Official MLB Draft Thread

[tdawg87]

You're not going to get a Kris Bryant type player with all the hype where the Angels are picking this year.

 

Not a single person here expected that.

[Halonut]

The Astros have had a helluva draft thus far; Bregman, Tucker and Cameron.

Add Eshelman to the mix...ouch

[robblin17]

Add Eshelman to the mix...ouch

 

Seriously. Just as he closes out Louisville. Astros are scary. 

[ELEVEN]

Quote from Wilson:

“We are very excited with this selection and this is a great pick for us,” Angels scouting director Ric Wilson said in a statement. “We’ve scouted him all year long and have gotten to know him and feel very comfortable having him join our system. He has a tremendous throwing arm and we think he’s going to be a premium big league catcher. We’ve always liked his skill level and what he can do on both sides of the ball.”

Sounds like tunnel vision.

That arm is really going to help when none of our pitchers can hold runners. Edited June 9, 2015 by ELEVEN

[NrM]

Honest question.

Aren't catchers pretty hit and miss?

 

How many solid catchers over the last 20 years are there that were drafted in the first round?  Joe Mauer and Buster Posey come to mind.

[Halonut]

Honest question.

Aren't catchers pretty hit and miss?

 

How many solid catchers over the last 20 years are there that were drafted in the first round?  Joe Mauer and Buster Posey come to mind.

 

Jeff Mathis was a supplemental pick 

[NrM]

Also how valuable is being able to throw out runners at the MLB level?

Sure it's nice, but at the end of the day, it doesn't make a huge difference. 

 

So it doesn't sound very encouraging when the main/only thing you can say about the guy you took in the first round is that he has a great arm.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Poozy

[Dave Saltzer]

I'd be pretty damn excited about that, actually.

I know it's your job to put a positive spin on everything and I respect that but this is just reaching.

It's not my job to spin, and in fact I'm not. But, my point was if we had that writeup Wed be focusing on the comments by some scouts seeing him as a pitcher better than a catcher, so the moment he struggles, we'd see a ton of posts saying move him to the mound (just as we've seen with Cowart). A high school catcher is ages away from the show and that one line in there is a positive spin. I get the frustration at seeing this as an overdraft, but I'm also liking the pick more. The Angels have been following him for more than a year, so, they may have a solid major league catcher. Not too many of those come along. With all the rants on Ianetta so far this season, I would think people would be a bit happier with this pick.

[Corona]

Who the hell did we draft? Sounds like some backup catcher that could've waited till the second or third round. Really stoked on this dude and BALDOQUIN leading the farm system.

[Mark68]

You're not going to get a Kris Bryant type player with all the hype where the Angels are picking this year.

Being that there wasn't a Kris Bryant-type player in this draft...at all...nobody was expecting one.

[NrM]

Who the hell did we draft? Sounds like some backup catcher that could've waited till the second or third round. Really stoked on this dude and BALDOQUIN leading the farm system.

 

but he has a great arm bro. you don't know what the **** you're talking about.

 

/s

Edited June 9, 2015 by Poozy

[Mark68]

I guess I can take a wait-and-see approach. After all, catchers are late bloomers with the stick, anyway (with obvious exceptions). How long did it take Yadi to be a productive hitter?

[Corona]

This Herbert guy sounds like a way bigger stud, glad we took a lower ranked catcher before him.

[Corona]

Lol at some of these dudes announcing the pics, Andy sonnanstine, Ben sheets. Who's next joe Blanton?

[Mark68]

BOOOOO!!!

[Mark68]

Just had to boo Vernon one more time.

[ScottT]

I wonder who has better bat speed. Vernon Wells or Taylor Ward.

[Inside Pitch]

Lol at some of these dudes announcing the pics, Andy sonnanstine, Ben sheets. Who's next joe Blanton?

 

You asked and Vernon Wells showed up.

See what happens?

This is why we can't have nothing nice....

[AngelsFaninGA]

It seems like first-round catchers in general have an abysmal success rate, even when you consider that anyone drafted in the first round is a crapshoot to ever do anything in the majors. 

[Angel Oracle]

MLB had Ward #99 overall.

Waaay to go, Halos.

[Halonut]

It's not my job to spin, and in fact I'm not. But, my point was if we had that writeup Wed be focusing on the comments by some scouts seeing him as a pitcher better than a catcher, so the moment he struggles, we'd see a ton of posts saying move him to the mound (just as we've seen with Cowart). A high school catcher is ages away from the show and that one line in there is a positive spin. I get the frustration at seeing this as an overdraft, but I'm also liking the pick more. The Angels have been following him for more than a year, so, they may have a solid major league catcher. Not too many of those come along. With all the rants on Ianetta so far this season, I would think people would be a bit happier with this pick.

 

I don't want to bash the kid, perhaps the Angels' scouts see more projection with the bat than others. My only real issue with the pick, well 2 issues are the fact that in the 1st round we should of been looking for the best player available and second, we have Perez and Bandy currently on the 40 man. Best case scenario this kid replaces Bandy as Perez' backup in 3-4 years.  

[Mark68]

Indiana State has a baseball program?

[yamsi12]

I feel like the Angels are the A's circa Moneyball and we just drafted Jeremy Brown.

 

 

 

 

 

we all know how that turned out.

 

 

 

 

 

wonderful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

fml.

[ten ocho recon scout]

I dont know anything about the draft, dont follow college or high school players (which is weird that anyone does). But this seems like the very reason the big club is a mess to begin with. I hope we are all very wrong.

For those of you who are more familiar with the guys available, was there someone that went after him that seemed more of a no brainer?

Really hope they sign that mexican from cuba with 2 first names after this.

[tdawg87]

It's not my job to spin, and in fact I'm not. But, my point was if we had that writeup Wed be focusing on the comments by some scouts seeing him as a pitcher better than a catcher, so the moment he struggles, we'd see a ton of posts saying move him to the mound (just as we've seen with Cowart). A high school catcher is ages away from the show and that one line in there is a positive spin. I get the frustration at seeing this as an overdraft, but I'm also liking the pick more. The Angels have been following him for more than a year, so, they may have a solid major league catcher. Not too many of those come along. With all the rants on Ianetta so far this season, I would think people would be a bit happier with this pick.

 

You're comparing the scouting report of a guy who is rated in the top 20 of pretty much every mock draft I've seen to a guy who was rated in the 60-100 range. The best report I've seen on Ward is that he could be a "solid backup catcher".

 

I'd rather they have just taken the best player available. But if Stephenson was drafted by the Angels I think most here would be pretty excited. He has a much, much higher ceiling. Who cares if he takes an extra year or two to get to the majors? My point was that was a poor comparison.

 

Of course, Ward could end up being the next Yadier Molina and Stephenson could be the next Mathis. We just don't know at this point. But what we do know is the Angels likely could have had this guy in the 2nd or even 3rd round, and they took him in the first for some bizarre reason.