Baseball Rumor Mill

MLB Draft Analysis: Day Two

Earlier we posted Keith Law of espn.com's review of Day One of the 2009 MLB Draft. Let's check in on his thoughts about Day Two.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates opened eyes with their controversial pre-draft deal for Tony Sanchez and then took him with the #4 pick of the draft, well ahead of several better talents according to most evaluators. Their approach to the draft was not to spend a lot of money in Round 1, but perhaps splurge a little bit in the later rounds on some talent with higher salary demands than might be normally seen in the later rounds. The Pirates added Jordan Cooper, Zach Van Rosenberg, Colton Cain and Trent Stevenson - all players who feel because of signability concerns.

Oakland Athletics

Hopefully the As are prepared to spend some money on their amateur draft because they grabbed guys who have potential signing issues. Their second round pick was Max Stassi who fell because of the perception that he'll require over draft slot money. The grabbed Ian Krol who was booted from his high school team for some off the field issues and is committed to Arizona and will take some money to wrestle free. Last, but not least, their first round pick was Grant Green who is represented by Scott Boras.

Tampa Bay Rays

Injury questions are a theme of the Rays draft. They grabbed a potential first round pick, Luke Bailey, who fell to them because of Tommy John surgery earlier in the year. Their 10th round pick, Derek Dennis, is kind of an unknown because of how late he blossomed.

Los Angeles Angels

We'll let Keith Law handle this one perfectly "The Angels' draft was all over the place, with toolsy prep bats, big college arms with bad command and some projectable high school arms"

Atlanta Braves

For whatever reason, the Braves have seemingly changed their draft philosophy from an upside-high school based approach to a more conservative college-based one. Their first pick was Mike Minor who, while solid, doesn't project to have much upside. All in all, they didn't take a high schooler until the 10th round. Perhaps they were not interested in the financial commitment high schoolers often require.

 

 

2009 MLB Draft: Notables From Rounds 4-17

Jason Churchill of espn.com highlights the notable selections from Rounds 4-17.  For a recap of the first round, click here.

  • Max Stassi slid all the way into Round 4, going to the Oakland As.  A few predictions had him going in the first round.  While this may be a steal for the As, he could be difficult to sign. 
  • Another high school catcher, Luke Bailey, also went in Round 4 to Tampa.  This is another case where drafting a high schooler later could be challenging to sign him away from him collegiate commitment. 
  • Jason Stoffel to the Giants, Keyvius Sampson to the Padres and Chris Dwyer to the Royals highlighted Round 4.
  • Minnesota grabbed second baseman Derek McCallum in the fifth round
  • Jeff Malm landed with the Rays, also in the fifth round.
  • Brooks Raley slipped to the Cubs in the sixth round.
  • The As drafted Ian Krol in the sixth round, but most expect him to go to the University of Arizona instead.
  • They also took a flyer on Sam Dyson in the 10th round.  Control remains a problem for Dyson, but he can throw in the mid-90s.
  • The Red Sox grabbed Madison Younginer and hope to sign him away from his commitment to Clemson.  The also added Kendal Volz who was great as a closer for Team USA in the olympics, but struggled this season.
  • Austin Wood, he of the 13-inning shutout performance vs. Boston College during Texas' 25-inning marathon win, went to the Tigers in the 5th round.

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2010 First Round Picks

Bryce Harper
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Jameson Taillon
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Manny Machado
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Christian Colon
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Drew Pomeranz
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Matt Harvey
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Delino DeShields Jr.
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Karsten Whitson
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Michael Choice
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Deck McGuire
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Chris Sale
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Dylan Covey
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Jake Skole
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Kaleb Cowart
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Mike Foltynewicz
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Kolbrin Vitek
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Alex Wimmers
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Kellin Deglan
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Christian Yelich
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Gary Brown
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Zack Cox
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Kyle Parker
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Jesse Biddle
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Zach Lee
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Chevez Clarke
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