2016 MLB Amateur Player Draft

[Ranma]

Cary Osborne, DodgerInsider.com (6/9/16)

“A little bit of a late bloomer. He was a shortstop in high school, converted to catcher at Louisville, and it kind of took him a little while for it to sink in at that level at the position. But we think he’s a plus athlete. It’s a plus arm. He can really receive. He can really throw, and he had a really good year this year. He started to hit for power. He’s always had a short compact swing with bat speed, and he kind of took it up another level with power. He controls the zone. He’s a leader in the field. He’s at a great program. His intangibles are off the chart.”

Dodgers’ No. 1 Lux Ready to Start Pro Career Now; Gasparino Breaks Down Day’s Draft


Eric Stephen, TrueBlueLA.com (6/10/16)

"We think he's a plus athlete, he has a plus arm, he can really receive. He had a really good year this year. He started to hit with power. He's always had a short, compact swing with bat speed, but he kind of took it too another level this year," Smith said. "He controls the zone, he's a leader on the field. He's at a great program, and with the background work we did, his intangibles are off the charts.

"His skill set is really valuable. We all know how hard it is to find these catchers, especially athletic ones who can play defense and hit. Austin Barnes is a very good example of this, with his value, and he's up in the major leagues. ... We thought it was a good combination of athleticism and hit tool, and we're excited to get him."

2016 MLB Draft: Billy Gasparino Recaps Dodgers' 4 Selections on Day 1

[Ranma]

Cary Osborne, DodgerInsider.com (6/9/16)

On Sheffield:

“Sheffield is obviously a well-known, right-hand pitcher from Vanderbilt University. He was a high-profile name out of high school, ended up having Tommy John surgery going to Vanderbilt and pitched extremely well this year. He’s super athletic. He’s a former standout high school football player. We thought one of the better athletes in the draft at any position. He’s up to 96 (mph). It’s a big arm. His changeup has really developed this year into a plus pitch, and his breaking ball has always been a calling card for him. We think his command/control numbers were improved. He’s a competitive kid.”

On White:

“He was kind of a second-half performer this year. A little slow coming off Tommy John two years ago. Kind of was a reliever for Santa Clara (his first year), but he’s a 6-4 projectable body right-hander who was up to 95 (mph) late in the year with several games of high strikeout games. It’s a plus slider. He’s big. He’s physical. The arm’s really recovered from Tommy John. We feel like he’s trending up into becoming a mid-rotation starter.”

Dodgers’ No. 1 Lux Ready to Start Pro Career Now; Gasparino Breaks Down Day’s Draft

[Ranma]

Jon Weisman, DodgerInsider.com (6/10/16)

3) Dustin May, RHP, Northwest HS, 6-6, 180, 9/6/97 (18)

“Dustin’s one of our favorites — not only the talent with being up to 93 and a plus breaking ball, but he’s got big red hair and tons of personality. We call him “The Viper” because he has a really unique arm action that we think produces plus stuff. He’s a fan favorite for sure, from our scouts’ point of view.”

4) D.J. Peters, OF, Western Nevada CC, 6-5, 2-10, 12/12/95 (20)

“He’s just an uber-talented outfielder with tons of tools and upside, and big power. He came to our workout at Dodger Stadium and was launching balls into the stands and throwing well and running well, just really a physical freak in some ways.”

5) Devon Smeltzer, LHP, San Jacinto College, 6-3, 185, 9/7/95 (20)

“Smeltzer’s a left-hand pitcher with plus pitchability, really good slider. He’s had tons of success, really good makeup. Just really happy to get him there.”

6) Errol Robinson, SS, Ole Miss, 5-11, 170, 10/1/94 (21)

“Errol is a plus defender at short, with a track record of hitting in the Cape (Cod League). We just think he’s an athletic shortstop with a chance to be an everyday player — really good find for us there in the sixth round.”

The Dodgers’ Take on Day 2 of the 2016 Draft

[Ranma]

Jon Weisman, DodgerInsider.com (6/10/16)

7) Luke Raley, CF, Lake Erie College, 6-3, 220, 9/19/94 (21)

“Raley was kind of an underscouted outfielder from Lake Erie College, a small school that not many people get to. Marty Lamb did an outstanding job just finding this guy, identifying the talent and doing a lot of work on him. He’s big, he’s physical, he’s got tools, he had a great performance at a lower-level school, and we think it’s gonna translate well to the next level.”

8) Andre Scrubb, RHP, High Point University, 6-4, 265, 1/13/95 (21)

“He’s a big, right-handed pitcher with plus velocity, has a really good breaking ball. His strikeout rate was very high. We think we have a few ways we can help him more, get even more strikes, repeat his delivery better, and we’re looking forward to having our player-development staff work with this one.”

