Hello everyone. I hope that everyone of you are well in this dire time. In this quarantine period, I've let loose, like really let loose. I have a lot of interests aside from baseball and in the almost 2 months of quarantine in my country, I've dug deep into my other hobbies and interests like watching Formula 1, tennis, basketball, American football among others, read a lot of manga and watch anime, watched and played League of Legends, etc. I escaped baseball at all. Literally, I gave zero time to baseball, all facets of it. But recently, I felt the itch to do baseball stuff and here I am, writing about the most exciting event of every year, the MLB Draft.
It's nice that the MLB will follow suit with the NFL and hold the draft virtually. In my opinion, I think that this is a great opportunity to squeeze as much publicity as they can towards the draft prospects because possibly for the first time ever but certainly the first time since I started following baseball more than a decade ago, all the draft-eligible prospects will be available to attend the event (albeit virtually). I think that it's a great time to showcase these players and especially for the case of baseball, any publicity is good publicity.
It's nice that the MLB will follow suit with the NFL and hold the draft virtually. In my opinion, I think that this is a great opportunity to squeeze as much publicity as they can towards the draft prospects because possibly for the first time ever but certainly the first time since I started following baseball more than a decade ago, all the draft-eligible prospects will be available to attend the event (albeit virtually). I think that it's a great time to showcase these players and especially for the case of baseball, any publicity is good publicity.
I wanted to do a draft special regarding the prospects that I like but I don't have a way of connecting the dots together in one swoop. Thankfully, Prospects Live did a virtual mock draft a couple of days ago and the Giants' GM in the draft was Roger Munter with the aid of Brian Recca and Marc Delucchi in their war room. The Giants needed arms to compliment their stout hitting foundation in their farm system and the three sure did in their mock draft, grabbing four pitchers in the first two rounds, and boy, they are electric. I'm going to break down the 5 players that they drafted, grading their selections and giving my reaction on it.
1st Round Selection
(13) Cole Wilcox - With the first selection, Roger and the company selected Cole Wilcox, a right handed power pitcher from Georgia. Looking at who were taken before the Giants would make their selection, I was bummed that Ed Howard was taken before the 13th selection given that there's plenty of guys that are pretty much in the same tier in terms of overall value. I would love to have Howard anchor that shortstop position for a long time for the Giants and would free up Luciano to try out possibly second or third base to ease him in while his bat does the majority of the work.
Now, for the actual selection, it's really nice that there are still a plethora of options to choose from and the trio went and selected WIlcox. I think that they really went for ceiling rather than floor because obviously, there's still Reid Detmers, the polished college lefty still on the board. But for me to be honest when I look at Detmers, it is a similar situation a couple of years back when the Giants drafted Heliot Ramos even though there's David Peterson still on the board. Detmers is kind of like Peterson in a sense that he is a highly successful pitcher at the college level but the stuff is mostly solid across the board and heavily leaned on execution and command rather than sheer stuff. A couple of years after, we got the answer that Ramos was indeed the right call over Peterson on a projected impact point of view. And that's what it is all about, projected impact.
It's good that the trio went more for ceiling rather than polish because Roger made it a point on his article that they are looking for impact pitching rather than the solid, fill-in option that would arrive in a couple of years because the Giants do lack that high ceiling-option in the pitching side of things in their farm system. Aside from Sean Hjelle and Seth Corry, there's not much on the pipeline that would scream impact rotation option (I would consider Webb as out of the pipeline but still technically a prospect) and adding Wilcox would be a great option here and would automatically be the best pitching prospect in the farm system.
It's fascinating that the trio did not select someone from the HS crop because I like Mick Abel, the number 1 HS pitching prospect in my opinion thanks to his solid command of his 4 at least above average pitches, and Nick Bitsko, who is kind of similar to Abel in terms of stuff but Bitsko's body is already built while Abel's still on the upswing, still on the board there and I would love to pull the trigger on that but in some way or the other, the 1st round HS pitchers would not be aligned with the projected trajectory that the Giants have with their hitting prospects.
In terms of the actual prospect, Wilcox is not really a huge favorite of mine because I have concerns in terms of his potential role in the Majors because even though he has triple digits potential on his fastball, it's more of a sinking rather than a rising action and that drives down the value in the age of the rising action, spin rate and spin axis. I think that sink is a result of his arm action where he drops his arm on his leg drive and would find his arm slot on a more three quarters arm slot instead of having his fingers on top of the baseball. If he can figure out his fastball, that's a 70 pitch at the very minimum.
His slider is also a potential plus pitch and his changeup this year looks like a solid pitch at its absolute ceiling at the moment. I like the tempo in his mechanics where even though I don't really like the arm action, the smoothness of his mechanics from start to finish adding to his big, strong frame suggests to me that he will handle the innings. The fastball and slider alone is enough to be a high-end reliever for the Giants but you don't draft college pitchers in the teens to be closers, and in terms of polish, he's a bit behind in terms of other college pitchers because of the lack of development on his changeup and a lack of fine command where most of his strikeouts are more on blow-by fastballs and back-foot sliders where the catcher's mitt has to move and not a lot of fine command even when working the at-bats.
