DAS1410

John Mayo' Blog - June 6, 2007 Movement near the top I'm at the airport waiting to go to Orlando for the big day and wanted to report on some movement near the top of the draft. Not at No. 1 -- that's going to be David Price as expected. I'm talking at No. 2. I've learned the Kansas City Royals will most likely not take Rick Porcello with that selection and instead will go with a high school bat from California. They've got two guys even on their board: Cypress High School's Josh Vitters and Chatsworth High's Mike Moustakas. It could go either way, with KC valuing both equally. The ball is in the players' courts. Whichever player shows the Royals he wants to join their organization is likely to be the direction the Royals go in. As for Porcello, his ability is not in question. He's good enough to go No. 2 and there are even some scouts who'd consider taking him No. 1. But his bonus demands, especially for a high school right-handed pitcher -- the biggest risk pick there is -- could very well force him to slide really far...maybe even as far as the University of North Carolina... Stay tuned as things heat up. Talk to everyone from Orlando!

This was posted on Scout.com DRAFT REPORT: THE ELITE EIGHT By Frankie Piliere Posted June 4, 2007 - The future of Canadian righty may be all but set, at least in terms of the draft. According to a few high ranking scouts, Aumont has worked out a pre-draft deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. That deal of course would be meaningless if Aumont were to be nabbed before Milwaukee picks (7th overall), but it appears likely that he will be there and that he will be the team's top pick.

Chris Withrow's dad was drafted by the White Sox, but had his career derailed by arm injuries. He is now the pitching coach for Chris' high school team.

Thanks CJ

Patrick, The following was posted on Scout.com as part of their draft coverage on 5/15. Does this scouts claim hold water? - The word has not circulated much as of yet, but according to sources, Jason Heyward will not be picked in the first 15 picks of the first round. Not only that but there are now many doubts surfacing about his swing. "Heyward will be the bust of this draft," one crosschecker explained. "He will not go in the top 15. He is the miss of this draft. He is an arm and upper body swinger and he doesn't work with his lower half."

X, My assessment comes from .... 1. Looking at the Brewers recent draft history 2. Heyward as a player ..... Up until recently, he was considered the 2nd best HS hitter to Vitters. 3. Heyward would likely sign for slot .... Moustakas is a Boras client. 4. Patrick's earlier comments on who he would choose.

I know it's difficult to put a mock together (I am on my 5th update), but judging by some of the picks on that site, someone isn't paying attention/doing their homework. 1. The Dodgers will not take Matt LaPorta @ # 20 ..... - Boras is his agent - You don't take a 1B (especially a RHH) in the first round unless they have a "special" bat. LaPorta is good, but not "special" 2. Atlanta will not pass up Georgian LHP Josh Smoker for 3B Matt Dominguez. - Georgia ties - Braves have quality 3B prospects in the minors 3. San Diego will not select RHP Tim Alderson, or any HS player that early. This is a Sandy Alderson / Paul Depodesta trade, i.e. Oakland/Moneyball. 4. San Francisco by all accounts is set to take Beau Mills of Lewis & Clark State. I have not heard any other name associated with them @ # 10 in a long time. 5. Heyward will not make it past DM / JZ in Brewtown in favor of Moskos.

RHP Max Scherzer - Update (Free Content on Baseball America.com) More Details On Scherzer?s Start Posted May. 7, 2007 2:49 pm by J.J. Cooper Filed under: Draft Dope If Max Scherzer?s biggest test was proving that his fastball is back, he passed his first test on Friday. Scherzer sat at 93-94 mph, and one scout had him touching 98 mph in his abbreviated 3 1/3 inning outing during Friday?s nigh exhibition against Shreveport. He struck out the side in the second inning and struck out six overall while allowing one hit. Scherzer relied almost exclusively on his fastball during his 54-pitch outing. He occasionally slipped in a slider as well, but his fastball was enough to overmatch most of the Sports hitters. ?He overmatched the hitters he?s facing,? Fort Worth manager Stan Hough said. ?His fastball was overpowering and he had decent command of it.?According to Cats pitching coach Stan Hilton, Scherzer threw a little more than 50 percent strikes. His command got better as the game went along. ?My first concern was this is guy who hadn?t faced a hitter in a ball game in so long,? Hilton said. My concern was his command wouldn?t be too good. First inning he was around the plate, but he was fine. Some of the pitches he threw were electric. As the game progressed, in the second and third inning his command got better. I think he showed exactly what everyone was hoping for,? Hilton said. ?(The scouts) saw what I think they needed to see. It has to be pressure on him, but he handled it well.? Hilton said that Scherzer?s slider during the game was better than the one he?s show in side sessions, partly because he did a better job of staying on top of the pitch. He?s also featured an impressive changeup in his bullpen work, but he didn?t use it on Friday. Scherzer will throw a side session again on Wednesday before making his first official appearance for the Cats on Saturday.

