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Philadelphia Phillies Optimistic About Heading To Spring Training In 2017
By Dan Wanser
Philadelphia held a massive consecutive sellout streak from the time CBP was in its first year until the latter parts of their team starting to decline in 2012. In 2015, the franchise finished 14th out of 15 clubs at the turnstiles with just 1.8 Million fans. This was the second straight year of a huge decline. For those reasons it is okay to slowly build this team up with salary. Philadelphia even dipped below the $100 MIL barrier in 2016 for payroll, and managed to bump attendance up to 1.95 MIL fans. With a projected payroll of $104.0 based on recent additions of Clay Buchholz and Howie Kendrick, the club will look to be a little more competitive in 2017, and rise that attendance beyond 2 MIL again.
The Philadelphia Phillies used to be a force to be reckoned with. “The team to beat” started their historic stretch in 2007, ripping off five straight National League East Division titles which included two trips to the World Series and a championship in 2008.
Players like Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard paved the way to the first championship team since 1980, but that all began to spiral out of control when Howard tore his achilles tendon during the final out of the 2011 NLDS.
Since then, the Phillies have not broken the .500 mark and the players that led the parade down Broad Street have moved on to other teams or left the game for good; the 2017 team is not the team of old. Read the rest of this entry
What Is Wrong With Houston Astros’ Pitcher, Ken Giles?
Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com)
Follow @dynasty_digest Follow @mlbreports
The Houston Astros acquired young flamethrower, Ken Giles, from the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason. The Astros paid a king’s ransom for Giles considering they gave up top prospect, Vincent Velazquez, former #1 overall pick, Mark Appel, Brett Oberholtzer, and Thomas Eshelman. Giles’ cost was so high because of his young age, success, and his team control for the next 4 years.
Unfortunately for the Astros, this trade hasn’t quite worked out as people expected. Giles continues to struggle, Velazquez continues to shine, and Mark Appel seems to be back on track.
Following the trade, the Astros were expected to name Giles the opening day closer over the previous closer, Luke Gregerson.
Well, the unexpected happened during spring training. Giles struggled to get people out and the Astros decided to name Gregerson the opening closer for 2016. Many Astros’ fans believed this was going to be temporary, considering the Astros paid so much for 25 year old closer, but this situation doesn’t seem to be temporary anymore.
Through 8.2 innings pitched in 2016, Giles has a 8.31 ERA, 2 losses, 13 hits given up, 3 walks, and 12 strikeouts. The start of the season is not Giles-esque considering in his first two seasons with the Phillies, he threw 115.2 innings, with a 1.56 ERA, 84 hits given up, 151 strikeouts, 36 walks, and 16 saves. So that brings up the question every Astros fan and fantasy baseball owner is asking, what is wrong with Ken Giles?
To read the rest of the article, click the link below:
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE
The Future Of The Philadelphia Phillies Could Be Bright
The Phillies have not had a winning season since 2011 after putting forth a decade straight of them. A promising second half to the year – coupled with full seasons by Aaron Nola and Maikel Franco could have them inch closer back to achieving that mark in the next few years.
Trey Rose (Featured Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com) Follow @dynasty_digest
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t had a winning season since 2011. While it has been a tough stretch of seasons for the team and their fans, they are in the midst of a rebuild that could bring the organization great success in the near future.
I would expect the Phillies to start competing around 2018-2019 seasons. In this article, I will highlight some of the Phillies prospects and players that will be instrumental to the success of the Phillies.
These players will include: Maikel Franco, Aaron Nola, Vincent Velazquez, J.P. Crawford, Mark Appel, Jake Thompson, and Nick Williams.
To read the analysis on the Phillies and the players listed above, please click the link below:
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE
Why The Houston Astros Have The Brightest Future In Major League Baseball
Carlos Correa was the 1st overall pick in the 2012 Amateur Draft for the Houston Astros. He came up in early June and proceeded to win the American League Rookie Of The Year Award with a 3 Slash of .279/.345/.512 with 22 HRs (led all shortstops in the MLB) and 22 Doubles in just 99 Games. This type of production will change the complexion of the team for the next 6 years. He is just going to be 21 for all of next season – and he looks exactly like a young Alex Rodriguez. In his 1st postseason action, Correa smacked 2 HRs in that pivotal game 4 of the ALDS for Houston, staking them to a 6 – 2 lead before the Bullpen gave up the game.
