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Post by Legion of Bloom on Jun 8, 2013 16:13:30 GMT -5
Red Sox select - Nick Longhi, OF, Venice HS (FL) - #296 in BA top 100 If the Red Sox were ever going to blow up their draft pool it would be with this class. I wouldn't complain, hopefully we sign a couple of the guys.
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Post by mjammz on Jun 8, 2013 16:15:34 GMT -5
It would be interesting to see what would happen if there were 4-5 teams that just got together and said the hell with the pool. I wonder what the commish would do.
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Post by ikonos on Jun 8, 2013 16:17:40 GMT -5
thelavarnwayguy MLB could always go the NFL route and penalize them for not working within the spirit of the game. Also, before the new CBA, the Red Sox and other big market teams did draft many highly rated signability guys but did not sign them then, now it would cost two times the amount to sign them and they would lose their 1st and 2nd round draft picks Excellent point. They had the opportunity for years with the cost being just the money and did not chose to do it. No reason to think they will do it now when the penalty is higher. The other way of looking at it is, now they have a reason as they can't spend 10-11M like they used to. But still teams dont like to antagonize the league.
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Post by FenwayFanatic on Jun 8, 2013 16:17:48 GMT -5
thelavarnwayguy MLB could always go the NFL route and penalize them for not working within the spirit of the game. Also, before the new CBA, the Red Sox and other big market teams did draft many highly rated signability guys but did not sign them then, now it would cost two times the amount to sign them and they would lose their 1st and 2nd round draft picks And thats why they call it the "No Fun League"
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Post by wskeleton76 on Jun 8, 2013 16:20:48 GMT -5
Longhi, Nick Venice HS (FL) OF R/L HS 6'02" 205lbs DOB: 08/16/95 | Longhi has the potential to be one of the better pure hitters from this year's Draft class. He has a quick, compact swing and should hit for average as well as power in the future. Although he lacks range, he is an adequate defender in the outfield and has the arm to play in right. No matter where he plays, the LSU commit's bat will always be his greatest asset and will be what carries him throughout pro ball. His swing looks really good. He should be better at 1B.
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Post by azblue on Jun 8, 2013 16:25:07 GMT -5
Red Sox select - Nick Longhi, OF, Venice HS (FL) - #296 in BA top 100 If the Red Sox were ever going to blow up their draft pool it would be with this class. Would the right year to do this be one that had a great class? You are betting that the players you sign will be as good or better than a late first round pick in the next two years. Hard to predict how good a class of prospects will be two years down the road. Many of the comments above (worrying about the organizational depth at corner outfield, 3B and 1B are ignoring two factors: (1) International signings and (2) there is filler material already in the organization. They do not have to release some of the corner players that are already signed.
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Post by mjammz on Jun 8, 2013 16:26:49 GMT -5
The Red Sox 31st round pick Ryan Rippee appears to be a basketball player that they drafted as a 1B.. seems to play both sports
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Post by Legion of Bloom on Jun 8, 2013 16:28:03 GMT -5
Red Sox select - Nick Longhi, OF, Venice HS (FL) - #296 in BA top 100 If the Red Sox were ever going to blow up their draft pool it would be with this class. Would the right year to do this be one that had a great class? You are betting that the players you sign will be as good or better than a late first round pick in the next two years. Hard to predict how good a class of prospects will be two years down the road. Many of the comments above (worrying about the organizational depth at corner outfield, 3B and 1B are ignoring two factors: (1) International signings and (2) there is filler material already in the organization. They do not have to release some of the corner players that are already signed. Speaking of international signings... The guy we've been linked to the most, Devers, plays 3B and has arguably the best bat in the international market.
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Post by ancientsoxfogey on Jun 8, 2013 16:28:47 GMT -5
Red Sox select - Nick Longhi, OF, Venice HS (FL) - #296 in BA top 100 If the Red Sox were ever going to blow up their draft pool it would be with this class. Is that really true? Apparently the Sox have taken a lot of difficult-to-sign players. They may be in the upper echelon of talent in this draft, and have leverage to command high bonuses. But are they upper echelon in the greater scheme of things? I've heard that this draft isn't all that strong. I can't judge, but if that assessment is correct, this ISN'T the year to break tradition and break the bank. The year to do it is in an exceptionally deep draft, where there is a plethora of upper-round talent, and you feel more confident in getting true upper-echelon talent for all the bucks.
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danr
Veteran
Posts: 1,871
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Post by danr on Jun 8, 2013 16:30:46 GMT -5
The Sox are part of the "establishment" in baseball. The owners are close to the commish. If you recall, he was instrumental in getting them into Boston. There is no way the Sox do anything in public in opposition to official policy. What they might say behind the scenes is anyone's guess. I don't know what they think about these rules. Does anyone?
