MLB Draft

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

For the first time this year, ESPN2 will broadcast the part of the draft, beginning at 2pm ET on Thursday. The network will air the first round and supplemental first round.

 

Baseball-Reference.com has added an incredible draft pick resource. http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/. You can get a complete list of 30th overall picks. Or you can get a complete list of players drafted from your school, be it high school or college.

 

The Phillies All-First Round Pick Team

 

C: Mike Lieberthal

1B: Ricky Jordan

2B: Chase Utley

SS: Adrian Cardenas

3B: John Stearns

LF: Greg Luzinski

CF: Reggie Taylor

RF: J.D. Drew

 

SP: Cole Hamels

SP: Pete Smith

SP: Adam Eaton

SP: Larry Christenson

SP: Pat Combs

CL: Brett Myers

[Guest George's Box]

From reading the book Moneyball by Billy Beane, isn't the draft mostly just done over the phone? There's not really the same kind of pageantry, and it's harder to care about who these people are, because unlike the NBA and NFL draft, where we're exposed to these prospects through sickeningly high coverage of college sports, we're dealing with about 95% total unknowns to the general public. When the Rockies draft Tyler Chester from Big Valley High School in Morton, Texas, who's going to give a flying fuck? We won't even see him again for years, anyway.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

From reading the book Moneyball by Billy Beane, isn't the draft mostly just done over the phone? There's not really the same kind of pageantry, and it's harder to care about who these people are, because unlike the NBA and NFL draft, where we're exposed to these prospects through sickeningly high coverage of college sports, we're dealing with about 95% total unknowns to the general public. When the Rockies draft Tyler Chester from Big Valley High School in Morton, Texas, who's going to give a flying fuck? We won't even see him again for years, anyway.

The draft is entirely done over the phone. Last year a webcast was added with Jimmie Lee Soloman of MLB announcing first round picks from the podium. There's a market for expanded coverage though. And quite honestly, what other television does ESPN typically offer on Thursday afternoons. It's not really in the way of anything, just something new and different.

[Bored 0]

I guess for t.v. they are going to have former players/managers as reps for each franchise. What they will actually be doing I have no idea. Here's the list:

 

Arizona: Rico Brogna, Luke Wren

Atlanta: Paul Snyder, Ralph Garr, Kurt Kemp

Baltimore: Jim Palmer, Scott Proefrock

Boston: Dwight Evans, Ray Fagnant

Chicago Cubs: Chuck Wasserstrom

Chicago White Sox: Roland Hemond, Chet Lemon

Cincinnati: Ken Griffey, Sr., Jim Thrift

Cleveland: Ellis Burks, Robby Thompson, Steve Frohwerk

Colorado: Walt Weiss, Clarence Johns

Detroit: Al Avila, Willie Horton, Tom Moore

Florida: Andre Dawson, Manny Colon, Brian Bridges

Houston: Enos Cabell, Jay Edmiston

Kansas City: Frank White, Art Stewart

LA Angels of Anaheim: Demetrius Figgins, Dan Radcliff

LA Dodgers: Tommy Lasorda, Ralph Avila, Brian Stephensen

Milwaukee: Gord Ash, Tony Diggs, Wil Inman

Minnesota: Jim Rantz, Tony Oliva

NY Mets: Darryl Strawberry, Kevin Morgan

NY Yankees: Frank Howard, Mike Thurman

Oakland: Terry Steinbach

Philadelphia: Robin Roberts, Lee McDaniel, Dallas Green

Pittsburgh: Steve Blass, Trevor Gooby

San Diego: Dave Winfield, Randy Smith

San Francisco: Felipe Alou, Jack Hiatt, Steve Decker

Seattle: Dan Evans

St. Louis: John Mozeliak, Alan Benes

Tampa: Bay Dave Martinez, Don Zimmer

Texas: Jim Sundberg, Steve Buechele, Mel Didier

Toronto: Rob Ducey

Washington: Barry Larkin, Tim Foli

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Barry Larkin for Washington? Wassupwitdat?

[Bored 0]

He has some sort of front office position with the Nats.

[the max 0]

The Mets better keep the Straw's bathroom breaks to a minimum. Don't want people getting suspicious.

[Guest George's Box]

From reading the book Moneyball by Billy Beane, isn't the draft mostly just done over the phone? There's not really the same kind of pageantry, and it's harder to care about who these people are, because unlike the NBA and NFL draft, where we're exposed to these prospects through sickeningly high coverage of college sports, we're dealing with about 95% total unknowns to the general public. When the Rockies draft Tyler Chester from Big Valley High School in Morton, Texas, who's going to give a flying fuck? We won't even see him again for years, anyway.

The draft is entirely done over the phone. Last year a webcast was added with Jimmie Lee Soloman of MLB announcing first round picks from the podium. There's a market for expanded coverage though. And quite honestly, what other television does ESPN typically offer on Thursday afternoons. It's not really in the way of anything, just something new and different.

I'm not saying that it's in the way of anything, just that the delayed development and comparative obscurity of baseball draftees makes it a much less compelling program than the other two big drafts, which even then, I don't really dig all that much.

[JustJoe2k5 0]

ESPN just wanted to find another reason to talk about MLB, which means more time to talk about the New York Yankees.

