- STARTS TODAY AT 7PM - 2016 June Amateur Draft Discussion

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Ray is goin off so far. 4 homers in the first 7 games. If he hits around 20 and keeps his average high then he'll definitely go in the top 3. Hopefully the Reds pass.
 
With the last of the compensation free agents signing, the 2016 draft is finalized.

Braves have picks No. 3, 40, 44, 80, 109, 139, 169, 199, etc.

FYI:
Orioles have picks No. 27, 54, 69, 76, 91
 
With the way they're playing right now, I'd be cool with Lewis or Ray. Hell, with Puk, Hansen, and Perez in the mix as well, it's possible Groome slips to #3 for us.
 
Is Corey Ray really 5'11? What other legit player is under 6' minus Altuve?

Sheffield, Jefferies, Banks among the top 30 draft prospects are listed at 6-0. Yours is a great point. But Altuve is 5-6; considerably different.

Jimmy Rollins is 5-8, Josh Harrison is 5-8, Pedroia 5-8.

Yogi Berra and Joe Morgan were 5-7. Being 5-10 is still not that far from average.
 
I like the Delvin Perez kid. Seems like he may have character concerns, but he seems like he has true 1-1 talent. Would be nice to grab that with the 3rd pick.
 
What I like most from Ray right now is that his BB are up a bit and his Ks are down. That was the main thing I wanted to see from him. If he is able to keep that up (especially if he finishes with more BB than K), I'm all for taking him at 3 unless someone else blows up.

I'm not opposed to Perez, either, but I think we'd take the college bat over the HS bat unless the talent disparity is rather large, especially since Perez is really young for a HS draftee. He won't turn 18 until late November. I think we're really focused on getting a talented bat than can potentially be up by 2018.
 
Baseball America came out with their top 100 draft prospects. Nick Senzel 3B from Tennessee made a huge rise to #2.

1 Jason Groome lhp Barnegat (N.J.) High 6-4 224 Video

2 Nick Senzel 3b Tennessee 6-1 205 Video

3 Blake Rutherford of Chaminade College Prep, Canoga Park, Calif. 6-1 176

4 Riley Pint rhp St. Thomas Aquinas High, Overland Park, Kan. 6-5 195 Video

5 Delvin Perez ss International Baseball Academy, Ceiba, P.R. 6-2 165 Video

6 A.J. Puk lhp Florida 6-7 225 Video

7 Corey Ray of Louisville 5-11 185

8 Kyle Lewis of Mercer 6-4 195

9 Alec Hansen rhp Oklahoma 6-7 235 Video

10 Connor Jones rhp Virginia 6-3 200 Video

http://www.baseballamerica.com/coll...f98f&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
 
Alex (Macon): What power projections would you put for Corey Ray? Is he a 15-20 homer guy, or is it higher or lower than that? Also, is he a big league CF?

Hudson Belinsky: That’s probably a reasonable HR projection for him. There’s some thunder in the bat and he’s made progress this spring. If he keeps it up, he is in the mix to be picked in the top 3. The center field question is part of why he doesn’t rank higher on this list. He has some speed and some scouts I spoke with believed he could play center. Others are less optimistic, noting that he needs work in the field. The team that takes him will likely believe he fits in center, and he could prove himself there in pro ball.

Patrick (Lake Forest, CA): Which outfielder do you take between Rutherford and Ray? Why?

Hudson Belinsky: I prefer Rutherford. I feel that his offensive tools are better than Ray’s, and I am more of a believer in Rutherford as a CF than Ray. But that is my opinion, not necessarily industry consensus.

Adam (Atlanta): Hi Hudson, Corey Ray seems like the real deal, but some evaluators think he isn't worth ATL's #3 pick. What do you think?

Hudson Belinsky: Corey Ray IS the real deal. I’m excited to get eyes on him again soon. So the questions on him entering this spring were about where he fits best defensively (CF or LF), his approach, and whether his power plays well enough for him to be a corner OF if things don’t work out in CF. Over the past two years, Mr. Ray has shown a tendency to swing at pitches that even great hitters can’t do much with; he’s still learning how to employ his bat speed and pretty swing. His strikeout rate as an underclassman is a little bit alarming, but he’s off to a really good start this year, and if he keeps it up he could prove himself to be deserving of a top 3 pick. There are also concerns about his performance against lefthanded pitching; his struggles against southpaws have continued into this spring, with him taking poor ABs against Drew Harrington in intrasquads and a few lefthanders he’s faced during the season. His ceiling is enormous, but there’s work to be done.

