Grading Day One of the Draft
-Dexter Sports
9:32 AM
Dexter-Sports Inbox
What an interesting day one. We saw some strange picks, and some good ones. Lets take a look at the action across the board with my three best organizations from day one .
Pittsburgh Pirates: The Pirates did a good job in overall review of talent and adjusting that to their needs in the organization.
1st Round: Pedro Alvarez, 3b Vanderbilt - This could turn out to be the best pick in the draft and is ultimately the safest pick. His bat speed and ability at the plate is unmatched in this draft. Though he might take a while to come around, he is the top prospect of the draft in my mind.
2nd Round: Tanner Scheppers, RHP Fresno State - Scheppers quickly developed into a nationwide prospect after making the switch to pitcher early in his college career. Though he is raw and only flashes two plus pitches, his upside is tremendous. At one point he was ranked as
the tenth best draft prospect. A late shoulder injury had many teams afraid to take the risk, but the Pirates should find that this was a good time to take a chance on a raw talent.
3rd Round: Jordy Mercer, SS Oklahoma State - Mercer is an interesting prospect because he can go both ways. He is a smooth fielding shortstop with a strong arm and decent bat. His hitting could use a bit of tuning, but he has come up clutch many times for the Cowboys. Mercer also closed for Oklahoma State, and is the all-time closer in their history. Mercer might return to college though to finish up his final year.
6th Round: Robbie Grossman, OF Cypress (TX) HS - I really like this project pick by the Pirates because there is some upside to it. Grossman has show a lot of power in the gaps, but with his bat speed, he could become a home run threat pretty fast. He has plus speed on the base paths as well. He was projected in the higher rounds of the draft, but if the Pirates can get him to sign, they might have found themselves a real stud.
Kansas City Royals: It is simple why I like their Draft. They were able to yank 3 of the top 50 arms in the draft and the best prep bat.
1st Round: Eric Hosmer, 1B American Heritage (FL.) HS - At the time, I thought that Buster Posey was more appropriate for the Royals, but anytime you can add a bat of this caliber, you have to do it. Hosmer has a lot of power in his stroke, and is a decent fielder at first. He is very selective, but at the same time, takes some pitches he should crush.
2nd Round: Mike Montgomery, LHP Hart (CA) HS - Montgomery was one of the best lefties in the draft. He saw his fastball velocity increase to 93 this summer, and scouts started paying attention. Montgomery has great command with an intimidating frame that compares to Randy Johnson. His curve is also developing into a decent pitch.
3rd Round: Tyler Sample, RHP JK Mullen (CO) HS -Sample is the best prep pitcher from Colorado since Roy Halladay. He has a 95 MPH fastball with a plus curve that hammers down and out of the strike zone. He could be a work in progress, because he has never really had true command of his fastball, but why not take a chance on him with that type of stuff.
4th Round: Tim Melville, RHP Holt (MO.) HS - Though I had him being drafted by a home town team, it was the other organization in Missouri and in the first round. The Royals could have gotten the steal of the draft here, in a kid with a good fastball and above average knuckle curve. He was a projected first rounder, and might hold out and be one of the top pitchers of the 2011 draft, but it was surely with the shot. If Kansas City throws the money, he might bite.
Philadelphia Phillies: Pat Gillick took a couple chances in the first and second round, but it is those type of chances that could pay off.
Round 1: Anthony Hewitt, SS Salisbury (NY) HS - Hewitt put on a performance in workout for the Phillies and the organization fell in love with him. He is five tool player with an abundance of speed and soft hands. He will most likely hold his own at short throughout his professional career and with some good coaching, he could become a bat with pretty good power.
Round 2: Zach Collier, OF Chino Hills (CA) HS - Collier was considered by some as the best outfielder available in the draft. He has plus power, that could translate into a lot of gap to gap doubles because of his decent speed. Like Hewitt, Collier is very raw, but if the Phillies can tap into that talent, they could unlock a 30 + homer guy with a decent glove in left field.
What do you guys think? Let me know who you think had the best first day of the draft.
