2023 MLB Draft Thread

I hope we take a position player too - but after whats going on with our pitching, they will probably draft there again. And again. And again.

I am down with pitching though.. Get some hitters in Inter. draft and keep hitting on these aces. hopefully AJSS is for real and we keep our rotation stocked so we can fill BP and Bench with available cash.
 
Yeah- and thing is, at big club level, we don’t have a pressing need for a young bat - just about every position is locked up for years to come - the need remains elite pitching
 
I don't really care, but a bat like that would think to be a quick mover. Maybe a permanent LF option. I don't think anyone would hate that.
 
SS or P needs to be the 1st pick, imo. Catcher wouldn't be horrible I suppose, assuming it's Blake Mitchell. With the overall lack of depth at C in the minors, he would be palatable. But if I recall reading correctly, it's a fairly deep draft at the C position, so could probably address that later in the draft.

Hoping for one of the prep SS's.
 
Yeah- and thing is, at big club level, we don’t have a pressing need for a young bat - just about every position is locked up for years to come - the need remains elite pitching

We currently have close to zero offensive depth in the upper minors if a prime guy were to go down. Some bats of interest in the low minors, but really nobody other than Grissom above AA who looks like an everyday player (and there are questions about him). I'm with Super in that we need depth across the board so I'm fine with a number of directions, but I don't think there's any question that we need to bolster the offensive side of our prospect pool.
 
I'm kind of out of touch lately. How is that draft class from a few years ago where they spread out the money working? I think Backstrom may have been on of the names.
 
I'm kind of out of touch lately. How is that draft class from a few years ago where they spread out the money working? I think Backstrom may have been on of the names.

We've basically done that every draft since failing to sign Carter Stewart (2020 not withstanding). Assuming you mean 2019 where we took Langeliers and Shewmake?

That was a pretty awesome draft. Langeliers, Shewmake, Grissom, and Harris have all reached the majors from that class. Obviously Harris is a bonafide stud. Grissom and Langeliers have promise. Shewmake seems like a utility guy at best. Other guys of note are Vines, Milligan, Owens, and Valdes. Each are showing a little bit of promise, but all pretty much just lottery tickets at this point.
 
We've basically done that every draft since failing to sign Carter Stewart (2020 not withstanding). Assuming you mean 2019 where we took Langeliers and Shewmake?

That was a pretty awesome draft. Langeliers, Shewmake, Grissom, and Harris have all reached the majors from that class. Obviously Harris is a bonafide stud. Grissom and Langeliers have promise. Shewmake seems like a utility guy at best. Other guys of note are Vines, Milligan, Owens, and Valdes. Each are showing a little bit of promise, but all pretty much just lottery tickets at this point.

Still not a huge fan of the 2019 draft. Langeliers was a top 10 pick and still could easily never be more than a backup catcher. His bat is really questionable.

Shewmake was a first rounder and his hit tool was hugely misjudged. Dude can't hit his way out of a wet paper bag.

Beau Philip was our third pick. He's closing in on 25 and can't hit in AA.

Harris is a stud. The one think keeping the draft from being a disaster.

Kasey Kalich was traded and can't find the zone with two hands and a flashlight.

Stephen Paolini has never hit a lick.

Looking the rest of the way, there are really, really few guys who even remotely resemble prospects. Grissom is about all there is and who knows if his power will develop.
 
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Still not a huge fan of the 2019 draft. Langeliers was a top 10 pick and still could easily never be more than a backup catcher. His bat is really questionable.

Shewmake was a first rounder and his hit tool was hugely misjudged. Dude can't hit his way out of a wet paper bag.

Beau Philip was our third pick. He's closing in on 25 and can't hit in AA.

Harris is a stud. The one think keeping the draft from being a disaster.

Kasey Kalich was traded and can't find the zone with two hands and a flashlight.

Stephen Paolini has never hit a lick.

Looking the rest of the way, there are really, really few guys who even remotely resemble prospects. Grissom is about all there is and who knows if his power will develop.

Lol what. A bunch of MLB players and you’re complaining? Do you know how many MLB players come out of a typical draft?
 
Lol what. A bunch of MLB players and you’re complaining? Do you know how many MLB players come out of a typical draft?

A top 10 pick that's on track to be a no hit catcher. Three bats in the top 60 and none of them look like they'll ever hit. That's not great. I'm not going to celebrate a draft for creating a handful of backups.

Harris is carrying that entire draft on his back.

I will admit I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about the 2019 draft. I hated our two first round picks. I thought we'd drafted a future backup catcher and future utility infielder in the first round. I was told I was crazy and that we had a future perennial All Star catcher and a super high floor hitter who would be able to start at 4 or 5 spots on the field. Turns out even I may have been overly optimistic about Shewmake.

Still, 2019 is better than the barren wasteland that was the Braves 2018 draft. That one was just ugly.
 
