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Monday, June 4, 2018

Future Yankee Great?



If I am not mistaken, today is the day.

The draft of amateur players for MLB.

As per tradition, the Yankees will select pitchers.

The first pitcher we select will be tall and have just completed, or just enrolled for, Tommy John surgery.

Ideally, said player will be from one of the Carolinas.

It will be said that he can throw off flat ground by July, 2019.

The crapshoot begins.  The poker faces go on.  The lies are issued.

This has not been a Yankee strong point since WWII ended.

Can you imagine our demeanor if we actually nailed it this time?

And it can rain all day.

The draft still goes on.

Brought to you by Jeep.

24 comments:

TheWinWarblist said...

Be thankful that every player they draft, position and pitcher alike, don't all have a combination of Tommy John elbows, inflamed rotator cuffs, labrum partial tears and herniated disks. The quartet probably gives Cashman a chubby.

TheWinWarblist said...

Dreary day to play two. I am in the office. The unicorn shorts will remain unfurled until the staff leaves at 5PM. I will be in full throated be-pantsed inchoate hysteria for the evening game. I expect you all to pick up the slack.

TheWinWarblist said...

EVERY DAY IS A GREAT DAY FOR GLEYBER DAY !!!!

TheWinWarblist said...

It's bye-bye Birdie? What?

Joe of AZ said...

Wow the Tigers pitching coach looks like he doubles as CCs healtb coordinator and the Krispy Kreme mascot. Whatever he's teaching these pitchers is working ..YANKS R RAKING!!!

The only living boy in Wishaw said...

I love the draft

I watch every single round of it I must be the only person in Scotland who does this.
Yes even the draft rounds done by telephone where I immediately google the players name to find out about him

I blame a certain Lane Meyer of much missed NoMaas fame who was kind enough to be a friend to me and answer a lot of my dumb baseball questions and in my opinion was one of the most knowledgeable people on the baseball draft either in or outside the professional media.

I however do not pretend to be an expert and know you are not supposed to draft for a current need in the team but to pick the best player possible when it is your turn

But all the info I have read (and I have been reading every mock draft site on the internet for months) one player sticks out

Triston Casas 1B

I know power hitting 1B are considered one dimensional and not historically a good pick

But I have a really good feeling about him

He seems to be not only a player with huge power and potential but a really fine young man off the diamond as well

I hope we draft him I think he could be something very special in the years to come

But then again I am in Scotland have never been to a baseball game in my life (hoping to go to London in 2019 to see my beloved Yankees) so I will understand if anyone swears at this post and says I am talking mince (Scottish phrase for talking nonsense)

TheWinWarblist said...

Welcome TOLB in Wishaw! There is much swearing by the wretched and vile commentariat of this blog. And the bloggers too! Most of whom know nothing of baseball in general or the draft in paticular. You are most welcome to post your thoughts, keeping my disclaimer in mind please. I have a Shetland sheepdog, so I welcome you here, loving as I do small furry creatures of the North, that piddle on the lawn!

TheWinWarblist said...

Please excuse me for a moment ... AAHHHH-AAaAaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHaaaa-ah-ah-ah-aaaaaaaaAaAaHaHaHaaaAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!!!

Alphonso said...

Are all the other boys in Wishaw not living?

You should be prepared, given your draft fanaticism, to break down the Yankee selections, as they are made. The entire IIFIIHIIC world would appreciate it.

We are delighted to welcome you to this blog. The international aspects of our reach are shocking and satisfying.

You should meet the Dutch Urban Farmer. You are practically neighbors.

Also, if you need any lessons about the game, just send requests to Mustang.

He, too, grew up in some remote location and had never seen a game.

Until we caught him and trained him.

Bonnie Brae; Scotch ; and Loch Ness to you.

HoraceClarke66 said...

WinWarblist, the Thane of Wishaw is a veteran of this site, and one of the very first, along with yours truly, to recognize the worth of Mike Ford, aka, The First Baseman Over the Water (Some day we will be vindicated!!!).

Me, I'm of the school that, in general, you pick the best talent available in the draft, regardless of your team's immediate needs.

Yes, pitchers are always needed. But so much can happen to young arms that it's really a crapshoot. Apparently the Yankees have used almost 60 percent of their draft picks on pitchers over the last five years—according to Baseball America—which ties them with the Orioles for 8th such highest pct. of pitchers in the AL.

