https://twitter.com/markbermanfox26/status/1548867195081355265?s=21&t=eo3wUl0YU6MU7UIiUZreGg
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So two lefty hitters who play CF and raked this spring and who most draft boards considered first round talents.
I’ll take that.
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Vols HC Tony Vitello talking about Gilbert…
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“Obviously a loud personality on the field because he wants to win so much, but I can’t describe to people how much he changed my life once he got to our program,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said on MLB Network’s draft broadcast. “He does things in the locker room and dugout that are hard to describe in a short period of time, but he literally changed how the program operates, competes and works. I think he’s going to do that at the big league level, too, even though he’s going to have to establish himself. Phenomenal kid.”
Ben Joyce is still available as pick #80 approaches.
And instead the Astros take Central Michigan U RHP Andrew Taylor.
Where the draft boards had him: BA (#145), MLB Pipeline (#156), McDaniel (#138), Law (NR), Longenhagen (#124).
Nice outing against Florida in a regional last month: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 9 K.
Here’s what MLB Pipeline says about the 6’5" 200 lb pitcher…
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Taylor’s fastball sits at 90 mph and tops out at 94, but it’s an analytics darling with its high spin rates and carry. Add in the extension he creates with his skinny 6-foot-5 frame, and hitters struggle to get good swings against his heater and repeatedly get beat with it up in the zone. He uses his fastball roughly 80 percent of the time and his most reliable secondary pitch is a solid 78-82 mph changeup with fade and depth.
While he has improved his breaking balls, a soft mid-70s downer curveball and a nascent 78-83 mph slider, they’re no more than average offerings. Taylor keeps his long limbs in sync, allowing him to repeat his delivery and provide strikes. While there are some questions about his health, there’s also some thought that he has more upside remaining if a pro club can help him increase his strength and feel for spinning the ball.
Fingers crossed that he’s this year’s version of another pitcher out of a Michigan school: Hunter Brown.
One of ESPN’s three draft writers had Gilbert as the best value of round 1
Melton is a really good get in the second round. As noted above, he was considered a (late) first round talent by most everyone, with at least a couple of folks thinking he could turn out to be the best college hitter in this year’s draft.
Put me firmly in the high floor view of Gilbert. however. He’s highly competitive, and not without tools and atheticism. But he’s also already maxed out physically (or close to it) and there are more than a few questions whether his power will translate to pro ball. Feels very much like a value pick rather than best available, especially when power arms like Connor Prielipp were still on the board at #28 (who, admittedly, is not without his own TJS questions).
Taylor is exactly the type of pitcher the Astros covet and I’m not surprised they drafted him, although I also think he would’ve still been on board later today. But I’m very much in agreement with Walt in seeing Hunter Brown 2.0 here.
it’s interesting hearing this theme again and again: " just knowing the track record they have with developing players in general. "
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It has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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Michael Knorr (Coastal Carolina RHP) in the third and Trey Dombroski (Monmouth LHP) in the fourth. All college through the first five picks.
Four straight pitchers taken since the selection of Gilbert and Melton…
6th round C Collin Price, Mercer U
7th round RHP AJ Blubaugh, U of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
8th round RHP Tyler Guilfoil, U of Kentucky
9th round RHP Brett Gillis, U of Portland
10th round OF Zach Cole, Jr. Ball St.
Along those lines, interesting piece (though light on details) about the evolution of the Astros use of analytics and coaching.
Behind paywall - gist is no longer one size fits all, but providing the information for players to use as they see fit. Contrasts Alvarez’s use of data to adjust swing in a game to Tucker’s need to get the feel. Says organization and coaches use the data to help players make adjustments.
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HSers selected and signed by the Astros in first 10 rounds since 2012:
2012 4 (Correa, LMJ, Rio Ruiz, Brett Phillips)
2013 3 (Jacob Nottingham, Jason Martin, Austin Nicely)
2014 0 (Brady Aiken and Jacob Nix were ofc selected but did not get signed)
2015 3 (Tucker, Daz Cameron, Nestor Muriel)
2016 1 (Whitley)
2017 2 (Joe Perez, Nate Perry)
2018 1 (Jayson Schroeder)
2019 1 (Colin Barber)
2020* 1 (Alex Santos)
2021 1 (Tyler Whitaker with Alex Ulloa going unsigned)
2022 0
*5 round draft
3rd round pick (#103) Michael Knorr…
Where the draft boards had him: BA (#131), MLB Pipeline (#176), McDaniel (#175), Law (NR), Longenhagen (#80).
Cali native spent 3 years at CSF before deciding to check out the beaches on the other side of the country at Coastal Carolina. Shitty numbers with the Titans–a 1.54 WHIP and a K/9 of just 6.2. But the move to Coastal was accompanied by a delivery change which unlocked more velocity and the numbers improved to 1.06 and 11.2 respectively. Now averages 94 on the FB and touches 99 says BA. Despite the increased velo he managed to keep the walks in check with a BB/9 of just 1.7. Decent change but the breaking balls lag a bit say the scouting reports.
Talks about Gilbert, Melton and Taylor…
Went quickly off the board today at #89 to the Angels.