Do we take either of these guys at #15?

[Aronchis]

When you start drafting for need, at a "position", you are either saying that the major league team is well stocked for the future or the system is well stocked to provide for a well stocked major league roster(either through promotions or trades).

I doubt the Reds are at that point yet, though we could maybe make a arguement unlike going into 2004 when it was easily clear things were in shambles.

I would still draft based on talent, rather than a position of need like catcher for another year or two.

[KoryMac5]

Plus we don't know what top ten guys might fall to the Reds at #15. In every draft there is always one or two guys who slip down a few spots because of agents or questionable mechanics. The Reds drafted Stubbs mainly because they went pitchiing heavy the last few drafts. It will be interesting to see what there philosophy is this time.

[fargo55]

Are there any prospects who throws close to 100 mph? Thats who I'd like to see get drafted.

Rick Ankiel is looking for a new spot. Honestly, I've felt for years that converting pitcher to catchers made some sense. Good arms that can't hit.

[M2]

BA's currently got Brackman rated #6 on the draft board, though he's not pitching well and his Boras affiliation could join with that to cause a drop.

Moskos is rated #8 and he'd have to drop as well.

Grandal's not on the top 30 radar for BA, so my question is, why draft him at #15 when you might be able to snag him with the supplemental pick? I'm leery of high catcher picks, particularly a reach on a catcher. My question would be, "Would I be drafting this kid here if he was corner player?" He'd need to have that kind of bat.

Jason Heyward has been running hot and cold, so he could drop to #15. Matt Dominguez would be a real nice pickup. Blake Beavan, Phillippe Aumont and Jarrod Parker look like they'll be the top HS arms on the board when the Reds pick. Parker's fascinating. He's relatively local (northeast Indiana) and he throws as hard anyone in the draft and supposedly he's got a plus curve. He's 6'2" with a thin frame, so even if he continues to deal in the high 90s he could be around for #15.

On the college pitcher side of things there's Nick Schmidt, he's a 6'7" southpaw with stuff and he's spent three years dealing against bats in the SEC (a notorious hitter's conference).

Right now Dominguez, Parker and Schmidt are the three guys I'm most interested in.

[Blue]

Of those three, I think Grandal is the only one that will be available when the Reds pick. (Moskos' stock is going up up and up since teams are starting to believe that he can start.) I'd rather see them take catcher J.P. Arencibia. Can't miss bat, undeveloped tools to be able to stay behind the plate. Right handed power and a catcher... have I said this before?

[M2]

Arenciba's hardly hitting up a storm in the SEC this year. His stock has to be tumbling. Seems like the kind of guy who'd be around in rounds three or four.

[OnBaseMachine]

Jason Heyward intrigues me the most out of the high school bats. He's often compared to the great Fred McGriff because of his size and hitting ability. He's supposedly a pretty good outfielder but an even better first baseman. I would be more than happy if the Reds snagged Heyward with the 15th pick. Below are two different scouting reports on him:

PG REPORT: Jason Heyward is a 2007 OF 1B from Henry County HS, residing in McDonough, GA, with a 6'4" 220 lb. frame. Ranked #3 among PG National Top 100 position players. Body - strong, plus frame, MLB build. Offense - slightly open, plus contact point, consistently hard barrel contact, lively and fast hands, plus power, easy swing, line drives with power, patient hitter, good pitch recognition. Defense - plus raw arm strength, accurate arm, good hands, feet work well. Early draft prospect, Aflac All American.

http://www.perfectgame.org/players/P...wcaseID=06natl

Heyward is an exciting power prospect who is athletic enough to handle a corner outfield spot, but could be a perennial Gold-Glover at first. He has long, strong limbs that creates natural extension, yet he has more of a gap-to-gap, line drive approach. Despite his size, he controls the strike zone very well, and when he leanrs to add more loft and spin on his swings, he could be a perennial 30-home run threat at the highest of levels and a natural run producer hitting in the middle of a lineup. In addition to his offensive prowess, he also has very good speed for his size and a strong throwing arm. Heyward would be similar to a left-handed hitting version of Derrek Lee. He doesn't turn 18 until next August.

http://www.brewerfan.net/ViewAmateur...=667&draftId=5

[lollipopcurve]

Good stuff in here, folks. Nice to see who's caught people's eye.

