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4/19/12

A Minor Perspective - Mock


pirates
1. Houston Astros – Mark Appel, RHP (Stanford)
Why: The Astros don’t appear like the team who is going to go for the risky homerun pick No. 1 overall with Buxton. Appel is having a fine season for Stanford so I think they’ll play this one “safe”.

Seattle
2. Minnesota Twins – Mike Zunino, C (Florida)
Why: Zimmer has pitched his way into becoming a popular choice here because he is a rather safe and unsexy pick, which fits the Twins billing. In my opinion Zunino could provide them with a sexy and moderately safe pick. He is the best college catcher since Buster Posey and that has worked out well for the Giants.

Diamondbacks
3. Seattle Mariners – Byron Buxton, OF (Appling County HS, GA)
Why: The Mariners were recently spotted scouting him (really they would be dumb not too), but the Jesus Montero trade is more telling in my opinion of what they will do with this pick. The clearly are looking for bats and Buxton is the best bat available and might have the highest potential of any player in the draft.

Seattle
4. Baltimore Orioles – Kevin Gausman, RHP (LSU)
Why: Admittedly this one is a tough call. I think they would love Buxton, but I don’t see him being available here anymore. I feel Gausman is the top college pitcher in the draft and would be a scary combo with Bundy.

Seattle
5. Kansas City Royals – Lucas Giolito, RHP (Harvard-Westlake HS, CA)
Why: He is the toughest one to place because of the injury concerns. Otherwise I’d see him as a lock for the top 3 and possible No. 1. I’d have to think one of the teams at the top with think he is worth the risk and what does Kansas City have to lose?

Nationals
6. Chicago Cubs - Kyle Zimmer, RHP (San Francisco)
Why: The Cubs need to rebuild, which usually makes people instantly think high school but what better way to start a rebuilding process than with a pitcher with frontline starter like stuff and a workhorse body.

Diamondbacks
7. San Diego Padres – Deven Marrero, SS (Arizona State)
Why: He hasn’t had a good season with the bat, but he was never made a top prospect because of his bat. Like Francisco Lindor last year, this is right about where major league defensive shortstops go in the draft.

Indians
8. Pittsburgh Pirates – Carlos Correa, SS (Puerto Rico HS)
Why: I feel Correa compliments the Pirates system perfectly and gives them one of the highest ceiling prospects in the draft.

Cubs
9. Miami Marlins – Max Fried, LHP (Harvard-Westlake HS, CA)
Why: Walker Weickel or Lance McCullers are the obvious choices since Florida loves to take the best players in their backyard. Either would be a fine pick as well. Fried just has that top end upside the Marlins system could desperately use.

Padres
10. Colorado Rockies – Stryker Trahan, C (Arcadiana HS, LA)
Why: Colorado always seems to make an interesting pick and the package Trahan posses from the catcher’s position could be too good to pass up for them.

Astros
11. Oakland Athletics – Marcus Stroman, RHP (Duke)
Why: The A’s took a small stature pitcher last year in Sonny Gray and with the way Stroman has been dominating this season he can only last so long. The case could be made that he has the best stuff in the entire class.

Brewers
12. New York Mets – David Dahl, OF (Oak Mountain HS, AL)
Why: The Mets need position players and Dahl’s polish represents a nice compliment to the upside of 2011 1st round pick Brandon Nimmo. They could also look to the middle infield with Gavin Cecchini or Addison Russell.

http://www.aminorperspective.com/2012/04/16/mock-draft-v1-0/
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1 comment:

  1. The BehavioristApril 21, 2012 at 1:17 AM

    Can't be sure I agree with this one Mack. Though Alderson has shown a propensity to go for the possibility to be "great" type player which usually means going for a HS player, I believe the Mets are, or at least should be, concentrating on drafting and building up what has always made them successful--pitching. He might be a reach in the 1st round (who knows what makes scouts take one guy in the 8th round, while someone like Mike Piazza only gets selected because he was Tommy Lasorda's God-Son), but I personally like the guy who's been the star of the last two CWS, and the 2011 National Player of the Year by CollegeBaseballInsider.com, Mike Roth, LHP/1B, South Carolina. Though he's had a rougher beginning to the year due to a huge improvement in the SEC in baseball (look at the rankings), Roth is the Ace of this staff, as was the guy who anchored the team in last year's CWS Win. He went in the 30 something round last year so decided to come back and try for a 3-peat as CWS Champions. He's not an overpowering pitcher, but his K/BB ratio is amazing. He's an athlete who pitches, but also a scholar All American, so he pitches smart. I'd love to see the Mets get him, but again, he might be a stretch in the 1st round. Then again, like I said, the entire draft after the first 3 picks (and sometimes even those) are pure guesswork which is why baseball has over 50 rounds while basketball has 2 and football (which fields a team twice that of a MLB team) has 7. The Draft is a crapshoot, but I'd put money on Roth making the majors in the next 2-3 years and being a solid #2 starter, maybe #1 in a Greg Maddux, Johan Santana way--NOT Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson fashion.

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