For those who don't know, Carson Palmer has been traded to the Raiders for their 2012 1st round pick and a conditional 2013 pick that could end up being another 1st rounder.

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I'm creating this FanPost to put to bed some factual data around the argument that teams NEED to select quarterbacks in the first round of the draft in today's NFL. The opinions have been thrown out there, but now let's look at a few hard, cold facts after the jump.

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Has anyone seen this special on ESPN with Jon Gruden interviewing and working with all of the top QB's in this year's draft?

This is perhaps the single best program that ESPN has put on TV in years aside from historical sports moment programs.

My brief observations:

1. Jimmy Clausen seemed to have a very sloppy approach to the QB position, but a great relationship with his WR's. If a coach can motivate this guy, then he's worth a top 15 pick. It seems like a huge mistake to throw him on the field in his rookie season though. I could understand the Niners taking him in the 1st round with the idea that he'll sit on the bench. He wouldn't command a top QB salary/bonus in the 13-17 range.

2. Tim Tebow's new throwing motion looks 10x better than before and it actually looks natural, not forced. I now understand why Tebow is being considered in the 1st/2nd rounds. Question for the Tebow doubters out there... Can you honestly say that Josh Freeman was a better QB prospect than Tebow?

3. Sam Bradford is flat out the best QB in this draft. I've felt this all along and IMO he's the single best QB prospect since Peyton Manning. The guy has the tools, the smarts, and the qualities that you want in a leader. I found it hilarious when people mocked Clausen ahead of Bradford after the bowl season.

4. Jon Gruden is made for TV. I'm tired of the canned responses and teleprompted speech that most interviewers have for professional athletes. You could tell that Gruden was unscripted and not holding back his true feelings on these guys. This was probably the closest that a TV camera will get to some of the pre-draft interviews that teams have with prospects.

So now that the preseason is underway and we start to see who/what we have.... I thought I'd step back and look at those we may have lost. I'll simply refer to them from this point on as The Forgotten...

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Well, one day down and it was a crazy day of trades and players slipping down draft boards. Everyone share their thoughts about which teams you thought had a great draft, which teams you thought had a terrible draft, and thoughts about the 49ers first round.

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We've all spent time playing guessing games about where players are going to end up in the top 10 picks and which team is going to trade up for Sanchez, but at the end of the day we're guessing what those teams would do with their picks.

For the purposes of this thread, throw the draft order out of the window and imagine you are on the clock at #1. Taking nothing into consideration but a prospect's talent, projectability, NFL readiness, and productivity.... what does the top 25 of your big board look like? This should be your best players available regardless of defensive scheme or team needs.

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I'm interested in the poll results on this one, so please vote and explain your feelings on this improbable scenario.

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going... going... GONE off Roger Clemens.

He looks good at the plate so far.

It's still amazing that he went from A+ to MLB within a month without having ridiculous production there.

Thoughts on how he'll do if they let him start for the rest of the season?

We all know the major top power hitting prospects since they are talked about everywhere. But every year there are a few guys who hit for power while playing at a decent level for their age that don't get much attention. A couple of years in a row like that and suddenly they are a "surprise" prospect that nobody saw coming but the statheads.

So let's look at a few from the low minors who are having good power seasons this year and anyone who knows something about these guys please add info. Note: I've left out any Cal League guys because the numbers are obviously skewed there more than even in the recent years.

3B Matt Sweeney/Angels/6'3"210lb/4-4-88/A-MID - .262/.324/.443, 11 HR and 28 XBH in 282 AB

LF Nick Weglarz/Indians/6'3"215lb/12-16-87/A-SAL - .272/.395/.481, 14 HR and 31 XBH in 283 AB

1B Logan Morrison/Marlins/6'2"215lb/8-25-87/A-SAL - .289/.363/.510, 16 HR and 31 XBH in 294 AB

3B Juan Francisco/Reds/6'2"180lb/6-24-87/A-MID - .275/.315/.448, 13 HR and 30 XBH in 335 AB

3B John Whittleman/Rangers/6'2"195lb/2-11-87/A-MID - .288/.405/.529, 14 HR and 38 XBH in 278 AB

LF Ryan Royster/Devil Rays/6'2"210lb/7-25-86/A-SAL - .319/.360/.546, 15 HR and 38 XBH in 304 AB

1B Chris Vinyard/Orioles/6'4"230lb/12-15-85/A-SAL - .282/.333/.446, 10 HR and 31 XBH in 312 AB

3B Daniel Valencia/Twins/6'2"200lb/9-19-84/A-MID - .302/.374/.500, 11 HR and 26 XBH in 242 AB

3B Allen Craig/Cardinals/6'2"190lb/7-18-84/HiA-FSL - .320/.370/.541, 17 HR and 34 XBH in 316 AB

Here we go again. This is my 2nd year doing the mock. Last year's draft was scouted by the fine people at RaysBaseball.com and I'm sure the same will happen this year. I'm just the voice and signature at the end of the decisions and welcome any and all input and feedback.

