TellItToTheDA
12-02-2012, 06:10 PM
Yes folks, it's that time of year again. The sound of sleigh bells are in the air, and all 30 teams are in a giving mood, willing to let you have player (or two!) for just $50,000 each. And if you don't keep them, you can get half of that back, just like store credit. Anyway, that being said, the Mariners struck gold last year with the selection of AA lefthander Lucas Luetge from Milwaukee. But this year, with a crowded bullpen, and an excess of fourth outfielders, the chances of the M's picking a player that will stick on the roster all season seems unlikely. However, free talent is free talent, and Fox Sports' Jon Morosi has called this one of the best in recent memory.
1B - Jesus Aguilar - Cleveland Indians
Every year, there are a couple of headscratchers on the lists of Rule V eligible players, guys left unprotected that make you wonder why their team doesn't value them highly, and what jersey they'll be donning next season, as they're certain to be picked. This year, one of those players in Indians' first base prospect Jesus Aguilar. Only 22, Aguilar spent most of his 2012 campaign with High-A Carolina, hitting .277/.365/.454 with 12 home runs and 58 RBIs. Aguilar continued to hold his own in a late season promotion to Double-A Akron, with a .292/.402/.500 slash line, and another 3 homers and 13 RBIs. In their review of the Indians farm system in mid-November, Baseball America ranked Aguilar the 9th best prospect in the Cleveland system, while also naming him the best power hitter in the system for a second straight year. Aguilar also appeared in the All-Star Futures Game back in July for the World Team. All this being said, I don't belive 6'3" 257 pound Aguilar will be on the board when the Mariners pick 12th.
OF - Destin Hood - Washington Nationals
Another 22-year old, Hood was the Nats 2nd round pick in 2008, lured away from a scholarship to play receiver at Alabama with a $1.1 million bonus. Hood has the potential to be a 20 homer-20 stolen base corner outfielder with his speed and power, but he remains raw, which probably gives Washington the idea that no team will keep him on their major league roster for the duration of a season. Missing time with wrist and groin injuries last year, Hood had a .245/.301/.344 slash with 20 doubles, 3 homers, and 45 RBIs with Double-A Harrisburg, not exactly the power numbers one would hope for. But, with the current excess of fourth outfielders, it's hard to see the Mariners using their pick on Hood, or any outfielder, despite his potentially high ceiling.
P - Juan Carlos (J.C.) Sulbaran - Kansas City Royals
I don't know about the rest of you, but the idea of screwing up the return of another team's trade is intriguing to me. Maybe I'm just one of those people that wants to see the world burn. Anyway, acquired by the Royals from Cincinnati in the Jonathon Broxton deal, the 23-year old Sulbaran was a top-15 prospect in the Reds system heading into this season. With a 93-95 mph fastball and an above-average breaking ball (which Baseball America ranked best in the Cincinnati system last year), Sulbaran has two great pitches, but a startling lack of command. Rick Vaughn at the beginning of Major League like command. After the trade to Kansas City, Sulbaran was walking over 7 guys per 9, white washing a great start that had people espousing him as a possible second or third starter, despite a K/9 rate over 9. However, with a deep bullpen its hard to see the Mariners using their selection to add to the impending pen pile.
C - Carlos Perez - Houston Astros
Again, let's mess with another team's trade haul, shall we? Picked up from Toronto in the Brandon Lyon/J.A. Happ trade, I can absolutely, 100% guarantee you Perez won't go first in Thursday's draft. A top-15 prospect in the Toronto system heading into 2012, the 22-year old put up a .275/.358/.447 line in Single-A Lansing with 22 doubles and 40 RBIs, and didn't miss a beat after heading to High-A Lancaster, hitting .318/.368/.449 in 20 games (beware the stats of the California League). However, catchers aren't typically picked in the Rule 5 draft, and those that are don't have a particularly sparklingly history of sticking with the big league club (Ronny Paulino & Jesus Flores are the at the top of that list). But, if you're of the idea that the Mariners should move Montero to full-time DH, and give John Jaso the full-time catching job rather than grabbing a free agent or making a trade, for one I question your decision making, but Carlos Perez would be the type of pick you should be hoping the Mariners make.
SP - Nick Struck - Chicago Cubs
The Cubs are bad. Really bad. So bad that they didn't feel the guy they named their Minor League Pitcher of the Year in September warranted protecting with a 40-man roster spot. Struck, a 22-year old native of Damascus, Oregon was 14-10 with a 3.18 in 28 games (26 starts) with Double-A Tennessee. He beat out the likes of our own Brandon Maurer and James Paxton (both with 9) to lead the Southern League in wins, and limited opposing hitters to a .238 average, while strucking out 138. You see what I did there. What's intriguing about Struck is his the work he did with pitching coach (and former Mariner) Jeff Fassero to adjust his stride to great success (Struck posted an ERA near 5 after his first 10 outings). Overall, it's a another head scratcher to see Struck unprotected, and it'd be even more surprising to see him stay in Chicago.
