2013 MLB Draft

[GeronimoSon]

I've seen a lot of positives in regards to the position players in this draft, how is the quality of the pitching up top? Are there any pitchers worth taking in the top 5 this year?

Three...

Mark Appel: He's a 6’-5” RHP that should spend a lot of time in the minors. He has a mid-90s fastball that has a little bit of arm side run, a swing-and-miss tight spinning slider that has late down and away (from a RH'er) movement, a change-up that fades just a wee bit to the inside on a RH batter and, once in a great while, he throws a cutter. He's mature, both mentally and physically and should be one of the top three picks in the draft..

Ryne Stanek: He's a 6’-4”, skinny kid (around a buck ninety with plenty of space to fill out) RHP. His number one is a fastball that he runs up to the plate in the mid upper 90''s. his curveball can be a bit of a "Hanger" so that will need some work. His third pitch is a change up that is indistinguishable from his fastball at the release point. He throws a lot of strikes..

Karsten Whitson: this country strong 6’-4” 225-pounder RHP has a howitzer for an arm. He may have the best fastball (upper 90s with movement) in the upcoming draft. His breaking ball is a curveball that he keeps low and has a change up that is deceptive, but not the greatest, yet..

[elrod enchilada]

Lord help us, please don't draft a pitcher. Between injuries and head cases they are not worth the risk. Get the best possible position player available, and there should be a middle-of the order power bat available in 2012 in the top 5 picks.

I am burnt out on all the crappy pitcher draft picks by the Tribe. Draft position guys with the top picks. Then trade for pitchers. Draft lots of pitchers after round 10, coach them up, and hope to get lucky. Sign a couple dozen 16 year old international arms every year.

But stop torching picks in the top three rounds on pitchers...ever. And be careful through round 10. Drafting pitchers in high rounds is fool's gold.

[daingean]

Lord help us, please don't draft a pitcher. Between injuries and head cases they are not worth the risk. Get the best possible position player available, and there should be a middle-of the order power bat available in 2012 in the top 5 picks.

I am burnt out on all the crappy pitcher draft picks by the Tribe. Draft position guys with the top picks. Then trade for pitchers. Draft lots of pitchers after round 10, coach them up, and hope to get lucky. Sign a couple dozen 16 year old international arms every year.

But stop torching picks in the top three rounds on pitchers...ever. And be careful through round 10. Drafting pitchers in high rounds is fool's gold.

I am okay with drafting pitchers after the 1st round. The last 2 years we have spent 2nd rounders on pitchers. Until this organization proves it can develop a power arm, let them have the opportunity in round 2+ but not the 1st round. And don't ever take finesse guys early. I just think their philosophy with guys is flawed.

[go_tribe]

what makes you think they have had better luck developing position players any better than pitchers? White and Pomeranz looked like great picks until we traded them, with a top 5 pick, they better go pitching. Trading position players for pitchers doesn't work very well because the value of a great pitcher is about double that of a great hitter.

[adaree]

I've seen a lot of positives in regards to the position players in this draft, how is the quality of the pitching up top? Are there any pitchers worth taking in the top 5 this year?

Three...

Mark Appel: He's a 6’-5” RHP that should spend a lot of time in the minors. He has a mid-90s fastball that has a little bit of arm side run, a swing-and-miss tight spinning slider that has late down and away (from a RH'er) movement, a change-up that fades just a wee bit to the inside on a RH batter and, once in a great while, he throws a cutter. He's mature, both mentally and physically and should be one of the top three picks in the draft..

Ryne Stanek: He's a 6’-4”, skinny kid (around a buck ninety with plenty of space to fill out) RHP. His number one is a fastball that he runs up to the plate in the mid upper 90''s. his curveball can be a bit of a "Hanger" so that will need some work. His third pitch is a change up that is indistinguishable from his fastball at the release point. He throws a lot of strikes..