Trey Rose (Featured Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com) Follow @Dynasty_Digest
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Houston Astros had some very rough years from 2011 to 2013 (162-324 record).
While this was a tough time for the Major League Organization, their Minor League affiliates were thriving. Luckily for the Astros, a lot of their young talent has made their way through the minors and has finally landed in the big leagues.
This youth movement has helped the team drastically. Many baseball experts and fans didn’t predict the Astros to compete in 2015, but they proved them wrong.
In 2015, they made the playoffs for the first time since 2005. They accomplished this feat while having the 6th youngest roster in Major League Baseball (Average age of 26.7 years old).
If the Astros were this successful with a roster with so little Major League experience, then can you imagine what they will do once their talent matures throughout the next few seasons?
How To Stop Tanking Maneuvers In Order To ‘Rebuild’ MLB Teams
In the last year of the current ‘CBA’ there may be a change to the new agreement that would stop teams from intentionally losing under the “integrity of competitiveness” clause. Teams such as Houston and the Chicago Cubs have laid the template down, and now other teams are following suit like the Phillies, Braves, Reds, Padres, Rockies and Brewers.
Jordan Gluck (Part Owner/Featured Writer): Follow @jgluck777
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
How to stop Tanking?
Spearheaded by Jeff Luhnow – the complete ‘tank philosophy’ has taken off across sports which is a terrible thing for competitive balance.
Teams in other leagues such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Cubs, Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Timberwolves and Indianapolis Colts have had completely terrible teams with the goal of landing the top selection in that draft(s).
Tanking has become much more widespread and is EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE. The problem is losing this badly leads to teams being terrible likely for long periods of time so they can be at the top of the draft and have a chance at elite players.
The differences in tanking differ by league though, in basketball if you don’t have the elite talent then you will never win and that talent is found almost always at the top of the draft.
In football you need a quarterback to be a super bowl contender and tanking will likely be just for the quarterback as the Colts did for Andrew Luck.
Hockey (like baseball) requires depth but top line players carry a huge premium and are available at the top of the draft and you defiantly need at least a few to be Stanley Cup contenders. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 1, 2016 (Includes All 30 MLB Teams Written New Years Resolutions)
Happy New Year. 2016 has begun and we will have 366 episodes this year.
As I do every January 1, I give a New Years resolution for each of the 30 teams.
Let old acquaintance be forgot on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Philadelphia Phillies State Of The Union For 2016
The Phillies have not had a winning season since 2011 after putting forth a decade straight of them. A promising second half to the year – coupled with full seasons by Aaron Nola and Maikel Franco could have them inch closer back to achieving that mark in the next few years. The management finally started the rebuild halfway through the year, have continued it so far this winter – and the financial flexibility in going forward should really be shaped up in a few more seasons. It may be a tough campaign in 2016 for the win loss column, however the team has a lot of young players to watch and be excited about.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
I was lucky enough to watch a record 224 MLB Games live last year – spread across all 30 MLB parks in every day of the campaign last season.
Unfortunately I saw the most home games (33 Games) in Philadelphia with my brother living close by. There is nothing wrong with Citizens Ball Park, it was the team that was tough to watch.
When you have Jeff Francouer as your #4 hitter for half of the year, there is something wrong with that. I love the guy, and Frenchy had a decent year, it just said a lot about the depth of the Roster in 2015.
At the end of the year Philadelphia’s management started to trade away Veterans from the glory days of the World Series, and you can start to see the healing begin.
The dealing continued with Ken Giles sent to Texas for a bunch of stud arms coming back. Now the Phillies are looking forward to a bunch of young talent coming to the big leagues in the next few seasons.
The old guard is still there with Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz holding down the Starting First Base and Catcher respectively. Howard is an average offensive threat only now that makes $25 MIL. Read the rest of this entry
Philadelphia Phillies Payroll In 2016 + Contracts Going Forward
The Phillies have not had a winning season since 2011 after putting forth a decade straight of them. A promising second half to the season – couple with full seasons by Aaron Nola and Maikel Franco could have them inch closer back to achieving that mark in the next few years. The management finally started the rebuild halfway through the year – and the financial flexibility in going forward should really be shaped up in a few more years. Philadelphia has $110 MIL in approximate Team Salary already committed for next year. I would keep the course and build through the Draft. Spending money on any premiere Free Agents is a little premature right now. In addition, the club could really trade away anything not nailed down for 2017.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Philadelphia should have a payroll of near $110 MIL after Arbitration dollars are handed out next year. Of that money, Ryan Howard and 3 players (Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and Chase Utley) rake in $49 MIL of the salary on players that no longer play on the club, or in Howard’s case – are very unproductive.
