Pull the trigger on Singer JD!

MFer

Still a good value pick but really wanted Singer. Something has to be going on with him.

Probably money demands. MLB said Libertore was dropping bc of money demands

I'm just glad it's a pitcher. I'd like to see Singer who could help out sooner but Winn seems like a solid HS arm and has a great name.

DallasAg 94 said:

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Rossko said:

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I'm just glad it's a pitcher. I'd like to see Singer who could help out sooner but Winn seems like a solid HS arm and has a great name.

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I'm glad:

1. It wasn't Kyler Murray.
2. It was a SP.
3. He isn't injured.

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As much as we dislike some of JD's moves, I don't think any of us believe he's dumb enough to take Slider. Good luck with that Oakland.

Dang. Was hoping we'd take Singer.

HS'ers selected by JD in the first round:
Blake Beavan
Michael Main
Neil Ramirez
Matt Purke
Jake Skole
Kellin Deglin
Luke Jackson
Kevin Matthews
Lewis Brinson
Joey Gallo
Collin Wiles
Travis Demeritte
Luis Ortiz
Cole Ragans
Bubba Thompson

CampingAg said:

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Dang. Was hoping we'd take Singer.

HS'ers selected by JD in the first round:
Blake Beavan
Michael Main
Neil Ramirez
Matt Purke
Jake Skole
Kellin Deglin
Luke Jackson
Kevin Matthews
Lewis Brinson
Joey Gallo
Collin Wiles
Travis Demeritte
Luis Ortiz
Cole Ragans
Bubba Thompson

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Add the glowing reviews of the Royals picking Singer and this could be a pick look back on like that list. Pedro said Singer was the safest arm in the draft and Mayo said the Royals were probably doing cartwheels that Singer fell because he'll move so fast as a SP.

Rossko said:

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CampingAg said:

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Dang. Was hoping we'd take Singer.

HS'ers selected by JD in the first round:
Blake Beavan
Michael Main
Neil Ramirez
Matt Purke
Jake Skole
Kellin Deglin
Luke Jackson
Kevin Matthews
Lewis Brinson
Joey Gallo
Collin Wiles
Travis Demeritte
Luis Ortiz
Cole Ragans
Bubba Thompson

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Add the glowing reviews of the Royals picking Singer and this could be a pick look back on like that list. Pedro said Singer was the safest arm in the draft and Mayo said the Royals were probably doing cartwheels that Singer fell because he'll move so fast as a SP.

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Yep. If you wanna go for the high ceiling guys, that's fine, but you just hope for a higher success rate than what JD has had.

Is this just a case where the Rangers were locked on Winn, and not expecting Singer to drop that low, just hadn't done enough pull the trigger on him?

Singer is 6'5", 210 and will be 22 in August.
Winn is 6'2", 190 and will be 19 in November.

It isn't like we have a glut of SPs coming. Let's say he was the most polished SP and he makes it to the Bigs in 3 years. I've hashed this out. We don't have any locks.

We could add
YoMen (23) later this year.
Ariel Jurado (22) in 2019.
Jonathan Hernandez (21) 2020.

But that's the future. I agree with Rossko in that we should have taken a College SP, ESPECIALLY with someone like Singer on the board. I just don't project him in 3 years. It'd be nice. Best case. But not likely.

DallasAg 94 said:

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Is this just a case where the Rangers were locked on Winn, and not expecting Singer to drop that low, just hadn't done enough pull the trigger on him?

Singer is 6'5", 210 and will be 22 in August.
Winn is 6'2", 190 and will be 19 in November.

It isn't like we have a glut of SPs coming. Let's say he was the most polished SP and he makes it to the Bigs in 3 years. I've hashed this out. We don't have any locks.

We could add
YoMen (23) later this year.
Ariel Jurado (22) in 2019.
Jonathan Hernandez (21) 2020.

But that's the future. I agree with Rossko in that we should have taken a College SP, ESPECIALLY with someone like Singer on the board. I just don't project him in 3 years. It'd be nice. Best case. But not likely.

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The Royals will be a good case study for my strategy this year. They will be rebuilding and just took 4 college arms in the 1st rounds including the gator teammates. We can see how many of those 4 make their first start in the bigs within 3 years.

Rossko said:

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The Royals will be a good case study for my strategy this year. They will be rebuilding and just took 4 college arms in the 1st rounds including the gator teammates. We can see how many of those 4 make their first start in the bigs within 3 years.

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In all fairness, making their 1st GS in MLB maybe or may not be relevant. AFAIK, the Royals don't rush their pitchers. Take Ariel Jurado. Not a great performance in his 1 GS, so far.

If one of them makes his debut within 3 years and goes less than 5 GS with an ERA over 5.00, would you consider that validation?

I think the bulk of Rangers AAA SP are lined up to replace players traded like Hamels and Fister, or players whom they finally give up on, like Moore.

They are a buffer to keep guys like YoMen and Jurado from being forced into MLB. In other years, the Rangers might just bring them up to see what they have.

