That’s right, folks. Two posts in the span of three days. Crazy stuff, I tells ya.
I wanted to hop on as I sit in the PNC Park pressbox watching a thrilling Astros-Pirates game to chat with eveyrone on a number of issues.
Let’s talk draft, shall we? Take a look at these two season pitching lines from the college ranks:
Player A: 7-0, 54 1/3 IP, 34 H, 9 ER, 11 BB, 107 K, .177 BAA, 1.49 ERA
Player B: 8-1, 64 1/3 IP, 37 H, 11 ER, 14 BB, 74 K, .170 BAA, 1.53 ERA
You’ll recognize the line for Player A if you’ve been reading my Draft Reports. That’s consensus top talent Stephen Strasburg. But any guesses who Player B is? Send me who you think it is in comments and I’ll reveal the answer tomorrow.
A whlie back, I got a question on here that was draft-related (Jfish, hope you’re reading). The question was about Dustin Ackley of UNC and a little on Robert Stock at USC. Let’s start with Ackley. The question was about what people were saying about his draft value considering the lack of time he’s spent in the outfield. There is no question the guy can hit and he’s one of the more advanced bats in this draft class. The fact that it’s not a great year for hitters will help him without question. He does profile much better as a center fielder because he doesn’t have the kind of power you’d like to see for a first baseman. He’s also got good speed and would be a pretty good outfielder. He’s played out there some. Whether or not it’ll be enough for people to get a good enough read of his skills out there remains to be seen. But keep in mind guys have been drafted highly and moved to another position without ever having played there before (see LaPorta, Matt). At least Ackley has played the outfield before. Will he be a top 5 pick, as was asked? I think it’s possible. He’s not a true impact kind of bat, like say, Pedro Alvarez or Buster Posey, but he’s a pretty safe bet big-league hitter.
As for Stock, I honestly haven’t heard much of anything about him. For a guy who was so highly touted in high school, he does seem to have moved backward. I’m sure someone will take him, but I don’t see him as a top round guy at this point.
