Well last time I was considering take a high school pitcher, but I think I am backing away from that now.  Now I am looking more at college players with Aaron Crow, Christian Friedrich, and Shooter Hunt at the top of the list on the pitching side, and Yonder Alonso and Brett Wallace on the hitting side.

Crow is the dream scenario, but I think it is doubtful he will fall.  With the injury to Scheppers, it also seems doubtful I will have to choose between Friedrich and Hunt as there will likely only be one available.  The question then becomes if Alonso or Wallace are available and one of those pitchers are available who do you like better?  I know what way I am leaning, but I am interested in other people's thoughts.

I think it is also important to get a back up plan in case all of those guys happen to be gone.  I think then it would be time to look at the high school pitchers with Jake Odorizzi and Ethan Martin at the top of my board.  I would also consider Zach Collier and Aaron Hicks on the position player side.  Let me know your preferences on those players, and if there are any others you think I should consider.

We should also probably start to consider options at 39.  If I go pitcher at the top, I would like to add a bat at 39.  Obviously I would consider a guy like Conor Gillaspie or Reese Havens if he would fall, but we would also have to consider David Cooper, Dennis Raben, and James Darnell on the college side.  On the high school side you have the super toolsy Isaac Galloway.

For the pitching side I like the high school lefties with Brett DeVall, Kyle Lobstein, and Mike Montgomery at the top of the list.  I am also a fan of Zach Putnam, and I think Daniel Webb and Tyler Sample are intriguing.

The last thing I would like to know  is some guys you think would be good targets for rounds 2-5.  I have some guys that I am targeting, but I don't really want to list them all in case some of the other scouting directors are checking it out.  Let me know what names you guys like, and if I don't know a lot about them I will check them out.

Well everyone I'm back again this year in charge of the Cardinals.  This is the highest draft pick since the Cardinals also had the 13th pick back in 2000.  Let's hope this one works out a lot better than that ill fated selection.

Here are the picks we have this year (according to baseball america)

13.

39.

59.

91.

125.

155.

I would really like to get a position player, but unfortunately it just doesn't look like it is stacking up that way at 13 this year.  I guess Yonder Alonso or Eric Hosmer could possibly fall, and while they wouldn't be ideal could be a good value.  Unfortunately guys like Alvarez, both Beckham's, Posey, and Skipworth should be gone.  I am also not a big fan of Hicks, so I don't think I would consider him here when you can get a similar toolsy guy in the sandwich round.

I am sure the Cardinals have college pitchers on the top of their board with guys like Tanner Scheppers, Shooter Hunt, and Christian Friedrich leading the pack, but it is possible all 3 of those guys could be gone.  The question then becomes what do you do next?

The Cardinals haven't taken a high school pitcher in the first round in a long time, but this year the 13th pick could come up and every high school pitcher could still be on the board.  My question for you guys is which high school pitcher is the best, and do you think they are worth the 13th selection?

Also, can anyone think of any guys they like for the later rounds?

Poll

Who is the best high school pitcher?

20%

Ethan Martin RHP Georgia HS

11 votes

1%

Alex Meyer RHP Indiana HS

1 votes

33%

Tim Melville Missouri HS

18 votes

18%

Aaron Hicks California HS

10 votes

16%

Jake Odorizzi Illinois HS

9 votes

9%

Gerrit Cole RHP California

5 votes

54 votes | Poll has closed

In our first blow out in a while, Shooter Hunt goes to the Twins at 14.

Its no secret the Dodgers like high school pitchers, so the safe money would be on a pitcher at this point.  I think a potential 5-tool centerfielder like Hicks would be appealing, but I don't really see them going that direction.

1. Tampa Bay - Aaron Crow-RHP-Mizzou
2. Pittsburgh - Pedro Alvarez-3B-Vandy
3. Kansas City - Tim Beckham-SS-HS Georgia
4. Baltimore - Brian Matusz-LHP-San Diego
5. San Francisco - Justin Smoak-1B-South Carolina
6. Florida - Yonder Alonso-1B-Miami (FL)
7. Cincinnati - Gordon Beckham-SS-Georgia
8. Chicago (AL) - Tim Melville-RHP-HS Missouri
9.  Washington - Kyle Skipworth-C-HS California
10. Houston - Tanner Scheppers-RHP-Fresno St
11. Texas - Eric Hosmer-1B-HS Florida
12. Oakland- Jemile Weeks- 2B-Miami (FL)
13. St. Louis- Buster Posey- C- Florida St
14. Minnesota- Shooter Hunt- RHP- Tulane
15. Los Angeles (NL)
16. Milwaukee
17. Toronto
18. New York (NL)
19. Chicago (NL)
20. Seattle
21. Detroit
22. New York (NL)
23. San Diego
24. Philadelphia
25. Colorado
26. Arizona
27. Minnesota
28. New York (AL)
29. Cleveland
30. Boston

Poll

Who goes #15?