I love the deals the franchise has made since the Trade Deadline – and even loved some of the Veterans they have picked up for the coming year like Charlie Morton and Jeremy Hellickson.
Between the half a dozen Starters or so they have acquired through trades, and their nice young Starter in Aaron Nola, they now have a promising future in the Rotation.
Mark Appel was also acquired in the Ken Giles trade. This is a #1 overall pick who may just need some more seasoning in the Minors.
Houston Astros State Of The Union For 2016
The Houston Astros were the worst team in the Major Leagues from 2011 – 2013, where they topped the 100 Loss barrier for each of those seasons, underwent an ownership change, and also moved from the tough NL Central to the AL West. Last year the Astros finally turned the corner with the 2nd Wild Card Spot, won that game in New York and took the KC Royals to the brink of elimination before they lost. They are young, have a core nucleus of team controllable superstars and exceptional depth that they can use for upgrades. It is a great time to be a ‘Stros fan.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Houston Astros are set to contend for the foreseeable future. A 6 year stretch in which they revamped their entire Minor League System – and kept payroll down to grab top Draft Picks finally reeled in the teams 1st playoff spot in a decade in 2016.
After taking a 6 – 2 lead in Game 4 of the ALDS series against the Royals with 2 – 1 lead the Bullpen coughed up the margin – with the club also losing the next game to the eventual World Series winner.
It was a tough lesson to learn in the postseason – but it may be the 1st of many appearances in October in the near future.
The #1 task of acquiring a lock down Closer has been addressed in the recent trade for Ken Giles. Yes it cost them Brett Oberholtzer, former #1 overall Draft Pick Mark Appel, and a few other prospects, but it also sets up the nucleus core for 4 – 5 more years.
The clubs offense featured 11 guys with double digit Homers in the lineup, and 2 others that fell just a dinger shy of the clip. Read the rest of this entry
Establishing The Freddie Freeman Trade Market
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Onwer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
First of all, I think the Braves would be out of their minds to Freddie Freeman this winter – or even for a few years. This club will need some some semblance of a team heading into their new stadium in Cobb County, GA next year.
I mean what is the problem, having a First Baseman in his prime with a Career Slash of .285/.366/.466 – with 22 HRs and 91 RBI per 162 Game Average? Nothing.
Then again, maybe the team just wants to go clean slate with a full rebuild. I get that. Kind of like the Houston Astros did recently.
Truth of the matter is, Freeman could command more on the open market than a 6 YR deal worth $118.5 MIL. But at $20 MIL per year still looming, it may be a tall order for some clubs to come up with that 9 figure sum. Read the rest of this entry
The Top 100 MLB Prospects In 2015
Kris Bryant is about as sure of a prospect there has been in the last 5 years. Will the Cubs let him start the year in 2015, or will they send him down until the end of April to save service time. All you need to know about the franchises desire to win it all this campaign may be based on this decision. The young slugger had 40 HRs in the Minor League’s last year.
By Jordan Gluck (MLB Parts Writer/Part-Owner): Follow @jgluck777
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Top 100 Prospects
1-30
These are my top 100 prospects in baseball. There is a lot of talent in the minor leagues right now across almost all levels. Yoan Moncada signed after I wrote this but he would slot in the 8th slot right ahead of Joey Gallo and I do believe Moncada will be a stud.
1. Kris Bryant 3B CHC – He will hit for power and hit for a high average at what is an underrated position. He was the 2nd overall pick in 2013 and has the looks of a perennial all star.
2. Carlos Correa SS Hou- He was having a very nice season at the best hitters park in the minors in Lancaster before he broke his leg. I think he can stay at SS with almost all five tools with power rapidly emerging. He’s the future face of the Astros.
