2008 Draft: Holy Smoak!

[Melmart1]

Here are the first 10 picks in today's draft:

1. Tampa Bay – SS Timothy Beckham (HS)
2. Pittsburgh -- 3B Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt)
3. Kansas City -- 1B Eric Hosmer (HS)
4. Baltimore -- LHP Brian Matusz (U of San Diego)
5. San Francisco – C Gerald Posey (Florida State)
6. Florida -- C Kyle Skipworth (HS)
7. Cincinnati – 1B Yonder Alonso (U of Miami Florida)
8. White Sox – SS Gordon Beckham (Georgia)
9. Washington – RHP Aaron Crow (Missouri)
10. Houston – C Jason Castro (Stanford)

and the Rangers picked 11th and got Justin Smoak. This guy sounds like Mark Teixeira v2.0 and was widely believed to have been picked in the top 5. I wonder how he fell so far?

[Melmart1]

Here is some more info from LoneStarBall:

BA's mock had him at #5 to the Giants. He was #8 on their top 100 rankings, with this scouting report:

A switch-hitting first baseman with power, Smoak draws natural comparisons to Mark Teixiera. Drafted out of high school in the 16th round by the Athletics, he has started every game for South Carolina since arriving on the Columbia campus, doing nothing but produce. After batting .303 with 17 home runs, Smoak earned Freshman All-America honors. He followed that with a .315 batting average and 22 home runs in his sophomore year—enough to be tabbed as a third team All-American. He also competed for Team USA last summer. As a first baseman, Smoak has Gold Glove-caliber actions and soft hands. His footwork and instincts around the bag are advanced and his arm strength is adequate. As a hitter, he is consistent from both sides of the plate, and he has superior pitch recognition. A power threat against any pitch, Smoak has the ability to hit to all fields. Smoak proved his power translates to wood when he hit 11 home runs in 39 games while playing in the Cape Cod League following his freshman year, though he struggled with Team USA last summer. He is thought to be the best combination of offense and defense at first base in this draft class.

Kevin Goldstein says of the pick:

Congrats Rangers fans, you just found your replacement for Mark Teixeira. Just a crazy, crazy steal. The Rangers could have picked fourth or fifth and not done better.
Bryan Smith says:

Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
Keith Law ranked him #3 overall, ahead of Hosmer and Alvarez, and projected him to go #8. Goldstein also had him going #8.

http://www.lonestarball.com/2008/6/5/546569/smoak-gets-in-your-eyes#comments

[degenerate_gambler]

and the Rangers picked 11th and got Justin Smoak.


stupid Astros should have their heads kicked in for not taking this guy.

[DOMINATOR]

stupid Astros should have their heads kicked in for not taking this guy.

yeah im quite peeved about this.

[monosylab1k]

Is he a Scott Boras guy? There's been that recent trend of Boras clients falling in the draft cuz teams didn't want to deal with The Baseball Anti-Christ.

Great pick. Also from what I hear Blake Bevean is kicking ass. And Mayberry appears to be figuring it out too. Farm system is looking damn good.

[ATRAIN]

Guess the Astros are giving up on Towles.

[ATRAIN]

Congrats Rangers fans, I hope it pans out for you guys.

[Melmart1]

stupid Astros should have their heads kicked in for not taking this guy.

Yeah, I would be pretty peeved if I were an Astros fan. I wasn't going to say anything to rub it in though, I figured I would leave that to mono :lol

I hope they get him signed pronto and get his ass to the Northwest League for short season.

[Melmart1]

His agent is NOT Boras, yay!

There is a rumor that when Oakland originally drafted him out of HS, he wanted $1mm and the A's would only offer 950K because he was a 16th rounder. So he went to college instead. No proof of this just yet ...

I wonder what his demands will be now?

[Melmart1]

Here is ESPN's breakdown of the draft so far:

Round 1
PICK TEAM NAME POS SCHOOL

1 Tampa Bay Rays Tim Beckham SS Griffin (Ga.) H.S.
The Rays take the best overall player on the board. The system isn't particularly strong at middle infield, so if he stays at shortstop or moves to second, he'd probably be the second-best prospect in their system after David Price. His selections show a willingness to think long term because they didn't go for a player like Buster Posey who could get to the majors quicker. Instead, they took the best player available.

2 Pittsburgh Pirates
Pedro Alvarez 3B Vanderbilt

The pick makes sense for the Pirates, who have had a hard time developing power hitters and don't have a lot in their system. If he moved to first base, he'd have a clear path to the majors there. Same thing at third base. My only concern is that they didn't pick the best player on the board at this point. Justin Smoak would have made just as much if not more sense. But if everything clicks with Alvarez, the Pirates have a cleanup hitter for the next several years with 40-homer potential in the majors.



