2012 MLB Draft

[DPMOmaha]

I'd like to see them grab Logan Ehlers tomorrow.

[TylerDC]

This was a good night.

[PANatsFan]

The rest of the picks will be presented by homeless men.

[zoom]

Lucas Giolito ‏@LGio27
Thank you everyone for all of your support! What a surprise!

Retweeted by Brian Oliver

Brian is fun to follow on draft night.  Miss that guy.

[Nathan]

Lucas Giolito ‏@LGio27
Thank you everyone for all of your support! What a surprise!

Retweeted by Brian Oliver

Brian is fun to follow on draft night.  Miss that guy.

I thought he was coming back and starting his site up again.

[Nathan]

I thought he was coming back and starting his site up again.

Looks like he is:
http://natsfarm.com/

[BBQ]

For some reason I'm not too comfortable picking a 17 year old, high schooler with a 100 MPH heater. Maybe I'm reading into Moneyball too much?

[Kevrock]

A lot of the teams, including the A's, were going high school this round.

[DPMOmaha]

When do things get rolling today?

[Tyler Durden]

Looks like he is:
http://natsfarm.com/

Nice article on the signing bonus that Giolito might expect.  But - I thought Giolito was from a Hollywood family - what difference should $200k make to a kid who is already rich?

These dumb azz bonus limits are terrible.  It seems like the Nats have to punt on a least a couple of their next few picks in order to pay for Giolito's bonus (Trevor Holder types, I'm guessing).

[zoom]

I am not completely opposed to the new rules.  I do think a couple of tweaks would be helpful though.  Such as making these guys arby eligible after 2 or 3 years so that the high performers can get a better deal.   

[tomterp]

Kevin Goldstein, BP:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17250

16. Washington Nationals: Lucas Giolito, RHP, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA)
 Heading into the final hours before the draft, it became clear that Lucas Giolito was going to be selected in the first round. Washington makes sense due to their history of aggressive drafting, as well as their track record of not shying away from pitchers with injury histories, but there are questions about how the Nationals are going to sign him with a budget cap of just under $4.5 million for all of their picks in the first ten rounds. Either Giolito's price fell, or the Nationals have something creative in mind. They didn't just take him on a lark.

[LostYudite]

For some reason I'm not too comfortable picking a 17 year old, high schooler with a 100 MPH heater. Maybe I'm reading into Moneyball too much?

You are.  Moneyball isn't about the fact that college players are inherently better than HS players or that guys who walk a lot are better than guys who look good in the uniform.  Moneyball's really about two things:

1. Using definable, measurable things (stats) to measure performance
2. Recognizing and exploiting market inefficiencies that are arising because people aren't doing #1.

In the case of last night's draft, the "moneyball" move was to take Giolito (Can we call him Gio Light?).  The market was passing by his talent because of signability or other concerns - the Nats, if they can sign him, got a top-5 pick at #16.  That's exploiting a market inefficiency.  At the end of the day, the team with the most talent tends to win - and if you can continue to get top-tier talent from mid-tier draft picks, that's how you stay on top.

I love the pick, as you can tell. 

[HalfSmokes]

Kevin Goldstein, BP:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17250

hopefully they have something in mind, I don't like the idea of punting the rest of the draft so we can afford to sign a kid who's already an injury risk

[Glockypoo]

What time do the festivities get started today?

[Lintyfresh85]

What time do the festivities get started today?

I think 12?

[Glockypoo]

I think 12?

Excellent.

Now I have plans for lunch.

[Kevrock]

Orioles draft UVA pitcher Brandon Kline

[Strasburger]

Nats select Tony Renda, 2B

[hammondsnats]

solid pick.

[sportsfan882]

solid pick.

Another Cal Berkley 2B. He sounds nice

A smaller second baseman who can really hit went in the first round last year. Renda might not be Kolten Wong, but it's hard to ignore the success he's had at Cal. A hard-nosed player, Renda draws the inevitable Dustin Pedroia comparisons. His plus bat speed allows him to spray line drives to both gaps. Though undersized, he has more power than one would think, especially to the pull side. He's a solid-average runner, though his instincts and aggressiveness allow that to play up on the basepaths. Just because he's a second baseman doesn't mean he can't defend. He has a very good arm and range, anticipating and positioning himself well. His plus makeup might be what makes him stand out the most, the kind of player a team loves to have, a real baseball player who has the chance to play second every day in the big leagues.

[Lintyfresh85]

Renda sounds like a Rizzo type of guy.

[Lintyfresh85]

Orioles draft UVA pitcher Brandon Kline

He'll be a nice bullpen arm/closer for someone in the future.

[sportsfan882]

Renda batting .342/.436/.484 with 16 Doubles, 5 HRs, 27 RBIs, 18 Ks, 29 BBs, 16/19 SBs this year for Cal.

Adam Kilgore ‏@AdamKilgoreWP
The Nats take Cal junior 2B Tony Renda in the 2nd round, with the 80th pick. Kris Kline says "he has the quickest bat in the draft."

[HalfSmokes]

Renda batting .342/.436/.484 with 16 Doubles, 5 HRs, 27 RBIs, 18 Ks, 29 BBs, 16/19 SBs this year for Cal.

Definitely like this pick (and not just because my dad went to cal), if he was a couple of inches taller and a little heavier, he would have gone a round higher