Oh, I fully recognize the congruence between baseball owners and other business owners. They’re all the same pool of people and literally are the same sometimes.

I don’t want to hijack either, but know that I’m 100 percent in line with you.
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Starting to see some buzz of Veen going second overall to the Orioles in an under-slot deal so they can splash more cash around with later picks.

In that scenario, Austin Martin of Vandy likely falls to KC at No. 4, with LHP Asa Lacy going 3rd to the Marlins.

This would be an ideal outcome, IMO. Martin is the best overall hitter in this draft, with good contact skills, a low strikeout rate, good OBP skills, and solid pop. He has walked more than he has struck out in his college career, which is impressive for an SEC player with a career slugging percentage north of .500.

He could slot in anywhere from 3B-SS-2B. Anthony Rendon is a pretty good comparison, I think, of what Martin could be as a pro.
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You know what he’s buying with his signing bonus



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I was hoping to see your posts before the draft.

Can you give us your pick for the Royals? I know it depends on who is there but I also know you have an opinion on everyone in the top of the draft.

Who’s the perfect match for the Royals?
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Austin Martin is the dream. The Tigers may take him 1-1, the Orioles should take him 1-2, but it sounds like the Mariners are pretty locked in on Asa Martin at 1-3, so if the Tigers take him there's a coin flip chance he gets to #4.

Spencer Torkelson, Arizona State 1B/OF, is someone I've talked about a lot in the past year. He's got great power and projects to hit for solid average, so he's someone I think would fit well for any team. It's hard to see him getting past the second pick, as the Orioles are rumored to love him if the Tigers pass. He'd be a dynamite fit in Baltimore/the AL East. He's a classic 4 hitter.

Asa Lacy, Texas AM LHP, is the top college arm. He sits 93-94, has a plus change and an above-average breaking ball. I've seen speculation he's the only college arm they think can be a true #1 at this point. He seems pretty locked to the Mariners at 1-3, and would pair with Julio Rodriguez and Jarred Kelenic to give them 3 top 25-30 prospects.

I talked about Zac Veen, the top college bat, a little already. He's a lefty hitting guy who probably plays LF long-term (arm is just OK for CF and not enough for RF). Veen has huge power upside and is a great athlete who would be expected to hit for solid average. Hard worker, too. He's expected to be the first HS guy drafted.

My long-time crush Emerson Hancock, RHP Georgia, has slipped since this time last year. The velocity is still there, but he was just OK to start his college season before the shutdown, and there are now concerns about his breaking ball (which apparently regressed a lot).

Other guys to watch early: Max Meyer, RHP Minnesota. 6-0 righty with great fastball and slider.

Pete Crow-Armstrong. Very Royals-y guy. I don't think they draft him at 4, but he's a plus-plus CF with a good LH stroke.
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I was just coming to ask duncan about Zac Veen and Nick Gonzales.
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Now that the NBA is coming back, I don't even care if baseball comes back or not.
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Gonzales is interesting. 2B only, and there are questions about his power translating to pro ball. He’s a tier behind Torkelson and Martin, and that second college tier likely notches below the best HS bats like Veen.

If the Orioles don’t get cute, I think they get Veen. If the Orioles get cute and try to go underslot, they will get one of Torkelson or Martin.
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I did see that there were questions about his power, especially since he played at New Mexico State which is a power hitters dream. I am all in on Veen and Austin Martin.
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Oh yeah. If Austin Martin is available, you run to the podium and take him.

It would make up for Anthony Rendon, to a certain degree (that one may hurt most of all. Imagine Rendon hitting 2nd for KC and playing 2B from 2014-2017.
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As we get to pick 32 Jordan Walker, Drew Romo, Van Eyck and Casey Martin are players I like at that spot.
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Dream draft for me is Austin Martin (Orioles take Veen to save money for later in the draft) and then Walker.
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Same here.
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Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt gave an interesting interview today. Makes it sound like there'll be a 50 game season. Basically makes it sound like that's how many games the owners are willing to pay for. The owners wanted more games but if the players insist on full salaries it'll be around 50 games. Also said they want the World Series over by October based on what health officials are telling them, to avoid a second wave of the virus.

The comment that will get the most attention is when talking about the fact that revenue has been up the last couple years, he said that baseball for the owners isn't very "profitable." Also talked about how their Ballpark Village wasn't really profitable either, but they run it for the good of downtown St. Louis.

The St. Louis Cardinals owner told a local radio station that the baseball "industry isn’t very profitable, to be quite honest.” https://t.co/Fh0wASpBBj

— James Wagner (@ByJamesWagner) June 9, 2020

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Open up yer' books so we can cry with you, Bill.
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