Royals Draft-Day 1 Recap

by nwroyal on Jun 9, 2009 11:51 PM EDT in Royals Minor Leagues Comment 41 comments

With as much up and down as this day has featured, you'd think we had a lot more than 2 picks. But the Royals made those 2 picks count.

The Royals took Aaron Crow at #12 overall. He was ranked #7 by both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. I've never been a huge Aaron Crow guy--so I'm a little lukewarm on this pick. I had him ranked #8--so I don't think he's a dud--I just had Green ranked a little higher. But a lot of fans really like it. He's got a very good fastball--with good velocity and excellent movement. His slider is supposed to be his best pitch--but hasn't been quite as good in his limited time in the Independent League. He made up for that showing a vastly improved changeup. The changeup is good to hear about because without that he might be destined for the bullpen. There have been some concerns about Crow's mechanics--the "inverted W" delivery that may or may not have lead to some pitchers getting injured. Crow grew up in Kansas and was/is a big Royals fan.

There were rumors all day that the Royals were going to take Will Myers at #12 and, thankfully, we didn't. There were better players on the board. We did take him at #91--which is a much better place for him. Myers was ranked #31 by BA and #34 by BP. He has been rising up draft boards in recent weeks. He had a workout for the Royals recently and made a very favorable impression. He's a great athlete--with a very good bat, good power, good speed, and a good arm. He's new to catching and opinions are split as to whether he will stay behind the plate but I read that at least one scout thought he could move to CF if C didn't work out.

I'm going to speculate a little bit. Crow is projected top 10--many times Top 5 until the past couple of days when teams are getting scared off by his bonus demands and he drops to us. Will Myers was considered a mid-late 1st round pick but teams backed off in the past couple of days because he was said to want "Top 10" money. Both of those situations sound a little like Tim Melville to me. Teams backed off Melville because they percieved that he wanted a ton of money. In reality, he signed for a healthy bonus with the Royals because there was a good relationship there and we were one of, if not the only, team he wanted to sign with. I wonder if Crow and Myers started throwing out big bonus amounts to scare off other teams because the Royals had worked things out with them and they had a comfort level with the Royals. Crow will probably get $3.5-4 million and Myers close to $2. Just a theory but I think the Royals may be on to a good way to wrap up some talent. I think Crow will sign relatively quickly and go to either Burlington or WIlmington. I think Myers will agree to a contract that will not be announced until closer to the deadline (like Melville and other way above slot later picks) to avoid the full ire of raging Bud.

We shall see what tomorrow holds: if the Royals have any other big signability picks. I think we'll grab some more "up the middle" players and our normal bevy of young pitchers.

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I am very happy with what we did today.

In the draft anyway.

by gordonrules on Jun 9, 2009 11:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Screw Bud

Whats he gonna do? Get the kid playing.

I’m very happy with day 1. I did want Crow, and to get the other guy the org was so obviously high on as well 2 rounds later is great. Hopefully we keep the ball rolling tomorrow.

by kcbottom9th on Jun 10, 2009 12:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

BUD WILL BE ANGRY!!!!

We’ll be on double secret probation!

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Jun 10, 2009 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Links to Crow profile/mechanics

http://www.baseball-intellect.com/Articles/alvarez-and-crow.html

http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2009/5/31/894798/san-francisco-giants-draft-preview

Some questions are due to him wrapping his wrist, which is just extraneous movement:

Also, fewer people have raised questions about taking up a side job as a “mentalist” during his down time this season since he didn’t sign with Washington:

http://www.aaroncrow.com/index.php?module=Aaron_Crow&tid=1&title=About_Aaron_Crow

(if only we were lucky enough to have him also be a mentalist!)

by Fernando Vina School of Linguistics on Jun 10, 2009 12:29 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

From the BA Archives, check out the San Diego Tournament last year

absolutely loaded with pitching talent: Brian Matusz (4th pick last year), Stephen Strasburg (1st pick this year), Aaron Crow (12th pick), Kyle Gibson (22nd pick), Tanner Scheppers (44th pick).

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/college/?cat=14

by Fernando Vina School of Linguistics on Jun 10, 2009 12:52 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

scan down and you see a nice blog about Saito our Burlington pitcher

I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.

by kcscoliny on Jun 10, 2009 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

watched Scheppers at Wichita this year

he IS good.

If you were thinking, you wouldn't have thought that.

by Warden11 on Jun 10, 2009 1:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love the picks

I obviously was a big Grant Green guy but I didn’t think Crow was gonna be an option at 12. KC should be able to sign Crow to a slot deal a well as signing Myers to a good deal as well as save money for later in the draft and international picks.

I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.

by kcscoliny on Jun 10, 2009 12:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

good article on Myers

http://thebigspur.com/news/story.php?article=3037

h/t doublestix

by nwroyal on Jun 10, 2009 1:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm still kind of pissed off

We have a big, fat, gaping hole in the Infield, and offense both, and ther was a really solid SS in Grant Green that a week ago, nobody thought would drop to us just siting there begging to be picked. He potentially, instantly would have been the best SS in the organization, and could have been here by 2011 at the latest.

