Thursday Morning Rockpile: Draft edition

by Rox Girl on Jun 7, 2007 5:24 AM MDT in Rockpile

I've collected links from newspapers in each of the cities that selects ahead of us with who their reporters see as on their team's radar, and have thereby constructed this mock draft through our pick:

Tampa Bay Devil Rays: David Price

Kansas City Royals: Josh Vitters

Update [2007-6-7 12:31:11 by Russ]: Jim Callis believes the Royals will now go with Moustakas.

Chicago Cubs: Rick Porcello

Update [2007-6-7 12:36:59 by Russ]: Are the Cubs working on a pre-draft deal with Jarrod Parker, or is this thrown out the window if Moustakas goes #2?

Pittsburgh Pirates: Devin Mesoraco

Baltimore Orioles: Matt Wieters

Washington Nationals: Mike Moustakas

Milwaukee Brewers: Jarrod Parker

Colorado Rockies: Daniel Moskos? or Casey Weathers?

I just want to point out that Ross Detwiler isn't mentioned as a target in any of these columns of the teams selecting before us. I'm going to go out on a limb and say his slide is our gain:

My pick for the Rockies first round selection:

Ross Detwiler, LHP, Missouri State.

---------------

Okay, a couple of non-draft links now:

Ramon Ramirez was optioned to Colorado Springs. Rami has been getting pounded lately, so I'm not against this move to make room for Josh Fogg. This should give Ramon a chance to refind his groove in a less costly environment.

I really like this article from the Houston Chronicle's Brian McTaggart about the trio of players we got for Jason Jennings and how they've adapted to playing with the Rockies. Their talents are just beginning to show dividends for the Rox, almost in reverse order of what I would have expected. Taveras broke out of his early season funk at the plate first, and then Buchholz seemed to turn a corner in mid-May. Meanwhile, Hirsh started out promising, but we haven't fully seen what he's capable of yet. Along with Chris Iannetta, I'm hoping for a solid turnaround from him to start showing up soon.

Brad Hawpe's getting the love now that his bat is giving it to Rockies fans, meanwhile Kaz Matsui still seems a side note, even though he's my early pick for the team's MVP. The Rockies are three games over .500 when he appears in a game at 13-10.

What was originally a strictly Panamanian rivalry is spilling over into the Rockies-Astros series and the heat seems to be picking up after two Rockies were plunked yesterday.

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Comments

Jim Callis is in the Moskos camp

with his mock draft. I really think if it's not Detwiler, it will be Moskos, as one of the two will be available for us.

by Rox Girl on Jun 7, 2007 6:10 AM MDT reply actions

Meanwhile, Jonathan Mayo...

Has abandoned Nick Schmidt and goes with Ringolsby in saying that we'll pick Casey Weathers in his most recent mock draft. The high schoolers, Dominguez and Heyward, seem to have dropped from our radar.

by Rox Girl on Jun 7, 2007 7:34 AM MDT up reply actions

Smack me silly, but

I don't want Weathers. I went into why back on Friday.

"Vae victis!" - Brennus the Gaul

by Russ Oates on Jun 7, 2007 7:42 AM MDT up reply actions

Weathers would be tough to swallow

Sure he's a tremendous player, but as Russ has mentioned, this team isn't competitive enough to go fishing for college closers. I think Weathers would be a penny pinching choice, sad because the Rockies don't have the extra picks to make penny pinching a necessity.

Again, it isn't the player's fault, as Weathers is a talented closer, but we need guys with 200+ inning capability or 500 AB's in the middle of an order, not a guy that will throw 75 innings. Last I checked, we don't have enough late leads to be overly concerned about the ninth inning.

by David OhNo on Jun 7, 2007 7:47 AM MDT up reply actions

I agree, but I probably like him more than you

To me, of all the names connected to the Rockies' pick, I'd rank him right with Heyward, below Detwiler, Moskos and Dominguez, but above Schmidt still.

by Rox Girl on Jun 7, 2007 7:48 AM MDT up reply actions

Whereas

I put Weathers right below Schmidt. Now, if he was also a lefty . . .

"Vae victis!" - Brennus the Gaul

by Russ Oates on Jun 7, 2007 7:50 AM MDT up reply actions

I'd put him

on par with Schmidt, but a shade above Heyward. I'm just not a big Heyward guy.

I also think it is interesting that even BA's final mock has more speculation than certainty. I can remember back to 2005 when almost the first twenty picks were in the books before draft day, and the Rockies KNEW that Tulo was their guy all the way back at pick seven.

