2023 Rule 4 Draft Discussion (GDT)

[julio]

The Cubbies just took the first college senior picked, for whatever that's worth.

[andyb]

The guy fish mentioned in the other thread. Nats look like they have a pretty good first 3 picks as they just go a highly rated HS pitcher who slipped.

I would love Zane Adams in our spot. Not sure we have enough $$ though.

[andyb]

Tanner Witt and his injury rehab are still lurking out there. Would he get a bigger bonus even if he went back to school and had a good year?

[andyb]

The Nats entire draft looks to be setup to sign the top 3 picks. Crews may not take less than slot and both Morales and Sykora probably dropped because of bonus demands.

Interesting all-in strategy for a rebuilding team though I guess you do whatever it takes to sign Crews and later maybe think of flipping an outfield prospect for a pitcher (they have 4 good outfield prospects now - potentially all top 100 unless Hassell drops out of it).

[bkox]

Phillies coach Bobby Dickerson's son:

8 (229): @Royals select Southern Mississippi (MS) SS Dustin Dickerson https://t.co/K7ozKXgkld #MLBDraft

— MLB Draft Tracker ( @MLBDraftTracker ) July 10, 2023

[schillingfan]

Logenhagen's scouting report:

"Miller has among the fastest hitting hands in the entire 2023 draft, his bat speed gives him impressive present power and his frame portends more.

I like my baseball players with fast hands. Like Chase Utley.

[andyb]

Will NIL money keep more players in college?

The Decision: A Future Where Draft Prospects Take Their Talents to the SEC

[Lucky_Beagle]

The easy answer is yes, because if only 1 player stays that's more than before.
How much NIL money is being offered to baseball players? Could a booster make a push to push NIL money to a few low round picks to entice them to return for a championship run? I suppose it is possible. Is NIL money worth it for an eligible sophomore to come back another season and still have the ability to negotiate as a junior with another years eligibility?

[andyb]

Tanner Witt finally went to the Orioles in the 18th round. Imagine it will take a big bonus to get him. Certainly $500K+ if not closer to a million. The Orioles don't have lots of expensive looking picks, so maybe they can figure it out.

[andyb]

There were some eye-popping trends in the 2023 MLB Draft

One statistic - MLB teams averaged 4.1 HS picks in the draft. It was of course more in the 40 round draft though when you take out the fliers teams still used to sign 6-8. Now the average is 4 and that the Phillies did that with the smallest draft pool is a sign they are continually more aggressive with HS picks than other organizations. 44 Juco total so the Phillies punched above their weight there with 2.

Article also notes the Phillies drafted no left-handed pitchers. I was sort of wondering that too on day 3 but at that point it really does not matter that much in terms of prospect status.

[allentown]

More than a little ignorant (prejudiced?) for this writer to list the Puerto Rican players as 'international'. They were all U.S. citizens from birth.

[fish]

Article also notes the Phillies drafted no left-handed pitchers.

They’ve drafted three left handed pitchers in 4 years. This has to be something in their model.

[bkox]

The last 10 years of drafts - % of each MLB team's picks that made it to the majors (for any team) pic.twitter.com/skAf1T6vWN

— Jay Cuda ( @JayCuda ) July 12, 2023

[andyb]

That is actually a pretty high percentage when you consider that before 2020 there were 5-10 fliers that most teams picked. The Phillies used to sign 31-33 players per draft. More players make it at least for a cup of coffee than one would think. And remember a number of players drafted in the last 10 years will still make the majors (like Crawford, etc.).

[phillychuck]

The list will be biased toward teams that draft primarily from college like the As used to do back in the early Moneyball days. I think the Yankees and Dodgers both do that. The Astros are an outlier; they are either good at drafting or give lots of their draftees a cup of coffee.

[allentown]

Being known for giving a lot of guys a cup of coffee can be a big advantage in signing marginal draftees/UDFA. Fulfill a dream and earn medical benefits. The Phillies, of late, seem very reticent to bring up deserving position players.

[Philsmania]

The last 10 years of drafts - % of each MLB team's picks that made it to the majors (for any team) pic.twitter.com/skAf1T6vWN

— Jay Cuda (@JayCuda) July 12, 2023

Shocking that the Braves are so low though maybe they really are masters of the international market.

[Squire]

Candidly, I think the Braves have been pretty mediocre at the draft the last 5 years

[zambonir]

And they cheated internationally from 2015 to 2017!

[allentown]

It seems that MLB league office functions in a way that cheaters succeed.