3 Kansas City Royals Eric Hosmer 1B American Heritage H.S.,
Plantation, Fla.
Hosmer has the most raw power of anyone in the first round, but also has a very refined appraoch at the plate. He has very quick hands and good plate coverage. he has a hold middle in, but if pitchers try to pitch him inside, they'd better get it all the way inside. He can hit the ball out to left or left-center. I like his chances potentially to move to right field. He's a good athlete. He has plenty of arm to play right field. He gives the Royals a lot of flexibility.



4 Baltimore Orioles
Brian Matusz LHP San Diego

Probably the fastest moving starter in the draft. The Orioles have to consider moving him quickly through the system. He has about four average or better pitches. Not a ton of projection here; he is today what he's going to be three or four years from now. His offspeed stuff is so good that he'll miss a lot of bats in the low minors and not have a chance to work on fastball command.

5 San Francisco Giants
Buster Posey C Florida State

Posey is the best catcher in the draft, and he is likely to move quickly. There is very little downside to Posey. Defensively, he can play in the big leagues right now. Catching is a glaring need for the Giants in their farm system. And Posey is one of the best makeup guys in the draft.



6 Florida Marlins Kyle Skipworth C Rubidoux H.S.,
Riverside, Calif.
Skipworth has the potential to be a star behind the plate. Like Posey, he's only been playing the position for a short time, but he has a very strong arm. If he is able to stay behind the plate, he can be a superstar-caliber hitter. He gets his arms extended nicely, and his power will only increase with age. If he can't stay behind the plate, he could always move to another position. His bat will play will at first base or a corner outfield position.

7 Cincinnati Reds
Yonder Alonso 1B Miami (Fla.)

Alonso is the first surprise of the draft. It's a surprise because they weren't linked to him and he's asking for $8 million and a major league deal. He's a left-handed power hitter with a very patient approach, and he should hit for quite a bit of power at Great American Ballpark. What does this mean for Joey Votto?

8 Chicago White Sox Gordon Beckham SS Georgia
He wasn't supposed to be available at this spot, so the White Sox must be thrilled. He can play second base, but there's a good chance he stays at shortstop. He has tremendous baseball instincts. He'll probably move pretty quickly through the system. He instantly becomes the best prospect in the organization the day he signs.

9 Washington Nationals
Aaron Crow RHP Missouri

Crow is the top college pitcher on my board. He might have two plus pitches right now. He's a power pitcher who projects as a No. 2 starter. If he can sustain his velocity at the high end (low-mid 90s), he has a chance to be a No. 1 starter. He had good command throughout his college career.



10 Houston Astros
Jason Castro C Stanford

Castro didn't get to catch last year in the Cape Cod League because the team had Posey. Castro was expected to go in the second half of the first round. He's a contact hitter; he will not hit for a lot of power. He's an average regular catcher in the big leagues. But I don't see him as a star. By the way, the next best college catcher in the draft is well below Castro.



11 Texas Rangers
Justin Smoak 1B South Carolina

This is the best pick in the draft so far. Smoak is the third-best player on my board. He's a switch-hitting Adrian Gonzalez with more power. In the Rangers' ballpark, he has a good chance to hit 40 home runs, if he develops. There are no major holes in his game. I saw this scenario possibly unfolding last night. A lot of things had to go right for them to get Smoak, and they did.
12 Oakland Athletics Jemile Weeks 2B Miami (Fla.)
This is the riskiest pick so far. He can't play anywhere but second base in the infield, so he has to hit well enough to be a major league regular. He's a plus runner; he needs to be more contact-oriented with wood. With metal, he's too pull-oriented, and he'll have to adjust that. He has a better chance to be a plus defender at second base than his brother, Rickie Weeks.



13 St. Louis Cardinals Brett Wallace 3B Arizona State
Wallace has the best pure bat in the college ranks. He will hit for average and power. He draws a ton of walks and is very disciplined. He works the count, not just for walks but also to get good pitches to hit in hitter's counts. He started to show a lot more power this year. Unlike a lot of lefty hitters, he's already shown an ability to hit left-handed pitching, which puts him ahead of other left-handed bats.

