The Official 2011 MLB Draft Thread

[sportsfan882]

#Nats scouting director on Meyer: "Worst-case scenario, you've got a Josh Bard-type reliever." Yes, Josh Bard would be bad. Daniel Bard, OK.

[sportsfan882]

Goodwin has taken a winding path to this point. Originally drafted in the 16th round out of Rocky Mount (N.C.) High School in 2009, the center fielder chose instead to play at North Carolina. He was suspended, though, for a violation of school policy following his freshman season and wound up transferring to Miami-Dade Junior College.

Nationals officials insisted there was no apprehension drafting Goodwin, who profiles into a speedy leadoff man who also hits for some power.

"We did extensive research and feel good about what happened there," Clark said. "It's unfortunate, but we feel like those issues have been settled. No apprehension at all."

[natsfan4evr]

Rivals loves the Brian Goodwin pick

34. Washington Nationals - Compensation for White Sox signing Adam Dunn

The Pick: Brian Goodwin, OF, Miami Dade Junior College

The Buzz: Goodwin is a speedster and a solid gap hitter. He was a five star player in his high school class and has plenty of tools. Figuring to be a first round player Goodwin is a steal for the Nationals in the compensation round. He could develop into a Mike Cameron type player. 

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1185&CID=1228739

[GMUTrkstar]

Anyone w/ Draft questions Goldstein has a chat tonight at 11:30pm

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/chat/chat.php?chatId=847

[NatsGM]

Have wanted to chime in but I have been busy Live Blogging all night over at my website... Goodwin is a special player and has the talent to be the Nats future in center field.  I watched him a bunch last year at UNC, but was completely convinced of his talents when I watched him three times last summer in Cape Cod.  He was so athletic, with above average speed and a quick line drive bat with impressive bat speed.  I think the world of him and think he would have gone 10-15 picks higher if he had remained at UNC.  Great job tonight by GM Mike Rizzo

[sportsfan882]

JimBowdenESPNxm JIM BOWDEN
Winners of the draft Day #1: Washington, Arizona, Boston, KC, Balt.....Losers: NY Mets, SF

[hammondsnats]

my buddy is a unc fan and spoke very highly of goodwin. 

[sportsfan882]

6. Washington Nationals, Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice

Rendon entered the season as the draft's top-rated prospect and still sits atop our rankings, but his season hasn't gone as planned. After hitting a combined .391/.497/.750 with 46 homers as BA's Freshman of the Year in 2009 and College Player of the Year in 2010, Rendon hit .323/.526/.516 with five homers in the regular season this spring. He strained his throwing shoulder in the second week of the season and has played little in the field. Rendon hadn't given teams any medical information as of mid-May, leaving them in the dark about the severity of the injury. Though it has affected his swing and bat speed, he's still the best all-around hitter in the draft. The 6-foot, 190-pounder has tremendous strength in his hands and wrists, uncanny hand-eye coordination and exceptional strike-zone discipline. Teams have pitched around him all season, and he was the runaway NCAA Division I leader with 66 walks. His bat speed and ability to barrel balls give Rendon more usable power than any player in the draft, with scouts projecting the righthanded hitter to bat .300 with 25-30 homers a year in the major leagues. When healthy, Rendon is a gifted third baseman with above-average range and arm strength. He has drawn comparisons to Evan Longoria and Ryan Zimmerman, though he bears a closer physical resemblance to David Wright. Rendon tore ligaments in his right ankle in the 2009 NCAA regionals and broke the same ankle on a slide with Team USA last summer, but he has been running and moving as well as ever this spring. He has average speed and runs the bases well. Both ankle injuries came on fluke plays, so scouts don't consider him injury-prone. As frustrating as his season has been, Rendon remains a strong candidate to go No. 1 overall. If Pittsburgh goes in another direction, it's unlikely the Mariners would pass on him at No. 2.

[sportsfan882]

Goodwin is signed on to play for University of South Carolina if we don't sign him

Goodwin said he had no problems with UNC coaches or teammates but was dismissed from school because of academic issues.

Once he left, Price — a fellow native of Rocky Mount — recruited Goodwin to MDC, where he fixed his grades and got his career back on track.

Goodwin has since signed with the University of South Carolina, winners of the 2010 College World Series, and said he is prepared to play his junior year there should the draft not go the way he wants.

“It’s exciting,” Goodwin said. “But at the same time, nobody knows where you are going to go until draft day. I try not to get caught up in it.”

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/05/2253106/mdcs-goodwin-back-on-track.html#ixzz1OYfQkg00

[houston-nat]

Brandon (TX): Thoughts on the Nationals draft? Any chance they continue to take upside players, rather than signability picks?

Kevin Goldstein II: Adore it. No way they imagined Rendon would be at six, and Meyer is also better than his draft slot, especially if you favor upside. The pair also make four straight first round picks for Washington that are Scott Boras clients. Brian Goodwin is another big time athlete who fits well with their philosophy.

Vanessa (Hartford): What's the biggest reason Purke is still available going into Day Two - signability? shoulder? More likely he goes back to TCU in 2012, goes to summer league to recoup lost money, or lowers his signing demands?

Kevin Goldstein II: He didn't pitch well, he's not healthy, and his price tag never moved. That's an ugly combination. It's not a guarantee, but him heading back to TCU for '12 is looking quite possible.

Steve D. (PA): Top five left?

Kevin Goldstein II: Josh Bell, Daniel Norris, Dillon Howard, Austin Hedges, Josh Osich

Simon (Toronto): What's the reason for Norris falling?

Kevin Goldstein II: $3.9 million bonus demand. Simple as that.

jimbeau99 (left coast): So how much WILL it take to sign Bell?

