If Crow drops to 6th, the Marlins have to take him. I know they would like to have Hosmer as the 1b of the future, but his demands will be to high for the fish. If Scheppers stock keeps rising, I can see him going here as well.

If that was the process, I would see them saving some money and grabbing Alonso who’s local as well. But if Aaron Crow is there, I’m pretty sure they will take him, depending on demands of course.

assuming Hosmer’s too pricey, I’d take Skipworth at #6. I’m not a big fan of the college 1Bs.

I ended up taking over the Marlins. I’ll post my thoughts on the picks after the draft, but I’m very happy w/ rounds 1/2 so far.

Round 1, 6th pick overall: Buster Posey, C, FSU

I was very surprised to see Posey sitting here at six. I was hoping to take Matusz, Smoak, or Hosmer, in that order, depending on who dropped. Skipworth, who the Marlins are heavily rumored to like, was also a consideration, but Posey is a surer bet to stay behind the plate, filling a big organizational need, and Skipworth’s upside isn’t that much better than Posey’s, in my opinion. Posey should be a BA/OBP machine with average power (for the position) in the majors, and his athleticism should help him remain durable enough to start 140 games per season. I couldn’t be happier with this pick.

Round 2, 52nd pick overall: Mike Montgomery, LHP, Hart High School, Newhall, CA

After the first round concluded, there were six players I was really hoping would slip. I had, in order, Gillaspie (huge steal), Dykstra, Cooper, Seaton, DeVall, and Perry next. When they all went in the supplemental first, I had nobody targeted, and alot of the players I wanted fit better in round 3, so I went with Monty. Montgomery is a big kid at 6’4” with a fastball that sits around 90 MPH and touches 94. He has the body, easy delivery, and projectability to hit 94 more frequently. His command is also pretty good, and both his curve and change have potential. Much like the Marlins, I don’t mind rolling the dice with a big upside, HS arm, especially in round two.

Round 3, 83rd pick overall: Jaff Decker, OF, Sunrise Mountain HS, Peoria, AZ

This pick stung much more. I was very much hoping that Eric Thames’ injury would have him slip here, as I even considered him in round two. He went three picks before here. I was about to announce Lonnie Chisenhall instead, but the Giants stole him one pick in front of me (pun intended). Decker was next on my list, with Zach Cox also part of the consideration set. Ultimately I went with Decker, a pure hitter who projects to hit for more power than Cox. He’s got a good arm while on the mound as well, hitting the 90s from the left side, but he projects better as a hitter. He doesn’t have much speed to speak of, and with a strong arm he seems destined for right. He may end up at 1B, however, if his lack of speed becomes too much an issue. Either way, I’m drafting the bat here and hoping it plays. He has the potential to be above average in hitting, hitting for power, and discipline.

Round 4, 118th pick overall: Blake Tekotte, OF, Miami

I was hoping one of the underrated college relievers would fall to me, such as Aaron Weatherford or Scott Bittle. When they didn’t, I was all set to take Taylor Jungmann, when the Giants picked my player one pick before me for the second time in a row. Instead, I went with Tekotte, a center fielder who has good bat control (.374 BA), good discipline (32/39 K/BB) and good speed (22 steals in cape last year, lead league, and 25 in 31 chances this year). Tekotte is also an excellent defender, probably the best of the draft-eligible college players, and will stick there in the majors. If he can continue to hit for enough average and draw enough walks (he also gets HBP often, which will help), he’ll be a nice leadoff hitter in the majors.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with the draft. I don’t think any of the later picks are huge steals, but I liked all three of them and two (Decker, Tekotte) were players I was targeting coming into the draft. And Posey to start was excellent.

I welcome comments on the draft.