Baseball Prospectus mock draft has the Reds selecting...

[Grande Donkey]

Lawrie's legend continues to grow as he tours with Canada's junior national team; he hit five home runs in a doubleheader against the Mariners' extended-spring team in the Dominican Republic, going foul pole to foul pole in a demonstration of one of the prep ranks' most pro-ready bats.

I like pro-ready HS bats.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...08/266183.html

[WebScorpion]

From reading all the reports and rankings, there appear to be eight kids that are head and shoulders above the rest.

1. T. Beckham
2. Alvarez
3. Posey
4. Matusz
5. Smoak
6. Crow
7. G. Beckham
8. Hosmer

All, but Gordon Beckham have pretty much been in that group for a while now. Beckham, undrafted out of high school blew up this year and shot up the lists.

T. Beckham, Alvarez, and Posey will likely be gone by the time the Reds pick at #7. That leaves them with Matusz, Smoak, Crow, G. Beckham, and even Hosmer. With those guys, they really are in a no-lose position at #7.

With that said, mark me as one that would be pleased with a Lawrie in the middle of the first, but not at #7. I would be disappointed that the Reds reach for a signable kid when there is a college arm or bat, with a quicker chance to make an impact on a team that is a year or two away.

I think Kyle Skipworth should be included in that group. In fact, if the Reds took him, this might be the place to shop for catchers in 2012. I'm sort of hoping for Posey, Matusz, or one of the Beckhams, but I'm guessing they'll all be gone by #7.

On a side note, I wonder how many of the 13 teams that passed on Jay Bruce are kicking themselves? Isn't he the same age as most of these college guys we're talking about?

[jmcclain19]

Late comers to the scene aren't always a bad thing. That Jay Bruce guy wasn't a 1st round guy until weeks before the draft and he's turned out ok.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

Hard to belive that Jay Bruce would be a junior in college right now.

Does anyone remember where he was going to school?

[OnBaseMachine]

Hard to belive that Jay Bruce would be a junior in college right now.

Does anyone remember where he was going to school?

Tulane.

[AdamDunn]

Late comers to the scene aren't always a bad thing. That Jay Bruce guy wasn't a 1st round guy until weeks before the draft and he's turned out ok.

As mentioned, Jay Bruce was a mid-first round pick, not a top 10 pick.

[M2]

Late comers to the scene aren't always a bad thing. That Jay Bruce guy wasn't a 1st round guy until weeks before the draft and he's turned out ok.

Actually he began to creep into 1st round projections in early April of that year. BA had him as their 11th overall HS talent on April 20 of that year and wrote this about him:

The biggest mover has been Jay Bruce, who has leapfrogged outfielders Jordan Danks, Austin Jackson and Kyle Russell to become the top position player in Texas.

“Bruce has been really impressive,” an NL crosschecker said. “He’s got five above-average tools; he can run and throw, and he has big power. We just need to see more playability.”

[dougdirt]

As mentioned, Jay Bruce was a mid-first round pick, not a top 10 pick.

And in hindsight had he gone #1 or #2 overall it wouldn't be a bad pick.... sometimes the scouts just know more than we do on things like this.

[flyer85]

And in hindsight had he gone #1 or #2 overall it wouldn't be a bad pick.... sometimes the scouts just know more than we do on things like this.

or get lucky. There has a ton of talent in that 05 draft.

[OnBaseMachine]

According to Chris Buckley, the Reds currently have four players in mind with the No. 7 pick tomorrow. Those four players are Brian Matusz, Buster Posey, Gordon Beckham, and Yonder Alonso. I like Matusz the most out of those four but he and Posey will most likely be off the board by the time the Reds pick. So realistically it looks like the Reds pick will either be Gordon Beckham or Yonder Alonso. Either one is fine with me but I prefer Beckham to Alonso since he's a shortstop.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

I was looking at the baseballcube's draft coverage and there are only a handful of top HS kids that declined the money in 2005.


#87 Kyle Hancock (COL) - RHP. Turns down the 460K after signing, spending two days with rookie team, and then quitting. Tries to get into Arkansas but NCAA turns him down. I have no idea where he is now. Interesting story below.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont....172082f5.html


#104 Josh Lindblom (HOU) - RHP, Purdue. Chose Tennessee over signing with Astros. Transferred to Purdue. Could go in top 2 rounds.


#133 Brian Matusz (ANA) - LHP, San Diego. Projected: Top 10 pick.


#173 Lance Lynn (SEA) - RHP, Ole Miss. Projected: late 1st, early 2nd.


#235 Jemille Weeks (MIL) - 2b, Miami. Projected: late 1st, early 2nd.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

According to Chris Buckley, the Reds currently have four players in mind with the No. 7 pick tomorrow. Those four players are Brian Matusz, Buster Posey, Gordon Beckham, and Yonder Alonso. I like Matusz the most out of those four but he and Posey will most likely be off the board by the time the Reds pick. So realistically it looks like the Reds pick will either be Gordon Beckham or Yonder Alonso. Either one is fine with me but I prefer Beckham to Alonso since he's a shortstop.

Great news, if true.

[M2]

According to Chris Buckley, the Reds currently have four players in mind with the No. 7 pick tomorrow. Those four players are Brian Matusz, Buster Posey, Gordon Beckham, and Yonder Alonso. I like Matusz the most out of those four but he and Posey will most likely be off the board by the time the Reds pick. So realistically it looks like the Reds pick will either be Gordon Beckham or Yonder Alonso. Either one is fine with me but I prefer Beckham to Alonso since he's a shortstop.

Hmm, no Crow? I wonder if that means he's not on their list or if Buckley's got the kid's name already tatooed on a discreet part of his body.

[OnBaseMachine]

FWIW, Yahoo's mock draft has the Reds taking Crow.

7. Cincinnati Reds – Aaron Crow, RHP (Missouri): Scouts are split on whether Crow is best suited for the starting rotation or the back of the bullpen, but the Reds would have room for him in either role. Crow throws a heavy mid-90s sinker and also possesses a slider that’s ready for prime time right now. He might be the player closest to the big leagues in the entire draft.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_yl...yhoo&type=lgns

[OnBaseMachine]

The more I think of it the more I want Gordon Beckham unless Brian Matusz is still on the board. This is a guy that slugged nine homeruns and hit .284/.370/.529 with a wooden bat in the Cape Cod league last summer. He's got an above average arm and good range meaning he should stick at SS. This is a guy I think the Reds could draft tomorrow and immediately start him in Sarasota and he's succeed. Beckham would also solidify the Reds infield for years to come with Votto at 1B, Phillips at 2B, Beckham at SS, and either EdE or Todd Frazier at 3B.