Braves Top Draft Picks Eager To Sign Quickly
by gondeee on Jun 9, 2010 9:52 AM EDT
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Good news for Braves fans this morning who like their draft picks to sign and sign quickly. It looks like Atlanta went with signability as a big factor for a lot of their early draft picks as the quotes below will illustrate.
From the Dallas News Sports Site, news that Braves' first pick in this year's draft, Matt Lipka, is all but signed:
A day after Lipka was selected with the 35th overall pick in the Major League Baseball first-year player draft, the former McKinney High School shortstop was waiting to finalize the terms of a contract that will pay him in the neighborhood of $1 million. In the living room, with the television humming in the background, he passed the time browsing the Internet, handling media requests and opening the new chapter in his life.
Good to know he is in the stages of "finalizing" his contract, since signability was one of the big reasons we drafted Lipka.
From a local news website comes this info that third-round pick Joe Leonard is eager to sign:
Leonard plans to bypass his senior season at Pitt in order to turn pro. He's thrilled to become a member of Atlanta's system.
"It's a really good organization, and I'm excited to be a part of it," Leonard said. "I'm going to try to work out a deal shortly."
Also good to know that he's ready to get going. I'm excited to see what Leonard can do. The Braves got really good value with this pick, and drafted a guy who brings good defense at the hot corner and a promising bat to the plate.
Keeping with the trend here, the Braves also look to wrap up their fourth-round selection, David Filak, quickly. From the Oneonta Daily Star:
Filak said he received a call from the Braves shortly before they drafted him, asking if he was willing to sign with Atlanta.
"They called to make sure," right-hander Filak said. "My advisor and I will work out a deal. Of course I'm going to go. The fourth round is incredible."Filak, 20, said he will skip his senior year at Oneonta State to start his professional career.
"I'm definitely looking to sign," said Filak, a Burnt Hills graduate. "I'm not messing around. I'm a small-town kid. I'm fortunate to have this opportunity."
Filak is a strikeout machine, and another kid that I can't wait to see on the field. He's also someone who still has some projection in him.
The possible future college coach of second pick Andrelton Simmons expects that he will go pro as well, more here.
Here are the links to yesterday's draft coverage on Talking Chop, including reviews of every single draft pick:
First Pick
Second Pick
Rounds 2 - 7
Rounds 8 - 15
Rounds 16 - 30
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Awesome!
This is great to see! Thanks for keeping us posted with the most up to date information on our draft picks Gondee!
I for one, am reallly excited about all of our top 4 picks!
I wonder if there’s more to the braves signability strategy than meets the eye. They’re not a cheap team when it comes to signing young talent. Their activity on the international market tells us that much, with signings like teheran, bethancourt, and salcedo recently. Maybe they just really value those extra months of development time that they would lose with an over-slot bonus.
And there's also the idea that...
by not going overslot for those guys may mean more in the budget can be offered to Sabel and Alvord to induce them into signing.
I just want to thank Mike Minor
For shutting up all the wannabee couch-potato GM / scouting directors from last year who simply regurgitated things that they read from other people who may or may not have even watched a player play. A lot more deference to the organization this time around, even if we “like” the picks better.
I think you're being too harsh on those folks.
It’s not wrong to be skeptical about a draftee. After all, at that point, nobody knows how a prospect is going to turn out. Even the Braves’ awesome staff has had its share of huge misses in the early rounds. As long as someone is using the opinion of a reasonably respected scout and not just making shit up because they want Wren to be fired, I don’t see the problem.
I think it’s also too early to be crowing about the success of Mike Minor. As promising as he is, he has a 4+ ERA in AA. Wait until he’s in the bigs before you start telling the doubters to suck it.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Jun 9, 2010 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions
+1
I’m lovin what Minor’s doing right now but he’s far from shutting me up about the Braves taking him with the #7 overall pick!
Leake obviously...
although the best answer for that question doesn’t come for 5-10 years. Matzek, the guy most often mentioned, has done pretty well in Asheville although he is walking a lot of guys.
ummmm, no
Stras, Leak and Trout (maybe) have been better.
Minor leads all of minor league baseball in Strike Outs (a clear indicator of stuff) while in AA (massive jump in caliber of players from A ball). From a guy who was not known for his “stuff”, I think he shuts everyone up.
by apoxonbothyourhouses on Jun 9, 2010 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
You know better than that
Thanks for tossing out ERA as some kind of evidence that Minor hasn’t been awesome. Of his 31 total runs allowed, 21 came in 3 starts, in one start he had 7 unearned, and he had two bad outings where he’s given up 7 ER. Yeah, he’s the #7 pick, so he’s shouldn’t ever struggle at any level.
His FIP after all that is still 3.46, he has nearly 12 K’s / 9 and 4+ K/BB ratio. He’s been awesome, end of story. CB was exactly right when he said “Minor keeps bumping his head up against his low ceiling”.
