Because the draft involves an finish, I discover that even after writing a lot of articles about this class, I nonetheless have extra to say. So now that the tables are being folded up and the bartender is cleansing out the faucets, right here’s an providing of potpourri from draft season: Stray anecdotes and quotes from the mix, or bits of research, that by no means discovered a house in an article.
Final week, I wrote concerning the prime of this draft being loaded with Tennessee gamers, and positive sufficient: Three Vols went off the board within the first spherical, with 4 extra going between picks no. 33 and 72.
However you can argue that the actual college of the draft was Corona Excessive Faculty of California, which had right-hander Seth Hernandez go to the Pirates sixth general, shortstop Billy Carlson go to the White Sox at decide no. 10, and third baseman Brady Ebel go to Milwaukee at decide no. 32. (In an amusing coincidence, Carlson is dedicated to Tennessee, although after he went within the prime 10, I doubt we’ll ever see him in Knoxville besides as a vacationer.)
Carlson has some yellow flags on his profile: Whereas he’s a stupendous defensive shortstop, he turns 19 in two weeks. His 185-pound body is just not particularly imposing in a world the place prime shortstop prospects seem like Konnor Griffin. And there are some minor however non-trivial questions on how his bat will translate to the professionals.
Carlson did come out of the gate swinging once I interviewed him on the mix. He stated one workforce had requested him what may go incorrect that may forestall him from making the majors. Carlson’s reply: “A automobile crash.”
He went on to say that in his interviews, he was telling groups that he had his personal coaching strategies he wasn’t keen to compromise on. Higher to make that recognized now, he stated, relatively than threat a conflict over it after the workforce had already spent a excessive decide on him.
“I’m going in opposition to the grain just a little bit within the weight room,” Carlson defined. “If having massive legs helped you hit the ball one million miles, I’d be the final particular person picked. I’m a really small, skinny man, sort of like a greyhound. I’m not a pit bull, so I don’t assume I ought to prepare like one. I’ve accomplished that previously, and I haven’t seen the outcomes I needed.”
What does coaching like a greyhound seem like?
“For instance, I’ll do the bench press, however the weights might be hanging from the bar with bands,” he stated. “You’re doing it, but it surely’s shaking you round, and it’s a must to stabilize your core. I really feel such as you use your core quite a bit while you hit, and hitting is just not one isolation of 1 muscle. It’s a bunch of muscle tissues doing the vast majority of the work.”
I don’t know sufficient about understanding to have a robust opinion on whether or not Carlson is correct or incorrect, however I do prefer to see a draft prospect — particularly a excessive schooler — taking possession not solely over his personal coaching routine, however over what group may need to decide him. And Carlson’s framing, that he’s simply serving to groups make an knowledgeable resolution about him, appears cheap. Communication is the important thing to a wholesome relationship. However, it’s uncommon to see an 18-year-old inform a serious league workforce to not draft him in the event that they don’t like the way in which he benches.
“I really feel like I’ve earned the privilege,” Carlson stated. “I performed fairly nicely this spring, and if I didn’t, then I in all probability wouldn’t be within the place I’m in now to have the ability to name just a little little bit of the pictures. I really feel like, if you happen to’re taking me together with your first decide, you’re doing it for a motive, proper? Like, I may very well be the face of the group. So let’s do that factor, and let me be me, and let me allow you to win some video games.”
Eric Longenhagen had Carlson ranked twelfth on his draft board and mocked him to the Cardinals with decide no. 5. On Sunday evening, Liam Doyle unexpectedly fell to no. 5, knocking Carlson again to the tenth decide and Chicago. In different phrases, it doesn’t seem to be Carlson’s robust opinions on coaching harm his draft inventory any ultimately.
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Eric gave the Athletics excessive marks for his or her Day One haul, taking Jamie Arnold at no. 11 and Indiana outfielder Devin Taylor at no. 48. My emotions about Arnold are well-known, and whereas I like him greater than Eric does, each of us have been excessive on Taylor, a three-time First Workforce All-Huge Ten honoree.
Taylor isn’t an enormous man, solely 6-foot-1, however he’s rock-solid and he can flat-out hit. He’s Indiana’s profession dwelling run chief, with 54 dingers in 169 profession video games. (Kyle Schwarber performed in a a lot much less hitter-friendly period, besides, he solely managed 40 bombs in his 180 video games for the Hoosiers.) Taylor has energy to all fields, and he’s extremely constant; he hit .300/.400/.600 all three years at Indiana, and he hit .296/.397/.510 final summer season on the Cape as nicely.
Taylor swings that bat laborious.
“I simply attempt to preserve it so simple as doable,” Taylor stated. “Prior to now few years, I’ve gotten to some extent the place I’ve gotten pitched round. I’ll get one to 2 pitches in an at-bat, and it’s about how can I get my A-swing off and capitalize on these one to 2 pitches I get within the zone?”
As a lot as Taylor has been constant over his time in Bloomington, he’s additionally made regular enhancements, mainly in his plate self-discipline. As a junior, he walked 19.3% of the time, with a strikeout charge of simply 11.2%.
He additionally looks like a nice particular person to be round. Taylor was my final interview of the mix, and, being just a little drained and punchy after speaking to a cavalcade of beginner ballplayers, I took solutions from the web on some enjoyable questions I may ask. The winner: “If you happen to and your workforce have been in a Donner Occasion scenario, which of your teammates would you eat first?”
Taylor wanted a second to reply — apparently youngsters as of late aren’t up on their historic cases of cannibalism — however he landed on a superb candidate: freshman catcher Hogan Denny.