I don't mind the Cole Wilcox pick but if I am the one selecting for the Giants, I would pick Cade Cavalli, a college pitcher from Oklahoma who fell to the Rays at pick number 24. I think that Cavalli has a deeper repertoire than Wilcox, where I see a plus curveball (looks like more on the knuckle curve variety in terms of shape and velocity), an above average to plus slider, a workable changeup, cleaner arm action with good tempo in his mechanics (although that tempo might be too easy that hitters can tune their hitting rhythm with it) where it's very easy, a true four-seam movement compared to Wilcox.
Even though Cavalli's ERA and hits allowed looked pretty terrible, his walk and strikeout numbers were very impressive and does not have a lot of mileage in the arm, considering that he was a first baseman as a freshman. There's a bit of an injury history attached to him so there's some risk in terms of selecting him in the first round and there had been a run on HS pitchers in the virtual draft so that's why he fell but when I looked at the tape, there's plenty to like about Cavalli, a bit more than Wilcox.
Overall, I do not hate the Wilcox pick at all because there are plenty of things to like about Wilcox as a moldable clay and I like that Roger and the company really went aggressive this time. I know that Roger likes ceiling and when looking at Brian's board, Wilcox is the best one there is and they sticked to the board, nabbed one of the best pitchers in the class, felt very happy about the selection, and fits on the timeline of the top Giants hitting prospects.
I would be disappointed if they went Detmers (most clubs in the upper half would take Detmers but I would guess that the teams like White Sox or the Reds take him as a quick mover who can add depth to a potentially good rotation in a couple of years) and I'm glad that they did not (not a knock against Detmers in any way). They could have gone Garrett Crochet, a very talented left hander from Tennessee who can't seem to get healthy for us to fully know what he's really all about but due to the fact that the coronavirus shut down the college baseball season, we have only seen 1 appearance of him in 2020. One. That's it. That's very risky if I am the guy who will be calling the shots and would be really trusting the intel that I have with my local scout about Crochet to even consider him.
Grade: A-
2nd Round Selections
(49) Jared Jones - The trio love their ceiling guys and Jared Jones is really a guy that I like as a slab of fine Italian marble to be sculpted as a fine art.
I have watched the 2019 PG All-American Classic last year and Jones stood out to me as a guy with tremendous athleticism and great velocity as a result of his athleticism and arm speed. Yes, he does not have the ideal pitching frame at 6'1" 180 lbs. but I don't see that one as a big issue once he adds a bit more to his body. His mechanics early in his career is more of a sweeping one, kind of like what you would typically associate to Sergio Romo but he has done an effort on it to make it more towards the plate. He dips his arm on his leg drive but the arm action is as smooth as butter.
The fastball reaches 99 MPH on the gun that jumps out of his hand due to his electric arm speed but would be more on the mid-90s with more of a sink than ride. The slider has flashes of being an above-average pitch with a two-plane break and late break but tends to land his sliders on the middle-away portion of the strike zone, where it looks like he struggles to maintain to be on top of the pitch. The changeup has decent action but is really on its developmental stages.
I think that Jones has definitive starter traits, it's just that it's still in its early stages of his development where he will be very wild on one occasion but then insert a well placed fastball in between, tending to overthrow on certain counts.
Looking at who went past before 49, the prospects that I like at that spot could've been Jared Shuster, a left-handed pitcher from Wake Forest where he enjoyed success in 2020 by switching to a riding four-seam fastball that reach 96 MPH and hides the ball extremely well in a drop and drive delivery with a plus changeup and a decent breaking ball, Justin Lange who blossomed in the offseason, now reaching triple digits (101 MPH) with a frame to dream on, an easy mechanics with a low 3/4 arm slot and a plus slider and could enter legitimate mid-first round discussion, Nick Loftin who reminds me more of a Will Wilson-type of jack-of-all-trades infielder without one plus tool but more of a performer at the position but has less power than Wilson, Dax Fulton, a tall, HS lefty with a massive frame but has plenty of nimbleness on the mound with a chance to develop to a mid-to-high 90s fastball offering with an already plus curveball, and has a chance to become a Blake Snell-like caliber of talent if everything clicks, and Carmen Mlodzinski who I highlighted in my previous posts regarding the draft as someone who is one of my favorites due to his hard sinker-slider-cutter repertoire and a sturdy frame.
On the prospects that the gang decidedly passed on at 49 and were not available on the next picks at 68 and 69, there are prospects that I like: Tanner Witt, a tall, two-way player but has a power bat but I think would excel more as a pitcher with a chance to develop more velocity, possibly up to mld to high-90s with his loose arm action and a potentially plus curveball with big shape and nice, hard break when thrown at its best, Casey Martin, who even though struggled to hit a lick in his junior season, still has the tools in his pocket. Even though his stock this year has taken a bit of a hit, Chase Davis is still a favorite of mine due to his good pitch recognition and his above average tools across the board with the exception of his questionable hit tool that I think the Giants can correct in pro ball.
