I.D.T. -- In-Draft Thread 2010

[Frayed Knot]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: IIRC, people passed on Pelfrey largely due to the Boras/signability issue. Harvey should be an easier go.

Only a couple slots, but yes his perceived signability was a factor in his still being around at #9

There are some conspiracy theorists who've suggested it might be a good idea that the Mets pick someone "unsignable" in this year's draft, in order to essentially defer to next year's (which seems stronger on paper). They don't seem to have done that here.

I've heard that too but, as Kramer would say, "that's kooky talk".
First of all it's so tough to even know how next year's draft is going to look. This year was considered a down year (although that could be re-written over time) so next year is likely to be better but by how much? Also the "replacement" pick you get the following year is NOT protected if not signed which pretty much forces a team into a more conservative pick knocking out most of what you hoped to gain.
The Nats didn't sign their #9 pick two years back and wound up spending the "9A" selection the following year on a reliever. That might have also partly been caused by by being 9 picks after the ultra-expensive Strasburg but still, the ceiling on a guy like Drew Storen is only so high.

[Guest Edgy DC]

That do-over rule is, by the way, crap. As if they don't do enough anti-competitive crap to torpedo the leverage players have earned.

[Frayed Knot]

Re-starts today at noon (EDT) with rounds 2-30, beginning with pick #51 overall.
It'll be carried over MLB.com and many of the other usual suspects.

Mets have pick #89, #122, and then #152 and every 30 picks after that.

Rounds 31-50 on Wednesday.

[metirish]

Nymr83 wrote: from mets blog: Mets scout Marlin McPhail watched one outing this season is which Harvey threw 157 pitches. McPhail confessed after watching: "You tend to get a little nervous, quite frankly." I'm not Mr. Pitch Count or anything but 157 for a 20 year old kid? wow.

Lennon

Looks as though the Mets won't have to worry about Matt Harvey, whom they chose seventh overall in last night's first-year player draft, going deep into games. Harvey, a University of North Carolina junior, threw 157 pitches in a 15-strikeout complete-game victory over Clemson this season. Scouts reported that Harvey's final pitch was 96 mph, a testament to the right-hander's strength and durability. "It was interesting at the beginning of the game," Harvey said last night on a conference call. "I felt kind of sick. I didn't feel that great. But in the third and fourth innings, I got my legs under me, and in the seventh and eighth, I felt the best I had all night. After striking out the side in the eighth, it was pretty tough not to go back out there." The Tar Heels appreciated the effort, but Marlin McPhail, the Mets' scout in attendance, had mixed emotions. "You get a little nervous," McPhail said. "Quite frankly, I don't know what other word to use." But the Mets still had no trepidation about drafting Harvey, even if he does have Scott Boras as his agent. That guarantees the Mets will be forced above slot to sign Harvey. When asked about dealing with Boras, Omar Minaya said they have a "working relationship." He would not comment specifically about paying above slot for Harvey. "In the past, what we've done is, we've put a price on a player," Minaya said. "And we pretty much have felt that when we want a player, we sign him.'' Rudy Terrasas, the Mets' director of amateur scouting, compared Harvey to Mike Pelfrey in pitching style. The two also share Boras as an agent, and it took the Mets nearly six months to sign Pelfrey, who was the No. 9 overall pick in 2005. Harvey spurned the Angels' offer when he was first drafted in 2007.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

BA's list of their top-ranked availables as Day 2 begins. There are 15 and we pick 38th, so not a good shot at any, probably. It would be cool to have a guy called Jedd Gyorko, though.

15. Stetson Allie, rhp, St. Edward HS, Lakewood, Ohio 20. Brandon Workman, rhp, Texas 23. Brett Eibner, rhp/of, Arkansas 25. A.J. Cole, rhp, Oviedo (Fla.) HS 28. Austin Wilson, of, Harvard-Westlake School, Studio City, Calif. 31. Ryan LaMarre, of, Michigan 33. Chad Bettis, rhp, Texas Tech 35. Yordy Cabrera, ss/rhp, Lakeland (Fla.) HS 37. Jedd Gyorko, ss, West Virginia 38. Ryne Stanek, rhp, Blue Valley HS, Stilwell, Kan. 45. A.J. Vanegas, rhp, Redwood Christian HS, San Lorenzo, Calif. 46. Garin Cecchini, 3b, Barbe HS, Lake Charles, La. 47. James Paxton, lhp, Grand Prairie (American Assoc.) 48. Sammy Solis, lhp, San Diego 50. Jesse Hahn, rhp, Virginia Tech

