TBA 2013 Draft: Round 1

TBA 2013 DRAFT REVIEW:  Round 1

It is that time again to review the good, bad, and ugly of the 2013 first round.  This year will be tough because it truly lacked that “WTF” moment or pick.  Sure…..there were a couple reaches, but nothing that had me shaking my head in disbelief.  As in years past, this is just my opinion.  No one has deemed me all-knowing so please take my comments with a grain of salt.  Without any further delay, here it is. 

1)    Bryce Harper- (Mackinaw).  Not exactly a shock here.  Mackinaw rebuffed many advances on this pick (including from yours truly) and it was probably a wise move as Harper is they type of player your build around.  He does a little of everything and all signs point to star. 

2)     Manny Machado- (Bowling Green).  Bowling green has now embraced the rebuilding process.  His offense grew old and feeble quickly and the smart money was an offensive pick and he did so by taking Machado.  I saw him going with Cespedes, but the age may have scared him off.  With no true 3B and an aging SS, Machado makes sense.  It is still unclear where Machado ends up playing.  Either way, he is the young type of blue chipper that Bowling Green needs to start the rebuild.

3)    Yu Darvish- (Brighton).  Some pundits expected Brighton to fill their RF hole with Cespedes.  This was considered, but one of the worst kept secrets behind the scenes was Brighton’s admiration for Darvish.  With a solid, but aging rotation, Darvish will step right in and fill the #3 slot behind Hamels and Kuroda.  Management was encouraged by Darvish’s late season rebound and is expecting big things,

4)    Matt Moore- (Kansas City).  With a need for SP, the pick of Matt Moore makes sense.  Moore ad a slow start in 2012, but came on strong and has a power arm that screams potential ace if he gets his control harnessed.  Parker, Medlen, and Harvey were also on the table, but Moore was a solid choice under the current state of pitching in KC. 

5)    Andrelton Simmons- (Spokane).  The second worst kept secret in the league is that Larry Hill likes defense so this move was a foregone conclusion once he slipped.  For this season, Simmons will serve as understudy to JJ Hardy.  The future belongs to Simmons and he should maintain his 1 rating for years to come.  His bat should be potent enough not to be confused with Brendan Ryan.  If things work well, Larry will have his SS for the foreseeable future AND he may just have a valuable trade chip in Hardy. 

6)    Yoenis Cespedes- (Evanston).  I don’t think this is who Evanston was hoping for at #6, but Cespedes provides value at #6 as well as immediate dividends.  He provides an excellent bat, defensive upgrade on holliday in LF, and while there has been questions about his true age, should provide many years of service.   He has worked at his conditioning and flexibility this off season so hopefully that keeps him off the DL and capable in the field.

7)    Matt Harvey- (Nassau).  One suspects that Mr. Garafalo was hoping Cespeds fell into his lap, but Evanston pissed on his cornflakes.  Instead, Nassau opts for young fireballer Matt Harvey.  With Medlen and Parker staring him in the face, Nassau opts for upside vs immediate help.  Harvey impressed in limited exposure in his debut.  He will get every opportunity to anchor the Mets staff.  Like most young fireballers, control will need some work before he can make the next step.  If he improves on that, Steve may have himself an excellent #2 type for years.

8)    Kris Medlen- (Brighton).  Making his 2^nd pick in the first round, management was ecstatic to wake up in the morning to the sight of Medlen being auto drafted.  While plan B Jarrod Parker would have been a fine consolation prize, Medlen has an incredible card that could provide invaluable in Brightons quest to become the first TBA repeat champion.  He could be used out of the pen as well as start and that flexibility will be invaluable in matchups. 

9)    Yasmani Grandal- (Seattle).  I believe that Seattle was hoping for a Simmons freefall, but his neighbor Spokane put an end to that.  Enter Yasmani Grandal into the picture.  With Chris Iannetta and Jeff Mathis as catchers, the need is there for a long term solution.  Grandal could be it.  Despite the fact that he plays in SD, he put up some solid numbers in his short stint in the bigs and more is expected.  However, we must discuss the elephant in the room…. PED’s.      Not only will Grandal miss the first 50 games of the season, but one has to wonder how he does without the juice.  Stay tuned.

10)  Jarrod Parker- (London).  London came into the draft likely looking to upgrade the offense as his pitching is already among tops in the league.  However, the opportunity to grab Parker at #10 was too tempting to pass up.  He will add even more depth to an already killer staff OR (my trading nature creeping in) be spun off in a deal to upgrade elsewhere. 

11)  Will Middlebrooks- (Claysburg).  The artist formally known as Delaware Valley had no 3B.  Enter Mr. Middlebrooks.  He was having a solid rookie campaign before injury shut him down.  Middlebrooks should provide solid D and provide pop.  Management would like to see him take a few walks, but he fills a need and should at least be a Joe Crede-esque 3B if not better.

12)  Tyler Skaggs- (Evanston).  Evanston opts to add a prospect with little use this year.  Skaggs has the pedigree and should get the opportunity to be the #5 SP in Arizona.  Nothing here suggests ace or even #2.  However, his ceiling could be a nice #3 and that is not bad at all.  Maybe a little bit of a reach, but I can’t say it’s a WTF pick. 