Just took another HS RHP in the second round. Owen White out of Jesse Carson HS in North Carolina. 6'3" 170 lbs, fastball sits at 93-95 mph, plus slider and a solid curve and change. Apparently he was a top QB recruit too but decided to focus on baseball. Committed to South Carolina.

DallasAg 94 said:

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Rossko said:

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The Royals will be a good case study for my strategy this year. They will be rebuilding and just took 4 college arms in the 1st rounds including the gator teammates. We can see how many of those 4 make their first start in the bigs within 3 years.

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In all fairness, making their 1st GS in MLB maybe or may not be relevant. AFAIK, the Royals don't rush their pitchers. Take Ariel Jurado. Not a great performance in his 1 GS, so far.

If one of them makes his debut within 3 years and goes less than 5 GS with an ERA over 5.00, would you consider that validation?

I think the bulk of Rangers AAA SP are lined up to replace players traded like Hamels and Fister, or players whom they finally give up on, like Moore.

They are a buffer to keep guys like YoMen and Jurado from being forced into MLB. In other years, the Rangers might just bring them up to see what they have.

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Well I'm not going to call someone's first 5 games anything but a small sample. The point of pitchers making it up so fast is that they pitched so well in the minors to move quickly which trends to a solid big league pitcher. It's not about the stats in their first taste.

Ag2012 said:

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Just took another HS RHP in the second round. Owen White out of Jesse Carson HS in North Carolina. 6'3" 170 lbs, fastball sits at 93-95 mph, plus slider and a solid curve and change. Apparently he was a top QB recruit too but decided to focus on baseball. Committed to South Carolina.

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I read he was a QB recruit but stopped playing football his senior year to focus on baseball. Would've been an added bonus to take a Gamecocks QB commit.

Rossko said:

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I'm just glad it's a pitcher. I'd like to see Singer who could help out sooner but Winn seems like a solid HS arm and has a great name.

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Not the best name in the draft though. JD still has plenty more rounds to snag this guy:

I think Seth Beer is in the ring.

https://deadspin.com/kumar-rocker-seth-beer-owen-sharts-and-the-future-of-1826547040

I don't think they expected Winn to be there either.

From Scott Lucas this morning:

1st round, 15th overall: RHP Cole Winn
Age 18, 6'2", 195, Orange, CA
#10 draft prospect per Baseball America, #9 per MLB.com, #11 per Fangraphs.com
MLB.com video
Baseball America video
Fangraphs video

MLB,.com's Jonathan Mayo linked Winn to Texas in a early mock draft, but Winn's stock kept rising to the point that every mock I saw had him off the board no late than 12th. He ranked behind only Carter Stewart among righty prepsters. Winn moved from Colorado to Orange, CA, to face better competition and get in front of more eyes as a senior. He's committed to TCU, but you're not getting him, Frog fans.

Winn offers a 92-94 fastball that has touched 96, a curve, slider and change. Curiously, Baseball America rates his mid-70s curve as his best secondary, but MLB.com doesn't mention it at all. You can see it in the BA video. The slider is a recent addition and is more of a work in progress but has shown promise. There's scant info about his change. The best high schoolers don't have any need for one at that level.

I'm sure the Rangers are thrilled Winn fell to them, but some unexpected names also vied for their attention. Matthew Liberatore, the top lefty in the draft, was still available, as was Phoenix 3B Nolan Gorman, the consensus top high school infielder. The Rays nabbed Liberatore immediately after Texas, while Gorman dropped to the Cards at #19. OF Jordyn Adams, strongly linked to Texas and certainly a Texas type of pick, went the Angels at #17.

Here's where everybody I mentioned this morning was taken:
OF Jarred Kelenic (#6, Mets)
LHP Ryan Weathers (#7, Padres)
RHP Carter Stewart (#8, Braves)
RHP Grayson Rodriguez (#11, Orioles)
OF Connor Scott (#13, Marlins)
RHP Cole Winn (#15, Rangers)
OF Jordyn Adams (#17, Angels)


2nd round, 55th overall: RHP Own White
Age 18, 6'3", 175, China Grove, NC
#59 draft prospect per Baseball America and MLB.com, #57 per Fangraphs.com
MLB.com video
Baseball America video
Fangraphs video

White improved his standing with a strong spring. Fastball velocity has been inconsistent if better of late, generally in the low 90s, sometimes a little higher, sometimes around 88-91. It shows impressive run in the videos. Like Winn, he's augmented a curve with a promising slider, and he also has a feel for a changeup.

Both BA and MLB.com pegged him as a probable 2nd-round pick. White has a commitment to South Carolina, but I'd be shocked if he didn't sign. His hometown is a long hour's drive east of Hickory.

Good info.

When asked what he thought he needed to improve, Winn said he needed to develop his changeup to add a 4th pitch. So apparently even he thinks it needs improvement.

On the board today... we picked up a HS SS out of Az. Jonathan Ornelas.

And for names... I like Rangers RP Adam Choplick, out of OU, currently in Frisco-AA.

