| Round 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pick | Team | Player | Drafter |
| 1 | HOU | Kevin Gausman, RHP, LSU | Jeff Reese |
| Jeff Reese: Unlike the last few years, the top of this draft
class is muddled. There are many different ways the new regime could go. Byron
Buxton has the loudest tools; Carlos Correa has the most interesting blend of
youth, power, and tools; Mike Zunino is a good bet to be an above-average
regular. But Kevin Gausman is there staring you in the face: a draft-eligible
sophomore with a high 90s fastball, plus change, breaking balls that flash their
potential, a projectable frame, and a decent amount of command. Al Skorupa: Someone else may hit a HR with a different top 5 pick, but KG has nearly as much upside as anyone and you know you got at least extra bases here. | |||
| 2 | MIN | Byron Buxton, OF, Appling County HS (GA) | Evan Rentschler |
| Evan Rentschler: I'm not going to dismiss the concerns over
Buxton's hit tool from some quarters, but in my limited looks (especially Under
Armour) he looked balanced at that plate and showed solid pitch recognition and
short, level swing. The power shows up in BP and with his build I'm confident it
will come. The speed and baserunning instincts are unimpeachable, he takes good
routes, and has a plus arm. Steve Fiorindo: I mentioned above that Buxton would probably be my guy for first overall, there aren't a lot of dynamic offensive guys available, and Buxton has that potential. The Twins are a good fit here, as they have many needs, Buxton obviously won't fill any of those needs anytime soon, but I'd like to see the Twins go with the big upside of a high school kid. Again, Giolito would be a great fit here too. The Twins have a history of going after the safer college arms, but they haven't been picking THIS high and need to nab someone with the big upside here. Conor Dowley: Buxton is probably the guy in this top part of the draft that I've gone back and forth on the most. His offensive upside is absolutely undeniable, but he's done little to demonstrate it so far. Still, with his frame, athleticism, and BP shows, you have to think there's a monster lurking in there somewhere that'll give pitchers nightmares for years to come. He has a solid foundation of defense and baserunning to build on, which certainly helps, and while a lot could go wrong with him at the plate, if it goes it it should go very, very right for whichever team winds up with him. | |||
| 3 | SEA | Mike Zunino, C, Florida | Conor Dowley |
| CD: Drat. I was kind of hoping for Buxton. I was half
tempted to go Giolito on pure talent, but for where the Mariners stand on needs
for talent and specific positions, Zunino offers a rare blend of filling both
holes. The fact that he fills a need a premium position certainly helps the
issue. I'm somewhat concerned about passing up on other premium talents, but
Zunino is a quality talent in his own right and many, including myself, feel
that he's well worthy of a top-five pick. AS: Sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one. Zunino fits the M's well and he might be the only sure thing among college position players. Wouldn't have been shocked to see them go Zimmer or Appel here though. | |||
| 4 | BAL | Peter Wardell | |
| Peter Wardell: Outside of Harvard-Westlake prep Lucas
Giolito, USF righty Kyle Zimmer has the highest upside of any pitcher in the
2012 draft. He also has one of the top floors. Pitching for just two years,
Zimmer has the potential for three above-average-to-plus offerings (FB, CV, CH),
highlighted by his mid-90?s fastball. As I?ve said in the past, Zimmer is a
perfect fit for an organization with an advanced player development system.
