Baseball America begins early 2010 draft preview
by Russ Oates on Feb 15, 2010 2:09 PM MST
in Rockies Draft
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PrintOne of the topics that gets plenty of play around here is the annual Rule 4 draft, otherwise known as First-Year Player Draft. The Rockies have their own pick at 26 and received a supplemental first-round pick at 45 (first round and supplemental first-round totals 49 selections) after the Nationals signed Jason Marquis.
Baseball America just put out its preseason top 32 overall prospects (subscribers only). If the draft were to play out according to this ranking (and it won't), the Rockies would have their hands on San Diego Torero Kyle Blair. Blair is a 6'3", 200 lbs. junior who was named to Baseball America's Third Team All-American. Blair is the latest Torero pitcher to garner first-round attention. In 2008, the Orioles selected LHP Brian Matusz from the University of San Diego, and he went 5-2 in 8 starts for the O's this past season. Blair isn't on Matusz's level, and this is what Baseball America wrote on Blair:
26. Kyle Blair, rhp, San Diego
He may have the best slider in the draft, though he relies on it too much at times at the expense of his fastball command.
Blair went 3-2 last season with a 3.13 ERA in 10 appearances and eight starts. He had two complete games, and struck out 62 in 54.2 innings. In 2008, he went 8-4 and struck out 99 in 74 2/3 innings.
I'll throw more names out there in depth as times goes by, but here's how we start. Personally, I'm hoping for another Christian Friedrich-type of selection, a highly-touted lefty falls not because of any concern but as a result of teams looking to fill holes in their systems (Chris Sale, Drew Pomeranz).
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I was thinking about it a lot last night
Dan O’Dowd draft philosophy makes a lot of sense when you are just drafting the best position players available rather than drafting for the organization needs. If you are drafting the best players you better trade bait to get what the organization needs later on. I think this makes more sense rather than just having a draft focus on pitchers one year, infielders the next and outfielders later.
Thoughts ,comments, on the first comment ever on this post.
Making facetious trade rumors since 2012AD
Agree
This will help the organization avoid things like drafting Greg Reynolds over Evan Longoria.
"Show me a good loser in professional sports, and I'll show you an idiot." - Leo Durocher
by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Feb 15, 2010 9:29 PM MST up reply actions
I've got my eye on Kevin Gausman
We need a local kid for once.
by mkorpal on Feb 15, 2010 3:45 PM MST reply actions 1 recs
Looking like he’ll be the first player from my alma mater to be selected in the Entry Draft. Ex-teammate of my brother’s (last two years) – and I played (albeit briefly) with Gausman’s older brother, who was the first former Wolf to play pro ball when he got some time with Burlington in the Royals chain in 2008.
"You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around the whole time." - Jim Bouton
I personally wouldn't mind drafting the best position player available
We have enough pitchers for now, though if another Christian Friedrich/Tyler Matzek situation happens, I would have no problem jumping on it, but we really do need draft the best available bat right now.
Impossible not to have positive thoughts.
I want Sam Deduno to pitch already.
As much as I'd like to see a serious impact bat added to the system
you gotta just go with the best player available regardless of the 2 or 3 character positional designation that follows his name.
It will be interesting to see what we do this year – its been two years in a row where we added a top talent because other teams didn’t – so not to knock O’Dowd or anyone because I think him and his team are doing a great job, but one could make the argument that even with our modest financial powers, Friedrich at 25 or whatever and Matzek at 11 were really no-brainers. It’s also a ‘strategy’ that I feel can’t be relied upon (though top talents frequently fall due to signability)…
"These are thin mints. I put them in the freezer. My favorites. So good."
--Reds outfielder Adam Dunn, on the girl scout cookies he keeps in his locker
Addison Reed with our second (or third if he lasts) round pick?
Yeah, yeah, yeah he’s an Aztec but he is good. Seriously, 20 saves and an 0.65 ERA in 2009.
His stock'll need to drop
for him to be available at the end of the 1st round.
"Shall it be peace, or a sword?" - Excised line from Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
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It's been known to happen.
That’s the kind of player I think I’d certainly be okay with, not necessarily Colon, but somebody who’s figuring to be an upper first round talent right now, but slips, whether it’s because of a disappointing season or for other reasons to the later picks. There seem to be several players like this each year, Rex Brothers was actually one last year. Some of those other supplemental round picks, like James Paxton or Kentrail Davis, were very highly thought of before their 2009 college seasons.
Paxton's
draft position is going to be interesting. Kentucky won’t play him until he meets with the NCAA investigator, but Paxton isn’t going to meet him. Seems like he’ll head to an Indy league in May and show his stuff.
"Shall it be peace, or a sword?" - Excised line from Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!
Diplomatic and Military History Book Review - My other blog where I go all historical on you.
Yeah, I was going to suggest looking at him for a future post,
But I figured you probably already had thought of it.
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