9) Anthony Gonsolin, RHP, St. Mary’s, 6-2, 180, 5/14/94 (22)

“Gonsolin is a two-way player at St. Mary’s, very athletic, up to 95 with a plus curveball. He was also a prospect as a hitter. It’s one of those guys that Paul Cogan and Tom Kunis knew well and had a deep history with, and we were able to get him as a senior in the ninth round. … We’re going to convert him to pull-time pitcher, and feel good about his chances in that role full-time.”

10) Kevin Lachance, SS, Maryland-Baltimore, 6-3, 185, 7/2/94 (21)

“Kevin is an athletic shortstop, maybe even slash center fielder — we’re not really sure what up-the-middle position he’s gonna play yet. But he’s a 70 runner, with a high-contact skill bat. He’s 6-3 — it’s a great body. Really twitchy, kind of loose athlete that we were excited to get.”

The Dodgers’ Take on Day 2 of the 2016 Draft

[Quake Griffin]

With our pockets and how much Friedman has put into scouting, we should have our own draft board that we don't stray away from. I go through this with Raider fans every draft. A player is a reach because the publications that talk about the draft said....

Make your board. Stick with it. Go BPA. These publications had several things wrong about this draft and they won't be vouching for you in the office if Stan Kasten is firing you.

Who knows if our scouting got it right? But at its most basic level, I'm glad Gasparino had Lux over Perez when making the pick and that we didn't "settle" for Lux. At least I know it's a flaw we can fix in our scouting if it goes wrong and not a flaw in Gasparino's gut feelings or how he acts under pressure.

[Neddy]

Cooper Johnson drafted in the 28th round to the Reds, thought you might want to know, Ranma.

[Ranma]

Cooper Johnson drafted in the 28th round to the Reds, thought you might want to know, Ranma.

Thanks, Neddy. I heard it on the audio stream but I almost missed it as it keeps cutting out for me. I'm going to assume that he's not signable that low, but if he ends up signing with Cincinatti, I'm going to be royally bitter that we didn't take him for ourselves. The Padres took yet another of my targets by selecting OF Trevyne Carter in the 11th round, but a couple of their early picks are head-scratchers I would have disapproved of.

Milwaukee took a flier on RHP Jared Horn in the 20th round, who looks unsignable there to me. It's funny, they also took RHP Tristan Beck, a personal favorite of mine, last year in the 34th round who followed through on his commitment to Stanford.

The A's seem to have gotten good value by taking RHP Brigham Hill immediately right after the Brewers' selection of Horn today. Seattle took Ken Jr.'s son Trey in the 24th round. The Yankees might have gotten good value in RHP Zach Linginfelter in the 16th round if they can sign him. Likewise, the Astros took OF Avery Tuck in the 26th round, who could be a intriguing project if they can sign him.

With regards to the Dodgers, I actually really like the picks made in the 10th through 12th rounds despite not knowing who they are beforehand. SS Kevin Lachance sounds like a gamer who can possibly play CF; he may not have much upside but is the type of versatile, speedy player with the right mentality that I like to develop in our system as a project. Both RHP prep prospects A.J. Alexy and Graham Ashcraft are the type of toolsy high-school pitchers I like taking a chance on if we can sign them. Alexy has shown flashes of a 4-pitch repertoire that includes a knuckleball while Ashcraft is more of a thrower who needs to learn how to pitch with a fastball that touched 99-mph and a wipeout slider. Both have good frames at 6'4" and 6'2", respectively.

The Dodgers also took an 18-year-old catcher out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy by drafting Ramon Rodriguez in the 30th round. On the surface, it doesn't sound like he'll have signability issues and I'm going to assume he has intriguing defensive tools and instincts for that position, otherwise, what's the point?


Update: The Dodgers just took another catcher in Stevie Berman out of Santa Clara University in the 31st round. At least they're addressing my concern of positional depth in the organization. I just wish that we had also come away with Logan Ice or Cooper Johnson in the mix.

[Ranma]

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Eric Stephen, TrueBlueLA.com (6/11/16)

May was picked with the 101st overall selection in the draft, with an allotted slot bonus of $590,800. That puts the Dodgers $409,200 over slot at the moment, but that's not that big of a deal. For one thing, a number of their other 11 picks in the first 10 rounds will be under slot, leaving room to go over on other signings.

But let's say hypothetically that every other pick signed for exactly their slot amount. That won't happen, obviously, but even if it did the Dodgers' large bonus pool affords them some leeway. Their total pool is $9,336,500, and they can go up to but not quite five percent over without losing a draft pick as a penalty. That gives them another $466,824 to spend, which would only incur a 75-percent overage tax.

MLB Draft 2016: Dodgers Reportedly Sign 3rd-Round Pick Dustin May to $1 Million Bonus

[Quake Griffin]

Are you ok with going over our slot bonus for this kid?

Given that what I know of him is a paragraph, I don't want to rush into saying it's a good or a bad thing.