Why?
“We name him Beef.”
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RJ Austin performed in every single place at Vanderbilt. He began at second base as a freshman, first base as a sophomore, after which heart subject this previous season, the place he received a collegiate Gold Glove. In three years of faculty, he appeared in no less than one recreation at each place besides pitcher, catcher, and proper subject. (Although he did get into a pair video games in proper on the Cape, so we all know he no less than is aware of the place it’s.)
“I like taking part in a number of positions,” Austin stated. “It’s plenty of enjoyable, however I really feel like heart subject is my favourite for positive.”
What’s the important thing to taking part in good heart subject protection?
“Anticipating every part and being prepared on the pitch,” Austin stated. “Outfield is a place the place you will get bored on the market. Balls don’t come on the market, so you will get lazy, find yourself not paying consideration. However it’s a type of issues the place even in apply, I run into the wall to catch the ball, as a result of if you happen to’re not doing that in apply, you’re going to shock your self within the recreation. If you happen to’re within the recreation, it needs to be like second nature.”
There are some actual questions on Austin’s bat within the professionals; he hit .257/.353/.383 as a junior. However this season his coach, Tim Corbin, gave one in all my favourite compliments I’ve ever heard a few participant: “He performs the sport, I’m not gonna say recklessly, however he performs the sport ferociously.”
What a splendidly vivid adverb. What does Austin give it some thought?
“It means I play my coronary heart out each time I’m on the market,” he stated. “It’s simply a type of issues the place, each time I’m on the sector, I’m making an attempt to beat the opponent, it doesn’t matter what, it doesn’t matter what I’ve to do.”
The Orioles took Austin 93rd general, and if you happen to’re beginning to really feel such as you’ve heard of Baltimore drafting a Gold Glove-winning Vanderbilt heart fielder with questions on his hit instrument earlier than, worry not. All of us keep in mind Enrique Bradfield Jr. Particularly Austin, who regarded as much as his as soon as and future teammate after they performed collectively in 2023.
“Management,” Austin stated once I requested him what he’d discovered from Bradfield. “He at all times knew what to say to me to present me the precise mindset. He is aware of the way it feels to have all of the lights on you, all of the cameras on you, so he taught me the way in which. Simply watching him be mature about how he took every part. He was skilled. You by no means, by no means noticed him sweat, even when he was putting out. Like, you’d by no means know if he was going 0-for-4 or 4-for-4. Studying these issues actually helped me as a participant.”
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Carlson won’t assume having thick legs helps a lot, however Michael Salina does. Salina was the Padres’ fourth-round decide, and if a pitcher goes that top out of St. Bonaventure regardless of at present being on the mend from Tommy John surgical procedure, he have to be good. Effectively, Salina’s fastball topped out at 102 earlier than his elbow blew out.
Whereas his throwing arm is therapeutic up, Salina has been blasting the legs. Right here’s a video from Might of Salina, his proper arm in a brace, squatting 485 kilos.
“It simply helped me a lot in going from the man who obtained under-recruited in highschool, being as much as 91, to the man who throws 100,” Salina stated.
I requested Salina how a lot he needs to have on the rack by the point he begins throwing once more, and whereas he tried to stroll it again later, he threw the quantity 600 on the market.
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Again once I was overlaying faculty baseball extra carefully, I saved getting connected to toolsy faculty heart fielders with hit instrument questions. I really assume I used to be a reasonably first rate evaluator basically again then, however gamers like this saved pulling me in and fully face-planting as soon as they obtained to the professionals. Brandon Downes, David Martinelli, Jeren Kendall — the listing goes on. No matter I did, I couldn’t give up.
Toolsy faculty heart fielders with hit instrument questions are just like the poisonous ex who I can’t preserve myself from texting at 2 a.m. Finally, I simply blocked this prospect kind’s quantity and moved on with my life.
Then I noticed George Mason outfielder James Quinn-Irons work out on the mix, and I’m able to throw all of it away once more. Quinn-Irons put up massive exit velo numbers — sixteen of his 26 batting apply hits left the bat at 100 mph or extra, topping out at 112.1, and 7 of these balls traveled 385 toes or extra. Solely six hitters hit the ball tougher; all six are nook guys and 4 of them went on Day One. Quinn-Irons may seem like a nook man, at 6-foot-5, 230 kilos, however he’s a middle fielder who ran within the excessive 3.6s and stole 36 bases in 61 video games this previous yr. I do know George Mason isn’t precisely an SEC workforce, however he additionally hit .419/.523/.734.
Now for some damning with faint reward. Quinn-Irons made a few of the finest throws I noticed throughout outfield drills, although his arm energy and accuracy got here with a Henry Rowengartner-like hitch in his throwing movement. Eric ranked him 83rd; he wrote that Quinn-Irons “posted a few of the finest peak exit velocities in faculty baseball this yr, and [he] owns a 90% zone contact charge. He managed that despite the fact that his swings are sometimes awkward and ill-timed. Doesn’t constantly look comfy within the field, decrease half and higher half incessantly disconnected.”
I’m able to get harm once more. It’s going to be messy. Carry a mop.
You already know who else is able to get harm? The Rays, who in my view obtained an absolute steal by taking Quinn-Irons within the fifth spherical, not lengthy after they snapped up Texas highschool catcher Taitn Grey, one other mix exit velo monster. The Quinn-Irons decide is my favourite of the entire draft. Whether or not meaning it’s a superb decide will depend on whether or not my judgment has gotten higher for the reason that mid-2010s. We will see.