argument between drafting pitcher or hitter

[grm619]

ive been having this argument with my brother for awhile now.

we both love what the pirates did last year in drafting sanchez and acquiring all the prep arms in the later rounds.

my brother believes we should do the same approach this year and draft bryce brentz (hell of a hitter huh!) wit our first pick

i on the other hand have been arguing that this is a very pitchers heavy draft especially at the top.  and after drafting hitters with his last 2 1st round picks, NH has to be due to go pitching in the first round.

i know what you guys are thinkiing, pitchers in 1st round are a big commitment.  but let me reiterate with this.

bryan matsuz was i believe the #2 pick or something like that, and he signed for SLOT money!!!!! which is LESS than what alvarez signed for. 

i was thinking of mcguire in the first round since he seems more like the kind of pitcher who would sign for slot over the boras repped ranaudo.  wed still be able to do what we did last year. itd be like a middle ground between what we did in 08 to what we did 09.


thoughts anyone?

[agent00]

I would draft Taillon. So far. High school pitchers are risky, but you gotta take risks sometime to succeed.

[grm619]

tallion will ask for too much and he may not ever make the show.  hes good but when it comes to HS arms, ill stick to the later picks

[agent00]

"he may not ever make the show"

So? You can say that about any prospect. As I said, this kid is showing to be a great prospect. Of course, that's all that he is. A prospect. Every prospect comes with risk. You have to decide if you're going to take that risk or not.

[mouse]

I would go with the bat -- Bentz, I guess. The fact that there are a lot of pitchers in this draft means good ones will drop down and can be grabbed in later rounds. There aren't too many bats and likely not any good ones (or at least ones who appear at the time to have a good chance to make the majors) that will survive the first round.

[81omar]

    I'd like to see them get Brentz,hes starting to crush the ball lately,and another big bat in the 2nd round then load up on pitching again,especially HS arms that dropped down. That could all change though based on whose available when they pick. They need power bats in the org and the more pitchers the better and HS ones are always good to get before a college coach can ruin their arm

[markson33]

I agree with Brentz and a mix of HS arms and HS impact bats.  Kind of the same as they did last year, but fewer arms and more OFs.

[Xiga]

I want the best bat available and then load up on over-slot prep arms later in the draft. Pitching is too risky that early - you have better strength in numbers especially if you're still getting guys with good upsides. If they could reproduce last year's draft, that'd be perfect to me. I like that approach.

[81omar]

I want the best bat available and then load up on over-slot prep arms later in the draft. Pitching is too risky that early - you have better strength in numbers especially if you're still getting guys with good upsides. If they could reproduce last year's draft, that'd be perfect to me. I like that approach.

   I wouldnt mind a similar draft at all either,the one thing I'd change is taking a pitcher like Victor Black in the 3rd round and using that 2nd pick for a much better bat than Chambers. Eventhough I've heard conflicting reports,what BA said about Joey Schoenfeld(see below) is encouraging enough that I like that raw HS toolsy player better than a guy like Chambers who at 2 years older still has the same questions but costs more than twice as much

<<<<While raw, there is no doubt that Schoenfeld is a fine athlete, with strength and unusual speed for a catcher. He will need time to develop, but the long term payoff with Schoenfled could be dramatic.>>>>

[Will]

tallion will ask for too much and he may not ever make the show.  hes good but when it comes to HS arms, ill stick to the later picks

Have you read something specific about Taillon's asking price? Honest question, I've seen all the stuff about his commitment to Rice, etc., but I was wondering if there was anything beyond that speculation leading to the belief that his demands are going to be exorbitant.

[Cobra]

The question is: if Harper is available do you take him? That is the #1 question about this year's draft. He is now batting .406 with wood bats against guys two and three years older than he is. You don't have to buy into all the hype to think they should take Harper if the Nats pass.

[markson33]

I say no to Harper.  Not necessarily because he isn't a stud, but more because he doesn't fit our organizational needs.  He is a lefty and will likely wind up being a 1b or RF and take 4 years to get to the majors.  I would rather have a RH power bat that can be here in 2 years.  Thats Brentz.

If you compare Brentz and Harper its hard to say that there is really a big statistical difference in the quality of the bat, but there is a big difference in both price and time they will spend in the minors.  In other words why pay $10mm plus when you can pay $5mm for virtually the same player, just two years sooner?  Organizationally we need RH power bats more than we need LH power bats.

[Dale Berras Stash]

tallion will ask for too much and he may not ever make the show.  hes good but when it comes to HS arms, ill stick to the later picks

Have you read something specific about Taillon's asking price? Honest question, I've seen all the stuff about his commitment to Rice, etc., but I was wondering if there was anything beyond that speculation leading to the belief that his demands are going to be exorbitant.

It's probably too early for a player to stake out a certain demand, but Taillon just screams "Porcello/Turner/Beckett" level of money...$6.5M+...and probably wants a MLB-contract, which is silly for a HS player.

[Piratesprospects]

bryan matsuz was i believe the #2 pick or something like that, and he signed for SLOT money!!!!! which is LESS than what alvarez signed for.

Matusz signed for about $200 K above slot, but the big thing was that he received a major league deal.  That pretty much guarantees that he would be on the fast track to the majors.

[Dogknot3]

The Pirates can't worry about the "fast track" to the majors.  They need to select the best player worth their asking price. 

For a team to compete year in and year out, they need talent.  We can't just worry about the current team and what is needed.  Would you want the Pirates to select the best college SS, but pass on much better players? 

The Pirates do need left-handed power hitters too.