[Ranma]

I actually now think we are not drafting these guys to groom, at least not the SS position so far. we keep hearing this year is a thin year for SS, and most franchises, even those with a young stud SS on their major league roster, can use more defensively reliable SS prospects along with good catchers. I think we are drafting trade commodities. from that POV, grabbing three SSs out of top 32 drafted in the position, seems like a business stratagy to hoard precious commodities rather than planning to groom all of them. I say that #1 pick of ours may get packaged along with something else for a blockbuster trade come mid season this year or next?

The thing is if we're drafting trade assets to eventually be dealt, then it would make more sense to take Delvin Perez since he is seen as having more tools and upside and thus more value in the short-term. If we're putting together a package for Jose Fernandez, I would think Perez would appeal more to the Marlins than Gavin Lux despite the fact that he's Puerto Rican and not Cuban. Perez has gotten advice from Carlos Correa and I believe he's being mentored by Carlos Delgado. Of course, other teams could be higher on Lux and instructed us to take him instead to pave the way for future deals (like the A's for Sonny Gray?) but absent solid information, I'm assuming Perez holds the higher value as a trade asset at least in the short-term despite his tumble down the draft board.

The thing that bugs me is that the White Sox also took a gamble on the talented but struggling Alec Hansen in the 2nd round. Their developmental staff has been known to do wonders in working to correct the flaws of young pitchers who lost their way. I believe the Pirates have a similarly impressive reputation in that regard. How come the Dodgers are not in the mix? Hansen was someone I was targeting with 1 of our 1st-round picks in the 30's.

We've certainly messed up with the Esribel Arruebarrena signing and development, not to mention the Alex Guerrero signing, but we fired our international scouting staff and placed the reputable Ismael Cruz in a lead position. Rushing Puig to the big leagues is also seen as a bit of a failure in ingraining in him fundamentals but he's genuinely making efforts this season and there is no questioning his talent. Given all that, I would think applying what is learned from those previous experiences would aid in the future development of Delvin Perez had we drafted him.

On the other hand, I actually like that the organization places an importance on makeup and Lux certainly is head-and-shoulders ahead of Perez in that department. At the same time, I apparently underestimated his developing physical tools and ability to field the SS position. We'll see who turns out to be the better of the two shortstops: Perez or Lux?

The other two SS prospects, Errol Robinson and Kevin Lachance, are seen more as future utility players. Robinson was taken almost exactly in the spot that Baseball America ranked him on its list. I really like Lachance personally as he's a speedy guy who may also be able to handle CF. While both are seen as likely capable fielders at the SS position, neither represent attractive trade propositions. Of course, our development of them and other prospects plays a part in this as well, but generally speaking, reaching for prospects at a particular position in a draft class that is weak at that position isn't maximizing trade value.

[Ranma]

With our pockets and how much Friedman has put into scouting, we should have our own draft board that we don't stray away from. I go through this with Raider fans every draft. A player is a reach because the publications that talk about the draft said....

Make your board. Stick with it. Go BPA. These publications had several things wrong about this draft and they won't be vouching for you in the office if Stan Kasten is firing you.

Who knows if our scouting got it right? But at its most basic level, I'm glad Gasparino had Lux over Perez when making the pick and that we didn't "settle" for Lux. At least I know it's a flaw we can fix in our scouting if it goes wrong and not a flaw in Gasparino's gut feelings or how he acts under pressure.

I agree with this philosophically as my personal draft board didn't line up exactly with the consensus either. I was excited before the proceedings because the consensus rankings gave us a good chance of getting a Josh Lowe or Cal Quantrill. Even Matt Manning was a possibility. As it turned out, all of those guys were quickly snatched up. Nolan Jones was a guy I wasn't looking forward to at 20th overall but I liked him at either 32nd or 36th overall when the consensus was assuredly thinking he would not fall that far. We passed on him at those spots, anyway.

Obviously, I'm a nobody in terms of personnel evaluation, but I rely on the information the gurus and experts put out to formulate my own opinion and assessments. Having said that, I was hoping that we would have the Boston Red Sox guy leading our draft as opposed to the San Diego Padres guy when I was ignorant of their respective responsibilities for those organizations. As it turned out Billy Gasparino is driving our drafts while Galen Carr is more involved in the player personnel evaluation at the Major-League level.

It doesn't take a great debater to see why I like what the Red Sox have done compared to the Padres when you have Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, and Jackie Bradley, Jr. stacked against Hunter Renfroe and Trea Turner (since traded). It seems as though we still have a lot of our old scouts in the fold but the direction of the club has clearly been led by Gasparino who seems to have a blind spot for shortstops.

I'm glad we have someone we can hold accountable but I don't have much faith in the decision-making at this point. Gasparino drafted Kyle Funkhouser apparently based on previous reputation when it was clear even to me that his stuff and makeup wasn't trending in the right direction. He passed over J.P. Crawford in favor of Hunter Renfroe back in the 2013 draft, which has me skeptical about his call of Gavin Lux over Delvin Perez. I'm still scratching my head over the Philip Pfeifer selection in the 3rd round last year.