3. Corey Seager SS LAD- There are people who think he may get too big for SS and have to transfer to 3B but I think he has much more value at SS and can stick there for at least a few years. He should have an elite bat with plus plus power. Possibly the next Troy Tulowitzki with a slightly worse glove.
MLB Reports Top 100 Prospects In Mid – 2014 (51 – 100)
The Texas Rangers possess 5 of the players we have in our 51 – 100 prospects. If this team is serious about getting younger even more with trades of Alex Rios or Adrian Beltre, perhaps they can add even more to the list In a year where they have had 20+ DL stints, maybe some of these young guys will find themselves in Arlington sooner – rather than later.
Top 100 Prospects (51 – 100)
Jordan Gluck (Baseball Operations Analyst): Follow @jgluck777
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
To make this list you must be able to meet rookie eligibility. To be eligible for a list, a player must have rookie eligibility.
To qualify for rookie status, a player must not have exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues, or accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the 25-player limit period, excluding time on the disabled list or in military service.
This list doesn’t include players in the 2014 Draft nor the 2014 international signing period.
For Part 1 of our list – Click the Link Below
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 19, 2013
Houston Astros State Of The Union Address: Fall 2013
From 1992 – 2006, Houston was one of the best franchises in the games of baseball, not having one losing season in that time span. They won 4 Division Titles, 8 – 2nd place finishes, and appeared in 6 playoffs. After being swept in the 2005 World Series, the core got old, and the team waited too long to rebuild. Once it was time, the management actually did a smart thing in totally gutting the entire franchise, in order to restock the Minor League System. Now with 3 105+ Loss seasons, and back to back 1st overall picks, the team has begun the process. An ownership changed mirrored the last transference of all the remaining Veterans from the previous regime. How long will it take for the Astros to compete again?
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @mlbreports
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Astros had one of the easiest years to peg down in the game of baseball for 2013.
They were horrible early, traded away every possible Veteran that were making any kind of cash on the Major League Level, and then proceeded to be even worse after the ALL – Star Game.
The worst part of the campaign was left for the end, where they promptly lost their last 15 games – to finish with a record of 51 – 111.
It was their 3rd straight 100+ Loss season. But overlooking the obvious is that they actual drew a few more fans in 2013 – compared to 2012.
That was more a symptom of the club moving to the American League. At least they were not last in the league for Attendance, like payroll.
The Houston Astros Payroll in 2014 + Organization: Affiliates, Prospects + Depth Charts (MLB + MiLB)
The Astros have scaled their Payroll to miniscule proportions. As of this minute, the players they have signed – that aren’t on entry level deals, equals $4.37 MIL, and that is if the club picks up their Team Option on Philip Humber for 2014. The only other player that makes more than an entry level is Jose Altuve at $1.37 MIL in 2014. The club is paying more in dead money to Wandy Rodriguez ($5.5 MIL in 2014) as part of the 2012 Trade worked out between clubs. It has been bantered about that the ownership and management are willing to spend some money in Free Agency for 2014. MLB currently does not have a floor for Team Salary in the current CBA, so why would the club do that until they are ready to compete?
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @mlbreports and Jeff Kleiner (Salary, Roster and Depth Chart Expert for the MLB) – visit his website here Follow @prosportsroster
A 3rd straight season with 105+ Losses, and 15 straight losses to finish the 2013 campaign does not give the fans very much to look forward to in 2014.
I am here to tell you that the MLB should be ashamed of letting the Houston Astros field such an incompetent team.
Having said this, I don’t personally blame them for tanking it over the last 3 years. They are the other ‘extreme’ – of what the New York Yankees and LA Dodgers have done payroll wise.
Last season at the end of the year, their highest paid player for the Active Roster was Erik Bedard, making $1.1 MIL.
If they keep picking 1st overall, it is only a matter of time before the team becomes very good, just like the Rays, Nationals, Twins and Pirates have all done in recent times.
For the Up to Date Roster for the Astros all year around, please visit Jeff’s Website right here
For the Entire Page of teams links we have dedicated to Payroll, Rosters, Depth Chart, State Of the Unions and Roster Trees, please click right here. Please bookmark this page and check back, as we are busy on the analysis at MLB Reports always.
