The Official Los Angeles Angels 2016 MLB Draft Thread

[Jason]

2 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

Was Kotchman's concussion that bad? 

It's funny that @mtangelsfan brought this up. I thought I was the only one who thought this. I remember when it happened he was playing really good baseball, then got a few stitches on his head after Martin tried to throw him out at 2nd. It seemed like everything was downhill from that time. Could just have been a coincidence though.

[oater]

3 hours ago, ScottyA_MWAH said:

Pretty much everyone connects the Angels to Kirilloff.  The kid has an absolutely beautiful swing and his baseball IQ is off the charts.  But he isn't very strong or even that fast.  This pick would remind me of the Casey Kotchman selection from years ago.  Everything about Kotch seemed like he was going to be a superstar in the major leagues.  he breezed through the minor leagues never looking very challenged at all.  Once he got to the majors, we found out that despite all the top notch coaching and lineage in the world, he just didn't have the talent to be an impact player in the major leagues.  Good batting average, great strike zone judgment and a good glove, but not enough power, and he simply didn't know how to adjust to failure or new environments because it wad the first time he'd ever been challenged like this.  The end result was a AAAA player in the long run. 

I'm not saying Kirilloff is destined for this, just that I'm weary of coach's sons like this.

Also, if I've learned anything from Angels drafts of the past, they almost never pick who I or anyone else expects them to.

I get a different sense of his power.  From the MLB synopsis:

Teams interested in Kirilloff will be buying the bat. While there is a little length to his swing, he's shown the ability to barrel the ball consistently and has considerable raw power, which he put to use while winning the Perfect Game All-American Classic home run derby over the summer. He's more athletic than one would think given his size and plays center field for his high school team. He'll have to move to a corner spot at the next level, but moves more than well enough to stay there. He has a strong arm, one that fires 87-90 mph fastballs from the mound.

[Chuck]

Here's hoping the Angels have a great draft over the next few days. 

Good word from Taylor Blake Ward. 

 

every pick matters:
Nolan Ryan, 12th Rd
Albert Pujols, 13th Rd
John Smoltz, 22nd Rd
Mark Buehrle, 38th Rd
Mike Piazza, 62nd Rd#MLBDraft

— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) June 9, 2016

[Second Base]

7 hours ago, oater said:

I get a different sense of his power.  From the MLB synopsis:

Teams interested in Kirilloff will be buying the bat. While there is a little length to his swing, he's shown the ability to barrel the ball consistently and has considerable raw power, which he put to use while winning the Perfect Game All-American Classic home run derby over the summer. He's more athletic than one would think given his size and plays center field for his high school team. He'll have to move to a corner spot at the next level, but moves more than well enough to stay there. He has a strong arm, one that fires 87-90 mph fastballs from the mound.

At first glance, that was my assessment of his skills.  But since you brought that up, I've poured over everything I could find on youtube and i think I convinced myself you're right.  This guy looks like a great, strong kid.  

[Second Base]

The only thing I think I'm leery of (except for him not reaching us in the draft) is the poor competition he faced in the Pennsylvania area.  I watched the videos and those kids couldn't have been throwing harder that mid-70's, similar to what we saw with Trout.  Except Trout looked stronger and faster. 

[Angels Never Die]

I was a big fan of Kotchman's, so I'd like to think it was just health issues that took him out, but I remember some statistical analyses pointing out that his success in the big leagues was kind of a fluke, but I can't really recall it that well. Just relying on my memory of when he started declining, he seemed to focus far too much on not striking out, so he ended up hitting a lot of weak grounders just to make contact. Just swung over a lot of bad pitches to make weak contact.

[Troll Daddy]

Draft somebody that can play third base in the future.

Nolan Jones

[Chuck]

10 minutes ago, hangin n wangin said:

Draft good players please.

All of our picks should be in the majors by next year or else it's a fail.

In all seriousness though, please don't draft a projected 115 pick in the first 25 picks again.

Thanks.

I wonder who made the call for this decision? I mean, I have ZERO problem with picking guys who the so-called experts have farther down in their rankings, the Seattle Seahawks have been doing this since Pete Carroll's reign up here and they've been successful. 

But, was this a decision made by 1. Scioscia (because he loves catchers) 2. Dipoto (because he wanted to fuck the Angels before quitting) or 3. Arte (because he wanted to sign someone cheap?) or 4. Ric Wilson and his scouts (because they either saw something in this kid they really liked or they do not know how to scout). 

Either way, it is WAY TOO EARLY to be calling Taylor Ward a bust. He's in his first full season in the minors and he looked really good on both sides of the game in his first taste in Low-A ball last year after being drafted. 

[Angels Never Die]

Kiriloff sounds Interesting, it would be nice to have a young pure hitter in the organization. Still, I guess just taking whoever projects to be the best player is the best way to go, I guess we can't be picky.

[Angels Never Die]

3 minutes ago, hangin n wangin said:

I really have absolutely no idea. And I agree. I like Ward, but that high? I mean, come on. I really hope Scisocia doesn't have that much input on who they draft. The guy has way to much power that it sickens me.

I don't mean this as a slight on Ward, but it was really hilarious when the Angels war room was going crazy with celebration when nobody picked Ward before them.

I mean really? No team in their right mind was even remotely thinking of picking up the dude that high. If it wasn't for the Angels, he would have been picked in the 100's. It looked like the Angels thought they legitimately stole him in the first round lol

That's concerning, but lots of things about this organization have been concerning.

