Our 2014 MLB Draft coverage takes us to Brady Aiken, the (almost) consensus No. 1 overall pick. The 17-year-old left-hander from Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego is generating plenty of buzz despite the fact that high school pitchers don’t often reach the pinnacle of the draft.
2014 MLB Draft Preview: Brady Aiken Scouting Report Read Post »
Jackson has a strong arm and limited third base experience, so down the road the 6’2”, 215-pounder could end up in the outfield. His quick bat speed and slight uppercut swing means 30-plus home run potential, and who isn’t excited about that?
2014 MLB Draft Preview: Alex Jackson Scouting Profile Read Post »
They are consistent but not particularly polished, especially the finish in his delivery. He comes across his body to the third base side of the mound, which makes you wonder if his command could be hindered. Kolek’s stuff is potentially dominant, with a fastball that hovers around 99 mph, and his 6’6”, 250-pound frame is imposing. His curveball and slider are works in progress, but of course, we love the fastball (who doesn’t?), as it can hit as high as 102, which is unprecedented for a high-schooler.
2014 MLB Draft Preview: Tyler Kolek Scouting Report Read Post »
Sure enough, he spent the entire 2013 season at High-A before being promoted to Double-A this year. Early on this season, Sanchez is dealing with some wildness (26 walks, four hit batsmen and one wild pitch in 43 1/3 IP), but it has not hurt his bottom line results — yet. The righty is Toronto’s top prospect and while he dealt with some shoulder woes last year, he’s generally remained healthy as a pro. Sanchez could be a top of the rotation hurler, but he’ll need to sharpen that command along the way. His record at High-A wasn’t great in 20 starts and a low BABIP (.250) suggests a bit of luck was involved in keeping his ERA below 3.50. Sanchez’s K rate dipped in the AFL (although he made the All-Prospect Team), and so far this year, he’s benefited from a pretty high strand rate. Don’t be fooled by that very low ERA at Double-A as so far his peripherals don’t support it. In a nutshell, we love Sanchez’s K potential (he’s averaged over one per inning), but that control (4.7 BB/9 in his career) needs fixing. He has a perfect pitcher’s build (6’4″, 200).
2014 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit: Top 65 Prospects, Part IV Read Post »
Odorizzi has had trouble against lefties, so bear this in mind when he faces a team that leans in that direction. Originally taken 32nd overall by Milwaukee in 2008, he’s been very durable in his career (and could remain as such thanks to a very smooth, easy delivery) and hasn’t shown any alarming weaknesses, but has periodically had issues with the long ball.
2014 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit: Top 65 Prospects, Part III Read Post »
Some think Frazier is the Indians’ second best prospect, but we want to see what he does at full-season ball before bumping him up more. Still, he didn’t skip a beat moving to pro ball, and is a serious high end talent in a system that lacks depth. The right-handed hitting Frazier showed no vulnerability against righties, recording an 875 OPS en route to being named an AZL Post-Season All-Star. So far, Frazier has been durable, but like many young hitters, needs to improve his contact rates. There may not have been a better source of power in last year’s draft than this kid, so it will be exciting to see what kind of home run totals he can amass as he moves up the ladder.
2014 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit: Top 65 Prospects, Part II Read Post »
All told, Edwards racked up a whopping 155 strikeouts in 116 1/3 IP. Part of a suddenly exciting cadre of young Cubs’ talent getting ready to descend upon the majors, he needs to add weight if he’s going to have the durability to last as a starter, but we still like him a bit more than some prospect experts. We love that Edwards has a nice groundball rate, as that will stead him well as he moves up the ladder and is unable to blow the ball by more advanced hitters as often. Obviously, he can’t be fully judged until he fills out, but we will learn a lot more about this kid this year when he tackles Double-A. Still, so far he looks like a serious steal considering the Rangers nabbed the righty in the 48th round in 2011.
2014 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit: Top 65 Prospects, Part I Read Post »
