Jonathan Mayo at MiLB.com has his latest draft crystal ball posted today and here are his top nine selections:
- Rays - SS Tim Beckham (unchanged from last week)
- Pirates - 3B Pedro Alvarez (unchanged from last week)
- Royals - 1B Eric Hosmer (unchanged from lat week)
- Orioles - LHP Brian Matusz (unchanged from last week)
- Giants - CA Buster Posey (unchanged from last week)
- Marlins - CA Kyle Skipworth (unchanged from last week)
- Reds - 1B Yonder Alonso (RHP Aaron Crow last week)
- White Sox - SS Gordon Beckham (unchanged from last week)
- Nationals - 1B Justin Smoak (unchanged from last week)
Interestingly enough, Mayo’s latest mock draft has the Nationals choosing from Crow and Smoak. I understand the value of Smoak’s bat, but passing up on Crow at #9 would be hard to do.
MyMLBMock Draft updated their first round on May 23
- Rays - CA Buster Posey
- Pirates - 3B Pedro Alvarez
- Royals - SS Tim Beckham
- Orioles - LHP Brian Matusz
- Giants - 1B Justin Smoak
- Marlins - CA Kyle Skipworth
- Reds - SS Gordon Beckham
- White Sox - 1B Eric Hosmer
- Nationals - RHP Aaron Crow
The name missing above from Mayo’s draft was Alonso (who they have #17 to the Blue Jays).
One last draft I found from surfing around, MLB-Draft.com
- Rays - CA Buster Posey
- Pirates - SS Tim Beckham
- Royals - 3B Pedro Alvarez
- Orioles - LHP Brian Matusz
- Giants - SS Gordon Beckham
- Marlins - 1B Justin Smoak
- Reds - RHP Aaron Crow
- White Sox - CA Kyle Skipworth
- Nationals - 1B Eric Hosmer
NatsWin83 | 28-May-08 at 3:18 pm | Permalink
What is your order of preference among Smoak, Crow and Hosmer? Of the three, who would you most like to see available at # 9?
Brian Oliver | 28-May-08 at 3:22 pm | Permalink
NW83 - My order would be (1) Crow, (2) Smoak, and (3) Hosmer.
NatsWin83 | 28-May-08 at 3:27 pm | Permalink
Does Hosmer’s rumored $7 M signing bonus impact your order selection? Or, do you favor college players, who are a more known commodity.
Brian Oliver | 28-May-08 at 3:30 pm | Permalink
Hosmer’s bonus demands don’t matter to me as much as a demand for a major league contract. Not a fan of putting a high schooler on the 40-man roster, it tends to rush development.
The three names are really close. I would not be upset if it was any of those three at #9. And given how close they are, I’d lean towards the college guys as more known quantities
NatsWin83 | 28-May-08 at 3:31 pm | Permalink
All other things being equal, would you go for pitching over hitting?
Andrew | 28-May-08 at 3:31 pm | Permalink
I love Hosmer but don’t see the Nats meeting those contract demands. Any of the other eight (of the top 9) would be fine by me. Crow would be a major coup.
Tofu Dog | 28-May-08 at 3:31 pm | Permalink
I think it would surprise a lot of people if the Nationals sign Hosmer. Why is Crow falling? He was top five or six just a week ago.
Brian Oliver | 28-May-08 at 3:39 pm | Permalink
NW83 - If it was Pedro Alvarez, clearly the bat. I would be tempted to grab Tim Beckham before an arm as well. I just see Crow and Matusz among the top four players in the draft overall.
TD - It’s a matter of teams passing on him for organizational preference. If the Rays go with Posey, the Pirates would likely jump at Alvarez. The Royals would be happy to see Tim Beckham. The Orioles are all but tied to Matusz. Giants seem to prefer a bat (Smoak or GBeckham). Marlins have been linked to Skipworth. Reds & White Sox are wild cards, not sure where they are looking.
Gal Revels in Pee | 28-May-08 at 3:57 pm | Permalink
in re: Hosmer — The ML roster demand is far more worrysome than the signing bonus demand.
Tell me again, who spent the most money in the 2007 draft?
Brian Oliver | 28-May-08 at 4:05 pm | Permalink
It was the Orioles who spent the most in 2007 but that is a bit misleading given Wieters bonus.
Chris | 28-May-08 at 4:06 pm | Permalink
I think we need Bats more than pitchers, especially in the higher levels (Harrisburg and Potomacs offenses are below average to woeful). I would take Smoak or Hosmer before Crow. Theres been talk of Hosmer in right and some have said Hosmer is the best hs bat in years
Dick | 28-May-08 at 4:13 pm | Permalink
According to Perfect Game Crosschecker: More questions seem to arise about Crow than about any other probable Top 10 pick, mostly regarding arm action and eventual role.
Nats may not want to use #9 on a possible bullpen arm. I wonder if Alonso isn’t in the mix for them. Also, Shooter Hunt has fabulous numbers this year, much better than Crow’s in terms. Lots of mention of Collier, too.
estuartj | 28-May-08 at 4:30 pm | Permalink
If Gordon Beckham drops to #9 would you take him (obvious organizational need) over an arm or high octane bat?
Dick | 28-May-08 at 4:45 pm | Permalink
I thought Gordon Beckham had a high octane bat! 6th in NCAA with .798 slugging percentage.
Andrew S | 28-May-08 at 5:52 pm | Permalink
I certainly would take Gordy Beckham if he is still there. Crow over any of the HS players except Hosmer, but Smoak is my top pick even if Hosmer is there.
Tofu Dog | 28-May-08 at 10:34 pm | Permalink
Good stuff. My card would read GBeck, Smoak, Alonso in that order.