[MFS62]

metirish wrote: from mets blog: Mets scout Marlin McPhail watched one outing this season is which Harvey threw 157 pitches. McPhail confessed after watching: "You tend to get a little nervous, quite frankly." I'm not Mr. Pitch Count or anything but 157 for a 20 year old kid? wow. Lennon Looks as though the Mets won't have to worry about Matt Harvey, whom they chose seventh overall in last night's first-year player draft, going deep into games. Harvey, a University of North Carolina junior, threw 157 pitches in a 15-strikeout complete-game victory over Clemson this season. Scouts reported that Harvey's final pitch was 96 mph, a testament to the right-hander's strength and durability.

I heard yesterday that he struck out 15 batters in that game.

No report whether the coach had guys warming up in the bullpen after Harvey's 108th pitch.

Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Mel Rojas Jr., switch hitting outfielder, is out there.

[Guest Edgy DC]

MFS62 wrote: from mets blog: Mets scout Marlin McPhail watched one outing this season is which Harvey threw 157 pitches. McPhail confessed after watching: "You tend to get a little nervous, quite frankly." I'm not Mr. Pitch Count or anything but 157 for a 20 year old kid? wow. Lennon Looks as though the Mets won't have to worry about Matt Harvey, whom they chose seventh overall in last night's first-year player draft, going deep into games. Harvey, a University of North Carolina junior, threw 157 pitches in a 15-strikeout complete-game victory over Clemson this season. Scouts reported that Harvey's final pitch was 96 mph, a testament to the right-hander's strength and durability. I heard yesterday that he struck out 15 batters in that game. No report whether the coach had guys warming up in the bullpen after Harvey's 108th pitch. Later

I read it in the post you quote.

[metirish]

This is so typical of what gets said about the Mets and their farm...from Harper today , talking about possible trade pickups.

And while the rookie performances of Ike Davis, Jenrry Mejia, Jon Niese, and now Ruben Tejada are improving the perception of the Mets' farm system, it is still considered thin regarding top prospects at the upper levels. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2010/06/08/2010-06-08_mets_look_ahead_at_opponents__and_own_future.html#ixzz0qHLrPilz

and no matter what John you will still consider it thin....

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Pirates get Stetson Allie, top left on the board.

My boy Jedd goes to the Padres.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Omar's heart breaks as Pirates select Mel Rojas Jr. 5 slots ahead of us.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Norman Forsythe!

[Frayed Knot]

NORM!!!

A U of Tenn catcher
6' 2" - 220; R/R

[metirish]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Norman Forsythe!

grandson of espionage novelist Frederick

[Benjamin Grimm]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Norman Forsythe!

Born in New York state in 1869, Norman A . Forsyth was one of the more famous Montana photographers during the later stereoview era of post-1900. He operated out of his Butte studios from the late 1880�s for over 50 years until the early 1940�s. As a stereoview producer, Forsyth is mainly known for his boxed sets. They were usually in groups of 30 on curved, gray mounts with a thin division between the two photos. Some of his more famous subjects were Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, the Montana cities of Butte and Missoula, many mining views, flood views, rounding up buffaloes, Morrison Caves, Indians, etc. Forsyth was also an agent for Underwood and Underwood from 1885-1923 and then the Keystone View Company from 1923-1947. For them he covered Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska. His total stereoview production under his own name was well over 600 views. http://www.yellowstonestereoviews.com/publishers/forsyth.html

[Frayed Knot]

Indians took LeVon Washington with pick #55
He was one of the guys picked in the 1st round last year (in the mid-20s somewhere w/Tampa I think) but chose not to sign and went to JuCo instead.
That gambit didn't work out too good did it kid?

Edited June 8, 2010 by Guest

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

aka Blake Forsythe, apparently has some pop in his stick

Baseball America sez

C Blake Forsythe, like Rick Hague, didn't hit this season up to expectations, goes 89 to Mets. Forsythe still hit 15 HRs, good finish

I likes to catch that RA Dickey.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Born in New York state in 1869, Norman A . Forsyth was one of the more famous Montana photographers during the later stereoview era of post-1900.