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I know it's not June yet, but is there going to be a review of the Real/Mock MLB Draft we did last year as a community?

I'm not sure if it's something that John does as a feature since I've only been active on this site since late in 2005 but if not, I think it would be interesting to go back over the results as a community and evaluate both the real drafts of the teams and the mock drafts.

Good idea, bad idea, who cares? Give some feedback.

Here's a link to last year's 1st round: http://www.minorleagueball.com/story/2006/6/4/15539/85453

Alex Gordon... nah.

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Is anyone watching the Mariners/A's game?

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Best catcher in baseball at the plate... bar none.

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It's official. Matsuzaka has been posted and teams can start bidding on his services for the 2007 season. Who do you guys think will bid the highest and what kind of contract do you think he'll get.

Right now I'm guessing a 4 year deal around $45mil.

link: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/10/sports/AS_SPT_BBL_Matsuzaka_Majors.php

This is pretty self-explanitory...

Name a position player and a pitching prospect you feel are the most underrated in the minors and give supporting stats, arguments and/or scouting reports if possible.

No players with major league experience of any kind are eligible and no 2006 draftees.

I'll start if off with a pitcher for an example....

SP Will Inman/19/Low-A/Milwaukee Brewers

He's virtually never talked about among top young pitching prospects, but has dominated the low minors.

2005:Rookie-Pioneer/2.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 45 IP, 58K/11BB, 5.80 H/9, 2.20 BB/9, 11.6 K/9
2006:A-SAL/1.23 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 66 IP, 79K/15BB, 6.41 H/9, 2.04 BB/9, 10.77 K/9

Inman was a 3rd round pick in the 2005 draft out of HS in Virginia, where he set the state's all-time strikeout record. He currently sits at 91-92MPH on his fastball, which is considered a plus pitch with great late movement. His curve is his "out" pitch and is already considered plus with somewhat of a slurvy action.

This shouldn't be hard...

The pitcher is 23 years old in his first year of AA.

Career numbers:

Age 21: SS-A (NYPL): 27 IP, 24K/3BB, 1.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP
Age 21: Low-A (SAL): 30 IP, 42K/7BB, 0.59 ERA, 0.82 WHIP
Age 22: Low-A (MWL): 116.2 IP, 103K/11BB, 2.55 ERA, 0.98 WHIP
Age 22: High-A (Cal): 64 IP, 75K/7BB, 3.80 ERA, 1.22 WHIP
Age 23: AA (SL): 135.1 IP, 108K/24BB, 2.79 ERA, 0.97 WHIP

Career: 373.2 IP, 353K/52BB, 2.58 ERA, 0.99 WHIP

Oh... and the pitcher has thrown 4 COMPLETE GAME SHUTOUTS IN HIS LAST 7 STARTS... Three 3-hitters and a 2-hitter!

Most of you should have guessed the prospect by now... but my next question is... would you consider him among the Top 100 prospects in baseball?

Compare those numbers with those of other control artists like Jeremy Sowers and everyone's new favorite Kevin Slowey. What makes them "top pitching prospects" while the guy mentioned here doesn't even get an honorable mention?

Well... after long last, Upton is moving off SS.

Radio reports have B.J. Upton moving to third base, but staying in Durham.

Also reports have the recently acquired Ben Zobrist going to Durham to play SS.

I think it's a pretty bad move after drafting Longoria, but hey... what do I know. As long as Upton's bat gets in the lineup in the majors sometime soon I'm happy.

Thoughts, ideas, mindless rambles?

MLB Fantasy GM is a 30 team salary based fantasy baseball keeper league, run on Yahoo, due to start on Opening Day 2007.

The process of selecting the 30 league GM's began July 3.

Anyone interested in joining, please do the following:
Join the Yahoo! group and leave a message there with team and YIM/AIM name.

I strongly suggest choosing a team that is your favorite team and/or whose minor and major league rosters you are very well acquainted with. Since this is MINORleagueball.. I doubt that will be a problem.

Teams Remaining:
Atlanta Braves
San Francisco Giants

League Details:
2 leagues (14 teams in AL and 16 teams in NL)
30 teams (All real MLB teams)
25 man active roster (Starting with real MLB rosters)
25 man minor league roster (Starting with real MLB affiliate minor league players)
15 major league keepers
15 minor league keepers
Annual Major League Draft - 10 rounds
Annual Minor League Draft - 10 rounds
Head-to-Head Scoring System
7x7 Stat Categories (R,HR,RBI,SB,E,AVG,OPS/W,CG,SV,HLD,K,ERA,WHIP)

C,1B,2B,SS,3B,LF,CF,RF,UT/BN(UT for AL, BN for NL)
SP,SP,SP,SP,SP,RP,RP,RP,RP,RP
BN,BN,BN,BN,BN,BN,DL,DL

Contact me or check out the files section of the Yahoo group for specifics on the financial structure of the league. I created a financial system which should balance the playing field some between the large and small market teams, encourage teams to stay active even after falling out of the playoff race, and reward overachievers while penalizing underachievers.

