The 2014 Major League Baseball Draft is
officially in our rear-view mirror, but the time to analyze is just
beginning. It may take years for the picture to fully come into
focus, but why not break down the picks now? That’s what we’re here
for, less than a month after the fact. We examine now,
division-by-division, each team’s class and hand out grades for their
selections.
American League East
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Total Picks: 38
Pitchers Taken: 27
Notable
Selections: Brian Gonzalez (3rd,
LHP, Archbishop McCarthy HS (FL); Pat Connaughton (4th,
RHP, Notre Dame); Steve Wilkerson (8th,
2B, Clemson).
The Skinny
The
Orioles, who were the final team to pick, took pitching. Then they
took more pitching. And even more pitching after that. 27 of their 38
selections – which did not include a first- or second-rounder
because of the Nelson Cruz and Ubaldo Jimenez signings – were
hurlers, furthering a recent trend towards young arms. In fact, their
first five picks were pitchers before they finally grabbed Wilkerson
in the eighth round. Gonzalez, rated #386 on Baseball
America’s Top 500
prospects list, is committed to the University of Miami and his No.
90 draft slot would net him $594,200. Connaughton is a two-sport star
for the Fighting Irish’s basketball team who scored 13.8 points per
game last season and will be permitted by the O’s to play hoops for
his senior season. Wilkerson was the first position player taken by
the O’s and brings a steady, switch-hitting bat.
Bottom Line
This
is a solid but unspectacular class. The Orioles are banking on depth
more than anything from their heavy emphasis on pitching. Grade:
C-.
BOSTON RED SOX
Total Picks: 41
Pitchers Taken: 18
Notable
Selections: Michael Kopech (1st,
RHP, Mt. Pleasant HS (TX); Sam Travis (2nd,
1B, Indiana); Reed Reilly (7th,
RHP, Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo).
The Skinny
Kopech
was the second of two first-rounders taken by Boston after Georgia
high-school shortstop Michael Chavis, who is a solid all-around
player, but Kopech may have the higher ceiling. His electric arm
earned him a scholarship to the University of Arizona, which he
ultimately eschewed to sign with the Sox. Travis is a Providence
native with big-time power potential who earned Big 10 Player of the
Year honors this season. Reilly owns a school record for saves and
returned for his senior year, passing up the opportunity to sign with
the Orioles after they took him in the 18th
round in 2013.
Bottom Line
A
lot will depend on the development of Chavis and Kopech. Boston
hasn’t had an impact first-round pick since Jacoby Ellsbury in 2005,
but Chavis and Kopech come with plenty of promise. Travis’ bat is
nticing and the Sox nabbed a couple of promising pitchers in the
third and fourth rounds in Jake Cosart and Kevin McAvoy,
respectively, but Chavis and Kopech will garner much of the
attention. Grade: B+.
NEW YORK YANKEES
Total Picks: 39
Pitchers Taken: 24
Notable
Selections: Jacob Lindgren (2nd,
LHP, Mississippi St.); Jacob Foley (5th,
RHP, Central Michigan); Vince Conde (9th,
SS, Vanderbilt); Mariano Rivera Jr., RHP, Iona).
The Skinny
Lindgren
is hoping to buck a trend of misery in the second round for the
Yankees dating back to Al Leiter in 1984 (although John Ryan Murphy
did crack the roster this season). The southpaw reliever was rated as
Baseball America’s
89th-best
prospect in this year’s draft, dominating hitters to the tune of 16.3
K/9 IP, 0.81 ERA, and .124 opponents’ batting average in his junior
season. Foley was previously taken by the Yanks in the 26th
round of the 2011 Draft but opted to attend college and upped his
draft stock significantly, as he comes equipped with a consistent
mid-90’s fastball. Conde is a defensive wizard who joined Sonny
Gray
as the only players in school history to earn Gold Glove honors. And
then there is Rivera Jr. Only time will tell whether the 872nd
overall pick makes any waves in the Yankees’ farm system or is merely
a figurehead with a powerful family name attached.
Grade: C.
Bottom Line
TAMPA BAY RAYS
Total Picks: 41
Pitchers Taken: 22
Notable
Selections: Casey Gillaspie (1st,
1B, Wichita St.); Cameron Varga (2nd,
RHP, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (OH); Blake Bivens (4th,
RHP, George Washington HS (VA).
The Skinny
Gone
are the days when the (Devil) Rays would be in the running for the
top overall pick. Still, Gillaspie is no slouch at No. 20. A
switch-hitter with big-time power from both sides of the plate, the
younger brother of White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie is also a
sure-handed defender at first. Varga was the Gatorade Ohio Player of
the Year and threw a no-hitter in the state semifinals earlier in
this month. Bivens’ Draft stock shot up because of a devastating
curveball and a consistent delivery.
Bottom Line
The
Rays took four high school pitchers after the selection of Gillaspie,
a sign of their faith in their player development program. Gillaspie
should find himself with the big club within a couple years, but the
rest of this year’s class may not pay dividends until further down
the road. Grade: C.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Total Picks: 41
Pitchers Taken: 22
Notable
Selections: Jeff Hoffman (1st,
RHP, East Carolina); Max Pentecost (1st,
C, Kennesaw St.); Sean Reid-Foley (2nd,
RHP, Sandalwood HS (FL); Matt Morgan (4th,
C, Thorsby HS (AL).
The Skinny
The
Jays stocked up on batteries with their first five picks, nabbing
three pitchers and a pair of catchers, including a high-risk,
high-reward selection in Hoffman. The ECU standout recently underwent
Tommy John surgery, yet Toronto felt they could take a chance on him
because they had two first-rounders. Pentecost was not the first
backstop off the board as expected, but has above-average speed for a
catcher. Reid-Foley is a polished, first-round talent who was ranked
18th
on MLB.com’s prospect list heading into the Draft. He has signed with
the Jays, while Hoffman and Pentecost have not thus far. Morgan may
project more as a defensive catcher but has time to develop a bat
that has some power potential.
Bottom Line
Nine
of the Blue Jays’ first 14 picks were pitchers, including 6’5”,
180-pound high school southpaw Nick Wells, the team’s third-round
selection. Though Hoffman comes with injury concerns, getting him,
Pentecost, and Reid-Foley meant Toronto essentially ended up with
three first-rounders. Not a bad haul for oft-maligned GM Alex
Anthopolous. Grade: A.
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