Karsten Whitson: this country strong 6’-4” 225-pounder RHP has a howitzer for an arm. He may have the best fastball (upper 90s with movement) in the upcoming draft. His breaking ball is a curveball that he keeps low and has a change up that is deceptive, but not the greatest, yet..

Thanks! It looks like the Tribe will be picking in the top 5 next year. Appel looks like a no-brainer if he's available, would you take Stanek or Whitson if we're at 4 or 5? I realize that in general you're supposed to draft the best available talent, but if you look at any of our prospect lists it becomes quite clear that this system is in dire need of an ace caliber SP...Lots of risk taking a pitcher this early obviously.

[homerawayfromhome]

Personally it depends on the approach of the Tribe but I expect then to go BPA at the first spot and then try to save a little with the added pick at the bottom of rd 2 from the competitive balance lottery that shouldn't be so difficult.

If I had to choose right now between Ryne Stanek and Karsten Whitson I'd go with Stanek, alot can change between now and June. I think the tribe will be very aggressive this coming yr and look to land some impact talent.

It's not a deep draft but there are some talented kids out there. A few other names I like not mentioned; Austin Wilson, Austin Meadows, Sean Manaea, Kris Bryant, Dylan Covey, Kohl Stewart, Clint Frazier, Clinton Hollon and Trey Ball.

Here's a link to a early mock draft... http://www.prospectnation.com/blog/?p=3547

[adaree]

Thanks for the mock draft. I've read a lot about Frazier and Meadows, they definitely look like interesting players with some upside. I really like the position player talent that we have in our lower levels, but the high end pitching talent just seems to be lacking. Going into the season I was expecting a lot from Araujo, Sisco, and Howard...I know they didn't have bad years, but I was hoping one or two of them would take a big step toward being that "future ace" that we need so badly.

[adaree]

Also, that mock put Manaea to us at #5 and the scouting report was glowing. Love to see a big lefty added to this system.

[homerawayfromhome]

Here's a few more mock drafts to gauge some of these guys...
http://www.mymlbdraft.com/MLB-Mock-Draft
http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2013 ... cks/25236/
http://www.mlbprospectportal.com/2012/0 ... draft.html
http://www.draftsite.com/mlb/mock-draft/2013/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pYD0LIF ... ata_player

The last one is a YouTube video. It actually seems like a fairly good mock.
I think the best 2 and most recent were prospectnation and mymlbdraft. The key for this coming draft will be identifying who will sign for what. After the 1 st Rd I liked the draft for the Tribe. While I wasn't a fan of picking Naquin, I completely understand their thought process behind it. The added pk this yr will add to the spending pool about another $500-600k and the Tribe could identify some guys that add talent and willingness to sign for near / but underslot deals it will help them spread the wealth and land some talent this system needs.

[OhioBaseball]

The best college pitching prospects are in the '14 class. Carlos Rodon would have gone #1 overall last year had he been eligible, and he's better than all of the '13 college arms.

Appel is not as good as he was advertised (prospective #1 overall pick), and scouts' actions spoke -- he fell in the draft b/c they didn't feel his talents were worth difficult negotiations.

Whitson's stock really fell last year. Part of it was injury, but he's also got no physical projection left. He was 91-92 mph with a MLB average slider last year. Good delivery, big body but unless the velo is going to be higher is this guy any better than a 3-4 starter???? I don't think he's a top 15 overall guy, but teams will often overdraft college arms. People will get excited when they see he was a top 10 overall guy out of HS, but he's really not that exciting.

Ryne Stanek -- Probably better than Appel b/c Stanek has more projection left and is more athletic, but he struggled at times last year, partially due to a minor injury. If he steps up his performance this year he'll probably go #1, and deservedly so.

The interesting guy is Manea. He's going to get Chris Sale comparisons b/c he's a lefty with an untraditional, low arm slot. Chris Sale has somehow been able to make it work exceptionally well in MLB. That'll help Manea's stock, wrong or right. Tough guy to peg down, but interesting for sure.