1B - Chris McGuiness - Texas Rangers
For those of you who followed the Arizona Fall League, McGuiness just picked up AFL MVP honors, leading the league with 27 RBIs. The 24-year old has been buried in a deep Rangers farm system, and has flown under the radar up to this point, even after finishing 4th in the Texas League in homers (23), and 7th in RBIs (77) this season, his first at the Double-A level. Originally acquired by Texas in the Jarrod Saltalamacchia deal, McGuiness is also spending the offseason working on his corner outfield play in an effort to increase his versatility. While I don't expect Jesus Aguilar to be around when the Mariners pick, I do believe McGuiness will, and if so, it would be an intriguing pick for a team starved of power hitters. And hey, things totally worked out the last time we picked up a power hitting first baseman from the Rangers, amirite?
RP - Josh Fields - Boston Red Sox
Want Josh Fields back? Well, here's our chance. And frankly, he put up some impressive numbers last year between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket. In his first full year with the Red Sox organization, Fields cut his walk rate to just under 3 per 9, while keeping his K/9 rate around 12. In his brief spell with Pawtucket at the end of the year, Fields didn't give up an earned run in 10 appearances, walking 2 and striking out 9 while holding opposing hitters to an average of .174. After walking 7 in 6 innings in the Venezuelan Fall League, questions about Fields' command still linger, but if he can control his pitches, those figures sure sound like a guy that was worthy of being drafted 20th overall in 2008.
1B/LF - Matt LaPorta - Cleveland Indians
Now here's an interesting one for you. The former first round pick of the Brewers (and yes, this was when Jack Zdurencik was Milwaukee's Director of Amateur Scouting) has been nothing short of a flop in Cleveland, to the point where he appeared in just 22 games with the Tribe last season, spending most of his year in Columbus. Late in November, LaPorta was outrighted off the 40-man roster, making him Rule V eligible. In 291 MLB games, LaPorta has posted a .238/.301/.393 line, with a strikeout to walk ratio of nearly 3 to 1. But, everything harkens back to the idea that there is a reason he was drafted in the first round. It will definitely be interesting to see if Zdurencik tries another Milwaukee connection, a la the Luetge selection last year.
Of the players available in Thursday's draft, these are the 8 that are the most intriuging. Once you get past these, you really start scraping the bottom of the barrel for guys that flamed out as prospects (like the Mets' Jefry Marte). As for who Seattle left unprotected, Brian Moran, Andrew Carraway, Rich Poythress, Nate Tenbrink, and Danny Farquhar are all eligible to be selected. Guys, feel free to spread this around, tweet this (I'm at https://twitter.com/JosephVeyera if any of you aren't following), or whatever as we try to build up this board.
1B - Jesus Aguilar - Cleveland Indians
Every year, there are a couple of headscratchers on the lists of Rule V eligible players, guys left unprotected that make you wonder why their team doesn't value them highly, and what jersey they'll be donning next season, as they're certain to be picked. This year, one of those players in Indians' first base prospect Jesus Aguilar. Only 22, Aguilar spent most of his 2012 campaign with High-A Carolina, hitting .277/.365/.454 with 12 home runs and 58 RBIs. Aguilar continued to hold his own in a late season promotion to Double-A Akron, with a .292/.402/.500 slash line, and another 3 homers and 13 RBIs. In their review of the Indians farm system in mid-November, Baseball America ranked Aguilar the 9th best prospect in the Cleveland system, while also naming him the best power hitter in the system for a second straight year. Aguilar also appeared in the All-Star Futures Game back in July for the World Team. All this being said, I don't belive 6'3" 257 pound Aguilar will be on the board when the Mariners pick 12th.
OF - Destin Hood - Washington Nationals
Another 22-year old, Hood was the Nats 2nd round pick in 2008, lured away from a scholarship to play receiver at Alabama with a $1.1 million bonus. Hood has the potential to be a 20 homer-20 stolen base corner outfielder with his speed and power, but he remains raw, which probably gives Washington the idea that no team will keep him on their major league roster for the duration of a season. Missing time with wrist and groin injuries last year, Hood had a .245/.301/.344 slash with 20 doubles, 3 homers, and 45 RBIs with Double-A Harrisburg, not exactly the power numbers one would hope for. But, with the current excess of fourth outfielders, it's hard to see the Mariners using their pick on Hood, or any outfielder, despite his potentially high ceiling.
P - Juan Carlos (J.C.) Sulbaran - Kansas City Royals
I don't know about the rest of you, but the idea of screwing up the return of another team's trade is intriguing to me. Maybe I'm just one of those people that wants to see the world burn. Anyway, acquired by the Royals from Cincinnati in the Jonathon Broxton deal, the 23-year old Sulbaran was a top-15 prospect in the Reds system heading into this season. With a 93-95 mph fastball and an above-average breaking ball (which Baseball America ranked best in the Cincinnati system last year), Sulbaran has two great pitches, but a startling lack of command. Rick Vaughn at the beginning of Major League like command. After the trade to Kansas City, Sulbaran was walking over 7 guys per 9, white washing a great start that had people espousing him as a possible second or third starter, despite a K/9 rate over 9. However, with a deep bullpen its hard to see the Mariners using their selection to add to the impending pen pile.
