2014 Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 1-5

[brewerprospectwatch]

Have most people even seen this guy? Can't imagine there is a heaving scouting presence for a high school player from Hawaii. It's very possible that the Brewers just have a much better read on this guy than online consensus rankings.

 

 

I'm not sure that the Brewers scouting staff can really make this claim, since their current farm system is ranked as one of the worst in baseball.

[SRB]

David Rawnsley: Absolutely no doubts from any member of the PG staff [that Medeiros is a SP]. He has all the pitches, he's a plus athlete (he'd be a draft as an outfielder!). I think, speaking as a scout, that the reliever stuff is a Crock talked about by people who haven't seen him pitch much. Sorry for the strong opinion.

[colbyjack]

You need to watch this video of Medeiros, I'll provide our full report at some point:

 

[jjkoestler]

Colby - Please talk me off the ledge.

[StearnsFTW]

Brewers fans: Brewers are idiots for taking Jungmann/Bradley, who were highest ranked players based on industry consensus.

 

Brewers fans: Brewer are idiots for taking a pitcher they think is much better than industry consensus rankings.

 

That's not really the point, he might have been there at #41...

 

I don't have problem with the Brewers taking who they thought was the best talent, the problem I have is that he blew them away in the workout. When was the last time one of the players who wow'd in their workout with the Brewers actually was that good? There's actually a rather long list of failures there...

 

I'm cautiously optimistic at this about the pick, I wanted a lefty, I got a lefty even though he wasn't one of my guys.

 

Evan Fredrickson. Oh wait. That isn't good.

[Never Outhustled]

The last lefty the Brewers selected early after he blew them away in the Miller Park workout was Evan Fredrickson. Kodi is at least a far better athlete than the robotic Fredrickson.

[Kelbysdaddy]

I'm ok with Kodi. his upside is huge- fastball that hits 97 and has great movement and he has great control. with the impression he made with his showcase, no way they were going to pass on him.

[danzig6767]

I don't follow the draft much, so why was this pick considered a big reach?

[jjkoestler]

You need to watch this video of Medeiros, I'll provide our full report at some point:

 

 

Thanks. I feel a bit better now. He has crazy movement on that slider.

[brewcrewdue80]

You need to watch this video of Medeiros, I'll provide our full report at some point:

 

 

Explains why I'm not upset with the pick. We got a ML pitcher hopefully as a Starter, at the very least we have a helluva LH Reliever. There's zero bust in this pick which I couldn't say about the majority of the College guys there on the board and Toussaint too. Holmes I believe makes the Majors but is he anything but a #3 guy?

[Never Outhustled]

John Sickles calls Kodi's slider the best breaking ball in the draft. Is this an Oakland A's style selection?

[Kelbysdaddy]

he'll need a LOT of one on one with his catchers with the way he works the plate. it looks like he almost goes diagonal across the plate. I love his delivery.

[SRB]

The PerfectGame staff, at least, seem pretty high on Medeiros. I think the fact that this was a surprising pick is more a result of the deep high school pitching class this year, not that the Brewers made a huge reach because they wanted to save money. If the Brewers were set on picking a high-upside high school pitcher, there isn't a dramatic difference between Toussaint, Holmes, Medeiros, Reid-Foley, etc.

 

Brewers scouts just happen like Medeiros the best.

[Kelbysdaddy]

another video.

[Eye Black]

So are there any predictions on whether Medeiros worked out a pre-draft deal with the Brewers for under-slot? I would say yes since he was in Milwaukee last week, but I also saw reports that they thought he might be gone by the #12 pick which would lead me to believe that they just thought really highly of him and did not use pre-draft leverage against him.

[TheCrew07]

I'll be honest, the first thing I thought of when someone on MLB network said he hit 97 in his workout was "yea so did Frederickson", for me personally, that was probably the worst thing that could have been said.

 

I mentioned this about Tyler Alexander in the Link Reports earlier this year, I generally don't like pitchers with a low arm slot which is why I was pretty dismissive about Kodi. By default I'm very skeptical of those guys long-term so they need to win me over, not many locate well enough to be starters. I don't hate the pick but I don't love it either, I'm cautiously optimistic because of his athleticism. Hopefully he signs quickly and starts with AZ from the get go so we can see what he has.

[Oxy]

Didn't Eric Arnett throw 97 on draft day?

[colbyjack]

Full PG report on Medeiros:

 

Kodi Medeiros Perfect Game profile

 

Position: LHP

Height: 6-0

Weight: 185

Bats/Throws: L-L

Birthdate: May 25, 1996

High School: Waiakea

City, State: Hilo, Hawaii

Travel Team: Big Island/Ohio Warhawks

Commitment: Pepperdine

Projected Draft Round: 1

 

Kodi Medeiros is different, which is not something that makes scouts comfortable.

 

He’s not different physically, except that his arms seem a bit long for his 6-foot, 185-pound frame. Being from Hawaii is a bit unusual, but it’s not like he makes his home in Alaska or rural Vermont. That he’s thrown only eight total innings at national level events in his career doesn’t separate him and is actually more than some recent first round picks. He comes from a normal, hard working two-parent family.