Having said all that, I actually like a lot of his philosophy valuing character makeup, versatility, and quick-twitch athleticism particularly speed. I certainly think left-handed batting speedsters are of premium worth. It's just that I feel his draft strategy is too conservative and that he may be overthinking the "undervalued" components of his criteria in searching for draft prospects. That is a fine approach to apply to the lower levels of the draft but with 1st-round picks, we have to be more proactive in getting the most out of those picks in weighing the risks along with the payoffs in gambling a bit on some of our opportunities. As was noted in the Farm Fresh draft article by Dodger Insider I posted previously, the success rate of 1st-round picks in recent drafts in terms of those making it to MLB is over 2/3 while the collective WAR almost matches that of the entirety of the rest of the first 10 rounds combined.

While I'm disappointed in our draft, I can't say that I'm upset with our haul just yet. I'm conflicted on passing on Perez since I generally agree with you that we don't take cheaters and immature risks with our early picks if we can help it. My disappointment in missing out on my prime targets had me quite tempted and maybe even desperate to get a homerun selection, so I acknowledge that my judgment may be skewed a bit given the situation presented. However, I have to say that I most definitely would have preferred that our first 3 picks be Delvin Perez, Jordan Sheffield and Nolan Jones instead of Gavin Lux, Will Smith and Jordan Sheffield. Both Jones and Sheffield representing safe propositions would have mitigated the gamble that is Perez.

I understand bypassing Perez in favor of Lux if Lux is ranked higher on Gasparino's draft board. However, did that hold true before the PED violation came to light? I would understand passing on the struggling but talented Alec Hansen, but why was Funkhouser a reasonable gamble then when Hansen isn't now despite the fact that Hansen comparatively holds more promise and less downside?

Like I said, I can't say that I'm upset with our draft haul because I genuinely like the majority of the players that we drafted. Lux is a high-character guy who is further along in his development than I initially thought, so he's not as big of a reach as I proclaimed at first and teams were undoubtedly going to take him soon after if we had passed on him (just like Perez, ironically). He compares himself to Chase Utley while some think his ceiling could be Brandon Crawford. Either of those scenarios would obviously be great but he's far from assured of developing into either player despite being one of the safer prospects in the draft class.

Smith is another reach that I can excuse since he looks to be a well-rounded catcher similar to our own Austin Barnes. His late helium had him projected to sneak into the last part of the 1st round or Compensatory Round A. If the Dodgers think he's the best catcher on the board, which he makes a decent case for, then I can't really begrudge them for taking him ahead of the subsequent run on catching prospects. Still, I would have preferred going for more sizzle early and waiting to take my favorite catching prospect Cooper Johnson with the 65th overall pick in the 2nd round if Smith isn't available then. As it turned out, Johnson would be available for the rest of the first 10 rounds, which leads me to suspect he may have signability issues. Smith is certainly the better offensively-productive prospect while exhibiting impressive defensive traits himself. Johnson, on the other hand, is possibly the best defensive catcher in the entire draft class with a more questionable bat particularly with respect to his bat speed.

In any case, I like the players that we acquired, by and large, assuming we sign all the key prospects. I'm just seriously disappointed in forgoing this opportunity to add some sizzle to such a bland draft haul. I'm grateful we didn't take the middling college arms early as was previously rumored but we could and should have done better IMO. The depth of our farm system allowed us to take a big gamble or two and I've been saying that we are now lacking in elite level prospects with the recent graduations of Urias and Seager. This draft as well as others represent chances to possibly find replacements to replenish those ranks, so I feel that playing it overly safe was not the best use of our limited opportunities.

[Ranma]

Are you ok with going over our slot bonus for this kid?

Given that what I know of him is a paragraph, I don't want to rush into saying it's a good or a bad thing.

Yeah, I'm fine with signing Mays at that amount since we don't really have that many players who should have high asking prices, to be honest. I believe we're only compensated with replacement picks in next year's draft if we don't sign draftees taken in the 1st round, Compensatory Round A, and 2nd round. Given the lackluster haul of prospects, below is my list of players who should be signed in order for this draft class to minimize the disappointment level in the collection of draftees. Also, presumably the Dodgers did their due diligence in talking with these kids to get an idea of what their respective signing bonus demands are before drafting them. Although, the Dodgers didn't work out Lux privately before taking him with our 1st draft selection this year. Still, it would be a disaster if we don't ink the majority of our key draft picks from this class.

