The season is upon us, even if spring is not.
2018 MLB Draft Picks
#18
#33 - Compensation (Eric Hosmer)
#34 - Compensation (Lorenzo Cain)
#40 (Competitive Balance Round A)
018 Draft Names to Watch
RHP Kumar Rocker, N Oconnee HS, Georgia.
OF Jarred Kelenic, Waukasha West HS, WI
1B Triston Casas, American Heritage HS (FL).
RHP Carter Stewart, Eau de Gallie HS (Ga).
ANY Any, Any (Any). Any current top projected pick who slides for injury concerns. Includes current top prospect prospect SP Brady Singer, U of Florida.
Current Prospects to Watch:
OF Seuly Matias - Huge tools. Hit 2 HR in Lexington (A) season opener.
1B Nick Pratto - Top pick in 17 has advanced approach and good glove; needs to start tapping into power in first full year in minors. Also at Lexington.
OF Michael Gigliotti - Good defender in CF, good OBP skills, plus baserunner. Next mainstay in CF for KC, IMO. Advanced college bat also starting at Lexington.
OF Khalil Lee - Probably has highest upside in Royals' system. Could hit 30 HR in majors, could steal 30 bases. Plus defensive ability in RF. Nice test at Wilmington this year.
3B Emmanuel Rivera - Really nice approach and good contact skills. Power is still developing. Also getting a good test at Wilmington.
SP Foster Griffin - Made nice strides in 2017. Needs to continue to progress in 2018. Could be a lefty version of Jakob Junis (good breaking ball that he can really manipulate, OK fastball, good command).
1B Samir Duenez - Duenez still is intriguing, hoping for a step forward in his power production this year at Northwest Arkansas, which would turn him into a legit prospect.
Others to keep an eye on:
SP Gerson Garabito (Wilmington), OF Marten Gasparini (Lexington), C MJ Melendez (Lexington), RP Tyler Zuber (lexington), RP Richard Lovelady (Omaha), SP Dan Tillo (Lexington), SS Nicky Lopez (NWA), SP Scott Blewett (NWA), OF Brewer Hicklen (Idaho Falls),
In general, Lexington and Wilmington are the most interesting spots to watch. Nice depth and a lot of interesting pieces at both.
[Reply]
Originally Posted by RaidersOftheCellar:
So is Glass trying to fast-track the rebuild? God, I hope so. Not sure I'll even follow if we have 5+ years of this to look forward to. It's not as if there's a wave of exciting young talent about to hit the scene.
Rather than trade every halfway decent player for a mediocre return (or single A crapshoots) and slice payroll to Marlins level for 5 years, I'd much rather see them spend a bit on short contracts to try to be somewhat competitive over the next few years, while sprinkling in rookies to see what sticks. Then when the core guys like Mondesi, Soler, Bonifacio, Phillips etc are reaching their prime and the star prospects are appearing on the scene (and Gordon is off the payroll), they can fill in the gaps.
Sure, it's "ideal" to go all the way and build through the draft and trades, but this organization isn't known for being extremely adept at drafting and developing. There's no guarantee that 5 years of suckage and prospect collecting will even lead to .500 baseball again, much less another World Series run.
If fast- tracking was a good idea, would it really be called fast-tracking? It would just be the process. Rushing things is a horrible idea.
[Reply]