I don't want to sound like a Negative Nancy, but the college class sucked last year and it's going to suck again. The overslot signings of HS guys years ago really hurt the college class, but teams still want college guys and teams like the Indians overdraft them even if their talent doesn't dictate it.

We'll see what the Indians do next year. Frankly, I hope we've got an entirely new scouting department by then.

[daingean]

The best college pitching prospects are in the '14 class. Carlos Rodon would have gone #1 overall last year had he been eligible, and he's better than all of the '13 college arms.

Appel is not as good as he was advertised (prospective #1 overall pick), and scouts' actions spoke -- he fell in the draft b/c they didn't feel his talents were worth difficult negotiations.

Whitson's stock really fell last year. Part of it was injury, but he's also got no physical projection left. He was 91-92 mph with a MLB average slider last year. Good delivery, big body but unless the velo is going to be higher is this guy any better than a 3-4 starter???? I don't think he's a top 15 overall guy, but teams will often overdraft college arms. People will get excited when they see he was a top 10 overall guy out of HS, but he's really not that exciting.

Ryne Stanek -- Probably better than Appel b/c Stanek has more projection left and is more athletic, but he struggled at times last year, partially due to a minor injury. If he steps up his performance this year he'll probably go #1, and deservedly so.

The interesting guy is Manea. He's going to get Chris Sale comparisons b/c he's a lefty with an untraditional, low arm slot. Chris Sale has somehow been able to make it work exceptionally well in MLB. That'll help Manea's stock, wrong or right. Tough guy to peg down, but interesting for sure.

I don't want to sound like a Negative Nancy, but the college class sucked last year and it's going to suck again. The overslot signings of HS guys years ago really hurt the college class, but teams still want college guys and teams like the Indians overdraft them even if their talent doesn't dictate it.

We'll see what the Indians do next year. Frankly, I hope we've got an entirely new scouting department by then.

Really barring the presences of a "blow your doors off" FOR pitcher being available. I hope the Tribe moves on to an impact bat with the pick. Their track record of drafting/developing arms is not very good. Albeit, their development of bats has been suspect also (but better than their arms).

[homerawayfromhome]

Personally, I like Karsten Whitson but I don't see him as a 1. Ideally that's what you want but they have to draft the available talent. Whitson has good size, I think he can add more strength and velocity sit 93-94 and touch 95-96 at times and won't require more than 2/3 yrs of development which would make him worth a pk IMO.
I'll qualify that by saying there are several guys I consider on even tier talent wise which I think can blurr the decision making process bc there will several guys that impress but no one that really stands out.
I'm not a huge Appel fan and frankly, I could see the guy getting picked as low as 5 bc of signability concerns...remember he will be a SR and doesn't have to sign by the deadline which could make teams apprehensive about picking him, there is the possibility he will take the slot money this time through if he's picked top 2-3 but I'd prefer Ryne Stanek over Appel.

[OhioBaseball]

It's early, but I think Stanek will go #1 but I believe Clint Frazier is the best prospect.

I'm scared to death of the Indians taking Colin Moran. He seems to be their kind of guy.

[homerawayfromhome]

Agreed, I think Frazier is huge upside. Also, Stanek looks like the best arm but im not sure what to think about Sean Manaea-hes definately posted some nice numbers, but theres that "Im not comfortable feeling about him". Manaea seems to have it and its hard to find lefties. Like I said above I think Appel could be a headache to sign IF he slips again at all. Frankly, right now I don't see him as a top 2/3 talent. I'd take Stanek, Meadows, and maybe Martinez, Wilson, Frazier and Bryant above him.

[Hermie13]

what makes you think they have had better luck developing position players any better than pitchers? White and Pomeranz looked like great picks until we traded them, with a top 5 pick, they better go pitching. Trading position players for pitchers doesn't work very well because the value of a great pitcher is about double that of a great hitter.