Beats the New Zealand murderer I came up with.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Former CBHS star Blake Forsythe hopes to catch on in MLB draft By Marlon W. Morgan Posted June 7, 2010 at midnight Blake Forsythe isn't quite sure whether his name will be called during tonight's first round of Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft or Tuesday, when rounds 2-30 take place. The former Christian Brothers High School and current University of Tennessee catcher has heard he will likely be taken in the first three rounds, or almost assuredly in the first five. But one thing Forsythe is certain about is that whatever team selects him, he plans to be on their major league roster sooner rather than later. "I'm a hard worker, and I'm going to go out there and give it everything I've got," Forsythe said. "Whoever decides to pick me, I'm going to do whatever I can to make it through their system as fast as I can. "My goal is to play in the big leagues. I don't plan on making a career out of the minor leagues. I can guarantee them I'm going to push myself as fast as I can, or as much as I can, to get to the big leagues and help them out in anyway I can." Forsythe is one of three local players expected to go high in this year's draft. Ole Miss junior Drew Pomeranz, a left-handed pitcher from Collierville, is expected to be a top 10 pick tonight, while Taylor Morton, a right-handed pitcher from Bartlett and a Tennessee signee, will likely hear his name called Tuesday. Prior to his junior year at Tennessee this season, the 6-2, 220-pound Forsythe was projected by some as a possible first round pick. He was coming off a sophomore season in which he hit .347 with 15 homers and 46 RBI, and was named a first-team all-Southeastern Conference performer. But a slow start at the plate this season may have contributed to his slight fall in pre-draft projections. "I think I was just trying to do a little too much to carry the team, not just trusting myself," Forsythe said. "I was trying to make things happen instead of just letting them happen. I just finally realized I put the work in and I just need to sit back and trust myself and let things happen. "Sure enough, they did and as it turned out, I finished really strong." Forsythe is the younger brother of Logan Forsythe, who starred at Arkansas and is now in the San Diego Padres farm system. In addition to his bat, Forsythe is an excellent defensive catcher. He threw out 35 percent of would-be basestealers this season. Baseball America rates him the 12th-best catcher in the draft. CBHS coach Buster Kelso isn't surprised. He put Forsythe on the varsity roster as a sophomore and watched him improve every year. "By the time he was a junior, I felt like he was one of the top catchers I had ever coached," Kelso said. "As far as draftability, those are hard to project. But when he left here, I thought he was going to be a high draft pick." In addition to his physical skills, Kelso believes it's Forsythe's leadership skills that set him apart. "His senior year, we had a very young team, very few seniors," Kelso said. "And he led us to a state championship (in 2007). Without him, we don't even come close. His leadership, compounded by his strong attitude toward the game, it's just tremendous. "There's not going to be many catchers out there better than Blake, collegiately or high school. He's the type of guy, they'll take him if he bats .250 because he's going to hit home runs. And he's just a good handler of pitchers." Forsythe said he has received strong interest from several teams. He plans to watch the draft at home with his family. Forsythe said he plans to remain on an even keel until his name is called. Then, it's time to start that journey to the big leagues.

[metirish]

Every player thinks this I'm sure.....

But one thing Forsythe is certain about is that whatever team selects him, he plans to be on their major league roster sooner rather than later.

that and keeping an even keel.

See you soon sonny boy

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Blake Forsythe? Logan Forsythe? Remind me again: which one's the oil magnate, and which one's sleeping with Joan Collins?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

3rd round, pick 122: Cory Vaughn, outfielder from San Diego State

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Son of Greg, not of Mo.

[Guest Edgy DC]

"I'm going to try really really hard, and push myself."

"Why did you struggle so early this season."

"I was trying too hard."

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: 3rd round, pick 122: Cory Vaughn, outfielder from San Diego State

Any relation?

OE: Never mind. Although FWIW, I was thinking Greg, not Mo.

Edited June 8, 2010 by Guest

[seawolf17]

My nephew -- now 14 -- used to refer to both of them interchangeably as Gregmo Vaughn.

[seawolf17]

Vaughn was drafted in the 43rd round by the Phillies in 2007 but didn't sign; when he becomes a big star, we can really stick it to them! Suck it, Phillies!

[Frayed Knot]

Well Greg & Mo are cousins of some sort so, yeah, he is related.

[seawolf17]

Dodgers waste a pick on James Baldwin, who retired like four years ago.

[Frayed Knot]

3rd round, pick 122: Cory Vaughn, outfielder from San Diego State

Maybe he knows how to hit Strasburg. Or at least knows something embarrassing and can tease him about it 'til he cries.