Figured we could consolidate.

Who's your team? And who do they pick first?

Rangers here, hoping for an arm. Either The UC Santa Barbara or Vandy pitcher (Fulmer I believe)

Suggestions for best place to follow along draft results online?

If you have MLB Network, it will be live there. Otherwise, follow streaming on MLB.com and follow a FanGraphs chat or something.

Astros, I believe we take Bregman and Benintendi. Would love for the Diamondbacks to make a huge mistake like we did with Bryant and let Dansby fall to us. If they take a SS, it is Dansby, but apparently they like Stephenson (C) and Jay as well.

Rangers have been rumored for taking Cameron at 4, but some noise has also been about Dillon Tate (UCSB) or Tyler Jay (Illinois). Haven't heard too many rumors about them taking Fulmer though.

I also tend to follow the Red Sox, while less regularly than the Astros, and they seem to be poised to take Fulmer, Jay, or Tate, whoever falls to them. Red Sox are the last team that could take Cameron without seriously hurting the signability of multiple picks down the road. If Cameron gets past the Red Sox, look for the Astros to take him at 37. In this case, the Astros can go slightly cheaper with their second round pick, spend $15M on their top 3, and afford to pick in slot for the rest of the draft.

Enough Chit-Chat... start rolling...

Astros with 4 of the top 46 picks. I feel like now that Correa is on the big team, this draft represents phase 2 of the overall rebuild plan. This is the phase where we add multiple years of high end talent to help sustain a very long window of success, much like the Cardinals.

Swanson to Arizona

Boo

1. ARIZONA - Dansby Swanson, SS, Vanderbilt

Good pick for them, I expect Houston to go with Bregman here.

SEC

Huge week for SEC Baseball.

4 Teams of the 7 set for the CWS.

#1.1 Pick. Vandy
#1.2 Pick. LSU

Gotta get the Ags into Omaha... and a couple First Rounders.

2. HOUSTON - Alex Bregman, SS, LSU

I like the pick, and the kid can hit. Should be interesting to see how this works out over the next few years with Correa in the MLB.

Stros will move correa to 3rd if bregman is the real deal

really wish Swanson would have fallen to us

I just don't think Bregmen will ever be the guy you move Correa to 3rd for. We could have developed Rodgers slowly and had a veteran Correa whenever Rodgers was ready.

3. COLORADO - Brendan Rodgers, SS, Lake Mary (HS, FL)

mazag - Rodgers, while a very good pick as well, has a lot more unknown than Bregman... Opinions across baseball seem to be split. No one is a guarantee, even at this level. Personally, I like the Bregman pick more.

It'll definitely be interesting to follow their careers as these three will be linked for their entire careers

4. TEXAS - Dillon Tate, RHP, UC-Santa Barbara

Good choice by Texas there. Dillon Tate is a good player, should be safely in the majors within two years with that velocity.

5. HOUSTON - Kyle Tucker, OF, H.B. Plant (HS, FL)

Like the pick, and hope he works out. I like his swing. Can't let the futures of Preston and Kyle be interlinked though. Have to resist doing what the Dallas Stars have done with Jordie Benn.

6. MINNESOTA - Tyler Jay, LHP, Ilinois

Like the pick, but would probably have gone with Fulmer here myself having seen him in person.

7. BOSTON - Andrew Benintendi, OF, Arkansas

Good pick and glad to see Cameron not the pick here so he may slide to Houston at 37. Chicago and good ol' Theo Epstein is the last legitimate threat to Cameron unless someone basically gives up their second round pick. Theo always seems to draft position players early over pitchers.

Why do y'all think cameron will fall?

8. Chicago (White Sox) - Carson Fulmer, RHP, Vanderbilt

Great pick here. I think he was the best pitcher in the draft this year.

Cameron has said he wont sign unless he gets a specific number. There maybe 3 clubs who can offer him that number. Astros likely just saved money with their 5th round pick to spend on a guy like Cameron.

quote:

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Why do y'all think cameron will fall?