Based on what little I know about Buckley, he's got these preferences:

1. College players
2. Positional players in the middle of the diamond
3. "Fresh arms" -- i.e., relievers who can be converted to starting, or position players who can go to the mound (Dave Bush, Sean Watson, Josh Roenicke, for example).

This draft may present an interesting challenge for him in that there's a lot of highly ranked HS talent and not much college position talent in the top echelon, at least at this point.

I'd be surprised to see him swing big into high schoolers early. But, if he ignores them, he may be making a mistake, at least according to the buzz that's been out there about this group.

[M2]

I figure Buckley will take Matt LaPorta if he's there at #15, which he probably won't be.

Julio Borbon, Beau Mills and Matt Mangini are the other top college position player prospects.

Personally I can't see taking Mills or Mangini in front of Dominguez. Joe Savery could be a guy popping up on the Reds' radar. Jake Arrieta might become a possibility if he finishes strong. If I was going college pitcher I'd still prefer Schmidt. He's got projectability and performance on those two.

[lollipopcurve]

Joe Savery could be a guy popping up on the Reds' radar. Jake Arrieta might become a possibility if he finishes strong. If I was going college pitcher I'd still prefer Schmidt. He's got projectability and performance on those two.

Nice. I like the staunch support for Schmidt. I'm intrigued by Savery. Lately I'm more and more fond of athletic pitchers, the Reds being in the NL, and Savery is that (though he's had a dinged wing, and that has to give one pause). Brackman, as a hoopster, may be able to compensate for his size with athleticism. To me, he looms as the lightning rod of this draft... if he falls, should the Reds take him?

LaPorta, eh? Power is a pretty rare commodity. Safe pick, like Stubbs was. I could see it....

[IslandRed]

3. "Fresh arms" -- i.e., relievers who can be converted to starting, or position players who can go to the mound (Dave Bush, Sean Watson, Josh Roenicke, for example).

That was one of the things that struck me about last year's draft. The staff in place now believes in their ability to develop pitchers. As Reds fans, we've become conditioned to the notion that we can't, so we prefer the ones closest to the finished product. But they seemed to be looking for the right building blocks -- good frame, live arms, not overworked -- and didn't get hung up on college stats or usage patterns. It'll be interesting to see if they follow a similar course this June.

[CUhoopster48]

I graduated from Clemson and have seen Moskos pitch a few times. I am no real judge of baseball talent, but IMO he has filthy stuff with a changeup that is plus on the college level and a fairly solid slider. He always seemed to have the pitch selection to project as a solid starter. The main reason he was not starting last season was Clemson had depth in the rotation and needed a solid closer and Moskos had "stuff". This year, Clemson's starters faltered so Moskos was moved into the rotation.

The knock on Moskos is that he has struggled with control at times. He had some adventurous outings as a closer toward the end of last season that drew the ire of a lot of fans. He has made steady improvement throughout his career. If he keeps impressing scouts I am not sure a college pitcher with his pure stuff will be around at 15.

2005 season

WHIP: 2.28
K/9: 8.33
BB/9: 7.22
IP: 16.2

2006 Season

WHIP: 1.22
K/9: 9.14
BB/9: 3.55
IP: 53.2

2007 Season (to date)

WHIP: 1.40
K/9: 11.8
BB/9: 4.1
IP: 35.1

[M2]

LaPorta, eh? Power is a pretty rare commodity. Safe pick, like Stubbs was. I could see it....

LaPorta might be one of those guys who spends next to no time in the minors. If the Reds landed him, Joey Votto would probably go on the market.

[Hoosier Red]

One of the things that blows me away is how prospects will go up and down in the evaluation process.

The NFL has a two or three players that can surprise people and move up, and a few knuckleheads who do something dumb and drop a round or two.

But in following your guys evaluations, it strikes me that there are players who one person sees as a possible first round pick and another person sees dropping to the 3rd or 4th round.

Quite the crapshoot.

[dougdirt]

Quite the crapshoot.

Welcome to the MLB First Year Player Draft!