Yahoo group page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mlbfangm/
E-mail: maryland_marauders@yahoo.com

First off, thanks to everyone at RaysBaseball for helping with this draft.

Here were the picks:

3. Tim Lincecum, RHP, Washington
   
47. Emmanuel Burriss, SS, Kent State
    
79. Aaron Bates, 1B, NC State
    
109. Matt McBride, C, Lehigh
     
139. Nick Fuller, RHP, Georgia HS

3. This was a toss-up between Lincecum and Lincoln, which was made easier when Lincoln was taken with the 2nd pick.
47. Really wanted one of the HS arms (Betances, Latos, Kiker) or highly regarded college guys (Kennedy and Hamilton) to fall here but they were snatched up quickly in the late/supplemental 1st. This pick came down to Burriss or Adam Ottavino and I loved Burriss's upside over Ottavino's.
79. This was one of the easier picks to make after the pitchers we wanted were taken. Wade LeBlanc, Sean Black, and Cory Rasmus went off the board and the highest rated guy everyone had going into the round was Aaron Bates. I think this was a steal in the 3rd.
109. We all agreed that McBride was the best college catcher available in the draft and when he dropped to us, there was no hesitation.
139. There was a bit of disagreement on this pick in terms of the player chosen, but everyone wanted a pitcher. The first choice was Fuller due to his upside, velocity, and his nasty slider. The concern that arose later was his violent delivery, which should be able to be ironed out. Others in the discussion were Casey Hudspeth and Jacob Brigham.

Burriss is the X factor if he maxes out his tools and turns them into skills. Lincecum is a major league pitcher, something the Rays need more than anything right now. Bates has great plate discipline which the Rays system lacks right now. McBride gives the system depth at Catcher which is also a weak spot. Fuller could move to relief and become a dominant closer with his mid-90's FB and nasty slider. He's been compared to Brad Lidge and the Rays lack a dominating presence in the late innings.

Overall, I'd grade our draft an A-
Disappointed that none of the high upside HS arms fell to us in the 2nd round, but I think the Fuller pick will make up for it in the long run.

Any thoughts on the Rays draft???
What grade would you give us???

After about 2 months of play, let's see where we stand.

Earlier this year I started a topic about potential breakout pitchers for this season. (http://www.minorleagueball.com/story/2006/2/15/145513/716) There was a decent list made by members, so I'll follow this year and see how accurate we were.

Org - Name - Age - Lvl-League - ERA - IP - K/BB
My best picks were:
TOR Chi-hung Cheng/20/A-MWL/3.53ERA, 43.1IP, 44K/20BB
CLE Chuck Lofgren/20/HiA-Car/1.67ERA, 43IP, 38K/12BB
TB Wade Davis/20/A-MWL/0.94ERA, 48IP, 63K/25BB
TB Jake McGee/19/A-MWL/2.77ERA, 48.2IP, 65K/26BB

Other members picks who weren't top prospects and started in A ball or above:
Dan Griffin/21/A-SAL/4.93ERA, 38.1IP, 43K/19BB
Tommy Mendoza/18/A-MWL/5.44ERA, 51.1IP, 45K/10BB
Blake Johnson/20/HiA-FSL/3.40ERA, 47.2IP, 32K/7BB
Matt Harrison/20/HiA-Car/2.90ERA, 49.2IP, 35K/9BB

So out of that list I'd say Lofgren, Davis, and McGee are having breakout seasons while the rest are just solid pitching prospects.

Other notable breakouts that weren't mentioned before the season:

PHI Carlos Carrasco/19/A-SAL/1.90ERA, 52IP, 57K/15BB
PHI Kyle Kendrick/21/A-SAL/2.15ERA, 46IP, 54K/15BB
MIL Will Inman/19/A-SAL/1.80ERA, 35IP, 43K/5BB
MIL Yovani Gallardo/20/HiA-FSL/2.40ERA, 45IP, 62K/11BB
FLA Jose Garcia/21/HiA-FSL/2.44ERA, 55.1IP, 50K/11BB

Seemingly everybody thought that Chris Lubanski wouldn't maintain a high enough contact rate or show enough plate discipline to play at higher levels.

Early in the season, he proved that he could draw walks while cutting down on his strikeouts. The problem then was that he wasn't hitting for enough average or power. Looking at the stats, it was probably just a unlucky BABIP. However, everyone was quick to write Lubanski off following the belief that he wasn't going to make it.

