Draft 2022

[tzill]

I do wonder if he signs for under slot or if his pending transfer to another school was used as leverage to get slot money.

Expectation is that he'll sign significantly under slot.

 

[tzill]

At 106, the Giants took -- Willam Kempner RHP
4 year junior

2021: Made 11 appearances on the mound for the Bulldogs, starting nine with a 3.10 ERA… Earned three wins and a save… Named WCC Pitcher of the Week after a scoreless eight frames with just two hits in a win over Portland in his first start (3/6), striking out 10… Finished the season with the fifth-most strikeouts on the team with 34, in 40.2 innings pitched.

2020: Made a team-high six appearances in relief on the season...Collected one win and had a 7.36 ERA with two strikeouts in 7.1 innigns pitched...Had three scoreless outings of at least 1.0 inning pitched on the year.

Valley Christian High School: In high school, posted a 2.07 ERA and a 3-0 record and one save…for his club team, posted a 0.61 ERA…named to the All-League First Team.

Personal: Son of Mary Ann Kemper…has two siblings, Sam and Katherine…majoring in Business…wants to support his family…chose Gonzaga because it felt like home and the coaching staff.

 

[calsnowskier]

At 106, the Giants took -- Willam Kempner RHP
4 year junior

2021: Made 11 appearances on the mound for the Bulldogs, starting nine with a 3.10 ERA… Earned three wins and a save… Named WCC Pitcher of the Week after a scoreless eight frames with just two hits in a win over Portland in his first start (3/6), striking out 10… Finished the season with the fifth-most strikeouts on the team with 34, in 40.2 innings pitched.

2020: Made a team-high six appearances in relief on the season...Collected one win and had a 7.36 ERA with two strikeouts in 7.1 innigns pitched...Had three scoreless outings of at least 1.0 inning pitched on the year.

Valley Christian High School: In high school, posted a 2.07 ERA and a 3-0 record and one save…for his club team, posted a 0.61 ERA…named to the All-League First Team.

Personal: Son of Mary Ann Kemper…has two siblings, Sam and Katherine…majoring in Business…wants to support his family…chose Gonzaga because it felt like home and the coaching staff.

Is “Mary Ann Kemper” a name I am supposed to know?

 

[calsnowskier]

Expectation is that he'll sign significantly under slot.

I never fully understood the concept of punting a 1st rounder so I could sign a 6th rounder.


Why not just draft the 6th rounder in the 1st?

 

[tzill]

It will be interesting to see if the Giants intend to have William Kempner start. You don't often see starters with that type of cross-fire arm angle, but relievers can be quite effective with it.

 

[calsnowskier]

4 picks, 4 pitchers.

Interesting continuation from last year’s draft strategy.

 

[calsnowskier]

Kumar Rocker has already signed with the Rangers. Interesting path for this kid…

 

[calsnowskier]

Aren‘t pitchers supposed to have “rifles” or “cannons”, and not “guns”?

Physically, he does not look like a pitcher. He looks like a LFer hitting 4th.

 

[calsnowskier]

Crawford looks like he is either a side-armer or has a 3/4 delivery.

 

[LHG]

Here is the write up for the 5th round pick, Liam Simon:

Two years ago, Notre Dame featured Joe Boyle, a tall fireballer who struggled to throw strikes and went in the fifth round. Simon could follow the same path after helping the Fighting Irish reach the College World Series for the first time since 2002. He wowed scouts with 16 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and NCAA regionals, though his control deserted him again in the super-regionals and at the CWS. While Simon can't quite match Boyle's height or velocity, he's still an imposing figure on the mound at 6-foot-4 and can reach 101 mph with his four-seam fastball. He usually operates at 94-97 mph with armside run and downhill plane on his heater, which can get hammered if he doesn't locate it well. His slider misses more bats with its combination of 82-85 mph velocity, sweep and depth, though he has even more trouble landing it in the zone than he does with his fastball. As a two-pitch guy who averaged 8.2 walks per nine innings during his college career, Simon is definitely a reliever. The key to his success going forward will be his ability to repeat his mechanics and stay online toward the plate. He yanks a lot of pitches into the lefty batter's box and can't be trusted with a high-leverage role until he proves he can provide more strikes.

 

[tzill]

First six picks are pitchers.
1.Crawford
2.Whisenhunt
3.Kempner
4.Miles
5.Simon
6.Hayden Birdsong - Eastern Illinois U 4 year Junior

7th round: catcher
7. Zach Morgan - FSU 4 year Senior

interesting, no OF, no IF and no HS picks at all.