This i not to say that I don’t like Crow. I think he is a fine prospect, but unless they really just thought the Green hype was overblown, and had Crow rated way higher than him, I think they blew a golden opportunity to fill a major hole on this team internally, and cheaply for the next half decade. Plus, I thought them drafting a SS would have lit a big, fat fire back under Aviles’ ass.

BOOM! ROASTED!

by GoBabies!! on Jun 10, 2009 8:09 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I would agree somewhat

I don’t pretend to know a whole lot about the draft, and by all accounts it sounds like Crow is a great find. However, I can’t help but wonder why we didn’t take Green when we have such a glaring need for middle infielders, especially a SS.

Overall, though, I’m very pleased that the team continues to pour resources into the development side, which is the only way we’re getting out of this mess in the long-term.

I hereby resign from this post.

by Home Run Tony Cogan on Jun 10, 2009 8:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can only assume they don't think he'll stick at Short

I think I saw in the last few days that his defense was questionable. Am I wrong?

by BrRoyal on Jun 10, 2009 9:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

he was the best Callis said

The 2009 Official You Got Rocked by the Royals and Sent to the Minors List
1. Josh Rupe TEX April 17
2. David Purcey TOR May 1
3. Brian Burres TOR May 1
4. Bryan Bullington TOR May 1

by 306008 on Jun 10, 2009 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I believe the Royals did the right thing because they didn't draft by need.

I think the Royals drafted the #1 guy on their board at that time and that is all you can ask for.

by The #1 Bockel on Jun 10, 2009 9:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Spot On

Moore and Piccolo have always maintained that the Royals will draft the highest player on their board. Let’s be reasonable fans here and think about the situation logically. Considering the Braves mentality in the front office, would a college SS be rated higher than a pitcher that was a top-10 pick last year? No way. Baseball is too unpredictable in terms of talent and potential to draft for need. A lot can happen between now and when Green could be ready in two years. You don’t draft a SS of the future when you need one right now. There are other ways to improve your 25-man roster.

by beej on Jun 10, 2009 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would just say that...

there must have been a reason they didn’t like Green as their long-term SS (defense or otherwise). They clearly understand they have a “big, fat, gaping hole” there. But this isn’t the NFL. There are many other ways to fill that hole besides the draft.

And I don’t think Aviles needs to have a “fire lit under him.” He definitely understands that the SS job isn’t his to lose anymore. If anything, he’s been pressing too hard by playing ball year round and probably putting TOO much pressure on himself to avoid a slump.

"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae

"I was doing this when BJ was in his father's nutsack." -Renzo Gracie

by Sweep_the_Leg on Jun 10, 2009 10:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not sure if had anything to do with Green - he looks like a fine player

Crow was the best pitcher in college two years ago. And the Royals get him at a lower draft slot than the Nationals when he’s a year older and more experienced.

Plus, Moore knows that he might be on the hot seat a bit and wants a pitcher (remember that is what he supposedly values) that can break into the big leagues and possibly make the rotation spring 2010

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 10, 2009 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

"Older & more experienced"

I look a tthat as 1 year furthur along with potentially bad habits/bad delivery that will be harder to break

BOOM! ROASTED!

by GoBabies!! on Jun 10, 2009 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You can only get bad habits playign for the Royals

95% of GM/Coaching Combo’s are better than what the Royals have.

Nunez, Ram Ram, Howell, Wellemeyer and Dotel are all pitching better for their current teams after coaches reversed the bad habits the above picked up as Royals.

Even Peralta, Big Head Fulchino and Tomko are pitching really well right now!

Peralta has a 2.30 ERA in 7 innings
Tomko has a 2.53 ERA in 10 innings
Big Head has a 3.13 ERA in 23 innings

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 10, 2009 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

try tRA and you'll find that Ramirez and Nunez are pitching worse, among others

by benfunke on Jun 10, 2009 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

don't buy it

I like the metric w/OBA for hitters

TRA+ for pitchers??? not so much

Ramon Ramirez is on pace to give up MORE THAN HALF the runs he gave up last year….and he was really good last year, but has been lights out this year.

Anyway, I was joking about the Royals ruining pitchers….the bottom line is we acquired a 23 year old pitcher who received the Clemens award for the best college pitcher with an extra year of experience.

Sure
Some HS kids have such pure talent you want them in your organization right away

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 10, 2009 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Less than half!!

I hate proofreading….

