BRAVES FINAL DRAFT SIGNING BOARD: Backstrom on board!

rico43 said:
1B Bryce Ball did an interview for his Twitter account and said Braves changed his mind about returning to college (Dallas Baptist) despite being a 24th round pick. Chalk up another for what is looking like a huge draft class.
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I don't want to be around when this guy gets angry. He looks like a beast.
 
CJ9 said:
Wow, Callis says Shewmake got slot at 21. $3.1 million.
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That makes me hate the pick even more. Why would you pick a college bat without a position and only aspirations of power at 21 and give him slot? That makes no sense.
 
sturg33 said:
Right or wrong, the most logical explanation is that the Braves think more highly of him than you
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striker42 said:
I'm sure they do. I just don't see how they can be confident he'll stick anywhere in the field.
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If reports are accurate that TB would’ve taken Shewmake with the immediate next pick, that both explains how he had leverage for full-slot and moreover means another team (a pretty damn well-run team, in fact) was confident he’d be useful somewhere in the field.
 
sturg33 said:
Right or wrong, the most logical explanation is that the Braves think more highly of him than you
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which is just insane, as striker has read at least 4 pre-draft boards and has the best grip on the type of player he is because of it.
 
DOB wrote that Langeliers will be at the game tonight. He also said that Shewmake will start playing at Rome whenever they deem him ready for action.

He also said they signed Langeliers for $1 million less than slot because he was expected to go 15-19 overall if not 9 to Atlanta.
 
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striker42 said:
I'm sure they do. I just don't see how they can be confident he'll stick anywhere in the field.
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I'm so tired of your "set on infinite repeat" mantra. Sounds like you're about the only one who really is concerned about that. Scouting reports say he might not be able to stay at SS or he may be able to. Nowhere do I see, "there's no way he can stick at his position" like you keep rambling about. But sure, you know more about his development and future than the guys who have been watching him probably weekly or even daily for the whole year. We get it, you don't think he can stay at SS and he's a future utility guy (which if he's a quality utility guy, that's quite valuable). However the Braves and other clubs (well run clubs) don't seem to share your concerns and I'm more inclined to side with them because of that whole "actually know what they're doing" thing while you've watched some YouTube videos and deem yourself a scouting expert.
 
jpx7 said:
I wonder how much the “advisors” to these amateur players know about the bonuses to which signed players have agreed, versus how much a team like the Braves can tactically delay the release of that information to maintain one more slice of leverage.
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Outside of the fact that we're all dying to know, this is quite possibly the biggest benefit of having AA play everything so close to the vest - if the reports already compiled here are right (about who's signed) and there's somehow enough money left to convince 3-4 of Owens, Backstrom, Morton, and Estes to sign as well, this turns into a monster draft when you consider where we'd likely be with the penalties if the draft/signings didn't go this well. The thought of being able to take everything as slow as needed with Harris, Grissom, Owens, Johnston, Estes, Backstrom, and Morton would be an awfully nice luxury to have.
 
jpx7 said:
If reports are accurate that TB would’ve taken Shewmake with the immediate next pick, that both explains how he had leverage for full-slot and moreover means another team (a pretty damn well-run team, in fact) was confident he’d be useful somewhere in the field.
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I don't really see the Ray's interest as leverage. There's nothing supporting that the Rays intended to pay him full slot. For all anyone knows they were intending to underslot him.

The fact is that Shewmake is a college bat that got taken at the upper end of expectations. That usually doesn't draw a full slot.

I'd argue that Langeliers was taken closer to where he'd be expected and he was signed well under slot. I just don't see why Shewmake gets slot while Langleiers goes way under.
 
Tapate50 said:
Yeah a major college program SS won’t have a spot to play on defense. Sure
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All we can go on is what we have available to us. I'm more than willing to admit the Braves have far more information. That doesn't mean they're automatically correct and that we shouldn't even discuss the picks.

As for Shewmake, it's difficult to project him at any position.

We can rule out catcher immediately.

First is unlikely. I don't think anyone expects him to do anything more than potentially back up at first.

Third is possible but his arm isn't his best tool. There's doubt he has the arm to stick at short so playing third might be a stretch.

His natural position is SS but again, everywhere I've read speculates he'll be moved. He's 6-4 and the Braves want him to add weight to increase his power. His range is already not exceptional. If he adds weight and loses a step, add in his average arm and he's not really likely to stick at SS.

Second is a possibility. However, 6-4 is big for a second baseman. If he stays wirey and never really adds power, I could definitely see him as a Craig Counsell type second baseman. If he bulks up, he might just be too big for second.

The OF is probably most likely. If he adds bulk and gets 15 HR power, I could see him being a Nick Markakis-like OF. Maybe not exceptional but certainly with value.

Ultimately, if his bat is exceptional he'll be able to play enough defense to stick somewhere. However, I can see why people think being a utility player might be his best bet. His bat doesn't really profile for a corner OF, his defense doesn't really profile as a starter at a lot of places. But he's likely to be able to play competently at a number of spots and has a much, much better bat than your average backup.

There's a reason that even the Braves mentioned the word "Utility" when talking about his future. A Mark Derosa super-sub type is definitely a possibility. That might justify using our 21st pick on him. However, I still don't see why he got slot.
 
Super said:
did you happen to look at a new pre-draft ranking today? your 5th? basically an expert.
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Dude, if you don't want to have people throw around opinions on things like the draft, a Braves internet forum is not for you. It's possible to admit I don't know near what the Braves do about a player and still not just give them a blind stamp of approval.
 
striker42 said:
Dude, if you don't want to have people throw around opinions on things like the draft, a Braves internet forum is not for you. It's possible to admit I don't know near what the Braves do about a player and still not just give them a blind stamp of approval.
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look forward to your scouting reports and depth of knowledge on a bunch of guys you've never seen and have little data on. tell us all more about how badly the Braves messed up these picks. we've all been dying to know how you feel.
 
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