The more the uncertainty the better the intruige. The better the intruige the more fan interest as the draft continues to grow.

by David OhNo on Jun 7, 2007 7:52 AM MDT up reply actions

One note on a Weathers pick:

It will be an almost certain sign that Brian Fuentes will be traded before April 2008, which was already a likelihood anyway. I'm not against that decision, and having Weathers will mean we won't necessarily have to get a good MLB ready relief arm back in the trade, which should allow an even better player return for what's already going to be a lopsided deal in our favor. If having Weathers means that we're able to get a D-back Chris Young type talent in the Fuentes exchange, rather than a relief arm plus a lesser talent, then it probably beats the upside of all these other names we're considering.

by Rox Girl on Jun 7, 2007 8:01 AM MDT up reply actions

That was basically my point

back on Friday. I've always been in favor of trading Fuentes and Weathers would certainly help ease the transition.

"Vae victis!" - Brennus the Gaul

by Russ Oates on Jun 7, 2007 8:06 AM MDT up reply actions

Yes But

I think Corpas deserves a shot at Fuentes spot if Fuentes does get traded. I think he can be a top notch closser in this league if given a chance. Lets get a starter or a bat, remember when the Reds wasted their number one pick with a reliever? That didn't go so well for them did it?

by wolf213 on Jun 7, 2007 8:23 AM MDT up reply actions

Corpas would close

It's most likely that if anything, Weathers would fit into either a seventh or eighth inning set-up role initially. I wasn't meaning to imply that he is a direct replacement of Fuentes' role as closer, just that he'd replace Fuentes' roster spot in the bullpen. Even then, he'd just be in the mix and might not be with the big league club, as Steven Register, Darren Clarke, Juan Morillo and others might have some say. Weathers will give us MLB ready depth and the ability to ship off Fuentes, however, and that's what my point was.

by Rox Girl on Jun 7, 2007 8:37 AM MDT up reply actions

What about Aumont?

He was in Colorado this past week.

In the Mocks over the past week.....he's gone anywhere from #5 to #18......

by sg8335aa on Jun 7, 2007 8:22 AM MDT up reply actions

Big fan

of Aumont. Wouldn't mind if we drafted him one bit.

by wolf213 on Jun 7, 2007 8:23 AM MDT up reply actions

Aumont seems to be Plan D,

When it's likely that Plans A, B, or C are still going to be available. I think he has a good chance to go to either the Orioles or Nationals, anyway.

by Rox Girl on Jun 7, 2007 8:38 AM MDT up reply actions

Disagree....

Nats will take the top Boras Client that falls....

They're looking to make a HUGE splurge in this draft and will most certainly go above slot for someone.

by sg8335aa on Jun 7, 2007 8:41 AM MDT up reply actions

I wasn't saying it was a definite,

I think you, Goldstein, the piece I linked above, and many others see the Nats spending money this year. But that article did mention Aumont as a backup, and didn't say anything about Detwiler or Moskos, so I guess he's there should all the good Boras guys already be gone.

by Rox Girl on Jun 7, 2007 8:58 AM MDT up reply actions

err.... never mind...

I just re-read the article, he was mentioned with the Cubs, Pirates, Orioles and Brewers, but not the Nationals, sorry.

by Rox Girl on Jun 7, 2007 9:00 AM MDT up reply actions

err... part 2

Not mentioned with the Cubs or Pirates, either, sorry. I'm just full of it today.

Anyway, Baltimore and Milwaukee papers both do say they've looked at Aumont.

I think the Cubs and Pirates will give us Detwiler. The Cubs will more likely than Porcello take somebody like Beau Mills and not a pitcher and the Pirates are looking at Mesoraco or Dominguez if Vitters doesn't drop. The rumors about the Orioles avoiding Boras seem to be unfounded, and Wieters will be available for them to select, pushing the Nats to take their pick of Jarrod Parker, Moustakas, or Porcello. I think they choose Moustakas. The Rockies then take Detwiler and the D-backs Moskos, while the Giants snag Parker. That's not the best scenario for the NL West as those are two very good pitchers going to our rivals, but that's what I'm thinking happens today.

by Rox Girl on Jun 7, 2007 9:22 AM MDT up reply actions

Site schedule:

Several posts are planned for today:

Next will be Russ's "Maybe You've Heard of Me, Maybe You Haven't." about players floating beneath the radar.

After that, David Ohno's going to go over some system needs that the Rockies might be looking to fill in this year's draft.

I'll have a review of 2006's draft later, and then we'll have an open forum to discuss this year's picks.

There will be an actual game while this is going on, so yes, we will be watching that, too, as Roy Oswalt vs Josh Fogg seems like an easy win for us.

Of course we'll have profiles of the picks as they happen, and then after today all plays out, Russ will give a general critique of baseball's first televised draft.

by Rox Girl on Jun 7, 2007 6:44 AM MDT reply actions