Mock draft

[Verlander]

Has BA done a mock draft for 2005 yet? If so could someone provide a link? I didn't see one on there site, but I have seen it refrenced in a couple of articles. Thanks

[colbyjack]

BA didn't really have a mock draft, but they did provide a list of their top 30 draft prospects for '05 a couple of months ago. Since it was subscriber content, I'm not going to provide it here.

 

Besides, it's WAY too early to even think about a mock draft.

[brew2]

BA did have a mock draft in their early Nov. issue (the one with Khalil Greene on the cover). Obviously, they did their mock draft on the picks at the time, but the order has changed as a result of the free agent signings. Here is what they had:

 

Ariz - Upton

KC - Maybin

Sea - Gordon

Wash - Clement

Milw - T. Greene

Toro - Townsend

Colo - Hochevar

TB - Pelfrey

NYMets - Head

Det- Tulowitzki

Pitt - Mayberry

Cinci - McCormick

Balt - Hansen

Cleve - Zimmerman

ChiWS - Mullins

Fla - O'Sullivan

Phil - Romero

SD - Buck

Tex - Quigley

ChiCubs - Bristow

Oak - Pennington

SF - Volstad

Ana - Kahn

Houst - McCutcheon

Minn - B. Clark

LA - J. Danks

Atlanta - Putnam

Bost - Corley

NYYankees - Bogusevic

STL - Lowrie

 

as colbyjack said, its very early & lots will change between Nov. & June.

[colbyjack]

It's important to remember that this wasn't really a mock draft. Basically they had the draft order in one table and then they provided their top 30 draft prospects in another table. So, it's not like they're predicting that the Brewers will take Tyler Greene with the 5th overall pick, it's just that the Brewers are going to select fifth and Greene happened to be their fifth best draft prospect.

 

Although early speculation has some wondering whom the D-Backs will take #1 overall. Scouting director Mike Rizzo has shown a preference towards college players, which may cause them to go after Alex Gordon. However, that may depend on whether or not they sign Stephen Drew. If they do sign Drew, they may be inclined to take a budget pick with the #1 overall selection. Not a wise year to do so, when there are two guys that could easily be the #1 overall pick, but the D-Backs may have to be fiscal since they also have the #1 pick in the sandwich round and round 2.

[mothershipconnection]

Colby, where have you seen Austin Jackson from Denton (TX) Ryan High ranked? I actually now work at that school, which also produced Javier Guerra (5th round-Dodgers) last year, and Jackson seems to be an incredible athlete as well. He did sign a letter of intent to play basketball, but one of my students plays with him and said that he's quite likely to jump into pro baseball. From all accounts, he's a level-headed kid with a great work ethic. You had compared him to Torii Hunter before, and when I saw him in the hall for the first time, that's exactly what I thought: very athletic frame and decent size.

I'm really going to try to make a baseball game this year (unlike last year when I never made the trip to Gainesville to check out Luke Cannon), but if that doesn't happen, I have promised my student that I'll go watch one of their basketball games before the season's over, and he'll hold me to it.

[colbyjack]

You can always check the draft info here:

 

www.brewerfan.net/ViewDra...?draftId=3

 

Jackson is among the top 30 prospects. At one point I had him a little higher, but some other players have passed him up, and I think his basketball scholarship has scared a few scouts. He has stated that he wants to play pro baseball and college basketball, so signability might not be TOO big of an issue, but being a 2-sport athlete may work against him. If a team is willing to give him a big bonus, they may be hesitant to let him continue to play basketball. Not only do you have injury concerns, but you also wouldn't have him playing for you in the fall, winter and spring months. Focusing on one sport for the most part is best, as only a couple of guys have been able to juggle a 2-sport lifestyle.

 

It's different should he play two collegiate sports (instead of one NCAA, one pro), but then again, he wouldn't even join the baseball team until the end of March or early April, and by then there is only two months of the season remaining, and he would have a lot of catching up to do.

 

Ryan DeLaughter also attends Denton Ryan. While he's not projected as a first-rounder at this point in time, he could factor in the top 5 rounds. I'd love to get your first-hand observations should you take the time to catch a baseball game.