The trio could've gone Seth Lonsway on the pitching side but he has tremendous control issues even though his curveball is plus-plus (sounds pretty much like Garrett Williams to me) or Logan Allen, a high-floor lefty from FIU but will definitely not be on their radar for the trio for his lack of upside. Nick Garcia from Chapman University has a very Chance Adams-like feel when Adams is still a good Yankees prospect, and Harold Coll looks like a glove-first shortstop with strong hands at the plate.
Overall, I like the Jones pick a lot, it made plenty of sense as a high impact, pitching prospect for the Giants to put in their work.
Grade: A
(67) Alejandro Rosario
(68) Alex Santos
I'm going to gang up these two because they are selected in between one another. According to Roger in his article, Wilcox, Jones, Rosario and Santos were the four players that were on his queue. And boy, he hit them all. 4 RHPs in the first 2 rounds of the draft sounds absurd to be honest, but in a farm system that lacks impact pitching talent, this is how you fill that up to compliment the outstanding hitters.
Between Rosario and Santos, I like Santos more than Rosario because on what I see from them in the long run but both are very likeable prospects. Rosario is a bit undersized and still lean on his frame but he's very athletic and has some of the best arm speed on the draft class. What stands out more from Rosario unlike the others is the hip-shoulder separation that he has is extreme as compared to other pitchers with the same athletic profile as him.
The fastball's live, as it can reach up to 99 MPH and has ride. His splitter is an adventure, where at its best can be a 65 pitch with just the most perfect pullback on the velocity, late breaking, and really sharp. At times, it's acting like a knuckler so you are getting a wide variety of sorts with the splitter. There's a slider-cutter-like pitch that he also throws but is still pretty mediocre. His mechanics is pretty max effort at the moment and due to the rotational nature of his mechanics (rotates while driving towards the plate), he can get a little too erratic in terms of control and command due to his excessive torque. Rosario fits more on the high-end reliever in my opinion due to the nature of his mechanics and the potential effectiveness of the stuff in the pen.
Santos, on the other hand, is more of a prototypical HS project prospect where you need to add the right amount of seasoning to have a potentially #2 starter in 4-6 years time. There's something about Santos that makes my eyes glow and I don't specifically know it yet. His fastball can reach 96 MPH now but I feel that there's still potential to add a bit more in the frame that could result to a faster velocity. He has the ability to spin a breaking ball consistently and is currently looking like a solid offering with potential to be a plus one once he smoothens out his delivery. There's also a chance for a solid changeup that he has the confidence to throw on late counts, something that plenty of HS pitchers are still learning. Speaking of his mechanics, it does need some work to potentially shorten up his arm action where he really reaches back.
I mean, you can't go wrong on both picks to be honest. Both are very athletic, both have great fastball velocity and are really good projects to build on. In terms of who they missed out on in between 68 and 85, I don't really know if they missed out on someone that I am really high on, honestly. Petey Halpin is a good-looking prospect with speed and arm strength to play in center or in right field but is more of a hit-over-power prospect from what I can see though there's hints of power here and there, Colt Keith is an intriguing two-way player where there's intriguing potential on both ends as a solid looking bat with athleticism and the arm to play at the hot corner while also having the ability to spin a pretty good breaking ball to compliment his low to mis-90s heater.
Nothing wrong with the picks. I like it a lot. I felt like it could be a good moment to slide in a hitter or two to create more room in terms of signing these guys but yeah, no complaints here.
Grade: B+ (Rosario) A (Santos)
3rd Round Selection
(85) Blaze Jordan - I think this is the spot where I am not really hyped out. Yes, Blaze Jordan is that mammoth of a guy who possesses like the most raw power out of everyone since the age of 13, where he hit 500-foot moonshots in the Home Run Derby. Also, in the WWBA last year, he posted the highest exit velocity among all hitters at 107 MPH at age 16. Jordan is ridiculously young for the draft class but yes, there are concerns.
First off, the profile. Jordan is a right-handed, first baseman-only prospect. There might be qualms like hey, the top prospect in this year is a right-handed, first-baseman only profile! Yes, but that prospect has God-like hands and feel for the game and is actually a good defender at first base. Jordan might only be passable there from what I have seen before. There are some who like him that said he's only faced older competition since he was very young. That's true, but the swings that he swung through at times look very questionable and does not have the bat control yet.
I mean the pitchers that he faced before are really motivated and are upping their ante when they face Jordan at the plate, like "are you really as good as the 500-foot shots that you are famous for, huh? well, i'm gonna bury you real good". But for me, Jordan has already created that kind of persona about him since 12 and there would be a time where he would be as good as his reputation would suggest but for me, right now, I'm not really fully in on the Jordan train. Once Jordan matures, understands the game better and starts to thrive, I could see a Seth Beer-type prospect here.
