2011 MLB Draft: Compensation Round Analysis and Opinion

Jackie Bradley Jr says, "My wrist is fine, and I'm happy to be a Red Sock"  (Getty)

Here are capsule summaries of the Supplemental round compensation picks, with my opinion of the pick mixed in.

1-34) Nationals: Brian Goodwin, OF, Miami Dade CC: Very toolsy outfielder with good speed, patience at the plate, and moderate power. Needs work on defense but high ceiling. This is a fine pick in my view, as I felt he would be solid late in the first round.

1-35) Blue Jays: Jacob Anderson, OF, Chino HS, Chino CA: Somewhat raw, but the Blue Jays are sold on his power bat from the left side of the plate. Signable away from Pepperdine here. An overdraft by about a round on my board, but the Blue Jays know more about him than I do, and his ceiling is high.

1-36) Red Sox: Henry Owens, LHP, Edison HS, Huntington Beach, CA: Lanky 6-7 strike-thrower with average fastball but outstanding feel for pitching. Nice value here, the Red Sox must be ecstatic they could get him here as he has first round ability.

1-37) Rangers: Zach Cone, OF, Georgia: One of the toolsiest outfielders in the college ranks, but rather raw with the bat. High risk/high reward pick. I am not a big fan of Cone, as I think he's got a good chance to bust, but the Rangers feel his athleticism can be molded. If they are right, it could be a steal.

1-38) Rays: Brandon Martin, SS, Santiago HS, Corona, California: Fast-riser  up the draft boards due to his improved hitting and good chance to remain at shortstop. Strikes me as a slight overdraft, but given the lack of high-ceiling shortstops, I can understand why they took the risk.

1-39) Phillies: Larry Greene, OF, Berrian County HS, Nashville, Georgia: Raw prep outfielder with enormous power but may end  up as a first baseman or DH if he gets too slow. I am intrigued with Greene's power, but I think there were more balanced picks available. Still, if you REALLY love the guy, and you think he'll be gone later, you pull the trigger. I would have picked Jackie Bradley or Andrew Chafin myself.

1-40) Red Sox: Jackie Bradley, OF, South Carolina: This could be a steal if Bradley can return to the form he showed in 2010. Was it the new college bats or a bad wrist that hurt his numbers? A year ago, if you told the Red Sox they would be able to grab Jackie Bradley in the comp round, I don't think they would have believed you.

1-41) Rays: Tyler Goeddel, 3B, St Francis HS, Mountain View, CA: Good athlete with speed and arm strength, bat will need some development time as he is physically immature. This is one of the high-profile draftees that I don't have a good feel for.

1-42) Rays: Jeff Ames, RHP, Lower Columbia JC: Power arm with mid-90s fastball, erratic breaking ball, may fit best in relief up the ladder but has the stuff to close. He has a first-round quality arm but needs more polish. This is an overdraft by perhaps a round or two, but he does have a quality arm and the Rays are a good fit for him.

1-43) Diamondbacks: Andrew Chafin, LHP, Kent State: Power-armed lefty is Tommy John survivor and had some bouts of soreness this year, but ceiling is excellent. This could be a HUGE steal if he stays healthy. Arizona sure brought some high-ceiling arms into the system with this draft.

1-44) Mets: Michael Fulmer, RHP, Deer Creek HS, Edmond, OK: Overshadowed by Bundy and Bradley in Oklahoma but an excellent prospect in his own right, hitting the mid-90s. Totally legitimate pick, as Fulmer would be a first rounder in many classes.

1-45) Rockies: Trevor Story, SS, Irving HS, Irving, TX: Outstanding arm, can remain at shortstop, and has a chance to be a solid hitter as well. I am very pro-Story, and I think this is a great pick for the Rockies.

1-46) Blue Jays: Joe Musgrove, RHP, Grossmont HS, El Cajon, CA: Big 6-5 guy with 90+ sinker and strong curve, should be signable away from San Diego State in this spot. This reminds me of how the Jays picked up a bunch of high-ceiling right-handers in the draft last year. Solid choice.

1-47) White Sox: Keenyn Walker, OF, Central Arizona JC: Blazing speed and greatly improved hitting skills, along with a solid glove, push him to the top of the White Sox draft list. I like Walker a LOT and he was on my list of players who could go earlier than expected. He's got some risk, but the reward could be huge.

1-48) Padres: Michael Kelly, RHP, West Boca Raton HS, Florida: Big 6-5 right-hander with impressive arm strength but underdeveloped secondary pitches, high ceiling but will need time. Another fine compensation pick with an arm that could have gone 25 spots higher in some years.

1-49) Giants: Kyle Crick, RHP, Sherman HS, Texas: Another power arm hitting 93-96 MPH and a promising curveball, should fit well into Giants farm system. Like Kelly, Crick could have easily gone much higher than this. Solid pick.

1-50) Twins: Travis Harrison, 3B, Tustin HS, California: Huge power but doubts about defense kept him out of the first round. Still, even if he ends up at first base, this is a potential 30-homer bat and an impact guy for this slot. Good pick.

1-51) Yankees: Dante Bichette, OF, Orangewood Christian HS, Orlando, FL: Very similar to his father with the same mixture of strengths and weaknesses if he develops as expected. Perhaps an overdraft by a round, but the bloodlines are excellent and I am not convinced this is an overdraft at all. Another possible 30-homer bat.

1-52) Rays: Blake Snell, LHP, Shorewood, HS, Shoreline, Washington: Very projectable lefty with low-90s fastball and more to come if he fills out as expected. Might be an overdraft by a round, but not a huge one. Affordable and has signficant upside.

1-53) Blue Jays: Dwight Smith, Jr., OF, McIntosh HS, Georgia; Pure hitter who is similar to his father but should be/could be better overall. Buyable out of Georgia Tech in this spot. I like Smith a lot and this is a great pick.

1-54) Padres: Brett Austin, C, Providence HS, Charlotte, NC: Rather raw on defense but has a very promising bat, late helium and positional scarcity moved him up boards. Not an overdraft by very much, if at all.

1-55) Twins: Hudson Boyd, RHP, Bishop Verot HS, Fort Myers, FL: Beefy as 6-3, 235, but has a live arm with a 90-95 MPH fastball and a very strong curve. Could be workhorse starter or closer. He is not a personal favorite and I went in a different direction in my shadow draft, but he does have a fine arm and good polish for his age, and was expected to go in about this spot, so not an overdraft.

1-56) Rays: Kes Carter, OF, Western Kentucky: Solid college player with good tools across the board, runs well, has power, draws walks, solid on defense. Great pick, great value here.

1-57) Blue Jays: Kevin Comer, RHP, Seneca HS, Tabernacle, NJ: Somewhat raw and has a Vanderbilt commitment, but low-90s fastball, promising curve, and high ceiling make him interesting gamble. I'm not wild about him, but he fits well into the Blue Jays development program.

1-58) Padres: Jace Peterson, SS, McNeese State University: Excellent athlete with football background has more polish than you might expect, solid bat and might stay at shortstop. I think this is a solid choice given the normal positon scarcity up the middle.

1-59) Rays: Grayson Garvin, LHP, Vanderbilt: Velocity boost pushed his fastball well into the 90s this year despite being overshadowed by other college arms. Not an overdraft here, as I think Garvin is underrated by many observers.

1-60) Rays: James Harris, OF, Oakland Tech HS, CA: Signable athlete seems like an overdraft but might not be: he's toolsy, has power and speed, and will take a walk. The more I think about it, the more I like it. Harris was a bit under the radar, but the patience/speed combination is unusual and Rays fans shouldn't assume this was all about money.