The Draft
I'll be at the game today working diligently at an off-site meeting, so I won't be around to update you on the draft, but if you're interested, there'll be plenty of places to track it.
Here's MLB.com's coverage; it's also on ESPN2 at 2PM
Baseball America has good stuff.
NFA will be all over it. (He'll appreciate it if you won't shout obscenities up to him as he sits in the pressbox.)
ESPN actually has some good stuff if you can stand their site.
The latest I can glean from what I've read is that the Nats are likely to pass on Wieters and Rick Porcello, the consensus top arm in the draft. Both are Boras clients and will be expecting big money (and major league deals). The team will deny that money is a factor in their decision, but given everything else that's happened, it's certainly going to cause some doubt.
It looks like they're leaning towards Mike Moustakas. He's also a Boras client, but his demands are expected to be much lower. He's nominally a shortstop, though there are questions about whether he's up to the position in the majors. You see words like "athleticism" used in descriptions of him, which has to send the little tool sensor in Bowden's head buzzing.
I don't really know him from Adam, but given the things I've read about him and some of the players the Nationals could pick up, I'm not completely convinced that he should be our guy. That being said, Sickles has him as the 3rd best position player in the draft. That's the great thing about it. Ya never know!
Two quick links on Moustakas: Minor League Ball; Brewerfan
Both point out that he has a scholarship at USC so he's not an easy sign, so the Nats might not be concerned with that aspect of signability. The $$ side though? Who knows.
Here's MLB.com's coverage; it's also on ESPN2 at 2PM
Baseball America has good stuff.
NFA will be all over it. (He'll appreciate it if you won't shout obscenities up to him as he sits in the pressbox.)
ESPN actually has some good stuff if you can stand their site.
It looks like they're leaning towards Mike Moustakas. He's also a Boras client, but his demands are expected to be much lower. He's nominally a shortstop, though there are questions about whether he's up to the position in the majors. You see words like "athleticism" used in descriptions of him, which has to send the little tool sensor in Bowden's head buzzing.
I don't really know him from Adam, but given the things I've read about him and some of the players the Nationals could pick up, I'm not completely convinced that he should be our guy. That being said, Sickles has him as the 3rd best position player in the draft. That's the great thing about it. Ya never know!
Both point out that he has a scholarship at USC so he's not an easy sign, so the Nats might not be concerned with that aspect of signability. The $$ side though? Who knows.
posted by Chris Needham at
11:24 AM
9 Comments:
This makes no sense. They would pass on two Boras clients who would demand big $$$ to sign to pick another Boras client who also looks like a tough signing. Why would Moustakas be any easier?
By
Anonymous, at 6/07/2007 1:05 PM
To follow up on that earlier comment, the Royals are going to grab Moustakas.
By
Anonymous, at 6/07/2007 1:08 PM
I see too many people listing Wieters as a better player. They need to not only get a good player, but make a point to the fans that their patience will be rewarded, regardless of Boras.
In the meantime, we are free to pick up Tomo Okha if we are quick- the Blue Jays designated him for assignment.
By
Anonymous, at 6/07/2007 1:10 PM
I say, we're far enough from being a legitimate team, so we grab the best player, regardless of signability and roll the dice. And with all the money this team has saved on payroll, I'll see it as nothing BUT being tight if they shy away from a consensus pick because of the cost of a contract. We're not talking ARod money anyway...
By
(j)on, at 6/07/2007 1:18 PM
The question is whether Weiters, Porcello, and others are good enough to justify a Scott Boras bonus and contract.
Mark Teixeira (a Boras client), could easily could have gone #1 overall in 2002, but fell to the Rangers at #5. Hard to say that he hasn't justified his bonus and contract.
There are, I'm sure, plenty of counter-examples. An obscure one-- Jason Neighborgall--comes to mind. I suspect that Boras cost him a chance of EVER playing professionally, but woe be unto the team that might have actually signed him for big $.
The other consideration is that, as you may have heard a few thousand times, the Nats have five picks in the top 70. Paying for a Wieters-like contract might make it legitimately difficult to sign the other 4 guys (especially if they're also Boras clients). That's often a cop-out, but often a valid argument, too.
By
Ben, at 6/07/2007 2:03 PM
SR,
I hear your point about whether they deserve it, but agree with jon. Given the state of the Nationals farm system and the payroll this year, if you have to overpay to get the best player available so be it.
I'm still hoping for Weiters.
By
RPS, at 6/07/2007 2:10 PM
Detwiler falls into their laps. Thanks Pirates!
By
Anonymous, at 6/07/2007 2:50 PM
Well, Angelos bailed out the Lerners--now we'll never know if they would have chosen Wieters. Of course, this also means that my friends in Atlanta will get to see Wieters play at Tech again next year, and that the Nats may be able to draft him with next year's #3 pick.
By luck of the draw, the Nats got to make the "safer" pick with Detwiler. This lets Bowden and Kasten crow about supporting the Pitching, Pitching, Pitching! mandate of The Plan.
By
Ben, at 6/07/2007 2:56 PM
Chad Cordero is going to send me to an early grave. I love the kid, but I would love him more if he wore another uniform. He's a long-ball nightmare.
By
Unknown, at 6/07/2007 3:24 PM
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