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Saturday, June.08, 2013

The 2013 Draft has come and gone – and will take years to decide how good each teams selection was in the 1st Round. We decided to take a look at the top 5 Picks again.

By Chris Lacey (Featured Baseball Columnist) Follow @aecanada12

How quickly can a teams fortune change with top 5 MLB Draft Picks??  Think of the 119 Loss 2003 Detroit Tigers drafting Justin Verlander – and going to a World Series just 3 years later.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays picked 1st for many years, finally having their players come together in 2008, once Evan Longoria, James Shields, B.J. Upton and David Price asserted themselves in 2008.

A horrid Washington Nationals team losing 95 -100 Games every year drafted Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper in successive drafts – before cranking out a franchise record 98 Wins just  a couple of years later.

The Astros, Cubs, Rockies, Twins and Indians sure hope the 2013 Top 5 Picks will warrant heavy discussion as a great class of picks as the years go by.

Mark Appel is interviewed 3 Months Ago:

1. Houston Astros – Mark Appel (P)

The Houston Astros went with home grown talent in the first pick for the 2013 Draft. They choose starting pitcher Mark Appel from Stanford, and he projects to be a future ace for their staff.

Appel features a three-pitch mix in his repertoire with a plus fastball that sits in the mid 90s with great movement. He also offers a hard slider and a circle changeup that has outstanding movement.

The best thing about all of these pitches is that he can throw them all for strikes, and he has very good mound presence. Houston elected to bypass Jonathan Gray in favor of Appel, because he was their guy.

The only issue that scouts are concerned with him is that his stuff doesn’t generate as many swings and misses as you would expect. There is a consensus among all scouts that he will be top of the rotation starter when all is said and done.

Houston elected to bypass Jonathan Gray in favor of Appel, because he was their guy.

They had a chance to draft him last year, but they went another direction. The interesting aspect about Appel is that he had a chance to be in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization last year, but elected to go back to school and finish his degree.

He not only did this, but he also improved as a pitcher by staying in school for another year. This gave baseball scouts another chance to see if he could improve upon the areas, which they thought he needed to work on.

He finished his collegiate career on a high note, and looked better in his senior season as compared to his junior year. He struck out 8.11 per nine and allowed 8.41 hits per nine in his junior year, but those numbers improved to 9.51 strikeouts per nine and 7.10 hits per nine in his senior year. He also leaves Stanford as the career leader in strikeouts with 372.

He is the most polished pitcher in this draft and it will not be long before we see him in an Astros uniform.

2. Chicago Cubs – Kris Bryant (3B)

The Chicago Cubs had a chance to select hard-thrower pitcher Jonathan Gray and this would have been a good complement to Jeff Samardzija. They decided to go with offense, and went with University of San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant. The offense for them looks promising adding Bryant to a cast of Anthony Rizzo, and Starlin Castro.

He was one of the best collegiate bats this past season by slugging 31 home runs. The draft stock for him was raised by putting up monster numbers. He had a .329/.493/.820 triple-slash this season, and he also led Team USA in slugging percentage.

Another aspect about is that he out-homered 228 of 296 teams in Division I baseball. Bryant also showed solid plate discipline as he managed to walk 66 times with only 44 strikeouts.

The only issues with him are that his long swing may lead to some more strikeouts at the next level. Some scouts believe that he will need to move to a corner outfield position as he continues to mature. The reason for this is that during his collegiate career, he did show the ability to play in the corner outfield.

He has plus power with the ability to hit the ball to all fields, and he has a plus arm to go with excellent offensive skills.  The best thing about him is that he could play either third base or be a corner outfielder for Chicago. The one player that scouts compare him to is Evan Longoria third baseman of the Tampa Bay Rays.

He does have the option to return to San Diego University for his senior season should he fail to reach a deal with the Cubs, which does give him some negotiating leverage.

Chicago has a chance to have a great offense with this selection, and Bryant has a promising future with them.

3. Colorado Rockies – Jonathan Gray (P)

The Colorado Rockies had a present gift-wrapped to them in form of right-hander Jonathan Gray from University of Oklahoma. Colorado needs a pitcher that rack up strikeouts, and Gray fits this profile perfectly.

One of his best assets is that he is a power pitcher, and his fastball can reach 100 mph. Colorado does not have many good arms in their system, and he could be one of the best that they have ever drafted.

The main issues with pitchers that are in Coors Field are that they either have to be a sinker ball pitcher or high strikeout pitcher.

There were some scouts who thought his team mate Dillon Overton was the top Sooner arm in this year’s class entering the season. Gray’s draft stock rose with each start he made this season.