But spending a third round pick on someone that the Giants already have in Connor Cannon, albeit with lesser fanfare, would be pretty questionable on my books. I get where Roger and the company is coming from with the 80-grade raw power and that's probably the best available value remaining on their board. 80-grade raw power does not grow on trees.
Looking at the other prospects still on the board, David Calabrese looks like a good option there as the speedster from Canada has a small stature but has more power than I think most expect with loft in his swing. Clayton Beeter* is a really intriguing option as well where his numbers for the short season is just plain absurd, and his stuff also looks pretty nasty as his fastball-slider-curveball combination looked like an Astros, Orioles or any team with their head in the front office is a Lunhow descendant where his overhead release point is just very easy to dream on its spin axis although he has very limited track record and had Tommy John last year, and would have been my pick if I had the chance. When I saw Beeter's video a couple of months back, I immediately thought of Dylan Bundy and Bundy's a pretty good pitcher if you can contain him in a pitcher-friendly park.
Grade: B-
* Was corrected by Darryl Zero that he was drafted at 31 by the Pirates.
Other Draft Prospects of Note
I did not have Tyler Soderstrom on the first round discussion above because it was mainly focused on pitchers but I think that I need to discuss about him because if the Giants would ever select a hitter instead of a pitcher in the first round, I think that Soderstrom, Austin Hendrick and Robert Hassell deserve plenty of discussion. Hell, even Dillon Dingler might deserve one as well even though he is a catcher and we already have our franchise catcher and his heir apparent ready because he is a unique one in terms of profile.
Soderstrom does not have the prototypical frame for a catcher, with just 6'2", 200 lbs. but he is athletic and graceful. I have seen videos of him behind the plate and his best position on the field at the moment is definitely offense. I think his blocking needs plenty of refinement, where he looks like Gary Sanchez at times, and has to develop more as a catcher by getting more reps behind the plate but his framing job looks alright and his athleticism shows in terms of side-to-side agility and looks pretty relaxed out there behind the plate. I think that whoever would draft him would get him out of there and have him strapped either at third base where his strong arm is a fit and has actually played the hot corner before, or in right field.
His calling card though would be his bat. His swing is beautiful. He hits with loud contact to all fields with good exit velocities, very good eye at the plate, mature approach and he's very calm and collected. It's like shades of Riley Greene and others as one of the best hit tools of the class. There's not much power on Soderstrom at the moment but he can have solid to above average power once he matures on his frame.
Hassell, like Soderstrom, has a very beautiful swing and everything that you can say about Soderstrom offensively you can also say about Hassell, but with a bit lesser power potential. However, Hassell's natural position is outfield while you would have to apply the wait-and-see approach in the case of Soderstrom.
Hendrick fits the prototypical corner outfield profile, has such explosive hips that gives his better than plus raw power and his hands matches the speed of his hips. The real issue is that he lacked the barrel control last year but when he connects, boy the ball travels far. He is not just solely a power hitter, as his arm and speed are above average tools as well.
The issue with drafting Hendrick is that the Giants already have so many outfielders in the farm system. Not just outfielders, but very good outfielders. Adding Hendricks would not hurt as the ceiling is as high as anyone in the system (including Zac Veen) and I can really see Michael Holmes and the entire front office drool on the kind of power that Hendricks has if he is still on the board, It's just pretty disappointing to not build depth in a draft class that's deep with pitching.
Dingler's unique because for a guy who would be staying behind the plate long-term because he is very good for the position and is a true leader on the field, he runs a 6.6 60-yard which is unheard of for the position. You would expect a guy like him to be like Daulton Varsho where you can run fast but you can't stay long-term at catcher. Nah. Dingler would stay there with enough bat to be a relevant hitter.
Overall, Roger, Brian and Marc went to the gas station because the Giants 16-wheeler was running out of gas and when the gasoline boy (that's what they call those here in my country) asked "what can i do for you?", the trio said "fill this baby up to the brim with that 100 octane, racing-level gasoline, por favor", and boy, did they fill it. If this mock draft would be the real draft, I would be very satisfied and happy with it. Each pitching prospect is filled with impact potential, each have their risks but also some very satisfying rewards if the player development team hits the right notes on them.
On all of my experience drafting in fantasy basketball and doing those mock drafts almost everyday on Yahoo Sports and I would get every prospect that I want on every round, when it comes to the actual draft with my leagues, all of those prospects that I would covet would be out of the window and I would have to reach for those players that I covet for my punts. I think that in baseball, you just have to draft for BPA no matter what and I'm not saying that the mock draft result looks too good to be true, I just hope that it is.
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In this edition of Something Extra, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez released his top 30 international prospects list not too long ago and oh man, I'm very frustrated once again as the Dodgers are the favorites to sign the best 16 year old in the international cycle, Wilman Diaz where the tools are aplenty. I mean, why the hell does the Dodgers keep signing these top dogs every year, non stop. I'm furious now. The Yankees too. The Rays as well. Goddamn. Please play for the Giants, kids!
