2014 MLB Draft

How to hack the draft

Good read.

Maybe if as a .226 hitting 2nd baseman at Milwaukee Riverside in 1977, I'd have bunted more.......who knows?

The Hawaiian

McCalvy  “He cannot throw a fastball straight,” said MLB Network analyst Jon Hart. “Some people question start/relief. I don’t. I like this guy as a starter.”

WTF was Ted thinking?

Oh, sorry.

6'5" SS Jacob Gatewood

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MLB Player Comparison: Troy Tulowitzki

Gatewood receives comparisons to Troy Tulowitzki for his tall, athletic frame and plus-plus raw power, but he also lacks Tulo's defensive chops and therefore is unlikely to spend his entire career at shortstop.

Wow!  That would sure suck to draft a clone to Tulowitzki.

Monte Harrison  Also a 4 star recruit for Nebraska

Since it is never to early to grade a draft (I'll cut and paste the whole Crew thing, so you don't have to click through 32 "nexts"

First Round (No. 12 Overall): Kodi Medeiros, LHP, Waiakea HS (Hawaii)

Hailing from Hawaii, Kodi Medeiros is viewed as one of the more intriguing and polarizing prep arms in this year's class. A younger player compared to his peers—he just turned 18 on May 25—the 6’0”, 180-pound left-hander lacks physical projection but features legitimate big league stuff.

Working from a unique low-three-quarters arm slot, Medeiros has some life to his fastball at 90-94 mph, and it tends to jump on opposing hitters due to his release point and smooth delivery.

His breaking ball is nasty with huge horizontal break capable of deceiving hitters and missing bats at any level. The southpaw has a changeup, but it’s a raw pitch that will need to be developed thoroughly as a professional.

This spring, Medeiros posted a 1.12 ERA and 81-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 43.2 innings.

Grade: A

I'm as big of a Kodi Medeiros believer as anyone, so obviously I'm giving the Brewers an "A" here. He has the kind of stuff that will get hitters out at the highest level.

Comp Balance Round A (No. 41 Overall): Jacob Gatewood, SS, Clovis HS (Calif.)

You may remember Gatewood from last year's All-Star Weekend, when he blasted 13 home runs to win the junior portion of the All-Star Game Home Run Derby, including multiple tape-measure shots into the second deck at Citi Field. 

Gatewood captured a second derby title a month later, this time as part of the Under Armour All-America Game at Wrigley Field. However, for a player with as much natural power as Gatewood, his performance this spring for Clovis High School was a disappointment.

He batted .389 with nine doubles, five home runs and 28 RBI.

Grade: A-

Gatewood has drool-worthy upside, with the plus-plus raw power to hit 30 or more home runs in his prime and a decent chance to stick at shortstop. The Brewers' system needs high-ceiling talent, and few ceilings are higher than Gatewood's.

Second Round (No. 50 Overall): Monte Harrison, OF, Lee's Summit West HS (Mo.)

Besides his enormous potential on the diamond—which we’ll get to momentarily—the 6’2”, 200-pound Harrison is known for his highlight-reel dunks and rating as a 4-star recruit at wide receiver, per 247Sports. He’s committed to Nebraska next year and is expected to play both baseball and football.

Harrison has numerous standout tools including plus speed and range in the outfield, as well as legitimate plus-plus arm strength that ranks among the best in the class.

He’s likely to spend his career in center field, but his cannon for an arm would also support a move to right field. The right-handed hitter’s bat lags well behind his other tools, but that’s mostly a result of his lack of baseball experience as a three-sport standout.

Grade: B+

Considering his dual-sport commitment, I don't think the Brewers would have rolled the dice on him if they didn't believe he was signable.

Final Day 1 Team Grade: A-

All sorts of win with this draft.

Medeiros looks really good.  That slider, is ... amazing.  In the perfect game classic his fastball was 92-94 consistently.  That slider is a frisbee slider.  It's just crazy to watch.  I love this pick.

Couple that with Huge upside guys in Gatewood and Harrison....

and then Gilbert Lara (whom, the Brewers apparently have a 3.2M dollar international deal in place with for the July 2nd International prospect signing (6'3 180 ss/3b - 1st or 2nd ranked Int'l prospect).

The Brewers farm system... if they get all 4 of these guys just took a major shot in the arm.

Keith Law and Johnny Boy seem to hate the Brewer's draft.  But lets not forget when he liked the draft.

chris (madison)

Klaw, the Brewers selection of Arnett was one of only a couple first rounders you were on break for in the blog last night...your thoughts on that pick and Milwaukee's supplemental selections? Thanks.

Keith Law

I like Arnett as kind of a "gut feel" guy, so I think it's a great pick - it's top of the rotation stuff in a great athlete with good results in a bad conference. I do worry about lack of track record - I've never seen him live since he didn't pitch over the summer - and how hard he was worked this spring.

Pitching in Hawaii and with more pitchability than pure stuff, it might have been easy to forget about this second best pitching prospect from the islands. But a championship tournament start, and win, against the state's best prospect, potential first rounder Kodi Medeiros, certainly helped this right-hander's stock. Yamamoto tossed a complete-game, two-hit shutout in that contest, impressing with his four-pitch arsenal and his control. He was 92-93 mph from start to finish with his fastball and can command the pitch well. He throws both a slider and a curveball, with the former being a more advanced pitch right now. He also has good feel for a changeup, giving him the chance to have four Major League average or better pitches. He's not the biggest guy in the world, but he's athletic and durable, with every chance to start at the next level. While Medeiros will clearly come off the board first, a team that takes this Hawaiian high schooler later one might get a nice steal

Hawaii is the new Canada

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140607&content_id=78718586&notebook_id=78718892&vkey=notebook_mil&c_id=mil

Already signed 2nd rd Harrison!!!

Supposedly was the questionable of the top three1

http://www.jsonline.com/sports...584z1-262264051.html

Add Gatewood to the signed list!  Sounds like they will get #1 too!  Over spending to sign which they could lose their #1 next year if they exceed by too much. 

Minorleagueball.com rated the top 300 prospects from the draft.

Gatewood #17

Medeiros  #20

Harrison   #26

Considering where were got all 3 and for a reasonable price... jackpot.  3 high value guys.

Being reported we have signed or are near agreement with all through first 9 rounds.

Wonder if they want to announce in Milwaukee. 

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140611&content_id=79257786&notebook_id=79258000&vkey=notebook_mil&c_id=mil

2.5 mil for medeiros according to the signing tracker on brewcrewball.com

I havent seen a press release for it, but they have him listed as signed. 

Am I missing something?

ok, now i see...

Johnathan Mayo tweeted today that the Brewers signed Kodi to a 2.5 M bonus + 240k for college.

All together, Jim Callis reported that with this signing the Brewers came in under the amount allowed for their first 10 rounds of picks.

Not the draft, but a similar vein

Top 30 list dominated by Dominicans, Venezuelans; signing period begins July 2

TOp international prospects

*Team considered the favorite to sign the player.

Competitive Balance lottery results for 2015 @MLBDraft: Round A: 1. @marlins 2. @Rockies 3. @Cardinals 4. @Brewers 5. @Padres 6. @Indians

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 23, 2014

Competitive balance, with the Cards in front of the Crew!

yeah, not based on record, but revenue and size.  I'm not sure how size is determined, but St Louis is small enough to get a shot (revenue is not a problem in St Louis)