While GM Dan Duquette & Director of Pitching Development Rick Peterson are
merely months on the job, their track records create a great home for the
athletic Zimmer. SF: I know both Pete and I saw Zimmer against LMU when he wasn't particularly sharp, but he flashed some of the front end stuff that you want with a pick this high. Add into the mix the relatively short history Zimmer has on the mound and you would expect that you can get more out of him with development. You almost have to look at him like a high schooler since he is so new to pitching. I like the pick. | |||
| 5 | KC | Al Skorupa | |
| AS: College pitcher was probably the org. preference anyway,
and in this case it matches up perfectly with best player available. While I can
understand having some reservations about taking Appel at 1:1, he's a slam dunk,
easy choice with the 5th pick. SF: I didn't get the WOW factor out of Appel when I saw him against UCLA, but the overall outing was pretty solid. He's made some big starts at the right time, and with the right people in the stands, so he may actually go higher than this. My main concerns are with the offspeed offerings, the breaking ball was a little short, and I think Pete and I both came away liking the change up more than most. He flashed a couple of change ups that were pretty filthy with late fade and sink. | |||
| 6 | CHC | Jeff Reese | |
| JR: Carlos Correa is hard to pass up here, but the recent
addition of Javier Baez is enough for the Cubs to look elsewhere. Theo Epstein
brings his ""take the guy who slips"" mentality over to Chi City. ""Slip"" is a
strong word of course given the uncertainty with Giolito's elbow, but he does
fit the mold. Getting this kind of talent outside of the top five is the kind of
gamble that could pay huge dividends. AS: Its a bold move... especially for a new regime & GM, but for the last couple years Gio looked liked he was the *special* talent in this draft class. | |||
| 7 | SD | Steve Fiorindo | |
| SF: The Padres already have a pretty loaded system, but what it lacks is true impact talent. Correa not only gives that impact potential, but he offers that potential up the middle. Petco creates solid pitchers in a sense, so I see them going after the bat. Others considered were So Cal prepster Max Fried (who would have made back to back picks for Harvard Westlake), among others. | |||
| 8 | PIT | Albert Almora, OF, Mater Academy Charter (FL) | Jeff Reese |
| JR: The Pirates were hoping that Correa would last one more
pick. He would have been a perfect fit, but it was not to be. Almora is a worthy
consolation prize as a premier defensive center fielder with good tools across
the board and an advanced approach at the plate. Lance McCullers and Max Fried
were given major consideration here too, but the regime felt that it needed to
bring in a high level offensive prospect if possible. SF: Say they make this pick, and he takes a 3-4 years to develop, you'd have to love the athleticism that Pitt would have in the their outfield w/ Cutch, Marte, Bell and Almora (assuming a positive development for all). I'd love that group on any team, and the Pirates are just the team that needs that infusion. AS: I think you'll find plenty of draft boards where Almora is ahead of Correa and/or Buxton for teams. He's right there, talent wise. | |||
| 9 | MIA | Al Skorupa | |
| AS: I was a little surprised to see the Padres/Steve take
Correa over Max Fried. That probably caused me to lose out on local kid Almora
as well. Fried is a heck of a consolation prize, though! Gave some thought to
other Florida prep kid Lance McCullers, but very happy with the California lefty
here. SF: That is a nice consolation Al, just the top lefty in the draft class. Fried is in that top tier for me in the first round, and I could easily see him going higher in round. I've seen a good handful of starts from Fried, I've seen him mostly 90-92, but he's been up to 94 with two other solid secondaries, so the upside is there, and from the left side. I don't think I saw him when he had both of the secondaries dialed in during the same outing, but the change flashes plus, and the curveball can be devastating. | |||
| 10 | COL | Evan Rentschler | |
| ER: I'm thinking that COL will be looking bat, and with
Buxton, Almora and Correa gone I think they'll be choosing between Dahl, Hawkins
and some potential dark horses (surprise like Trahan). COL can't pass up on the
power and overall athleticism of Courtney Hawkins. SF: Athleticism is the name of the game here. Hawkins might be the first overall pick if this were a football draft. He's built like an outside linebacker, and he can also run. Heard he was touching 96 in the High School playoffs too, so you know the arm is a weapon in RF too. Watching him throw at the Area Code Games and PG showcase, you could see he didn't get great extension on his throws, but that's what development is for. Definitely has some loud tools. | |||
| 11 | OAK | Joey Gallo, 3B/1B, Bishop Gorman HS (NV) | Peter Wardell |
| PW: Gallo has been rumored to the A’s for a few weeks now.
With the A’s extensive $8.5M bonus pool, signing Gallo, who is thought to have
the best raw power in the draft class, should be no problem. SF: I love Gallo's swing, I could watch him hit for hours on end. Nice, smooth, easy power. He played some 3b and pitched too, but he's a 1b for me, just let him hit. | |||
| 12 | NYM | Chris Blessing | |
| Chris Blessing: After missing out on both Courtney Hawkins
& Max Fried, the Mets go with the next player on their board. Cecchini, the
brother of Red Sox Prospect Garin Cecchini, projects as a better offensive and
defensive prospect than his older brother. David Dahl was the next likely pick
at this spot. SF: Gotta love the blood lines. I'm not quite as high on Gavin as some, I might have gone with one of the young OF's, but he has a solid all around package. | |||
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