On the more positive side, one Giant made the list and it is Diego Velazquez, a shortstop from Venezuela, ranked 21st. I know Diego Velazquez as like a painter in the Renaissance era but I did not expect that this guy is linked to the Giants. We will probably never know how much he would sign because of the Venezuela turmoil, but everything written about Velasquez is just pure gold.
"Potential to be a plus defender, plus arm, consistently shows soft hands, great footwork and instincts, live body but plays under control, high baseball IQ that results to him making the correct play, great love for the game and high makeup."
Man, I'm loving him already. Offensively, he is a switch-hitter where scouts tend to prefer his left side more than his right, but he makes consistent hard contact on both sides with good bat speed. I have no chance to try to search or dig deep in getting a video of him or what not but the report really screams Luis Matos based on what I read. When Matos signed, he is also a a guy who elevates his present tools by his work ethic, intelligence and makeup. I like Velazquez already.
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This is all for me today. Thank you for reading this one and I hope you enjoyed reading this. I can't promise you when would be the next post as we are still on quarantine but I would be looking at more draft prospects from now on while we are chilling out in these trying times.
Now, for the actual selection, it's really nice that there are still a plethora of options to choose from and the trio went and selected WIlcox. I think that they really went for ceiling rather than floor because obviously, there's still Reid Detmers, the polished college lefty still on the board. But for me to be honest when I look at Detmers, it is a similar situation a couple of years back when the Giants drafted Heliot Ramos even though there's David Peterson still on the board. Detmers is kind of like Peterson in a sense that he is a highly successful pitcher at the college level but the stuff is mostly solid across the board and heavily leaned on execution and command rather than sheer stuff. A couple of years after, we got the answer that Ramos was indeed the right call over Peterson on a projected impact point of view. And that's what it is all about, projected impact.
It's good that the trio went more for ceiling rather than polish because Roger made it a point on his article that they are looking for impact pitching rather than the solid, fill-in option that would arrive in a couple of years because the Giants do lack that high ceiling-option in the pitching side of things in their farm system. Aside from Sean Hjelle and Seth Corry, there's not much on the pipeline that would scream impact rotation option (I would consider Webb as out of the pipeline but still technically a prospect) and adding Wilcox would be a great option here and would automatically be the best pitching prospect in the farm system.
It's fascinating that the trio did not select someone from the HS crop because I like Mick Abel, the number 1 HS pitching prospect in my opinion thanks to his solid command of his 4 at least above average pitches, and Nick Bitsko, who is kind of similar to Abel in terms of stuff but Bitsko's body is already built while Abel's still on the upswing, still on the board there and I would love to pull the trigger on that but in some way or the other, the 1st round HS pitchers would not be aligned with the projected trajectory that the Giants have with their hitting prospects.
In terms of the actual prospect, Wilcox is not really a huge favorite of mine because I have concerns in terms of his potential role in the Majors because even though he has triple digits potential on his fastball, it's more of a sinking rather than a rising action and that drives down the value in the age of the rising action, spin rate and spin axis. I think that sink is a result of his arm action where he drops his arm on his leg drive and would find his arm slot on a more three quarters arm slot instead of having his fingers on top of the baseball. If he can figure out his fastball, that's a 70 pitch at the very minimum.
His slider is also a potential plus pitch and his changeup this year looks like a solid pitch at its absolute ceiling at the moment. I like the tempo in his mechanics where even though I don't really like the arm action, the smoothness of his mechanics from start to finish adding to his big, strong frame suggests to me that he will handle the innings. The fastball and slider alone is enough to be a high-end reliever for the Giants but you don't draft college pitchers in the teens to be closers, and in terms of polish, he's a bit behind in terms of other college pitchers because of the lack of development on his changeup and a lack of fine command where most of his strikeouts are more on blow-by fastballs and back-foot sliders where the catcher's mitt has to move and not a lot of fine command even when working the at-bats.
I don't mind the Cole Wilcox pick but if I am the one selecting for the Giants, I would pick Cade Cavalli, a college pitcher from Oklahoma who fell to the Rays at pick number 24. I think that Cavalli has a deeper repertoire than Wilcox, where I see a plus curveball (looks like more on the knuckle curve variety in terms of shape and velocity), an above average to plus slider, a workable changeup, cleaner arm action with good tempo in his mechanics (although that tempo might be too easy that hitters can tune their hitting rhythm with it) where it's very easy, a true four-seam movement compared to Wilcox.
Even though Cavalli's ERA and hits allowed looked pretty terrible, his walk and strikeout numbers were very impressive and does not have a lot of mileage in the arm, considering that he was a first baseman as a freshman. There's a bit of an injury history attached to him so there's some risk in terms of selecting him in the first round and there had been a run on HS pitchers in the virtual draft so that's why he fell but when I looked at the tape, there's plenty to like about Cavalli, a bit more than Wilcox.
