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BEEFY! There are several risk factors for a reliever going on here. Had actually hoped his body would trend the opposite way.
Best value: SS Rocco Maniscalco (second round) looked more like a late-first-round pick late in the process but a number of teams were in the same spot I was personally in, with a bad taste in my mouth when Maniscalco struggled in a high-profile game early in the spring against an 89-91 mph pitcher. Teams that stayed on him thought there was a 50-hit tool in there and he has been a standout runner and defender for the past year, then showed borderline shocking raw power at the draft combine and in private workouts.
There's real hit risk here, but he's also 17 years old. So many teams referenced that specific game as why they weren't on him that I think Maniscalco's market got depressed by 10-15 picks; no single game should do that.
Quickest to the big leagues: RHP Cal Randall (fifth round) might only have one pitch but it's a really good one, that might be good enough to get big league hitters out almost on its own. Randall sat 95-98 and hit 101 mph with good lift (18 IVB) from a low three-quarters slot and huge extension. It might be as perfect of a fastball shape as exists in the history of the sport.
Now, Randall has a violent delivery with below-average command and maybe only his slider could be at least an average big league pitch as currently constituted, but any kind of development here will equal a big league reliever.
A rival scout told me "if they get him in the zone consistently, he's in the bigs tomorrow." I'm kind of shocked the league left Randall on the board this long when half the teams will want to add a reliever for the next couple of deadlines in a row.
Sleeper to watch: RF Andrew Williamson (second round) went to my alma mater (UCF) but he also had a case to go higher than 68th, as I ranked him 50th. The first thing every scout notices is Williamson's exaggerated bat wrap.
Early in the spring, I assumed that would cost him a round or more from his comp/second-round tool set, but swing specialists assured me that Williamson is on time at the points in the swing that matters and that means he'll likely naturally reduce the wrap as he faces better velocity. There's 25-homer upside from the left side, solid-average speed, and fringy-to-average bat-to-ball ability.
One big thought: If it wasn't clear yet, this is probably my favorite draft class out of all 30, even acknowledging that it's easy to look good with extra picks. I've written a number of times about how much I like CF Trevor Condon (first round). He's just the kind of player I want to bet on, even if he won't light up a workout.
Let's run through the other guys I liked for where they were drafted. RHP Tegan Kuhns (comp round) needs a tweak to his breaking ball but could be a midrotation starter in short order. RHP Dawson Montesa (second round) has solid-average stuff headlined by a heater up to 98 mph and will be a starter if he can improve his fastball command one notch. RF Caden Ferraro didn't play in the field a ton this spring, but wowed teams with his athletic testing in predraft workouts after raking all season. SS Dee Kennedy (fourth round) has tons of secondary skills (patience, pull/lift to get to power, speed) and fits up the middle, so I can live with some swing-and-miss. RHP Jacob Haley (11th round) showed above-average stuff in limited innings this spring.
1. Cardinals
The Cardinals spent two of their top three selections on a pair of high schoolers: outfielder Trevor Condon (first round), who offered the best combination of hitting ability and speed in the prep class and might be the next Pete Crow-Armstrong; and shortstop Rocco Maniscalco (second), one of the youngest players and best defenders available. Tennessee right-hander Tegan Kuhns' (supplemental first) stuff and strikes made him one of the best college mound prospects, while West Virginia righty Dawson Montesa (supplemental second) is an interesting upside play and UCLA righty Cal Randall (fifth) is a fast-track reliever with one of the best fastballs in the Draft. Central Florida outfielder Andrew Williamson (supplemental second), Texas Tech outfielder Caden Ferraro (third) and Kansas State shortstop Dee Kennedy (fourth) are all proven college performers.
Yes. The Braves are a great example when I say it's a puzzle. They paid Hirschkorn the same amount as their #9 overall pick.cardsfantx wrote: ↑July 14 26, 11:37 amwe haven't signed anyone yet, but I saw that the braves already have a bunch...
Their 1st round pick (9th overall) Garcia's slot was 6.6 and he signed well below slot at 3.9
Their 8, 9 and 10th round picks all signed for $500 lol; that's not 500k; that's 500.00
Their 3rd round pick Hirschkorn was prob why as his slot was 900k and they went 3 million over to sign him at 3.9 mil