I agree that you can't ignore pitchers early. A hitter could flame out just as easily (Mills, Aubrey, Crowe). Not sure I agree on your trade philosophy though. I feel like in the last decade or so we've seen more trades go in favor of the team getting the young pitcher than hitter (though there are obvious cases of the reverse). Delmon Young (and others) for Matt Garza (and others) comes to mind.

[GeronimoSon]

Meadows Wilson or Bryant.. with possibly Frazier added into the mix would be the top four position players the Indians will target.. I'd be please with anyone of the four if the Indians go position player with their first pick..

It the Indians go pitching with their first pick.. it's looking more and more like Mark Appel may be dropping out of the overall # 1 spot.. Ryne Stanek may be the best overall pitching prospect in this draft.. Add Sean Manea, a true comer for the draft and the best arm in the draft in Karsten Whitson.. and that makes the top four pitchers..

Gun to my head... I'd love to see Austin Meadows in the wigwam.. but wouldn't be displease with any one of the four position players.. If the Indians do go pitching with their first pick.. only Stanek would be pleasing..the others..meh..

[homerawayfromhome]

IMO Ryne Stanek is head and shoulders above the rest. The other three pitchers Whitson, Appel and Manaea all appear to me to be on a lesser tier / talent level. I'm honestly, uncertain what to think on Manaea though can't argue with this kids results.
Stanek has some room to grow physically which tells me he could get a little stronger with his FB. Appel is probably going to be the fastest mover and could be picked bc it, but I just don't see him any more than a 2. I seriously doubt he will sign for any less than $5 mil but he will be MLB ready qkly and could start at A/AA is some systems. I think KY native Clinton Hollon is an interesting power RH hitting 97 as a HS jr. with good size 6'1 190-200 lbs.

The position players...Meadows, Wilson, Bryant, Frazier and Martinez also rank very closely to one another. Meadows being the best position player available.

[homerawayfromhome]

Here's a way too early top 10 list.
1.Ryne Stanek
2. Austin Meadows
3. Mark Appel
4. Sean Manaea
5. Clint Frazier
6. Austin Wilson
7. Karsten Whitson
8. Kris Bryant
9. Clinton Hollon
10. Jeremy Martinez

[OhioBaseball]

Meadows is talented with a very good power speed combination with projection, but his swing isn't the type that will take advantage of his power. It's short, but it's got a line-drive bias. His arm is MLB average at best, too. There are just some things that are off about him to me. I don't know that he'll be able to take advantage of his strength with his swing as it currently is, which is a major concern for me. He could end up a LF that hits 15 HRs in the major leagues.

With Clint Frazier, it's just all there right now. His bat speed is incredible and his swing is good -- he may need to clean his load up a little but its do-able. Frazier should move very quickly in the minor leagues, given that he's got the pitch recognition. He reminds me of Dylan Bundy from two years ago. Bundy was undersized, but was in phenomenal physical condition and was very polished with MLB stuff.

Meadows scares me a little. Very good prospect, but to me its very clear that Clint Frazier is the better prospect. I'd take Frazier #1 overall ahead of Stanek at #2.

[homerawayfromhome]

Actually I have no problem with that assessment of Clint Frazier, he's got big time upside and frankly I'd even consider him the prospect with the most upside.

[Rocky55]

Here's a look at Sean Manaea. There are longer vids on Youtube, including one with a bullpen session. I liked this one as it's a good head on view, pitching to RH batters. In some of the others you can see that he misses lots of bats. He's got a quick arm & despite the low arm slot seems to stay on top of the ball pretty well. Gets good downward action on the breaking stuff. He had a 7 IP, 15 K game on the Cape this past season. In a lot of ways he brings to mind a LH version of Dennis Eckersley.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIHs9sQ4f9I

I saw Stanek a couple of times last year. He's pretty close talent-wise to Pomeranz but I liked Pomeranz better. Upshot is that after seeing Manaea's vids & Stanek pitching last year, I'm liking Manaea as the top college pitcher. With the usual prospect disclaimers I can see Manaea being a really nice MLB arm.

