowart in his 2nd stint in AA has no dropped under the mendoza line on the season. Batting .198.

The Angels might have to consider drafting a 3B early in the draft.

[Second Base]

I'm hoping the Angels will take Pentecost or Zimmer as both project to be average or better offensive players and plus defenders and both will likely have a shorter path to the big leagues.  But if Jeff Hoffman is available at the 15th pick, you have to grab him.  Tommy John has basically become the safest surgery in baseball and pre-TJ, that guys was a shoe in for going top 3.  After a year of rehab, he'll need some time to shake the cobwebs in the Cal League, but would likely be up midway through the next season and ready to compete for a top of the rotation spot.

 

Personally, I see the Angels grabbing a bat because they've went so pitching heavy last year and unearthed some decent arms there like Elliot Morris, Kyle McGowin, Harrison Cooney and Nate Smith. That's why I have them grabbing Pentecost, he's the safest bet and should be ready to jump into a prominent role once Iannetta leaves.  I can't see them drafting a pitcher unless unless it's someone with high upside like Hoffman.  Th majority of pitchers they've been linked to so far, that should be available at the 15th pick all look like #3/4 starters with a short path in the minors.  Don't get me wrong, those guys are useful, but they're awfully similar to what the Angels found in the middle rounds of last season's draft. 

 

I think they grab a for-sure college-bred major leaguer in the 1st round and start stacking up with high-end pitchers after that.  After about the 5th round, they're all about the same so you have to trust your scouts and grab the Garrett Richards types whenever you can.  Guys who's performance doesn't match the arsenal. 

 

As for Cowart, he's still a 22 year old in AA with toolsy upside as a 3B.  I think the Angels give him the rest of this year and all of next to try and figure it out at the plate before they move him back to the mound.  And even when they do move him back to the mound, you shouldn't get excited.  Sure, lots of teams wanted him in high school, but by the time he transitioned back to pitching, that will have been 5 years ago.  He'd need to return to Arizona for extended spring training, and then likely be a reliever that has to start in A Ball all over again as like a 24-year-old. 

 

Moving Kaleb Cowart back to the mound should be an absolute last resort if he's a complete bust at the plate, because the most you'll get is a hard throwing reliever and the Angels have plenty of those already.  You have to stick with him at 3B in AA through thick and thin because even if it takes him until age 26 to figure it out, the potential payoff is simply far too great. 

[Tyler]

Hoping we get Michael Gettys.

[UCLAngel]

Hoping we get Michael Gettys.

Can you convert me to the Gettys love? I'm not sure I get it. Admittedly, I've never seen him play, but everything I read says that he really underperformed this last year. I worry that he's all tools little performance a la Bolden/Clarke. Have you seen him play? What happened with him this year?

[Tyler]

Can you convert me to the Gettys love? I'm not sure I get it. Admittedly, I've never seen him play, but everything I read says that he really underperformed this last year. I worry that he's all tools little performance a la Bolden/Clarke. Have you seen him play? What happened with him this year?

 

Incredibly quick hands, extremely fast, cannon of an arm, very athletic, ability to hit for plus power from CF down the road. He has all the tools and hit better as the season grew.