2016 Draft Thread

[Darkstone42]

Rd. 1: Will Craig, 3B, Wake Forest

He might not stick at third, but the kid can hit. Walks more than he strikes out and has a little pop. There are questions about whether his power will translate, but he's got a good swing and a big body, so I could see it working out. Still, he puts the ball in play and gets on base, and that shouldn't be overlooked. If the power develops, he could be Stetson Allie if Stetson Allie could put the bat on the ball with any sort of regularity.

Competitive Balance Pick: Nick Lodolo, HS LHP

Lodolo is a tall dude, 6'6", 170 lbs, lots of room to fill out. He can touch 92 with the fastball, but sits in the upper 80s, but with that frame, there's room to go. He's got a low arm slot, and there's a chance that's why his curveball isn't very good, but he can already command the fastball a little bit despite his lankiness, which is a good sign. The Pirates might change his arm slot to a 3/4 delivery to make the curveball work better and generate a little more plane on the fastball, but they also have the option of keeping his arm where it is and trying to give him a wipeout slider. I'm excited to see how this kid develops.

Rd. 2: Travis MacGregor, HS RHP

MacGregor is another big kid, 6'3", and he already sits in the low 90s with his fastball and can touch 94. Feel for a change and a curve, but neither is very good yet. Another high-upside, hard-throwing prep pitcher, though.

Rd. 3: Stephen Alemais, SS, Tulane

This guy can motor, but his bat's a bit light. He's definitely got the tools to stick at short, quick feet, good hands, and a strong arm, but the question will be whether or not he can hit. Good discipline and contact skill, but he doesn't really drive the ball. If he hits at all, he's got the defensive ability and athleticism to be a solid utility man in the Majors, I think.

Rd. 4: Braedon Ogle, HS LHP

This is an exciting arm. He's 6'2" (or 6'5" depending on where you look, so maybe he grew) and thin as a rail, but he's already sitting low-to-mid 90s and touching 96 with his fastball. He struggles to repeat his delivery, and so his command is really spotty, but man, if they can get that sorted out, this kid could be electric. Needs to develop secondary pitches, though he's thrown a curve and change that looked better this year, but the upside is ridiculous. A good weight lifting and nutritional program could have this kid sitting around 96 and maybe touching triple digits, and if he learns how to locate, look out.

 

[Darkstone42]

Rd. 5: Blake Cederlind, RHP, Merced College

Also tall, a little more filled out, though at 6'3", 190. Spotty command, but he's already throwing hard, touching 97 and sitting 92-95. Like Ogle, a bit of a project, but the upside is, again, huge.

 

[thedddd]

When they drafted Will Craig there was confusion he would be a pitcher? From what I saw of him not sure you would want to convert him due to his ability to hit. When I saw the highlights of him I thought the same he reminds me of Stetson Allie in a good way. My only concern is his size and athleticism, will he basically be a 1B?

 

[Darkstone42]

Rd. 6: Cam Vieaux, LHP Michigan State University

Soft tossing lefty with a mix of pitches and really good control. Similar mold, I'd guess, to guys like Brault and Waddel. Fastball has movement, slider could be plus, already has a changeup, he's pretty polished in a lot of ways. He has a 2.28 ERA this season.

Rd. 7: Brent Gibbs, C Central Arizona College

Gibbs is an excellent defensive catcher, arm rated plus-plus, quick pop time, and already a strong blocker and receiver. There are questions about his bat, but the defense is worth taking that chance. If nothing else, he'll be good for our young starters in the lower minors.

Rd. 8: Dylan Prohoroff, RHP Cal State Fullerton

6'3" college reliever with a low-to-mid-90s fastball who pitched to a 0.68 ERA this season in about 30 innings. The Pirates will probably try him as a starter because of how good the arm is to see if he fits there. He's got a good slider, too, but needs to work on his command.

Rd. 9: Clark Eagan, OF University of Arkansas

He's athletic with decent speed, but probably profiles at a corner spot (and has already been told he'll play RF for the Black Bears when he signs), and he's also played a little 3B and 1B in college, so there may be some versatility. He doesn't hit for any power, but he makes a lot of contact. Decent discipline, too.

Rd. 10: Matthew Anderson, RHP Morehead State

He's definitely a signability pick to free up some money for those prep arms early (Eagan, Prohoroff, Gibbs, and Vieaux might be, too, now that I think about it), but there's some stuff there. Low 90s fastball with a good curve and slider and a fringey changeup. He's got serious control issues, but he also struck out 12.71 per 9 this past season, so he can miss bats, too.

Rd. 11: Max Kranick, HS RHP

A highly ranked prospect coming into the draft, he probably fell due to singability concerns. He already sits 91-92 with the fastball, touching 95, and has the workings of a useful changeup and maybe a curveball. His mechanics need some work, and there are questions about his ability to be a starter, but there's major upside there. Depending on how much Lodolo, MacGregor, and Ogle cost, this might be another guy they were saving money to sign, but it will be tough to break his commitment to UVA.

Unless they draft someone else really interesting (the way Kranick is), I'll not post anymore of these little analyses.

 

[Darkstone42]

Rd. 14: Hagen Owenby, C East Tennessee State

This guy mashed last season. .374/.436/.660 And he's really athletic. Hes a sophomore, so he'll be a tough sign, but he'd be an interesting guy to get into the system.

 

[Darkstone42]

When they drafted Will Craig there was confusion he would be a pitcher? From what I saw of him not sure you would want to convert him due to his ability to hit. When I saw the highlights of him I thought the same he reminds me of Stetson Allie in a good way. My only concern is his size and athleticism, will he basically be a 1B?

They'll try him at third, and he might surprise. His hands are fine, and he's got a great arm, so he might be able to compensate for his size and lack of range there, similar to Alvarez before he forgot how to baseball. But he was definitely drafted for the stick, no doubt about it.