He showed the ability to reach triple digit on the radar gun late in his starts, leaving no doubt in his ability to maintain his velocity. This is why some scout wants to compare him to Justin Verlander, as both can dial some more heat when they need to.

He has refined his slider into a wipeout pitch with depth and bite, and he can make hitters look silly with an improved changeup that bottoms out at the plate.

Gray has firmed up his frame to a solid 6-foot-4 and 239 pounds, and he has his delivery and his pitches more under control than ever.

He has maintained a high level of performance all spring, carrying an 8-1, 1.20 record with a 104-16 K-BB ratio and a .166 opponent average through his first 12 starts.

Gray will immediately become the Rockies top prospect in their system, and has a chance to make an immediate impact when he joins their starting rotation. This is also the third time that Gray has been drafted , but it looks like the third time will be the charm.

4. Minnesota Twins – Kohl Stewart

Minnesota Twins have drafted right-handed pitcher Kohl Stewart with the 4^th pick in the draft, and he is one of the more intriguing players in the draft.  He is dual sport star and is committed to play both football and baseball at Texas A&M.

A premium football recruit as a quarterback, Stewart passed for 8,803 yards and 87 touchdowns in three high school seasons before committing to play two sports at Texas A&M. It’s unlikely he’ll ever play for the Aggies because he’s the top high school pitcher in the draft.

The Scouts love the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder arsenal, athleticism and competitiveness. They say that he has better present stuff than Jameson Taillon did when the Pirates took the suburban Houston right-hander No. 2 overall in 2010.

Stewart has boosted his fastball from 88-93 mph last summer to 91-96 for much of the spring, though his velocity tails off at times in the later innings.

His life and command with his heater make it even more dominating, but his best offering is a power mid-80s slider with tilt. He has improved his curveball and shows feel for his changeup, and he’ll display four above-average big league pitches at times.

He has a clean delivery and should get even better once he concentrates solely on baseball. Stewart has been limited at times this spring because of hamstring and thumb ailments, but none is a major concern.

Some scouts believe his stuff is comparable to Mark Appel and Jonathan Gray. The main issue with Stewart right now is he that is more of a thrower than a pitcher, but that can be fixed as he develops more into a pitcher. The other concern is his health, because he has Type 1 Diabetes.

The Twins system is loaded.

5. Cleveland Indians – Clint Frazier OF

The Cleveland Indians went with an athletic outfielder for the 5^th pick in Clint Frazier. He has one of the advanced bats in this draft class, with a quick, short stroke that generates more power than you would expect given his frame.

The lack of physicality may concern some people, but his collection of tools is what separates him from other players in the draft. Cleveland already have Michael Bourn, plus a combination of Michael Brantley,  Drew Stubbs and Nick Swisher roaming CF, LF and RF respectively,  now with this selection their outfield already becomes more impressive.

Frazier brings premium bat speed, solid athleticism and an all-out style, making him a strong contender to be the first high school player drafted this year. However, scouts do not put him in the same class as last year’s top prospect, fellow Georgia prep outfielder Byron Buxton

While he’s modestly sized, Frazier has fast-twitch athleticism and strength in his hands, wrists and forearms. He generates tremendous bat speed and plus-plus raw power that should play at any level. He hits balls far and hits homers with regularity.

While Frazier has a compact swing, scouts expect him to swing and miss a decent amount with his aggressive approach and modest feel for hitting. He’s an above-average runner whose speed plays better offensively than in the field. Frazier’s defense in center field remains raw; he lacks instincts and tries to outrun his mistakes.

He has shown above-average arm strength in the past, but scouts say he has played through pain this spring and his arm has played as average or worse at times.

Frazier has the power to get the major leagues, and he is athletic enough where he can be a solid defensive player for the Indians. He will be their best power prospect in the system, and slots right behind Francisco Lindor overall in the organization. 

The clubs Minor League System is loaded, and he projects to be their 4^th or 5^th best prospect in their organization.

With the exception of the 1997 Florida Marlins – and the 2009 New York Yankees, World Series Champion Winning teams are usually built through the Draft for the core nucleus of their team.

*** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com or their partners.***

A big thank-you goes out to our ”Diamondbacks Correspondent’ and busy Baseball Writer Chris Lacey. Chris has been a fan of watching baseball since the age of 13. Now he does like all sports – but his favorites after baseball are  hockey and basketball.  Chris is very good with computers and is a college graduate.  

Chris is very active on Twitter and especially during the baseball season chatting with other Diamondbacks fans. Be sure to follow him and talk about the great game of baseball. Chris is addicted to writing baseball.  Check out his work for http://www.rantsports.com here , for http://www.baseballhotcorner.com here , for venom strikes here and if you can believe it http://www.fanrag.com here Follow @aecanada12

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