2006 draft

[Je Russell]

Ok, after reading all of the previous threads I am convinced the reds should draft a college starting pitcher. It sounds like there are sev. possibilities. Joba Chamberlain from Nebraska might be someone for the Reds to keep an eye on. I saw him on tv last year and looked like he had some talent. BA says he touched 96 mph against N.C. State recently.

I also saw Ian Kennedy and Dallas Buck pitch last year their stuff seemed a little underwhelming to me. It would be nice to get someone who reach mid-nineties a little more for the eighth pick. It appears Hochevar may go back into the draft as well. Hopefully we can get a pitcher who can progress quickly.

Look for some talented high-schoolers in the later rounds and over-pay to sign a couple. A Troy Patton type would do.

[flyer85]

I would suggest drafting the best college player available, doesn't matter the position.

[Superdude]

I'm a big Chamberlain fan. He's got some nasty breaking stuff, a good heater, and was one of the best pitchers statistically last year out of the 2006 crop. There's a ton of pitching depth this year also, so it'd be awesome to grab a guy like Lincoln or Kiker in the second round.

[Gainesville Red]

Max Scherzer made the Gators look silly all night on Friday. I was really impressed.

[M2]

Make mine Ian Kennedy

[OnBaseMachine]

Make mine Ian Kennedy

I hear ya. I posted the same thing a week or so ago.

http://www.redszone.com/forums/showt...hlight=kennedy

Kennedy throws three solid pitches for strikes. His fastball sits in the low 90's and he has very solid control and keeps the ball in the yard. Very polished pitcher who could move quickly through the system.

[Betterread]

I like Kennedy and Daniel Bard for college RHPs for the #1 pick. For field players, Florida's Matt LaPorta and Ga. Tech's Wes Hodges (in HS taught himself to bat lefty when he hurt his wrist - and hit .400 anyway) would be nice #1 picks. From the HS ranks, I like the scouting report on Matt Latos (florida prep RHP - he's 6'5" with 3 potentially plus pitches: FB, slider, curve).
Let's see how they play this spring.

[lollipopcurve]

Don't forget the best college middle infielder, at least right now, Evan Longoria. If there's a run on 5-6 college pitchers before the Reds pick, I think he'd be worth a long look. In Toronto, Buckley made Aaron Hill and Russ Adams a couple of his top picks, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him select Longoria.

[OnBaseMachine]

Don't forget the best college middle infielder, at least right now, Evan Longoria. If there's a run on 5-6 college pitchers before the Reds pick, I think he'd be worth a long look. In Toronto, Buckley made Aaron Hill and Russ Adams a couple of his top picks, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him select Longoria.

Evan brings an added bonus along with his baseball skills...he is Eva Longoria's brother! It's always interesting when a player has a hot wife/sister and brings her to the games. Makes it easier on the eyes when the Reds pitchers are serving up five homeruns a game.

[Topcat]

Kennedy get my vote, after reading obm's analysis and the K's per 9 innings he produced. I would love Ian K.

[Superdude]

If Jordan Walden continues to progress with his off speed stuff and control, he'd be a nice #8 pick along the lines of Bailey.

Don't forget the best college middle infielder, at least right now, Evan Longoria.

Eva Longoria eh? I'm not seeing a lot of offensive potential there, but she's sure to boost the team's moral! Sorry...who can resist?

[M2]

I'd be down with Longoria or LaPorta if the Reds are skittish about the arms on the board when they draft, but the team offices should be set on fire if the Reds take a HS arm in this draft.

This is from BA the other day:

The first month of the 2006 college season only served to reaffirm what scouting directors already knew—that this year’s draft will be dominated by college pitching.
“I see a minimum of 22 pitchers in the first round at this point, mostly college pitchers,” one American League scouting director said. “In fact, I’m getting some early indication that the first five or six players taken this year might be all college pitchers.”

“The best players this year, by far, are pitchers,” confirmed another AL scouting director. “But there will be some teams that think they must have a position player in the first round, and they’ll probably overpay to get one.”

This is a college pitching draft, and a good one at that. With the #8 pick the Reds should be able to land a college arm with a big future. This is one the club doesn't need to overthink.

[Gainesville Red]

I watch LaPorta weekly. Take it from someone who has seen him a lot.


HE IS A BEAST!
Like super good. When he's out of the line up, the rest of the team is worthless for some reason. He just has that effect on the lineup. LaPorta plays= the gators are good. LaPorta doesn't= team can't hit to save its life.

[lollipopcurve]

a college arm with a big future.

Depends on what you mean by a big future. I don't see an easy guarantee that, say, the #5 college arm will be a successful #3 or better SP in the bigs. From what I've read, there's volatility right now among these top college arms, outside of Miller, Scherzer and Kennedy. Bard may be dropping, Morrow is rising, the 6'8" kid from Stanford, Reynolds, may be rising, Buck has slipped. Meanwhile, if Jordan Waldron comes out great guns this spring and separates from the high school pack, I think you have to look at him hard. We've had this discussion a million times and I don't want to beat a dead horse. All in all, if that run on college arms happens in picks #1-#7, it seems to me the Reds will have a shot at either the #1 college position player, the #1 high school arm and/or the #1 high school bat. I find all of those possibilities potentially intriguing and would not shut the door on any of them here on March 1.

[M2]

Depends on what you mean by a big future. I don't see an easy guarantee that, say, the #5 college arm will be a successful #3 or better SP in the bigs. From what I've read, there's volatility right now among these top college arms, outside of Miller, Scherzer and Kennedy. Bard may be dropping, Morrow is rising, the 6'8" kid from Stanford, Reynolds, may be rising, Buck has slipped. Meanwhile, if Jordan Waldron comes out great guns this spring and separates from the high school pack, I think you have to look at him hard. We've had this discussion a million times and I don't want to beat a dead horse. All in all, if that run on college arms happens in picks #1-#7, it seems to me the Reds will have a shot at either the #1 college position player, the #1 high school arm and/or the #1 high school bat. I find all of those possibilities potentially intriguing and would not shut the door on any of them here on March 1.

That's like going to a chili cookoff and looking for a hamburger. Yeah, dependent on what booth you go to you may not get the best chili at the cookoff, but no one's giving a prize for the best hamburger at the show.

The #1 HS bat does not necessarily equal the #1 college arm. In fact, organizations like BA are making it clear that this is a college pitching draft and the the #1 HS bat probably doesn't equal the #10 college arm this time around. There's always volatility in the draft from February to June. Yet even with that, this remains an amazingly deep college pitching draft (at least at the top). If Jordan Walden goes great guns hopefully some dopey organization in front of you talks itself into making a dopey pick. What the Reds need, perhaps as much as any team has ever needed it (an advanced arm), will be available on the #8 pick ... in abundance. It's as simple as listing who you think the best eight college pitchers in the draft are and taking the highest available one when your pick comes around. Anything else would be a case of the organization talking itself out of doing the right and smart thing.

BTW, if Daniel Bard drops to #8, hold a tickertape parade.