Inside Pitch

Grant Witherspoon... a CF!

Mark Marquess is no longer the head coach at Stanford... That's less of a concern than in the past. I always used to go on record as never drafting Stanford pitchers.

Yeah, I fixed it. I was trying to guess where Oakland might go with their pick when I was typing. Oakland is pretty consistently the hardest team to gauge pick wise (for me anyway).

I wouldnt be shocked to see him go back to school. Most people believe he's better than he showed this season.

Beck to Atlanta for those who were wanting him.

I think your thinking is sound. They loaded up on upside on those early picks... They can go the safer route for a few...

Beck got ridden a bit as a true freshman, then was injured and missed a season. He's a draft eligible Sophomore who could seriously improve his case by going back to school. My guess is he's only available because $$$.

It's ok cause this guy pronounces it ... A-A-Ron...

Aaron Hernandez ! MLB.com -- Look at all those 55 grades! Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45 Hernandez whetted scouts' appetites when he threw in the mid-90s during fall practice in 2016, but he became academically ineligible and missed his entire sophomore season at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He built up more anticipation with a brief summer stint in the Cape Cod League and another strong fall last year, then created all kinds of buzz by touching 98 mph and fanning a combined 27 in his second and third starts this spring. He hasn't been that dominant on a consistent basis, but he'll still easily surpass Dan Minor (ninth round, 2012) as the highest-drafted player in Islanders history. Hernandez has a lightning-quick arm that delivers 92-98 mph fastballs with sink, and he maintains his velocity into the late innings. He also has three secondary pitches that grade as plus at their best. His mid-80s slider is probably the most reliable, though some scouts prefer his tumbling changeup and his low-80s curveball features depth. Despite his quality stuff, Hernandez gets hit harder than he should. He's not particularly tall and has an uphill delivery, costing him plane on his pitches. His command also fluctuates, and his ability to locate his pitches where he wants ultimately will determine if he can make it as a starter.

Yep, the old adage is keep them in the middle until they need to be moved to the corners.... At worst he proves he has the hands to play SS if not the range... That sort of a rep isn't going to hurt him in the least.

Except there was talk from other organizations this dude was the Angels' guy BEFORE the draft...

FG's scouting reports https://www.fangraphs.com/scoutboard.aspx?draft=2018mlb&type=0&pos=all&team=all Jordyn Adams TLDR Adams is one of the top wide receivers in the country and was a unrefined, middle tier prep prospect until he had a breakout tournament performance in late March. His elite toolset reminds some of Byron Buxton or Royce Lewis, but the track record is very short. Full Report Adams was not talked about as a top-3 round prospect in this class before late-March's NHSI tournament in his home town of Cary. Adams wasn't even one of the top dozen prospects at the event when it started, but looked like a sure first day pick by the end of the event. He offers top of the scale athleticism, which you'd expect from one of the top dozen wide receiver prospects in the country. He has 80 speed, a loose swing, plus bat control, projectable raw power and athletic actions. Adams wasn't a top tier baseball prospect entering the spring in part because of limited reps, since he was seen as likely to go to North Carolina to play football, where his father is the defensive line coach. He's now in line for a multi-million dollar bonus offer and is expected to sign. We think he goes in the 10-17 range. Jeremiah Jackson TLDR Bad last summer, Jackson got a pair of glasses and raked all spring. He's hit and should play somewhere on the dirt. Full Report Jackson was bad last summer. He was swinging through pitches in the zone at Area Codes and made some defensive mistakes, so while he looked great in the uniform and taking BP, there was skepticism surrounding his on-field ability. This spring, Jackson got glasses and became such a dominant force of nature that he was intentionally walked in 11 of his final 13 high school at-bats. There's some concern that Jackson's spring is fool's gold as he's performed against bad high school pitching. We're buying the corrected vision makes a significant difference and think he'll hit and stay on the dirt. He projects as a good everyday third baseman. ***************** Angels went lottery pick route with their top two guys.... FG's had them ranked 19th and 31st overall... and had Adams going anywhere between 10-17. The questions about Jackson's bat due to the quality of competition is eerily similar to the criticism of Jo Adell last year. Get hyped!

Keith Law's draft day winners and losers article... http://www.espn.com/blog/keith-law/insider/post?id=8429 Listed among the best picks... LA Angels: Jeremiah Jackson, SS, St. Luke's HS, Mobile, Alabama Rank: No. 23 / Pick: No. 57 The Angels had a heck of a day, taking Jordyn Adams with their first pick, landing a kid who might have been a top 5 or 10 pick if he'd been a full-time baseball player in high school (he was more committed to football until his senior year), and then landing Jackson, a first-round talent, with their second pick. Jackson is very likely to stay at short, and he has shown a broad mix of tools and skills at the plate, with above-average power, plus speed and a good idea of the strike zone, at least in high school. I'm surprised a true shortstop like Jackson lasted beyond the first 40 picks.

There seems to be a lot less doubt that Jackson's bat is real. But they definitely are staying up the middle again.

Some people have hung a 60 hit tool on this kid -- MLB has it at 55... Angels passing on the arms early to pick up the young upside position players.

He had more to work with in part because he wasn't in a rush to run guys off the team and because he took care not to blow out people's arms. You're forgetting that under Collins, Glaus had been put into the bad apple category -- because like Jim Edmonds he wasn't moping around in the clubhouse after losses. Mike Colangelo had his career destroyed by Collins. Ditto Jason Dickson. Young players under Collins had to deal with Larry Bowa's constant criticism and Disarcina and Hollins' gestapo routine in the clubhouse.. the same Dave Hollins that was quoted as saying he wasn't going to do a damn thing to help Glaus take his position from him. Collins empowered all the assholes and made life hell for young players

Over at Rayswin.com, they are all asking when their TJS will be performed...

None of those guys got any playing time though because MS hates young players...

Well, not sure about guys who turned down as much as 3.5 mil to play a different sport -- but there have been some guys that turned down money and ended up getting much much less. One of them held out three times and last anyone knew he was working in Costco changing tires. There is no question In my mind that Adams taking 3.5 mil and going to play baseball is the safest bet he will ever make.

I agree with you and it's an indication of how much deeper the farm is.

They'd get the 18th pick next year, yes.

There are still a shit ton of them available... I'm a bit concerned about the kid's Father being a coach at the school he's got a commitment to play at.. because those guys tend to go play for their Dads.. but he's this year's Jo Adell as far as the guy that did the most to improve his stock

This is exactly what I was told.....

His stuff took a step back early on.... Only thing that's been talked about.

People I spoke to in Cinci, Yankees, and Red Sox, organizations all saw him going very early.