16%

Ethan Martin-3B/RHP-HS Georgia

23 votes

6%

Alex Meyer-RHP-HS Indiana

9 votes

12%

Christian Friedrich-LHP- Eastern Kentucky

17 votes

19%

Aaron Hicks-CF/RHP-HS California

27 votes

0%

Brett DeVall-LHP-HS Florida

1 votes

9%

Kyle Lobstein-LHP-HS Arizona

13 votes

1%

Daniel Webb-RHP-HS Kentucky

2 votes

0%

Sonny Gray-RHP-HS Tennessee

1 votes

27%

Gerrit Cole-RHP- HS California

38 votes

3%

Casey Kelly-SS-HS Florida

5 votes

0%

Other (please specify)

1 votes

137 votes | Poll has closed

Well it was still very close, but the thread is now buried and no one is voting so i think it is that time again.  Buster Posey edges out Shooter Hunt in a close vote.

The Twins are a tough team to predict as who would have thought Ben Revere was going to be a first round pick?  I tried to give a wide variety, but there are still other guys i could list and didn't.  I think there is a chance for a lot of other votes here, and please feel free to do so.  Just make sure you list it in the comments section.

I feel bad b/c Terry Ryan Jr is the one who started all this, and I feel like I am stealing his team so if you are out there TRJ just say something and we can get this poll switched up with names you want to see.

1. Tampa Bay - Aaron Crow-RHP-Mizzou
2. Pittsburgh - Pedro Alvarez-3B-Vandy
3. Kansas City - Tim Beckham-SS-HS Georgia
4. Baltimore - Brian Matusz-LHP-San Diego
5. San Francisco - Justin Smoak-1B-South Carolina
6. Florida - Yonder Alonso-1B-Miami (FL)
7. Cincinnati - Gordon Beckham-SS-Georgia
8. Chicago (AL) - Tim Melville-RHP-HS Missouri
9.  Washington - Kyle Skipworth-C-HS California
10. Houston - Tanner Scheppers-RHP-Fresno St
11. Texas - Eric Hosmer-1B-HS Florida
12. Oakland- Jemile Weeks- 2B-Miami (FL)
13. St. Louis- Buster Posey- C- Florida St
14. Minnesota
15. Los Angeles (NL)
16. Milwaukee
17. Toronto
18. New York (NL)
19. Chicago (NL)
20. Seattle
21. Detroit
22. New York (NL)
23. San Diego
24. Philadelphia
25. Colorado
26. Arizona
27. Minnesota
28. New York (AL)
29. Cleveland
30. Boston

Poll

Who goes #14?

33%

Shooter Hunt-RHP-Tulane

46 votes

14%

Ethan Martin-3B/RHP-HS Georgia

20 votes

7%

Alex Meyer-RHP-HS Indiana

10 votes

5%

Dennis Raben-RF-Miami (FL)

7 votes

9%

Aaron Hicks-CF/RHP-HS California

13 votes

2%

Brett DeVall-LHP-HS Florida

3 votes

12%

Christian Friedrich-LHP-Eastern Kentucky

17 votes

5%

Lance Lynn-RHP-Mississippi

8 votes

2%

Kyle Lobstein-LHP-HS Arizona

3 votes

6%

Brett Wallace-1B-Arizona St

9 votes

2%

Other (please specify)

3 votes

139 votes | Poll has closed

I hope Terry Ryan Jr. doesn't mind, but the last poll has been up for 3 days and no one is voting anymore so I thought it might be time to move on.  Jemile Weeks was able to edge out Buster Posey in a close one.

For this pick, I think Shooter Hunt is a lock if he is still available in the real draft, but it would be hard to pass on a talent like Posey.

