msstate7
Well-known member
Thank God for mike Martin... state is still playing now bc he tried to destroy his pitcher's arm
2018 MLB Draft Thread
- Thread starter CJ9
- Start date
Thank God for mike Martin... state is still playing now bc he tried to destroy his pitcher's arm
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
Likely true or he would have been drafted much earlier. He's just one of the guys that piqued my interest after reading an article about him. Like CJ9, I'm curious to see if they have enough money to bundle and go after one of the post-10th round picks with something in the $400,00 to $500,000 range.
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
Apparently a kid who has not received much coaching. His slider is described as being "self-taught." I think I know who I will rooting for a little bit extra to make it from this draft.
On a similar note, Dazon Cole, who the Braves drafted three years but did not sign, was drafted yesterday by the Angels in the 25th round. Good luck Dazon!
Last edited:
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
I think we can only pay guys with Monopoly money and coupons.
IslandBrave
Mashin' to Mississippi
Clemson guys saying Higgenbothom will
sign. Ready to try out pro ball
sign. Ready to try out pro ball
cajunrevenge
Well-known member
cajunrevenge
Well-known member
Isn’t our pool halfed this year?....I can’t remember.
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
For the 2018-2019 IFA signing period, we have the standard penalty for exceeding the bonus pool two years ago.
For the 2019-2020 period, there is a more severe penalty under which we will not be able to sign a player for more than 10K. That one will hurt.
For 2020-2021, we will have our bonus pool cut in half.
For the 2019-2020 period, there is a more severe penalty under which we will not be able to sign a player for more than 10K. That one will hurt.
For 2020-2021, we will have our bonus pool cut in half.
Deester11
Well-known member
Can’t pay anyone over $10k?
Atlanta will be prohibited from signing any international player for more than $10,000 during the 2019-20 signing period and its international signing bonus pool for the 2020-21 signing period will be reduced by 50 percent.
I didn’t realize we got it without the grease...
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
There are probably a lot of undrafted guys from smaller college programs throughout the country who are buoyed by the news of the Braves' international restrictions. Our local scouts will really be beating the bushes for guys.
I was reading the guy over at Tomahawk Take who thought Higginbotham would return to Clemson, but being a junior is the last time a player really has any leverage unless he absolutely blows up during his senior season. Kingham and Venter are probably in the same boat as Higginbotham. Interesting picks and I wonder if they had to go over $100,000 for Higginbotham. Higginbotham now ties Thornton "Bean" Stringfellow for best name in Braves' history.
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
It doesn't say anything about giving these guys cars. Yugos for everyone!
Yeah, I'd be stunned if Higginbotham went back to school. We aren't taking a guy with the 8th pick of the entire third day if he hasn't indicated that he would be willing to sign.
Southcack77
Well-known member
There has seemingly some confusion in the national writer reporting on this.
I feel like some articles have felt like the author believed the 10k penalty applied to this season as well. Honestly, I'm not really sure why MLB would let Atlanta participate somewhat this year, then shut them out next year.
Southcack77
Well-known member
Jaw
It's OVER 5,000!
You forgot the S&H Green Stamps!
Stewart projects for 2 pitches that grade 60-70 with good athleticism and a projectable frame. His fastball was in the low 90s late in the spring rather than mid 90s earlier in the year, so hopefully he can find that extra velocity again as he fills out. The athleticism is usually a good sign the pitcher will be able to add a change and repeat his delivery well enough to have average or better command. He is basically a Touki clone with better command projection, so wherever you rank Touki is 1-2 spots away from where you should rank Stewart.
Jenista literally grades out almost identically to Riley offensively (from the left side of the plate) with more straight line speed and less arm. He is obviously less advanced than Riley at this point, and there are some rumblings that he can't handle the OF. I'm guessing he is going to prove adequate in LF, and would place him somewhere in the Braves Top 15-20, just behind Waters and the catchers.
Beck is a SP with a back injury in his history who has a chance to be a back end SP if everything bounces back. I don't like reports of straight fastballs in the low 90s from guys who are about to turn 22, so I'm not super hopeful. I'd place him on the back end of the Braves Top 30.
Riley is a JC pitcher who saw his velocity increase this spring. If he is able to maintain it, he is a potential SP. I prefer him to Beck, and he likely slots in the Braves Top 25-30.
Moritz sounds like a AAAA OFer who could see time at the end of a MLB bench as a 4th/5th OFer.
The rest of the guys seem like org filler.
Without a 3rd round pick the Braves only really got 2 guys with a reasonable chance to contribute in a meaningful way at the MLB level. I think I would have rather seen them punt most of their picks after Stewart/Jenista in order to make a push for Rocker or Wilcox. If those guys really wanted $3M+ to skip college then they were never really an option anyways though.
Jenista literally grades out almost identically to Riley offensively (from the left side of the plate) with more straight line speed and less arm. He is obviously less advanced than Riley at this point, and there are some rumblings that he can't handle the OF. I'm guessing he is going to prove adequate in LF, and would place him somewhere in the Braves Top 15-20, just behind Waters and the catchers.
Beck is a SP with a back injury in his history who has a chance to be a back end SP if everything bounces back. I don't like reports of straight fastballs in the low 90s from guys who are about to turn 22, so I'm not super hopeful. I'd place him on the back end of the Braves Top 30.
Riley is a JC pitcher who saw his velocity increase this spring. If he is able to maintain it, he is a potential SP. I prefer him to Beck, and he likely slots in the Braves Top 25-30.
Moritz sounds like a AAAA OFer who could see time at the end of a MLB bench as a 4th/5th OFer.
The rest of the guys seem like org filler.
Without a 3rd round pick the Braves only really got 2 guys with a reasonable chance to contribute in a meaningful way at the MLB level. I think I would have rather seen them punt most of their picks after Stewart/Jenista in order to make a push for Rocker or Wilcox. If those guys really wanted $3M+ to skip college then they were never really an option anyways though.
Last edited:
From FG's recap:
"Arizona prep lefty Matthew Liberatore (1) fell here, in part, because the A’s surprised everyone by taking Kyler Murray, and the dominoes behind Oakland fell in such a way that Libby and his buddy, Nolan Gorman, were the odd men out. Some of the teams in the Nos. 10-16 range probably hadn’t had communication with Liberatore’s camp about his bonus demands because they could not have conceived that he’d be there when they picked, and that lack of comfort caused some of them to pass…"
The Rays have to be absolutely stoked with Libby at 16. The real pitching factory of MLB may have just acquired the raw materials to produce their next 3+ WAR SP just in time to replace Snell after they trade him away.
"Arizona prep lefty Matthew Liberatore (1) fell here, in part, because the A’s surprised everyone by taking Kyler Murray, and the dominoes behind Oakland fell in such a way that Libby and his buddy, Nolan Gorman, were the odd men out. Some of the teams in the Nos. 10-16 range probably hadn’t had communication with Liberatore’s camp about his bonus demands because they could not have conceived that he’d be there when they picked, and that lack of comfort caused some of them to pass…"
The Rays have to be absolutely stoked with Libby at 16. The real pitching factory of MLB may have just acquired the raw materials to produce their next 3+ WAR SP just in time to replace Snell after they trade him away.