Overall, I do not hate the Wilcox pick at all because there are plenty of things to like about Wilcox as a moldable clay and I like that Roger and the company really went aggressive this time. I know that Roger likes ceiling and when looking at Brian's board, Wilcox is the best one there is and they sticked to the board, nabbed one of the best pitchers in the class, felt very happy about the selection, and fits on the timeline of the top Giants hitting prospects.
I would be disappointed if they went Detmers (most clubs in the upper half would take Detmers but I would guess that the teams like White Sox or the Reds take him as a quick mover who can add depth to a potentially good rotation in a couple of years) and I'm glad that they did not (not a knock against Detmers in any way). They could have gone Garrett Crochet, a very talented left hander from Tennessee who can't seem to get healthy for us to fully know what he's really all about but due to the fact that the coronavirus shut down the college baseball season, we have only seen 1 appearance of him in 2020. One. That's it. That's very risky if I am the guy who will be calling the shots and would be really trusting the intel that I have with my local scout about Crochet to even consider him.
Grade: A-
2nd Round Selections
(49) Jared Jones - The trio love their ceiling guys and Jared Jones is really a guy that I like as a slab of fine Italian marble to be sculpted as a fine art.
I have watched the 2019 PG All-American Classic last year and Jones stood out to me as a guy with tremendous athleticism and great velocity as a result of his athleticism and arm speed. Yes, he does not have the ideal pitching frame at 6'1" 180 lbs. but I don't see that one as a big issue once he adds a bit more to his body. His mechanics early in his career is more of a sweeping one, kind of like what you would typically associate to Sergio Romo but he has done an effort on it to make it more towards the plate. He dips his arm on his leg drive but the arm action is as smooth as butter.
The fastball reaches 99 MPH on the gun that jumps out of his hand due to his electric arm speed but would be more on the mid-90s with more of a sink than ride. The slider has flashes of being an above-average pitch with a two-plane break and late break but tends to land his sliders on the middle-away portion of the strike zone, where it looks like he struggles to maintain to be on top of the pitch. The changeup has decent action but is really on its developmental stages.
I think that Jones has definitive starter traits, it's just that it's still in its early stages of his development where he will be very wild on one occasion but then insert a well placed fastball in between, tending to overthrow on certain counts.
Looking at who went past before 49, the prospects that I like at that spot could've been Jared Shuster, a left-handed pitcher from Wake Forest where he enjoyed success in 2020 by switching to a riding four-seam fastball that reach 96 MPH and hides the ball extremely well in a drop and drive delivery with a plus changeup and a decent breaking ball, Justin Lange who blossomed in the offseason, now reaching triple digits (101 MPH) with a frame to dream on, an easy mechanics with a low 3/4 arm slot and a plus slider and could enter legitimate mid-first round discussion, Nick Loftin who reminds me more of a Will Wilson-type of jack-of-all-trades infielder without one plus tool but more of a performer at the position but has less power than Wilson, Dax Fulton, a tall, HS lefty with a massive frame but has plenty of nimbleness on the mound with a chance to develop to a mid-to-high 90s fastball offering with an already plus curveball, and has a chance to become a Blake Snell-like caliber of talent if everything clicks, and Carmen Mlodzinski who I highlighted in my previous posts regarding the draft as someone who is one of my favorites due to his hard sinker-slider-cutter repertoire and a sturdy frame.
On the prospects that the gang decidedly passed on at 49 and were not available on the next picks at 68 and 69, there are prospects that I like: Tanner Witt, a tall, two-way player but has a power bat but I think would excel more as a pitcher with a chance to develop more velocity, possibly up to mld to high-90s with his loose arm action and a potentially plus curveball with big shape and nice, hard break when thrown at its best, Casey Martin, who even though struggled to hit a lick in his junior season, still has the tools in his pocket. Even though his stock this year has taken a bit of a hit, Chase Davis is still a favorite of mine due to his good pitch recognition and his above average tools across the board with the exception of his questionable hit tool that I think the Giants can correct in pro ball.
The trio could've gone Seth Lonsway on the pitching side but he has tremendous control issues even though his curveball is plus-plus (sounds pretty much like Garrett Williams to me) or Logan Allen, a high-floor lefty from FIU but will definitely not be on their radar for the trio for his lack of upside. Nick Garcia from Chapman University has a very Chance Adams-like feel when Adams is still a good Yankees prospect, and Harold Coll looks like a glove-first shortstop with strong hands at the plate.
Overall, I like the Jones pick a lot, it made plenty of sense as a high impact, pitching prospect for the Giants to put in their work.
Grade: A
(67) Alejandro Rosario
(68) Alex Santos
I'm going to gang up these two because they are selected in between one another. According to Roger in his article, Wilcox, Jones, Rosario and Santos were the four players that were on his queue. And boy, he hit them all. 4 RHPs in the first 2 rounds of the draft sounds absurd to be honest, but in a farm system that lacks impact pitching talent, this is how you fill that up to compliment the outstanding hitters.