And great job setting the threshold for making it to the bigs as a definition of success. Plenty of first rounders never make it, and its not just because the scouting department that picked them sucked. The overall point here is that drafting players for MLB is more of a crapshoot than perhaps any other sport. People who actually get paid to do this job still fail at a fairly high percentage. My point is that for folks here to judge the results before a player has even taken the field is extremely premature.
Everyone is welcome to their own opinion — my opinion is that all those draftniks panning the choice, for the most part, have done nothing but parrot the reports that they can find on the interent — and most of those reports are filled with analysis that boils down to tired cliches “toolsy” and “projectable” with no real meat anywhere to be found. Even now that Minor is having success, I read comments on other blogs that say “I can’t believe Minor is doing so well, something must be going on because the projection said he shouldn’t be able to do this!” Rather than enjoy his success, they are confused because of what a “projection” said.
And to Jay212033:
All the pitchers on your list have, at best, similar peripherals to Minor, but are doing it in A ball instead of AA, with the single exception of Leake. Purke didn’t even sign, so regardless of what he’s doing that doesn’t count because he wouldn’t even be in the Braves organization. If you want to say a position player is doing better then fine, but I don’t see how we can objectively compare at this point.
All great stuff. Especially this:
Plenty of first rounders never make it, and its not just because the scouting department that picked them sucked.
Fact: 33% of first round picks never play 1 game in the Major Leagues. Further fact: only about 40% of first round picks actually have “significant careers” in the Majors. (Something like over 1000 at bats or over 500 innings.) So yes, a total crapshoot.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
If 33% of first-round picks don't make the big leagues,
doesn’t that completely support my argument that we should wait until Minor at least makes the big leagues before bragging about him? He’s done well so far, but it’s not “I told you so!” time yet.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Jun 9, 2010 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions
It was more directed at Jay212033’s claim that so many other guys were better. Really, if we’re getting down to it, getting excited about any prospect is pointless because so few of them succeed.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
Agreed.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Jun 9, 2010 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Whoa, there.
Calm down, big fella. Most of the stuff you imply I said above I didn’t actually say. I wasn’t implying that our team’s drafters suck—in fact, I called them “awesome.” I wasn’t saying that Minor hasn’t been good—in fact, I called him “promising.” He’s obviously been dominant in many of his starts. I was just using ERA as a shorthand for the fact that he’s not an invincible, Strasburgian-level prospect. Any stat you care to use would show the same thing (and indeed, the stats you cite support my view perfectly).
I completely agree with your point that success in drafting is a crapshoot. In fact, to a large degree that was the point of my post. What I was trying to say is that because nobody knows how a prospect will ultimately turn out, there’s no reason to get mad at people who don’t like a draft pick. The proof is in the pudding, as it were, but at the time of the draft, those people were just as entitled to their opinion of Minor’s skills as you were.
I do think you are wrong, though, about at least some of the “reports” on the internet. While the language used in said reports is undeniably filled with cliches, there is plenty of useful information in them that can be used to evaluate prospects. Indeed, our scouting department is reliant on similar reports from our own scouts. Minor’s success has not been surprising because the “projections” said he wouldn’t be good (nearly every “projection” said he would be a decent major-leaguer), it’s been surprising because he has turned into a different type of pitcher than he was in his last year at Vandy. That doesn’t make those reports wrong at all—but it is a credit to our scouts, who clearly saw something that was not obvious in Minor’s performance and skill set.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Jun 9, 2010 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions
The guys I named are also 2-3 years younger than Minor as well except Leake
All I’m saying is that with the #7 pk there were better options there.
The funny thing is,
I actually kind of liked the Minor pick, and now I’m taking crap for defending the doubters. I don’t think I would actually say that there were better options out there, but there’s nothing wrong with thinking that at this point (or at the time of the draft).
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Jun 9, 2010 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I can admit I DID NOT like the Minor pick
But I have always said and will continue to say, I support ALL Braves players(as long as they are not airheads lol) and I’m now fully behind Minor now that he’s a Brave and I hope that he continues to make me eat crow for not wanting the Braves to draft him.
That's a great attitude to have.
I totally agree. It’s everyone’s right to disagree with the moves of the front-office or manager, but when it comes down to the players, you should support them even if they actually do end up sucking (unless they are not giving full effort or seem like a jerk).
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Jun 9, 2010 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions
But something is going on, he’s throwing harder. Funny how you leave that HUGE fact out. Did anyone know he was going to be pumping it up at 93-96? He’s just not the same pitcher that was in those scouting reports. So people who panned the pick can’t base it on scouting reports, but people who loved it can?
He was a soft tossing lefty. No need to be a jerk because everyone did not love the pick.
Hmmmmm...
I wasn’t a critic of Minor so much (called him a 1st round pick several times, in fact) as I was a critic of the ‘signability’ issue, and my perception of the team taking a pick they could sign for slot instead of the best player available to go over slot. I’ve always been a critic of teams who don’t take the BPA in the draft, and that coupled with the reports that our scouting department actually preferring Matzek but being overidden due to monetary concerns led me to pan the pick.
So far I’ve been wrong, and I’ve said on umpteen occasions that I’m happy to eat crow. and I support Minor all the way. But seriously, just because people disagree with you doesn’t mean you have to be rude about it. But such is the internets, I suppose.
I may well have been wrong on Mike Minor but I’m wrong because of the very pleasantly surprising addition of 4 mph to his fastball, which significantly upgrades his stuff. That was unexpected considering pre-draft scouting reports and his already well developed frame.
That being said, go watch some Matt Purke video and tell yourself the lie that Mike Minor was the better arm.
"Four of us wolves, running around the desert together in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine..."
Low to mid 90s heat...
with good movement, three other quality pitchers, and a mature approach/mindset on the mound? Yeah, I’m gonna say that combo can work out pretty well and has as much upside as those high school arms.
Yes now his velo is up and his profile is up as well. I’m just saying at the time, he didn’t project to have anywhere near the ceiling of the HS crop we passed on. The Braves may have expected the velo increase but no one else seemed to, or they might just be the benefactor of a little good fortune.
"Four of us wolves, running around the desert together in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine..."
I’m really glad to see the team picking a bunch of position players, addressing the glaring need on the farm. Add to that getting them signed and I think we did well considering we didn’t get to pick until #35.
Heyward is pretty good
This.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jun 10, 2010 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Love it. And hopefully the lack of a first round pick means they can use some money to lure those late round tough signs out of their college commitments.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
you're half right
Use it for Sabol, not Alvord
(i’m biased, Auburn needs a middle IF worse than the Braves do right now)
I'm also hoping Cunningham
Signs quickly as well, I am really loving that pick. A switch-hitting speed guy that has some pop and has already hit with the wooden bat, and hit very well!
Reminds me a little of the dude we got out of Elon last year.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jun 10, 2010 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Also, Barrett Kleinknecht (“B-Klank”) will report to Danville on Monday. Here’s a nice article:
http://www2.scnow.com/scp/sports/college/francis_marion/article/braves_select_former_west_florence_and_fmu_standout_kleinknecht/182796/
"Sometimes I think it is a great mistake to have matter that can think and feel. It complains so. By the same token, though, I suppose that boulders and mountains and moons could be accused of being a little too phlegmatic."
-Kurt Vonnegut, "The Sirens of Titan"
by Bravely going forward on Jun 9, 2010 2:28 PM EDT reply actions
Not sure why I’m just now noticing your Eraserhead avatar…
"UNLIKE CYBORG REYES JOJO MY CPU DOES NOT REQUIRE 'EARNED RUNS' FOR NOURISHMENT"
by Smoltz's Beard on Jun 9, 2010 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions
tee-hee-hee
"Sometimes I think it is a great mistake to have matter that can think and feel. It complains so. By the same token, though, I suppose that boulders and mountains and moons could be accused of being a little too phlegmatic."
-Kurt Vonnegut, "The Sirens of Titan"
by Bravely going forward on Jun 9, 2010 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions
so creepy…
"UNLIKE CYBORG REYES JOJO MY CPU DOES NOT REQUIRE 'EARNED RUNS' FOR NOURISHMENT"
by Smoltz's Beard on Jun 9, 2010 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions
lol
no kidding
"Sometimes I think it is a great mistake to have matter that can think and feel. It complains so. By the same token, though, I suppose that boulders and mountains and moons could be accused of being a little too phlegmatic."
-Kurt Vonnegut, "The Sirens of Titan"
by Bravely going forward on Jun 9, 2010 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Love your sig, BTW
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Jun 9, 2010 5:39 PM EDT up reply actions
I can't wait to
see what Klank can do. A guy with that kind of nickname has to make the majors, right?
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Jun 9, 2010 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Filak
You have to love that kid’s attitude.
HUMANS AT WEBADDRESS FANGRAPHS & BASEBALLPROSPECTS PERHAPS WILL SPEAK ILL OF PERFORMANCE TONIGHT DUE TO MAGICAL MEANINGLESS "WHIP"
just
really wish we would have taken a gamble on Wilson in one of the later rounds. At that point we’re picking random guys who dont all have incredibly high ceilings and only a few will be as successful as Hanson so why not take a chance on a guy who was looked at as a 1st rounder?
Yea he might not sign but i would rather us have tried to get him and not signed him than us sign some guy for 10k and another team (the Cardinals) get him to sign for a reasonable amount.
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