• SS Gavin Lux: Apparently, our SS of the future albeit with limited upside.
• C Will Smith: A really solid catching prospect whose addition helps address the positional depth lacking in our developmental pipeline.
• RHP Jordan Sheffield: Should be the heir apparent to Kenley Jansen as our future closer.
• RHP Mitchell White: Intriguing and mysterious pitching talent with 4-pitch repertoire with sudden late helium.
• RHP Dustin May: A projectable arm with high spin rate who is supposedly already in the fold.
• OF D.J. Peters: A right-handed power bat that exhibits limited elements of other athletic ability.
• LHP Devin Smeltzer: A capable LOOGY with no fear and high compete level.
• RHP Anthony Gonsolin: A 2-way player the Dodgers deemed more valuable as a pitcher.
• SS Kevin Lachance: A versatile speedster with great makeup as a role player and project who can possibly play CF as well.
• RHP A.J. Alexy: A rubber arm with flashes of a 4-pitch repertoire that includes a knuckleball.
• RHP Graham Ashcraft: A hard thrower who touches 99 mph with a wipeout slider who needs to learn how to pitch.
• C Ramon Rodriguez: A personal curiosity who will hopefully further address our need for catchers in the minors.

Obviously, more draftees will be signed but the above list represents my personal designation of who should be signed. While I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world to get compensatory picks in a better draft next year for not signing Lux, Smith, Sheffield or White, I'd be shocked and frankly disappointed that we wasted opportunities to draft other players we passed on like Delvin Perez, Nolan Jones, Alec Hansen, Buddy Reed, Joey Wentz, and maybe even Jared Horn or Cooper Johnson.

The bottom line is that we better come away with signing all of Lux, Smith, Sheffield, White, May, Peters, Smeltzer, Lachance, Alexy, and Ashcraft at the very least. The only concern I really have is securing signatures from Alexy and Ashcraft without knowing what the current situation is--but like I said before--given that we took them early in Day 3, it would be a pretty big blunder by Gasparino and his draft crew not to get these particular prospects signed given their draft position and the lack of star power from this class. Of the 42 picks from last year's draft class, only 7 went unsigned including Kyle Funkhouser (1st round), Edwin Rios (6th round), Garrett Zech (15th round), Jason Goldstein (17th round), Joe Genord (19th round), John Boushelle (20th round), and Jason Bilous (29th round).

[Ranma]

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[Quake Griffin]

I actually now think we are not drafting these guys to groom, at least not the SS position so far. we keep hearing this year is a thin year for SS, and most franchises, even those with a young stud SS on their major league roster, can use more defensively reliable SS prospects along with good catchers. I think we are drafting trade commodities. from that POV, grabbing three SSs out of top 32 drafted in the position, seems like a business stratagy to hoard precious commodities rather than planning to groom all of them. I say that #1 pick of ours may get packaged along with something else for a blockbuster trade come mid season this year or next?

The thing is if we're drafting trade assets to eventually be dealt, then it would make more sense to take Delvin Perez since he is seen as having more tools and upside and thus more value in the short-term. If we're putting together a package for Jose Fernandez, I would think Perez would appeal more to the Marlins than Gavin Lux despite the fact that he's Puerto Rican and not Cuban. Perez has gotten advice from Carlos Correa and I believe he's being mentored by Carlos Delgado. Of course, other teams could be higher on Lux and instructed us to take him instead to pave the way for future deals (like the A's for Sonny Gray?) but absent solid information, I'm assuming Perez holds the higher value as a trade asset at least in the short-term despite his tumble down the draft board.

The thing that bugs me is that the White Sox also took a gamble on the talented but struggling Alec Hansen in the 2nd round. Their developmental staff has been known to do wonders in working to correct the flaws of young pitchers who lost their way. I believe the Pirates have a similarly impressive reputation in that regard. How come the Dodgers are not in the mix? Hansen was someone I was targeting with 1 of our 1st-round picks in the 30's.

We've certainly messed up with the Esribel Arruebarrena signing and development, not to mention the Alex Guerrero signing, but we fired our international scouting staff and placed the reputable Ismael Cruz in a lead position. Rushing Puig to the big leagues is also seen as a bit of a failure in ingraining in him fundamentals but he's genuinely making efforts this season and there is no questioning his talent. Given all that, I would think applying what is learned from those previous experiences would aid in the future development of Delvin Perez had we drafted him.

On the other hand, I actually like that the organization places an importance on makeup and Lux certainly is head-and-shoulders ahead of Perez in that department. At the same time, I apparently underestimated his developing physical tools and ability to field the SS position. We'll see who turns out to be the better of the two shortstops: Perez or Lux?

The other two SS prospects, Errol Robinson and Kevin Lachance, are seen more as future utility players. Robinson was taken almost exactly in the spot that Baseball America ranked him on its list. I really like Lachance personally as he's a speedy guy who may also be able to handle CF. While both are seen as likely capable fielders at the SS position, neither represent attractive trade propositions. Of course, our development of them and other prospects plays a part in this as well, but generally speaking, reaching for prospects at a particular position in a draft class that is weak at that position isn't maximizing trade value.

Well, if Neddy is right, I see that blockbuster deal happening next season at the earliest.

