MLB Draft Thread
- Thread starter Hudson2
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A big question is can Lodise stick at SS, and how quickly can he move through the system?
Second question is: Does Miller have a position, or is he destined to be a utility player?
Further down the road question is where Tate will eventually play.
I am feeling really optimistic about this group.
Second question is: Does Miller have a position, or is he destined to be a utility player?
Further down the road question is where Tate will eventually play.
I am feeling really optimistic about this group.
ixiXSolidXixi
Called Up to the Major Leagues
Deester11
Well-known member
Maybe there is someone being pushed down that they feel is a tough sign for other teams. I like the position player strategy as a whole, but I do feel Aloy was the pick unless he had a figure the Braves wouldn't touch. It's a wait and see thing for me. Not high or low. I'm not a fan of draft moneyball, but what the hell do I know.
Hudson2
Well-known member
I think he can stick and most people do. Tate will probably be the primary SS and maybe Lodise moves over to 2nd. Lots to like about the draft so far.
It took me 15 seconds to evaluate Waldrep as mediocre or worse once I saw the statcast data. No idea why it wasn’t known by the Braves before the draft. I don’t even bother following the picks anymore since all the best players like Baldwin and Schwelly and Harris weren’t heralded at all when they were drafted. And the Braves first picks have mostly been awful. Shuster? Really?
Deester11
Well-known member
Big facts. It really is a crap shoot and the unheralded picks do seem to pan out. I don't get worked up until I see them play anyway. I'm a swing for the fence guy though. Nobody is necessarily "can't miss," but given the chance at one potential star versus three solid, I'm going with the star. Probably why I'm an unpaid observer
.I do like the Lodise pick a lot though.
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
Not to nitpick, the Schwellenbach was a top 100 guy and the Braves were rumored to be considering him in the first round. In fairness, he was pretty much viewed as a top-end closer by most services, but the Braves have done a great job with a lot of the pitchers they draft (going way back) and moved him up through the system patiently and that has borne fruit thus far. Fangraphs was the only service that had Harris ranked. PG Crosschecker liked him, but a lot of teams saw him as a pitcher.
The Braves have this uncanny ability to take guys that most rank in one category and go counter to that and have success. Like Harris, Klesko and Riley were both thought to be pitching prospects by most. Schwellenbach, like Kris Medlen, was a shortstop who also served as a closer for their team and the Braves turned them into starting pitchers. There are more examples.
Always hard to know with a draft. I think the scouting and player development staffs have looked at the paucity of offensive talent in the system and want to rectify the situation. I clearly know sh*t about how the whole bonus pool thing is being approached because in the past I've thought guys like Hackenberg two years ago and Hernandez last year looked like below-slot guys and neither was.
The Braves have this uncanny ability to take guys that most rank in one category and go counter to that and have success. Like Harris, Klesko and Riley were both thought to be pitching prospects by most. Schwellenbach, like Kris Medlen, was a shortstop who also served as a closer for their team and the Braves turned them into starting pitchers. There are more examples.
Always hard to know with a draft. I think the scouting and player development staffs have looked at the paucity of offensive talent in the system and want to rectify the situation. I clearly know sh*t about how the whole bonus pool thing is being approached because in the past I've thought guys like Hackenberg two years ago and Hernandez last year looked like below-slot guys and neither was.
Southcack77
Well-known member
Dang AA got bullied into taking a bunch of SS after the run of SS had already happened. Good job fans.
O
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I've watched him a few times. He looks the part of a SS. Strong arm. Solid range. I suppose there could be worry he outgrows the position if he adds much weight. But he won the ACC DPOY award if that tells you anything. There shouldn't be much worry that he will need to change positions. I really feel like the Braves were surprised he lasted this long. Especially with the run on SS's that we saw.
He's 18 my guy. Not many 18 year olds look super fluid defensively. But he possesses all the necessary traits to stick at SS if they think that's the best place for him.
We've been over this before. For whatever reason, his statcast data was significantly better in college. His SL was registering over 3000 rpm. His Splitter wase registering under 800 rpm. Both are elite numbers. Maybe the Braves changed something when he got into the system. But the raw stuff was clearly there.
His college numbers were pretty inconsistent overall. From what I recall, the report on him was that he was near unhittable when he was on, but when he was off, he was really off.
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50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
Raw stuff is an indicator, but it loses a lot of value when you can't apply it in the optimum situation during an AB. Waldrep's control has been pretty iffy in the high minors and the majors. He can't use his "out" pitch if he's constantly behind in the count.
Until someone can provide actual data showing those numbers in college I’m going to go ahead and believe he was simply a whiff. I find it extremely hard to believe a pitcher just suddenly lost the ability to spin the ball due to some change that wasn’t immediately reversed after the very first track man reading showed the reduced rpm.
Suggesting an asset as valuable as Waldrep was allowed to accidentally misplace one of the traits that made him valuable is pure and utter nonsense. The shape of the FA is lacking as well, so what happened there? He forgot how to spin that pitch too? Or how to get an efficient spin axis?
Oops, sorry guys, I can’t seem to spin a baseball anymore. Oh, that’s ok, keep doing whatever change led to losing it, no big deal. We don’t need our top picks to be effective. Enjoy that signing bonus!!
That never happened.
bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
Yeah not buying the spin was this in college. Maybe he did that at some camp once or he was bragging about hitting 3000 RPM in his car and AA misread it. But without an injury you don’t convert someone to being worse.
I hope you aren't triggered again by someone calling his Splitter "freaky" or "deadly." But here you go.
Hurston Waldrep’s Freaky Splitter Is Coming! Beware! Beware!
The Florida righthander fell to the Braves at 24th overall on Sunday night. Is there a pitcher in the majors quite like him?
Now is it possible the data was wrong? Sure. But the Braves scouts aren't the only ones who were high on Waldrep.
The real issue with Waldrep is command, which was always poor, even in college. And it's something he has continued to struggle with in the minors. Now you can bash the Braves all you want about taking a college pitcher in the 1st round with very poor command. I wouldn't stop you one bit. But his raw stuff is good enough to play up as a decent starter if he had just average command.
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50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
Waldrep's control is at least in the solar system. Ryan Cusick's is somewhere near Alpha Centuri. Braves have taken some puzzling picks in the first round under Anthopoulos, but the pre-draft analysis on Waldrep seemed to indicate it was a solid pick. Someone on the Braves' scouting staff must have been a Wake Forest grad, because the Shuster and Cusick picks were simply bad picks. No team drafts and develops perfectly and Braves have their preferences and have overall done alright. There's just been some real outliers in the first round picks.I hope you aren't triggered again by someone calling his Splitter "freaky" or "deadly." But here you go.
Hurston Waldrep’s Freaky Splitter Is Coming! Beware! Beware!
The Florida righthander fell to the Braves at 24th overall on Sunday night. Is there a pitcher in the majors quite like him?blogs.fangraphs.com
Now is it possible the data was wrong? Sure. But the Braves scouts aren't the only ones who were high on Waldrep.
The real issue with Waldrep is command, which was always poor, even in college. And it's something he has continued to struggle with in the minors. Now you can bash the Braves all you want about taking a college pitcher in the 1st round with very poor command. I wouldn't stop you one bit. But his raw stuff is good enough to play up as a decent starter if he had just average command.
bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
yeah, The Braves are like.. we going to skip the first rounder just to make it fair.. cause we are about to crush the later rounds.
MadduxFanII
Swallowed by Mark Bowman
I won't pretend to know that much about our first round pick, but at least we didn't draft someone named "Dax Kilby."