Leprekhan (Georgia): If you are the Braves, who are you targeting with the third pick as well as hoping for with the 41st and 44th picks?

Hudson Belinsky: There are a lot of questions about the Braves, so I’ll try to address them here. It’s too early to tell who they might take, but the top 7 players in our rankings could be candidates. I saw a question about Atlanta’s draft strategy—whether they’re aiming for a certain demographic. I don’t think they are. The Braves are likely to take the best player available. They might add to their already impressive group of pitchers, or maybe they’ll get a premium high-ceiling bat. Still too early to tell. Ask me again in a couple months.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/top-100-draft-prospects-chat/
 
Look at what Kyle Lewis is doing at Mercer. He has 50 ABs in 13 games and has slashed .460/.591/.880 with 5 HRs, 15 BBs to only 7 Ks, and 6 2Bs. He fits the college hitter criteria Coppy has said he prefers this year. Also he's in our own back yard so you know we have scouts all over him. You also should never underestimate the draw of a potential local boy makes good storyline.

I've seen where Lewis is compared to a right handed hitting Heyward with better power but less glove. He'd fit perfectly as our long term answer to right.
 
Look at what Kyle Lewis is doing at Mercer. He has 50 ABs in 13 games and has slashed .460/.591/.880 with 5 HRs, 15 BBs to only 7 Ks, and 6 2Bs. He fits the college hitter criteria Coppy has said he prefers this year. Also he's in our own back yard so you know we have scouts all over him. You also should never underestimate the draw of a potential local boy makes good storyline.

I've seen where Lewis is compared to a right handed hitting Heyward with better power but less glove. He'd fit perfectly as our long term answer to right.

I'd be fine with him.

The interesting thing about Senzel is that he's never shown power and still isn't this year, so I'm curious as to why he suddenly flew up the ranking. I'm guessing he's elite defensively?
 
I'd be fine with him.

The interesting thing about Senzel is that he's never shown power and still isn't this year, so I'm curious as to why he suddenly flew up the ranking. I'm guessing he's elite defensively?

Not really. I'd say his defense is his worst quality, honestly. He was mostly a DH and second baseman his first two years. It's why I'm so confused at that super aggressive ranking of him.
 
I'd be fine with him.

The interesting thing about Senzel is that he's never shown power and still isn't this year, so I'm curious as to why he suddenly flew up the ranking. I'm guessing he's elite defensively?

I'd be good with Lewis too. The choice between him and Ray is a good problem to have. Lewis probably has more raw power and a better batting eye. However, Ray's power-speed combo would be hard to pass up. On the other hand, Ray is most valuable as a center fielder and that's a position the Braves don't have a huge need at sine we have two young guys in Mallex and Inciarte there.

If it was up to me I'd probably pick Ray because of what the speed brings to his game and the fact he's doing what he's doing against better competition. However, if the Braves had to pick between them I think they'd take Lewis at this point. The marketability of the local boy is huge and he also fits our need for a long term, power hitting corner outfielder better.
 
Right now it would be between Ray and Lewis for me. Rutherford hasn't played yet so his stock go could way up too. But something to look at is Newcomb and our other young starters. If they struggle to start the season and don't look as strong as they did last year then I think AJ Puk will be in the conversation at #3.
 
Right now it would be between Ray and Lewis for me. Rutherford hasn't played yet so his stock go could way up too. But something to look at is Newcomb and our other young starters. If they struggle to start the season and don't look as strong as they did last year then I think AJ Puk will be in the conversation at #3.

I think I would favor Lewis right now. RHed power hitting college bat that will slot into RF, local kid, looks very similar build-wise to Heyward. He is pretty much exactly what the Braves should be looking for. If they can get him to sign for a little under slot they could splurge on an over slot guy at 40/44.

Everything I have read suggests the Phils are all over Puk, so he might not be around at #3.
 
Drafting high in the first round is a good thing as long as a team doesn't make a habit of it. Some nice looking prospects. If a projectable premium bat is there, they should go that direction. They'll draft scads of pitchers as always, but it would be nice to get some top-tier hitting prospects in the system.
 
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