14 Minnesota Twins
Aaron Hicks RF/RHP Wilson H.S., Long Beach, Calif.

In terms of tools, Hicks is one of the top three or four players in the draft. He's first-rounder as an outfielder and a pitcher. He is relatively unpolished, so he should take a long time to get to the majors. He's gotten by a lot on strength and bat speed for now. The Twins will have to work with him on his hitting approach. He has a chance to be a switch-hitting Andrew McCutchen, one of the top prospects in the minors.

15 Los Angeles Dodgers
Ethan Martin RHP/3B Stephens County H.S.,
Toccoa, Ga.

Martin is a two-way player. He came into the year as a potential first-rounder as a third baseman, but he didn't hit well at the beginning. He likes to pitch, and he shut down American Plantation H.S. (the team of prospects Eric Hosmer and Adrian Nieto) in February. He throws 91-95 mph. He has a chance to be an above-average bat at third base, and he obviously has a plus arm. I would be surprised if the Dodgers kept him as a pitcher because they tend to prefer guys with polish. He has arm strength, but not much polish as a pitcher.

16 Milwaukee Brewers
Brett Lawrie C/2B Brookswood, Langley, B.C.

Lawrie made himself into a first-rounder with a strong two-month stretch with a wood bat this spring. He has a great swing that is very clean. He's out on his front foot a lot, so it's unclear if he'll hit for power unless that changes. His ultimate position is the biggest question. I'm generally not a fan of taking guys without a clear position in the first round, and that makes this pick very risky. But if can catch, it's potentially high reward too.

17 Toronto Blue Jays
David Cooper 1B California

Cooper is a polished hitter who should hit for a high average. He's shown home run power with metal but not so much with wood. He's a solid defensive player at first base. I think the draft pool forced a change in direction. The Jays have gone with high school bats in the first round the last two years, but the type of polished high school hitter they like wasn't there for them at No. 17.

18 New York Mets
Ike Davis 1B Arizona State

The Mets said they wanted to focus on college bats with their first two picks, and Davis was probably the best hitter left on the board. His pitch recognition is good, and he has a clean swing once he gets it started. He has 30-plus homer power in the big leagues if everything clicks. He's also a good defender with a plus arm at first base.

19 Chicago Cubs
Andrew Cashner RHP Texas Christian

Cashner could get to the big leagues this year. On his best days, he has two pitches that grade as 60. The slider is at 88 mph, and it's an out pitch. And he can run his fastball up to 98 mph. There's a question about his command; can he command his pitches? If he can, he can get to the big leagues right away as an impact relief pitcher.

20 Seattle Mariners
Josh Fields RHP Georgia

I'm surprised to see a team in last place take a reliever this high in the draft. He's up to 97 mph and has a power curveball. If he can't get big league hitters out this year, he will next year. Philosophically, though, you would think the Mariners would go longer term with this pick instead of taking a reliever, who is more of a short-term solution with a shorter life span.

21 Detroit Tigers
Ryan Perry RHP Arizona

Perry touched 100 mph in the NCAA regional last weekend. He was consistently 94-98 mph on the Cape last summer. Arizona tried to make him a starter, but it didn't work. He has the best stuff of any closer prospect in the draft. Given the Tigers' bullpen situation, Perry might be the first player in the draft to make it to the majors this year.

22 New York Mets
Reese Havens SS South Carolina

This is a great pick for the Mets. He makes all the plays at shortstop because he reads the ball off the bat so well. At the plate he has excellent pitch recognition and hand-eye coordination. If he has to move to second base because of the presence of Jose Reyes at shortstop, he has more than enough bat. Havens has a great approach and instincts, and he should move quickly through the Mets' system.

23 San Diego Padres
Allan Dykstra 1B Wake Forest

He's a big, strong first baseman with a chance to hit for power. His approach is pull-oriented; I have to see him use the whole field to believe he'll hit for average and to really profile offensively at first. He's no better than average at first base and can't play third. This was probably a Plan B pick because the player they wanted was Havens.

24 Philadelphia Phillies
Anthony Hewitt SS Salisbury (Conn.) H.S.

Hewitt looks as good as anyone in a uniform in this year's draft. He's a five-tool package. He will put on a show in batting practice, but he's struggled in game situations against tough competition, like at the Area Code Games last summer. He projects more as a center fielder than as a shortstop. If everything clicks, he's a potential superstar. The problem is that he's about 4-6 years away unless he developmentally makes a quantum leap forward. He's high risk, potentially high reward.

25 Colorado Rockies
Christian Friedrich LHP Eastern Kentucky

Friedrich is the best pick relative to draft spot so far. He has a chance for four average or better pitches. His curveball is already among the best among college starters in the draft. He's added a cutter that is very effective against right-handed hitters. I'm a little concerned about his command and control, so he probably won't move as quickly as some other college arms in the first round.