[homerawayfromhome]

I guess my hesitancy with Manaea is more grounded in whether he has reached his ceiling or does he have any mo development. I think Stanek could get better with his breaking stuff, plus a very good FB puts him at my top spot. Manaea could be a very qk mover in the minors, picking between the two I prefer Stanek.

[GeronimoSon]

Interesting story posted on Project Prospect about Clint Frazier:

..Our Declaration on Clint Frazier by Steve Carter, September 21, 2012

Sometimes, you see a player who makes you stop what you're doing, drop your drink, and start making grunt noises that make Tim Allen proud while any woman within ear shot begins to wonder if you're a constipated neanderthal. The kind of guy this bet on nfl football offseason makes you crave.

This past summer, I found such a player in Loganville, GA outfielder Clint Frazier. While not extremely imposing at a *listed* 6'0'', 190 pounds, Frazier starts to become imposing when you glance at his calf-sized forearms and flowing red locks that should make Bobby Kielty proud. Even though the 2013 Draft is months away and who knows what will happen between now and then -- come at me Mayans -- I have no qualms with posting Frazier number one on my draft board and soft-shoeing out of the room without a second glance.

What specifically about Frazier stands out?

Well beside the aforementioned red lettuce of a haircut (cabbage?), Frazier jumps out by having some outrageous tools and a skill-set and game approach that make him a potential superstar. We're talking a possible 70 arm as well as run tools, plus bat and hand speed, and emerging power that figures to ramp heavily once he learns to fully utilize his lower half.

My favorite part of Frazier's game, beside playing like his hair is aflame (pun slightly intended), is his hand actions at the plate. Frazier has an aggressive trigger, and loads his hands in a manner that only hitters with a ferocious intent to cause harm to baseballs would develop. Frazier's trigger allows a quick ascent into the hitting zone, and his impressive hand strength allow a tremendous release of the bat head into the ball. Often in game action, Frazier will barely utilize his lower half, instead letting his quick hands work.

If you saw the Under Armour All-American Game this summer at Wrigley Field, you may have noticed Frazier bang one off the ivy in right-center. You might have also notice he basically did it with just a snap of his wrists. And it should be noted that I don't feel that Frazier doesn't know how to use his lower half, as he shows good actions downstairs during batting practice. However, I do feel that his hands are just so good, so strong, and so dominant in his swing that he can get away with it and his body happily obliges. This also bodes well for his power projection, as it's already quite good and is basically wrist powered. Get that boy some leverage? Oh my.

A lot can happen between now and the draft. There will be plenty of changes atop many draft boards, and many pop-up guys causing late shifts and plenty of headaches. In the interim, I'm having a hard time seeing anyone bump Frazier from the top of my rankings. That is, unless some hybrid Mike Trout/Ron Howard freak comes out of nowhere and puts on crazy shows at showcases across the nation. I'm sorry, I believe I just described Frazier all over again.

Grunt grunt grunt.. if Frazier's there when the Indians pick.. he would certainly fit the bill...

[Rocky55]

Well, we're picking #5. Miami almost caught us but thank God for David Huff. I've been concentrating so hard on Minn & Miami that I didn't notice how close Boston got. This has to be the worst Boston team in a really long time. Just looked it up, 62-100 in 1965.

I think we may have lost out on Frazier in the last week, as he fits the Twinks favored profile. If we don't get him I hope the Cubs or Rockies do. I don't want to watch him in Minn.

We need another good draft similar to the last one(sans Naquin). The HS PP's look really good right now but the HS pitchers could really move up over the next 9 months. Now we can put this crappy season behind & look forward to a good draft.

[Rocky55]

Check it out:

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=7791

[homerawayfromhome]

Here's a link to Beacher Reports top 10 2013 international FA's.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1407 ... -into-2013

* I know these guys aren't draft eligible but I thought I put it here for the resource (names) and simply be these guys are amateurs too.