From David Rawnsley's "Draft Notebook" on 5/4, he wrote about Burgess from a scout's (annonymous) perspective. The jist was that on the advice of his "handler's" (I don't know if this is coaches/family/etc ..) he changed his hitting mechanics from last year. "He?s all spread out now, with no stride at all and no weight shift and no front foot movement at all,? he said. ?He centers balls now and they don?t go anywhere." Right now, based on that info, he looks like a decent pick in the 1st Supplemental or 2nd round for a team with a good hitting instructor. Someone who could break down his swing to where it was previously. It would probably cause him to move more slowly than his piers, but he might take to the change quickly to.

CJ, Have you seen/heard any recent scouting reports on Joe Savery? His workload has gone up over the past few starts, so it looks like his strength/stamina is returning. But, his control is off (26 BB) and he's not missing many bats (40 K), but he does have a good BAA (.221 - 48/217) and as of his start on 4/29 has not given up a HR in 62.2 IP this year.

Jim Callis' Top 10 (as of 5/03/07) 1. Tampa Bay - LHP David Price - Vanderbilt 2. Kansas City - LHP Ross Detwiler - Missouri State 3. Chicago (NL) - C Matt Wieters - Georgia Tech 4. Pittsburgh - 3B Josh Vitters - Cypress HS, CA 5. Baltimore - LHP Daniel Moskos - Clemson 6. Washington - RHP Rick Porcello - Seton Hall Prep, NJ 7. Milwaukee - LHP Madison Bumgarner - South Caldwell HS, NC 8. Colorado - OF Jayson Heyward - Henry County HS, GA 9. Arizona - RHP Blake Beavan - Irving HS, TX 10. San Francisco - 3B Brad Mills - Lewis & Clark State

Any info on OF Brian Rike out of Louisiana Tech? The article mentioned a Grady Sizemore comp. Is this legit ... specifically his defense. He plays RF in college, but if he could be an above average defender in CF, he would be very intriguing. They have his projection at the 3rd round, which is very good considering he was ranked the 225th college prospect by PG (pre-season)

FGC, I have been on the Moustakas band wagon for awhile also for the blue @ # 20. It is part of my draft philosophy. My draft philosophy * Take the best available player regardless of position in first 5 rounds. * Rounds 06 - 18 ??? Rotate picks between best available/best available with signability. * Rounds 19 - 50 ??? Take the best available player at the position(s) of greatest need. * Fill out rosters after the draft with eligible/un-drafted college players. * When players are equal in talent ??? Take the local product. * When players are equal in talent ??? Take a LHH or LHP over a RHH or RHP * When players are equal in talent ??? Take the player with the better tools. * Avoid dealing with Satan (Scott Boras) or his clients, whenever possible. (Yes ... I know Moustakas is being "Advised" by Boras) Besides, the Dodgers have arms, but need impact bats.

CJ, Do you have any info, draft projection (round) for RHP Anthony Ranaudo of St. Rose HS (Jackson, NJ). I saw a video of this kid, and even though he is 6'8" 225, his delivery is very fluid. www.digitalsports.com/NJ/ScottStump/Ranaudo.htm

Sounds like a good comp, FGC. DJ is someone that I have been keeping my eye on for LA. Our OF prospects are pretty thin.