Cardinals' pick in Baseball America's just released mock draft.
7. Cardinals — Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest
Kurtz was hitting under .300 for the first 25 games of the season. But if you look at his overall production he’s still managed to be one of the very best hitters in the country thanks to exceptional plate awareness and power that has surfaced in a huge way in April.
His 26.1% walk rate is second among D-I hitters and his 14.4% chase rate is the best of any college hitter you’ll see in this mock draft. His 17 homers are tied for ninth in the country which is perhaps not ideal for a top-of-the-draft first baseman but much more impressive when you consider he had just two homers through his first 20 games.
Being a first base-only profile could hold Kurtz back among the top tier players, as could his more lengthy injury history. But his offensive track record and toolset seems as safe as any in this draft class. [Reply]
Originally Posted by raybec 4:
It's depressing to know that no matter who they draft that player's career will be wasted.
But at the same time, it's refreshing to know it from the start and just not care.
I used to worry a bit about the development of a guy like Chase Davis. How he's picking up ball/strikes against more polished opponents. How he's transitioning to wood bats. Is there some static in the low minors that suggest the approach is good even when the results aren't?
Now? Pft - who gives a fuck? The guy could develop perfectly. He could have a 1.100 OPS this year in AA. Who cares? We'll call him up, ruin him, trade him for dick and then watch some other team unlock him (This is going to happen to Jordan Walker).
So knowing all that, I don't worry even a little how a guy is doing in the minors. Because even if he's great, it won't benefit this ballclub in any way. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
But at the same time, it's refreshing to know it from the start and just not care.
I used to worry a bit about the development of a guy like Chase Davis. How he's picking up ball/strikes against more polished opponents. How he's transitioning to wood bats. Is there some static in the low minors that suggest the approach is good even when the results aren't?
Now? Pft - who gives a ****? The guy could develop perfectly. He could have a 1.100 OPS this year in AA. Who cares? We'll call him up, ruin him, trade him for dick and then watch some other team unlock him (This is going to happen to Jordan Walker).
So knowing all that, I don't worry even a little how a guy is doing in the minors. Because even if he's great, it won't benefit this ballclub in any way.
Originally Posted by Marcellus:
So why do guys have such success in Memphis then stink when they get to the big club?
I get the pitching is a different animal but other teams rookies seem to be able to adjust well enough. Winn seems to have done decent.
Do they fuck with their hitting approach when they come up?
Walker's approach in the minors was always going to become a problem with better stuff. The rest of them were victims of poor selection decisions; lack of opportunities born of a major league staff that didn't know who was actually good or have the patience/wherewithal to find out.
Someone like Burleson struggling is a tough nut to crack, though. He really shouldn't. Maybe it's opportunity but he's had enough that he should've shown something more than he has. It may just be an example of a guy who doesn't have the athletic skills to be a big league hitter. [Reply]
So you're saying that spending the entire offseason working on his OF defense so he could be roughly average out there at the cost of his offensive potential was a bad choice?
A guy in my fantasy baseball league put it best:
"how in the world do you look at Edman, Donovan, Gorman and Walker, decide that 3 of them are outfielders, one of them is an infielder and get them ALL wrong?"
I mean that's just brutally on point. Edman - GG shortstop. Donovan -- GG infielder. Walker - obvious long-term 1b. Gorman - clearly not a 2b but has the physical tools to be a very strong LFer. And we got every single one of those decisions backwards. We took the 3 best bets to be successful on the IF and stuck them in the OF, then took the one guy who very clearly is NOT a 2b and hammered that square peg into the round hole until he ALSO lost the plot offensively.
This team couldn't be doing more to hurt its young players on purpose.
Get this - Marmol in the presser last night says Matz pitched okay. Velo was good, stuff was good - he attributed it to "The D-Backs are just really good against lefthanded pitching..."
Do you think he even KNOWS what hand Zack Thompson throws with? When he sent him out there to fucking die and wreck the last of any confidence he's ever had, do you think he considered "The D-Backs are really good against lefties" as he tossed him into that shredder? No, of course he didn't.
Because this team actively sabotages every young player it has. It couldn't put these guys in worse positions to succeed on purpose.
The whole fucking organization is stupid and rotten and lazy and arrogant. I hate this team so goddamn much. [Reply]