26 Arizona Diamondbacks
Daniel Schlereth LHP Arizona

Schlereth is another college reliever who should be quick to the majors, even getting there this year. He has a plus fastball and breaking ball. He should wreck left-handed hitters in the big leagues. I had him ranked lower because he has a limited history. He blew out his elbow and had Tommy John surgery. He only came back to form over the last two months.

27 Minnesota Twins
Carlos Gutierrez RHP Miami (Fla.)


Now this is the biggest surprise of the first round so far. Gutierrez is another college closer whose fastball tops out at 94 with sink. But he doesn't have a viable second pitch, not even a breaking ball. I don't think a team should take a player with only one pitch in the first round. But the Twins have always had success with power arms out of their bullpen.

28 New York Yankees
Gerrit Cole RHP Orange (Calif.) Lutheran H.S.

This is a great pick; he fell to the Yankees for financial reasons. Cole has the best arm among the prep pitchers in the draft. He has a loose, quick arm. He has the best fastball of the high school pitchers; it tops out 97 mph. He needs more consistency on the breaking ball. And he needs to just throw his changeup instead of guiding it. He's a high-ceiling arm that could be a No. 1 starter. If that doesn't work, he could be a dominant reliever.

29 Cleveland Indians
Lonnie Chisenhall 3B Pitt CC, Greenville, N.C.

Chisenhall is not a first-rounder for me. It's a bet on his bat. He has a simple, clean swing and good bat speed, although his swing plane is flat (making it harder for him to hit for power) and his bat is in and out of the zone quickly. He doesn't currently have a position. He's shaky at third, and his bat might not profile there. I'd try him at second base; the Indians could also try him at catcher. But they have to find a position where his bat profiles better.

30 Boston Red Sox
ON THE CLOCK

[Melmart1]

30 Boston Red Sox
Casey Kelly RHP/SS Sarasota (Fla.) H.S.

Kelly was announced as a shortstop, but he is a first-rounder as either a position player or a pitcher. On the mound, he throws 89-91 mph; he has command of his fastball and is very aggressive with it. He also has a plus curveball. At shortstop, he has good instincts and is natural and athletic. It's a big upside pick for the Red Sox, and he was the best player on the board at that point.

[pkbpkb81]

so far looks good for the rangers, i wonder if they might try and move chris shledon for a good picher

[N.Y. Johnny]

Good job Melmart, i didn't know about the damn draft until someone text me about it.

You really like baseball, do you have season tickets to the Rangers?

See you up there in August maybe for the NYY vs Texas series. I wanted to see them do the Interleague with the Phillies too.

[Melmart1]

Good job Melmart, i didn't know about the damn draft until someone text me about it.

You really like baseball, do you have season tickets to the Rangers?

See you up there in August maybe for the NYY vs Texas series. I wanted to see them do the Interleague with the Phillies too.

Thanks, NY Johnny! Where you been, haven't seen you posting about the Skankies lately ;)

No, no season tix :( I live in San Antonio so wouldn't make much sense to get tix for something so far away. I wish, though! I will be up there sometime this summer to take my nephews to their first-ever big league game. Just haven't worked the dates out with my sister yet.

Not sure I would want to go to a series vs. Yankees ... if there were more peeps cheering for the Yanks than the Rangers, I would go postal. Of course, as well as the Rangers have been playing, perhaps some of the "fans" will come out of the woodwork ... who knows.

[N.Y. Johnny]

I bet you there will be more people cheering for the Rangers than the Yankees. Now the trendy thing like the 90s is to be "Red Sox" fans, so the Boston series will be chock full of "Boston" fans that probably can't find Massachussets on a map, much less Fenway Pahk.


I've been in exile for a while but have come back to Texas believe it or not from Washington D.C., I took a job up there that was ok but then I got another job here near Austin, so I had to come back down here.

[Melmart1]

DC sucks. I have been through that area many a time, having spent a few years on the East coast myself. The gov't workers walk around like Masters of the Universe and the drivers with gov't plates act like they are the only ones on the road and they have a license for vehicular manslaughter. And dont' get me started about the price and taxes on things ...

And don't be so sure about the Yankees thing. Last time I went there were people wearing Yanks caps, and the game was against the White Sox. Blechhh!

[TheTruth]

I'm happy with Alonso for the Reds. Gonna be interesting to see Alonso and Smoak develop in the minors. They should be on the same timeline as far as their progressions go.

[Horry For 3!]

Smoak is close to my last name