Picked up a

4. HS RHP from Forney - Mason Englert - A&M Commit
5. HS SS from Az - Jayce Easley

So... 2 HS SS from Az.

Ag2012 said:

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Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone and the Rangers can bring in Childress as pitching coach. He clearly has an eye for pitching talent and a knack for developing pitchers, and he couldn't do worse than Brocail...

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I have to say... being a college baseball coach is difficult.

If you go after the best players, and they get drafted highly, the core of your recruiting class could get gutted, OR... you could end up with several future 1st Rd picks.

6. Sean Chandler - RHP, 6'5", 185lbs from Iowa Western CC (IA). 21yo.

More pitching.

Minor League baseball (particularly the draft) was discussed on the Ticket recently.

It's crazy how these first round guys will get a nice bonus, a press conference... then they're off to Timbuktu and you may not hear from them in 4-5 years, if ever... And is the difference between college baseball and the Big Leagues like the difference between the 7th Grade A Team and High School varsity? It's just soooooo many levels that these guys have to progress thru to get to the top... and is the difference between each of these levels really that distinct? Is the MLB farm system just completely over-saturated with players?

thirty-two said:

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Minor League baseball (particularly the draft) was discussed on the Ticket recently.

It's crazy how these first round guys will get a nice bonus, a press conference... then they're off to Timbuktu and you may not hear from them in 4-5 years, if ever... And is the difference between college baseball and the Big Leagues like the difference between the 7th Grade A Team and High School varsity? It's just soooooo many levels that these guys have to progress thru to get to the top... and is the difference between each of these levels really that distinct? Is the MLB farm system just completely over-saturated with players?

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You have to fill teams for Rookie ball, low-A, high-A, AA, and AAA and there's 30 MLB teams...so yeah that's a ton of players

thirty-two said:

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Minor League baseball (particularly the draft) was discussed on the Ticket recently.

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Quote:

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It's crazy how these first round guys will get a nice bonus, a press conference... then they're off to Timbuktu and you may not hear from them in 4-5 years, if ever...

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Can't the same be said about college football? A nice bonus, press conference, then their off to "college" for 3-4 years and you many never hear from them?!

Quote:

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And is the difference between college baseball and the Big Leagues like the difference between the 7th Grade A Team and High School varsity? It's just soooooo many levels that these guys have to progress thru to get to the top... and is the difference between each of these levels really that distinct?

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IMO, it a much different sport than many, when trying to compare.

Conditioning, for instance. 162 games, where you get 1 day off every 2 weeks, vs saddling up for a 16 game season. A SP strives for 200+ IP. Most HS pitchers are probably at less than 75-100 IP per season. I think you need to hit at least 150 IP/season before you can expect to pitch a full season.

Mental. Baseball is a grind. A player has to learn mentally, as well as physically. In football, you line up mano-y-mano and blast against each other for 5-10 secs. If you consolidate the actual playing time in football... it can be quite small for teams that run a lot. 50 plays? 10sec. That's like 500 secs of actual physical play. Some might say baseball is even less action per game. However pitching to hitting is very mental. Can a pitcher hit his spot and does he have the confidence to throw the pitch he needs to. Can the hitter anticipate and correct literally on-the-fly. Watch a young pitcher give up a HR and then completely fall apart.

Mechanics. A SP in MLB has to be able to hit the same spot, from two different movements (wind-up and stretch) and he has to do it likely with 3 pitches. Coming out of HS, most SPs have 2 pitches. It might take a season to learn a new pitch. It might take an additional season to learn to throw it for strikes. It might take another season to have the confidence to throw it. Imagine if basketball changed the height and circumference of the hoop each season.

Injuries. In baseball, pitchers specifically are subject to many injuries. The stress they put on their shoulder and elbow is not natural and very susceptible to injury. A pitcher with an injury can be a 2 year project back to productivity. In the case of TJ surgery, a pitcher likely doesn't throw for 9-12 months after the surgery. They a year learning to pitch again, and so it is the 3rd year you hope they contribute.


Equipment. College sues aluminum bats, in the minors and MLB you use wood. That has an impact on pitching, hitting and fielding. The way the ball comes off the bat affects a fielders ability to read the ball.

Quote:

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Is the MLB farm system just completely over-saturated with players?

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How so? If there was an over-saturation, you wouldn't see retreads getting $15M to pitch. Or $10M to catch fly balls. You would also not see 28 year old SPs in AAA still hoping to make it to the Majors. Teams would have long passed on them for all the young players waiting.

Pitching.

7. Tim Brennan - RHP. 6'4", 200, 21yo St Josephs U.

You know we could use with the 8th Rd pick?

A SS.

8. Jax "Mine's" Biggers - SS out of UArkie. 21yo

Wonder if any of these SS's can play OF too?

Back to RHP.

9. Chandler Sanburn from Wichita State. 6'2", 200. will be 23 in 1 month.

I think we've got the market cornered on RHPs and SSs this draft