My view of this front office is that they're fully implementing Stan Kasten's plan to build the pipeline to the majors ala what he created in Atlanta and what St. Louis has going. Pursuant to that, I view them as being content with a lot of the shifting they did in their first 365 days (Yasmani deal, Dee Gordon deal, Braves deal, international signings) and are ready for some what of a moratorium (SOME WHAT) on dealing players in order to let them develop, make the roster or shoot up top prospect charts. I just don't see why certain players would be dealt:

I can't see $16 million Yadier Alvarez being dealt this soon
Same with Yusniel Diaz.
Urias is here to stay.
Bellinger look like A-Gon's heir apparent, so that adds another layer to his value for us.
Buehler hasn't thrown a pitch yet in rookie ball
Barnes looks like he's our catcher for the immediate future....and he's at the major league level right now.

To me, we have a bunch of guys who are either untouchable or where it wouldn't make sense to deal them at this point in their development. After you go through those guys, what else is there to deal for a significant piece? DeLeon, Verdugo, Calhoun, Montas???

Looks like Gasparino likes Sheffield a lot. Looks like he took 2 toolsy high contact guys with the 1st 2 picks...which makes sense, Barnes is high contact as well...****'s AAA resume had him as a high contact guy (he Ks a lot now tho)....Yusniel Diaz as well. A lot of their own additions are high contact or have a history of it sans Trayce (who was more of a throw in anyway imo). It makes sense, the last 2 champs are high contact teams (going against the strikeouts dont matter theory) and we have a lot of swing and miss in our lineup.

Who knows? Friedman said no hard and fast rules.
I thought we'd be seeing crazy unbelievable trades throughout their entire tenure here and I was wrong. So they may just rev that engine up again and start dealing. For now, it seems like they might be taking guys who fit for their philosophy and what they want in a player.

[Ranma]

Andy McCullough, Los Angeles Times (6/11/16)

“I really thought he was going to have to go mature and get stronger,” Schmidt said. “And he didn’t like that answer. He decided he was going to go work. He wanted it so bad. It’s amazing what he’s done to his body and the strength he’s added in the last four months.”

His lineage prepared him for the mental rigors of the game. His skills were transcendent in the relative dead zone of the Badger State. And his desire drove him to increase his dedication to weight lifting, impressing scouts along the way as his strength manifested at the plate.
...

During the winter, Lux ventured 30 minutes from his home to a baseball facility in a town called Caledonia. He occasionally shared a cage with Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis, who noticed his “athletic swing” and his ability to spray line drives across the diamond. The other day, Ellis saw a picture of Lux taken recently.

“You could tell that he had put some weight on, and grown out of that wiry, high school body,” Ellis said. “He’s definitely headed in the right direction.”
...

Lux blended into the program. He aided as a bat boy and became so attached to the players he cried when they graduated. As he grew older, he became “just one of the guys,” Schmidt said.

“Never once did I call him and ask him if he wanted to hit or come to practice,” Schmidt continued. “My rule was he always asked me. And he didn’t even know that was my rule. He asked me pretty much every day.”

Dodgers First-Round Draft Pick Gavin Lux is Groomed for Success

[Quake Griffin]

Zack Burdi gives up a walk off granny to my Gauchos and sends us to the CWS.


no beef with Burdi...but eat **** funkhouser.

edit:
Also giving this FO the benefit of the doubt on Lux's glove.
I fought against them keeping Seager at Shortstop because I didnt think he would be a solid SS (based on every publication) even early in his career and thus far, he looks like he can handle the position.

[Neddy]

I actually now think we are not drafting these guys to groom, at least not the SS position so far. we keep hearing this year is a thin year for SS, and most franchises, even those with a young stud SS on their major league roster, can use more defensively reliable SS prospects along with good catchers. I think we are drafting trade commodities. from that POV, grabbing three SSs out of top 32 drafted in the position, seems like a business stratagy to hoard precious commodities rather than planning to groom all of them. I say that #1 pick of ours may get packaged along with something else for a blockbuster trade come mid season this year or next?

The thing is if we're drafting trade assets to eventually be dealt, then it would make more sense to take Delvin Perez since he is seen as having more tools and upside and thus more value in the short-term. If we're putting together a package for Jose Fernandez, I would think Perez would appeal more to the Marlins than Gavin Lux despite the fact that he's Puerto Rican and not Cuban. Perez has gotten advice from Carlos Correa and I believe he's being mentored by Carlos Delgado. Of course, other teams could be higher on Lux and instructed us to take him instead to pave the way for future deals (like the A's for Sonny Gray?) but absent solid information, I'm assuming Perez holds the higher value as a trade asset at least in the short-term despite his tumble down the draft board.

The thing that bugs me is that the White Sox also took a gamble on the talented but struggling Alec Hansen in the 2nd round. Their developmental staff has been known to do wonders in working to correct the flaws of young pitchers who lost their way. I believe the Pirates have a similarly impressive reputation in that regard. How come the Dodgers are not in the mix? Hansen was someone I was targeting with 1 of our 1st-round picks in the 30's.