[Hermie13]

Here's a link to Beacher Reports top 10 2013 international FA's.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1407 ... -into-2013

* I know these guys aren't draft eligible but I thought I put it here for the resource (names) and simply be these guys are amateurs too.

Some of those guys are draft eligible. Puerto Rico guys are subject to the draft, not international signings and same with Canadian players (like Weglarz). So Rene Melendez, Tyler O'Neill, and Jan Hernandez are draft eligible. Saw a Puerto Rican go 1st overall last year so wouldn't be crazy to think the pair there could go top 15 come next June.

[homerawayfromhome]

Hermie...
You're right players from Puerto Rico and Canada are draft eligible. Personally, after all the drama with Japanese pitcher Otani MLB could try to push the international players into the draft or simply hold an International draft.

[Rocky55]

In the PG draft chat I linked someone mentioned that Frazier had shoulder tendonitis. That's kinda scarey to me, especially in a young kid. I had a torn labrum when I was a kid & it kept me out of the Navy when I tried to enlist 100 yrs ago. Shoulder issues are not good for a baseball player.

Re Homer's link, I saw Jan Hernandez play in the PG All America game at Petco this summer & was really impressed. IMO this is what a high upside bat looks like. Given normal progress & no setbacks I'd for sure consider him at #5 in June.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xsM8gu1Cy0

He played 2B on Correa's team last year. Was a SS up until then. At 6'3" & 185 you have to imagine he winds up at 3B, unless he pulls a Tulo.

Here's one he's included in with some of the other "usual suspects". I hadn't seen that Tirado kid but he looks interesting too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXgwUu-TV84

[homerawayfromhome]

Here's MLB.coms top 50 prospects for the 2013 MLB Draft...
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/ ... list=draft

[daingean]

Interesting no Willy Abreau and Zach Collins is at 39. Collins being a catcher, I think he will go in the 1st round.

[homerawayfromhome]

Daingean,
That's an early list but honestly I don't like it. Clinton Hollon and Jeremy Martinez are two guys I see with top 20 potential (maybe top 10) and neither is listed within the top 20. Overall, the value of the list is really the exposure to these guys now. I like getting familiar with the draft prospects early to know a little bit more about them myself. With the 5th overall pk the Tribe is in a solid spot to snag some real talent I'm really curious which way they will go...you really never know, but one thing I like is that the Tribe will get an additional competitive balance pk after the second round. That's potentially 3 top 75 picks and it will give the Tribe some additional financial flexibility.

[Rocky55]

Interesting no Willy Abreau and Zach Collins is at 39. Collins being a catcher, I think he will go in the 1st round.

Also hard to imagine Dominic Smith lasting to 35.

[Rocky55]

Your basic rundown.

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=7853

[Rocky55]

This is interesting. Quite a few peeps on PG picking Manaea to go 1/1. Read on.

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie ... ticle=7856

[Rocky55]

Bad news for Manaea fans; in the chat linked above it was revealed that Manaea has hired Boras(s) as an advisor/agent. Looks like the Tribe is out on Manaea. Appel's in the same boat. We were linked with Dominic Smith a lot lately. Seems like a solid pick.

Any Smith fans? I was hoping for pitching but it doesn't look like it's happening unless we reach. Don't want to do that.

[criznit2009]

Hey figured this could go here - If we sign Swisher... What pick are we going to lose?

[GoTribe028]

Hey figured this could go here - If we sign Swisher... What pick are we going to lose?

My understanding is because the Indians 1st round pick is protected they would lose their 2nd round pick as well as the alloted slot amount.

Easy to understand why many teams are shying away from surrendering a 1st round selection. Not only do they lose the pick, they also lose the amount of money that would be available for that selection.

[criznit2009]

Thanks Go tribe
One more wrinkle..

