2024 Draft Utility

[liquidcrash]

Draft is over.

[Z]

Tom Stewart and Bobby Rodriguez were #1/#2 on my list.

I had Rodriguez/Stewart 1/2. I was hoping when I saw your post that it meant I got both, but I see only only managed to select Rodriguez.

[Pat]

Tom Stewart and Bobby Rodriguez were #1/#2 on my list.

[Z]

With our ninth round pick, 217th overall, we chose Johnny Jackson, a second baseman from Bourne in the Cape Cod League.

He produced a .321 batting average and .906 OPS in two seasons of CCBL ball. His hitting did take a step back from his first year, when he flashed more power.

Jackson might have the defensive chops to play a competent shortstop. Certainly he looks like a great defender at second base.

It remains to be seen how good his bat is. If 2024 is a reflection of who he is as a pro, he probably doesn't make it. But if he can tap back into his swing from 2023, when he had a .989 OPS and 129 OPS+, he could be very interesting.

Closing reason for optimism: his 2024 numbers are weighted down by a truly awful month of March in which he batted just .157 with a .477 OPS. He went on to hit .360 with a .941 OPS in April and .410 with a .989 OPS in May.

So really we're looking at a guy who had a terrible March 2024 but in the remainder of his 2023 and 2024 campaigns was a .349 hitter.

[Z]

If was a lefty I would’ve selected him earlier.

If he adds velocity, he could be something like a right-handed, poor man's Dave Koehler.

[Delandis]

I took a break from kicking myself for missing Seibel to select Masuho Ogawa, a Japanese starting pitcher by way of UNLV.

OSA sees him as a 6/4/7 potential right-hander with elite intelligence and work ethic.

He put together a nice two-year college career.

Ogawa had surgery earlier this month to remove bone chips in his elbow and won't make his pro debut until 2025.

I'm guessing he gets drafted somewhere in the first four or five rounds if not for the injury, so to get him in the eighth round and bet on the injury not being a catastrophe feels like an okay play here.

If was a lefty I would’ve selected him earlier.

[Z]

I took a break from kicking myself for missing Seibel to select Masuho Ogawa, a Japanese starting pitcher by way of UNLV.

OSA sees him as a 6/4/7 potential right-hander with elite intelligence and work ethic.

He put together a nice two-year college career.

Ogawa had surgery earlier this month to remove bone chips in his elbow and won't make his pro debut until 2025.

I'm guessing he gets drafted somewhere in the first four or five rounds if not for the injury, so to get him in the eighth round and bet on the injury not being a catastrophe feels like an okay play here.

[Z]

Top pitcher on my board.

I really missed the boat here. I just didn't see him until it was too late. I like the two pitchers I drafted but I definitely would have taken Seibel over them had I been aware of him. I was just too focused on college pitchers.

[Pat]

My scouts think Kansas City just used the final pick in the seventh round to draft someone who might be a future ace.

Top pitcher on my board.

[Z]

My scouts think Kansas City just used the final pick in the seventh round to draft someone who might be a future ace.

[Z]

Finally, with the 139th overall selection, the Guides get to select someone.

We took Dave Waddington, a lefty pitcher from LSU.

This late in the draft, anyone will comes with some obvious flaws, but there are some things to like here.

OSA pegs Waddington at 4/6/7 potential with 4/5/4 current ratings.

He put together a nice season this year with a 4.53 ERA. (Keep in mind the league average NCAA ERA is 6.07.)

It's too early to tell whether Waddington will make it as a starting pitcher. He barely throws in the 90s (so far) and doesn't have a great selection of pitches. If either of those things take a turn for the better, he could be a solid starter or better.

If not, he looks like someone who could at least be a solid southpaw out of the bullpen. For a sixth rounder, I'll take that floor.

With our second pick, this one in the seventh round, we chose another pitcher, Tom McAdoo from Wareham in the CCBL.

He's a big dude — six-foot-six, 210 lb — with four pitches that look pretty good.

He too might end up in the bullpen. It'll depend in part on how good that changeup ends up being. Can he get left-handed hitters out consistently? We'll also have to see if he adds more velocity and how well he keeps the ball down in pro ball.

I like his tools. He showed significant improvement from year one to year two in Cape Cod ball.

He looks promising for a seventh round pick.

With only two picks under our belt this late in the draft, mostly I'm proud of myself for not impulsively dealing future picks to get into the first few rounds, like I did last year. While I feel good about the players I traded in to select in 2023, I didn't feel nearly as good about any potential targets this time.

[Pat]

Looking to trade into 7th.

I'll give a future 8th if anyone wants to trade out of the 8th round.

[Z]

Finally, with the 139th overall selection, the Guides get to select someone.

We took Dave Waddington, a lefty pitcher from LSU.

This late in the draft, anyone will comes with some obvious flaws, but there are some things to like here.

OSA pegs Waddington at 4/6/7 potential with 4/5/4 current ratings.

He put together a nice season this year with a 4.53 ERA. (Keep in mind the league average NCAA ERA is 6.07.)

It's too early to tell whether Waddington will make it as a starting pitcher. He barely throws in the 90s (so far) and doesn't have a great selection of pitches. If either of those things take a turn for the better, he could be a solid starter or better.

If not, he looks like someone who could at least be a solid southpaw out of the bullpen. For a sixth rounder, I'll take that floor.

[PaulC]

Not sure I'm seeing what you're seeing.

It's true Efren Edwards probably can't stick behind the plate in the pros. But with those infield defense ratings, he'll become quite a good defensive first baseman with experience. Guessing a six position rating there.

Dante Timms should become an average defensive first baseman. It's possible he could even play left field, depending on where exactly his outfield range rating ends up.

Jayden Dean looks like a fine catcher. He needs more reps, but he's only 17 and he's smart. He'll be okay.

Maybe we have vastly different definitions of drafting a DH. To me, it means picking someone like Robby O'Neal or J.R. Rhoads, who don't have the defensive chops to even handle first base adequately.

You're probably right... I can always count on you to be the voice of reason when I've gone full Steinbrenner mode!