We've certainly messed up with the Esribel Arruebarrena signing and development, not to mention the Alex Guerrero signing, but we fired our international scouting staff and placed the reputable Ismael Cruz in a lead position. Rushing Puig to the big leagues is also seen as a bit of a failure in ingraining in him fundamentals but he's genuinely making efforts this season and there is no questioning his talent. Given all that, I would think applying what is learned from those previous experiences would aid in the future development of Delvin Perez had we drafted him.

On the other hand, I actually like that the organization places an importance on makeup and Lux certainly is head-and-shoulders ahead of Perez in that department. At the same time, I apparently underestimated his developing physical tools and ability to field the SS position. We'll see who turns out to be the better of the two shortstops: Perez or Lux?

The other two SS prospects, Errol Robinson and Kevin Lachance, are seen more as future utility players. Robinson was taken almost exactly in the spot that Baseball America ranked him on its list. I really like Lachance personally as he's a speedy guy who may also be able to handle CF. While both are seen as likely capable fielders at the SS position, neither represent attractive trade propositions. Of course, our development of them and other prospects plays a part in this as well, but generally speaking, reaching for prospects at a particular position in a draft class that is weak at that position isn't maximizing trade value.

I see it the other way for the same reason. if we want to sell off Lux(or any other prospect we plan to use in a package) in next two seasons, it may actually help to get a guy that had a meteoric rise while every scout thought he is very raw and a long term project, therefore if his numbers was to reflect some struggle, it is easier to sell him with the idea that his early down performance was expected, but all the tangibles and intangibles that made him rise in the draft, are all still there. conversely, now with the PED issue hanging over Perez, if he does not perform well right out the gate, many teams will low ball his value and say his PED usage may have been more extensively involved than to say that it all just started from this January, thus argue that he is a risk not worth our potential asking price in return, or as you put it, due to a make up concern. Lux would sell better as long as we sell hm while he is still a teenager, if in fact we are planning to sell him. I could be totally wrong on this notion so only time will tell.

the Erisbel Arruebarrena and Alex Guerrero experiments' failure solely lies on Ned Colletti's shoulders. I don't remember the name of the former international scouting director before we hired and fired Bob Engle and his right hand man Patrick Guerrero, but Ned had the last guy for how long? didn't he hire him in the first place too? both were products of atrocious scouting, incompetent decision making, then terrible negotiations.

I too liked what I read about the other two short stops, but to be honest, I never heard of either of those guys before we drafted them so I will just say from what I have come across to read up on, they seem like your typical second day draftees, guys with projectable potential, some with more useable skills right away, others with better ceiling but some time away. overall, we have a lot of high level baseball brains working together to make these choices, so hopefully we have done our due dilligence and made all the right choices(or at least not **** it up too badly).

baseball draft is, or at least not yet, an exact science. I hope our top picks work out, or any of these 40 picks work out well enough to help the major league ball club someday, but as of right now, these kids are nothing but a bunch of trade baits and/or minor league roster fill-ins. anywho, wasn't De Leon a late draft pick too? we just gotta hit those jackpots time to time. go dodgers

[Ranma]

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Western Nevada College, KOLOTV.com (6/10/16)

"Amazing; he worked so hard," said WNC hitting instructor Aaron Demosthenes on his star hitter's high selection. "Truly, it's his work ethic. When things aren't going well for him, he gets to work, instead of feeling sorry for himself."

When the 131st pick in the draft was announced, Peters and his family and friends began to celebrate in Glendora, Calif.

"It was a very exciting time for me to share with the people that mean the most to me," Peters said. "I'm just grateful I got my name called because most kids don't get to hear that. I'm really happy with the spot where I went; that's something I'll never forget."

Very few players wind up being selected by their favorite team. Peters has bled Dodger blue since early childhood, attending as many games as he could.

"I can't wait to get in there in that organization and impact them with my tools and the way I play the game of baseball," Peters said. "I'll keep on working. Signing isn't when all the work stops; it's when the work begins."

WNC's DJ Peters Drafted by Dodgers

[Neddy]

I have an employee who's last name is Peters by marriage. I wonder if her husband is related to this kid.

[Ranma]

Even with the weak SS crop of this class, I find it really surprising more catchers were selected than shortstops. Texas continues to be the place to get high-level baseball prospects, apparently.

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Before his departure, Kiley McDaniel provided a very early look at the 2017 class in an article last year, which I've taken excerpts of to note particular college and high school players below. He also provided is unfinished database of prospects with preliminary rankings of prospects for the 2017 draft class, which also has the option to look at those for his 2015, 2016, and 2018 rankings. Belinsky also provides a top 10 list of prospects to watch in his partial but lengthy article before the paid subscription portion is hidden behind a paywall.