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Post by mjammz on Jun 8, 2013 16:32:28 GMT -5
I just want Manny Ramirez son and I'll call it a draft
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Post by boomer on Jun 8, 2013 16:32:38 GMT -5
To me, looking at it in a cold and objective manner, I would blow up the draft rules if I were the Dodgers, Yanks or Redsox. For example, if we did draft at least 8-9 tough signs and just blew the top off the signs and paid the maximum penalty losing 2 picks and 100% tax. We could sign twice as many top prospects in year one and in ensuing years lose 2 1st rounders but what is to stop us from drafting 8-9 more tough signs and blowing it all off again? We could go on forever losing our top picks but still sign 8-9 or more top prospects which is probably double normal expectations every year. And this would have been a great year to do it. The first team to do it gets a major competitive advantage. I bet the Yanks are well on their way to that decision right now. Teams aren't doing it because of the stigma of being the team which is "not playing ball" with the league goals of keeping costs down and maintaining competitive balence. Objectively, I would absolutely blow the CBA rules out the window. It won't happen soon. The Player's Association wanted teams to have more money in the pool to pay actual major league players. Too much money was going to unproven amateurs. The owners wanted to restore the competitive balance the draft was supposed to promote. A salary cap for major league salaries wouldn't work although something close to it was put in place. However, a salary cap on what teams could pay amateur draft picks took power away from agents like Boras. Big market teams were paying premiums for "signability" picks almost as badly as in the "bonus baby" era that preceded the institution of the draft in 1965. Over the 45 years that followed, the competitive balance motivation for the draft was completely lost. What we have now is frustrating but much fairer. The top 7 amateur talents went to the 7 worst teams this year. However, even KC used the new system to flip their first and second round level talents just as the Sox did one round later with their functional second and third round picks. The draft is still screwy and skewed. However, it is shifting the best amateurs to the worst teams better as it was originally intended while putting some brakes on the ever escalating windfalls paid to unproven amateurs that turned the most talented draft picks into unregulated "bonus babies" that only the rich teams could afford. Ending that system finally ended almost 5 decades of Yankees dominance after the Sox traded Babe Ruth and led to a period of better competitive balance until the rich teams again began to dominate the poor teams. Those days are over. Even with these spending limits, the Sox are in a better competitive position now and in the foreseeable future than the Yankees, Dodgers and other even richer franchises.
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Post by soxfanatic on Jun 8, 2013 16:34:12 GMT -5
Matt Thaiss, HS C, ranked #224 by BA. Truly ridiculous.
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Post by mjammz on Jun 8, 2013 16:34:16 GMT -5
Red Sox take Matthew Thaiss, C, Jackson HS (NJ) - top 225 in the BA top 500 .. this is almost getting funny.
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Post by soxfanatic on Jun 8, 2013 16:34:39 GMT -5
MLB: Thaiss is an elite defensive catcher and earns high marks for his all-around game. He is a good receiver and is athletic enough to block balls well behind the plate. Thaiss has a solid arm and gets the ball to second base quickly. Offensively, he has a quick, level swing and uses the whole field to hit. As he adds more strength to his 5-foot-10, 197-pound frame, Thaiss projects to hit for average power. Thaiss has an advanced understanding of the game and plays aggressively. He is committed to Virginia. wapc.mlb.com/play/?topic_id=40395496&content_id=27704255
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Post by thelavarnwayguy on Jun 8, 2013 16:35:57 GMT -5
thelavarnwayguy MLB could always go the NFL route and penalize them for not working within the spirit of the game. Also, before the new CBA, the Red Sox and other big market teams did draft many highly rated signability guys but did not sign them then, now it would cost two times the amount to sign them and they would lose their 1st and 2nd round draft picks You have a point! To me though, draft picks are even more valuable now and we can probably expect a lot more leagueparity going forward 5-10 years from now as the shakedown from all the earlier overslot signings are gone. I'm just saying it is probably worth it financially to blow $20 - $25 mil on draft day for 8-10 top prospects including the penalties. A lot of teams spend that in 1 or 2 FA signings for 1 year alone. We would have 6 years of control over 8-10 potential studs per year. Do the math. It's worth it!
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Post by sibbysisti on Jun 8, 2013 16:36:15 GMT -5
I can't help but question the red sox draft philosophy. Next year, below AA, the red sox wont have a single legitimate position prospect at any of the corner positions. Meanwhile we will not have enough playing time to go around for all of the SP, soft hitting short stops, or center fielders. We are already having to resort to piggy backing starting pitchers and forcing legit shortstop prospects to move to second just to get playing time. Im looking at how rosters are gonna play out, and it seems like in a couple years the whole organization will look like how greenville looks right now, with more SP than they have room for and no legit bats to speak of. I don't hate any of the picks in a vacuum, I think Meadows is probably better than Ball but its splitting hairs, but were just drafting too many pitchers in general. I don't know how you can conclude that the Sox will not have a single legitimate position prospect at any of the corner positions without first seeing whom they bring on board from the DSL and other International signees.
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Post by mjammz on Jun 8, 2013 16:38:32 GMT -5
Could be completely wrong.. but Red Sox could have targeted some kids in poor finiancial situations with talent.. When they offer 100-150k thats tough to turn down for some families.. especially since they can pay for college and give the kids housing allowances too. Just a thought.
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Post by vermontsox1 on Jun 8, 2013 16:39:03 GMT -5
My guess is there are a handful of college players the Sox like that are expected to fall out of the draft. Grab a couple of those guys as UDFA to fill out the GCL and Lowell rosters. Then, play these HS signability guys off of each other, throw some $$$ at them around the deadline and see what happens. I think it's a great strategy.
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danr
Veteran
Posts: 1,871
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Post by danr on Jun 8, 2013 16:39:56 GMT -5
The Sox have drafted some very promising catchers, maybe the strongest position drafts so far.
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Post by soxfanatic on Jun 8, 2013 16:48:39 GMT -5
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Post by mjammz on Jun 8, 2013 16:50:08 GMT -5
Andrew Rosa, SS, Owasso HS (OK) #254 ranked HS player by PG... Oklahoma State Committ
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Post by mjammz on Jun 8, 2013 16:50:55 GMT -5
I will say San Diego is taking the same approach.. they have taken a ton of tough signs too.
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Post by azblue on Jun 8, 2013 16:51:44 GMT -5
If even one tough sign is brought into the organization with this strategy, it is worth it.
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Post by mjammz on Jun 8, 2013 16:54:18 GMT -5
If even one tough sign is brought into the organization with this strategy, it is worth it. I agree, it seems like last year was a learning experience. This year they have adjusted their strategy and I bet it pays off. 1-2 of these kids will sign and I'm talking about besides Sheffield, who Mayo seemed confident was signable.
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