13)  Starling Marte- (Claysburg).  One of the few young bats available at this point and it is a solid pick.  While no one at this point is a sure thing, Marte has a lot of tools that could make him a cornerstone for the rebuilding Claysburg franchise.  The K’s need to come down and the walks need to go up.  With that said, he could easily turn in a 20/20 season while providing solid glovework. 

14)  Lucas Harrell- (Kansas City).  Look…..no one is going to confuse Harrell with a prospect.  Nothing in his history shows much of anything.  He did however turn in a very sound season and will provide quality innings to a team in need of them.  Harrell keeps the ball in the park and should keep the Bashers in games.  Anything that he provides in the future is gravy.

15)  Jacob Turner- (Evanston).  Jacob Turner was and is a highly touted prospect who struggled in his limited exposure in the bigs.  While he is not a high K type, he projects as a solid mid-rotation pitcher with a possibility of better.  He will take some lumps as he will be thrown into the fire in Miami.  The rewards could be worth it long term.

16)  Zack Cozart- (London).  Ahh…..Mr. Cozart.  Probably the biggest reach of the round.  I am not saying he is a poor player.  He has some value.  He comes to work with a solid glove and has some pop.  He is kind of a poor man’s JJ Hardy.  He isn’t exactly a kid and his lack of on base skills keeps him from being a 1^st rd talent.  However, London unfortunately picked a bad year to need a SS as the draft is tissue thin with SS with immediate value.  I believe London would acknowledge the reach, but also has to suck it up or risk having to draft junk or overpay for someone else’s SS.

17)  Fernando Rodney- (Washington).  As a Tiger fan, the thought of Rodney ever being drafted again let alone in the first round would have made me soil my britches.  Here we are….Rodney is in the first round, and I have to find clean drawers.  Rodney came out of nowhere to put up an absolutely beastly closer card with high innings.  A repeat is virtually impossible, but who cares?  Rodney is a difference maker for a playoff run NOW.  Rodney was selected by Washington, but immediately was shipped to Oahu to see if he can guide the Wonders to the promise land. 

18)  Adam Eaton-(Bowling Green).  I like this pick.  Eaton is slated to be the starting CF for Arizona.  He lacks power, but has a track record of getting on base at a prolific rate.  Excellent value here for a rebuilding Bowling Green.  Little use this year, but I am sure that matters little to Mr.Hallee who has is eyes on next year.

19)  AJ Griffin- (Seattle).  Now that Darvish, Moore, Medlen, Parker, and Harvey are gone, what is a team looking for a young SP to do?  Enter AJ Griffin.  He is a good upside pitcher who’s main drawback is a lack of a high k-rate.  It doesn’t matter to Seattle.  Griffin has a job in Oakland and will get every chance to shine. 

20)  Ryan Cook- (Kansas City).  KC wraps up round 1 with set-up man Ryan Cook.  Personally, I am not a big fan of taking a RP in the first round let alone a set-up man.  With that said, Cook is clearly the 2^nd best RP card in the draft and he would not have lasted much longer.  He was on my radar and I am sure the radar of others.  Mr. Hughes saw a need to restock the shelves in his pitching staff and has done so with Moore, Harrell, and Cook. 

 

 I do not think there were any real “winners” and “losers” in this round, but for the sake of the review,  I will do it.

WINNERS:
1) Brighton.  I hate to pick myself as it may appear to be self serving.  With that being said, I was able to add a potential ace and an incredible swing pitcher card to an already solid pitching staff
2) Mackinaw.  Bryce Harper……next.
3) Evansotn/KC.  3 picks each in the 1^st.  Evanston going young.  KC stocking up on pitching. 

LOSERS:  (Again….I didn’t see any glaring losers, but…..)
1) Anyone picking after #12 who passed on Brett Anderson.  I am embarrassed to say that I didn’t even see he was in the draft and I know of one other GM who said that he would have taken him if he saw he was available.  If healthy, Anderson could be an ace.  There could be many people kicking themselves on this one.
2) London.  Paul and I discussed this pick and I completely understand his reasoning if not agree with it.  I classify him as a loser because it was a reach.  Of course getting a steal on Parker helps makes it easier to do. 
3) The author.  I was hoping to be able to rip some picks, but I can’t say that I hate anything that was done in this round.  Maybe didn’t agree with it all, but definitely a pretty solid round of drafting.

BIGGEST STEALS:
1) Adam Eaton- (Bowling Green).  I think he could be gem at the end of the round.
2) Jarrod Parker- (London).  I pegged Parker going top 8, but London scooped him up at 10.  Even though he didn’t need pitching, you can’t pass this up at 10. 
3) Starling Marte- (Claysburg).  If he gets his K’s under control, he has 20/30 talent with a good glove.  Nothing wrong with that at all.

BIGGEST REACHES:
1) Zack Cozart (London).  Paul gets the honor of making both lists.  It was a desperation reach and not one made in haste.  Call it what you will, but Cozart and 1^st rd do not belong in the same sentence. 
2) Ryan Cook (Kansas City).  Not a bad pick.  I just can’t get past my “don’t take a set up man in the 1^st” philosophy.  I have no doubts that Ryan will benefit.
3) Tyler Skaggs (Evanston).  Again, I don’t dislike the pick.  I do feel he went higher than value (I pegged late 1^st/early 2^nd), but he is a talented pitcher.