The results have not been spectacular.

Meanwhile, Triston Casas is indeed a name to conjured with, and Baseball America describe him as having "plus-plus raw power and an advanced, patient approach at the plate, with surprising athleticism in the infield " (where he also plays third).

Sounds good to me!

The only, occasional worry with college guys? Their use of aluminum bats can deceive. But I like the cut of his jib.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Meanwhile, we have to talk about Jonathan Holder. Great as his name is for a reliever, he has to be able to get out of an inning with a five-run lead.

Sure, there was an error behind him, yadayadayadayada. Having to use El Chapo was a big setback.

Joe of AZ said...

Also, Maybe Romine can spend some time instructing the superior talented Sanchez on how to put together effective at bats when ur not homering.

TheWinWarblist said...

Well, how was I supposed to know that!? He was all deferential and such! Couldn't imagine why anyone would come here of draft update and/or analysis, but I can't really understand why anyone would come here ever at all. So there is that.

HoraceClarke66 said...

No harm, no foul! It was a warm welcome, which I'm sure he appreciated.

Now, as to that Holder...GRRRRRR!

The only living boy in Wishaw said...

Thanks for the nice comments and welcome everyone good to hear from friends old and new

Anthony Seigler switch catcher!!!

https://www.minorleagueball.com/2018/6/4/17422626/2018-mlb-draft-anthony-seigler-c-cartersville-georgia

Ranked 46.47.53 on Baseball America,Keith Law and MLB.com

Maybe higher ranked players we could have got but look forward to see how he progresses as the years go by

Perhaps looking to sign someone who falls to 2 round like last year and split the money?

The only living boy in Wishaw said...

Some more info

Ranked 25th best high school player in draft

25. Anthony Seigler, C, Cartersville, Ga.
There are scouts who believe Seigler is the best defensive catcher in the prep class. He doesn’t have the offensive potential of Naylor or Banfield, but he is a very solid receiver.



C/BHP Anthony Seigler (Cartersville HS, Georgia): great approach; good athlete; above-average arm; above-average defender; 85-88 LH; 88-90 RH; 74 CB; BHH; Auburn commit; 5-11, 200 pounds

Anthony Seigler, Cartersville (catcher): The state’s most interesting prospect, Seigler is a fully ambidextrous switch-hitter and switch-pitcher. Seigler has a 0.00 ERA in 16 innings with 16 strikeouts and no walks. In a recent win against Grayson, Seigler pitched the first six innings left-handed and the final frame right-handed. In his last two games, he’s homered twice – once right-handed, once left-handed. He’s a leadoff hitter with 10 stolen bases. But his most impressive talents are behind the plate. ‘’His defensive skills as a catcher are elite,’’ Cartersville coach Kyle Tucker said. “He’s amazing throwing runners out and blocking the ball, and he picks guys off from behind the plate. He’s a weapon.’’


Will Banfield (Brookwood HS, Georgia), Noah Naylor (St. Joan of Arc Catholic SS, Ontario), and Anthony Seigler (Cartersville HS, Georgia) have separated themselves from the rest of the prep catching class by a pretty healthy margin at this point. All three are sensational athletes with the clear defensive tools and understanding of the nuances of the game to remain behind the plate. Many would argue that Banfield’s last calendar year was so impressive that he belongs in a tier unto himself. I’m not quite there as Naylor is his near equal athletically and Seigler can more than hang with him as a hitter, but I can appreciate the sentiment.

If we had to bet on only one of these high school catchers getting drafted in June, Banfield is the smart present choice. Of course, two prep catchers were selected in each of the 2010, 2012, and 2013 drafts, so one of those two top guys joining Banfield (or even Naylor and Seigler squeezing out Banfield altogether) can’t be ruled out. You also can’t discount the possibility of all three catchers going in the first round, but allowing for the possibility amounts to ignoring recent draft history. I checked every single MLB Draft in my literal lifetime (i.e., since 1985) and could not find a single first round with three prep catchers. Maybe we make history this year…but probably not.

Scouting reports and articles on him

http://lastwordonbaseball.com/2018/06/04/anthony-seigler-2018-mlb-draft-profile/

https://nypost.com/2018/06/03/amazing-mlb-prospect-literally-can-do-everything-on-the-field/

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2775984-meet-anthony-seigler-the-switch-hitting-switch-pitching-mlb-draft-gem

The only living boy in Wishaw said...