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He publicly said he wouldn't sign for under $5M and his agent has supposedly stopped shopping his name around, leading people to believe he has a rough deal in place with a team. To sign him for $5M is getting higher and higher over slot value for these upcoming teams. Rumor is if he gets past 9/10, Astros are the only one who can sign him. To sign him as another team, you would have to go way under slot in round 2 and possibly even 3.

Teams have a certain draft pool for signing bonuses. You can spend more but only if you sign someone else for less. Here are the pools.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/2015-mlb-draft-slots-values-team/

Ah got it

9. Chicago (Cubs) - Ian Happ, OF, Cincinnati

Good player with proven performance. Don't see a high ceiling here though.

10. PHILADELPHIA - Cornelius Randolph, SS, Griffin (HS - GA)

Fourth SS taken. Should be interesting to compare him to the top 3 over the net decade, especially if he moves to 3B.

quote:

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Cameron has said he wont sign unless he gets a specific number. There maybe 3 clubs who can offer him that number. Astros likely just saved money with their 5th round pick to spend on a guy like Cameron.

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Its funny, one of the comments about he and his dad is they are not arrogant or cocky... and they they say he won't sign for less than $5M.

I don't know the kid... but slot for #4 is $5.026M.

So, "I'm a Top 4 pick, or I'm not signing."

If $5M is the number, Houston is likely his only shot. Minn has slot of $3.889 with the #6 pick.

Houston has the 2 ($7.4M), 5 ($4.2M) and 37 ($1.7M) picks.

It would be very hard to not have a Top 5 pick and make up the $1M.

Pool Money:
Houston: $17M (2, 5, 37)
Colorado: $14M (3, 27, 38)
Arizona: $13M (1, 43)
Atlanta: $11M (14, 28, 41)

Those might be the only teams. What I think I heard was if Colorado passed at 27, he'd be an Astro.

Astros top off the night with Thomas Eshelman of CS Fullerton. Reminds me a lot of Ross Stripling. I like that pick.

Braves take A.J. Minter with the 75th and final pick of day one.

Great first day for the Astros. Taken in isolation, I wasn't 100% sold on Bregman at 2 and Tucker at 5, but as a strategy to get 3 consensus top 8-10 talents, today was a homerun. Eshelman is also a good pick to save some money but also get some potential.

Yeah, if you told anyone last year that you have to skip signing Aiken, but will be guaranteed those 4 players due to not signing him, 10/10 people would have taken it. Really good first day for the Astros, and I hope in 4-5 years we can look back on this draft as a milestone.

quote:

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Yeah, if you told anyone last year that you have to skip signing Aiken, but will be guaranteed those 4 players due to not signing him, 10/10 people would have taken it. Really good first day for the Astros, and I hope in 4-5 years we can look back on this draft as a milestone.

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It does look like a great haul.

1.2 Bregman (LSU-SS)
1.5 Tucker (HS-OF)
A.37 Cameron (HS-OF)
2.46 Eshelman (CS-F - RHP)

If they can get everyone signed... that is quite the haul. A.37 gets slot of $1.7M. From everything I've heard, Cameron's agent quit shopping him, which indicated a deal may have been in the works. I'd be surprised if he gets $5M (Rumored price). He may get $3.5M, maybe?

Having said that... not signing Aiken may prove to be a great decision on it's own. The fact he ended up with TJ surgery validates the Astros' front office.

However, not signing Aiken had more ramifications than just Aiken. Astros could have also had:

Jacob Nix (5th Round) <- Available. Should be drafted soon. It'd be a great story if the Astros drafted him again.
Mac Marshall (21st Round) <- Also available.

Both went unsigned and both are available this draft.

The Astros do not have permission to draft Jacob Nix (or Brady Aiken)

Michael Matuella to the Rangers
Riley Ferrell to the Astros

Two really interesting picks- Rangers hoping that Matuella's plethora of injuries are not of the lingering kind and the Astros hoping Ferrell's recent struggles do not portend future problems.