Now, a couple weeks later Lubanski is proving EVERYONE wrong.

Coming into the game today:

.266/.358/.404, 2HR, 5RBI, 13BB/19K in 94 AB's

Today: 3-5, 2B, HR, 3RBI

Last year: 3.44 K/BB, 4.05 AB/K
This year: 1.46 K/BB, 5.21 AB/K

This seems like a case of getting too down on a kid who still has years to develop as a player. There were some scouting reports that said that Lubanski wouldn't be a major league regular based on 1 season of play at age 20 in High-A. The kid had a .900 OPS with 28HR at age 20 and he doesn't project as a regular?

It will be interesting to see if he can maintain his plate discipline, but Royals fans have to be salivating at that Wichita lineup right now.

"Cole Hamels has been promoted from Single-A Clearwater to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Hamels, the Phillies' best pitching prospect, only started at Clearwater because the team didn't want him pitching in cold weather. He had a 1.77 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings during his four starts in the Florida State League. Apr. 24 - 9:59 pm et"

per Rotoworld via Phillies.mlb.com

Earlier this year I started a topic about potential breakout pitchers for this season. (http://www.minorleagueball.com/story/2006/2/15/145513/716) There was a decent list made by members, so I'll follow this year and see how accurate we were.

Org - Name - Age - Lvl-League - ERA - IP - K/BB
My picks were:
TOR Chi-hung Cheng/20/A-MWL/2.89ERA, 9.1IP, 12K/4BB
CLE Chuck Lofgren/20/HiA-Car/0.00ERA, 5IP, 8K/0BB
TB Wade Davis/20/A-MWL/2.25ERA, 4IP, 7K/2BB
TB Jake McGee/19/A-MWL/4.32ERA, 8.1IP, 13K/4BB
OAK Dallas Braden/22/DL, expected to miss season
DET Eulogio de la Cruz/22/AA-EL/45.00ERA, 2IP, 3K/1BB

Others picks who weren't top prospects and started in A ball or above:
Dan Griffin/21/A-SAL/0.00ERA, 5IP, 6K/0BB
Shairon Martis/19/A-SAL/9.82ERA, 3.2IP, 5K/0BB
Tommy Mendoza/18/A-MWL/3.38ERA, 10.2IP, 7K/2BB
Blake Johnson/20/HiA-FSL/7.45ERA, 9.2IP, 11K/2BB
Matt Harrison/20/HiA-Car/0.00ERA, 5IP, 5K/2BB

Let's try to make a list of breakout pitchers and underrated pitchers for 2006 using guys who aren't talked about much.

Mainly looking for guys rated B- or less who will start 2006 in AA or lower who could improve their stock to a B+ with either a breakout year or another solid performance (of course based on past performance and scouting/talent).

I'll start the list off. Ages as of Opening Day 06.

TOR Chi-hung Cheng - Age 20
2005: A(Midwest): 3.15 ERA, 137 IP, 9.33 K/9, 7.16 H/9, 4.73 BB/9
LHP with a plus curveball and 90 MPH fastball with good movement.

CLE Chuck Lofgren - Age 20
2005: A(SAL): 2.81 ERA, 93 IP, 8.61 K/9, 7.06 H/9, 4.16 BB/9
LHP with great movement on 93 MPH fastball and plus potential curveball. Needs work on changeup.

TB Wade Davis - Age 20
2005: SS-A(NYPL): 2.72 ERA, 86 IP, 10.15 K/9, 7.85 H/9, 2.41 BB/9
RHP with great pitcher's body (6-5/220), a mid-90's fastball, and a plus curveball. Needs work on changeup.

TB Jake McGee - Age 19
2005: SS-A(NYPL): 3.64 ERA, 76.2 IP, 10.45 K/9, 7.51 H/9, 2.70 BB/9
LHP with 90 MPH FB, curveball with great movement, and solid changeup. One of the youngest pitchers, but most successful in NYPL.

OAK Dallas Braden - Age 22
2005: Hi-A(Cal): 2.68 ERA, 43.2 IP, 13.19 K/9, 6.39 H/9, 2.27 BB/9
AA(Texas): 3.90 ERA, 97 IP, 6.59 K/9, 9.65 H/9, 2.97 BB/9
LHP with 90 MPH FB, solid changeup, and a screwball which is his out pitch. Great ratios until AA, but I see him getting back around 8-10 K/9. Doesn't allow many HR's or walk many batters, so his stuff should always keep him competitive.

DET Eulogio de la Cruz - Age 22
2005: Hi-A(FSL): 3.39 ERA, 95.2 IP, 9.13 K/9, 6.21 H/9, 3.39 BB/9
RHP reliever converted into starter with 100 MPH fastball. Assuming Detroit pitching coaches are working on a secondary pitch with him, he will post even better K totals and raises his stock... if not, he's just another hard thrower.