2nd round pick

Another catcher

Josh breaux

McLennan JC SO C/RHP Josh Breaux: plus to plus-plus raw power; average to above-average speed; plus to plus-plus arm; above-average athlete; 93-98 FB; 83-85 SL, flashes above-average; not as athletic, but tools reminiscent of Jorge Alfaro; 6-1, 215 pounds

Stats

Cape Cod league so he can hit for power with wooden bat

http://pointstreak.com/baseball/player.html?playerid=1106863&seasonid=30631

College bio and stats

http://mclennanathletics.com/sports/bsb/2017-18/bios/breaux_josh_kcf5?view=splits&pos=h

Scouting report dont 1st one understand grade thought it was 20-80)

https://mlbdraftcountdown.wordpress.com/2018/02/19/2018-draft-report-josh-breaux-rhp-c-mclennan-cc/

http://www.prospectdigest.com/2018/05/24/2018-draft-profile-josh-breaux/


HoraceClarke66 said...

Ugh.

A return of the old, foolish Cashman. About the only thing you can say for the first two picks is that they don't include his old "bargain" special—that is, a pitcher in need of career-threatening arm surgery.

Anthony Seigler is a return to the Pat Venditte carny show, the incredible geek who can do anything—and likely, nothing well. A report I saw compared him to Austin Barnes, the Dodgers' 28-year-old back-up hitting .213 this year. Be still my heart.

At least Venditte was some much deeper pick. To waste a first-round pick on Seigler, when we could have had Casas or the wonderfully named Noah Naylor?

And how much do we really need a catcher at all? One way or another, Sanchez's almost total meltdown will be dealt with long before this guy ever reaches Yankee Stadium, or the House of David, assuming he does at all.

And of course for the second pick...Cashman doubles down with an even less promising catcher at the same position. Hoorah. Well, the Cape Cod League thing is at least good news; supposedly that really does help.

TheWinWarblist said...

Hooray. Probably has a partial year of the labrum.

HoraceClarke66 said...

The Times actually managed to run two articles on the draft today, without once mentioning the Yankees' picks—though they did mention the Mets' No. 1.

Incredible. Do they really think there are many readers—anywhere—who are interested in the draft only in an overall, baseball sense?

ranger_lp said...

@Horace...Was listening on the FAN the other day during Mike's show. Seems like the trend is to draft the best ATHLETE not necessary the best player. At least with the athlete, he could be taught another position. So Seigler can play just about any position. And maybe that is the future as pitchers become less important and players playing more than one position become more important.

By 202 something, we (and all teams for that matter) will field a team of Cesar Tovars where pitchers can play in the field as well. It will be like Little League in the majors with 20 players on the pitching staff that can also play a number of positions. And they all can hit, maybe not well, but can contribute with the bat. It's going to be necessary considering each pitcher will face 2 batters a game lol.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Well, that could be fun, ranger. But this guy has "stunt" written all over him. I'd rather get a higher rated prospect.

Also, I was reading on one of the other, less Yankees blogs about how great the Yanks have been at "developing catcher."

Yeah, that might be so if you go back to the days of, say, Yogi Berra and Elston Howard. For those of us who remember the more recent years of the "Five Great Catchers," mmm, not so much.

What they boiled down to was:

—Jesus Montero, withheld from a trade that might have brought us Cliff Lee—a trade I was against, too, if it meant giving up sacred Jesus—who then was dealt for Pineda, and blew up (literally) on Eskimo pies.

—Francisco Cervelli, a nice back-up, who got caught juicing but somehow never developed any power anyway.

—J.R. Murphy, another decent back-up, who seems to be getting his act together in Arizona, at 27, but who spent the last couple years hitting more like H.R. Puffnstuff.

—Austine Romine, settling in as a terrific back-up, at age 29, after years of mediocrity and worse.

—Gary Sanchez, the guy who looked liked Johnny Bench breaking in and is now beginning to resemble Jake Gibbs.

This is not exactly a testament to the Yanks developing anything, mostly just letting raw but promising backstop talent deteriorate or drift into mediocrity.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

I wonder if they drafted the catchers just to light a fire under scary Gary.

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