[Chuck]

1 minute ago, hangin n wangin said:

I really have absolutely no idea. And I agree. I like Ward, but that high? I mean, come on. I really hope Scisocia doesn't have that much input on who they draft. The guy has way to much power that it sickens me.

I don't mean this as a slight on Ward, but it was really hilarious when the Angels war room was going crazy with celebration when nobody picked Ward before them.

I mean really? No team in their right mind was even remotely thinking of picking up the dude that high. If it wasn't for the Angels, he would have been picked in the 100's. It looked like the Angels thought they legitimately stole him in the first round lol

Well.... So do really know that no other team had Ward on their board around our pick @hangin n wangin?

Also, if a team scouts thousands of players and their #1 pick on their board is like ranked 200th on Baseball America's board, who is right? Nerds behind computers or actual scouts that watch these kids play on multiple occasions?

[Chuck]

1 minute ago, hangin n wangin said:

We don't really know for sure. I would say it would be very highly unlikely though.

I really wonder where he would have been picked had we not swooped him up.

Yep. The thing is, Rick Wilson has a lot to prove. How many of his 1st rounders or even top 5 picks in each of his last drafts since taking over from Eddie Bane have been productive major leaguers?

[Second Base]

4 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Yep. The thing is, Rick Wilson has a lot to prove. How many of his 1st rounders or even top 5 picks in each of his last drafts since taking over from Eddie Bane have been productive major leaguers?

I still can't figure out how he still has a job. Normally these guys are held accountable.

[Chuck]

11 minutes ago, hangin n wangin said:

Has Cron been our most productive draft pick since we hired Wilson? I think so....

Ouch.

I think so.

[Troll Daddy]

Was Trout projected as a higher pick and gifted to us (as best available) from the teams that passed on him? 

or were the Angels just on the ball. 

[Angels Never Die]

34 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Yep. The thing is, Rick Wilson has a lot to prove. How many of his 1st rounders or even top 5 picks in each of his last drafts since taking over from Eddie Bane have been productive major leaguers?

Yeah, Bane wasn't perfect (I certainly had my criticisms,) but he was competent enough to warrant not being replaced by just anyone. It seemed like they threw away a decent known quantity for an unknown one. It seemed like a reactionary response to the 2010 draft, which admittedly, the extra picks we had did not seem to be used wisely, but whatever, the draft is largely a crapshoot, and at worst it was one bad draft.

[Angels Never Die]

14 minutes ago, Troll Daddy said:

Was Trout projected as a higher pick and gifted to us (as best available) from the teams that passed on him? 

or were the Angels just on the ball. 

As I recall, his projected range was right about where he was taken.

[Blarg]

Any of you guys think that during the season Scioscia has any spare time to concern himself with the draft? Take this season,  for instance,  he has been putting out fires,  juggling lineups,  trying to get something out of a fractured pitching staff and try and remember who his latest reserve infielder or relief pitcher is on the bench since they are new faces weekly.

In this shit storm do any if you think he is tracking prospective high school and college kids he's never seen? 

[jsnpritchett]

1 hour ago, Chuckster70 said:

Yep. The thing is, Rick Wilson has a lot to prove. How many of his 1st rounders or even top 5 picks in each of his last drafts since taking over from Eddie Bane have been productive major leaguers?

Guess he won't be doing anymore chats with the site, huh?

[Chuck]

34 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

Guess he won't be doing anymore chats with the site, huh?

Oh no, I'm sure he will after the draft. I'm just asking the question.

[Docwaukee]

24 of the 206 players that have been drafted under Wilson's watch have been high school guys.  1/3rd of which came in Wilson's first draft before dipoto was hired.  So about 10%

In the Bane era is was about 1/3rd HS kids.  

I think Wilson was absolutely directed to scout college guys and not spend a lot of time on HS players.  

 

[Chuck]

1 hour ago, Angels Never Die said:

Yeah, Bane wasn't perfect (I certainly had my criticisms,) but he was competent enough to warrant not being replaced by just anyone. It seemed like they threw away a decent known quantity for an unknown one. It seemed like a reactionary response to the 2010 draft, which admittedly, the extra picks we had did not seem to be used wisely, but whatever, the draft is largely a crapshoot, and at worst it was one bad draft.

I remember you being against the Trumbo pick and him ever being a productive major leaguer, but Bane stood by his scouting that he'd be a power hitting major leaguer down the road.

[totdprods]

Good catching prospects always have more value in trades as well, so part of the appeal with award could have been simply being able to build some depth at a premium position so the team could afford to deal from it to improve the big league club. And I also think the intent was to draft someone cheap and be able to afford more later on. If I recall I think the Angels signed nearly every single player they drafted last year. 

[Angel Oracle]

56 minutes ago, Blarg said:

Any of you guys think that during the season Scioscia has any spare time to concern himself with the draft? Take this season,  for instance,  he has been putting out fires,  juggling lineups,  trying to get something out of a fractured pitching staff and try and remember who his latest reserve infielder or relief pitcher is on the bench since they are new faces weekly.

In this shit storm do any if you think he is tracking prospective high school and college kids he's never seen? 

Right now, Scioscia is one of the last things on my mind.   He has his faults, but this season so far is mainly not on him.

[Angel Oracle]

1 minute ago, totdprods said:

Good catching prospects always have more value in trades as well, so part of the appeal with award could have been simply being able to build some depth at a premium position so the team could afford to deal from it to improve the big league club. And I also think the intent was to draft someone cheap and be able to afford more later on. If I recall I think the Angels signed nearly every single player they drafted last year. 

We were able to trade Conger for Tropeano and Perez.