Jose Altuve Highlights
Astros’ Jose Altuve and Jarred Cosart Show The Horizon Looks Bright
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Jose Altuve is a great and dynamic player for the Astros. He is a threat to steal bases constantly, as he has swiped 30 bases and has only been caught eight times. He is hitting .277 on the season with 164 Total Bases, that includes him having 128 hits. He knows how to put the ball in play with him only striking out 67 times in 462 at-bats. Altuve does great against left-handers with a .302 batting average against them, but is only hitting .267 facing right-handers on the season. He is best when he hits from the lead off position, as indicated by a .326 average. He also has a .429 batting average when he bats in the 6th inning.
By Chris Lacey (Lead Baseball Columnist/Minority Website Owner) Follow @aecanada12
The Houston Astros are not having a great baseball season in 2013 and this was not much of a surprise. This is the first season in which they are playing in the American League, as they were members of the National League since 1962.
They joined the American League West division and as expected they are last in the division. The Astros trail the Texas Rangers by 30 ½ games and at 41-83, they have the worst record in baseball.
Jose Altuve 2013 Highlights – Parental Guidance Is Advised
2 And A Hook Podcast #11: Its All About – How Many Altuves? The ALL – Star Game + Reds Chat
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A picture put up during a Houston Astros broadcast – helped the movement immensely – photo courtesy of howmanyaltuves.com
‘2 And A Hook’ is an expression from Baseball: ‘Throw the guy 2 Fast balls and then a Hook’ (AKA Curve Ball, Wiggly one, Chair etc..)
By James Acevedo – Host (Podcast Veteran ) Follow @yankeeman1973
Guests On The Show:
Today, my brother Daniel joined me for the show.
We talked to MLB XM Home Plate Radio Host Mike Ferrin (16 Minute Mark and a 22 Minute Segment) Follow @mikeferrinsxm I asked him about the origin in which he and Morgan Ensberg started this ‘phenomenon’ – and their reaction to how it has blown into a huge fanbase for the guy – based on one night that it was all started by the former Astros player Enberg, Ferrin and CO.
Jose Altuve is the shortest man in the MLB at approximately 5 FT 5, but he does not get cheated at the plate with his heavy swings. His big heart and hustle have inspired his own measurement. Go and check out @howmanyaltuves or http://www.howmanyaltuves.com for all of your Home Run (or any measurement for that matter) needs.
Next up was Astros County Writer and http://www.howmanyaltuves.com owner Bryan Trostel (41 Minute Mark and a 18 Minutes Segment) Follow @howmanyaltuves or Follow @The_Batguy We talked about how he joined the ‘Jose Altuve’ Phenomenon, created a twitter account and website surrounding it, and how it has thrived and blossomed over the last 14 months. We even learned the metric conversion for an ‘ALTUVE’. Read the rest of this entry
Triple Play Podcast Ep #12 – Interview With MLB Fancave Dweller Aaron Roberts, Astros Chat + Lids
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The Triple Play Show will have 5 shows per month. Each show will be about 1 hour.
By The Big Ticket Show ( AKA Triple Play Podcast on http://www.mlbreports.com) Follow @bigticketshow
Guests in this Podcast – Thomas Aaron Roberts (25 Minute Mark and a 17 Min Segment) (Former MLB Reports Dodgers Correspondent and 1 of 7 MLB FanCave Dwellers left in New York) Follow @bertsball
Richard Perez (www.strosbros.mlblogs.com and 1 of our 3 Astros Correspondents from there – (4 Minutes in and a 20 Minute Segment) Follow @yokorick
Guys (Frank and Carmen) from the @mydopehatgame (44 Minutes In and a 10 Minute Segment) Follow @mydopehatgame
To Keep Reading and Listen to this Podcast click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY or scroll past the Triple Play Logo
Reviewing The Top 5 – 2013 MLB Draft Picks
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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:
Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – June 7, 2013
The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast takes a look at the first round of the draft.
But I also look at the draft of 10 years ago and examine how little we really know about which players will be any good.
Zack Greinke, Max Scherzer, Adam Rosales and Yasiel Puig (listed here 3 out of his 4 games!) all owned baseball on June 6, 2013.
To see the up to date tally of “Who Owns Baseball?,” click HERE.