9:32 AM
Dexter-Sports Inbox
What an interesting day one. We saw some strange picks, and some good ones. Lets take a look at the action across the board with my three best organizations from day one .
Pittsburgh Pirates: The Pirates did a good job in overall review of talent and adjusting that to their needs in the organization.
1st Round: Pedro Alvarez, 3b Vanderbilt - This could turn out to be the best pick in the draft and is ultimately the safest pick. His bat speed and ability at the plate is unmatched in this draft. Though he might take a while to come around, he is the top prospect of the draft in my mind.
2nd Round: Tanner Scheppers, RHP Fresno State - Scheppers quickly developed into a nationwide prospect after making the switch to pitcher early in his college career. Though he is raw and only flashes two plus pitches, his upside is tremendous. At one point he was ranked as
the tenth best draft prospect. A late shoulder injury had many teams afraid to take the risk, but the Pirates should find that this was a good time to take a chance on a raw talent.
3rd Round: Jordy Mercer, SS Oklahoma State - Mercer is an interesting prospect because he can go both ways. He is a smooth fielding shortstop with a strong arm and decent bat. His hitting could use a bit of tuning, but he has come up clutch many times for the Cowboys. Mercer also closed for Oklahoma State, and is the all-time closer in their history. Mercer might return to college though to finish up his final year.
6th Round: Robbie Grossman, OF Cypress (TX) HS - I really like this project pick by the Pirates because there is some upside to it. Grossman has show a lot of power in the gaps, but with his bat speed, he could become a home run threat pretty fast. He has plus speed on the base paths as well. He was projected in the higher rounds of the draft, but if the Pirates can get him to sign, they might have found themselves a real stud.
Kansas City Royals: It is simple why I like their Draft. They were able to yank 3 of the top 50 arms in the draft and the best prep bat.
1st Round: Eric Hosmer, 1B American Heritage (FL.) HS - At the time, I thought that Buster Posey was more appropriate for the Royals, but anytime you can add a bat of this caliber, you have to do it. Hosmer has a lot of power in his stroke, and is a decent fielder at first. He is very selective, but at the same time, takes some pitches he should crush.
2nd Round: Mike Montgomery, LHP Hart (CA) HS - Montgomery was one of the best lefties in the draft. He saw his fastball velocity increase to 93 this summer, and scouts started paying attention. Montgomery has great command with an intimidating frame that compares to Randy Johnson. His curve is also developing into a decent pitch.
3rd Round: Tyler Sample, RHP JK Mullen (CO) HS -Sample is the best prep pitcher from Colorado since Roy Halladay. He has a 95 MPH fastball with a plus curve that hammers down and out of the strike zone. He could be a work in progress, because he has never really had true command of his fastball, but why not take a chance on him with that type of stuff.
4th Round: Tim Melville, RHP Holt (MO.) HS - Though I had him being drafted by a home town team, it was the other organization in Missouri and in the first round. The Royals could have gotten the steal of the draft here, in a kid with a good fastball and above average knuckle curve. He was a projected first rounder, and might hold out and be one of the top pitchers of the 2011 draft, but it was surely with the shot. If Kansas City throws the money, he might bite.
Philadelphia Phillies: Pat Gillick took a couple chances in the first and second round, but it is those type of chances that could pay off.
Round 1: Anthony Hewitt, SS Salisbury (NY) HS - Hewitt put on a performance in workout for the Phillies and the organization fell in love with him. He is five tool player with an abundance of speed and soft hands. He will most likely hold his own at short throughout his professional career and with some good coaching, he could become a bat with pretty good power.
Round 2: Zach Collier, OF Chino Hills (CA) HS - Collier was considered by some as the best outfielder available in the draft. He has plus power, that could translate into a lot of gap to gap doubles because of his decent speed. Like Hewitt, Collier is very raw, but if the Phillies can tap into that talent, they could unlock a 30 + homer guy with a decent glove in left field.
What do you guys think? Let me know who you think had the best first day of the draft.
