Top pick- Crews or Skenes?
- Thread starter WSTLion87
- Start date
You know something? I wouldn't groan. Knowing our Buccos he would be the discount and a darn good one then they could sign more quality under the cap. Again, would not mind the pick... Thanks!
Left-handed outfielder who is committed to Vandy and throws 97 miles an hour from the mound. he would probably be in the same boat as Jackson Holliday from the Orioles drafted first overall last year, a quick riser through the minors, where he can get to the show after 2 1/2 years.
Cruise is a Boras client, so I wouldn’t draft him just for that reason, and the Pirates would probably waste Skenes in the minors for too long and eff him up. there’s not been a good history for those elite pitching prospects over the last 10 years as well. Guys like Strasburg and leiter and rocker are all getting injured.
Unfortunately, I have little faith they will make a purely baseball pick and I have PTSD from their history like this draft.
2002 Baseball Draft by Baseball Almanac
The 2002 Baseball Draft by Baseball Almanac.
www.baseball-almanac.com
2007 MLB Baseball Draft Results - ESPN
Complete list of first-round draft picks from the 2007 MLB Draft on ESPN.com.
Another example of a horrible draft. Moskos over Wieters, MadBaum, etc.
2009 MLB Baseball Draft Results - ESPN
Complete list of first-round draft picks from the 2009 MLB Draft on ESPN.com.
Mike Trout went 25th overall.
Pirates took Tony Sanchez at #4. I could keep going but it’s too depressing.Langford is a power hitter from U of F. He would be a legit contender for the first pick.
He is kind of the 1b offensively to Crews. he actually had a higher OPS last year than Crews due to more power but not the average. Will be a corner outfielder defensively where crews will be a centerfielder.
With the numerous unique nuances to how the MLB draft works, there are often many factors aside from "Who do my scouts think is the best talent" involved in the selections.
That said, I hope that with this year's pick the Pirates take exactly who they think is the best talent. By lucking into the 1st pick, they have enough spending limit to still be reasonably aggressive later in the draft.
Now, will "the guy they think is the top talent" end up panning out? Who knows (even among Top Ten picks in the MLB draft, the hit rate of finding a top notch MLB player is probably well under 50%, I would think). From the talk of the supposed experts, Skenes, Crews, and Langford are all near the top of the charts of "sure things" - not just this year, but historically (barring serious injuries of course, especially with the pitcher Skenes)
I worry about taking Skenes. Imagine if the fast ball is too straight and doesn't play as well in MLB....followed by Tommy John surgery. All of a sudden you don't have much. There is risk.
Fair point. It seems like most of these guys get Tommy John at some point. Tough call because at the end of the day, the teams with the best pitchers have the most success.
My vote would be to take the LSU OF, Crews. He could be in the majors by the end of this season, certainly by next year. Skenes reminds me of Gerrit Cole. As long as he stays healthy he should be a dominant starting pitcher and there are not many of them. But with pitchers, there is always the injury risk. That is why I would go with Crews. But I certainly hope the Pirates choose one of those two and do not factor $ savings into this pick.
The Bucs need pitching and a legit center fielder who can lead off and steal bases. And they need left-handed pitchers; their entire system lacks lefties. I really wouldn't mind if they picked the best available pitcher in every round this year.
At least at this hour the tea leaves are trending toward Wyatt Langford as the top pick. There are rumblings (although silent) that Crews, his agent, or both do not want to play in Pittsburgh. Again, could just a negotiation tactic and we shall find out very soon.
I like Skenes. Having him, Keller and priester would be a great top of the rotation. I do worry about Tommy John like others, but I read somewhere in a draft article that Skenes has a good arm motion. I.e. hes less likely to blow out his elbow. I remember reading an article when Strasburg was #1 and another 1st round pitcher talked about how Strasburg was destined for TJ surgery because his mechanics were taxing on his elbow. If you want to advance in the playoffs it's Skenes. If you just want to make the playoffs it's Crews or Langford.
This article breaks it down in detail pretty well.
triblive.com
With No. 1 choice, Pirates can take best prospect or spread wealth
For the sixth time in franchise history, the Pittsburgh Pirates have the opportunity to select the best prospect in baseball with the first overall pick in the MLB Draft. Whether they will do so remains to be seen. With a deep draft class where LSU teammates Dylan Crews and Paul
triblive.com
Very pleased... IMHO They went best available and he was the best available.
Agree. By all accounts, they just drafted an ace pitcher. I expect him to be fast tracked through the minors like the Phillies did with Nola. He looks ready now. They still have 2 more picks tonight, so they aren’t done yet.
TheGLOV would be proud that the Pirates actually took the top player.
Liriano was fantastic in the 2013 wild card game. If I remember correctly, in 2014, the Pirates still had a chance to win the division, so Hurdle pitched Cole in the last game of the season trying to win the division, therefore, he wasn’t available to pitch in the wild card and they had to go with Volquez. In 2015, they pitched Cole in the WC, but Arietta and the Cubs were on a mission that night.
Also, Cole didn’t choke in those games, he did what he was at that point in his career, which was a 6-7 innings, 2-3 ER guy. It wasn’t until he left and got a vastly superior pitching coach and corresponding philosophy that he became a true ace. Pirates screwed up his development.
I wasn’t going to go into this yesterday, but yes, I agree. The Pirates, during those years, used analytics more than any other tool and they relied on the shift and ground balls. They taught ground ball pitching to their pitchers. It wasn’t until Cole got to Houston that he was encouraged to pitch to his strengths, which is more power pitching. He’s been a dominant pitcher ever since.
Yep typical pirates they only know how to do things one way so they try to make every pitcher throw a 92 mile an hour sinker to get people out. Look at what happened to cole and Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow after they left. All those guys became studs once they got away from Ray two seam Searage.
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Yes. They were excellent, but not a legit ACE like Bumgarner and Arrieta. 2013 was the Cueto game where the crowd almost willed the bucs to the victory. 2014 was a complete game shutout by Bumgarner. 2015 was a complete game by Arietta. Those guys were ACES.
Yes. I heard the MLB Network guys making comments last night that the Pirates recognize who they are and that they are really close to turning it around, but they need pitching. I hope they are right.
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