Subscribe on iTunes HERE.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – June 7, 2013
MLB Mock Rule4 Draft 2013
MLB Mock Draft
Before I start I just want to say that baseball is a very tough game so when I say he can be a all star or that he can have a curveball that is just unhittable – it may not happen……. and actually is very doubtful to fully reach the ceiling. Read the rest of this entry
2012 MLB Draft Picks: Signings, Failures, and Surprises
Monday July 16th, 2012
Bernie Olshansky: The 2012 Major League Baseball Draft was a good one for all of the teams except the Pirates. Unfortunately, the Pirates couldn’t ink their first round pick, pitcher Mark Appel. Pittsburgh will receive the ninth overall pick in next year’s draft, and will have to deal with the reality of losing out on a top arm. Here’s a list of some unsigned draft picks and some surprises who ended up signing:
PLAYERS THAT DIDN’T SIGN
Mark Appel, Eighth overall, Pirates
Appel was touted as a possible first-overall pick, with a plus fastball and three years of college experience. Once the Astros passed him up, many thought the Twins would pick him at second overall. When the Twins selected outfielder Byron Buxton, the Mariners seemed to be the next to have Appel as a steal. On and on this went until Appel fell to eighth overall. I couldn’t believe it, and I’m sure many were stunned. Appel seemed like a good fit for many of the teams that passed on him, but good for the Pirates—they got a steal. Now they had a possible Gerrit Cole/Mark Appel one-two punch for years to come. For the Pirates, there was a lot to be optimistic about. For Appel, not so much. In my opinion, after dropping to eighth, he was upset enough to decide to return to Stanford and try to build on a 10-2 record with a 2.56 ERA in order to be selected higher in next year’s draft. Read the rest of this entry
Pirates 1st Overall Pick Mark Appel: Pittsburgh Savior or Stanford Bound?
Friday June 15, 2012
Ryan Hotz (MLB reports Intern Candidate): Mark Appel just concluded his Junior season as a pitcher at Stanford University. He had a 10-2 record with a 2.56 ERA over 123 innings. He also had 130 strikeouts and only walked thirty batters. That gives him a 4:1 k:bb ratio. Mark is like fellow Stanford classmate Andrew Luck in that he is a hot commodity and one of the best players in their respective sports in the country. Appel had a career record of 18-10 at Stanford in his three seasons.
Appel was drafted 8th overall last week by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the MLB Draft. Many expected him to go first overall but his draft stock dropped because his agent Scott Boras wanted a bigger signing bonus than Stephen Strasburg got. Let that sink in for a minute. Houston and six others skipped over Appel before the Pirates drafted him. He has not been thrilled about where he was selected and has made it very clear. He said the following in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article last week “I’m currently concentrating on winning a national championship and finishing my academic endeavors at Stanford. I will address the possibility of a professional career in due time.” This is someone who just got drafted and he pretty much is saying I could care less. He seems like he would be happy waiting another year and being drafted then after finishing school. I am not saying possibly finishing school is a bad choice, but he seemingly has no interest in becoming a Pittsburgh Pirate. Read the rest of this entry
2012 MLB Draft Preview
Wednesday May 30th, 2012
Bryan Sheehan (MLB Writer): For those who may not know, the MLB’s first-year-player draft starts June 4th. While there may not be a huge name like Bryce Harper or Stephen Strasburg to create excessive buzz, this year’s draft should be interesting. The first overall pick belongs to the 2011 worst Houston Astros, who surprisingly have one of the shallowest farm systems in baseball. Though the Hunter Pence trade brought in their number one and two prospects, Jarred Cosart and Jonathan Singleton, respectively, the organization is lacking in prospect depth overall. Picking behind the ‘Stros are the Minnesota Twins, with the Mariners and Orioles following. Predicting a draft, especially where there is no clear-cut “number one” prospect is difficult, to say the least. Teams aren’t drafting to fill immediate needs, so much as to bolster a weak area in their organization. For example: it may seem logical for the Phillies to draft a power-hitting first baseman with the 40th pick since Ryan Howard is injured, but really a 2012 draftee wouldn’t be MLB ready for a few years and therefore irrelevant to Howard’s injury. Plus with the changes in this year’s draft as to salaries, teams will no longer have “recommended slots” to play with. Translation: signability will play a bigger part in this year’s draft than ever before. With that being said, here are my predictions for the first ten names to be called on Monday.
MLB Reports 
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