Between Rosario and Santos, I like Santos more than Rosario because on what I see from them in the long run but both are very likeable prospects. Rosario is a bit undersized and still lean on his frame but he's very athletic and has some of the best arm speed on the draft class. What stands out more from Rosario unlike the others is the hip-shoulder separation that he has is extreme as compared to other pitchers with the same athletic profile as him.
The fastball's live, as it can reach up to 99 MPH and has ride. His splitter is an adventure, where at its best can be a 65 pitch with just the most perfect pullback on the velocity, late breaking, and really sharp. At times, it's acting like a knuckler so you are getting a wide variety of sorts with the splitter. There's a slider-cutter-like pitch that he also throws but is still pretty mediocre. His mechanics is pretty max effort at the moment and due to the rotational nature of his mechanics (rotates while driving towards the plate), he can get a little too erratic in terms of control and command due to his excessive torque. Rosario fits more on the high-end reliever in my opinion due to the nature of his mechanics and the potential effectiveness of the stuff in the pen.
Santos, on the other hand, is more of a prototypical HS project prospect where you need to add the right amount of seasoning to have a potentially #2 starter in 4-6 years time. There's something about Santos that makes my eyes glow and I don't specifically know it yet. His fastball can reach 96 MPH now but I feel that there's still potential to add a bit more in the frame that could result to a faster velocity. He has the ability to spin a breaking ball consistently and is currently looking like a solid offering with potential to be a plus one once he smoothens out his delivery. There's also a chance for a solid changeup that he has the confidence to throw on late counts, something that plenty of HS pitchers are still learning. Speaking of his mechanics, it does need some work to potentially shorten up his arm action where he really reaches back.
I mean, you can't go wrong on both picks to be honest. Both are very athletic, both have great fastball velocity and are really good projects to build on. In terms of who they missed out on in between 68 and 85, I don't really know if they missed out on someone that I am really high on, honestly. Petey Halpin is a good-looking prospect with speed and arm strength to play in center or in right field but is more of a hit-over-power prospect from what I can see though there's hints of power here and there, Colt Keith is an intriguing two-way player where there's intriguing potential on both ends as a solid looking bat with athleticism and the arm to play at the hot corner while also having the ability to spin a pretty good breaking ball to compliment his low to mis-90s heater.
Nothing wrong with the picks. I like it a lot. I felt like it could be a good moment to slide in a hitter or two to create more room in terms of signing these guys but yeah, no complaints here.
Grade: B+ (Rosario) A (Santos)
3rd Round Selection
(85) Blaze Jordan - I think this is the spot where I am not really hyped out. Yes, Blaze Jordan is that mammoth of a guy who possesses like the most raw power out of everyone since the age of 13, where he hit 500-foot moonshots in the Home Run Derby. Also, in the WWBA last year, he posted the highest exit velocity among all hitters at 107 MPH at age 16. Jordan is ridiculously young for the draft class but yes, there are concerns.
First off, the profile. Jordan is a right-handed, first baseman-only prospect. There might be qualms like hey, the top prospect in this year is a right-handed, first-baseman only profile! Yes, but that prospect has God-like hands and feel for the game and is actually a good defender at first base. Jordan might only be passable there from what I have seen before. There are some who like him that said he's only faced older competition since he was very young. That's true, but the swings that he swung through at times look very questionable and does not have the bat control yet.
I mean the pitchers that he faced before are really motivated and are upping their ante when they face Jordan at the plate, like "are you really as good as the 500-foot shots that you are famous for, huh? well, i'm gonna bury you real good". But for me, Jordan has already created that kind of persona about him since 12 and there would be a time where he would be as good as his reputation would suggest but for me, right now, I'm not really fully in on the Jordan train. Once Jordan matures, understands the game better and starts to thrive, I could see a Seth Beer-type prospect here.
But spending a third round pick on someone that the Giants already have in Connor Cannon, albeit with lesser fanfare, would be pretty questionable on my books. I get where Roger and the company is coming from with the 80-grade raw power and that's probably the best available value remaining on their board. 80-grade raw power does not grow on trees.
Looking at the other prospects still on the board, David Calabrese looks like a good option there as the speedster from Canada has a small stature but has more power than I think most expect with loft in his swing. Clayton Beeter* is a really intriguing option as well where his numbers for the short season is just plain absurd, and his stuff also looks pretty nasty as his fastball-slider-curveball combination looked like an Astros, Orioles or any team with their head in the front office is a Lunhow descendant where his overhead release point is just very easy to dream on its spin axis although he has very limited track record and had Tommy John last year, and would have been my pick if I had the chance. When I saw Beeter's video a couple of months back, I immediately thought of Dylan Bundy and Bundy's a pretty good pitcher if you can contain him in a pitcher-friendly park.
Grade: B-
* Was corrected by Darryl Zero that he was drafted at 31 by the Pirates.