Kiley McDaniel, FanGraphs (4/27/15)

1. J.J. Schwarz, C, Florida: Schwarz was a 2nd round talent last year and it was a surprise that no one met his price. He’s made the most of his freshman year, nearly leading the country in homers (.290/.362/.617 with 13 bombs) and showing more hit tool than most expected from him this year. He has to tools to stick behind the plate but still needs a little work, while the bat and above average raw power are enough to play almost anywhere.
...

3. K.J. Harrison, C, Oregon State: Harrison was another Hawaiian prep that stood out last summer along with Kodi Medieros but Harrison has taken a step forward with the bat this year. He hasn’t caught much but showed the tools to stick behind the plate in 2014; his power is now above average and he’s making more contact as well.
...

6. Tanner Houck, RHP, Missouri: Houck popped up last spring as a projection arm in the Midwest and took another step forward this spring. He’s 6’5/200, sits 90-93 and hits 95 mph with solid average stuff and command, with more stuff coming.
...

10. Cobi Johnson, RHP, Florida State: Johnson’s dad is the Blue Jays’ roving pitching coordinator and that helps explain his feel for pitching. Johnson is a projectable 6’4/190 with three pitches that flash above average and some feel to pitch
...

1. Mark Vientos (17.5), SS, Flanagan HS (FL), Miami (FL) commit: Vientos is aged like a 2018 prospect but even if he was a year older, he may still be the top player in this class. He’s a 6’3/170 shortstop with a chance to stick at the position and a broad base of precocious skills that led one scout to mention Manny Machado. Vientos turned 15 in late December and has to be considered alongside 2016-eligible Venezuelans SS Kevin Maitan and C Abraham Gutierrez as the top players in the world at that age.

2. Hunter Greene, RHP, Notre Dame HS (CA), UCLA commit: Greene has been a buzz name this spring after impressing at the 16U Team USA trials. I haven’t seen him yet, but Green is at least 6’2, was described as uber-athletic and already sits 90-93 mph. Greene also goes to the same high school as Giancarlo Stanton.

3. Hagen Danner (18.7), RHP, Huntington Beach HS (CA), UCLA commit: Danner is close to filled-out at 6’1/185, but he already sits in the low-90’s, flashes an above average curveball and an average changeup. 5/26/15 UPDATE: The velo was even better in a playoff game against likely 2015 1st rounder C Chris Betts, sitting 92-94 and hitting 96 mph.
...

8. Hans Crouse (18.7), RHP, Dana Hills HS (CA), No commit: Crouse is 6’4/170 and has already hit 95 mph. Everything else is a little rough, but he’s 16, so this is a pretty good start.

2016/2017 MLB Draft Rankings: Ridiculously Early Edition


Hudson Belinsky, Baseball America (6/13/16)

After a down year in Southern California in 2016, the Golden State shows plenty of promise for 2017. There are several intriguing middle infield prospects. Royce Lewis, Jacob Amaya and Nick Allen have developed some track record. Lewis plays for JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), and participated in the 2015 National High School Invitational and the 2016 Boras Classic. Amaya showed well at the 2015 Tournament of Stars, and Allen performed at the 2015 WWBA Championship.

There’s also a deep group of prep arms in California. Hans Crouse is a righthander with a fast arm. Kyle Hurt has an physical frame and has shown flashes with three pitches. Huntington Beach teammates Nicholas Pratto and Hagen Danner both have extensive track record in front of scouts and they are both two-way prospects.

Perhaps the most intriguing Californian is Hunter Greene, a shortstop/righthanded pitcher at Notre Dame High (Sherman Oaks, Calif.). Greene has experience playing for USA Baseball’s 18U National Team, and scouts saw him face Blake Rutherford this spring. Greene has a high ceiling as a shortstop and as a pitcher, showing plus arm strength and bat speed.
...

Here is a list of 10 prospects that have the potential to fit at the top of this class, in no particular order:

2017 Draft Watch List


I'm quite surprised to see J.J. Schwarz not on Belinsky's early watch list of the top 10 prospects for 2017. I'm even more surprised to see Tristan Beck's name included for consideration for this class since he'll be a sophomore at Stanford as a current 19-year-old and pulled out of the draft last year.

Belinsky clarified why that is in his tweet below as he apparently has a late birthday with respect to eligibility. I mentioned before how I wanted to pursue Beck in the 2015 draft, so if he's available for 2017, he's already one of my prime targets. He still needs to polish up his mechanics and physically mature in filling out his thin frame, but the kid has projectable talent with a 4-pitch repertoire and pitchability. Before his withdrawal from the 2015 draft, he was thought of as a possible late-1st-round selection supposedly at 28th overall as a prep RHP. I've also posted his MLB 2015 Draft video profile below for reference.

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2015 Draft: Tristan Beck, P 04/23/15 | 00:01:03
Tristan Beck can be absolutely dominant from the windup, but does struggle mechanically out of the stretch