A top 10 pick that's on track to be a no hit catcher. Three bats in the top 60 and none of them look like they'll ever hit. That's not great. I'm not going to celebrate a draft for creating a handful of backups.

Harris is carrying that entire draft on his back.

I will admit I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about the 2019 draft. I hated our two first round picks. I thought we'd drafted a future backup catcher and future utility infielder in the first round. I was told I was crazy and that we had a future perennial All Star catcher and a super high floor hitter who would be able to start at 4 or 5 spots on the field. Turns out even I may have been overly optimistic about Shewmake.

Still, 2019 is better than the barren wasteland that was the Braves 2018 draft. That one was just ugly.

Drafts are an impossible crap shoot. I mean 15 teams missed on Carrol.. Harris being picked in later rounds means a lot of teams missed on him. Lango helped us get Olson, and several other guys are hanging around trying to figure it out. It is not a bust of a draft with so many guys coming up and being in the majors or being used to net us players. This is just another weird post trying to pat yourself on the back about being right. Like your Arcia posts. Just let it go.. no one cares if you made a wrong take, no one really cares if you made a correct take.
 
A top 10 pick that's on track to be a no hit catcher. Three bats in the top 60 and none of them look like they'll ever hit. That's not great. I'm not going to celebrate a draft for creating a handful of backups.

Harris is carrying that entire draft on his back.

I will admit I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about the 2019 draft. I hated our two first round picks. I thought we'd drafted a future backup catcher and future utility infielder in the first round. I was told I was crazy and that we had a future perennial All Star catcher and a super high floor hitter who would be able to start at 4 or 5 spots on the field. Turns out even I may have been overly optimistic about Shewmake.

Still, 2019 is better than the barren wasteland that was the Braves 2018 draft. That one was just ugly.

I don't think you fully understand how few players in any given draft even make the majors. Hell, only about 80% of first rounders ever reach the majors. On average, only about 3-4 1st round picks in any draft will go on to make even 1 all-star game. Only about 5-6 will average more than 2.5 bWAR. Here's a good article for that: https://community.fangraphs.com/success-rate-of-mlb-first-round-draft-picks-by-slot/

Langeliers was a hit for us, as he developed into a top level prospect and allowed us to use him as a major piece in the Olson deal. That's really all that matters. Also, catchers are notorious for being slow to develop their bat. Way too early to assume he won't be a good player. Getting even 1 MLB every day regular from a draft is a good draft, regardless what round he was drafted in. The fact that we seem to have drafted at least 3 guys who look like MLB mainstays makes it a pretty amazing draft.
 
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Thanks. Yeah that was the draft. I remembered Paolini, Milligan, Philip, Backstrom. Didn't realize Grissom and Harris were in that one.
 
A top 10 pick that's on track to be a no hit catcher. Three bats in the top 60 and none of them look like they'll ever hit. That's not great. I'm not going to celebrate a draft for creating a handful of backups.

Harris is carrying that entire draft on his back.

I will admit I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about the 2019 draft. I hated our two first round picks. I thought we'd drafted a future backup catcher and future utility infielder in the first round. I was told I was crazy and that we had a future perennial All Star catcher and a super high floor hitter who would be able to start at 4 or 5 spots on the field. Turns out even I may have been overly optimistic about Shewmake.

Still, 2019 is better than the barren wasteland that was the Braves 2018 draft. That one was just ugly.

We traded Langeliers for Olson. That’s a great outcome for a FRP.
 
I don't think you fully understand how few players in any given draft even make the majors. Hell, only about 80% of first rounders ever reach the majors. On average, only about 3-4 1st round picks in any draft will go on to make even 1 all-star game. Only about 5-6 will average more than 2.5 bWAR. Here's a good article for that: https://community.fangraphs.com/success-rate-of-mlb-first-round-draft-picks-by-slot/

Langeliers was a hit for us, as he developed into a top level prospect and allowed us to use him as a major piece in the Olson deal. That's really all that matters. Also, catchers are notorious for being slow to develop their bat. Way too early to assume he won't be a good player. Getting even 1 MLB every day regular from a draft is a good draft, regardless what round he was drafted in. The fact that we seem to have drafted at least 3 guys who look like MLB mainstays makes it a pretty amazing draft.

If you want to make the argument that the 2019 draft was decent solely because of Harris, that's a legitimate position. I might disagree with it but it's definitely a point one could argue legitimately.

The issue I have is congratulating ourselves if a draft pick makes it to the majors. If a guy makes it to the majors and only every performs at replacement level, he's not brought any more value than a guy who never made it past A ball.

Not everyone has to make it to the majors in a draft and you don't need multiple All Stars to make a draft good. But if a guy is never more than replacement level at the majors, it's a miss. It's a pick that resulted in zero value. Making it to the majors is ultimately meaningless. Contributing at the majors is what matters.
 
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