2014 Baseball America Draft Coverage

[TheCrew07]

BA's Draft Section

 

This article was posted today, very interesting that the Phillies would elect to go after a player and agent, excellent insight into the negotiation process is provided.

Phillies Accused Ben Wetzler Of NCAA Rules Violations

 

Here are the first set of draft preview articles previous linked in the draft pick thread:

Early Draft Preview: College Best Tools (VIDEO)

 

Early Draft Preview: High School Best Tools

 

Subscriber Preview:

Early Draft Preview: Improved Pitching Boosts 2014 Class

 

This article kicked off the HS scouting season:

Prime Prospect Pair: Forrest Wall vs. Nick Gordon [VIDEO]

[TooLiveBrew]

BA's Draft Section

 

This article was posted today, very interesting that the Phillies would elect to go after a player and agent, excellent insight into the negotiation process is provided.

Phillies Accused Ben Wetzler Of NCAA Rules Violations

Wow... seems incredibly malicious on Philly's part. Makes me want to know what went awry in negotiations. They could quite possibly have essentially ended Wetzler's college career, no?

[TheCrew07]

Yep he'd be done if the NCAA rules him ineligible.

[TheCrew07]

A somewhat happy compromise by the NCAA for once, most people thought Wetzler would be done if they ruled against him.

 

Oregon State’s Ben Wetzler Suspended 11 Games By NCAA

[Eye Black]

A somewhat happy compromise by the NCAA for once, most people thought Wetzler would be done if they ruled against him.

 

Oregon State’s Ben Wetzler Suspended 11 Games By NCAA

I am curious about the ramifications on the Phillies future dealings with agents. There are reports of agent backlash due to these incidents, like this paragraph from that BA article:

 

“As of today, the Phillies are out,” one agent who advises numerous high-profile prospects said Thursday. “If the Phillies call for an in-home visit, the Phillies are not getting into any more of our households. We’re going to shut down all communication with the Phillies—no questionnaires returned, no communication with the Phillies’ scouts about when players are going to pitch and no communication about signability information. You can’t have this adversarial relationship between teams and players, and then have them be able to hold that over the players: ‘You’d better take this deal or I’m going to turn you in.’”

 

So at least preliminarily it appears this is going to make things more difficult on the Phillies leading into this year's draft. While it may very well effect the Phillies moving forward, Kiley McDaniel does a good job of summarizing why the Phillies might not be overly concerned about the impact on future drafts or negotiations in his article, Explainer: The Phillies & Wetzler

[TheCrew07]

College Draft Prospects Stat Roundup: Week 2 (VIDEO)

[TheCrew07]

2014 High School Games To Watch

[TheCrew07]

Streakin’: Aramis Garcia

[TheCrew07]

Differences With Pro Ball Help College Ball’s Brand

 

People may not be aware that HS, College, and Professional leagues all have different specifications for the baseball. The baseball itself is not the main focus of the article though.

 

I should add the title is a bit misleading... the focus of the article is the difference between the type of ball and scheduled played, not the ball itself. I just found the paragraph about the baseball itself interesting.

[TheCrew07]

College Draft Prospects Stat Roundup: Week 3

[TheCrew07]

Top Colorado Prep Prospect Peterson Suffers Likely Season-Ending Injury

 

Under The Radar: Western Illinois’ Tyler Willman

[TheCrew07]

Draft Tracker: High School Helium (VIDEO)

[TheCrew07]

Three Strikes: Week Four

 

College Draft Prospects Stat Roundup: Week 4

[TheCrew07]

Lots to catch up here being out of town all weekend.

 

Prep Roundup: Standout Pitching Performances

 

Three Strikes: Week Five

 

College Draft Prospects Stat Roundup: Week 5

 

2014 Draft Chat With Clint Longenecker

 

High School Preview: Preseason All-America First Team

 

Draft Q&A: Josh Morgan

 

Late-Blooming Newcomb One Of Draft’s Most Fascinating Prospects

 

Draft Notes: Fisher Down, Whitson To Bullpen (VIDEO)

[TheCrew07]

Brady Aiken the first pitcher discussed...

 

Draft Tracker: High School Hurlers (VIDEO)

[TheCrew07]

This was an interesting Q&A. Readers on the minor league forum I'm sure know that I have no problem harping on the lack of athletic development which has historically occurred in baseball. The lack of physical development/training regimens continues to get under my skin. Being a powerful athlete comes from flexibility and strength, yet baseball has clung to natural maturation and a "trial by fire" approach to development. I still get pissed when I read that players are too tall for SS, 3B, or 2B... it's garbage. What truly matters is flexibility through the core, as if NBA players and NFL WRs, generally regarded as the best athletes in sports, couldn't play those positions just because they are tall? Sometimes the same things that make baseball so endearing like its long history are also the most frustrating... most people in the game are only going to support what they know, because that's what they were taught and worked for them.

 

At any rate part 1 is more about the players he is working/worked with and part 2 gets into the theory (which is my cup of tea).

 

Draft Q&A: Eric Cressey, Part I

 

Draft Q&A: Eric Cressey, Part II

[TheCrew07]

Game Report: Jacob Bukauskas

[TheCrew07]

A WI product is profiled here...

 

A Day In The Life: Jeren Kendall (VIDEO)

[BillScottCanRake]

A WI product is profiled here...

 

A Day In The Life: Jeren Kendall (VIDEO)

 

My son played Legion baseball against Jaren a couple of years and my daughter played some hockey with/against his younger brother, so we have spent a fair amount of time around Jaren and his family. He's a better kid than he is a baseball player, and he's a heck of a baseball player. I'd love him to end up in Milwaukee's system somehow, whether it's this summer or after his three or four years at Vandy are up.

[TheCrew07]

College Draft Prospects Stat Roundup: Week 6

 

Three Strikes: Week Six

[TheCrew07]

2014 NHSI Prospect Notebook: Day 1

[logan82]

Sometimes the same things that make baseball so endearing like its long history are also the most frustrating... most people in the game are only going to support what they know, because that's what they were taught and worked for them.

That applies to practically everything in baseball. Very little in baseball is progressive. There is too much groupthink.

[TheCrew07]

2014 NHSI Prospect Notebook: Day 2

[TheCrew07]

2014 NHSI Prospect Notebook: Day 3

[TheCrew07]

Sean Newcomb sure is getting quite a bit of press and deservedly so, not as polished as your typical college pitcher but another lefty with a big arm. I would really like to use the 2nd round pick on him but my gut feeling is that he'll be long gone by then, he's going to have helium. He hasn't given up an earned run yet this season.

 

College Draft Prospects Stat Roundup: Week 7