 

Any word on if the format has been changed to make it more television friendly? Will we be stuck with just highlight videos of each of the first-round picks?

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

ESPN just wanted to find another reason to talk about MLB, which means more time to talk about the Boston Red Sox.

 

Any word on if the format has been changed to make it more television friendly? Will we be stuck with just highlight videos of each of the first-round picks?

 

Edited for accuracy

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Bauer's delusional.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

And you're crazy

[Vern Gagne 0]

I believe they've expanded the time between picks to 5 minutes.

[Mik 0]

FYI, Vanderbilt stud David Price will almost assuredly be the number one pick. He's a college junior. He came into this college season with a ton of hype and responded in kind by going undefeated.

 

Nice snag for the Rays, whose farm system is already disgustingly loaded.

[vivalaultra 0]

I got to see David Price pitch against my alma mater, University of Houston, at the Houston Astros' FanFest/College Classic this past Feb. I recall that he didn't pitch THAT well (especially considering UH is a pretty bad team, more or less), but he threw a lot of different pitches and changed speeds and seemed to be poised and composed on the mound. I'd venture a guess that he'll have a spot in the D-Rays rotation either at the beginning of 08 or by next year's ASB. The Astros didn't offer arbitration to any of their players and lost draft picks for signing Carlos Lee, Woody Williams, Mark Loretta, and Rick White, so they don't get a draft pick until #131. It's good to see that Enos Cabell's still working, though. It's pretty obvious that Price is going first, but then I hear that they have a pretty healthy group of guys that could go in the next 9 or so rounds, including a high school kid that can pitch both lefty and righty. That's neat.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

I thought teams couldn't lose picks anymore by signing FA's?

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I thought teams couldn't lose picks anymore by signing FA's?

You still lose picks for Type A free agents. Draft compensation was changed for Type B and C though.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Ah hah

 

Fun fact: The pick the Yankees gained from Houston by losing Pettitte in 2004 turned out to be Phil Hughes.

[Brett Favre 0]

That is fun.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

A more fun fact:

 

The Sox got Jacoby Ellsbury for Orlando Cabrera and Clay Buchholz for Pedro Martinez... in the same draft.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I just did an entry on the 2005 compensation picks in my blog. Good stuff. My favorite tidbit is that CJ Henry was the Yankees' compensation for losing Jon Lieber to the Phillies.

[vivalaultra 0]

Not a compensation draft pick fun fact, but a draft fun fact nonetheless: In 1992, the Astros had the first round pick and, despite the sage advice of the senior scout for the Astros, the team passed on a High School shortstop from Kalamazoo to select Phil Nevin in the first round. The shortstop, of course, turned out to be the 1996 ROY, 7-time All Star, captain of the New York Yankees while Phil Nevin batted .117 in 19 games with the Astros in 1995, got traded to Detroit and became, at best, a decent platoon/bench player. The scout that suggested Jeter to the Astros was so exasperated that he promptly quit baseball and fell off the face of the Earth, or so the legend goes.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

But then the Astros might have never been blessed with Adam Everett, best defensive SS on the planet.

[vivalaultra 0]

Yeah...AE and his defensive wizardry would be in Boston...or Pawtucket. ...or possibly with the Long Island Ducks.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

One of my favorite draft stories. The Atlanta Braves had the first overall pick in the 1990 pick. Todd Van Poppel was the hot prospect, but his agent asked for more money than the Braves wanted to offer. Worried that they'd be unable to reach a deal the Braves went ahead with their fallback pick, Chipper Jones.

[Failed Bridge 0]

Phil Nevin had a few good years with the Padres.

[vivalaultra 0]

Yeah, and after the 'Stros got rid of him, he batted .331 against them in his career with a 1.031 OPS. The 'Stros have some really good minor league pitching, but for the last decade or so, they've been threadbare on position prospects. They SHOULD try to draft a catcher of a 3rd baseman, but they go by the strategy of drafting the best overall player regardless of position depth or need.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Not a compensation draft pick fun fact, but a draft fun fact nonetheless: In 1992, the Astros had the first round pick and, despite the sage advice of the senior scout for the Astros, the team passed on a High School shortstop from Kalamazoo to select Phil Nevin in the first round. The shortstop, of course, turned out to be the 1996 ROY, 7-time All Star, captain of the New York Yankees while Phil Nevin batted .117 in 19 games with the Astros in 1995, got traded to Detroit and became, at best, a decent platoon/bench player. The scout that suggested Jeter to the Astros was so exasperated that he promptly quit baseball and fell off the face of the Earth, or so the legend goes.

 

Rob Neyer in his Book of Baseball lineups, said it was Hal Newhouser who wanted the Astros to draft Jeter.

[vivalaultra 0]

Yeah, that's who it was. I had forgotten that it was Hal. Hal also discovered Roger Maris's good friend, Milt Pappas.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Yeah, and after the 'Stros got rid of him, he batted .331 against them in his career with a 1.031 OPS. The 'Stros have some really good minor league pitching, but for the last decade or so, they've been threadbare on position prospects. They SHOULD try to draft a catcher of a 3rd baseman, but they go by the strategy of drafting the best overall player regardless of position depth or need.

Drafting a specific position is always a recipe for disaster. The New York Mets once needed a catcher, so they took Steve Chilcott over Reggie Jackson.