jerrytek

Thanks for the comments Patrick. It looks more and more like the M's under Zduriencik are going to adopt a similar drafting strategy. The M's previous scouting director, Bob Fontaine, was fired recently. Zduriencik has brought in Tony Blengino and Tom McNamara, and most think that one of them will be the new scouting director. Interestingly, Jack Z retained Bob Engle, who is the M's international scouting director (and a damn good one). International scouting is one area where the M's do really well, and it is great to see that Zduriencik is trying to keep that system intact. By the way, do you know anything about Blengino and McNamara? Blengino is getting a lot of press because of his sabermetric background. A lot of people were disappointed that the M's didn't sign a new-school stats-oriented GM, so Blengino's addition was seen by many as a good sign. Any comments/opinions on these guys?

Thanks Patrick, I think a lot of M's fans are hoping that Fields goes to indy ball and back into the draft. That was an odd pick at the time it was made, and, considering the M's situation now, is even worse. Rebuilding clubs just don't need to be taking college relievers with the 20th overall pick, even if that slot is pretty consistent with his talent level. Knowing Jack Z's tendencies pretty well, do think he would be more or less likely to sign him? The other thing the M's have going for them are two comp picks if Ibanez leaves, which is pretty likely. If the M's don't sign Fields, they could have five picks in the first two rounds. That would really help Zduriencik restock a fairly weak farm system. However, it would require a huge draft budget to sign that many high picks. I would almost rather see them sign Fields if it would mean that they have more money to use in the later rounds of the draft next year. Oh, by the way, that piece you wrote that was posted on USSMariner was great. I have been reading forums and draft coverage at this site for a few years, and know that people here hold Jack Z in pretty high regard. This was the first site I visited after the hiring was announced. It is nice to know that hard-core fans respect him so much. After sitting through the Bavasi era, the Mariners need to make drastic changes, particularly in talent evaluation (especially at the ML level). We are pretty optimistic that Zduriencik will be a great hire.

Remember that the Mariners have still not signed Josh Fields, even though (as a senior) they have until next summer to do so. However, the talks between the M's and Scott Boras seem to be at a complete standstill, and there is a good chance they will just take the compensation pick. When the M's bring in a new GM, he/she will have to decide if a college closer is worth a top pick. Given the M's situation, you could make a great argument that not signing Fields would be the best option. Thus, the draft order would look like this: 1. Nationals (.366) 2. Mariners (.377) 3. Padres (.389) 4. Pirates (.414) 5. Orioles (.422) 6. Giants (.444) 7. Braves(.444) 8. Reds (.457) 9. Tigers (.457) *9a. Nationals (for not signing A. Crow) 10. Rockies (.457) 11. Royals (.463) 12. A's (.466) 13. Rangers (.488) 14. Indians (.500) 15. D-Backs (.506) 16. Dodgers (.519) 17. Marlins (.522) 18. Cardinals (.531) 19. Blue Jays (.531) 20. Astros (.534) *20a. Mariners (for not signing J. Fields) 21. Twins (.540) 22. White Sox (.546) 23. Mets (.549) 24. Yankees (.549) 25. Brewers (.556) 26. Phillies (.568) 27. Red Sox (.586) 28. Rays (.599) *28a. Yankees (for not signing G. Cole) 29. Cubs (.602) 30. Angels (.617)

Hey Patrick, Love you site. I visit pretty much daily, but this is my first post. I was looking at your draft prospect rankings, and was sorta suprised by the lack of new names in the top 100. Are there any players who have come out of nowhere this year? I had heard that SS/3B Kevin Ahrens has dramatically helped his draft stock early on. Are there any guys who have gone from afterthought to perhaps going in the top half of the first round? Also, who do you see as the top 10 or so hitters? I am a Mariners fan, and am hoping the M's can get a big bat with the 11th pick.