Kevin Goldstein II: My guess is $6.5M

@kcopen (Alameda, ca): Who's going to spend the money on Josh Bell in round 2?

Kevin Goldstein II: That's totally the million dollar question right now. I still think there is some shot at the Rays throwing up their hands and going for it.

Clayton Zoellner (Houston): Was Rendon at 6 the biggest draft bargain?

Kevin Goldstein II: I hope you aren't talking monetarily. Rendon is still going to want 1-2 money.

Michael (Houston): Who are a few of your favorites outside of the top 100?

Kevin Goldstein II: Gimme Hawtin Buchanan, a high-school rhp from Mississippi who his a six-foot-eight beast. VERY raw, but you sure can dream on him.

Marissa (Las Vegas): Which team are you picking to win the Stanley Cup?

Kevin Goldstein II: What is that? Soccer?

NatsGM (Bethesda): Any rumors as to Rendon's "drop" to #6?

Kevin Goldstein II: Once Seattle passed, it was almost bound to happen, as Arizona and Baltimore were locked in on pitching.

Yoram (Toronto): Does Rendon have the defensive chops to play 2B? If not, where do you think the Nats will play him with 3B blocked?

Kevin Goldstein II: I can't see him up the middle as a pro. That said, you don't NOT take him because you have a big leaguer. It will figure itself out.

[Kevrock]

So did we lose our second round pick for Werth? Is our first pick 3-1 today?

[houston-nat]

Correct. Our first pick today will be the 36th pick overall to take place today. So all those top five remaining guys, we can kiss goodbye.

Starting with round 3 we've got No 6 each time, though the Mariners have a sandwich pick between 3 and 4.

[Tyler Durden]

I'm very happy with the Goodwin pick.  If there was a McCutcheon-type player in this draft, we got the guy who looks most likely to be that guy.  He seems to have some patience at the plate, which should really help.  With good defense, speed, and patience, he's already on track to become our best CF.  If he learns how to hit at this level, I think he'll do great.

I also rewatched some video of Meyer.  His delivery looks all over the place.  I guess on the low end, he's a giant HRod if he never improves.  If he does improve his command and control, he'll be impressive.

[houston-nat]

I also rewatched some video of Meyer.  His delivery looks all over the place.  I guess on the low end, he's a giant HRod if he never improves.  If he does improve his command and control, he'll be impressive.

Yeah - when HRod is your starting point as a pitcher, rather than the out-of-options finished product, that's a good future in my book. Meyer could flame out, but on the other hand, if the guys who mentored Brad Peacock et al can work on getting him a repeatable motion... Strasburg/Meyer would be two of the scariest fastballs in baseball. This is a real test for the minor league coaching staff.

[NFA Brian]

It would not shock me to see either Norris or Bell there in the 3rd

[imref]

After the Nationals selected Anthony Rendon with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, the big question was, what position will Anthony Rendon play, since the Nationals already have a third baseman for years to come in Ryan Zimmerman?

There is a strong possibility that Rendon could be switched to second or first base, but the Nationals have not determined their plans.

A few hours after Rendon was drafted, Zimmerman said he understood why the Nationals selected a player who plays the same position as he does.

“I better shape up, huh?” Zimmerman asked jokingly. “Obviously the point of the draft is to take the best player available. Whether he’s a shortstop and you have Jose Reyes or he’s a first baseman and you have Albert Pujols. If that’s the best guy, you take him. Talent plays in the big leagues. We’ll see, but I’m sure they have a plan.”

Zimmerman, who is on the disabled list because of abdominal strain, is currently on a rehab assignment. On Thursday, he played for Class A Potomac and went 2-for-3 with a double.

The Nationals are hoping Zimmerman can be activated from the DL when they play the Cardinals on June 14 at Nationals Park.

[Sharp]

Best-case would be that Rendon recovers from his injuries (which I expect) and successfully transitions to 2B.  Espinosa is a natural SS and a Zimm-Espinosa-Rendon-<whoever> infield would be sick.  Tons of power and OBP and some great defense.

There does, unfortunately, seem to be something of a consensus that Rendon is unlikely to be able to play 2B.  Obviously, that could change, and the consensus has been wrong before, but I think in that case we're probably looking at either 1B or LF.  I'd personally prefer LF, simply because it would be a shame to waste someone with his glove at the least important position defensively.  Then again, from what I hear his arm isn't the strongest, so I don't know if an OF position would work best for him.

Worst-case (unless his injury is really serious), he turns into a Wright-esque 3B but is blocked by Zimm, and we can trade him for a real impact player--he'd be by far the best trade chip the Nats ever had.  No way for me to look at this draft as anything but a success so far.

[houston-nat]

I mean, a Zimmerman-Espinosa-Lombardozzi-Rendon infield would be pretty sick in its own right. That's 80+ home runs right there. Harper and Werth in outfield, Norris at the plate. Time to get "cised", ladies and gents.

[Lintyfresh85]

Agreed on Meyer, he has one of the most spaztastic motions I've ever seen.

Hope they iron it out in the minors.

[HalfSmokes]

I think you keep Rendon at 3b (unless all of the ++ defense stuff doesn't pan because of the shoulder) and worry about it a year from now. At that point you know his eta, the progress or lackthereof extending Zimmerman. That gives you the ability to either replace Zimmerman when the time comes or to trade a guy who should be a top prospect for a serious major league talent

[RD]

What time does the draft start today?

Thanks

[Kevrock]

Noon

[PatsNats28]

So we don't pick until the third round (which is about half an hour away I guess), and then it's just every 30 min or so.

[houston-nat]

Pirates grabbed Josh Bell immediately, so stop holding that breath.

[Lintyfresh85]

Huntington is my hero.