C - Carlos Perez - Houston Astros
Again, let's mess with another team's trade haul, shall we? Picked up from Toronto in the Brandon Lyon/J.A. Happ trade, I can absolutely, 100% guarantee you Perez won't go first in Thursday's draft. A top-15 prospect in the Toronto system heading into 2012, the 22-year old put up a .275/.358/.447 line in Single-A Lansing with 22 doubles and 40 RBIs, and didn't miss a beat after heading to High-A Lancaster, hitting .318/.368/.449 in 20 games (beware the stats of the California League). However, catchers aren't typically picked in the Rule 5 draft, and those that are don't have a particularly sparklingly history of sticking with the big league club (Ronny Paulino & Jesus Flores are the at the top of that list). But, if you're of the idea that the Mariners should move Montero to full-time DH, and give John Jaso the full-time catching job rather than grabbing a free agent or making a trade, for one I question your decision making, but Carlos Perez would be the type of pick you should be hoping the Mariners make.
SP - Nick Struck - Chicago Cubs
The Cubs are bad. Really bad. So bad that they didn't feel the guy they named their Minor League Pitcher of the Year in September warranted protecting with a 40-man roster spot. Struck, a 22-year old native of Damascus, Oregon was 14-10 with a 3.18 in 28 games (26 starts) with Double-A Tennessee. He beat out the likes of our own Brandon Maurer and James Paxton (both with 9) to lead the Southern League in wins, and limited opposing hitters to a .238 average, while strucking out 138. You see what I did there. What's intriguing about Struck is his the work he did with pitching coach (and former Mariner) Jeff Fassero to adjust his stride to great success (Struck posted an ERA near 5 after his first 10 outings). Overall, it's a another head scratcher to see Struck unprotected, and it'd be even more surprising to see him stay in Chicago.
1B - Chris McGuiness - Texas Rangers
For those of you who followed the Arizona Fall League, McGuiness just picked up AFL MVP honors, leading the league with 27 RBIs. The 24-year old has been buried in a deep Rangers farm system, and has flown under the radar up to this point, even after finishing 4th in the Texas League in homers (23), and 7th in RBIs (77) this season, his first at the Double-A level. Originally acquired by Texas in the Jarrod Saltalamacchia deal, McGuiness is also spending the offseason working on his corner outfield play in an effort to increase his versatility. While I don't expect Jesus Aguilar to be around when the Mariners pick, I do believe McGuiness will, and if so, it would be an intriguing pick for a team starved of power hitters. And hey, things totally worked out the last time we picked up a power hitting first baseman from the Rangers, amirite?
RP - Josh Fields - Boston Red Sox
Want Josh Fields back? Well, here's our chance. And frankly, he put up some impressive numbers last year between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket. In his first full year with the Red Sox organization, Fields cut his walk rate to just under 3 per 9, while keeping his K/9 rate around 12. In his brief spell with Pawtucket at the end of the year, Fields didn't give up an earned run in 10 appearances, walking 2 and striking out 9 while holding opposing hitters to an average of .174. After walking 7 in 6 innings in the Venezuelan Fall League, questions about Fields' command still linger, but if he can control his pitches, those figures sure sound like a guy that was worthy of being drafted 20th overall in 2008.
1B/LF - Matt LaPorta - Cleveland Indians
Now here's an interesting one for you. The former first round pick of the Brewers (and yes, this was when Jack Zdurencik was Milwaukee's Director of Amateur Scouting) has been nothing short of a flop in Cleveland, to the point where he appeared in just 22 games with the Tribe last season, spending most of his year in Columbus. Late in November, LaPorta was outrighted off the 40-man roster, making him Rule V eligible. In 291 MLB games, LaPorta has posted a .238/.301/.393 line, with a strikeout to walk ratio of nearly 3 to 1. But, everything harkens back to the idea that there is a reason he was drafted in the first round. It will definitely be interesting to see if Zdurencik tries another Milwaukee connection, a la the Luetge selection last year.
Of the players available in Thursday's draft, these are the 8 that are the most intriuging. Once you get past these, you really start scraping the bottom of the barrel for guys that flamed out as prospects (like the Mets' Jefry Marte). As for who Seattle left unprotected, Brian Moran, Andrew Carraway, Rich Poythress, Nate Tenbrink, and Danny Farquhar are all eligible to be selected. Guys, feel free to spread this around, tweet this (I'm at https://twitter.com/JosephVeyera if any of you aren't following), or whatever as we try to build up this board.