Ric Wilson Draft Chat on Wednesday, June 15th @ 2 pm PST

[Chuck]

The Angels Scouting Director Ric Wilson will join the forum this Wednesday at 2 pm. The chat session will be in our chat room, here: http://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/chat/

If you cannot make the live chat, please leave your questions in this thread for Ric. (Only serious questions will be used)

Also, vote on how you think Wilson did in this past amateur draft. 

[vladdy#27]

Which draftee has the highest ceiling?

 

What are the chances Williams can stick at SS, if not short where? 3B? CF?

 

Which major leaguer would you compare Thaiss to?

 

Can Thaiss play any other positions besides catcher and first?

[JAHV76]

Considering the Angels need for OF, IF and Pitching why draft a Catcher with the first pick?

[SoWhat]

57 minutes ago, JAHV76 said:

Considering the Angels need for OF, IF and Pitching why draft a Catcher with the first pick?

Because he won't be catching in his professional career. 

[jsnpritchett]

10 minutes ago, SoWhat said:

Because he won't be catching in his professional career. 

Thanks, Ric!

[greginpsca]

A couple of players picked just before the Halo's pick were linked to the Angels in mock drafts. Did the teams plan A get plucked just before you had to make the first pick?

 

[SoWhat]

1 hour ago, jsnpritchett said:

Thanks, Ric!

Any time, Jason Pritchett!

[Second Base]

Were there any guys we picked that you were surprised were still on the board?

Were there any first round picks that surprised you?

What's your favorite draft pick you've ever had the privilege to make?

Quickest to the majors?

If you weren't in baseball, what job do you think you'd have?

[Docwaukee]

How much does budget play into the draft strategy?

Ric - you have been the constant in the equation for the last 6 years yet the draft strategy has clearly changed.  How much of that is ownership driven, GM driven, need driven and how much influence do you have on the philosophy?  Has that changed with new management?  

What is your ideal draft strategy?  It appears that we went safe college bat and then high ceiling for the next few picks?  Do your early picks change how you draft later?  

How much emphasis on signability is there?  How much do you know about this for each player ie are there conversations in advance with the guy that give you parameters as to where you can draft them and have them still attainable?

Was there an effort to draft players than know each other or was that just happenstance?

There seemed to be an emphasis on k/bb ratio for position players?  Was this intentional?  

It also seems that most of your pitchers were guys with projectable frames.  Tall, thin guys that are likely to fill out.  again, was this on purpose?

Who is rounds 21-40 were you surprised to see slip as far as they did?  

In terms of available resources in preparing for the draft, was there a noticeable difference from previous years?  How much did advanced metrics come into play when scouting this year?  Was it more or less than in the past?

Are we currently active in foreign markets even with the financial restrictions?  Cuba? Asia?

 

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

3 hours ago, JAHV76 said:

Considering the Angels need for OF, IF and Pitching why draft a Catcher with the first pick?

They drafted him for his bat, plus they never planned for him to remain a catcher. Maybe they groom him to play LF. Besides are Catcher situation at the moment sucks. Perez couldn't hit a beach ball. Bandy isn't any better. Taylor Ward is stinking at the plate for the 66ers after tearing it up late year in Rookie ball and low A ball last year.

[KevinJ14]

If signed, do you see Torii Hunter Jr. becoming a special player in the future?

Rumor has it, you guys strongly considered Rutherford and Hudson until the very last second. What made you change your mind to Thaiss?

Another rumor is that you guys strongly considered taking Delvin Perez, was his failed drug test the only factor in not drafting him?

Were you surprised to see Troy Montgomery so late in the draft?

[Inside Pitch]

Really looking forward to this one.

[Stradling]

What position do you see Thais playing at the big league level?  

I like the change in draft philosophy question from GM to GM. 

 

[nate]

I gave it a B.  I wish the Angels would have drafted more high schoolers, I feel like the college players mostly have already peaked when they are drafted and rarely work out.  Also would have liked to see a few more pitchers drafted since they definitely seem to be the biggest challenge to acquire through trade or FA.

I am with everyone else where my biggest question is what position they expect Thaiss to play

[Chuck]

Update: Ric is going to join us at 2 pm today, not 3 pm.

[Troll Daddy]

On June 13, 2016 at 8:44 PM, JAHV76 said:

Considering the Angels need for OF, IF and Pitching why draft a Catcher with the first pick?

Haven't you heard .., all our catchers suck balls.

[Angel Oracle]

On ‎6‎/‎13‎/‎2016 at 8:29 PM, vladdy#27 said:

Which draftee has the highest ceiling?

 

What are the chances Williams can stick at SS, if not short where? 3B? CF?

 

Which major leaguer would you compare Thaiss to?

 

Can Thaiss play any other positions besides catcher and first?

Piggy backing, what current MLB player does Williams project to be similar to?

[Cdaniel]

What's the latest update regarding Brandon Marsh.  Lol

[Brent Maguire]

Thanks for doing this Ric.

1) There seems to have been a bit of a change in regards to what types of players were drafted this year. More raw, athletic HS kids compared to the high floor, college players taken in the years prior to this. Was this a change brought on by Billy Eppler and the new staff or was this just how the draft fell for you guys?

2) Where does Matt Thaiss's future lie on the defensive spectrum? Reports are all over the place with some believing he's strictly a 1B/DH while some believe he could stick in LF/RF. Thoughts?

3) Who do you believe could be a sneaky good value pick for you guys? Connor Justus and Mike Kaelin both seem like they could be quick risers to the majors drafted after the first 4 rounds.

4) What is the single most important tool you gauge for position players and pitchers? IE: Hit tool, fastball velocity, etc. 

5) It's no secret that many pundits believe that the Angels possess a very poor farm system. Do you believe this draft can change people's views on the system now? From the looks of it, you guys did a good job of grabbing some high floor players who can fill a role in the majors and got the high upside guys that every team needs to target. 

[nikkachez]

1. Where does Thaiss play?

2. Does the focus turn to pitching moving forward with so many picks being position players?

3. Was the smaller draft pool allotment a contributor in taking Thaiss in hopes it would help land "sign-ability" guys like Marsh and Williams?

[NrM]

Welp. That sure was underwhelming. 

[Chuck]

10 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Welp. That sure was underwhelming. 

He's definitely not as candid as Eddie Bane was with us. 

Oh well. I appreciate him participating at least and giving us something. 

[Docwaukee]

You have to wonder if the Marsh thing has him bummed out.  

[Chuck]

2 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

You have to wonder if the Marsh thing has him bummed out.  

Certainly feels that way. 

Bummer. 

Please post what everyone learned from the chat. I think next time I'm going to do a podcast. He seems to provide way more information over the phone than online, plus I think he's a slow typer (which many of us are). 

[NrM]

4 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

You have to wonder if the Marsh thing has him bummed out.  

I didn't even know till just now that we weren't able to sign him. Yikes. When it rains, it pours.