 

What makes Medeiros different is the way that he throws a baseball and what the baseball does after it leaves his hand.

 

Perfect Game found out about Medeiros shortly before the 2013 National Showcase from a source who had played in the Major Leagues and was familiar with his talents, which had never been showcased off the Islands. That source has obvious credibility with Perfect Game going forward.

 

Adding to Medeiros' mystique is that he was the very first pitcher to take the mound at the start of the National Showcase. Scouts are still getting settled and finishing up their social niceties with their peers at that point before starting to bear down.

 

Then all of a sudden a totally unknown lefthander is on the mound throwing 94 mph from a distinctly non-standard arm slot with a slider that defied the laws of physics. That got everyone’s attention very quickly.

 

The first thing that marks Medeiros as different is his arm action and arm slot. As mentioned, his arms appear long for his height (he actually looks bigger than listed as well, a rarity among prospects), and he’s very loose and whippy coming through. Medeiros’ arm slot isn’t consistent yet but most of the time it is low-three quarters extended, sometimes dropping down a bit lower to almost sidearm, but coming up to mid-three quarters at other times.

 

Medeiros gets his velocity easily and the ball comes out of his hand with little resistance, as if it were coming out of a sling shot. He gets tremendous running and sinking life on his fastball, even at 92-94 mph, so much that it will be a challenge for him at times to command it when hunting corners.

 

Where Medeiros really separates himself from what scouts expect to see is with the depth, shape and bite on his 79-82 mph slider. One would naturally expect a breaking ball released from a low three quarters slot to have a sweeping shape to it, as it is very hard to get above the ball and create downward spin from that angle. Medeiros’ slider not only has two-plane shape to it, it has wicked depth and bite. Many sliders are referred to as having “lane changing” shape to them by scouts, indicating a short break off the barrel as if it were a car changing lanes at 80 mph. Perfect Game scout Todd Gold referred to Medeiros' slider as “taking a hard right turn” in his National Showcase notes.

 

Perhaps the best moment of the broadcast of the Perfect Game All-American Classic was when analyst Eric Byrnes, an 11-year Major League veteran, first saw Medeiros’ slider. Although he’d been prompted on what he was about to see off the air, his first words were “What was that? That pitch should be illegal.”

 

Medeiros also flashes a changeup that has the same type of life as his fastball and with ideal arm speed. It definitely has a chance to be a third plus pitch for him.

 

A final factor that scouts will be sure to consider as they try to evaluate Medeiros and fit him into a previously unknown slot in their scouting experience is that he is a high level athlete who would be a potential draft as a lefthanded hitting outfielder with impressive power. In fact, one cross-checker was overheard at the Area Code Games saying “I’m not so sure if Medeiros threw righthanded I might not like him just as much as a position player.” He should have the physical aptitude to make delivery adjustments and add consistency.

 

A veteran scout once told me that there are only four things a pitcher can make a baseball do: go fast, go slower, break down to the right and break down to the left. Once a pitcher has mastered the ability to do that and throw the ball near where he wants it to go, he’s going to be very, very successful.

 

Medeiros can do all four of those things already at a very high and almost unique level for his age. He is indeed different.

[TheCrew07]

I was doing Medeiros homework but I just noticed Beede went to the Giants, that's probably the best possible location for him given their penchant for developing pitchers. If they can fix his control... well there might be quite a few teams that regret passing on him but since the Brewers haven't had success with that type of pitcher I'd be okay with passing regardless.

[paul253]

he'll need a LOT of one on one with his catchers with the way he works the plate. it looks like he almost goes diagonal across the plate. I love his delivery.

Yeah I can just picture Clint Coulter trying to catch Medeiros.

[SRB]

Good thing we drafted Taylor Jungmann (BA #8) in 2011 rather than "reaching" for Jose Fernandez (BA #20).

 

I'd say a high school kid who can hit 97 and has one of the best breaking pitches in the draft is an OK pick at 12...

[narwhalattack]

David Rawnsley, when asked who the guys at PG like better (between Toussaint and Medeiros):

 

"6 of one, half dozen of the other. Very different, actually polar opposite, prospect types but you're looking at the same ceiling. We'd be 50/50 as a staff on them. Very happy for both."

[brewcrewdue80]

We're at #20 in the picks halfway to 41. Holmes is still there. So is Zimmer. So is Foley and my favorite Ortiz.

 

There's money saved with Medeiros and I'm waiting for the top 30 guy who falls to them they end up selecting at 41(hoping of course)

[patrickgpe]

I wanted Newcomb, I prefer college arms as they are less of a risk, but obviously Seid goes more for High School arms. I think Newcomb will be the first player up from this class.

 

When you don't have a great farm system, the best way to improve it is to get players that can progress through the farm system quickly, picking a kid who just turned 18 is not that.

[Eye Black]

More Medeiros videos:

 

Video 4