Now had we gotten a 1st round comp pick as opposed th the 2nd round one we got... Would we have had to surrender the 1st round comp pick or would it still be the 2nd round pick?

[GeronimoSon]

One of the mocks that I like has:

Astros - Mark Appel, rhp
Cubs - Ryne Stanek, rhp
Rockies - Austin Meadows, of
Twins - Sean Manaea, lhp
Indians - Clint Frazier, of
Marlins - Kris Bryant, 3b
Red Sox - Trey Ball lhp
Royals - Kohl Stewart, rhp

I can see any one of Meadows, Frazier, Appel and Stewart as the Indians first pick. Selecting Stewart would have to be in lieu of his football career being finished (he's behind Johnny Heis-manziel, so that's a distinct possibility. Clint Hollon may actually stick around until the Indians take their second guy..

[homerawayfromhome]

Here's a link to the 2012 slot values...
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/dr ... 13398.html

Based upon the slot values from last seasons draft the 5th overall pk was worth $3.5 M. The 42nd pk was dissolved with the signing of Nick Swisher as was the slot value of $1.27 M. However, the Tribe gained the 69th pk as part of the competitive balance lottery, which comes with a slot value of $746,300. Here's another way to consider it...The Tribe didn't really lose a pk based upon the added competitive balance pk. Yes, it does sting but the added pk and the added player make the sting much less hurtful.

[Rocky55]

Mocks:

http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/01/1 ... draft-v-2/

http://mlbdraftcountdown.wordpress.com/ ... ry-5-2013/

Sensing a trend here; is this Frazier kid any good?

This one is always a little different:

http://www.mymlbdraft.com/MLB-Mock-Draft

Some of them love pairing us up with Wilson. Hope not.

Can't play "safe" like last year with the first rounder. Hopefully this will be the highest we pick in a long time. Make the most of it.

Wish they could bar Borass fron representing draft eligibles.

[homerawayfromhome]

Personally, I'm hoping they go the aggressive route. Kohl Stewart would look good with chief Wahoo on his sleeve, but he will come at a high price. Clint Frazier could be in contention for the first overall pick.

The Tribe should play it aggressively, hopefully they won't be picking this high again for a while, and they should make it count with a high upside talent, IMO.

[OhioBaseball]

Mocks:

http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/01/1 ... draft-v-2/

http://mlbdraftcountdown.wordpress.com/ ... ry-5-2013/

Sensing a trend here; is this Frazier kid any good?

This one is always a little different:

http://www.mymlbdraft.com/MLB-Mock-Draft

Some of them love pairing us up with Wilson. Hope not.

Can't play "safe" like last year with the first rounder. Hopefully this will be the highest we pick in a long time. Make the most of it.

Wish they could bar Borass from representing draft eligibles.

I've already said I like Frazier, so I'd be very happy with him. I do have some concerns; he's small for a top pick and he's already in peak physical condition. Did I hear right that he had some shoulder tendonitis? I'm sure Frazier spends a ton of time in the gym -- could it be that he overworks himself? I'd try to do some investigating on his work outs, supplements, etc. before taking him. I saw him a couple times last summer and he's an outlier; so fast, so strong, great condition. MLB tools at 17 years old -- he really stands out. Is his peak condition sustainable? Some people can over-do-it in the gym. I don't want to defame him or anything. I don't really have any concerns as far as his game on the field and I consider it a positive that he's such a hard worker, it's just if his body is showing some wear already or something else and he's got to back off, he becomes a bit of a marginal talent. Still like him, but I think his status as a top prospect comes from him being in such great physical condition. May sound a little nit-picky, but when you're selecting so early you've got to cross you t's and dot your I's on the due diligence.

On another note, it always happens...pre-season mock drafts turn out to be way off b/c we're talking about how 17 and 20 year olds looked last summer. Lots of things can change, but it's fun speculating!