 

1. Tampa Bay - Aaron Crow-RHP-Mizzou
2. Pittsburgh - Pedro Alvarez-3B-Vandy
3. Kansas City - Tim Beckham-SS-HS Georgia
4. Baltimore - Brian Matusz-LHP-San Diego
5. San Francisco - Justin Smoak-1B-South Carolina
6. Florida - Yonder Alonso-1B-Miami
7. Cincinnati - Gordon Beckham-SS-Georgia
8. Chicago (AL) - Tim Melville-RHP-HS Missouri
9.  Washington - Kyle Skipworth-C-HS California
10. Houston - Tanner Scheppers-RHP-Fresno St
11. Texas - Eric Hosmer-1B-HS Florida
12. Oakland- Jemile Weeks 2B-Miami (FL)
13. St. Louis
14. Minnesota
15. Los Angeles (NL)
16. Milwaukee
17. Toronto
18. New York (NL)
19. Chicago (NL)
20. Seattle
21. Detroit
22. New York (NL)
23. San Diego
24. Philadelphia
25. Colorado
26. Arizona
27. Minnesota
28. New York (AL)
29. Cleveland
30. Boston

 

Poll

Who goes #13?

31%

Buster Posey-C-Florida St.

54 votes

30%

Shooter Hunt-RHP-Tulane

52 votes

11%

Christian Friedrich-LHP-Eastern Kentucky

19 votes

5%

Aaron Hicks-CF/RHP-HS California

9 votes

7%

Ethan Martin-3B/RHP-HS Georgia

13 votes

7%

Gerrit Cole-RHP-HS California

13 votes

0%

Dennis Raben-RF-Miami (FL)

1 votes

0%

Alex Meyer-RHP-HS Indiana

0 votes

3%

Joshua Fields-RHP-Georgia

6 votes

0%

Brett Hunter-RHP-Pepperdine

1 votes

1%

Other (please specify)

2 votes

170 votes | Poll has closed

in this week's ask BA, Jim Callis gives a very early projection of the top 5 picks in the draft.  in a bit of a shocker, he has tim beckham and not pedro alvarez going first overall.  obviously i think the pirates would be thrilled to add a talent like alvarez that could help out in a hurry, but would they be able to sign him?

1. Tampa Bay Rays. For a team that never has won more than 70 games in a season, the Rays don't have as many glaring long-term needs as you might think, because they've done a good job with most of their premium draft picks and have the game's best farm system. That said, teams picking at the top of the draft rarely base their picks on need. Tampa Bay is going to take whoever it deems is the best player available, unless the asking price is really out of whack.
The Rays have a lot of quality pitching coming through their pipeline, but teams always want more and they could opt for one of the top college arms, Missouri righthander Aaron Crow or San Diego lefty Brian Matusz. Tampa Bay has gone with pitchers with three of its last four top picks, so my gut feel is they'll be more inclined to go for a bat. It says here they'll opt for Georgia high school shortstop Tim Beckham over Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez because Beckham plays a more premium position. I still think Alvarez is going to become a first baseman or left fielder by the time he reaches the majors.
Projected Pick: Tim Beckham, ss, Griffin (Ga.) HS.

2. Pittsburgh Pirates. If the Rays don't take Alvarez, he becomes the easy pick for the Pirates. Pittsburgh needs to send a message to its victory-starved fans that it's going to take the best player available instead of going cheap. Choosing Daniel Moskos over Matt Wieters last year was a debacle.
Projected Pick: Pedro Alvarez, 3b, Vanderbilt.

3. Kansas City Royals. The Royals have beefed up their offense by taking Billy Butler, Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas with first-round picks in three of the last four drafts, and most of the top bats after Alvarez are first basemen: South Carolina's Justin Smoak, Miami's Yonder Alonso and Florida prepster Eric Hosmer. That would make homestate product Crow very attractive. Matusz and Missouri high school righthander Tim Melville would be two other pitching options.
Projected Pick: Aaron Crow, rhp, Missouri.

4. Baltimore Orioles. With former first-rounders Brandon Snyder and Bill Rowell looking like they might be destined for first base rather than catcher and third base, it's hard to envision the Orioles going for Smoak, Alonso or Hosmer. They'll likely take whichever remaining pitcher they like the most from among Matusz, Melville and Pepperdine righthander Brett Hunter.
Projected Pick: Brian Matusz, lhp, San Diego.