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 10, 2009 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And the sample size has nothing to do with their numbers

If all else fails, stop using all else

by ksuroyals on Jun 10, 2009 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good points

as always. I kind of agree about Aviles, but I got to thinking last night, there is the possibility that we got it all wrong about him, and he wasn’t pressing, he may have came in thinking his shit no longer had the ability to stink, what with being named KC pOY last year & all. I’m not claiming that to be true, but we have just basically all assumed that he was pressing without knowing anything about the guys mindset, and that possibility hasn’t been raised (to my knowledge).

BOOM! ROASTED!

by GoBabies!! on Jun 10, 2009 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

agree about the hole

and I’ll say up front I don’t have any strong opinions on who is the better player/prospect between any of these guys.

I will say (and, yes, I know it’s boring) that if they think Crow is clearly the better prospect, then I’d always rather the team take the best player, regardless of position or need. The failure rate on all prospects is just too high to have any other primary criterion.

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by devil_fingers on Jun 10, 2009 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think you ever draft for need in the first round

By the time the guy is ready, that hole may be filled by other means. I think you limit yourself unnecessarily by pigeonholing yourself into a position. Best player available in the first round – go for position need after that. I expect lots of shortstop on day two.

I have doubs about Green’s bat to be honest. I think his power decline this year was for real.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Jun 10, 2009 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Remember that Matt Wieters guy who had the down junior year?

Big mistake drafting him. I’m glad we’ll get to enjoy Mike Moustakas’ 2014 in KC.

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by devil_fingers on Jun 10, 2009 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

BUT OLIVO CATCHES A GOOD GAME!!!

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Jun 10, 2009 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

make that Mike Moustakas 2014 breakout

I’m sure he’ll be “ok” in 2012 and 2013 and everyone will give up on him and say he “sucks” and is a “pussy” who should be traded for prospects

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by devil_fingers on Jun 10, 2009 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wieters didn't have that bad of a Jr. year

compare to green. who besides good contact don’t do anything else terribly well with the bat.

Mourning Guy Carbonneau...
Royals obscure player to watch in ST: Lenny DiNardo

by playingwithfire on Jun 10, 2009 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Anyone know when the draft starts today?

by Mac'n'Seitz on Jun 10, 2009 9:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm seconding this question

As it appears MLB Network is no longer covering it.

by sterlingice on Jun 10, 2009 9:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ah, but MLB.com has the answer

“Draft resumes, noon ET”

by sterlingice on Jun 10, 2009 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't get me started on Selig

He has NO RIGHT to bitch about signing bonuses and such – he chose to IGNORE this issue in the last bargaining agreement, instead focusing on drug testing and other issues. (Not saying those other issues weren’t important too).

Fairly ironic, to me, that he professes to be concerned about competitive balance (and to his credit, has at least done a few things to improve that area), but is so myopic that he can’t see how the lack of a bonus structure for draft picks HURTS the small market teams. Also, he has ignored how unfair the lack of a WORLD WIDE draft is to the small market teams as well.

Mr Glass, this is a pro sports team, not a retail store - run it like one!

by loyal2sdad on Jun 10, 2009 10:48 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It makes me so mad that the Yanks swooped in and got that Yabuta guy!

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by devil_fingers on Jun 10, 2009 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

MLB coverage = FAIL

First of all, their “draft tracker” at MLB.com sputtered out in the supplemental round. So I had no idea who had been taken from there to round three when I found a blogger giving draft results. So good job MLB, anticipating increased interest in your draft.

Second of all, the MLB Network coverage was awful. Putting aside RoyalsReview’s scathing critique of the “fake baseball field”, the analysis was just awful. They loved every pick. I heard them say about 6-8 players that “this was the best player in the draft” or “This was my favorite player in the draft.” Brett Jackson? Really? The guy most projected to be the 30th or 40th best player in the draft? HE is the best player in your opinion?

And the “analysis” was so vague and milquetoast that it was meaningless. Every ballplayer was a “gamer” who had produced results. Well no shit they produced results, if they didn’t dominate at their level, they wouldn’t be considered for the draft. EVERYONE is good at this level. Tell me something about the guy! What does he throw, how hard? What are the holes to his game? But they did not want to criticize any picks, every team did a good job, and every pick will be a contributor to the MLB team.

The best was when the Rangers selected Tommy Mendonca in the supplemental round – a bit of a stretch, but he is one of the top 50-75 players available, so no one should be surprised to see his name come up. The “analyst” Frank (who I still don’t know who he is or what his qualifications were) ABSOLUTELY BLANKED. There was silence for about ten seconds before the host bailed him out with a joke. It was awful.

The worst part was they had Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, both of whom could tell you everything you’d want to know about each pick, and they didn’t utilize either of them much at all. Instead, we heard from Harold Reynolds, who obviously didn’t know much of anything about much of the picks, and when he did see a guy he had been briefed on, raved about him.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Jun 10, 2009 11:13 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed on most parts

except using Callis more. I love Callis analysis and he is obviously more informed than any of the guys they used but he has the personality of sandpaper.

I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.

by kcscoliny on Jun 10, 2009 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs