It was time for some upside! Most of these guys could be difficult to sign, as their talent dictates a higher round selection, but we felt that it was the right time to take them.
6th Round
John Barbato is a 6'3" RHP from Varela HS in Florida. The coach's son, John's fastball has touched 95 mph and normally works around 92. He complements it with a tough downer curveball and a good changeup. He has the arm speed, delivery, and repertoire of a starter. Currently, he has a strong commitment to the University of Florida, but we'll see what happens.
7th Round
AJ Vanegas is a 6'3" RHP from Redwood Christian HS in Northern California. An AFLAC All-American, AJ has top of the rotation stuff with a fastball up to 96 mph, two solid to plus breaking balls and a feel for the changeup. AJ hasn't been on many mock drafts due to his commitment to Stanford, but he's definitely a first round talent.
8th Round
A 6'1" outfielder, Jose Dore led the state of Florida in homers as a junior. A hamstring injury this spring slowed him, but that didn't hide his multiple tools. A solid defender and runner, he's not just a power bat. He's currently committed to Florida State.
9th Round
Maybe the third time is a charm for Josh Spence. A LHP from Australia, Josh was selected by the Diamondbacks in the 25th round out of Central Arizona in 2008 and then again by the Los Angeles Angels in the 3rd round out or Arizona State in 2009. After returning to ASU, he missed his spring season with an elbow injury. When healthy, he can really pitch with a great feel for changing speeds and frustrating hitters.
10th Round
A left-handed hitting centerfielder out of Eastern Oklahoma JC, Houston Slemp has the chance to incorporate both speed and power into his game. Houston was an all-state football and baseball player in high school before starting his college baseball career at Arkansas.
6 comments:
Can you elaborate on "signability" concerns? When someone "committed" to go to college, why do teams still draft them? To convince them to skip?
How much thought is put into this - especially with late-round picks? Does signability break a tie in later rounds?
Really like the aggressiveness of going after some kids thats maybe hard to sign but have HUGE upside, a tatic the Red Sox has used very well in the past. Great Draft as far!
I also like the aggressiveness. Now, strap on your man parts and go sign them!
Why so many damn pitchers and not enough bats. I cannot believe that you haven't drafted a catcher yet, big mistake!
Nickfit,
Signability is always a factor. In this case we took some very talented guys who are asking for significant dollars to bypass their college experience.
John,
We can't invent players that aren't there. We thought the 2008 draft was incredibly strong with college bats, so we took a lot of them. This year we chose a few in the early rounds, but we thought the pitchers offered more value after that other than some of the younger hitters.
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