5. San Francisco Giants. The Giants need a lot more help for their lineup than they do for their rotation, so the college hitters will be attractive. Smoak or Alonso could help the big league club in short order, and possibly form an infield of the future with Nick Noonan, Charlie Culberson and Angel Villalona. Hosmer or Miami prep third baseman Harold Martinez also could be tempting.
Projected Pick: Justin Smoak, 1b, South Carolina.

seems like the same top guys everyone mentions.  anybody want to give a guess on how they think the rest of the top 10 or maybe the top 15 will play out?

The Rangers' second first round pick Michael Main is making his pro debut today, but its not as a pitcher.  He is in the lineup for the AZL Rangers as the DH and is 0-1 with a RBI so far.  He was considered to be a possible 5 tool centerfield prospect by some, and it is interesting to see what he could do DHing a game or two in between starts, but how long do you think this will last?  Is it a good idea?

Short-season and rookie league opening day, but a lot of the high draft picks haven't signed yet so there aren't many interesting guys.  however, one interesting guy opened up the season in a big way.

Cody Johnson hits a homer in his first at bat on the season for Danville of the Appy league.  What are your thoughts on what he can do this year and in the future?

ok the mock draft is tomorrow and we only have one more day to figure out who we are going to take.

here are the results of our mock draft polls

18.  Kevin Ahrens
    
36.  Todd Frazier
    
71.  Kellen Kulbacki

now, i have a feeling that all of those guys could be gone by those slots, so here is a list of the runners up for each of those slots.

18.  Josh Smoker
    
36.  Nick Noonan
    
71.  Jonathan Lucroy

both of those drafts look pretty solid to me, and i would be happy if we ended up with either one.

here is my final draft board for the 18th pick

1.  David Price
   
2.  Matt Wieters
   
3.  Rick Porcello
   
4.  Mike Moustakas
   
5.  Josh Vitters
   
6.  Jarrod Parker
   
7.  Ross Detwiler
   
8.  Jason Heyward
   
9.  Beau Mills
   
10.  Kevin Ahrens
    
11.  Blake Beaven
    
12.  Madison Bumgarner
    
13.  Matt Dominguez
    
14.  Matt Harvey
    
15.  Michael Main
    
16.  Devin Mesoraco
    
17.  Josh Smoker
    
18.  Phillippe Aumont

i am pretty excited to know that i am going to get one of these guys with the 18th overall pick.  if there is someone that isn't in the list that you really think should be, give me the name and your explanation and we'll see what we can do.  if you think the list is fine, but feel that someone should be moved up or moved down tell me about that as well.  

also, no one has really given me any names they like for some of the later rounds (3-5), so if you have favorites let me know.  i have a couple of guys i like, but i am pretty much wide open.

ok, here are the results of the poll so far

18.  Kevin Ahrens
    
36.  Todd Frazier

I am still targeting the high school thirdbaseman (matt dominguez and kevin ahrens) at 18, but it sounds like they could both be gone.  I think the best player on the board is probably going to be a high school pitcher, so i would like to hear what you think the order is that we should take them.  my personal rankings (of all HS pitchers, not just ones i think will be available) look like this

1.  rick porcello
   
2.  jarrod parker
   
3.  matt harvey
   
4.  blake beaven
   
5.  madison bumgarner
   
6.  josh smoker
   
7.  phillippe aumont
   
8.  michael main

one of those guys if not more should be available. now the question is would you rank all of those guys ahead of the college hitters like laporta (i don't want him, but some may), borbon, and frazier and the college lefties like cecil and schmidt or where do you draw the line?  basically if dominguez and ahrens are gone and there are no major slips, who are you taking?

there is also a poll of potential picks at 72.  obviously not all of those guys will be available at that pick, but i tried to get a nice variety of guys ranked roughly within a 20 pick range of 72 by baseball america.  if there is someone you like that isn't on that list name him, and also give some candidates for the pick #83 poll.

Poll

Who should the Cardinals take at 72?

3%

Josh Donaldson

1 votes

0%

Other (post who you want)

0 votes

3%

James Adkins

1 votes

20%

Nick Tepesch

6 votes

24%

Jonathan Lucroy

7 votes

24%

Kellen Kulbacki

7 votes

3%

David Kopp

1 votes

10%

Dan Duffy

3 votes

10%

Jon Gilmore

3 votes

29 votes | Poll has closed