[skydancing8]

Has anyone thought about how sweet of a deal this is for the Pirates? They don't sign Appel (which I believe they knew they never would) and now they have the 9th and the 14th pick. Now they have a ton of different options as far as game planning for this draft. All the extra money they'll be allowed to spend by having two first rounders could allow them to take a "safe" pick with 9 or 14 and then over pay on a lot of guys later on that might not be drafted based on signability.

If in fact the Pirates drafted Appel on purpose to setup 2013s draft it is a very savvy move on their part.

[Hermie13]

Has anyone thought about how sweet of a deal this is for the Pirates? They don't sign Appel (which I believe they knew they never would) and now they have the 9th and the 14th pick. Now they have a ton of different options as far as game planning for this draft. All the extra money they'll be allowed to spend by having two first rounders could allow them to take a "safe" pick with 9 or 14 and then over pay on a lot of guys later on that might not be drafted based on signability.

If in fact the Pirates drafted Appel on purpose to setup 2013s draft it is a very savvy move on their part.

While they do get the 9th pick, it's not protected against a failed signing again so they almost have to play it safe there. They also lost the 8th overall pick money to use in the 2012 draft (more than what they gained with the 9th pick in 2013). It is a nice deal for 2013 for the Pirates having the extra pick but really sucked for them this past summer losing the 8th overall pick money.

[Rocky55]

On the subject of picks, I was fumbling around trying to figure what the Tribe's picks are currently. We lost the 2nd, get the comp after the 2nd, & pick 5 in the 3rd, correct? The best I could tell we'll be picking 70 & 79 after the 1st. I admit that this is a guesstimate but signing Swisher didn't seem to hurt too much.

[homerawayfromhome]

On the subject of picks, I was fumbling around trying to figure what the Tribe's picks are currently. We lost the 2nd, get the comp after the 2nd, & pick 5 in the 3rd, correct? The best I could tell we'll be picking 70 & 79 after the 1st. I admit that this is a guesstimate but signing Swisher didn't seem to hurt too much.

I think that's right, right now...depending on what happens with Lohse and Bourn. If I recall correctly, last yr the Tribe's first two picks (rd 1,2) were 15 and 79 overall. I'm not sure how the money will translate per pk but 5 overall had a slot value of $3.5 M in 2012. That competitive balance lottery pick really helps offset the loss of the second rd pk, in essence the Tribe swapped picks with the Yanks.

[GeronimoSon]

On the subject of picks, I was fumbling around trying to figure what the Tribe's picks are currently. We lost the 2nd, get the comp after the 2nd, & pick 5 in the 3rd, correct? The best I could tell we'll be picking 70 & 79 after the 1st. I admit that this is a guesstimate but signing Swisher didn't seem to hurt too much.

I think that's right, right now...depending on what happens with Lohse and Bourn. If I recall correctly, last yr the Tribe's first two picks (rd 1,2) were 15 and 79 overall. I'm not sure how the money will translate per pk but 5 overall had a slot value of $3.5 M in 2012. That competitive balance lottery pick really helps offset the loss of the second rd pk, in essence the Tribe swapped picks with the Yanks.

Yeah..the 15th over all pick.. or, as I like to say, that really unusual and poor decision to take a projected 4th outfielder when immediately following the pick at # 16 was a projected FOR SP in Lucas Giolito and two or three picks later.. another FOR SP in Michael Wacha..

Hopefully, the poor decision to select a safe and signable player so more can be spent on later draft picks (and less talented players) isn't the path chosen in 2013..and yes, this decision still irks me..

[skydancing8]

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=43&f=1682&t=9942495

http://insidesocal.com/usc/archives/201 ... ransf.html

Looks like former 8th round pick in the 2011 draft Stephen Tarpley is transfering to a Community College so he can be in this years draft. I wanted the Indians to sign him in 2011 and thought they'd end up looking back on it and wishing they payed up back then.

I wonder if they still have a relationship with him and if there is a chance they draft him again this year.