 

[Sandisfan]

Here is the write up for the 5th round pick, Liam Simon:

Two years ago, Notre Dame featured Joe Boyle, a tall fireballer who struggled to throw strikes and went in the fifth round. Simon could follow the same path after helping the Fighting Irish reach the College World Series for the first time since 2002. He wowed scouts with 16 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and NCAA regionals, though his control deserted him again in the super-regionals and at the CWS. While Simon can't quite match Boyle's height or velocity, he's still an imposing figure on the mound at 6-foot-4 and can reach 101 mph with his four-seam fastball. He usually operates at 94-97 mph with armside run and downhill plane on his heater, which can get hammered if he doesn't locate it well. His slider misses more bats with its combination of 82-85 mph velocity, sweep and depth, though he has even more trouble landing it in the zone than he does with his fastball. As a two-pitch guy who averaged 8.2 walks per nine innings during his college career, Simon is definitely a reliever. The key to his success going forward will be his ability to repeat his mechanics and stay online toward the plate. He yanks a lot of pitches into the lefty batter's box and can't be trusted with a high-leverage role until he proves he can provide more strikes.

This isn't a highish 1st round pick like Beede, but how often do guys without control really develop in the Majors or even minors to make any impact on a good team? Does anyone know here of drafted guys from College who have solved at least well enough to do something at the Big Leagues?

 

[calsnowskier]

First six picks are pitchers.
1.Crawford
2.Whisenhunt
3.Kempner
4.Miles
5.Simon
6.Hayden Birdsong - Eastern Illinois U 4 year Junior

7th round: catcher
7. Zach Morgan - FSU 4 year Senior

interesting, no OF, no IF and no HS picks at all.

4th year catcher from FSU?


FSU has never produced a good 4th year catcher…

 

[calsnowskier]

This isn't a highish 1st round pick like Beede, but how often do guys without control really develop in the Majors or even minors to make any impact on a good team? Does anyone know here of drafted guys from College who have solved at least well enough to do something at the Big Leagues?

I know Sabey Sabes used to love taking project arms like that in the draft. No idea what the success rate on those guys are, though.


But if you get 5 guys who get at least a cuppo out of a single draft class, you did pretty well, so there is that…

 

[LHG]

4th year catcher from FSU?


FSU has never produced a good 4th year catcher…

Now you tryin' to trigger one of tzill's alts!

Morgan played on Team USA’s gold medal-winning 15U team in 2015, a squad featuring current Red Sox prospect Triston Casas, then starred at Lincoln High School in Stockton, Calif., before heading to Fresno State. After redshirting in 2019, he played regularly in the shortened 2020 season, mostly at third, before settling in as the regular catcher a year ago. His Draft stock took a jump when he posted a 1.046 OPS in 2022, and he was named a finalist for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award. The 6-foot backstop gets high marks for being a grinder, one with skills on both sides of the ball. He makes a ton of contact from the right side of the plate, striking out less than seven percent of the time in 2022 while walking nearly 10 percent of the time. He has more extra-base authority than serious home run power, but he did show the ability to drive the ball, with some pop the other way. There is no question Morgan can stick behind the plate, with a solid arm and good receiving skills that were recognized when he was named a finalist for an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove. He might profile best as a backup, but with his makeup, developing into a starter isn’t out of the question, giving him a good chance to be the first Bulldogs catcher to go in the first 10 rounds since the Angels made Taylor Ward a first-rounder in 2019.

 

[LHG]

Seems the write ups I'm finding are only for odd round picks.

After a year at Division II Assumption College in Massachusetts that saw him strike out 16.3 per nine innings, Choate helped himself even more by showing well in the New England Collegiate Baseball League this summer. Being 6-foot-8 and left-handed doesn't hurt, either. Choate is up to 93 mph with his fastball and leans on it heavily. He does have a solid upper-70s slider and 76-77 mph changeup, registering super-high whiff rates on his secondary stuff. Command (5 BB/9 in college) might hurt him, but his strike-throwing has improved over the years.

 

[LHG]

Meanwhile, the Giants are trying to draft the entire Notre Dame pitching staff. I wonder who they call in the 15th round?

Pick list at this time:

 

[calsnowskier]

Just looking at the MLB ranks of the Giants picks, this is a horrible draft for the Giants.


I know those ranks you see on you monitor aren’t even worth the paper they are printed on. Just point8ng out that the Giants are really going against the grain with this draft.

 

[Stokes1931]

Just looking at the MLB ranks of the Giants picks, this is a horrible draft for the Giants.


I know those ranks you see on you monitor aren’t even worth the paper they are printed on. Just point8ng out that the Giants are really going against the grain with this draft.

Right now, 12 of the top 100 MLB ranked players are undrafted. All of them are high school players. Wonder if the consensus is that they are opting for college anyway, and may be a very late round flyer.

Still, I agree with Cal. Most of the Giants' picks are very aggressive for unranked players or lower ranked players.

8 or 10 draft picks are pitchers so far.

 

[tzill]

Interesting that 9/10 picks so far are 21-22 years old. And the 10th is 24.