So it happened…. What????? The 2016 MLB Draft stoopid! I mean I am Ralph Lifshitz Prospector Esquire, and what else would I be talking about on a Sunday? Everyone else deals with the right now, but I, I deal with the future, the dreams of dynasty owners everywhere. So let’s get into the most difficult thing to predict, project, or understand. No, not Donald Trump’s campaign!!!! Are you even paying attention?!? The MLB Draft wake up!!! If you need proof as to why the MLB Draft is unpredictable, then click here and see how badly I missed on like 90% of my picks. Seriously after months of study and careful and thoughtful attention, I hit on 5 picks..FIVE out of 34! It’s cool I own it, I wear my mistakes like the rings of a pimp. So, let’s get into the steals, the stupid, the possible, and my general thoughts on the first few rounds of the draft.
- First and foremost who’s the genius at the MLB network that thought Harold Reynolds was a necessity on the broadcast. I don’t have enough space or time to commit, to re-hashing all of the stupidity that spewed from his mouth.
- Last thing on the broadcast. Why do they have clowns like Kevin Millar reading scouting reports from a teleprompter?
- I have to say the general reaction to the selection of Jason Groome in Boston was not what I expected. People are unbelievably pessimistic. Let’s be clear this is a case of a few things affecting a players draft position. 1. The inherent risk with high school pitchers, particularly those that are the victim of a weird ruling by your state’s governing body. 2. This was an unpredictable and whacky draft. I never in a million years thought Kyle Lewis would be there at 11 for the Mariners. The Padres love affair with Cal Quantrill, the selection of Ian Anderson at 3, and the fall of A.J. Puk quite frankly pushed Groome down on boards. No one predicted this top 15 on any mock done more than 24 hours prior to the draft. 3. Signability: the ability for teams to sign players and still keep enough in their bonus pools to sign all of their picks. My guess is there were quite a few teams that had no intention of having anything to do with a prep pitcher looking for top 5 money. He was ranked as one of the top talents in the draft for a reason, and the makeup concerns that have been discussed, but never specifically pinpointed could be a while host of things. Hey, at least he didn’t fail a PED test weeks before the draft…..
- Speaking of which if anyone else picks Delvin Perez, I’d think it was a stupid pick. But it’s the Cardinals and they constantly paint lemons gold. Only no one knows they’re lemons until they leave the organization. One has to be worried about whether any of the upside, and “developing” power was real.
- The Mariners pick of Kyle Lewis is the definition of stepping in shizz. I still maintain that he’s the best fantasy player in the draft, and at the moment I would select him first in any dynasty first year player draft. BTW in first year player drafts it’s bats over arms, and power over tools.
- I love the thought of Braxton Garrett pitching in that psychedelic canyon by the sea known as Marlins Park. He’s one of the safer prep arms in recent memory. A polished lefthander with excellent control, and rumor is he contributes to the ever-elusive fantasy categories of “leadership” and “intangibles”. His potential setup in Miami might be enough to rank him as my top pitcher in the draft. It’s certainly between him, Groome, Pint, and Anderson. I’ll have a close eye on those three over the next year to see how they perform during their first crack at proball.
- Ian Anderson is by far the biggest shocker IMO. Up until early last week no one saw him in the top let alone the top 3. The highest I had seen him prior was pick 12 to the Red Sox.
- The highest ceiling of any player in the first round might be Riley Pint, unfortunately he’s headed to Colorado. I guess the Rockies are just going to draft pitchers until they can find a few that know magic.
- Kind of love Nick Senzel, got to like the success in the ACC, and the fact that he’ll stick at third. Cincy’s a great place to hit. Touch to rate players on home parks when they’re so far away, and likely could be traded at some point.
- The power/speed combo for Corey Ray is very real. The speed (44 steals) is the stronger of the two, but 15 homers is nothing to sneeze at. He’s also got a great approach at the plate. Just because there was no absolute first pick doesn’t mean this draft wasn’t talented. There’s a lot of arms and outfielders that tickle my fancy.
- Is everyone finally hip to A.J. Puk‘s overratedness. Is that even a word? Never mind. A.J. Puk he’s overrated. It bothers me that he’s so inconsistent at the college level. Doesn’t really inspire confidence.
- Can’t sleep on Zack Collins from Miami he’s an excellent hitter with power and patience. He homered in Miami’s Super Regional game against Boston College yesterday. There’s no chance he sticks behind the plate long term, so just have the expectation that you’re getting a first baseman.
- Will Benson seems to fit right in with the Indians top hitting prospects of late. He’s a power and speed guy who’s a bit raw.
- Kyle Lewis signed immediately for the exact draft slot price. This kid can’t wait to play and I can’t wait to own him. There’s going to be quite a few teams in the future kicking themselves for passing on Lewis. Mark my words!!!!!!
- I wouldn’t be shocked to see Alex Kirilloff end up the top prep bat in the draft. He’s got power for days.
- Holy tumbles for Dakota Hudson and Bryan Reynolds. Both are talented College players, and while I’m not completely shocked by Reynolds drop into the second round I didn’t see him dropping that far. I know there’s swing and miss concerns, but his numbers were great this year, and they’ve improved each year at Vandy.
- The Tribe might have gotten the steal of the second round in Nolan Jones. If they can sign the kid, they could leave with two of the top pep talents in the draft.
- Hudson Sanchez is far and away the biggest reach of the draft. He’s a prep player that was ranked as a late second round talent by everyone…..accept the Padres. They had a lot of picks in the first round, maybe they were looking to save some dough. Or they’re just the Padres.
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