Other Draft Prospects of Note
I did not have Tyler Soderstrom on the first round discussion above because it was mainly focused on pitchers but I think that I need to discuss about him because if the Giants would ever select a hitter instead of a pitcher in the first round, I think that Soderstrom, Austin Hendrick and Robert Hassell deserve plenty of discussion. Hell, even Dillon Dingler might deserve one as well even though he is a catcher and we already have our franchise catcher and his heir apparent ready because he is a unique one in terms of profile.
Soderstrom does not have the prototypical frame for a catcher, with just 6'2", 200 lbs. but he is athletic and graceful. I have seen videos of him behind the plate and his best position on the field at the moment is definitely offense. I think his blocking needs plenty of refinement, where he looks like Gary Sanchez at times, and has to develop more as a catcher by getting more reps behind the plate but his framing job looks alright and his athleticism shows in terms of side-to-side agility and looks pretty relaxed out there behind the plate. I think that whoever would draft him would get him out of there and have him strapped either at third base where his strong arm is a fit and has actually played the hot corner before, or in right field.
His calling card though would be his bat. His swing is beautiful. He hits with loud contact to all fields with good exit velocities, very good eye at the plate, mature approach and he's very calm and collected. It's like shades of Riley Greene and others as one of the best hit tools of the class. There's not much power on Soderstrom at the moment but he can have solid to above average power once he matures on his frame.
Hassell, like Soderstrom, has a very beautiful swing and everything that you can say about Soderstrom offensively you can also say about Hassell, but with a bit lesser power potential. However, Hassell's natural position is outfield while you would have to apply the wait-and-see approach in the case of Soderstrom.
Hendrick fits the prototypical corner outfield profile, has such explosive hips that gives his better than plus raw power and his hands matches the speed of his hips. The real issue is that he lacked the barrel control last year but when he connects, boy the ball travels far. He is not just solely a power hitter, as his arm and speed are above average tools as well.
The issue with drafting Hendrick is that the Giants already have so many outfielders in the farm system. Not just outfielders, but very good outfielders. Adding Hendricks would not hurt as the ceiling is as high as anyone in the system (including Zac Veen) and I can really see Michael Holmes and the entire front office drool on the kind of power that Hendricks has if he is still on the board, It's just pretty disappointing to not build depth in a draft class that's deep with pitching.
Dingler's unique because for a guy who would be staying behind the plate long-term because he is very good for the position and is a true leader on the field, he runs a 6.6 60-yard which is unheard of for the position. You would expect a guy like him to be like Daulton Varsho where you can run fast but you can't stay long-term at catcher. Nah. Dingler would stay there with enough bat to be a relevant hitter.
Overall, Roger, Brian and Marc went to the gas station because the Giants 16-wheeler was running out of gas and when the gasoline boy (that's what they call those here in my country) asked "what can i do for you?", the trio said "fill this baby up to the brim with that 100 octane, racing-level gasoline, por favor", and boy, did they fill it. If this mock draft would be the real draft, I would be very satisfied and happy with it. Each pitching prospect is filled with impact potential, each have their risks but also some very satisfying rewards if the player development team hits the right notes on them.
On all of my experience drafting in fantasy basketball and doing those mock drafts almost everyday on Yahoo Sports and I would get every prospect that I want on every round, when it comes to the actual draft with my leagues, all of those prospects that I would covet would be out of the window and I would have to reach for those players that I covet for my punts. I think that in baseball, you just have to draft for BPA no matter what and I'm not saying that the mock draft result looks too good to be true, I just hope that it is.
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In this edition of Something Extra, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez released his top 30 international prospects list not too long ago and oh man, I'm very frustrated once again as the Dodgers are the favorites to sign the best 16 year old in the international cycle, Wilman Diaz where the tools are aplenty. I mean, why the hell does the Dodgers keep signing these top dogs every year, non stop. I'm furious now. The Yankees too. The Rays as well. Goddamn. Please play for the Giants, kids!
On the more positive side, one Giant made the list and it is Diego Velazquez, a shortstop from Venezuela, ranked 21st. I know Diego Velazquez as like a painter in the Renaissance era but I did not expect that this guy is linked to the Giants. We will probably never know how much he would sign because of the Venezuela turmoil, but everything written about Velasquez is just pure gold.
"Potential to be a plus defender, plus arm, consistently shows soft hands, great footwork and instincts, live body but plays under control, high baseball IQ that results to him making the correct play, great love for the game and high makeup."
Man, I'm loving him already. Offensively, he is a switch-hitter where scouts tend to prefer his left side more than his right, but he makes consistent hard contact on both sides with good bat speed. I have no chance to try to search or dig deep in getting a video of him or what not but the report really screams Luis Matos based on what I read. When Matos signed, he is also a a guy who elevates his present tools by his work ethic, intelligence and makeup. I like Velazquez already.
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This is all for me today. Thank you for reading this one and I hope you enjoyed reading this. I can't promise you when would be the next post as we are still on quarantine but I would be looking at more draft prospects from now on while we are chilling out in these trying times.
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